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Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Sami Vatanen, Brady Skjei

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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

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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

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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

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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.

East Notes: Bogosian, Chabot, Brassard, Lightning, Red Wings

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After clearing unconditional waivers Saturday, the market for defenseman Zach Bogosian has become quite intense as teams are looking to pick up a veteran blueliner on the cheap with the trade deadline prices for rentals being extremely high at moment. In fact, three teams are currently the frontrunners for the veteran’s services, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes.

Carolina was already rumored to be looking for help on their blueline, but with the injury to Brett Pesce Saturday night in Toronto as well as the injury to Dougie Hamilton, the team is pushing even harder to add some depth. Pittsburgh is another candidate as they wait for the returns of Brian Dumoulin and John Marino. Arizona is a new candidate after the injury to Jakob Chychrun to an injury that looks to be serious.

Bogosian might serve as a band-aid for these teams, even though he has appeared in just 19 games this season.

  • The Ottawa Senators could breathe easier today when they learned that defenseman Thomas Chabot, who left Saturday night’s game with a lower-body injury, suffered just a minor injury, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Apparently the injury is just a bruise. The 23-year-old tried to test his knee during a TV timeout Saturday, but could not go on it. While Chabot’s offensive numbers have been down this season, five goals and 33 points in 62 games, the blueliner has logged a career-high in minutes at 25:43.
  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that New York Islanders forward Derick Brassard skated Sunday for the first time since suffering a samll fracture to his cheek after taking a puck to his head on Wednesday in Colorado. He is considered day-to-day, but has cleared concussion protocol, although he said that he is still dealing with some nausea. “I had a broken jaw so I had a plate [inserted],” Brassard said of a previous injury. “I got hit just above it. I’m lucky a little bit. When I was down, I thought my ear had split in half because of the pressure.”
  • With injuries to defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who already have been active before the trade deadline, could be looking to add to their defensive core, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required). Tampa Bay already moved a first-round pick and top prospect Nolan Foote to New Jersey for forward Blake Coleman. However, since there is no word yet on the severity of Cernak’s injury, it’s possible that general manager Julien BriseBois could add even more as he’s “always on the lookout for an opportunity to improve.”
  • MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Detroit Red Wings are holding out defenseman Mike Green and forward Andreas Athanasiou from Sunday’s game against Calgary. According to the Red Wings, they have both been scratched due to “asset management,” meaning both players are likely candidates to be traded by Monday.

West Notes: McDavid, Kuemper, Holland, Lehner, Samberg, Simmonds

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The Edmonton Oilers are getting back a familiar face in Connor McDavid as the team announced the star forward returns tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. That might be perfect timing with Edmonton barely holding onto third place by just one point, although they are also just one point away from second place. McDavid has missed six games with a quadriceps injury.

In fact, it looks like McDavid will be teamed with Sam Gagner and Alex Chiasson for Sunday’s game and is expected to join the power play. McDavid has 31 goals and 81 points through 55 games this year and should be able to add some extra offense for the Oilers for the team’s stretch run. The Oilers have gone 3-2-1 without their star player.

  • It looks like the Arizona Coyotes will get a significant boost to their team as well. The Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL from his conditioning stint. The netminder has been out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 19. He was close to a comeback several weeks ago, but suffered a setback. Kuemper played Saturday for Tucson, stopping 26 of 28 shots, and looks ready to join the Coyotes’ lineup. Kuemper was one of the top goaltenders in the league before his injury, posting a 15-8-2 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
  • NHL.com’s Tim Campbell writes that Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland isn’t interested in moving the team’s 2020 first-round pick just to add a piece to the team at the trade deadline. Edmonton is currently one point out of second place in the Pacific Division, but the GM is resistant to moving such a pick, considering the team is still building. “I’m hoping that we can compete for a playoff spot and more on an every-year basis,” said Holland. “You can’t be in the trading game every deadline, well maybe with secondary pieces, but you can’t trade first-round picks [every year].”
  • The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that while the Chicago Blackhawks have discussed trading goaltender Robin Lehner to the Carolina Hurricanes after the team lost both their goaltenders Saturday night. However, the scribe adds that at this moment, Carolina considers Chicago’s asking price for the goaltender far too high. However, both teams will continue to talk up to the trade deadline on Monday.
  • In an interview with the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck, University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman and Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 second-rounder Dylan Samberg, said that he is focused on winning a third-straight NCAA championship. However, he also said, after that, he has every intention of joining the Winnipeg Jets after his season is complete. The Jets were hoping the 6-foot-4, 215-pound blueliner would sign with the team last summer where he would have likely played a significant role with Winnipeg this year. However, Sampson would like to help his school be the first to win three straight national titles. “They took a chance on me, they wanted me for a reason and I respect that,” said Samberg. “I respect the organization, they have a lot of great people, and it’s not that far from home, which is nice. I want to eventually get to the Jets.”
  • TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks are no longer in the running for New Jersey Devils forward Wayne Simmonds. There was a time that Vancouver was quite interesting in adding the veteran leader to their roster, but the team is evidently looking in a different direction.

Carolina Hurricanes Will Make Additions In Net

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4:43 p.m. — As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled Forsberg and Nedeljkovic from Charlotte.

11:11 a.m. — Last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Carolina Hurricanes. The contest could not have gotten off to a worse start, with starter James Reimer being forced out of the game just six minutes in to the first period following a collision in net. Petr Mrazek entered the game in relief, but allowed a goal late in the period to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Things were looking up in the second frame following three Hurricanes goals, but then Mrazek was injured just over halfway through the period. This forced the team to turn to an emergency backup, 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres, an employee of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment who had not played in a competitive game for more than five years. Yet, Ayres got the job done, allowing only two goals in nearly half a game (with some help from the team allowing just ten shots) to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 win.

While this was of course a tremendous story, the reality now sets in that the Hurricanes are now down both of their NHL goaltenders without any timeline yet as to when they may return to action. The timing of this is poor, seeing as tomorrow is the final day to make a trade this season and there is no time to wait for an official word on Mrazek or Reimer. The team is also in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race and can’t afford to take a chance in goal and miss out on potential points.

For now, TSN’s Pierre LeBurn reports that the team plans to recall both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today. Fortunately, both netminders have seen plenty of ice time this season, spitting appearances 50/50, and have performed relatively well. If asked to take on some NHL starts, either one could fair well enough. Forsberg is a veteran of 45 NHL games, while Nedeljkovic has fared well in his two NHL appearances and was arguably the best goalie in the AHL last season.

However, if there is any suspicion that both Mrazek and Reimer could be out long term, it seems unlikely that Carolina would be comfortable fighting for a playoff spot and entering the postseason with only Forsberg and Nedeljkovic. For that reason, LeBrun adds that a number of teams have already reached out to the Hurricanes about moving a goalie and it seems likely that the team could make a move. In fact, the team was kicking the tires on adding another goalie even before these injuries, so many conversations have already been had. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the teams main focus is on Chicago Blackhawks’ keepers Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford, both impending free agents, while other rental options could include veterans Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, or Ryan Miller or available backups like Aaron Dell or Louis Domingue.

One way or another, the names in net are about to change for Carolina. Perhaps it will only be short-term while their current duo heal up or maybe it could be a major long-term addition for the rest of the season and a hopeful playoff run. With the team also needing a replacement on the blue line given the injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce and also rumored to be in on several big-name forwards, including the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the next 27 hours should be very busy for the Hurricanes.

East Notes: Pageau, Hurricanes, Martinook, Palmieri, Eichel

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Earlier reports have the Ottawa Senators holding two of their top trade chips out of their lineup Saturday as the team have made both Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov healthy scratches. However, one player who isn’t going to be a healthy scratch Saturday is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is considered to be one of the top three trade candidates at the moment.

That could change, however, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Pageau and the Ottawa Senators are still negotiating a contract extension and the center will continue to play for the team. After failing to lock up any of their pending free agents last year at the trade deadline as they lost Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the team is hoping they can convince the 27-year-old to remain with the team. Pageau is having a career year with 24 goals and 40 points, both career highs. The team hopes to come to terms with the forward before being forced to move him on Monday.

  • Speaking of contract extensions, the New York Rangers are also in discussions with their top trade target, Chris Kreider, about a contract extension. However, there are plenty of teams that have been discussed that might be willing to pay big to bring Kreider aboard for their playoff run, including the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have also expressed interest in adding Kreider. The Hurricanes, who are still battling to even get into the playoffs (they are one point out of a playoff spot at the moment), do have one of the best prospect systems in the league and have the picks and prospects to make an enticing offer if they want.
  • Speaking of the Hurricanes, TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Carolina will get back forward Jordan Martinook tonight after being out since Feb. 4 with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has two goals and 11 points in 37 games with Carolina this season.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri isn’t worried about trade rumors. The 29-year-old has been traded before and understands how the trade deadline works, according to Abby Mastrocco of northjersey.com. “It’s just a lot of noise,” Palmieri said this week at Prudential Center. “It’s not something I can control. There are plenty of Twitter GMs out there but right now, I’m staying focused on the game and the guys in this room. Until someone tells me otherwise, that’s what my focus is on.” Palmieri could fetch the Devils quite a return if they are willing to move him. He has 22 goals and 42 points in 57 games for New Jersey, but more importantly has one more year on his contract after this one, which many teams might be attracted to.
  • Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel didn’t take any faceoffs during Saturday’s game and The Athletic’s John Vogl found a source who said that Eichel suffered a midsection ailment and the team didn’t want their star to bend over for faceoffs Saturday. It doesn’t look like the injury will keep him out of the lineup, however, as the 23-year-old still potted two goals Saturday against the Penguins in the 5-2 victory.

Tyson Barrie Drawing Interest As Deadline Nears

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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ season certainly hasn’t gone according to plan, creating plenty of speculation over some of their expiring assets. The team is in win-now mode, but Tyson Barrie in particular hasn’t quite fit in since coming over from the Colorado Avalanche and now is swirling around in trade rumors. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes have all shown some interest in the pending UFA defenseman.

Seravalli indicates that the Maple Leafs would not make a move without getting a defenseman back, even suggesting that a one-for-one deal with Calgary for T.J. Brodie was discussed. Any team acquiring Barrie could potentially sign him to a long-term deal, something that doesn’t appear to be in the works with the Maple Leafs.

Even though his point totals have skyrocketed after the coaching change in Toronto, Barrie still hasn’t been the ideal right-handed option that the Maple Leafs hoped for. His play on the defensive side of the puck hasn’t been good enough, and the team has struggled since he was forced into even more puck-moving responsibility when Morgan Rielly suffered his injury. That’s not to say that Barrie isn’t having a solid season offensively—his 33 points still ties him for 22nd among league defenders—or that he might not dominate in a more limited role elsewhere. His upside as an elite powerplay quarterback and near 60-point defenseman will obviously bring in plenty of suitors if the Maple Leafs really make him available.

Perhaps this was always considered an option, given how the Maple Leafs need more long-term stability on the blueline. Jake Muzzin is expected to be re-signed by the team and Justin Holl already has agreed to an extension, but that still leaves plenty of minutes up for grabs, especially on the right side. If the team is able to flip him into a defenseman with term, one can understand the process in selling a high-priced rental during a playoff chase.

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Julien Gauthier To New York Rangers

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The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers have decided to swap prospects, trading Julien Gauthier for Joey Keane. The Rangers will acquire the young forward in Gauthier, while Carolina adds another defensive option to their pipeline in Keane.

As we wrote yesterday, the Rangers’ biggest need as they move to the next phase in their rebuild was young forwards that are close to being NHL ready. That’s exactly what they’ve received in Gauthier, who is currently fourth in AHL scoring with 26 goals through 44 games after putting up 27 a year ago for the Charlotte Checkers. The 22-year old forward has size—6’4″ 227-lbs—and a nose for the net that made him the 21st overall pick in 2016. He has only seen five games in the NHL to this point, but the Rangers obviously believe he can make an impact at that level for their organization.

Their belief in Gauthier’s NHL upside must be real, because Keane has already shown in his first season of professional hockey that he is on the path to becoming an impact player. Selected 88th overall in 2018, Keane has eight goals and 30 points in 49 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack. He spent a day on the NHL roster last week, but so far hasn’t seen any action for the Rangers. Whether he’ll get into any for the Hurricanes right away isn’t clear, but the team had been looking for some more depth on defense after losing Dougie Hamilton for the season. The fact that he is still only 20 and has two more years on his entry-level contract only makes Keane more appealing to a team like Carolina who will need to spend every dollar wisely to compete in the tough Metropolitan Division.

Gauthier too has another year on his entry-level contract, something the Rangers can use as they try to really contend for the playoffs next season. The team already has a lot of cash allocated to names like Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba and Henrik Lundqvist, making the margins of the roster even more important. They have a number of young defensemen that hold similar value and upside to Keane, meaning they could deal from a position of strength to acquire a player like Gauthier.

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