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Minor Transactions: 06/04/21

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There are just eight teams left alive in the NHL postseason and by this time next week that number could be down to four. The off-season has arrived for most, with all other major hockey leagues long since wrapped up. While many will wait for the NHL off-season to officially begin before making a decision on their future, other are willing to make a decision right away. Here are some notable moves from the latter group:

  • As previously suggested, Joakim Nordstrom has indeed signed with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow. The club officially announced a one-year contract with the NHL veteran on Friday. While Nordstrom has never been a scoring threat in the NHL, his early commitment overseas is at least slightly suprising. The two-way forward clearly provides value, as evidenced by six straight seasons of starting at least two-thirds of his teams’ games across stops in Carolina, Boston, and Calgary. A solid checker and shot blocker, Nordstrom is a good defensive presence as a bottom-six forward, but does not provide much upside. Perhaps in Russia he will be able to do more offensively and play a more balanced game. He will be surrounded by plenty of talent with CSKA, a KHL juggernaut.
  • Another forward heading to Europe is Tanner MacMaster. The former Quinnipiac University standout has played well in the AHL over the past three years, including playing a top-six role with 30 points for a loaded Toronto Marlies team last season, but has not earned an entry-level contract. He will look to Sweden for a bigger role and more substantial contract after spending this season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. MODO of the Swedish second-tier Allsvenskan has announced a one-year deal with MacMaster, who they label as a top-six center for the club.
  • After a year off in 2020-21, former NHL enforcer Luke Gazdic has decided to make the change permanent. The veteran of 11 pro seasons has announced his retirement from the game. Gazdic will be remembered most for his three seasons as a fixture on the Edmonton Oilers’ checking line, though he developed into a leader in the AHL as well, spending his final two seasons with the San Diego Gulls.
  • Also calling it quits after a long pro career is longtime Cleveland Monsters goaltender Brad Thiessen. Thiessen, 35, has announced his retirement after twelve years at the pro level. Thiessen initially left Northeastern University early in 2009, signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a highly sought-after free agent. Thiessen played three seasons with the Penguins, including seeing action in five NHL games, and another with the Calgary Flames, but since 2015-16 has been with AHL Cleveland. Thiessen helped to develop Columbus Blue Jackets netminders Joonas Korpisalo and Matiss Kivlenieks while continually providing reliable play and even leading the club to a Calder Cup.

 

Buffalo Sabres Win 2021 NHL Draft Lottery

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For the final time for the foreseeable future, all non-playoff teams were eligible to win the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery. Beginning in 2022, a team can only move up a maximum of ten spots, meaning the teams who finish No. 12 through No. 16 in the final league standings cannot move high enough to take over the top pick. The stage was set for a climactic send-off for the old format.

Well, the lottery balls decided not to take a crazy bounce in their last opportunity to move a team from the middle of the first round all the way to the top. Instead, the draft order stayed virtually the same. The Buffalo Sabres, who held the worst record in the NHL this season and thus the top odds in the lottery, retained the No. 1 pick. The expansion Seattle Kraken, awarded the same odds as the third-worst record in the league, moved up one spot, switching places with the Anaheim Ducks. New this year, there were only two lottery draws as opposed to the former three. Here is the official first-round draft order for the top 15 picks:

  1. Buffalo Sabres
  2. Seattle Kraken
  3. Anaheim Ducks
  4. New Jersey Devils
  5. Columbus Blue Jackets
  6. Detroit Red Wings
  7. San Jose Sharks
  8. Los Angeles Kings
  9. Vancouver Canucks
  10. Ottawa Senators
  11. Chicago Blackhawks
  12. Calgary Flames
  13. Philadelphia Flyers
  14. Dallas Stars
  15. New York Rangers

(As a reminder, the Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick this years as discipline for scouting violations)

This will be the second time in four years that the Buffalo Sabres will pick first overall after selecting Rasmus Dahlin at the top spot in 2018. It also means that two teams, the Sabres and New Jersey Devils, will have owned the first pick in four of the past five drafts. The two clubs are happy that the NHL’s new rule limiting teams to two lottery wins in a five-year span kicks in next year with a clean slate. Incredibly, the Sabres lottery win also further advances the mythology of Taylor Hall. Although Hall is now with the Boston Bruins, this is the fifth time in Hall’s career that his most recent team eligible for the draft lottery has won. A No. 1 overall pick himself, Hall has brought luck to the Edmonton Oilers, Devils, and now Sabres.

Perhaps bigger news than Buffalo at No. 1 is Seattle at No. 2, a major opportunity for the Kraken to draft a player who is ready to join the team in their inaugural season. The Vegas Golden Knights, with the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery, fell to No. 6 overall and drafted Cody Glass, who has still yet to establish himself as a regular in the Vegas lineup. With the second pick, Seattle will have better odds of adding an instant difference-maker.

The 2021 NHL Draft is unique compared to recent years in that there is no consensus top prospect. In fact, it is difficult to remember a draft class in recent memory that is so undecided at the top. One major factor has been the lack of complete scouting due to canceled and shortened seasons and limited live viewings. However, even with complete information, there is still seemingly no prospect that stands heads above the rest. University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power and forward Matthew Beniers are largely considered the top players at each position and the two most likely candidates for the top pick, with Power having a slight lead according to draft pundits. However, current teammate Kent Johnson and Wolverines commit Luke Hughes, a forward and defenseman respectively, are also in the mix. Canadian junior standouts Mason McTavish, Dylan Guenther, and Brandt Clarke and European pros William Eklund and Simon Edvinsson may also be in play.

Flames Listening To Offers For Sean Monahan

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After a disappointing season that saw them miss the playoffs, many expect big changes in Calgary this summer.  Tweaks to the roster alone probably aren’t going to be enough and players like defenseman Mark Giordano and winger Johnny Gaudreau have been speculated as possible candidates to be on the move, the former due to their expansion situation where he may have to be left unprotected and the latter due to his contract situation as he’s about to enter the final year of his contract.

The other long-term core player that the Flames have is center Sean Monahan and it appears that he’s in play as well as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is listening to offers for the 26-year-old.

It was only two seasons ago that Monahan had a dominant season, one that saw him notch 34 goals and 48 assists in 78 games while he and Gaudreau became one of the more productive duos in the NHL.  At that point, it looked as if he had arrived as the clear-cut number one middleman they hoped they’d get when they selected him sixth overall back in 2013.

But things haven’t gone well since then.  In 2019-20, his production dipped to 22 goals and 26 assists in 70 games in the pandemic-shortened year, the second-lowest point per game rate of his career.  Then came this season where things were even worse.  Monahan managed just 10 goals and 18 helpers in 50 games.  While the fact the pandemic cut the season short again is notable, so too is the fact that his previous career-low in goals was 22.  Suddenly, after being one of their more consistent scoring threats, that element of Monahan’s game disappeared and as a result, both Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund were more productive this season.

Monahan has two years left on his contract with a $6.375MM AAV with a 10-team no-trade clause, per CapFriendly.  That price tag looked like a bargain two years ago but that isn’t the case now based on his recent performance.

Nevertheless, with what is once again a very weak free agent center market and the fact that impact pivots are hard to come by, there still should be several teams interested in Monahan.  While the price tag is high for his recent production, he notched between 58 and 64 points in the four seasons preceding his 82-point campaign so there is a proven level of success and at 26, he still should be in the prime of his career.  In terms of upside, there probably won’t be many other centers of that caliber that find their way into trade talks this summer.

With the cap being flat and Seattle’s entry into the league, the trade market could be busier than normal as a result.  It looks like Monahan can be added to the list of players that could be on the move in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 5/26/21

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While things are relatively quiet on the transaction front during the NHL playoffs, there have been a few transactions today around the hockey world.  Here’s a rundown of those involving NHL-affiliated players and teams:

  • Panthers free agent defenseman Emil Djuse won’t be returning to North America. Instead, Rapperswill-Jona of the Swiss NLA announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year deal.  Djuse spent the 2019-20 season in North America between AHL Texas and Springfield and was actually rather productive offensively for a blueliner with 32 points in 53 games but opted to play in the KHL this season instead of re-signing with Florida.  He is set to become an NHL free agent in July.
  • Kings prospect forward Alexander Dergachyov has been traded to Avangard Omsk, the KHL team announced. Going the other way to Vityaz Podolsk is none other than current Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington, as well as minor league forward Alexander Yaremchuk. Kylington, 24, is of course playing in North America, but as a restricted free agent this off-season following a campaign in which he was used very sparingly, perhaps the Swedish blue liner will be intrigued by the opportunity to move the KHL. On the flip side, the 24-year-old Dergachyov was a fifth-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2015 (74th overall) but hasn’t opted to sign with the team yet, instead preferring to remain at home.  He signed a two-year contract with Omsk following the trade, so any move to L.A. will have to wait a while longer.
  • The Canadiens have signed defenseman Terrance Amorosa to a one-year AHL contract, their farm affiliate announced (Twitter link). The 26-year-old signed a tryout deal with Laval in March and despite playing just five games, he clearly made enough of an impression to get another deal.

North Notes: Weber, Oilers, Tkachuk, Hamonic

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The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber $5,000, the maximum fine allowable in the CBA,  for cross-checking Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds Saturday during Game 2 of the playoffs.

The veteran forward was not assessed a penalty against Simmonds on the play, but did receive a two-minute minor for cross-checking on Toronto’s Pierre Engvall during the third period and later received a 10-minute misconduct. Montreal received seven minor penalties during their 5-1 loss to Toronto.

  • The Edmonton Oilers look to be making several lineup changes after falling 2-0 to the Winnipeg Jets in their first-round matchup, according to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer. With the hope of being faster on the ice, the team is scratching James Neal, Dominik Kahun and Alex Chiasson, while bringing Tyler Ennis, Gaetan Haas and Devin Shore. The team has also split up defensemen Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse, while demoting forward Kailer Yamamoto to the third line.
  • Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is eligible to sign an extension with the team, tells Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg that he hasn’t spoken to Flames’ management about a new contract. The 23-year-old has one more year remaining at a $7MM AAV, but also will have a qualifying offer of $9MM when he becomes a restricted free agent. That’s a lot of money for a player that hasn’t taken that next step the team was hoping for. Tkachuk scored 34 goals and 77 points during the 2018-19 season and looked to be developing into a star player. However, those numbers have dropped to 23 goals and 61 points in 69 2019-20 and then 16 goals and 43 points in 56 games this season. There’s even been talk of Calgary making major changes this year, which could, in theory, include Tkachuk as well.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have high hopes they can re-sign defenseman Travis Hamonic to a new contract for the upcoming season. Hamonic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, played 38 games for Vancouver, mostly pairing with Quinn Hughes and fared well, despite dealing with injuries and rust. However, The Province’s Ben Kuzma reports that general manager Jim Benning said that there is interest in bringing back Hamonic, assuming the two sides can reach a reasonable deal. The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $1.25MM in hopes of staying in Western Canada, suggesting a deal is legitimately possible.

Mark Giordano Could Be Unprotected In Expansion

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Mark Giordano has been a fixture on Calgary’s back end for well over a decade and has gone from a role player to a top-line fixture while taking over as their captain.  However, Seattle’s expansion draft is on the horizon and the Flames could be inclined to protect players that are going to be around a little longer than the 37-year-old in Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev who all have at least three years left on their respective deals.  Accordingly, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis suggests that Giordano would be a viable target for the Kraken who would be able to afford the $6.75MM on his deal for next season where he’d be a valuable mentor (and perhaps a late-season trade chip).  For his part, Giordano acknowledged that “there are certain situations where you have to be an adult about it and know there are certain things that have to happen”, suggesting that he seems to see the writing on the wall.

Chris Tanev Played Through Broken Ribs, Torn Pectoral Muscle

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  • Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has had tough luck with injuries over the years and while he played in all 56 games this season, it turns out he was far from healthy. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson notes that the blueliner was dealing with a pair of broken ribs and a torn pectoral muscle by the end of the year but preferred to stay in the lineup and play through it rather than get an early start to his offseason.  Tanev’s first year in Calgary was a good one as he was able to adapt to playing a bigger role in the lineup (he was second in ATOI among Flames defenders) and while he clearly wasn’t healthy, he didn’t miss a game for the second straight year.

Johnny Gaudreau Hoping To Stay In Calgary

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In 2016, when Johnny Gaudreau was approaching the end of his entry-level contract, he was asked about playing for the Calgary Flames long-term. His answer then included the idea that he could play his “whole career” in Calgary, given the support of the organization and the fan base. Gaudreau would sign a six-year, $40.5MM contract a few months later, buying up many of his prime years in the league. That refrain of staying in Calgary his entire career was echoed throughout the first several seasons of the deal and now, as he approaches the last year of the contract, he was asked again.

If [Brad Treliving] and the owners are happy with the way I’ve played here the past six, seven years. It’s something we can figure out this upcoming summer, I’d love to do that. I love the city of Calgary. I love playing here. I don’t think I’ve ever once said I haven’t wanted to be here, the guys in the locker room are great in there. I’ve always enjoyed my time here. 

Gaudreau will be eligible to sign an extension this summer when his contract officially has just one year remaining, and Flames GM Brad Treliving confirmed to reporters including Hailey Salvian of The Athletic that the forward has expressed his desire to stay in Calgary. Still, there will be speculation (as there is almost every offseason) that the Flames are in need of a refresh and moving out some of their core pieces would be the start.

The 27-year-old Gaudreau recorded 49 points in 56 games this season including 19 goals, a nice bounce-back from the 18-goal campaign he put up a year ago. He still hasn’t been able to come close to that 36-goal, 99-point season in 2018-19 that led him to finish fourth in Hart Trophy voting, but there’s no doubt he’s still one of Calgary’s most important forwards.

The question that has always surrounded the diminutive Gaudreau, is whether he can perform in the playoffs when the game usually gets more physical. While he does have 19 points in 30 career postseason games, most of that production has come on the powerplay. In fact, he has scored just three even-strength goals in those playoff games, often a contributing factor to the Flames’ early exits.

There is of course the cost to worry about as well. The Flames spent big money in the 2020 offseason when they brought in Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev, with the former struggling to perform under the new deal. Markstrom did suffer a concussion this season according to Treliving, but recorded just a .904 save percentage in 43 appearances and led the league in losses. The Flames now have close to $42MM already committed to just eight players in the 2022-23 season when any new deal for Gaudreau would kick in, meaning they’ll have to carefully navigate any extension talks in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dillon Dube In Concussion Protocol

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  • Flames winger Dillon Dube is in concussion protocol after being injured in today’s regular season finale against Vancouver, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is supposed to join Team Canada for the upcoming World Championships but unless he is cleared quickly, he may no longer be able to participate.

North Notes: Canucks Front Office, Campbell, Nash, Philp

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There could be some changes in Vancouver this offseason in regards to the team’s front office. At least that’s what The Province’s Patrick Johnston states. The scribe writes that several names are surfacing if owner Francesco Aquilini is ready to make changes.

One name that Johnston writes about is Geoff Courtnall, who could serve as a middle man between ownership and the general manager. Despite the lack of NHL experience since retiring in 2000, he has expressed an interest in getting involved with hockey management and is quite familiar with Aquilini.

The scribe adds that there is a legitimate chance that Vancouver may be looking to replace Jim Benning as well. He makes several suggestions of candidates who could replace Benning, including recently fired ex-Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, Toronto assistant GM Laurence Gilman, Colorado’s assistant GM Chris MacFarland and possibly Scott Mellanby.

  • Sticking with the Canucks, The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reports that forward Elias Pettersson will not play Sunday or any of the remaining three games of the season, shutting him down for the season. Pettersson, who has been out since March 2 with an upper-body injury, has 10 goals and 21 points in just 26 games this season.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that the team will go with Jack Campbell as their No. 1 goaltender to start the playoffs over veteran Frederik Andersen, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Campbell likely deserves the nod after performing well this season, especially recently. Campbell finished the regular season with a 2.15 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 22 appearances. Keefe also said the team intends to put Riley Nash into the lineup immediately now that he’s been activated off LTIR (via Hockey News’ David Alter). Acquired for a seventh-round pick just before the trade deadline, the center has not played a game with Toronto yet. “We’re gonna get him involved right away and just rely upon the fact that he’s very smart player very experienced guy, and in the NHL and the playoffs in particular, trust that he’s going to fit right in.”
  • The Calgary Flames announced that forward Luke Philp was injured in practice Sunday and will miss the team’s final three games of the regular season. Philp had yet to make his NHL debut and was likely to get a chance in one of the team’s next three games, but will now have to wait until next season for another chance. Philp had eight goals and 17 points in 30 AHL games this season.

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