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NCAA Notes: Sanderson, Kleven, Gabriele, Tsekos, UFAs

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Though a recent hand injury was an unexpected variable in the situation, there was very little doubt that Ottawa Senators top prospect Jake Sanderson would sign with the team at the conclusion of his season. After North Dakota was bounced from the NCAA Tournament by Notre Dame on Thursday – due in no small part to Sanderson’s injury absence – his signing now seems imminent. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the 2020 No. 5 overall pick is expected to sign his entry-level contract in the coming days. Sanderson may only be 19, but he has little left to gain from the college level. With 26 points in 23 games, Sanderson was not only one of the top scorers for the Fighting Hawks but one of the NCAA’s most productive defensemen. That doesn’t even speak to his top-notch defense either, which may be an even stronger part of his game than his offense. The only question facing Sanderson now is whether he will see NHL action this season, a decision that will be made by the Senators’ medical staff once his contract is signed.

Sanderson’s pair mate at North Dakota and fellow Senators prospect Tyler Kleven is reportedly facing a more difficult decision. Garrioch reports that Senators GM Pierre Dorion suggested to both Sanderson and Kleven that they turn pro after the collegiate season, but Kleven is less convinced. While the two have nearly identical resumes – two years with the USNTDP, two World Junior selections, two years at North Dakota – Kleven is a less developed prospect than Sanderson at this point. While the 6’4″ defenseman may always rely on a heavy, defense-first game, there is a case to be made for finally getting out from under Sanderson’s shadow and trying to develop more of a two-way game at North Dakota next season rather than following him to Belleville and staying in his same role. With that being said, Kleven excels at what he does well and has the size and hockey sense to jump to the pro level already.

  • Another top prospect defenseman considering signing his entry-level contract but taking a late-season injury into account is the Boston Bruins’ Mason Lohrei. The USHL’s reigning Defenseman of the Year continued his meteoric rise from being a surprise second-round pick in 2020 to starring for Ohio State this season. Lohrei was second on the Buckeyes in scoring with 29 points in 31 games, demonstrating high-level puck-moving ability, and at 6’4″ and 200 pounds already has pro size. An older freshman at 21, it would not be a shock to see Lohrei turn pro but given that he still has room to grow and would likely be slated for the AHL next season, he could also easily return to Ohio State, especially after the team so narrowly missed an NCAA Tournament berth this year. The Bruins are doing their part to help convince Lohrei to make the transition to the pros now though, adding a familiar face to their AHL lineup. The Providence Bruins have announced that fellow Ohio State defenseman and frequent pair mate of Lohrei’s, Grant Gabriele, has signed an amateur tryout and a contract for the 2022-23 season. The Bruins saw plenty of Gabriele while watching Lohrei and noticed that the senior defender had pro ambitions of his own, recording 20 points in 37 games while playing a solid two-way game. Even Lohrei returns to Ohio State next season, Providence will benefit from at least one Buckeye blue liner.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have dipped into the college free agent pool as well with an AHL contract for Zach Tsekos. The Colorado Eagles announced that they were adding the skilled center on an ATO for the remainder of the year and then a contract for 2022-23. Less a prospect and more an immediate minor league depth option, the 25-year-old Tsekos just completed a whopping six-year college career, spending two seasons with Sacred Heart and three seasons with Clarkson. Productive each and every year, Tsekos still saved his best for last with 31 points in 35 games. Tsekos has been nothing if not consistent in his NCAA career and if that translates to the pro level then he could become an NHL option down the road for Colorado.
  • The first round of NCAA Tournament games are now complete and a pair of prime undrafted free agents have already seen their seasons come to an end and are now on contract watch. UMass’ Bobby Trivigno and Michigan Tech’s Brian Halonen, both Hobey Baker Award finalists and quite possibly the two best individual efforts in college hockey this season, have both seen their teams eliminated. The senior forwards are likely already fielding contract offers and it should only be a matter of time before their first pro steps are revealed. Meanwhile, other top free agents like Minnesota’s Ben Meyers and Western Michigan’s Ethen Frank are still alive in the tournament – at least until Sunday when one will be eliminated as the two teams square off.

Ryan Murray Out Indefinitely

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The Colorado Avalanche added Josh Manson ahead of the deadline, but weren’t able to secure any more defensive additions yesterday. Unfortunately, just a few hours later, one of their regulars went down and is now out indefinitely. Ryan Murray, who blocked a shot just 31 seconds into his first shift, is out “weeks not days” according to head coach Jared Bednar, who confirmed it was a fracture but did not specify if it was a hand or an arm injury, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

The Avalanche were playing with seven defensemen last night, though one of those was Kurtis MacDermid, who is a hybrid for them usually lining up at forward when the entire group is healthy. In Murray’s absence, and with Manson still just getting started with the team, Cale Makar went over 30 minutes and Devon Toews racked up 27:38–the only two defensemen to even crack the 20-minute mark.

While the Avalanche do have quite a bit of defensive depth, Samuel Girard is also out with an injury and Bowen Byram is still a question mark because of his ongoing concussion issues. The young Byram is back on the ice with the team–in a regular jersey even–but it’s not clear when he will actually re-enter the Avalanche lineup.

Of note, Justin Barron, who has played two games for the team this season, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the Artturi Lehkonen deal.

Murray, 28, has dealt with injuries his entire career, only once completing a full season unscathed. Through 37 appearances this year, he had just four points, but was still a useful depth piece for a team looking to go on a long playoff run. Now sidelined for the next while, it will be interesting to see if Murray ends up losing his spot in the lineup, should Colorado get comfortable with a new deployment of defensemen.

San Jose Trades Andrew Cogliano To Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche are acquiring forward Andrew Cogliano from the San Jose Sharks, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports San Jose receives a fifth-round pick in 2024. It’s another depth acquisition, secondary to the team’s bigger splash of acquiring Artturi Lehkonen just a few minutes ago.

Cogliano adds a veteran element to Colorado that Lehkonen doesn’t bring. The unheralded versatile forward can play any forward position and has 1,122 NHL games under his belt. He had 15 points in 56 games with San Jose this season, a sizeable uptick in his offensive production from the past few seasons.

Known for his durability, Cogliano went from the beginning of his career in 2007 to the 2017-18 season without missing a single game. Cogliano carries a $1MM cap hit and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Artturi Lehkonen

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The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and defense prospect Justin Barron, as originally reported by Kevin Weekes on ESPN’s Trade Deadline coverage and confirmed by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Lehkonen is a gigantic addition to Colorado’s bottom six, especially as they deal with depth issues down the stretch caused by the injury to captain Gabriel Landeskog. In 58 games with Montreal this season, he’s scoring at a career-best pace, netting 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points.

A veteran of almost 400 NHL games, the 26-year-old was the best defensive winger remaining on the trade market. He’s seeing a defensive zone start rate of higher than 50% for the first time since his rookie season, a sign of trust in his strong game. He adds to Colorado’s arsenal of defensively responsible wingers headlined by Valeri Nichushkin.

Lehkonen, who has a cap hit of $2.3MM, is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Colorado acquired him at 50% salary retention and is only on the hook for $1.15MM.

For Montreal, though, this is a very respectable piece of work by new general manager Kent Hughes. Barron is a stellar prospect, drafted 25th overall in 2020. In his first full professional season, he played in his first two NHL games with Colorado this year and has 20 points in 43 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He’s a candidate to get some NHL looks post-Deadline in Montreal.

Minnesota Wild Acquire Tyson Jost

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The Colorado Avalanche are getting their trades done ahead of Monday’s deadline, this time dealing Tyson Jost to the Minnesota Wild. The Avalanche will receive Nico Sturm in return, opening up another chunk of cap space for any future moves.

Jost, who turned 24 just yesterday, never did quite fulfill his potential in Colorado. In parts of six seasons and more than 300 games, the 2016 tenth-overall pick set career-highs of just 12 goals and 26 points while hardly ever finding himself in the top-six. A part-time center, he has just six goals and 14 points in 59 games this season and his possession metrics have cratered.

It will be interesting to see where he fits into the Minnesota lineup, but the Wild aren’t just buying a rental here. Jost is signed through 2022-23 at a $2MM cap hit and will still be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of his current deal. At the very worst he’ll be another bottom-six option for head coach Dean Evason to try and fit into the right spot, but perhaps he can bring even more to the table when he’s not stuck behind some of the other more offensively talented forwards in Colorado.

In Sturm, the Wild aren’t giving up a ton, especially given he was signed as an undrafted college free agent a few years ago. The 26-year-old has nine goals and 17 points in 53 games this season and can provide some size to the Colorado lineup while only costing $750K against the cap. That’s the clear win here for the Avalanche, who have cleared a good bit of room that they can then use on someone else. Sturm had been scratched the last few games in Minnesota and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so this is no long-term play by the Avalanche. Still, the team did release a statement on their newest player:

Nico is a big, strong forward who also brings a heavy defensive presence. He is a defensive-minded center who can chip in offensively, is good on draws and can contribute on the penalty kill. We would like to thank Tyson for everything he has brought to our team over the last five seasons, not just on the ice, but in the generous and impactful work he has done throughout the community.

With an extra $1.25MM shaved off their books, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic is now primed to make an even bigger splash than the Josh Manson acquisition from yesterday. Rumors continue to swirl around Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who is slated to play in his 1,000th game on Thursday, though there are other high-priced targets that the Avalanche could now target. No matter who it is, it’s obvious that Sakic is willing to push his chips into the middle this season and go for the Stanley Cup with one of the most talented rosters in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

More On Josh Manson Trade

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Of course the team to jumpstart a stagnant trade market is none other than the NHL’s very best. The league-leading Colorado Avalanche made a big move on Monday night to acquire defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks. They weren’t the only team looking to pry the big blue liner away though. A number of clubs have been linked to Manson, including the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs, the latter of whom seemingly got close to adding him. Sportsnet’s Nick Alberga reports that Manson was unwilling to waive his trade protection to go to Toronto, which implies that the Leafs got close enough that the Ducks approached the veteran defender about the possibility. Manson has just a limited No-Trade Clause – a twelve-team no-trade list. It seems that the Maple Leafs were among those dozen undesirable landing spots. It is unclear whether the team has been a long-standing member of that list or a more recent addition given their current struggles.

  • The Manson trade shows that the Anaheim Ducks are officially sellers. The team has exceeded expectations this season and have continued to stick around the Western Conference playoff picture, but of late have slid outside of a reasonable chance of reaching the postseason this year. Any question as to their deadline position is now over, but the unknown remains to what extent they will sell. While Manson is a very talented player, he is not even among the top two potential rentals in Anaheim. That would be fellow defenseman Hampus Lindholm and skilled forward Rickard Rakell. Both of these players are core pieces for the Ducks and critical to their success and at 28 years old could each continue to play a major role for years to come. If Anaheim feels that they are close to contending following their strong start this season, then they could opt for extensions rather than trades for Lindholm and Rakell. Alas, Alberga reports that there are no ongoing contract negotiations with either player right now, which could imply that they will soon follow Manson out the door.
  • If and when the Ducks do move Lindholm, they have set the bar high for the rental defenseman market. Manson is the first and only proven top-four defenseman to be dealt so far this season and in return Anaheim landed a 2023 second-round pick and a well-regarded 2019 second-round pick in Boston College defenseman Drew Helleson, a top-five scorer for the Eagles. Though a solid defensive asset, Manson pales in comparison to the more well-rounded Lindholm, who might be the best defenseman on the trade market. An A-level prospect and a second-round pick, or even two second-round picks, is now the baseline to which Anaheim can refer when commanding a much better return for Lindholm. Around the league, the Canadiens, Kraken, and possibly the Stars will be happy to see the Manson return knowing that their top-four rentals – Ben Chiarot, Mark Giordano, and John Klingberg – may also garner an equal or greater return.
  • The Colorado Avalanche are not done either. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was quick to note that the Manson acquisition is not all that GM Joe Sakic has in mind as he chases the Stanley Cup. Especially given the cap flexibility afforded by recent injuries to Gabriel Landeskog and Samuel Girard, the door is open in Denver. LeBrun still expects the team to take a swing at Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux and have their eyes on other forwards as well.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Josh Manson

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The Colorado Avalanche were rumored to be preparing for a big move, and a big move they have made. The Avalanche have acquired Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Drew Helleson and a 2023 second-round draft pick. The Ducks are retaining half of Manson’s remaining cap hit.

When it was announced over the weekend that Gabriel Landeskog is going to undergo surgery and Samuel Girard will be out at least a month, there was an immediate buzz around the Avalanche. Moving either of those players to long-term injured reserve would open up some significant cap space for Colorado to make an addition at the trade deadline. While they may not even be done, adding Manson show just how serious the Avalanche are this season as they chase the Stanley Cup.

In fact, even without moving players out the Avalanche can fit in Manson given the salary retention. The 30-year-old defenseman carries a $4.1MM cap hit in the final season of a four-year, $16.4MM contract signed in 2017. By keeping half, it makes Manson a relatively inexpensive financial asset for the Avalanche with just a small chunk of the season remaining.

A move like this also shines some light on what the market prices are like around the league, as even with the retention the Ducks were unable to secure a first-round selection. While the second-round pick is a good one–especially in 2023, a draft that is being heavily targeted in trade talks–the most interesting part of this trade might be the inclusion of Helleson. Selected 47th overall in 2019, the 20-year-old right-shooting defenseman has turned into a star at Boston College and recently took part in the Olympics for Team USA. Helleson still needs to be signed to an NHL contract after his college career comes to an end, but the Ducks very well could have found a direct replacement for Manson in the deal–one that is a decade younger.

Notably, Manson also held a 12-team no-trade clause, so he had some control over his deadline situation. New Ducks GM Pat Verbeek had been clear recently that while he hoped to re-sign his big pending free agents, if he wasn’t able to there would be no hesitation in trading them away. That’s in spite of the fact that Anaheim has been better than expected this season and could potentially still make the playoffs; Verbeek has a bigger prize than just the postseason on his mind when making deals like this.

Manson himself has taken a bit of a step backward in recent seasons, but is a prototypical playoff-style defenseman, always looking to use his physicality to wear down the opponent. He doesn’t provide nearly the same kind of offensive upside that a player like Girard brings, but he’ll immediately add some depth, toughness, and defensive acumen to the Avalanche group.

Kevin Weekes of NHL Network broke the news, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirmed the salary retention and draft pick details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Gabriel Landeskog To Undergo Surgery, Samuel Girard To Miss A Month

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While the Avalanche had some good news today when they extended Pavel Francouz, they also got some bad news as they will be without two key players for the next little while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Gabriel Landeskog is set to undergo knee surgery on Monday.  There is no firm timetable for his return but Colorado hopes to have him back for the stretch run which would take any thought of putting him on LTIR for the rest of the regular season to open up cap space off the table.

This isn’t a newly-suffered injury for Landeskog as he played in nearly 19 minutes on Thursday against Carolina before receiving a misconduct penalty in the dying seconds of regulation.  Instead, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that this is an issue that has been nagging him for a little bit and they’ve decided to get it fixed before the playoffs.  The knee problem hasn’t really held Landeskog back, however, as he has 30 goals and 29 assists in 51 games this season, good for fifth in team scoring.

Meanwhile, Peter Baugh of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Samuel Girard will miss the next four weeks with a lower-body injury.  While that makes him LTIR-eligible as well, that’s a recovery timeline that would easily have him back by the end of the season so Colorado, who doesn’t have a lot of cap space to work with at the upcoming trade deadline, won’t get much help on that front either.

Girard’s numbers are down slightly this season although he has still managed to pick up 27 points in 56 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night.  Kurtis MacDermid took Girard’s place in the lineup on Thursday and with the Avs having seven other blueliners on the active roster, they shouldn’t need to recall anyone from AHL Colorado to take his place on the roster.  Such a move will likely need to be made for Landeskog, however, unless they decide to shift MacDermid to the wing and put Jack Johnson back in on defense.  Either way, lineup changes are coming in advance of their game tomorrow against Calgary.

Meanwhile, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post relays that blueliner Bowen Byram participated in his first full practice today in more than two months.  He has been dealing with post-concussion symptoms so the Avs will undoubtedly be cautious when it comes to working the 20-year-old back into the lineup but if he’s able to return soon, he’d certainly help absorb the blow of Girard’s absence.

Avalanche Sign Pavel Francouz To A Two-Year Extension

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Colorado entered the season with both of their goaltenders slated to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer.  That’s no longer the case as the team announced that Pavel Francouz has signed a two-year extension.  Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries a $2MM AAV.  GM Joe Sakic released the following statement on the signing:

Pavel is an important component to our goaltending tandem and someone we have full trust in to be a key piece of our team going forward. He has showed tremendous perseverance and dedication in overcoming the challenges and injuries he has faced.

Speaking of those challenges and injuries, the 31-year-old missed all of last season after undergoing double hip surgery and then missed the first 24 games of this season with an ankle injury.  However, since returning, Francouz has done quite well, posting a 2.46 GAA along with a .921 SV% in 14 appearances (11 starts).

Francouz still has a limited track record in North America having only signed with Colorado in 2018; he has just 50 career NHL regular season contests under his belt including those appearances this season.  That, coupled with his injury history, didn’t give him a lot of leverage when it came to his next contract which almost certainly played a role in him deciding to re-sign with the Avalanche for the same price tag as his current deal, a two-year, $4MM pact that was set to expire in July.  His career numbers are close to his 2021-22 ones with a .923 SV% and a 2.42 GAA and if he’s able to maintain that and stay healthy, this has the potential to be quite a bargain for Colorado.

The deal allows Colorado to now shift their focus to starter Darcy Kuemper.  Sakic paid a high price tag to acquire him from the Coyotes after Philipp Grubauer left for Seattle in free agency.  His cap hit this season is $4.5MM (split between Colorado and Arizona) and it will cost more than that either to keep the 31-year-old or replace him with a new starter this summer.  At least Sakic can now go into those discussions knowing that at least part of Colorado’s goaltending tandem will be intact for next season with Francouz’s deal now finalized.

Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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As we enter the middle of March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Colorado Avalanche.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is widely heralded as one of the best in the league, and it’s easy to see why. His squad is once again in contention for a President’s Trophy and/or deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run despite some tough injury luck throughout the season. He truly hit it out of the park again this offseason, signing franchise cornerstones Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar to cap-friendly long-term contracts (and, while the cost of acquisition was steep, the Darcy Kuemper trade is starting to pay off). With a tad more salary-cap flexibility than some other contenders, Sakic has the chance now to add another player to the mix to push the squad over the top. After that point, though, it’s up to head coach Jared Bednar and the players to ensure the Avalanche get past the second round for the first time in 20 years.

Record

41-13-5, 1st in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$3.17MM today, $3.89MM in full-season space by the deadline, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2023: COL 1st, COL 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th

Trade Chips

Building an elite team doesn’t come cheap. That’s evidenced by an empty cupboard of upcoming draft picks, especially in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft with just four selections. The asset pool Colorado has to deal from likely revolves mainly around their prospect pool in order to keep their active roster intact.

That doesn’t mean the team couldn’t look to deal from their 2023 cupboard, however. Their 2023 first-round selection could absolutely be on the trade block, especially if the organization decides to go all-in on a big-name acquisition. While the organization is certainly about to feel the effects of a lack of draft picks in recent seasons, the time to win in Denver is now. Only three forwards (Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Logan O’Connor) are under contract past 2023, and the team is likely in the most favorable salary-cap position they’ll see for quite some time. Despite a deep class in 2023, the team shouldn’t have too much hesitation about moving their first-round choice at this year’s Deadline.

Contenders don’t love to deal players off their active roster if they can help it, and since Colorado has some salary-cap flexibility, they likely won’t need to. That means that top youngsters Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram are unlikely to depart the organization this month. That doesn’t mean, though, that there aren’t some other players in the Avs organization of interest to other teams.

For trade partners looking to add to their defense pool, there’s Justin Barron. The skilled two-way defenseman was selected 25th overall in 2020 and made his NHL debut this season, getting two games with the big club in his first full professional season. After captaining the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads and representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships last season, he’s notched five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 40 AHL games with the Colorado Eagles. A safe bet to grow into a dependable top-four defenseman, he likely carries the most trade value of any Avalanche prospect heading into the Deadline.

Another name to watch, and perhaps the most likely to be dealt, is forward Martin Kaut. The 22-year-old, who Colorado drafted 16th overall in 2018, has seen NHL action in each of the past three seasons, especially looking promising with three points in nine games back in 2019-20. In 11 NHL games since then, though, he’s been held pointless, and his production at the AHL level this season has somewhat stagnated with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games. While he most definitely still has top-nine upside, it’s possible that his value to the organization’s likelihood of winning a Stanley Cup is higher in a trade than in keeping him around.

Others To Watch For: F Shane Bowers, F Sampo Ranta, F Oskar Olausson, F Alex Beaucage, G Justus Annunen

Team Needs

1) Bottom-Six Forward — The Avalanche would love a little more offensive production out of their bottom-six forward group. How they go about getting that at the Deadline, though, could either be through simply a depth acquisition or a trickle-down effect from a bigger name. If Colorado does go out and acquire Claude Giroux, as has been rumored for weeks now, then a fully healthy Avalanche squad would likely see Valeri Nichushkin, who has 31 points in 41 games, pushed back down to a bottom-six role. One of the most underrated two-way wingers in the game, he’d help create matchup nightmares for opposing coaches in the playoffs.

2) Depth Defenseman — Concussion symptoms have likely taken the young Byram out of the picture for the remainder of the year, and with Samuel Girard struggling at times this season, Colorado has had to rely on players like Jack Johnson and Kurtis MacDermid probably more than they’d like to. While Erik Johnson has been a huge boost this year, overcoming past health issues to play in all 59 of the team’s games this season, his luck with injuries (especially in the playoffs) is also a concern. A high-end third-pair defenseman would be the ideal security blanket for this Colorado defense in case of injury or poor play.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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