Snapshots: Blues, Thornton, Lewis, Lightning
In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford writes (subscription required) that while the Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile teams such as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, it’s unlikely the team will make a big move for a big name forward with years on his contract like a Max Pacioretty or a Mike Hoffman despite recent rumors to the contrary.
Due to the high trade demands being made for these players, Rutherford believes that trading a top prospect for a player who has a large contract to fit into their salary cap space doesn’t make a lot of sense as the team wants to have as much flexibility when free agency arrives this summer. Instead, the scribe believes the team needs to go the rental route and acquire a player (for a much cheaper price) so the team can make their run.
The team already is without their 2018 first-round pick which they traded for Brayden Schenn, so moving a top prospect could set the team back long-term. The team should look into a player such as Rick Nash, Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon as options as they likely won’t cost them one of their top prospects in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas or Klim Kostin.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that alarms should sound after San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton refused to say that he will definitely be back this season. That’s a surprise considering he is a player who last year played through torn MCL and ACL injuries during the playoffs. Historically, he’s been a player who goes out on the ice no matter how hurt he is, so the idea that he might not be back this season suggests the injury is worse than people think. Could he have already played his last game as a San Jose Shark?
- Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
- Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that the rumors of a potential Ottawa Senators-Tampa Bay Lightning deadline deal refuses to go away. He writes that there have been a number of rumors, including talk of Erik Karlsson, and points out that Ottawa’s chief scout is expected to be at the Tampa Bay game tonight.
Bruins Notes: Acciari, Czarnik, Donato
The Boston Bruins have been on a roll for going on three months now. The team is 27-4-4 since November 16th – a whopping .829 points percentage in that span – and is neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the NHL. A major part of that success has been balance and chemistry among the forward lines. Over this long streak of impressive play, the Bruins have been lining up the same four groupings in every game in which they have access to all twelve forwards. Outside of a recent Brad Marchand five-game suspension, during which the Bruins dropped their first regulation loss since December 14th, the only regular up front who has missed considerable time is energy line winger Noel Acciari. Acciari has been banged up for much of the campaign, including missing 13 games with a fractured finger early on, when the team was battling severe injury issues. However, his latest sidelining comes courtesy of a lower-body injury back in January. Since then, Acciari has missed the last six games and, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, will miss another tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. However, there is some optimism that Acciari could be ready to go tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.
- The question now becomes whether Acciari can reclaim his regular fourth-line role. His replacement, AHL All-Star Austin Czarnik, has performed admirably in his stead and has received praise from Cassidy for his play. The quick, skilled forward, who is one of the AHL’s top scorers with 42 points through 38 games with the Providence Bruins, has added a new dimension to the team’s bottom line. Playing alongside Czarnik, Sean Kuraly broke a 29-game goal drought on Tuesday night and then added another on Wednesday, while Tim Schaller scored this uncharacteristic highlight reel goal on Wednesday as well. Czarnik himself has a three-game points streak going and has fit in well in Boston. While it may be difficult to figure out how to fit Czarnik onto the roster long-term, it could be worth the effort. Acciari, in comparison, had just one point in eight games prior to his injury – though that stretch was preceded by a three-game goal-scoring outburst.
- Czarnik’s immediate production, on Boston’s checking line no less, speaks both to the ability of the team and the depth of talent available to them. Another dark horse depth addition down the stretch – and yet another reason the deadline could be quiet for the Bruins – is a name that many will hear in the coming weeks: Ryan Donato. One of the four college players named to Team USA for the ongoing Olympic Games, Donato is not just expected to play for the U.S., but to star. A Harvard product and son of former Bruin and Crimson head coach Ted Donato, Ryan is arguably the best pure scorer on the American roster. He has recorded 21 goals in just 23 games this season, leading the NCAA in scoring and earning him a Hobey Baker Award nomination. That kind of ability is why there are big expectations for him in both Pyeongchang and in Boston. Many foresee the Bruins trying to sign Donato as soon as his junior year season ends and perhaps adding him to the roster for the playoffs, much like they did last year with Charlie McAvoy.
Morning Notes: Maple Leafs, Rangers, Prospects
The Toronto Maple Leafs are comfortably in a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, sitting fifteen points up on the Florida Panthers. As they try to catch Boston or Tampa Bay down the stretch for home ice advantage, head coach Mike Babcock clearly wants some help at the trade deadline. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports, Babcock has let “the people who need to know, know” what he’d like to see added.
In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman mentions three names on the Maple Leafs that could easily be removed in the next few weeks instead. Josh Leivo, who has asked for a trade after being passed over again for playing time, Nikita Soshnikov, who will force the Maple Leafs into a roster move once he completes his conditioning stint, and Matt Martin. Martin has two more years on his contract at $2.5MM per season, but hasn’t been able to crack the lineup recently and could be moved to create some roster flexibility.
- As the New York Rangers prepare to sell off some assets at the trade deadline, they got some good news on the injury front today. While Marc Staal was absent from practice due to a neck injury, Jimmy Vesey (concussion), Pavel Buchnevich (concussion) and Chris Kreider (blood clot) all skated. Kevin Shattenkirk, who underwent knee surgery a few weeks ago, is now off crutches. Amazingly, the Rangers are still just three points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and with some returning players and new blood there is no telling what could happen in the latter part of the season.
- Craig Button and TSN have released their ranking of the top-50 prospects that have already been drafted, with Elias Pettersson coming in at the very top. The Vancouver Canucks first-round pick has been arguably the best player in the SHL this season with 45 points through 35 games and looks poised to make an impact in North America as soon as next season. Beyond that is Eeli Tolvanen at #2, despite falling nearly out of the first round entirely last June. Tolvanen turned a disappointing decision at Boston College into an opportunity, and has broken nearly every record for an 18-year old player in the KHL. The entire list is interesting, and is quite different than Corey Pronman’s ranking at The Athletic (subscription required) which had Casey Mittelstadt in the top spot.
Trade Candidate: Patrick Maroon
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
Despite possessing star center Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers haven’t fared as well as the team would have hoped after making a deep playoff run one season ago. With the team floundering near the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 22-24-4 record and the fact the team will have to factor in the salary cap hit of McDavid, whose eight year, $100MM extension kicks in next year. the team might be starting a firesale soon. With McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV along with Leon Draisaitl‘s $8.5MM deal, the team will have to keep an eye on their budget from now on and might be ready to move out some expiring contacts such as Patrick Maroon.
Contract
Maroon is in the final year of a three-year, $6MM contract he signed with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014. While he has an AAV of $2MM, the Ducks still are retaining $500K of his salary for this year.
2017-18
The 29-year-old Maroon has served well alongside of McDavid in the past, including a 27-goal season last year. He hasn’t been on McDavid’s line for parts of the season this year and his numbers have indicated that. Regardless, Maroon remains on pace to have another 20-goal season, which should generate some interest from teams in need of scoring. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Maroon can play the role of both physical instigator and scorer which is a rare combination.
However, his streakiness as a player has definitely come into play this year. Through December and January, Maroon was held to just one goal over 15 games. However, Maroon seems to have more recently found his scoring touch as he has scored four goals in his last seven games.
Season Stats
48 GP, 13 goals, 13 assists, 13 points, +7 plus/minus, 55 PIM, 113 shots, 17:04 TOI, 55.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
There should be quite a few teams that would be willing to pay up for Maroon’s services. With his added size and the ability to put the puck in the net, he is a perfect addition to a playoff team. There are several logical teams that might be ready to make a move for him, including the Minnesota Wild. Having already played for head coach Bruce Boudreau when he coached in Anaheim, Maroon would already have familiarity with the veteran coaches’ system. The team is in need of scoring as it has struggled getting their young players to put up any consistent numbers. The St. Louis Blues who are looking for a scorer might also have interest in the St. Louis native even if he is a rental player. Teams like the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets might also be good fits.
Likelihood of Trade
While Maroon has said publically, he would like to stay with the Oilers, it’s likely he will be asking for a significant contract, which Edmonton is probably not prepared to pay. The team will be facing plenty of salary cap issues over the next few years and making a long-term investment in a 29-year-old streaky winger may not be the way to go.
Rather than lose Maroon for nothing, it should be a forgone conclusion that he will be on his way out. Most indications suggest the Oilers likely couldn’t get a first-round pick for him, but a second-round pick would be a legitimate possibility for a team that needs to retool their roster with less splashy moves.
Eastern Notes: McDonagh, Nash, Bruins, Stone
Trade rumors seem to be buzzing around the Tampa Bay Lightning as a team very likely to make a big deal at the trade deadline this year. Already with the best record in the NHL with a 36-13-3 record, the Lightning might be looking to improve both its forward depth as well as its defense for a run at the Stanley Cup this year.
While he is quick to acknowledge that teams cross-scouting each other doesn’t mean a trade is forthcoming, New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that he wouldn’t be surprised if both teams are scouting each other for a potential deadline deal surrounding New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The fact that Rangers assistant general manager Chris Drury was spotted at a Syracuse Crunch game (Tampa’s AHL affiliate) on Friday, suggests they might be looking at what they can get from the Lightning in such a move. Tampa Bay’s assistant GM Pat Verbeek has also been spotted at Ranger games recently. McDonagh has often been mentioned in trade rumors as he has one year remaining on his contract after this year, making him a more advantageous acquisition than a pure rental player.
The Lightning might be looking to bolster their defense. The team struggled when they lost Victor Hedman for several weeks to injury. Considering that Tampa Bay likes former Ranger players such as Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi, perhaps a trade is a possibility. Brooks added that he believes the Rangers would also be willing to retain half of his $4.7MM salary in order to get a quality return.
- In the same article, Brooks adds he believes the New York Rangers also would be willing to retain half of veteran forward Rick Nash‘s contract as well. Nash, who is in the final year of his deal with an AAV of $7.8MM, is believed to have multiple suitors if the price is right, including the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks and possibly the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa writes that the Boston Bruins would also have quite a bit of interest in acquiring McDonagh for their defense. The scribe writes that the veteran’s leadership, character and performance could be quite valuable to a young Bruins’ team. However, would the Bruins be willing to relinquish a first-rounder, a young NHL player and a prospect for him?
- The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Ottawa Senators might be getting back forward Mark Stone from injury soon, after having already missed six games due to a knee injury. Although not expected to play today against Montreal, Garrioch writes that Stone has resumed skating and is a possibility for Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. “I have to find out if it swelled up again,” Senators head coach Guy Boucher said Saturday. “There’s no structural problem waiting to heal. It’s the swelling. Once the swelling is gone, then he’s ready to play. I know the swelling was down big time. Mechanically he was able to move his leg a lot better, but certainly not enough to play (this weekend), and he hasn’t practised yet. He has to do real practices with the team, and then he’s ready to play. I’d love to get him back, but we’ve lived with this all year.”
Deadline Primer: Vancouver Canucks
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up are the Vancouver Canucks.
The Vancouver Canucks found themselves trying to rebuild while continuing to hold onto some of their veteran forwards, namely Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. The team hoped it could rebuild on the fly this year with new head coach Travis Green and early on, the Canucks started strong, but injuries to key players such as Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi prevented the team from continuing their success. Instead, the Canucks have dropped in the standings and find themselves ready to rebuild for another year.
Record
21-24-6, tied for 6th in Pacific Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$4.7MM – full-season cap hit, 2/3 retained salary transactions, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th
2019: VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th
Trade Chips
The Canucks have two key trade chips in defenseman Erik Gudbranson and veteran winger Thomas Vanek, but whether the team will move them is unknown. One issue that confuses things is the Sedin twins potential interest in returning for another season next year. If the twins want to come back, the team may be more willing to hang on to their veterans to give the Sedins another year with the potential of making the playoffs.
The team has said they are considering extending Gudbranson, but rumors are that no negotiations have begun, which suggests that Gudbanson is very likely to move to another team unless they start negotiating now. A solid, but unspectacular defenseman, he will never live up to being the third-overall pick in 2010. He would be a quality addition to a team that needs help in that area. If the team wants to move Vanek, they shouldn’t have too much trouble as the 34-year-old Vanek is putting up solid numbers and already has 14 goals. He could be valuable to a team in need of a veteran scorer. In neither case would they be likely
Five Players To Watch For: D Alexander Edler, C Sam Gagner, D Erik Gudbranson, D Christopher Tanev, LW Thomas Vanek
Team Needs
1) Offensive Defensemen: The team truly lacks any offensive defenseman and it shows. Edler, the team’s top scoring defenseman is only the ninth leading scorer on the team. Their power play has little, if any support from their defenseman and the team has few defensive prospects that can put points on the board. A prospect with a good shot and the ability to put the puck in the net might be exactly what the team needs.
2) Prospects/Picks: What Vancouver wants more than anything else is future talent. Vancouver actually has quite a bit of young talent already coming through the system and wouldn’t mind even more. Last year, the team picked up several prospects including Jonathan Dahlen, Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional pick in moving out Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen. If the team can add some picks or another prospect whether it’s an offensive defenseman or more wing help, the team should be better prepared for the future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Notes: Edmonton’s Future, Labanc, Gaudette, Crawford
Expect a long, boring summer for the Edmonton Oilers. After three offseasons in which the team made a “blow-up” trade, you can rest assured that it won’t be the case this summer, writes The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required). The team, who in each of the last three years made questionable trades in hopes of sparking the team, including the 2015 trade of acquiring defenseman Griffin Reinhart (for a first-round pick which turned out to be Matthew Barzal), the 2016 trade of sending off No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall and the 2017 trade of trading winger Jordan Eberle, should be quiet this season.
Mitchell writes that Oiler management has made it clear that the team will just be making quiet moves as they attempt to re-tool their roster to fix the teams’ struggles this season. He includes a list of team needs, which includes a first-line shooter, a top-four defenseman, a third-line center, a backup goaltender and a penalty-killing forward. He writes the team’s lack of cap space, after the extension of Connor McDavid kicks in, will not allow them to be big players in the free agent market, which will force the team to look for quality low-cost free agents and the young players from within their own organization.
Jesse Puljujarvi is the most likely candidate to continue to shoot next to McDavid, while Jujhar Khaira might make a quality third-line center if the team wants to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as their second-line center and move Leon Draisaitl to the first line. Also, don’t forget about 2017 first-rounder Kailer Yamamoto, who played nine games for Edmonton this year. He continues to thrive with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs and might be ready to take a bigger role next season.
- Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that despite the injury to veteran center Joe Thornton, the San Jose Sharks’ top line continues to be highly efficient with winger Kevin Labanc in his place. The 22-year-old Lebanc has two goals and four assists in those four games since Thornton went down. He especially seems to be thriving on the power play. “Just feel confident,” Labanc said. “A lot of great players around me, too. … We break in cleanly, and I think that’s the big thing on our power play, is breaking in on the entry, settling things down, and once we do, just do our thing. We work well together.”
- The Vancouver Canucks are going to try to do everything they can to ink Northeastern star center Adam Gaudette after his season is over. While there is no guarantee that will happen, Ryan Biech of The Athletic (subscription required) goes into deep analysis of Gaudette’s game and says he sees similarities between him and former Canuck Ryan Kesler. Gaudette has already scored 57 goals and 64 assists in three seasons so far for Northeastern, could be a valuable piece to the team’s puzzle if the team can sign him.
- Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash tweets that Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford continues to make progress towards a return. The netminder worked out on the ice for the first time since suffering a head injury in December. Coach Joel Quenneville said Crawford is expected to work out again Sunday. The team needs the veteran goalie more now than ever as they sit outside the playoffs and need a solid run if they want to get back in.
Winnipeg Jets Recall Michael Hutchinson To Start
The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson to start tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, sending down Eric Comrie. Additionally, Adam Lowry has been activated from injured reserve while Jacob Trouba takes his place among the wounded.
Head coach Paul Maurice and the front office decided to give Connor Hellebuyck the night off after he participated in the All-Star festivities this past weekend, meaning Hutchinson will get his first opportunity of the season. That is very important for the 27-year old goaltender, as he is a pending unrestricted free agent and will take any opportunity to show that he belongs in the NHL.
Hutchinson is one of the more interesting cases over the next few weeks, as he’s been one of the best goaltenders in the minor leagues all season and has a history of relative success in the NHL. In 99 career games, he carries a .910 save percentage, though that is skewed by his extreme success early on in his career.
Still, he could be an option for a team looking to strengthen their goaltending depth before the deadline. If the Jets believe that Comrie and Steve Mason—currently dealing with the effects of his second concussion of the season—are enough depth behind Hellebuyck, they could sell Hutchinson to the highest bidder. Otherwise, he will be an interesting free agent case in the summer.
Hellebuyck is clearly the starter now in Winnipeg, after taking a huge step forward this season and establishing himself as one of the better goaltenders in the NHL. Mason though was just signed to a two-year, $8.2MM contract and is too expensive to bury in the minor leagues. When healthy, he’ll have a role on this team meaning there isn’t much room for Hutchinson. Instead, he could try to catch on somewhere else around the league as a backup, or even try to compete for a starting job on a rebuilding club.
A chance to prove himself against one of the top teams in the league doesn’t come every day, and you can bet many eyes around the NHL are tuning in to see what happens. Whether he’ll play another game as a Winnipeg Jet isn’t guaranteed, though he certainly has a good opportunity right now.
Injury Notes: Hedman, Frolik, Jones
Last season brought incredibly bad luck in regards to injury for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos played just 17 games before going down for the rest of the season, and they even lost three different centers all in a single game late in the year.
2017-18 has been much different, until a few weeks ago when Victor Hedman was ruled out for three to six weeks with a knee injury. The team obviously suffered without their Norris Trophy candidate, but that won’t last long. Hedman took a full morning skate with the team and is a game-time decision for the Lightning tonight. The injury occurred on January 11th, less than three weeks ago.
- Michael Frolik has been activated from injured reserve in Calgary, and is expected to play tonight. Frolik hasn’t played in over a month after taking a puck to the face against the San Jose Sharks, and will look to get back on track right away against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year old winger has just 15 points on the season, but is a huge part of the Flames even-strength attack and one of their best penalty killing forwards.
- The illness that kept Seth Jones from appearing in the All-Star game won’t keep him out of any regular season action, and Bruce Boudreau isn’t happy about it. The head coach of the Minnesota Wild called it “ridiculous” that Jones would be allowed to play without serving the normal one-game suspension for avoiding the All-Star festivities at the last minute, but according to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) the decision was made by the league in order to prevent any outbreak of the flu among the best players in the game. Jones had wanted to play, and now won’t be punished for his absence.
Eastern Notes: Zajac, Nyquist, Toronto’s Motivation
It’s alarming enough that the New Jersey Devils have lost 10 out of the last 12 games. They have lost their standing for a solid playoff spot and now are hanging on to one of the wildcard spots in a wildly competitive Metropolitan Division. To make matters worse, the Devils most recent four-game slide has come with little offense as well as the team has combined for three goals in those four games.
Andrew Gross of NorthJersey.com writes that the team hasn’t been able to compensate for the Taylor Hall injury who has missed the past three games and had to give up his spot in today’s all-star game due to a thumb injury. The scribe points to the play of Travis Zajac, who missed the first 17 games of the season after having offseason surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle. Zajac has just five goals and two assists in 31 games since returning and despite his struggles remains a top-six forward and is still on the power play. His defensive play has also cost the team some goals as well.
“I’ve got to make better plays and better decisions at key moments,” Zajac said. “We’ll find a way to work ourselves out of it. We’ve done it all year and it’s the only way to get out of it.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes the team has to come to a conclusion that their chances of a playoff spot are so remote they must sell off as much as they can. While defenseman Mike Green is an obvious option in Detroit, she believes the team needs to free up a top-six forward spot for some of the team’s younger forwards, citing the contract of winger Gustav Nyquist as their best bet to unload one of them. Nyquist has another year on his contract of $4.75MM which might force Detroit to retain part of his salary and they still would have to get him to sign off on his no-trade clause. However, with 14 goals in 48 games, he is having a solid season and has already passed his total from last year and is closing in on his goal totals from the 2015-16 season as well. That might give the team an opportunity to promote prospect Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s first-round pick in 2015.
- The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons wonders how the Toronto Maple Leafs will stay motivated in the final third of the season. The scribe writes that the Maple Leafs have basically locked up a playoff spot (albeit, unofficially) as they are entrenched in the Atlantic Division’s third playoff spot with a 28-18-5 record. They are unlikely to move up as Boston is five points ahead of them and surging and Tampa Bay 10 points ahead of them in the standings. They are also not likely to fall out of the playoffs as the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens are 15 points behind them. Simmons believes that coach Mike Babcock will have his hands full for the remainder of the season and hopes when the time comes, the team will be ready for the playoffs.