Hurricanes Rumors

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Valentin Zykov From AHL

March 8, 2017 at 4:18 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The season for testing young prospects is upon us. The Carolina Hurricanes have brought up Valentin Zykov from their AHL team for the first time in his career. With the Hurricanes all but eliminated from post season contention after losing to the Colorado Avalanche and falling more than 10 points out of the race, they’ve decided to give one of their promising young forwards a chance at the NHL.

Zykov is the prospect the Hurricanes acquired last season when they dealt Kris Versteeg to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline. Since being drafted 37th overall in the 2013 draft, the Russian winger has developed into a solid AHL player capable of scoring goals and leaning on people physically. While he doesn’t have the biggest frame, he often outworks players in board battles and can create offensive chances all by himself.

The 21-year old forward isn’t expected to step in and contribute in Carolina’s top six right away, but does look like he will be able to make an impact in some way as soon as next season. If the Hurricanes are serious about his development, giving him a look for the rest of the NHL season instead of wallowing on a struggling Charlotte Checkers team will give them a chance to see how close he is to being ready for the big-time.

We’ll likely see several callups of this nature over the coming weeks, as teams both test their prospects and reward AHL veterans with a few games (and paid days) on an NHL roster. For the Hurricanes, seeing what they have in the pipeline is about all they have left this season barring a miraculous run over the last 19 games.

Expansion Draft Issues: Post-Trade Deadline

March 5, 2017 at 6:51 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

Last month, we looked at several teams facing some tough situations in regards to the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft and offered potential solutions to how they could address their needs for forwards, defensemen and goalies at the NHL Trade Deadline. With March 1st over and done with, many of those squads have solved their problems with signings or acquisitions.

Calgary Flames

Problem: Defense

Status: Solved

The Flames solved their problem of otherwise having to expose Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, or Dougie Hamilton with the ingenious signing of Matt Bartkowski, the only defenseman on the planet who was both free to acquire and automatically eligible for exposure in the draft. It’s a good thing they signed him too, since they ended up trading away their best fall-back option, young defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka.

Carolina Hurricanes

Problem: Defense

Status: Unsolved

It was a pretty quiet deadline in Raleigh, as the ’Canes shipped out Ron Hainsey and Viktor Stalberg and then called it a day. What they didn’t do was acquire another body on the blue line to help solve their lack of a defenseman to expose. Carolina is still facing the problem of All-Star Justin Faulk being the only defenseman on the roster currently meeting the criteria for mandated exposure, due to the majority of their defensemen being too young to be eligible altogether. There is no way that Faulk is there for the taking by Vegas, but GM Ron Francis is left with only two choices: extend impending RFA Klas Dahlbeck or extend impending UFA Matt Tennyson and make sure he plays in seven more games this season, as he’s currently short of the 40-game mark.

Chicago Blackhawks

Problem: Forwards

Status: Solved

While the Blackhawks are always a threat to make a surprising change, GM Stan Bowman went a more traditional route in solving his expansion draft. Faced with the possibility of losing young Ryan Hartman, one of just two players who, at the time, met the criteria for exposure, Bowman simply decided to extend grinder Jordin Tootoo for another year. Tootoo qualifies for the two-forward quota, so regardless of his lack of production, he was a cheap solution to Chicago’s problem.

Dallas Stars

Problem: Forwards

Status: Unsolved

The Stars’s problem wasn’t as simple as trading for or acquiring just one player. They likely will have to decide between exposing Antoine Roussel and Cody Eakin when push comes to shove, but they shouldn’t have to expose both. That is the current state of the Stars after they shipped away several impending free agents at the deadline, but failed to bring in anyone that meets the Expansion Draft criteria. Luckily, they have quite a few options in-house that they could extend and expose such as Ales Hemsky, Jiri Hudler, Adam Cracknell, and Curtis McKenzie.

New Jersey Devils

Problem: Forwards

Status: Unsolved

The Devils got what they could for their free agent pieces at the deadline, trading away P.A. Parenteau for a draft pick and Kyle Quincey for Dalton Prout. However, they missed out on the chance to fix their forward problem in the Expansion Draft in the process. The Devils want to protect their core five of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Mike Cammalleri, and Travis Zajac, but that leaves Devante Smith-Pelly as the lone forward who qualifies for the quota. Now, New Jersey and GM Ray Shero are in a position where they must re-sign a young forward like Jacob Josefson, Beau Bennett, or Stefan Noesen (if he plays in 13 more games) and subsequently make them available, which they likely would have preferred not to.

New York Rangers

Problem: Forwards

Status: Unsolved

The Rangers also passed up a chance at solving their draft conundrum on deadline day. New York acquired two forward, Daniel Catenacci and Taylor Beck, but neither one qualifies for exposure. In order for the Rangers to protect all of their impressive, young core forwards, they’ll now need to extend one of Brandon Pirri, Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg or potentially Matt Puempel or Tanner Glass if either one plays another handful of games this season. Regardless, the Rangers don’t need to be overly worried about who they expose as their second forward, as they’ve likely come to grips with the strong possibility that their first forward, Michael Grabner, will be targeted by Vegas GM George McPhee.

Ottawa Senators

Problem: Forwards

Status: Unsolved

The Senators were busy at the deadline and their biggest move was also the move that impacts their expansion plans the most, the acquisition and extension of Alexandre Burrows. Although the Senators gave up a potential future star in Jonathan Dahlen to get Burrows, an extension prior to playing a single minute with the team means that GM Pierre Dorian had expansion on his mind. Yet, Burrows only solves one issue, as the Senators needed two eligible forwards – assuming they plan on protecting Bobby Ryan – if they also want to keep Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Derick Brassard, Kyle Turris, and Zack Smith out of the Golden Knights’ grasp. Luckily, they have a veritable laundry list of extension options on the roster now, ranging from recent additions Tommy Wingels and Viktor Stalberg to veterans Chris Neil, Chris Kelly, and Tom Pyatt.

Philadelphia Flyers

Problem: Goaltending

Status: Solved

Not too many people were excited about this move, but the Flyers announced on deadline day that they had extended struggling goalie Michal Neuvirth for two more years at $2.5MM per year. This means that they can expose Neuvirth to meet the one-goalie quota and protect promising prospect Anthony Stolarz. However, Philly overpaid to make this happen and it seems very unlikely that the Knights would bite on Neuvirth’s new contract. They’re likely saddled with his .887 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average for another two seasons. So really one problem solved, another created.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Problem: Forwards

Status: Solved

The Leaf’s expansion problem was never a big one, it was just that they would have to expose and potentially lose Leo Komarov when they really didn’t have to. They understood the scenario was though and did what was expected of many teams but actually done by no one else: threw in a qualifying forward to an existing deal. Toronto’s trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins was centered around Frank Corrado and a fourth-round pick, but by tossing Eric Fehr into the mix, especially after he cleared waiver, the Leafs now have a body that can occupy the other forward spot in the Expansion Draft and can then be forgotten in the AHL if he isn’t selected. A smart move by the legend, Lou Lamoriello.

Washington Capitals

Problem: Forwards

Status: Unsolved

Finally, the Caps may have made the biggest splash at the trade deadline, but did nothing to help their Expansion Draft situation with two important forwards. Because they can only protect seven forwards, Washington will have to expose one of Lars Eller and Jay Beagle. While it’s a toss up between the two – Eller has had a disappointing season but was acquired just this summer for two second-rounders, Beagle is a career Cap who is a face-off wizard and always good for moderate production – they certainly don’t want to expose both, as they currently would have to. The easiest solution is to extend and expose either Daniel Winnik or Brett Connolly. The again, if the Capitals are confident that Philipp Grubauer is going to be Vegas’ pick, as many are speculating, maybe they just bite the bullet and leave both Eller and Beagle unprotected after all.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Glass, Nestrasil

March 3, 2017 at 1:21 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Arizona Coyotes are in a fight in the standings of their own. Even though the players aren’t giving up, they front office is likely desperately hoping they finish in the bottom two once again and get the chance to select a top prospect. They got some bad (or good, I’m unsure at this point) news today when Dave Vest of NHL.com reported that Kevin Connauton should be considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered last night.

Vest also passed along a few choice quotes from Dave Tippett on the future of Anthony Duclair, who will get back into the NHL lineup tonight. “We want him to play to his potential. He set a standard for his play last year that he has to get back to,” said Tippett who is not alone in hoping Duclair gets back to his 2015-16 form. Coyotes fans everywhere were hoping to see more of the 20-goal man that was around last season, instead of the 9-point Duclair they’ve seen this year. Despite being rumored in trades all year, the Coyotes will hang onto the former New York Ranger for at least the rest of the season, hoping he can regain his form. Expect his name to be thrown around plenty at the expansion and entry drafts.
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled recently signed goaltender Jeff Glass from the Rockford IceHogs today, and will be the backup tonight against the New York Islanders. Both Corey Crawford and Scott Darling took part in practice today and seemed fine, though apparently Darling will be held out with an upper-body injury of some sort.
The Detroit Red Wings have some goalie news of their own, as Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Jimmy Howard will be loaned to Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning stint and will start Saturday for the AHL squad. The netminder is trying to work his way back from an injury that has kept him out of NHL action since late December due to multiple setbacks.
The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Andrej Nestrasil to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL today, after using him in Wednesday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year old forward has played 19 games for the Hurricanes this year, registering five points.
The Philadelphia Flyers may have Travis Konecny back sooner than expected, as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post reports. Konecny says he’s ready to go and that he’s hoping to get back into the lineup on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. Out since February 6th, the 19-year old Konecny has been a revelation for the Flyers this season with 22 points in a 51 games. In any normal year, that would be extremely impressive from a teenager in the NHL.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Metropolitan Division

March 1, 2017 at 6:42 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 10 Comments

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the dominant Metropolitan Division:

Winners

Carolina Hurricanes:

Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo from Pittsburgh Penguins for Ron Hainsey
Acquired 2017 third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators for Viktor Stalberg

Not all that much happening in Raleigh, but what GM Ron Francis did do, he did well. Both Hainsey and Stalberg brought back returns that were greater than their market value. It was also nice of Francis to send Hainsey to a team where his career-long playoff drought would definitely be snapped. Not sure why Jay McClement wasn’t moved, but there simply may not have been interest. The Hurricanes have a ton of salary cap space and have to dip into their depth on defense sooner or later, but this year’s deadline was definitely not the time for big moves. Expect Carolina to be a major player in the off-season trade market.

New Jersey Devils:

Acquired Dalton Prout from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kyle Quincey
Acquired 2017 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators for P.A. Parenteau

The Devils didn’t really have any trade capital today other than Quincey and Parenteau, so good on GM Ray Shero for doing what he could with what he had. It’s strange that New Jersey was able to get a higher pick from the Predators for Vernon Fiddler earlier this season than they did for Parenteau, but injuries may have played into that. A full season of production and a draft pick in compensation isn’t that bad a return for an early-season waiver claim. The Quincey deal was the real star of the show though. The Devils went from taking a risk on an older, washed-up defenseman this off-season to trading him for a young, strong defensive defenseman who can be a starter for years with the team. Shero played the long con on the league this year, and it paid off.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Acquired Ron Hainsey from Carolina Hurricane for 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo
Acquired Mark Streit from Tampa Bay Lightning for 2018 fourth-round pick
Acquired Frank Corrado from Toronto Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy, and a 2017 fourth-round pick

Sure, the Penguins didn’t get Kevin Shattenkirk or Martin Hanzal, both of whom they were targeting. They also didn’t add a single forward. Oh, and they never moved Marc-Andre Fleury. But are you really worried? Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016-17 with an almost identical group. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the fold, they simply make due up front. Matt Murray has been lights out and the team can deal with Fleury after the fact. The only real issue facing the Penguins was injuries on defense and they responded by acquiring three defensemen, two of which are bona fide starters and the other could be a long-term addition. GM Jim Rutherford didn’t plan on having a big deadline this season and he carried out that plan. Pittsburgh is ready for the postseason.

Washington Capitals:

Acquired Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley from the St. Louis Blues for a 2017 first-round pick, a conditional 2019 draft pick, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The best team in the NHL went out and got the best player available and did so without having to give up all that much. A first-rounder is always tough to surrender, but that is the going rate for top-of-the-line rentals. Sanford is a good prospect and will be a good player. However, he and whoever St. Louis selects at #31 will mean nothing if and when the Capitals take home the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Losers

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Acquired Kyle Quincey from New Jersey Devils for Dalton Prout
Acquired Lauri Korpikoski from Dallas Stars for Dillon Heatherington

The Blue Jackets weren’t expecting to be in the position they are right now, but the reality is that they are in this position and they should have made the most of it. While the Capitals add Kevin Shattenkirk and the Penguins load up on defensive depth, the Blue Jackets simply swap Prout for Quincey in what very well could be a lateral move. If Columbus had added Quincey without losing Prout, then they at least would have bolstered their depth, but the one-for-one trade was confusing. As for Korpikoski, he is a solid player having a comeback year in Dallas, but he’s not all that exciting from an offensive standpoint. Is he really worth a 2013 second-round pick in Heatherington? An odd deadline for sure for Columbus, who both simultaneously overpaid and didn’t do enough.

New York Islanders:

No trades

A good tip when you’re in a tight playoff race but your team has major needs: do something. By standing pat as the Panthers and Maple Leafs (and Bruins and Senators and Canadiens) all got better, the Islanders have crippled their own playoff hunt. Currently tied with Florida for ninth in the Eastern Conference and just one point behind Toronto, the postseason is a real possibility for an Islanders team that struggled mightily earlier this season. Despite a miraculous comeback, New York still needs talented top-six forwards, depth on the blue line, and probably could have looked at a backup goalie. Instead, the team did nothing. If they though they didn’t have a chance this season, the Islanders should have at least accepted an offer on Jaroslav Halak or shopped Dennis Seidenberg. By virtue of everyone around them improving, either in the short-term or long-term, New York is one of the 2017 deadline’s biggest losers.

New York Rangers:

Acquired Brendan Smith from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick
Acquired Daniel Catenacci from Buffalo Sabres for Mat Bodie
Acquired Taylor Beck from Edmonton Oilers for Justin Fontaine

Much like the Blue Jackets, the Rangers really didn’t do enough to keep up with the Capitals and Penguins. The trade for Smith was likely an overreaction to Washington adding Kevin Shattenkirk; at least the high price they paid would indicate that they were desperate. Smith is a good player, but definitely not a game-changer. The Rangers have been hurt in the past by giving away too much at the deadline, but if the Eastern Conference standings hold, New York has an easier shot at the conference title through Montreal and Ottawa/Boston than their division rival do having to battle each other. With that in mind, the Rangers should have made more moves again this season with an eye on that elusive Stanley Cup. All that said, nice move by GM Jeff Gorton to quickly add Beck upon hearing the news of Jesper Fast’s injury status.

Philadelphia Flyers:

Acquired Valtteri Filppula, a 2017 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Tampa Bay Lightning for Mark Streit

The Filppula trade is really not that bad. It makes a confusing Expansion Draft situation even more confusing, but Filppula may be the consistent, veteran presence – on and off the ice – that the Flyers need to get their talented forwards playing to their potential. Filppula may work out really well in Philadelphia in fact. It was still a bad day for the Flyers, though. Impending free agent defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz were not moved, and the team likely could have gotten more from the Lightning if they had simply traded Streit to the Penguins themselves. There was also little talk of the team moving Matt Read or Scott Laughton, one of which will likely instead be selected in the expansion draft for nothing. Steve Mason will also walk in free agency. However, the worst part of deadline day for the Flyers were those extensions. The team overpaid for both Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Michal Neuvirth on two-year deals. There had to be better ways to deal with impending expansion then two give those two more money than they deserve.

Hurricanes Listening To Offers On Teuvo Teravainen

March 1, 2017 at 9:28 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes are exploring trade possibilities for forward Teuvo Teravainen, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The revelation is intriguing as Teravainen is just 22 years old and is believed to be part of Carolina’s core moving forward.

The Hurricanes added Teravainen from Chicago back in the offseason as part of the deal that also saw them pick up Bryan Bickell’s contract. He has fared pretty well in his first season with the ‘Canes, picking up 11 goals and 18 assists through 58 games while averaging a career high in ice time at 15:54 per night. The former 2012 first rounder (18th overall) is on pace to beat his career best in points of 35 which was set last season.

One possible reason for Carolina checking around on what they could get for Teravainen is his contract situation. He’s slated to become a restricted free agent this offseason and would be a candidate for a bridge deal coming off his entry-level pact. If the Hurricanes do move him, he won’t be an expensive piece for the acquiring team as he has a cap hit of just $833K, though that amount can be increased to just under $1.5MM if all of his performance bonuses are hit.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Viktor Stalberg From Carolina

February 28, 2017 at 12:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The Ottawa Senators aren’t finished. The team has acquired winger Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

As noted when the team traded for Alex Burrows yesterday, the Senators have needed depth on the wing all season and have now added both size and scoring potential in their two new players. Stalberg is a big bodied winger with speed to burn and a 20-goal season in his past, though he’s used more as an intimidating forchecker and penalty killer these days. A role-player in the Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup, he does have 43 games of playoff experience and will fit well into the bottom-six of the Senators.

With Ottawa just four points back of Montreal for first place in the Atlantic (with two games in hand mind you), owner Eugene Melnyk gave a clear directive for the Sens front office to follow. Playoffs or bust in 2017. The Senators are an internal budget team that relies on playoff revenue to continue to operate slightly above the cap floor, and with the two additions they’ve helped their case down the final 20 games. Though a third-round pick may seem pricey for a rental in Stalberg, they will likely recoup some of their lost draft selections with other trades—like a possible Curtis Lazar swap—before the draft this year.

For the Hurricanes, this represents an excellent value for Stalberg after signing him in the summer to a one-year deal. Though they had hoped that a playoff run was on the table this season, they still have an excellent young team and now own seven selections in the first three rounds of this summer’s draft. With the Metropolitan looking like a juggernaut for at least this season, but several teams (see: Washington) having multiple free agents leaving them this summer the slow burn of a Carolina rebuild may eventually pay off.

The Hurricanes still have Jay McClement and Lee Stempniak as possible veteran additions or a handful of young defenders to waive in front of team’s noses for the next 25 hours. They could easily acquire even more picks, or perhaps another young scoring forward before the deadline.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN was first to break the deal on Twitter after Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet heard rumblings earlier today. Darren Dreger of TSN chimed in with a confirmation and the details on the pick going to Carolina.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Carter, Crawford, Faulk

February 26, 2017 at 11:34 am CDT | by Brett Barrett 1 Comment

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Ryan Carter to a one-year, two-way contract, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. The deal is worth a pro-rated $575K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL.

Carter had major shoulder surgery in October to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Many believed this was it for the 33-year-old left winger due to his age and the seriousness of his injury. Carter has been skating with the Wild for the better part of a month, and told Dane Mizutani of TwinCities.com that he couldn’t give up his career without at least trying to come back.

“I wanted to be a part of it, and for awhile it hurt a little bit that I wasn’t a part of it. It’s good to be here now.”

Carter was reportedly in talks with the Wild for the past month, and last week signed a Professional Try-Out (PTO) with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. He is without a point in three appearances with the AHL club.

In a related news item, the Wild have recalled center Zac Dalpe from Iowa. The big forward has three points in nine games with the Wild this season, and two goals in 12 games with their AHL affiliate.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be without starting goaltender Corey Crawford when they take on the St. Louis Blues this afternoon, according to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Crawford is battling an illness and won’t be able to dress. Coach Joel Quenneville told the media that Crawford does not have the mumps. Chris Hine, also from the Tribune, quoted Quenneville as saying that Lars Johansson will likely get the emergency call up from Rockford to backup Scott Darling.
The venerable Postmedia reporter Jim Matheson reported that Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk is in play at the trade deadline. Faulk is having a poor year with 25 points (just one assist in his last six games), but has a history of being a point-producing defenseman. Matheson cites the play of Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Noah Hanifin as the reason that Faulk is on the market. The Hurricanes would be need a young center in return, Matheson believes. Despite the fact that plenty of teams would be interested in Faulk even though he’s having a poor season, any potential deal may have to wait until after the season; Faulk makes $4.83MM and has three years left on his contract after this season.

Trade Candidates: Matt Duchene

February 25, 2017 at 1:30 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

A wildly disappointing 2016-17 campaign in Colorado has led to rampant speculation that Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is ready to tear down a roster he has had a big hand in both assembling and keeping together. Should he decide to pull the trigger, Sakic’s most valuable and marketable asset is 26-year-old center Matt Duchene. In seven full NHL seasons, Duchene has tallied 20 or more goals five times and with 16 through 54 contests so far this season, it appears likely he’s well on his way 20 goals yet again. Top-six pivots still squarely in their prime and with multiple years of contractual control remaining are all but impossible to acquire which presents Sakic with a unique opportunity to jump start the reconstruction of the Avalanche franchise if he can squeeze fair value from an interested suitor.

Contract

Part of what makes Duchene a valuable commodity, besides his high skill level and past performance of course, is the two seasons remaining on his contract which call for a cap charge of $6MM per season. Compared to what comparable free agent talent costs on the open market, Duchene is a relative bargain at his price.

2016-17

While it’s been a tough season all around in Denver, on an individual level Duchene is in the midst of another solid season offensively with 16 goals and 36 points in 54 games. Prorated over a full 82-game schedule, he would be on pace for a 24-goal, 55-point campaign. Given the lack of offensive production around him in Colorado (the Avalanche are currently last in the NHL in scoring, averaging fewer than two goals per game) it’s easy to project better numbers elsewhere surrounded by better talent.

Season Stats

54 GP, 16 goals, 20 assists, 36 points, -20 plus/minus, 6 PIM, 124 SOG

Suitors

While any team in the league would love to add a player of Duchene’s caliber, a few stand out due to possessing the assets Colorado would want in return in addition to the need for a high end, top-six forward. Carolina boasts several talented young blue liners they could use to entice Colorado while Duchene would give the Hurricanes a skilled pivot to slot ahead of Jordan Staal, who is best suited for third line duty.

Ottawa, as mentioned earlier, absolutely could use another top-six forward and have the young assets required to make a deal work but at this point don’t appear interested at the current price tag.

Nashville has also been listed as a potential destination with either Mattias Ekholm or Ryan Ellis headlining a return package, but after dealing Seth Jones last year would the Predators wish to deplete their defense corps further to bolster their offensive attack?

Likelihood of a Trade

Blockbuster deals of this nature are difficult to execute in-season. With nearly every postseason contender at or near the salary cap ceiling, acquiring a player with a $6MM cap charge would generally either require a team to send an expensive contract back in return or to retain salary to facilitate a trade. That’s why a majority of major moves are completed in the offseason when salary cap concerns are lessened with clubs allowed to exceed the cap ceiling by 10%. More teams will realistically be able to join the bidding which should serve to increase the return Colorado can expect. It’s likely Colorado will pull of a blockbuster deal with Duchene a strong possibility to be moved, but the best guess is a deal will wait until summer.

Predicting The Next “Bartkowski Deal”

February 24, 2017 at 6:17 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The genius that was the Matt Bartkowski signing should not be understated. By now, the extension for the purpose of Expansion Draft exposure has become commonplace, but what GM Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames did was unique. They went outside the organization to sign a player to a multi-year deal who fulfilled the criteria of having played in 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two years. Except Bartkowski hadn’t played a single NHL game this season; he had been on a minor league contract with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. What that means is Bartkowski had to have played in over 70 games last season alone, and indeed he had skated in 80 games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16. In fact, Bartkowksi was the only defenseman on the planet who played in over 70 games last season yet was not signed to an NHL contract this season. Therein lies the genius that was the unassuming signing of Bartkowski. The Flames picked up the only player on the market who could automatically fill their need for an exposure-eligible defenseman.

With a reportedly quiet trade market this season, there are bound to be teams facing expansion protection problems after the March 1^st Trade Deadline comes and goes, whether it’s on the blue line or up front. Will someone follow in Treliving’s footsteps and scoop up a player who played in 70 or so games last season but remains unsigned as of now? The short answer is probably not.

Looking at the short list of players who meet the games played criteria, it very well could be that Bartkowski stands alone as an unsigned player looking to continue playing hockey, even if that means signing a two-year, two-way contract and likely logging major AHL minutes. Especially on defense, a team like the Carolina Hurricanes is likely out of luck if they want to replicate the Bartkowksi maneuver. The only unsigned player who qualifies for exposure is Matt Carle, who played in 64 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last year and six earlier this year with the Nashville Predators. However, Carle announced his retirement in November when he cleared waivers and was likely going to be moved to the AHL. Carle seems content with collecting buyout checks from the Lightning and almost certainly would have no interest is returning to hockey with a two-year, two-way deal. There are really no other defensemen that even have a reasonable chance of meeting the 40/70 criteria. Bartkowski was essentially it.

For forwards, the situation is a little different. 36-year-old David Legwand played in 79 games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2015-16, but it’s hard to imagine that he would want to come back for not only this season, but next as well. Jarret Stoll played in 80 games last season between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, but the 34-year-old grinder has some off-the-ice issues he’s dealing with. Mike Santorelli is just 30 years old and fresh off of a 70-game season with the Anaheim Ducks, but he retired mid-season from the NLA late in 2016, citing injury concerns as the reason. However, other options remain. 34-year-old center Paul Gaustad was unable to find a home in the NHL this season and instead called it quits on his career. A team may be able to entice Gaustad to sign on for another few years if he has remained in game condition. However, Gaustad played in only 63 games with the Nashville Predators last season and would need to play in at least seven contests before the end of the season. Luckily, Gaustad played with a toughness and tenacity that could help some clubs down the stretch and in the postseason this year and could be a useful mentor in the AHL next season. Gregory Campbell is definitely in game shape, having played in all 82 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015-16 and was with the team as recently as mid-December, but Campbell asked for his release and subsequently cleared unconditional waivers when the Jackets announced their plan to send him to the minors. Campbell is a good two-way energy line player that could help out quite a few NHL teams, but his dismissal of the idea of playing in the AHL may make inking him to a two-year deal difficult. The fact that no teams have reached out to Campbell thus far makes a signing seem unlikely, but enough desperation could change that. Kyle Chipchura is not only in game shape, he’s actively playing. Chipchura signed with HC Slovan Bratislava this summer after skating in 70 contests with the Arizona Coyotes last year. Whether or not Chipchura could, or would want to, find a way out of his KHL contract is unknown, but if that won’t stop teams from inquiring. The big 31-year-old forward has 13 goals and 13 assists in 59 games this year.

While Chipchura, Campbell, and Gaustad are all options, perhaps the best possible choice and most likely the next “Bartkowski” is winger David Jones. Jones had a down year in 2015-16, scoring just 15 points in 59 games with the Calgary Flames before a deadline deal sent him to the Minnesota Wild, where he put up only three points in 16 games. After some initial interest from NHL teams this summer, the market for Jones’ services dried up and he was unable to find a contract. He joined the Anaheim Ducks on a PTO this fall, but was cut prior to the season. Interestingly, Jones has not signed a deal anywhere this season, but it’s hard to believe that the 32-year-old has given up completely on his career. Jones is just two years removed from a 30-point season and has never had recorded less than 30 points in a full season, including back-to-back 20-goal campaigns not that long ago. Much like Bartkowski, Jones has been written off and forgotten, but has a willingness to keep playing. Whether or not Jones can contribute is irrelevant; he meets the games played quota and, if approached, will probably take any deal offered, including the two-year, two-way deal that the Flames offered Batrkowski to make him Expansion Draft exposure-eligible. If any GM finds themselves struggling to find a solution to their expansion issues following the upcoming trade deadline, expect the next “Bartkowski deal”, if any, to go to David Jones.

Injury Notes: Marner, Pouliot, Senators

February 24, 2017 at 2:24 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Mitch Marner is likely out again on Saturday night, but it doesn’t seem like that’s what his coach wants. Yesterday before Marner sat out against the New York Rangers, Mike Babcock told Kristen Shilton of TSN that it’s not up to him at this point.

Mitch and I had that little discussion today. We wondered how the science project was going…and we didn’t get any good answers.

I’ve said it before – that’s why coaches and players aren’t allowed to make those decisions.

Shilton again today reported that Marner had a vigorous on-ice workout on his own before Leafs practice, but didn’t skate with the team. Babcock would love to know when he gets his dynamic winger back, and so would Leafs fans. The team could have used him last night in a shootout loss against the Rangers, and it has now been nine days since he suffered his “day-to-day” upper-body injury.

Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED reports that the Edmonton Oilers got some good—or bad, depending on who you ask—news today on the injury front, as Benoit Pouliot rejoined the team in Washington. Andrej Sekera also was at practice though Adam Larsson, who missed Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury, was still absent.
Columbus has lost winger Matt Calvert on a week-to-week basis, according to the team. Calvery suffered an oblique injury just before their bye-week, but will be out on a longer term than expected. This is the reason for the Markus Hannikainen emergency recall this morning.
Terry Frei of the Denver Post tells us that both Erik Johnson and Rene Bourque will be back in the lineup tomorrow, a good sign for a team heading into the trade deadline. Bourque could warrant a look from teams looking for depth up front if he can prove he’s healthy enough to contribute.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen is the bearer of bad news for Senators fans, as he reports that both Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone likely won’t play tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Stone has a chance, but head coach Guy Boucher “wouldn’t bet on it”. If the pair remains out for any length of time, the Senators may be forced to make a move at the deadline, if they weren’t already planning one.

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