Blackhawks Rumors

Minor Transactions: 02/22/20

February 22, 2020 at 10:36 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

At this time of year, every game is important to both ongoing playoff battles and teams’ final decisions on their trade deadline stance. Friday was no different, as the Blues asserted themselves against the division rival Stars, the Avalanche narrowly edged the Ducks to keep up in the Central as well, the Islanders got a much-needed win, and the Oilers, Predators, and Hurricanes all failed to come away with two points in upset losses. However, the fiercest battle in the NHL right now is at the top of the league, where the Bruins and Lightning are simultaneously batting for the Atlantic Division title, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the President’s Trophy. As good as Boston has played of late, they have still lost ground to a Tampa club that has been unstoppable since December. After a rare Bolts loss to Vegas on Friday, the Bruins needed to take advantage in a Pacific clash of their own in Calgary. The odds seemed bleak after allowing three goals to the Flames in the first six minutes of play, but Boston shut out Calgary for the rest of the game and came away with a meaningful 4-3 win to increase their lead over Tampa Bay to five points. Whether it is a top contender, a fringe playoff team, or a bottom-dweller, every minor move also has significance at this time. With the trade deadline arriving in just two days, look for today to be a busy day for roster tweaks:

The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled a pair of players, including Las Vegas native Gage Quinney. The 24-year-old forward has finally earned an NHL appearance with 32 points in 42 games so far this season, among the top producers on the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The trade of Cody Eakin opens up a roster spot up front in Vegas for Quinney and his teammates in the minors, at least until Alex Tuch returns from injury or the Knights make a trade addition. Also returning to the top level is defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who has skated in seven games with Vegas so far this season.
Scott Wilson is on his way back down to the minors, as the Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned the veteran forward. The move is somewhat surprising, as Wilson has contributed two points in four games since being recalled earlier this month and seemingly looked like he would either stick with Buffalo for a while longer or could potentially be a candidate to be traded as an affordable depth addition for a contender. Instead, the impending free agent will head back to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he has 19 points in 29 games this year.
After losing Cody Goloubef on waivers yesterday, the Ottawa Senators have promoted Christian Jaros to fill his place on the back end. Jaros, 23, played in 61 games with Ottawa last season but only six so far in 2019-20. As the Senators get set to trade away multiple pieces before the deadline on Monday, Jaros is one of a number of minor leaguers from AHL Belleville expected to see an increased role down the stretch.
The injury-riddled Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Carlsson was just sent down yesterday, but the team will need him as they take on the Predators tonight without any regulars expected to return to the lineup. Carlsson, a big, stay-at-home defender, has been a good fit in Columbus as a spot starter, even if he has yet to produce a point in six games this season.
Darcy Kuemper is taking an important step towards returning to the lineup as the Arizona Coyotes have assigned him to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint. He has missed just over two months with a lower-body injury but was one of the top goalies in the league before being injured. Assuming there are no setbacks, he should return to Arizona sometime next week and give them a huge boost in their push for a playoff spot.
The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Mark Friedman to AHL Lehigh Valley, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer. He has been shuffled back and forth in recent days and managed to get into Thursday’s game with the big club where he logged more than 16 minutes of ice time.
With Erik Gustafsson being held out of the lineup with the trade deadline on the horizon (he won’t be joining the Blackhawks for their upcoming road game), Chicago will be recalling defenseman Lucas Carlsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. If he gets into the lineup, it will be his first NHL action. Carlsson is in his second season with Rockford and has 26 points in 48 games this season.
The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Logan O’Connor from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With only 12 healthy forwards on the roster, O’Connor should provide some insurance in case of injury for the time being. The 23-year-old returns after a stint with the Avalanche in December where he played seven games with one goal. The forward has 12 goals and 25 points in 40 games with the Eagles.
The Edmonton Oilers announced they have assigned forward Colby Cave and defenseman Evan Bouchard to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Cave has played in six games since being recalled on Feb. 10, but hasn’t picked up a point in that span. He has one goal in 11 games for Edmonton this season. His assignment likely indicates that Connor McDavid is ready to return to the Oilers’ lineup. As for Bouchard, the 10th-overall pick in 2018, he will have to wait to make his 2019-20 debut. He was recalled Wednesday and has been a healthy scratch twice. He is expected to play with Bakersfield on Saturday and could return to be Edmonton’s seventh defenseman on Sunday again.

Trade Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

February 21, 2020 at 7:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Chicago Blackhawks.

This has been a disappointing season for Chicago. After a rare offseason spending spree (thanks to some even rarer cap space) that saw them add several veterans, they were hoping that they’d be able to get back into the playoffs. That hasn’t happened and they instead find themselves in last place in the Central Division with some intriguing decisions to make over the next few days.

Record

26-26-8, seventh in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$13.068MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: CHI 1st, CHI 3rd, CHI 4th, CHI 5th, CHI 6th
2021: CHI 1st, CHI 2nd, CHI 4th, CHI 5th, CHI 6th, CHI 7th, MTL 7th

Trade Chips

The Blackhawks have known all season long that there is a looming decision that needs to be made between the pipes. Both Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford are slated to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. Both envision themselves as starters so the odds of them both re-signing are low. If they decide which one to go with now, they could presumably deal the other, allowing them to turn around and deal the other. In particular, Lehner would be a very interesting addition to the trade market as there are teams looking for upgrades and others looking for injury insurance. He kiboshed the notion of signing a discounted deal to stay earlier in the season so if GM Stan Bowman has reservations about being able to sign him, Lehner could certainly be on the move.

Defenseman Erik Gustafsson is also drawing some interest. He’s one of the top offensive threats from the back end that’s available and with a $1.2MM cap hit, he’s also one of the most affordable from a salary cap perspective. That should make him one of the more coveted players around the league over the next few days. He was held out of the lineup on Friday night, presumably to guard against the possibility of an injury.

Some of their lesser-used young players could also be in play. Center Matthew Highmore has played in 26 games this season but is more of a depth player for them than a building block for the future. Defenseman Slater Koekkoek is in a similar situation. Winger Alexander Nylander has shown some flashes offensively but consistency continues to plague him. They may be more inclined to hold onto him over the others but he could certainly be in play as well. Veteran forward Zack Smith is someone they’ve been trying to move this season but with another year left at $3.25MM, that could be tricky.

Five Players To Watch For: D Erik Gustafsson, F Matthew Highmore, D Slater Koekkoek, G Robin Lehner, F Zack Smith

Team Needs

1) Cap Space: This might seem odd given their above cap room but that’s with LTIR. Their actual cap room is closer to $150K. Chicago has several young players that are going to be hitting some of their bonuses including Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, and Alex DeBrincat. If they don’t free up some more cap room, they will be facing a sizable bonus overage penalty heading into next year. Shedding some salary and freeing up some wiggle room for those bonuses will be quite important.

2) Draft Picks: For a team that missed the playoffs last year and is out of the picture again this year, they aren’t exactly loaded with draft picks. They had six last season and only five this year as things stand. The Blackhawks have done a good job integrating several young players into their lineup (35% of their skaters on the active roster are on entry-level deals) but they will need to get that next wave of youngsters behind them. Accumulating more picks is a good way to accomplish just that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Golden Knights Interested In Erik Gustafsson

February 19, 2020 at 7:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

Earlier on Wednesday, the Golden Knights made a big addition to their back end with the acquisition of Alec Martinez. If they have their way, they may not be done there as Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Vegas has shown interest in Blackhawks blueliner Erik Gustafsson.

The 27-year-old picked up 60 points last season to finish sixth in the NHL in scoring by a defenseman. However, he hasn’t been anywhere near as productive this year; although he leads all Chicago blueliners in points, he only has 26 points in 58 games. He recently admitted that his contract situation – he’s a pending unrestricted free agent – has weighed on him this year.

Vegas had to do considerable salary cap maneuvering simply to fit Martinez in which involved moving Alex Tuch to LTIR and recalling three players so their cap space is limited. However, with Gustafsson carrying a $1.2MM cap hit (just $500K above the league minimum), it’s one that they should be able to afford.

However, many other teams can also afford someone at that price tag and while his numbers are down, Gustafsson is still one of the more intriguing blueliners out there that could be moved by Monday’s trade deadline. Contenders could use him in a sheltered role with power play time which is probably his ideal role anyway so Chicago should have considerable interest outside of Vegas.

The Golden Knights have shown a distinct preference to avoid rental players but with nearly $69MM in cap commitments to just a dozen players for next season, it’s unlikely that they would be able to afford to give Gustafsson an extension. That means for this occasion at least, they’ll have to go against that strategy.

Blackhawks Notes: Keith, Gustafsson, Smith

February 15, 2020 at 9:19 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

With the Blackhawks once again being a playoff bubble team, some have wondered if veteran defenseman Duncan Keith would be willing to waive his no-move clause to go to a contender. Speaking with Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required), the 36-year-old indicated that his preference is to remain with Chicago and is particularly holding out hope that the team will soon be back in contention. Keith has spent the entirety of his 15-year NHL career in the Windy City and it’s evident that he’d prefer to finish his career with the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2002. He has three years remaining on his contract after this one with a $5.538MM AAV, a price tag that would be tricky for a lot of contenders to take on anyway even if Keith was more open to the idea of moving.

Brent Seabrook Undergoes Third Surgery

February 6, 2020 at 3:25 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Brent Seabrook has undergone successful surgery on his right hip. That’s the third surgery he has had over the last two months, following left hip surgery in January and right shoulder surgery in December. The team expects Seabrook to be ready to return to action in five to six months. If that timeline proves accurate, the veteran defenseman would be ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.

Seabrook, 34, is often referenced as one of the worst contracts in the league thanks to his declining play over the last several years. Once a rock solid two-way defender for the Blackhawks, he was a huge part of all three Stanley Cup championships and received Norris Trophy votes on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, things have not gone so well lately, though there’s no way to tell how much these injuries had affected him. Seabrook had played in at least 78 games of every full-length season (and 47 in the lockout-shortened one) since his rookie campaign.

His contract still has four years remaining at a $6.875MM cap hit, and still includes a full no-movement clause for the next two. Hopefully Seabrook can regain some of his former success, but otherwise there are few ways out of his deal for the Blackhawks. Obviously, if he isn’t able to return to full fitness the team could place him on long-term injured reserve, though from all appearances the veteran wants to continue his career.

Chicago Blackhawks Claim Nick Seeler

February 3, 2020 at 11:06 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. The team has sent Dennis Gilbert to the minor leagues to make room.

Seeler, 26, is actually signed through the 2020-21 season, meaning the Blackhawks have bought themselves a little depth for the next season and a half. The physical defenseman carries a $725K cap hit, but has only played in six games for the Wild this season after suiting up 71 times in 2018-19.

With a claim, Seeler will be staying in the NHL for the time being as he tries to show his new club he can be a regular at the highest level. Coincidentally, the Blackhawks will play the Wild tomorrow night when they travel to Minnesota.

Minor Transactions: 02/03/20

February 3, 2020 at 10:13 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

A new week of NHL action and wild speculation starts with three games this evening, including the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs battling for position in the Atlantic Division. The two clubs are trying desperately to capture a divisional playoff spot and avoid the wild card race entirely, with Toronto currently leading by two points. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Christian Folin from the minor leagues, after sending two of their youngsters down in recent days. Folin played five games for the Canadiens earlier this season and has one point.
Joey Anderson is on his way to the New Jersey Devils, recalled after scoring 34 points in 44 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Anderson made his NHL debut in 2018-19 and ended up playing in 34 contests for New Jersey, but has been limited to AHL action this year.
Carl Grundstrom has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, with Matt Luff heading down in his place. The 22-year old forward has played in nine games with the Kings this year, but once again has spent most of his season in the minors. Acquired as part of the Jake Muzzin deal last season, Grundstrom has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.
After bringing up Maxim Letunov yesterday, the San Jose Sharks recalled another pair from the minor leagues. Andrew Shortridge and Danil Yurtaykin both joined the NHL roster, after the team placed Logan Couture and Joel Kellman on injured reserve. At least part of this move was to get as close to the salary cap ceiling as possible before placing Tomas Hertl on long-term injured reserve. Once that move was made earlier today, Shortridge and Yurtaykin were returned to the Barracuda and forward Alex True was recalled.
Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud are back, after being in a paper transaction yesterday for the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy has to be used to this by now, after spending nearly the whole season bouncing up and down between the two levels.
The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Gilbert has split his season almost evenly between the two teams, with 20 games for Chicago and 15 gmes for Rockford. He’s still looking to find consistent production in either place.
Daniel Sprong is back up with the Anaheim Ducks. The Dutch winger has been recalled from the AHL and hopes to stick longer than he has in numerous short trips this season. It will help if he can improve on just two points in eight games thus far with Anaheim.

Evening Notes: Kubalik, Petry, Joseph, Ekman-Larsson, Barkov

February 1, 2020 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The NHL announced that Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik as the “Rookie of the Month” for January after he scored 10 goals and 14 points in 10 games. Kubalik, whose rights were acquired from Los Angeles for a fifth-round pick more than a year ago, signed with the team and currently has 21 goals and 32 points in his rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old, in fact, was second in the NHL in goals scored in January, behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Kubalik beat out goaltenders Elvis Merzlikins and Ilya Samsonov, as well as defensemen, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar in January.

With rumors starting to surface that the Montreal Canadiens could consider moving defenseman Jeff Petry at the trade deadline, it could be one of the biggest trade chips if they wanted to move him. Besides being a solid blueliner, Petry has another year on his contract worth $5.5MM, making him a better option for teams that want to avoid rentals. However, Petry has made it clear he would like to remain in Montreal. “From the day I got here, it’s been a special place for me here,” said Petry (via Sportsnet’s Eric Engels). “Getting to play in the playoffs the first time here was incredible and I honestly believe I don’t think there is a better place to win that it would be here. I think, like I said, we have our work cut out for us this year. But I still believe this group can do it.”
Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a look at all the assets the Tampa Bay Lightning might have at their disposal at the trade deadline. One of the top names on his list is forward Mathieu Joseph, who had an impressive rookie campaign last season. The 22-year-old surprised many last year when he made the team out of training camp and put up 13 goals and 26 points. However, his sophomore campaign has been disappointing and he is now trying to find his game with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. However, Smith notes that many teams are interested in a NHL-experienced player who possesses speed and defensive ability and has a good chance to find his game sooner than later. Joseph currently has three goals and 12 points in 16 AHL games.
The Arizona Coyotes announced they will be without defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Saturday after he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes blueliner went down after taking a hit from the Kings’ Dustin Brown and was forced to leave the game. He is considered day-to-day.
The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will undergo an MRI Sunday after going down during today’s game against Montreal with what appears to be a left knee injury. Barkov has only missed two games in the past three years. Head coach Joel Quenneville did say he believed the injury was not serious.

Ian Mitchell Still Plans To Sign At End Of College Season, Dylan Strome Nearing Return

February 1, 2020 at 9:18 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that his intention remains to turn pro at the end of his current college season. The 2017 second-round pick is having a strong junior season with Denver while faring well in an international stint with Canada at the Spengler Cup. If Denver’s season ends before Chicago’s does, it’s quite possible if not probable that they will opt to burn the first year of his entry-level deal in 2019-20 which would give them an intriguing youngster to use down the stretch.
Still with the Blackhawks, center Dylan Strome has resumed skating, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. He has missed the last three weeks to an ankle injury. The 22-year-old is producing at a slightly lesser clip than he did after being acquired last season but with 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games, he sits fifth on the team in scoring.

Poll: What Should Chicago Do At The Trade Deadline?

January 29, 2020 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

By now, most teams have a good idea as to what their plans are for next month’s trade deadline. One of the teams whose short-term future is still up in the air though is Chicago. They sit just three points out of a Wild Card spot and there are justifiable cases for them to buy, sell, or stand pat.

Case To Buy

With Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan both out for the season, the Blackhawks now have plenty of short-term cap space to work with via LTIR. While they’re limited to the rental market, it’s mostly players with expiring contracts that move at this time of year anyway. And with Alex DeBrincat’s cap hit going from $778K this season to $6.4MM next year, they probably wouldn’t want to add money for next year regardless of their LTIR situation.

DeBrincat isn’t the only bargain contract that’s expiring though. Rookie winger Dominik Kubalik already has 21 goals and will be looking for a big raise on his current deal worth $925K before bonuses. As he’s already 24, he also has salary arbitration eligibility.

Chicago also has a strong goaltending situation, one that’s unlikely to be the case next season. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford are a quality tandem but both have stated that they see themselves as number ones. As a result, it’s almost a certainty that their goalie duo next year will be weaker so if you’re going to make a run, now would seem to be the time.

They’re only three points out despite the injuries on the back end. Adding an impact blueliner alone could be enough to close the gap. When you’re that close, it’s hard not to go for it.

Case To Sell

The goalie situation around the league has been a bit of an odd one this season with several veterans that were expected to lead the way struggling. As a result, the potential is there to have a rental goalie (Lehner or Crawford) go for a better return than what rental netminders have gone for in recent years as the market should be stronger. If they know which one they intend to keep already, GM Stan Bowman could get the contract extension done now and flip the other for a reasonable price. (It’s worth noting that Crawford has a ten-team no-trade clause that could come into play at some point.)

It’s also unlikely that they’ll be able to afford defenseman Erik Gustafsson over the offseason. While his numbers are down this season (not unexpected considering he came out of nowhere with a 60-point season in 2018-19), he’s still one of the better rental blueliners that could move over the next month. That should have Chicago well-positioned to cash in and would allow them to get a longer look at Slater Koekkoek and Dennis Gilbert to see if one of them is ready to seize a full-time role for next season and beyond.

As is always the case with bubble teams, there’s also the matter of how far they’re going to go if they make it. While upsets are certainly possible (look no further than one of their division rivals last season), they’re not probable. If the likely end result is a quick postseason exit, is that really better than adding a few more draft picks and prospects to the cupboard?

Case To Stand Pat

Just look at the standings. They’re three points behind Vegas with a game in hand so the gap could be as low as one. If Bowman wants to send the message that he believes in this group, just maintaining the status quo could be the way to go. The platooning of Lehner and Crawford should pay dividends down the stretch as they’ll be more rested than most of their counterparts at the other end of the ice. If the goalie market isn’t as strong as I think it could be, the more prudent move may be to keep both netminders over selling one for a mid-to-late-round pick.

It’s also possible that Andrew Shaw returns from his concussion at some point between now and the end of the year. While he wasn’t as productive as he was last season with Montreal before sustaining the injury, his physical style of play should come in handy as the pressure picks up down the stretch. Depending on when he returns, he could be worth a point or two in the standings and that could be enough to leapfrog whoever the fifth-place team in the Pacific Division is at the end of the year.

While Chicago has a reputation of being an older team, that isn’t the case this year. They have seven players on entry-level contracts at the moment (including the currently-injured Dylan Strome). Playing meaningful games down the stretch can certainly help from a player development standpoint. However, with guys like DeBrincat and Kubalik looking at raises for next season, the prospect of a potential bonus overage penalty lingers so the safest play may just be to stay the course and hope that the current roster is good enough to stay in the race.

Which direction do you think the Blackhawks should go? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

(Mobile users, click here to vote.)

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