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Jake Gardiner Clears Waivers

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March 14: Gardiner has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad.

March 13: Jake Gardiner’s tenure in Carolina hasn’t gone particularly well.  He has underwhelmed offensively, been in and out of the lineup at times and now he finds himself on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old is in his second season with the Hurricanes and after being a core defenseman over most of his eight seasons with Toronto, he has been more of a depth player with Carolina with his offensive numbers and playing time taking big dips as a result.  So far this season, Gardiner has yet to score while recording seven assists in 17 games.  Meanwhile, his average ice time has dipped below 16 minutes a game to just 15:48, surpassing his previous career-low which was set last season.  Clearly, this isn’t the return they were expecting when they gave him a four-year, $16.2MM contract in September of 2019.

Between the contract and below-average performance, it’s seemingly all but a foregone conclusion that Gardiner will clear at 11 AM CT on Sunday where he’ll be free to be shuffled to the taxi squad.  Several teams have placed underachieving, high-priced veterans on waivers in recent weeks for that very purpose, to free up some cap and roster flexibility while bringing the player back onto the active roster for games they’ll be playing in.  At this stage, it would seem as if Gardiner will follow that path; this isn’t a case where his time with Carolina will be over.

As for how much cap room they would save when Gardiner eventually is sent to the taxi squad, they would only free up a prorated $1.075MM on the days he’s not on the active roster.  But with the Hurricanes looking as if they’ll be a buyer once again at the trade deadline, any extra cap room would go a long way.

Injury Notes: Bozak, Trocheck, Bruins, Kings

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After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak is finally making some progress toward a return. Speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Craig Berube displayed optimism when discussing the health of his veteran center, who was back at practice on Friday. “He’s gonna get some work here in the next few days and he could be available soon,” Berube said. “It’s good to see him out there and working… making some real good progress.” Bozak has not played since January 26th, when he was forced out of game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an apparent concussion. With the Blue about to embark on a six-game road trip, they will have to decide if bringing Bozak is the right move or if he requires additional time before his return. While St. Louis also just got Vladimir Tarasenko back and Oskar Sundqvist returned from a short-term injury, they could still use all the help they can get. Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas, Jacob De La Rose, and more are still among the Blues’ injured.

  • The news on Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck does not sound as optimistic. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour tells The Athletic’s Sara Civian that Trocheck’s recent upper-body injury will keep him sidelined for “longer than hoped”. The coach held back on providing any definitive timeline, but any long-term absence for Trocheck will be a major loss for the team. In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has been a point-per-game player and is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team’s scoring lead. If there is one silver lining for Carolina, it is that the injury occurred before the trade deadline; with a considerable amount of cap space, the ’Canes still have time to bring in help to make up for an extended period without Trocheck.
  • Back on the positive side, the Boston Bruins have been dealing with an onslaught of injuries for some time, but there could be some help on the way. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced today that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller has resumed skating and is likely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Miller has been resting his surgically-repaired knee, but seems like he is ready to get back on the ice. Cassidy also said that defenseman Brandon Carlo is “coming around” and, while he is unsure if it will happen, there is at least some consideration that he could travel as well. This is the first concrete update on Carlo since he was hospitalized by a high hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson, but its seems that Carlo will not be out for a lengthy period as many feared.
  • It’s a scary time for any unknown illness given the shadow of the Coronavirus, so the Los Angeles Kings played it safe and cancelled practice this morning, citing an “illness” spreading around the group. Head coach Todd McLellan and the Kings do not believe that this is COVID, but a seasonal virus. However, the team will wait to see what their latest batch of test results say. Defenseman Olli Maatta is currently on the league’s COVID Protocal Related Absences list, though Alex Iafallo missed the team’s last game with similar symptoms and did not test positive for COVID. Obviously, the hope of all involved is that this is what McLellan believe it to be: some unrelated bug going around the locker room.

Hurricanes Targeting Multiple Depth Additions

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  • The Hurricanes have a few areas that they’d like to improve between now and the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link). In particular, a stay-at-home defenseman to offset some of their more offensive-minded options, a depth forward, and goaltending depth are the areas that Friedman highlighted although they may be hard-pressed to try to address all three of those.

Carolina Hurricanes Have Discussed An Eric Staal Return

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One of the lasting images from the Carolina Hurricanes 2006 Stanley Cup championship was that of a 21-year-old playoff rookie hoisting the trophy over his head after leading the entire league in postseason scoring. Fellow youngster Cam Ward took home the Conn Smythe trophy that year, but it could have easily been Eric Staal, the franchise center that had racked up 100 points in the regular season and 28 in 25 playoff matches. Staal was just two years into his NHL career after being the second overall pick in 2003, but he was already the face of the Hurricanes.

Just three years later in 2009, Staal would become the captain of the Hurricanes, taking over from Rod Brind’Amour even though the veteran forward would still play another season. At the time, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford released this statement:

Rod has been the consummate leader for the Hurricanes since his acquisition nearly 10 years ago. He is the only captain in franchise history to lift the Stanley Cup, and he will continue to play a leadership role in our organization.

The time has come now for Eric to assume the top leadership role for his teammates. This is part of the rebuilding process for the Hurricanes, as Eric is the player around whom the team will be structured. We feel confident in Eric’s ability to lead his teammates and are excited to begin this next era.

Brind’Amour remains the only captain to win a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes and Staal would have just one other playoff run during his tenure in Carolina. His career would be stamped there, however, with 775 career points coming in 909 regular-season games before a 2016 trade took Staal to the New York Rangers.

Now, several years later, another midseason trade could potentially bring Staal back to where it all began and reunite him with Brind’Amour, who now stands behind the bench instead of sitting on it. On TSN’s Insider Trading today, Pierre LeBrun explained that the Hurricanes management has discussed the idea of bringing Staal back.

What I’m told is that the Hurricanes have talked about ’hey, if Eric Staal is on the Buffalo roster closer to April 12, maybe we give the Sabres a call and see what it would take to bring him back here to Carolina.’ It’s a storyline that I think a lot of people could get behind. 

What a storyline indeed, 15 years after he and Brind’Amour led the Hurricanes to the franchise’s only Stanley Cup. Staal isn’t the same player as he was then, with only nine points in 24 games this season, but could still provide some experience and leadership to a Carolina team looking as dangerous as ever. The Hurricanes are 18-6-1 on the season, have won six straight and are only one point behind the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the Central Division. It was just two years ago that this team went to the Conference Finals as an underdog; they wouldn’t be considered much of one if they get back there this time.

Still, Staal to Carolina is anything but a lock, and LeBrun explains that there “could be a Canadian team or two” that push for him well before the trade deadline. Speculation has run rampant that Staal could be a fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, though certainly a team like the Edmonton Oilers could use his center capabilities as well. That’s not to mention any number of other teams who could see the $3.25MM cap hit Staal brings and believe he could be a piece for a Stanley Cup run.

The veteran forward does have some say, with a 10-team no-trade list, but reports indicate he would be willing this year to waive it in order to go to a contender. If anything, he knows exactly what it would take to get Carolina to that level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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Although we’re not even two months into the season, the trade deadline is just over a month away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Florida. Boston. Carolina. Those are the only three teams in the entire NHL who are currently in a playoff spot and also have over $2MM in projected year-end cap space – which prorates to eight-figure cap space at the deadline. In a buyer’s market, the Hurricanes are one of an elite trio who have the means to make a major splash. Additionally, sharing a division with one of the others – the Panthers – as well as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Western Conference champion Dallas Stars, gives Carolina even more motivation to load up before the deadline. A top-three team in points percentage, goals for per game, and power play efficiency and a top-ten team in goals against per game and penalty kill efficiency, the Hurricanes are truly elite this season and don’t have many holes. Yet, when you’re this close to a title and are one of the few teams who can do serious damage on the trade market, you pull the trigger.

Record

18-6-1, .740, 2nd in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.608MM in full-season space ($11.635MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Only includes 21 players. Frequent recalls Jake Bean, Morgan Geekie, Alex Nedeljkovic currently on taxi squad.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, LAK 7th, STL 7th
2022: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, CLB 7th

Trade Chips

Most years, having one of the deepest blue lines in the NHL has no downside. In an Expansion Draft year, however, it’s problematic. Even with star defenseman Dougie Hamilton slated for free agency and not requiring expansion protection (unless he’s re-signed early), the Hurricanes still face a conundrum. Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jake Gardiner, Haydn Fleury, and RFA Jake Bean are all eligible to be selected by the Seattle Kraken and, due to a number of valuable forwards as well, Carolina can only protect three. Career ’Canes Slavin and Pesce seem like a lock, while veterans Skjei and Gardiner appear unlikely to be protected. Between their two young rearguards, Bean has shown much more upside this season than Fleury and is the more likely to be protected. Yet, that’s not to say that Fleury does not still have value around the league. At full strength, the Hurricanes have seven legitimate defensemen; while depth is important in the playoffs, could they consider moving one of the aforementioned before the deadline rather than losing them in expansion? With a more affordable contract and less experience compared to a Skjei or Gardiner, Fleury could be made available in a trade, especially if the Hurricanes are able to add a veteran rental defender as part of the return package. With term and even further team control remaining, the 24-year-old Fleury could command a nice market if the Hurricanes make him available, although his complete lack of offense this season does raise some concern.

Outside of Fleury, the ’Canes seem unlikely to move anyone off their NHL roster. But does that include Morgan Geekie? Geekie has played in nine games for Carolina this season, but due in part to poor play but mostly to his contract flexibility and a lack of a concrete role at the top level, Geekie has spent time on the taxi squad and in the AHL this season. The talented 22-year-old is still young and could find a full-time spot in Raleigh in the next year or two. However, if the right deal rolls around, the team could give up a future piece for help in the present. There are other impressive young forwards pushing to take his “next man up” title anyhow.

The same logic could apply to Alex Nedeljkovic. The young goaltender, who in retrospect should not have cleared waivers earlier this season, has performed very well this season, outplaying veteran James Reimer with starter Petr Mrazek sidelined. However, the Hurricanes have previously refrained from handing Nedeljkovic an NHL job even when a spot was available. Even with Mrazek and Reimer headed for free agency and Nedeljkovic able to be protected in expansion, if the Hurricanes don’t believe that he will be part of their NHL tandem next season, they could move him to acquire a goaltender that will be.

Others to Watch For: F David Cotton ($859K, RFA 2022), D Joey Keane ($859K, RFA 2022), G Jack LaFontaine (Draft Rights)

Team Needs

1) Starting Goaltender – When he was healthy earlier this season, Mrazek was phenomenal. He posted a stunning .955 save percentage and 0.99 GAA in his first four game. Then he got hurt and he hasn’t been seen yet. If the Hurricanes had a healthy, confident Mrazek ready to go at the deadline, perhaps they would stand pat in goal. At this point, that seems unlikely to occur. With Mrazek’s health as an unknown, Reimer playing just okay, and Nedeljkovic playing well but lacking NHL experience nevertheless playoff experience, some peace of mind in goal is the top priority for the ’Canes. Carolina could target a rental, but the pickings are slim. Jonathan Bernier and Antti Raanta could provide some stability, but they might not be enough of an upgrade and Linus Ullmark carries the same injury concerns as Mrazek. The more bold move, especially with contracts expiring for their current trio of keepers, would be to add a goalie with term. John Gibson and Darcy Kuemper are the biggest names on the rumor mill, but the Hurricanes could also try to break up the Rangers’ or Blue Jackets’ young tandems or target a dark horse name like Tristan Jarry or Thatcher Demko. A long-term starter would be a major addition for Carolina and make sense before the deadline, even if such moves usually take place in the off-season

2) Top-Nine Forward – What the Hurricanes actually lack are reliable depth options up front beyond their starting 12 or 13 forwards. However, when you have cap space and no one else does, you don’t aim to add depth, you aim to add players who push your players into depth roles. Even with solid starting depth and Teuvo Teravainen coming back from injury, Carolina could still stand to add another established top-nine forward that could push the likes of Jesper Fast or Warren Foegele for their spot who would in turn bump fourth liners like Cedric Paquette and Steven Lorentz to either play better or take a seat. Battles for play time and improved depth are hallmarks of a true contender.

3) Even if the Hurricanes don’t move Fleury or another NHL defenseman at the deadline, they could still stand to add another body. As it stands now, the team is without Gardiner due to injury and are just one more blue line injury away from Joakim Ryan becoming a starter. Behind him, you have veteran AHLer David Warsofsky, newcomer Maxime Lajoie, and the untested Keane. It’s not the worst depth, but it also doesn’t scream fool-proof. With the means to load up, the Hurricanes may as well add an experienced rental No. 8 defenseman who is a more reliable option to step in the case of injury or poor play than is Ryan or anyone on the Chicago Wolves.

Central Notes: Seabrook, Red Wings, Radulov, Gardiner

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Brent Seabrook’s announcement that he doesn’t intend to return to professional hockey has other implications as well, particularly the upcoming expansion draft. Up until now, the team had Seabrook inked in as a player the team had to protect due to his no-movement clause. Now, with Seabrook being moved to LTIR and effectively retiring allows the Chicago Blackhawks some much-needed flexibility, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield.

The team no longer needs to protect Seabrook from the Seattle Kraken and expansion draft, which will allow them to retain an extra defenseman they weren’t originally expecting to be able to keep. Assuming the team goes with the 7-3-1 format, the team can now protect Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy like they had originally planned. However, now the team has the option of protecting Nikita Zadorov or Calvin de Haan, with Zadorov being the more likely of the two to be protected. de Haan and his $4.55 AAV are more likely to be traded at the trade deadline or exposed to Seattle.

  • The Detroit Red Wings continue to be without top-line winger Tyler Bertuzzi, who has been out since Jan. 30th with an upper-body injury. Head coach Jeff Blashill said that the forward still isn’t able to practice, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The news is a little more promising for Dylan Larkin, who has missed four games with an upper-body injury. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Larkin could be ready to go on Tuesday, but Blashill said much of that determination will be based on practice Sunday and Monday. For now, he’s considered day-to-day.
  • Despite taking the ice Saturday in Dallas’ morning skate, forward Alexander Radulov is not expected to return to the team for another week, according to Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks. Radulov has been out with a lower-body injury and has not played since Feb. 4. Radulov has appeared in only eight games for the Stars this season, but does have an impressive three goals and 11 points.
  • NHL.com’s Michael Smith reports that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner is ready to return to the lineup Sunday. The 30-year-old has been out since Feb. 24 and has missed five games with an upper-body injury. Gardiner has seven assists in 16 games this season and could return to his role on the power-play as well.

Jake Gardiner Ready To Return From Upper-Body Injury

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  • Carolina defenseman Jake Gardiner has declared himself ready to return from the upper-body injury that has caused him to miss five straight games, notes Michael Smith of the Hurricanes’ team site (Twitter link). Officially, he is listed as a game-time decision for tomorrow’s game against Florida.  Gardiner has seven assists in 16 contests this season but is averaging a career-low 15:55 per game.

Hurricanes Sign Beck Warm To Entry-Level Contract

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The Hurricanes have added some goaltending depth to their system as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Beck Warm to a two-year, entry-level contract.  Notably, while future contracts are eligible to be signed now, the contract begins this season and breaks down as follows:

2020-21: $725K NHL salary (including $25K signing bonus), $60K AHL salary
2021-22: $775K NHL salary (including $25K signing bonus), $60K AHL salary

The 21-year-old went undrafted after a four-year WHL career that ended with Edmonton where he had a 2.30 GAA with a .915 SV% in 15 games for the Oil Kings before the pandemic hit.  However, he did well enough to earn a one-year AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL back in November, a team that Carolina is sharing this season with their affiliate in Charlotte withdrawing from the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic.  Warm has played in four games for the Wolves so far, posting a 2.25 GAA along with a .940 SV% and clearly showed the Hurricanes enough to convert him to an NHL deal.

While Warm is probably sixth on the depth chart for this season, there is definitely room for him to move up for 2021-22.  As things stand, all five of their other goalies are unsigned for next year; Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Antoine Bibeau are all unrestricted free agents while Alex Nedeljkovic and Jeremy Helvig will be restricted free agents.  At this point, it’s unlikely that all five will be re-signed so Warm, who was immediately re-assigned to the Wolves, should be in line for more playing time next season but for now, he’ll remain in a three-way timeshare in Chicago.

Brett Pesce Fined For Tripping Incident

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  • The Department of Player Safety doesn’t typically issue discipline within hours of an incident occurring but that’s what happened to Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce as the league quickly announced a fine of $5K for a tripping incident on Detroit forward Robby Fabbri in the second period of Thursday’s game. It is the first time in Pesce’s career that he has received some sort of supplemental discipline from the league.

Extension Talks Stall Between Hurricanes And Dougie Hamilton

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Last week, word came out that contract extension talks had cooled between the Hurricanes and RFA winger Andrei Svechnikov.  Now, it appears that this isn’t the only stalled contract negotiation Carolina has with a pending free agent as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that this is also the case with defenseman Dougie Hamilton with talks basically being nonexistent for the past month.

The 27-year-old is off to a bit of a quieter start to his season compared to 2019-20 but has still made an impact offensively with 14 points in 22 games.  Of course, he also contributes in his own end and is once again logging heavy minutes, averaging over 22 minutes per game.  These are top-pairing numbers, something that his agent J.P. Barry has surely communicated to Carolina GM Don Waddell.

LeBrun suggests that Hamilton’s camp is likely going to want to use Alex Pietrangelo’s deal signed in the fall ($8.8MM AAV) as a valid comparable with an asking price coming in a bit below that.  Meanwhile, the Hurricanes may view Pietrangelo’s replacement in Torey Krug ($6.5MM AAV) as a better starting point.

That’s a considerable gap to try to bridge if those are indeed the numbers being suggested which is why LeBrun wonders if this could be a situation that doesn’t get resolved until closer to the July 28th opening of unrestricted free agency.  While that strategy has worked before, it also didn’t with St. Louis and Pietrangelo just last year and Hamilton will be in a similar situation as the top blueliner available on the open market.  As we saw last year, even in this environment, the top free agents have still been able to command a significant contract and there’s no reason to think that this won’t be the case here.

With more than four months between now and the market opening up, there’s still plenty of time to get something done and with expansion pending, delaying things isn’t necessarily the worst idea.  Given his status, Hamilton is a strong candidate to land a no-move clause on his next deal and if it was to be signed before Seattle’s team is selected, he’d become a mandatory protected player while if they wait, it’s easier to leave a pending unrestricted free agent unprotected, allowing them to keep an extra player.  It’s not without its risks though as the Kraken would get an exclusive negotiating period and the closer someone gets to free agency, the temptation to test the market likely grows.  That’s one of the decisions that will be weighing on Waddell in the weeks and months ahead.

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