Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Avalanche Rumors

Colorado Avalanche Sign Nail Yakupov

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche are in the perfect position to take a chance on a former top pick, and have done so with a contract for Nail Yakupov. The deal is for one year, and will pay him $875K.  Yakupov was not issued a qualifying offer from the St. Louis Blues, making him an unrestricted free agent. Nail Yakupov

The Avalanche, coming off one of the worst seasons in recent NHL history, are set to try and rebuild the franchise through the draft and young options they already have. Yakupov, still just 23 years old fits into their timeline as a lottery ticket that could pay off in the long run.

The first-overall pick in 2012, Yakupov looked like he was heading for big things when he scored 31 points in the 48-game 2012-13 season. Since then, things have gone downhill considerably. Last year he scored just nine points in 40 games, never fitting in properly in St. Louis.

It’s by no means too late for Yakupov to turn things around and become a quality NHL scorer, but at this point it needed to come in a place like Colorado with openings in their top-six and less pressure to be a playoff team right away. On a one-year deal, he can try to rebuild some value before becoming a restricted free agent again next summer for Colorado.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported it was for one year, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave us the dollar figure.

Matt Duchene Rumors Continue to Swirl

at CDT | by 15 Comments

While there was plenty of action yesterday on the first day of free agency, one name that surfaced over and over again was that of the availability of Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene. The trade rumors refuse to die down, yet nothing has happened. According to The Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline, there are several teams trying to pry the 26-year-old former third-overall pick in the 2009 draft, including the Blue Jackets.

Quite obviously, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic is looking for a very young defender as key to any package to get Duchene. The scribe cites that the team has asked the Blue Jackets for 20-year-old blueliner Gabriel Carlsson as a primary piece of a potential deal. The former first-round pick in 2015 has shown quite a bit of promise, signing late this season and joining the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for three games and then finished his 2016-17 season in Columbus for the final two games, picking up an assist on the way. Portzline says there has also been quite a bit of talk that the team is also interested in the Blue Jacket’s Ryan Murray, the former second-overall pick in 2012. The defenseman has played four seasons, finishing this year with two goals and nine assists in 60 games. No one knows whether Sakic is interested in one or both as part of the package for Duchene.

Portzline also tweets that the Boston Bruins are also discussing a trade with Colorado over Duchene and that deal would likely center around Bruins defender Brandon Carlo, who just wrapped up his rookie campaign with the Bruins. The 20-year-old former second round pick in 2015 finished the season with six goals, 10 assists and 59 penalty minutes.

Up till now, Sakic has refused to comment on any trade rumors only creating further speculation that a trade may be coming soon. We will see if there is any trade movement today as there is quite a bit of anticipation to see a move made.

Jonathan Bernier Signs One-Year Deal With Colorado Avalanche

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As first reported by Adrian Dater of BSN last night, Jonathan Bernier has signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avlanche. The deal is worth $2.75MM, and puts Bernier into a backup role behind Semyon Varlamov.

Bernier was one of the more interesting options on the market this summer, after a solid stint replacing John Gibson in Anaheim after he went down to injury. Bernier has always had the talent to start in the NHL, but never could find the consistency required to put up solid numbers when given the job. In Toronto his value plummeted to the point where he was traded to Anaheim for essentially nothing, and now will keep re-building in Colorado. That doesn’t seem like a very good place to do it, since the Avalanche were miserable in their own end last year, but at least he’ll have the security of Varlamov (and almost three million dollars) to work with.

For Colorado, not only does Bernier replace Calvin Pickard as a more than capable backup, but also provides them with another trade chip for next season. If given a chance to play even in limited minutes, Bernier will be sought-after at the deadline by any team not happy with their goaltending. Though the Avalanche aren’t expected to compete, they can definitely use all the assets they can get.

Nashville Predators Trade Colin Wilson To Colorado Avalanche

at CDT | by 4 Comments

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Nashville Predators have traded Colin Wilson to the Colorado Avalanche for a fourth-round pick in 2019. No salary was retained in the deal, making this a clear cap-saving move for the Predators.

Wilson, 27, has been a consistent ~35 point player for the past several years and should see an increased role in Colorado. Drafted seventh-overall he never did turn into the dominant power forward they’d hoped for, but is a solid middle-six contributor. His contract, $3.9MM for the next two seasons, was the biggest reason for the move as Nashville needs room to sign their big group of restricted free agents.

Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson lead a big crop of players who need new contracts, and the team also added Nick Bonino and Scott Hartnell later in the day in free agency. Though Wilson remains a useful player, his cap space was needed elsewhere.

Free Agency Rumor Round-Up

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Free agency is set to open in mere hours, but there are already plenty of rumors out there about deals that will become official at noon ET. Here are all of the deals expected to be made official this afternoon with the link to the original PHR article or recent report:

Anaheim Ducks expected to sign G Ryan Miller (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Boston Bruins expected to sign LW Kenny Agostino

Buffalo Sabres expected to sign G Chad Johnson

Chicago Blackhawks expected to sign RW Patrick Sharp

Colorado Avalanche expected to sign G Jonathan Bernier

Dallas Stars expected to sign C Martin Hanzal (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Detroit Red Wings expected to sign D Trevor Daley

Florida Panthers expected to sign RW Evgeni Dadonov

Florida Panthers expected to sign C Micheal Haley

Montreal Canadiens expected to sign D Karl Alzner

New York Rangers expected to sign G Ondrej Pavelec

Philadelphia Flyers expected to sign G Brian Elliott

Tampa Bay Lightning expected to sign D Dan Girardi

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign D Michael Del Zotto

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign G Anders Nilsson

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign C Sam Gagner (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Winnipeg Jets expected to sign G Steve Mason (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Morning Notes: Sharp, Bernier, Agostino

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It’s been a wild few weeks for the Chicago Blackhawks, including the departures of several key players like Niklas Hjalmarsson, Artemi Panarin, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, but the Western Conference dynasty appears to be bringing back a fan-favorite when free agency opens today to help deal with those losses. The Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Lazerus reports, as speculated, that Patrick Sharp will return to Chicago for the coming season. While details of the deal – term, salary, incentives – are not yet known, the deal is expected to be made official promptly after free agency opens at noon ET. Sharp, 35, is a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks and an eight-time 20-goal scorer over his impressive career. Sharp was essentially forced out of Chicago in the off-season two years ago, as the ’Hawks could not muster the cap space to re-sign the prominent forward. The Dallas Stars could, but after a strong 55-point campaign in 2015-16, Sharp struggled with injury and inconsistency this past season, recording just 18 points in 48 games. Age and health have clearly softened Sharp’s edge, but if he is going to rejuvenate his career at this age for any team, it will be in a return to Chicago and his former teammates. Sharp will join Brandon Saad as returning Blackhawks this off-season if this deal does come to fruition this afternoon.

  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver was busy late last night, breaking the news that Jonathan Bernier is expected to sign with his Colorado Avalanche today. The Avs recently lost young backup Calvin Pickard in the expansion draft and were on the lookout for a reliable backup to Semyon Varlamov. While Bernier has been rumored to sign anywhere from the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to a return to the Anaheim Ducks, the fit in Colorado makes sense. One could argue that Bernier is coming off the best season of his career in 2016-17 and will have a chance to be more of a “1B” than a definite #2 with the Avalanche. Per usual, there is still no word on the details of the deal that cannot be consummated until later today.
  • Dater also reported that the Boston Bruins are set to make a small, but interesting move today, as they have supposedly come to terms with AHL MVP Kenny Agostino on a short-term contract worth $850K. The high-scoring minor league left wing has seen only limited NHL action, but over the course of an 83-point season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, he also contributed a goal and two assists in seven games with the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins were known to have some concerns over the potential of Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano to play top-six roles on the left side next season, but were also worried about blocking up-and-coming prospects like Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, Anders Bjork, and more. The Agostino signing would add another option at a relatively cheap price and (likely) the flexibility of a two-way contract as well. The details will be revealed a few hours from now.
  • In more concrete news, the KHL’s Barys Astana has signed former Washington Capitals prospect Darren Dietz, according to European hockey insider Aivis Kalnins. Dietz was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Capitals by last Monday’s deadline and became an unrestricted free agent. Without any NHL interest, Dietz will try his hand at Russian pro hockey rather than a minor league deal to remain in North America.

Columbus, Nashville Make Trade Offers For Matt Duchene

at CDT | by 3 Comments

As the trade market heats up before free agency begins tomorrow, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators have made offers for Matt Duchene, but Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has still not been convinced. We’ve heard of the Predators’ interest before, but this is the first real concrete connection that the Blue Jackets have made a play for the young forward.

Duchene has been on the market since partway through the 2016-17 season, but Sakic has been firm with his asking price and apparently it hasn’t been met just yet. With such a thin free agent market especially in terms of impact scoring, Duchene could be the prize of the next few weeks. Even in a down year he still scored 18 goals and 41 points, and can be reasonably expected to bounce back to his earlier level of play. At 26 he’s still young enough to help pretty much anyone, but with just two years left on his current deal it’s more likely that a contender adds him as one of the last pieces to their puzzle.

It was reported this week that the Islanders had made a play for Duchene before dealing Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames, and it’s doubtful that the interest has waned at all since then. The package of picks that New York received could easily be flipped in a potential deal with Colorado. That said, both Nashville and Columbus have the young defensive depth to perhaps pull it off and could each use a bit of a scoring punch. Nashville would like to replace James Neal after he was snatched in the expansion draft, and Columbus continues to try and add to their top-six even after acquiring Artemi Panarin from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Whether Duchene ends up in one of those three cities is still far from assured. There is interest from many places around the league, and could end up coming down after a few free agent dominoes fall in the first few days. If Sakic is to get the prospect, first-round pick and young defender he was rumored to be asking for at the trade deadline, it will have to include multiple teams bidding against each other.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Sven Andrighetto To Two-Year Deal

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed one of their trade deadline acquisitions, inking Sven Andrighetto to a two-year contract. The deal will pay him an average of $1.4MM.

Andrighetto came over in the deal for Andreas Martinsen (who has since re-upped in Montreal) and had quite an impact in Colorado down the stretch. Scoring 15 points in 19 games, he showed some of the offensive chops that made him a third-round pick in 2013.

While the undersized winger isn’t exactly a star, he should provide some good value for a rebuilding club like Colorado and perhaps even be trade bait for the club at the deadline. If they can turn his early success into a big season, teams may view him as a mid-season option to add offense. This is a very low-risk move for the Avalanche, who have very little to play for next season.

Snapshots: Gagner, Condon, Hamonic

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Blackhawks are linked to Columbus UFA Sam Gagner, by way of a report from The Athletic’s Scott Powers. The parties have reached out to one another and expressed “mutual interest”. Gagner could be a good fit in Chicago, as he could jump-start an oddly sluggish powerplay, which finished 24th in the league last season. As always, an issue with signing in the Windy City is available cap dollars. Even after parting with Scott Darling, Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson, the team is $2.99 MM over the cap ceiling, Luckily the team doesn’t have any free agents that absolutely need to be re-signed, so they are free to prune a few forwards from the roster to get within acceptable range. Adding another mid-tier contract could complicate matters. The team has already been rumored to move on from center Marcus Kruger, who only makes $3.083 MM himself. Gagner will be looking for a figure around there after his career season, so his acquisition would mean more shuffling from GM Stan Bowman.

Judging by the fan reaction to the Panarin and Hjalmarsson moves, further shuffling might only serve to further shake confidence in the team’s direction. This isn’t even taking into account the Marian Hossa Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) drama, which alone should make for an interesting summer. For what it’s worth, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector believes Gagner will not return to Edmonton, so that eliminates a potential landing spot. Still, there are few available centers with his skill-set and offensive output, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Chicago out-bid on this particular player.

  • The Flyers are not comfortable with an Anthony Stolarz and Michael Neuvirth tandem heading into 2017-18, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Carchidi goes through the entire UFA selection, including former Flyer Steve Mason, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier, Ryan Miller, and even Keith Kinkaid. Bernier could be a fit, but with his inconsistency I don’t see it being a good one. Mason endured a good deal of fan blame this season, and while a short-term deal is not impossible, it’s a fair assumption he searches for a role in another town. If the Flyers wanted to run a tandem, Neuvirth with Condon could work quite well. The author doesn’t believe that Condon is much of an upgrade over Stolarz, but at 23 and with 2 career wins, Stolarz is simply not at the same level. It’s rare to see a goalie that young be able to take a 40 game (or more) NHL workload with total success. Considering the Flyers’ developing defense, it might be a wise decision on GM Ron Hextall’s part to shelter him in the AHL for another season. Stolarz is definitely their future, and they will look to find a one to two year agreement with whatever stopgap they decide on.
  • A fascinating piece from Newsday’s Arthur Staple details what can only be described as an odd non-deal. The Islanders apparently offered Travis Hamonic and a 1st round pick to Colorado for Matt Duchene, which was subsequently declined by GM Joe Sakic. Isles GM Garth Snow proceeded to move Hamonic for picks while acquiring Jordan Eberle in a separate transaction. Duchene remains in Denver, and apparently his agent Pat Brisson is not happy with the turn of events. Duchene has been linked to trade rumors since nearly the start of the season, which saw his Avalanche finish with an abysmal 48 point dead-last league finish. Sakic was rumored to have a heavy asking price, and this apparent rejection only solidifies those rumblings. Hamonic himself ended up fetching a 1st and two 2nds from Calgary, which is a sizable haul for the Isles. Islanders faithful can’t be too disappointed by the alternative route Snow traversed.

New York Rangers Have Plenty Of Holes To Fill

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New York Rangers are a team with multiple holes to fill during the offseason as they have lost two key players in center Derek Stepan, who they traded to Arizona on Friday and blueliner Dan Girardi, who they waived before the expansion protection rosters were due a week ago, to protect younger players. On top of that, both proved to be among the team’s top defenders against opposing teams’ top lines. They must be able to replace that.

Both holes, not including the backup goaltending spot that was vacated after the team moved Anttii Raanta to the Coyotes as well, must be filled from without and the franchise didn’t get much immediate help in return from Arizona. The team received 21-year-old defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who played 39 games for the hapless Coyotes. While the former 2014 first-rounder fared well in those games, putting up five goals and nine assists in that span, that doesn’t translate that he will make the roster outright with the Rangers. The other asset they received in the trade was the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft, which turned into 18-year-old center Lias Andersson, who will likely need a few years to reach New York.

According to New York Posts’ Larry Brooks, the team should look into acquiring two veterans who can fill those roles for the next year or two until some of their younger players are ready for bigger roles. The scribe lists 37-year-old center Joe Thornton as the perfect player to take over as the team’s top center. He could play next to his friend Rick Nash and form a solid line. A second option would be to trade for New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk to fill that same spot, despite the possibility that New Jersey’s general manager Ray Shero may force the team to move a quality player. If the team promotes from within, there should be a lot of pressure of 2010 first-rounder Kevin Hayes, who at 25, might be ready to take his game to the next level. Hayes has had three solid seasons with the Rangers, putting up nearly 50 points this last year and might be ready for an increased role.

On defense, the team should have close to $20MM in cap space and are expected to be players in the free agent market. They’ve already been linked to Washington Capitals’ unrestricted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk, but the team also hopes to have their own unrestricted free agent, Brendan Smith, locked up as well. Otherwise, they will have double the problems behind the line. Brooks adds the team attempted to move up from the seventh pick Friday to get Dallas’ third overall pick, likely to take top defensive prospect Cale Makar, but were not willing to pay the price for it. Makar ended up going fourth to the Colorado Avalanche.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top