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Teuvo Teravainen Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up one of their most consistent offensive performers, signing Teuvo Teravainen to a five-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $5.4MM and keep Teravainen from reaching free agency until after the 2023-24 season. The 24-year old forward was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. Carolina GM Don Waddell released a statement about the signing:

Teuvo has improved every year of his NHL career and has established himself as a cornerstone forward for the Hurricanes now and into the future. He has shown that he is capable of adapting and expanding his role with our team, becoming a key penalty killer for Rod [Brind’amour] this season. He’s still just 24 years old and we believe he will only continue to grow as a player.

Teravainen was acquired by the Hurricanes in a 2016 transaction that used their cap space as an asset, taking on Bryan Bickell’s contract from the Chicago Blackhawks alongside the young forward. In his first season in Carolina the part-time center recorded 15 goals and 42 points, but really broke out in 2017-18 when he was moved to the wing. Teravainen finished with 64 points last season, just one behind Sebastian Aho for the team lead. That kind of production, when added to the 39-point season he’s working on so far in 2018-19, made him a prime candidate for a long-term extension in Carolina.

This extension buys out just two years of unrestricted free agency, allowing the Hurricanes to keep the cap hit relatively low while still locking Teravainen up through his prime. His contract actually compares directly to one that the Hurricanes just acquired in Nino Niederreiter, who signed a very similar five-year contract in 2017 that carries a $5.25MM cap hit. Those two project to be Carolina’s top earning forwards next season, at least until Sebastian Aho signs his next deal which will likely also be of the long-term variety.

Carolina is trying to build a forward core that can stay and grow together over the next few years, and there was little doubt that Teravainen would be a part of that. Getting his deal done early also signals to the rest of their group that they’re willing to hand out reasonable long-term deals, something that was in question after failing to get anything done with Elias Lindholm before trading him out of town. Next on the agenda could be Micheal Ferland, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and top trade chip, but one the Hurricanes have indicated they would like to re-sign if possible.

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Carolina Has Had Interest In Tristan Jarry

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The Hurricanes have shown an interest in Penguins goalie prospect Tristan Jarry in the past, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  With Pittsburgh signing Casey DeSmith to an extension recently, Jarry’s name has come up as a speculative trade candidate between now and the February 25th trade deadline.  Carolina’s top two goalies at the moment in Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Hurricanes circle back on Jarry at some point over the next month.

Minor Transactions: 01/20/19

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Ten teams are on bye this week, but the NHL schedule isn’t slowing down and neither will the transactions as we head toward the All-Star break and the trade deadline. Sunday’s slate of five games is spread throughout the day, with the Capitals and Blackhawks squaring off early this afternoon, two more later matinees, and then two night games. Highlighting the lineup is a battle between two teams active on the trade market and desperate for a postseason berth this season, the Hurricanes and Oilers. With both teams needing a win in the worst way to stay relevant in the playoff race, expect an intense match-up between two teams that normally have little ill will between them. Keep up with all of today’s moves – and there have already been a lot – right here:

  • The Dallas Stars, one of the teams taking the week off, have sent several players to the minors for that stretch, including defenseman Connor Carrick, who is reassigned on a conditioning loan. Young forwards Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov will also head to the AHL’s Texas Stars for at least the coming week. The trio have all seen limited play time in the NHL this season, so rather than let them sit for a week while healthy, Dallas has opted to give them the opportunity to get some work in with the AHL squad.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that they have recalled defenseman Haydn Fleury from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Fleury, who played in 67 games with the ’Canes last season, has only been with the team for ten contests this year. The 22-year-old was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, but thus far has been unable to show elite offensive ability at the top level. Carolina will continue to give him chances when they can, but behind a deep and talented group of defensemen, Fleury will have to do more with his opportunities moving forward.
  • Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post suggests that the New York Rangers, also on bye, will send top pro defensive prospect Ryan Lindgren down to the AHL during the break rather than make him sit for a week. Lindgren’s recent recall received great fanfare from the Rangers’ faithful and this bye week demotion back to the Hartford Wolf Pack won’t change the team’s plans, which likely are to keep Lindgren in the starting lineup for as much of the remainder of this lost season as possible. Cyrgalis adds that another Rangers rookie, Brett Howden, will not be sent down, as the team hopes some time off will help him break his recent slump.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned recently-acquired forward Joseph Blandisi to the AHL, the team announced. It wasn’t clear where Blandisi fit in the Pittsburgh lineup after the trade that sent Derek Grant back to the Anaheim Ducks, so the team will let him serve as minor league depth for the time being. Blandisi has found success as a scoring forward in the AHL and will be an asset to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but he has been unable to translate that ability to the NHL in stints with the Ducks and New Jersey Devils and will need to adopt a more physical, energy line role to stick at the top level.
  • The “bye week” claims another, as the resting Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Kevin Stenlund down to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Stenlund made his NHL debut last week and did not look out of place in a bottom-six role, but nevertheless is better suited to get some additional work this week in the minors rather than sitting. Don’t be surprised to see the big 22-year-old center back up in Columbus after the break.
  • CapFriendly reports that defenseman Anton Lindholm has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche. Lindholm has been up and down several times for the Avs this season, but has only skated in two games with the team after suiting up for 48 games last year. The small, but solid stay-at-home defender has shown some more offensive ability with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles but until he can provide a little more production at the NHL level, he’s likely nothing more than a replacement-level depth option. The Avalanche also announced that forward Dominic Toninato has been recalled as well.
  • CapFriendly also adds that the Winnipeg Jets have sent little-used defenseman Cameron Schilling down to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for the bye week. The veteran has only skated in four games with the Jets in his first season with Winnipeg, but did record his first NHL point back in November. Schilling is a ways down the depth chart for the Jets, but has the experience to step in if need be down the stretch. To keep him sharp, they’ll send him back to the AHL, where he’s played 27 games this season. With no game until Jan. 28, the Jets also have assigned defenseman Sami Niku to Manitoba, according to CapFriendly. The 22-year-old has fared quite well filling in on Winnipeg’s blueline.
  • Peter Cehlarik has played well alongside David Krejci and Jake Debrusk since his recall three games ago, but with the Boston Bruins hitting their bye week, they have announced that Cehlarik is headed back down to the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Cehlarik has been perhaps the closest thing to a solution on the Bruins’ second line all season and is sure to be back up after the break. In the meantime, The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver suspects that Cehlarik could replace the injured Ryan Fitzgerald at the AHL All-Star Game.
  • The San Jose Sharks announced they have placed defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on injured reserve today and have recalled defenseman Jacob Middleton. The team has been without Vlasic for eight games already with an undisclosed injury, so he can return to the lineup whenever he is ready. Vlasic’s number’s and play have dropped a little this season, but the team still misses his blueline skills as the Sharks have now lost two straight. The 23-year-old Middleton has appeared in one game for the Sharks this season. He has two goals and 12 points with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/19

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Today marks the last day of game action for many teams across the NHL before their mandated “bye week”, which runs seven days long this season to include All-Star weekend. Among those getting set for the hiatus are the Central Division-rival Jets and Stars, squaring off in Dallas later, and the Rangers and Bruins, in their first meeting of the season in Boston tonight, as well as the Devils and Lightning, who each host a Western Conference foe before taking time off. Expect several of these teams to make last-minute changes today, while the remainder of the league gets ready for another week of action:

  • The New Jersey Devils have made a flurry of moves, highlighted by placing forward Miles Wood on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury. His retroactive placement will allow Wood to return to the lineup in the Devils’ first game back from the break, if he is ready. New Jersey also reassigned Blake Pietila to the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, leaving the team in need of two replacement forwards. They have elected to recall veteran enforcer Kurtis Gabriel and young power forward Nathan Bastian. It is unclear right now which one will suit up for the Devils today in their matinee against the Anaheim Ducks, but it would be Bastian’s NHL debut if he gets the call.
  • Following their 3-2 loss to Anaheim today and the fact that the team heads out on their bye week and don’t play again until Jan. 28, the Devils announced another group of roster moves, sending Bastian, Kevin Rooney, defenseman Egor Yakovlev and goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL to get playing time. The team also announced they have activated goaltender Cory Schneider from injured reserve. Bastian played 9:32 in his NHL debut.
  • Colin Blackwell has been called up by the Nashville Predators, the team announced. It marks the first career recall for the former Harvard University forward, who was highly productive in the AHL last season with the Rochester Americans and signed with Nashville as a free agent this summer. Blackwell will look to make the most of his first opportunity with the team if given play time in his first call-up.
  • The Ducks announced that they’ve recalled center Sam Carrick from San Diego of the AHL.  The 26-year-old is tied for the Gulls’ lead in team scoring with 37 points in just 32 games.  He suited up in three games with Anaheim earlier in the season, his first NHL action since the 2015-16 campaign.  To make room for him on the roster, winger Ondrej Kase was transferred to injured reserve.
  • The Hurricanes have sent center Clark Bishop back to Charlotte of the AHL, per a team release.  He recently was cleared to return from a lower-body injury suffered early this month but he’ll work his way back into playing shape at the minor league level instead.  Bishop has three points in 20 games with Carolina so far this season.

Snapshots: Berglund, Stempniak, Niedermayer

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Patrik Berglund will not be returning to the NHL this season. He won’t be playing any hockey at all, in fact. A month after the veteran forward was suspended by the Buffalo Sabres for failing to report to the team and then subsequently waived and terminated, Berglund has opened up to the local newspaper in his home town of Vasteras, Sweden. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News dissected that article for North American audiences, filling in the gaps of the strange series of events that led to Berglund’s departure. Playing in his first season in Buffalo following the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues, Berglund states that he “lost his passion and joy for hockey”. As a result, Berglund opted not to join the Sabres for a two-game road trip, which earned his suspension and eventually his release. Even though Berglund walked away from more than $12MM in the four remaining years of his contract, he doesn’t regret the decision, saying that his mental health means more than money right now. It is for that exact same reason that he has decided not to resume playing, in the NHL or in Europe, this season. Berglund did express remorse for leaving the Sabres short-handed – even if his termination does help the team long-term –  and reiterated that the club and his teammates did nothing wrong. Instead, it simply seems Berglund was so disappointed in his exit from St. Louis that he lost the will to play. Berglund stated that “I hope I can find the joy to play again. Right now, I can’t tell whether I will play again or not. I’m in the process of healing.” A well-regarded two-way forward and only 30 years old, Berglund will have the opportunity to play again somewhere if he so chooses, but it seems that the decision of his next steps professionally is still a ways off.

  • Lee Stempniak joined the Boston Bruins on a PTO in training camp this fall, but did not earn a contract. Yet, months later, he continues to practice with the team on a regular basis. At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Stempniak will be earning a contract with the team once rosters expand for the stretch run and postseason, much like how the Bruins added Brian Gionta late last season. Stempniak, 35, is not the player he once was, but surely could have found employment overseas this season if not for the promise of a future payoff with Boston. Stempniak is just a year removed from an 82-game, 40-point season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016-17 and the year before that he recorded 51 points, including ten in 19 games with these same Boston Bruins. With the emergence of Peter Cehlarik over the past week as a good match on the second line with David Krejci and Jake Debrusk, paired with the additional option the signing of right-shot Stempniak would bring, the speculation is that the Bruins could be content with their second-line right wing situation and instead be focused on adding a third-line center at the trade deadline. However, given his familiarity with the roster and determination to return to the NHL, Stempniak could end up being the most valuable piece that the Bruins add in the coming weeks.
  • The son of Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer has made his college selection and it will turn some heads. Southern California-native Jackson Niedermayer has opted to stay close to home and has committed to Arizona State University. His current team, the BCHL powerhouse Penticton Vees, announced the decision, adding that Niedermayer expects to play two more seasons with the team before making the jump to the NCAA. Niedermayer, 17, had his season cut short by a hip injury this year, making his NHL Draft stock in his first year of eligibility a question mark. Nevertheless, his hockey genes and previous production at the U-16 level in California could be enough to earn a selection this year. Regardless of his draft status, when Niedermayer joins Arizona State, he will easily be the biggest name to have played for the fledgling independent program that is still gaining its foothold in college hockey.

Trade Rumors: Hurricanes, Oilers, Nylander

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The Carolina Hurricanes struck arguably the biggest trade of the regular season so far when they acquired Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Victor Rask earlier today. However, GM Don Waddell is likely far from done. Not long after the deal was announced this afternoon, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun stated that the Hurricanes are still looking to add to their roster. LeBrun speculates that the team will add another top-six forward and will try to tap into their surplus of defensemen and defensive prospects to do so. The Hurricanes have the NHL’s longest playoff drought at nine seasons and would very much like to get back to the postseason this year and are well within striking distance of that goal past the midpoint of the season. While the team has succeeded in many areas this season, they continue to have struggles with scoring and, as LeBrun points out, could desperately use another talented forward. Yet, at the same time, the Hurricanes are also reportedly open to moving one of their most successful scoring forwards this season, Micheal Ferland. Ferland is on pace for a career season in his first year in Carolina, but the two sides had been unable to come to terms on an extension. Following the addition of a very similar player in Niederreiter, Ferland’s time in Carolina could soon be coming to an end. Between listening to offers on one highly-sought after rental forward and actively in pursuit of another top name on the market, the Hurricanes promise to remain in the rumor mill through the trade deadline next month and should have some more fireworks in store.

  • Another team desperate to make the playoffs this season are the Edmonton Oilers. While the Oilers are reportedly willing to move a number of assets for long-term forward help, the hype surrounding a possible Jesse Puljujarvi trade appears to be cooling off and GM Peter Chiarelli may opt for adding an affordable rental rather than making another high-risk trade. In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman names the Oilers as a suitor for the New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello. The veteran winger has been hot lately and could certainly help with Edmonton’s scoring woes down the stretch. As Friedman points out, and the Oilers surely know as well, Zuccarello also should not be too expensive to acquire. The Rangers received a second-round pick and middling prospect from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline last season for Michael Grabner, who was in the midst of a season not dissimilar from Zuccarello’s this year and was also an impending free agent. Chiarelli and company would likely be happy to give up a package such as that to add much-needed help up front.
  • William Nylander is finally under contract and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it’s been a slow start for the young forward in his return to action and an equally disappointing result for his team since his return. Making too much of that could be a mistake, but facing an impending salary cap crunch and mounting Stanley Cup expectations, GM Kyle Dubas and the Leafs brass have little room for error. Count former Toronto GM Brian Burke among those who would jettison Nylander as soon as possible if they were in Dubas’ shoes. Burke said on Sportsnet today that the front-loaded nature of Nylander’s contract should allow the team to move him and he expects that trade to occur this off-season. Burke acknowledges that Nylander is a talented player, but doesn’t agree with his nearly $7MM yearly cap hit and feels he is too similar to other players on the Leafs’ roster and considers him to be a costly “surplus player”. Whether Dubas and company agree with that assessment remains to be seen, but a Nylander trade this summer is certainly not out of the question.

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Victor Rask For Nino Niederreiter

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made another huge trade to change up their core group of forwards, this time sending Victor Rask to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Nino Niederreiter. Both teams have struggled to find a ton of offense from their groups over the last few seasons, leading them to try and shake things up with a move like this.

At first blush, the deal seems to be a huge win for the Hurricanes given Rask’s incredible struggles this season. The 25-year old center has just six points in 26 games since returning from a freak hand injury in late November and has at times been relegated to fourth-line minutes in Carolina. That’s obviously not Rask’s ceiling, as he has twice previously recorded at least 45 points, but he wasn’t getting it done for the Hurricanes under Rod Brind’Amour and needed a fresh start elsewhere.

That’ll come in Minnesota where it’s unclear if Rask will stay in the middle of the ice. Charlie Coyle has been playing at the center position and finding great success, though he has plenty of experience on the wing where there is now a vacancy. Wild GM Paul Fenton had been clear that there were changes coming in Minnesota, and Niederreiter was one of the obvious candidates to be moved.

In fact, the bruising winger played just 9:31 in his final game for Minnesota after being dropped to the fourth line almost immediately after starting the game. Ironically he scored in those limited minutes and was successful in the shootout win to notch two points for the Wild over the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night. That goal was just Niederreiter’s sixth even-strength tally of the season, a huge problem for a player who has made a living recording 20-goal seasons in the past. That sort of production is exactly what the Hurricanes are looking for, and Carolina GM Don Waddell called him a “proven goal-scorer” in the accompanying press release.

We wrote back in November how the Hurricanes needed help up front scoring goals, and that’s exactly what they’ll hope to accomplish with this addition. Niederreiter also fits right into the possession style that Carolina loves to employ, and is one of the better two-way wingers in the league. Still, the contract swap represents a $1.25MM increase for the Hurricanes through 2021-22 while Niederreiter immediately becomes the team’s highest-paid forward with Jordan Staal on injured reserve. He’ll be asked to do a lot in Carolina, and could even find himself on the top line in short order.

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Schedule For Upcoming NHL “Bye Weeks”

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For the third year in a row, the NHL has scheduled a mandated multi-day break for each team in the middle part of the season. Meant to give each team a rest, much like the bye week in the National Football League, this break also includes limits on practice, including several days in which all team activities are prohibited. A seven-day break this season, on paper an increase from the original five-day break, the “bye week” is actually less intrusive this season than it has been in the past despite the longer length. All 31 teams will take their break either right before or right after the upcoming All-Star Weekend, with those two days counting toward the seven and simply extending what has always been a short break for non-participants. Below are the lists of teams who will take leave on one side of All-Star festivities or the other:

Before All-Star Weekend (January 20 – 24)

Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets

After All-Star Weekend (January 27 – 31)

Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals

How each team feels about taking an extended break in the middle of the season generally varies based on situational factors. While many players would enjoy getting to spend some time away with their families, others would rather keep the pedal to the metal mid-season. More specifically, a team that is playing well and stringing together wins would rather keep playing and not lose out on that momentum. Another team may be in a slump or struggling with injuries and desperately in need of a break. Either way, not every team will be in favor of the bye week each season.

There also remains some scheduling flaws with the mandated break, as most teams will only get the actual seven days or an eighth day off for travel, but others are set to go ten or eleven days without a contest. The “bye week” seems to be a move by the NHL that has enough support to continue in future seasons, but the league could work on sharpening the schedule so as to give teams as close to an even break as their competition as possible.

Minor Transactions: 01/13/19

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It’s a relatively busy Sunday for the NHL as six games are scheduled for today, including an afternoon tilt between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes. While the league prepares for another important week, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Rourke Chartier back to the minor leagues, given the team doesn’t play again until Tuesday. The 22-year old forward has played 13 games with the Sharks this season but has just a single goal. He very well could be recalled once again in a few days.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Kole Sherwood, a 21-year old forward that spent time in the ECHL earlier this year. The hometown kid has seven points in 22 games for the AHL Cleveland Monsters, but will get a shot to see what life is like in the NHL for at least a little while.
  • Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan have bother been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, giving the team two forward options in very different situations. Kyrou is still trying to get his footing in his first season as a professional, but has recently found his way as the AHL Rookie of the Month for December. Nolan meanwhile is just trying to hold onto his NHL career after finding himself in the minor leagues this season for the first time since 2012-13.
  • In a minor transaction, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Blues’ goalie prospect Evan Fitzpatrick has been re-assigned from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL to the Tulsa of the ECHL. The scribe adds the transaction is significant because it likely suggests that prospect Ville Husso might be ready to return from injury, which could provide the Blues with a solid emergency goaltender down the road. The 20-year-old Fitzpatrick has served as an emergency backup already, but has spent most of his season in Tusla.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced they have assigned center Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL as the team expects the return of Josh Leivo, who has been out with back spasms. The former Hobey Baker Award winner spent the early portion of the season with Vancouver, learning as a bottom-line player, but was sent to Utica to get more playing time in. He has been producing in Utica, posting three goal and seven points in seven games, including a two goal, three-point performance on Jan. 5th. He was then recalled after Elias Pettersson went down with his knee injury and scored a goal in his one appearance on Thursday against Arizona.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL now that his conditioning stint is over. The team claimed Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers due to injuries to both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. However, with Kuemper healthy once again and the emergence of Adin Hill, the Coyotes would have to keep Pickard around as a third goaltender, which they may not want to do. Pickard struggled in four appearances in Tuscon, despite a 3-0 record, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .889 save percentage.

Extensive Power Forward Trade Market Forming

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If the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline is deep at any one type of player, it is power forward. As the February 25th deadline grows closer and teams begin to make tough decisions about who goes and who stays, it is becoming clear that many big, physical scoring forwards are about to be up for grabs before they hit free agency. Just this past week, it was reported that the Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds was likely to be moved and inferred that the Carolina Hurricanes and Micheal Ferland were unlikely to come to terms ahead of the deadline. And that’s just the beginning.

Outside of the 6’2″ Simmonds and 220-lb. Ferland, there are plenty of other names out there that fit the power forward mold. Since this summer, the New York Rangers’ Kevin Hayes has been earmarked for a deadline trade. If they cannot agree to an extension, the Ottawa Senators may be forced to move star Mark Stone. Should the New York Islanders or Colorado Avalanche fall out of the playoff race, Brock Nelson and Colin Wilson – neither of whom look like long-term fits on their respective teams – should be on the block. To some surprise, Patrick Maroon’s time with his hometown St. Louis Blues appears to be already running out. Even role player power forwards like New Jersey’s Brian Boyle and Florida’s Troy Brouwer should draw interest.

Many of these players feature on the trade bait lists from both The Athletic and TSN, as well as some non-UFA power forwards like the Blues’ Brayden Schenn, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the Wild’s Nino Niederreiter, and even young Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers. While it may seem like too many names for too few teams – and it is a buyer’s market this year for sure – The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun mentioned a number of suitors for a power forward who could make a move for one or more of these trade candidates in the coming weeks. At the top, LeBrun sees some of the biggest contenders as likely landing spots, naming the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames as good fits for Simmonds, Ferland, and the like. He also adds the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights into that group. Of course, the Bruins and Jets also have needs down the middle and could be more ideal fits for Hayes or Nelson, while the wingers would appeal more to Tampa Bay and Nashville. While LeBrun casts doubt on the Toronto Maple Leafs being interested, if an arms race begins the team could feel pressured to add to their forward corps as well. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, both in need of secondary scoring, could also jump in on the action, while the Patric Hornqvist injury could prompt the Pittsburgh Penguins to make another move.

With so many power forwards potentially available and prices expected to be low, it could be that the majority of playoff-bound teams decide to add a hired gun up front this season. You can never have too much size and grit in the postseason, not to mention scoring touch, and the 2019 deadline could be defined by many players possessing those exact traits heading to new teams. With plenty of talent available, one of the aforementioned players might just end up being the x-factor for the eventual Stanley Cup champions this year.

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