It has been a rough couple of weeks for Carolina as they’ve lost four straight games since both of their regular goaltenders were injured in the same game against Toronto. Fortunately for them, there is some good news on the horizon. Michael Smith of the Hurricanes’ team website notes that Petr Mrazek participated in practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in that game against the Maple Leafs. While he has already been ruled out for this weekend’s set of matinee games, he should be able to return to the lineup sometime next week. With Carolina having slipped to seventh in the very tight Metropolitan Division (though just three points out of a Wild Card spot with games in hand on everyone), that would be a huge boost for them for the stretch run.
Hurricanes Rumors
Brett Pesce Will Not Return This Season
If the Carolina Hurricanes happen to make it to the playoffs, they’ll have to do it without one of their best defensemen. Brett Pesce has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs following shoulder surgery. His recovery timeline has been set at four to six months, though he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Pesce, 25, was arguably the Hurricanes second-most important defenseman behind Jaccob Slavin after Dougie Hamilton was also ruled out due to injury. The defensive specialist logged nearly 22 minutes a night for Carolina, anchoring the right side at both even-strength and on the penalty kill. His absence will be a huge loss for the team down the stretch, especially with the team chasing to climb back into the playoff picture.
Fortunately, the Hurricanes may have known this was a possibility at the trade deadline, given the injury happened on February 22nd. The team acquired both Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen, though the latter has also not been cleared to play and actually suffered a setback in his own recovery today.
Pesce’s return for next season will certainly be welcomed, though there may have to be changes in Carolina over the summer. With Skjei now in town, the team has five different defensemen all set to earn at least $4MM.
Injury Notes: Vatanen, Lankinen, Tatar, Staal
The Carolina Hurricanes decided to take the risk at the trade deadline of acquiring an injured rental defenseman, and it may be about to bite them. Sara Civian of The Athletic reports that Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour does not expect Vatanen back any time soon after suffering a setback today.
Vatanen hasn’t played since February 1st with the New Jersey Devils, but the Hurricanes still gave up Janne Kuokkanen and a conditional draft pick to acquire his services down the stretch. How many actual games that may consist of isn’t clear at this point, especially given the fact that the Hurricanes are currently outside the playoff picture. Carolina still has 18 games remaining.
- Should the Chicago Blackhawks need an extra goaltender down the stretch, it won’t be Kevin Lankinen. The 24-year old is out for the next four to five months after shoulder surgery, ending his season with the Rockford IceHogs. Lankinen, an undrafted free agent signing out of Finland, had posted a .909 save percentage through 21 AHL games this season.
- Tomas Tatar won’t be with the Montreal Canadiens for a while, as he instead will fly back to Montreal for further evaluation. Tatar suffered an upper-body injury earlier this week and hasn’t improved yet. The skilled forward is the team’s leading scorer, and with just 14 games any absence will only be amplified.
- Though not an injury, Eric Staal will also not be with his team while they go on the road. The Minnesota Wild center has left the team for the time being after a death in his family. The Wild begin a three-game west coast road trip tonight.
Atlantic Notes: Blashill, Krug, Ceci, Kinkaid
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves at the bottom of the NHL this season with a dismal 15-47-4 record and already have been eliminated from a potential playoff spot on Feb. 21.
That could spell the end for head coach Jeff Blashill, who could find himself out of a job when the regular season ends. Both general manager Steve Yzerman and president and CEO Christopher Illitch have been supportive of Blashill recently. However, Illitch went a step further on Friday, stating that Blashill’s job will be completely in the hands of Yzerman, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press’ Carlos Monarrez.
“I think Steve had indicated that Jeff and Steve are going to talk after the season’s over and they’ll talk about the future and we’ll see where it goes,” said Illitch. “But at the end of the day, that’s Steve’s call. I support it, but I agree with Steve. I think Jeff’s done a good job in the situation he’s been given.”
Last Monday, Yzerman told the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James that the team can’t blame all the losing on Blashill and was supportive of a coach that he inherited last year when he took over as GM.
“It’s unfair to judge Jeff Blashill on our team’s record, it really is,” said Yzerman. “I put this team together. I had expectations for the year. I don’t think this is a playoff team honestly. A lot of things would have had to go right for us to be a playoff team at the start of the year. Obviously that hasn’t happened. A lot of things went wrong that we necessarily didn’t forsee, whether it be injury or what not.”
- With rumors that Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, an unrestricted free agent this summer, could be looking for a $9MM per year on the open market and potentially asking for $8MM from the Boston Bruins, WEEI’s Matt Kalman spoke to Krug who said that he hasn’t changed his mindset on negotiations with the Bruins. “No, I’ve been in the same spot from Day One. Just obviously trying to respect the situation here and trying to find a balance of being paid fairly and obviously being part of a winning team too,” Krug said. Krug has eight goals and 45 points this year and is a key piece to the team, but at 28 years of age, the Bruins may be hesitant to hand him a long-term deal. The team did free up some cap room at the trade deadline, unloading the albatross contract of David Backes as well as moving Danton Heinen, but the team has a number of other players it needs to sign as well.
- While there is no word on when Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci might return, the blueliner did participate in Saturday’s morning skate, signaling he might not be that far away from returning, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. “It’s moving along pretty good. [Morning skate] was a nice step for me,” said Ceci, who is out with an ankle injury since Feb. 5. His next step is to take contact at a full practice.
- In an unusual AHL transaction, the Laval Rocket announced they have re-assigned goaltender Keith Kinkaid to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Kinkaid signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the offseason as the backup to Carey Price. However, Kinkaid struggled in six appearances with a .875 save percentage. He has played with the Rocket for 13 appearances with little more success (.876 save percentage) and now will attempt to help out the Checkers, the AHL affiliate, who lost both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic to the Carolina Hurricanes after their two starters went down with injury. Regardless, it’s an AHL transactions, which means his contract still belongs to the Canadiens.
Deadline Notes: Skjei, Parise, Targets
The Florida Panthers were perhaps the most surprising team at the NHL Trade Deadline. Still competing for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers nevertheless traded away a top-six forward in Vincent Trocheck and failed to acquire a defenseman, which was considered their biggest need. As it turns out, they nearly got close on a major addition. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun writes that the Panthers were in on defenseman Brady Skjei for much of the day on Monday. After moving Trocheck, the team had hoped to fill his departed salary commitment with a term defenseman and Skjei was the top target, made available by the New York Rangers’ extension of Chris Kreider earlier in the day. However, Florida did not want to take on all of Skjei’s contract, preferring to make a hockey deal instead. LeBrun notes that Michael Matheson would have been part of the return to New York. However, taking on salary was contrary to the Rangers’ plans, and so they went for the Carolina Hurricanes’ offer of a first-round pick instead. Skjei would have made a huge difference in Florida, arguably more than on a deep blue line in Carolina, but the Panthers could not get the deal done. Expect Florida to continue scouring the trade and free agent markets this off-season for a long-term upgrade on the blue line.
- The biggest rumor that emerged on deadline day was a possible trade of Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise to the New York Islanders. Few expected that Parise, who at 35 years old still has five years left on his contract at over $7.5MM AAV, could be a potential trade candidate. Yet, both Parise and the Islanders’ Andrew Ladd had waived their respective trade protections and were merely awaiting the finalization of the deal. That of course never occurred, as Minnesota GM Bill Guerin stated that the deal was very complex and simply did not come together in time. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the two teams have actually been discussing the deal for some time, but concerns over balancing salary and potential cap recapture penalties should Parise retire before his contract expires halted the deal, at least for now. Guerin stated that the two sides could revisit a possible trade in the off-season, but meanwhile Parise is back to work for the Wild. Twincities.com’s Dane Mizutani writes that Parise was relatively tight-lipped about the situation and understands that trades, actual or theoretical, are part of the business. He reaffirmed that he enjoys playing in Minnesota and in no way requested a trade; he was simply willing to waive his No-Movement Clause if the Wild felt that moving him was the best decision. It will remain an interesting topic through the remainder of the season and into the off-season how well Parise and the Wild play in light of this near-blockbuster and whether the trade finally does come to fruition.
- Friedman writes that a number of players traded before the deadline nearly went elsewhere, while some players who stayed put were heavily pursued. Perhaps the most notable move could have been Robin Lehner to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Cane’s were anything but quiet at the deadline, acquiring Trocheck, Skjei, and Sami Vatanen, but failed to address goaltending, arguably their biggest need in light of recent injuries. Carolina has long been linked to Lehner dating back to the 2018 off-season (and could look at him as a free agent again this summer) but balked at the Chicago Blackhawks asking price for a rental. Two other teams that revisited players who they had previously pursued were the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Both team made notable additions as they fight for a Western Conference playoff spot, but allegedly could have done more. Friedman notes that Calgary was in on veteran winger Wayne Simmonds for the second deadline in a row, but likely could not make the salary work, whereas Edmonton kicked the tires of Patrick Marleau after courting him as a free agent this summer. Finally, two players that received considerable interest per Friedman but did not move were Detroit Red Wings forward Luke Glendening and Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton. Detroit has little to play for this season, but have always highly valued Glendening, who has another year left on his contract. A league source told Friedman that the asking price was simply too high. As for Laughton, the Flyers made only minor moves at the deadline and could not also trade away a key bottom-six piece with term remaining on his contract. It sound as though considerable interest did not sway the team into even considering offers for Laughton.
Mike Condon Assigned To Charlotte Checkers
If you wondered how the Charlotte Checkers were going to get by after both Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg were recalled to fill in for the Carolina Hurricanes, you now have your answer. The Tampa Bay Lightning have loaned Mike Condon to the Checkers from the Syracuse Crunch, where he had been buried but was rarely playing. Condon is on the final season of his three-year, $7.2MM deal and will still count towards the Tampa Bay cap, but can now actually get some action with the Checkers.
The 29-year old goaltender has hit the ice six times for the Crunch and another four times for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL this season, ten forgettable appearances in total. Once considered a legitimate NHL option, Condon recorded a .905 save percentage in 129 appearances for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators between 2015-2018.
At this point, just getting an opportunity to play in the AHL should be good enough for Condon as it looked like his career in North America might be coming to an end.
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Sami Vatanen, Brady Skjei
It’s a busy last few minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they are set to acquire both Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that the Devils will receive Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson and a conditional fourth-round pick for Vatanen, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Skjei will be had for a first-round pick.
These two defensemen will come into an organization that already acquired Vincent Trocheck earlier in the day, making the Hurricanes one of the obvious winners from today’s festivities. Adding two potential top-four options and a second-line center in the matter of a few hours will change the look of the team as they head into a playoff chase.
Vatanen, 28, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is actually currently injured, but will rejoin the lineup soon in Carolina and offers a right-handed puck-mover to help replace the losses of Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce. Vatanen has played both sides of the ice and can do a little bit of everything, including help on the powerplay and penalty kill.
Skjei meanwhile represents a more long-term addition for the Hurricanes. The 25-year old defenseman is signed through the 2023-24 season at a $5.25MM cap hit, but has also been quite inconsistent this year for the Rangers. Perhaps asked to fill a smaller role in Carolina will allow him to flourish once again, given how deep the team is on the blue line.
When all is said and done the Hurricanes will sit with a group including Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, Joel Edmundson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Haydn Fleury, Vatanen and Skjei, with Pesce and Hamilton working their way back at some point (though when that will be still isn’t clear). That’s just about the deepest defense corps in the entire league, not to mention the fact that Carolina still has Gustav Forsling, Jake Beane, Joey Keane and Roland McKeown in the minor leagues.
Kuokkanen becomes one of the most interesting prospects for the Devils immediately, after posting strong results in the minor leagues but getting little opportunity in Carolina. He’ll surely get a bigger chance on the Devils as they rebuild, and when added to a mid-round pick is nice work by interim GM Tom Fitzgerald.
For the Rangers, clearing Skjei’s contract was the clear goal, even though the defenseman still obviously has value. The team has work to do on their cap moving forward, and nabbing a first-round pick will only help fill their prospect cupboards even more.
Rangers, Hurricanes Discussing Brady Skjei
The Carolina Hurricanes have been looking for help on defense and the New York Rangers have been trying to move out some salary. It makes sense then when Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the two teams have discussed Brady Skjei. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that a first-round pick is part of the talks, though both insiders point to cap issues for the Hurricanes as a potential impediment to a deal.
Skjei, 25, is under contract through the 2023-24 season and carries a $5.25MM cap hit, room that the Hurricanes don’t have after acquiring Vincent Trocheck earlier today. Skjei is also another left-handed shot, something the Hurricanes already have plenty of in Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, Joel Edmundson and Haydn Fleury, not to mention prospect Jake Bean. The team recently lost right-handers Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton to serious injuries, obviously making that side of the ice a little weaker for this season.
Still, adding a player like Skjei would give the team another legitimate top-four option as they try to get back to the playoffs this season. Even though his play has been inconsistent, the Rangers defenseman still has 23 points through 60 games and is logging more than 20 minutes a night.
After signing Chris Kreider to a major extension, it seems as though the Rangers are even more motivated to get rid of some salary. With the emergence of Adam Fox, Anthony DeAngelo and Ryan Lindgren, the Rangers could afford to move Skjei out of town and still have enough exciting pieces to build around on the back end.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Vegas’ Pick, Marleau, Sheahan, Archibald
The NHL announced its Three Stars for last week with Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz getting the top honors. Francouz, filling in for the injured Philipp Grubauer went 3-0-1 for the week, posting a 1.46 GAA and a .941 save percentage along with a 1-0 shutout over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Francouz is in his first full season with the Avalanche and had done an exceptional job as their emergency starter where he ranks fifth in the league with a 2.27 GAA and tied for fourth in the league with a .927 save percentage.
Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers received the second star, scoring three goals and five assists over three games for the Rangers. He helped lead New York to three victories as the rebuilding franchise suddenly is within four points of a playoff spot. Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane takes the third star honors with five goals and six points in three games, which includes his first-career hat trick against Anaheim on Feb. 17.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have been quiet so far on Monday, but the team still managed to pick up a fifth-round pick in 2021 from the Carolina Hurricanes, a condition of the Erik Haula deal this offseason, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Haula was traded earlier today to Florida as part of a package for Vincent Trocheck, which enacted a condition in the Golden Knights trade which stated that the Hurricanes would send a fifth-round pick to Vegas if Haula was traded to another team for a player.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz adds that even though the San Jose Sharks have traded away veteran forward Patrick Marleau to Pittsburgh earlier today, the veteran is expected to be welcome back next year to San Jose if he is interested. The 40-year-old is just 53 games away from breaking Gordie Howe’s all-time games played mark. A reunion would allow him to do it in a Sharks sweater next season.
- The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports that the Edmonton Oilers are currently working on getting extensions worked out for forwards Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald, both who will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Both players are key players on the team’s penalty kill with Sheahan logging the second-most minutes on the PK, while Archibald is fourth. Both players have fared well after singing one-year pacts this summer. Sheahan has seven goals and 14 points in 57 games, while Archibald has with 10 goals and 17 points in 53 games.
Hurricanes Acquire Vincent Trocheck
The Hurricanes have added a core center as they have acquired Vincent Trocheck from the Panthers in exchange for centers Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark plus prospect defenseman Chase Priskie and center Eetu Luostarinen.
Trocheck looked like he was on his way to stardom two years ago when he put up 75 points in 82 games but his production has tapered off since then. He had 34 points in 55 games last year and is on a similar pace this season with 36 in 55 contests although his ice time has dipped by nearly three minutes per night.
Nonetheless, there is cause for optimism that a change of scenery could help him rebound. He will be likely slotting in behind Sebastian Aho on their depth chart which will push Jordan Staal into more of a checking role. Trocheck should be around for a while as he is signed through 2021-22 at a $4.75MM cap hit. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2022 offseason.
As for Florida’s return, Haula is also a couple of years removed from a big offensive season that saw him put up 55 points in his first season in Vegas. However, injuries have limited him since then. This season, the pending unrestricted free agent has played in 41 games, picking up 11 points and 11 assists. Haula carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.
Wallmark has emerged as a capable bottom-six player for the Hurricanes over the past two seasons and he has already set a new career-high in goals this season with 11 in 60 games. The 24-year-old is eligible for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility and is in line for a nice raise on his current league minimum $700K salary.
Priskie signed with Carolina this summer as a college free agent after not coming to terms with Washington who originally drafted him in the sixth round back in 2016. He has been productive with AHL Charlotte, collecting 31 points in 56 games but has yet to have a chance to play at the NHL level. The Panthers don’t have the defensive depth that the Hurricanes do so that opportunity may be coming soon enough. The 23-year-old has one year left after this one on his entry-level deal with a $925K AAV.
As for Luostarinen, the 2017 second-round pick made his NHL debut with Carolina this season, picking up an assist in eight games. He has spent the bulk of his first season in North America with the Checkers, picking up 25 points in 44 contests.
Carolina hasn’t shown much interest in rental players in recent years and this trade continues that trend. In Trocheck, they land someone that they hope can be part of their core and aren’t parting with a top prospect or draft pick to get one. It will be interesting to see if Florida holds onto all four pieces or if they will be flipping one or more of those in the coming hours.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.