Trade Candidates: Evander Kane
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Evander Kane is one of the game’s gifted talents, but has been a lightning rod for criticism both on and off the ice. From his arrest in Buffalo last July to what Buffalo News scribe Mike Harrington called “shenanigans” in Winnipeg, Kane could be a catch for a team, but come with a “buyer beware” for his past issues.
Contract
Kane is in year five of a six-year, $31.5MM deal. With an AAV of $5.25MM, he would carry a hefty hit for a contender looking to add him.
2016-17
Harrington describes Kane as “an absolute beast.” Though sidelined by injury this season, Kane has played well in the 45 games he’s appeared in. Kane has been complimented for his game by general manager Tim Murray according to a report from WGR 550. Despite rumors that Vancouver was chasing him back in November, it turned out that he would stay put as Vancouver backed off. With each passing day, the Buffalo forward seems less and less likely to be dealt.
Season Stats
45 GP, 18 G, 10 A, 28 Pts, -9, 79 PIM, 46.9 CF% 18:48 ATOI
Suitors
The cap hit and strong play makes Kane’s value difficult to gauge in terms of where he would land. Buffalo could take some of the salary back, but unless it was a significant return, that seems unlikely. Based on CapFriendly, it would have to be a trade that would offset assets from the other team to balance it financially. The Rangers could be a potential target but with several players due raises next season, it would be too tough financially to massage a deal. Another option? The Blue Jackets, though again, unlikely. While they have the cap room and having another scorer like Kane on the roster would boost their depth in a competitive Metropolitan Division, the logistics of such a trade seem unlikely. The Wild were rumored months ago to be interested, but that chatter never amounted to anything.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Though Kane is playing well and would be an upgrade for any team, it just doesn’t make sense financially for a move and further, why would the Sabres give up on him now? They rode out the storm from last year’s arrest and seeing that this season is already a wash, why not give it one more try next year? The possibility for a trade would be far more likely next season, when the Sabres could wash their hands of the contract, absorb dollars in what would be the final year of his deal, and potentially snag some prospects or a high draft pick in exchange. Until then, it looks like Kane should stay put.
Morning Transactions: Bruins, Blue Jackets, Predators, Canadiens
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Boston Bruins have reassigned forward Peter Cehlarik to the AHL Providence Bruins. This move may have less to do with Cehlarik’s performance and more to do with the fact that the Bruins enter their bye week this week. With no games until Sunday February 19th, Cehlarik is better served getting playing time in the AHL. The young prospect recorded two assists last night against the Montreal Canadiens—including one on the powerplay—so expect the Bruins to call him back up in time for next Sunday’s game.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets swapped backup goaltenders with its AHL affiliate the Cleveland Monsters, recalling goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and reassigning goaltender Anton Forsberg. Columbus hopes Korpisalo can regain his form from last year. The Finnish goaltender has struggled so far in his limited appearances with Columbus, going 3-1-0 in four starts but earning a .893 Sv% and 3.57 GAA. Conversely, Forsberg, who has only one NHL start this season, is performing better in the AHL than his Finnish counterpart. The Swedish Forsberg has a .927 SV% and a 2.23 GAA in 28 games. Korpisalo has earned a .909 SV% and 2.67 GAA in 15 games.
- The Nashville Predators also swapped backup goaltenders, recalling Marek Mazanec and reassigning Juuse Saros with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators also reassigned forward Pontus Aberg. Like the Bruins above, the Predators enjoy a bye week this week so they’ve sent their young prospects to Milwaukee for more ice time. Saaros has outperformed all Nashville goalies this year, posting a .933 SV% and a 2.09 GAA in 12 games. Aberg hasn’t had the same level of success, recording only 1G and 1A in 15 games with the big club.
- The Montreal Canadiens reassigned forward prospect Michael McCarron to the AHL St. John IceCaps last night. The Habs have a bye week this week so McCarron will get more playing time down in the AHL. The young prospect used his last game to fight Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller. McCarron is still adjusting to the NHL, recording 1G and 4A in 18 games. He’s had more success in the AHL, scoring 7G and 12A in 30 games, and compiling 64 PIM.
Snapshots: Pacioretty, Deadline Sellers, CWHL All-Star Game
Montreal fans can breathe a sigh of relief as reports of Max Pacioretty‘s absence from the morning skate is a result of the flu according to the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. TSN has a video report of Pacioretty’s impact this season, highlighting the captain’s recent strong performance. Leading the Habs in both goals and points (27-21-48), he was lauded by bench boss Michel Therrien in Montreal’s 5-4 victory over Arizona Thursday night. Suffice it to say, the Habs–and their fans–are relieved to hear that the flu, and not injury, is keeping Pacioretty out.
- The Hockey News has hedged their bets for the trade deadline sellers. Lyle Richardson lists the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings as potential sellers, indicating their sub-par seasons gives them the incentive to start selling off pieces for a brighter future. He quotes Elliotte Friedman as saying that Thomas Vanek may go to Chicago, while the Lightning could go shopping out West, trying to pry a defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks. General manager Steve Yzerman isn’t short assets, having a number of players to deal away with another cap crunch on its way in Tampa. As for Jim Nill’s Stars, Richardson sees Patrick Sharp, and Patrick Eaves as targets to be moved. But he also adds that should Marc-Andre Fleury waive his no-trade clause, he might just be what the Stars need to get back into the playoff hunt.
- Speaking of buyers and sellers, be sure to check out PHR’s takes on the Devils, Blackhawks, Blues, and Blue Jackets as the deadline approaches.
- The CWHL is set for the All-Star game in Toronto this afternoon at the Air Canada Center. Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets has a writeup on some of the players to watch while the CWHL’s official site has even more, including the rosters of both teams following yesterday’s fantasy draft.
Minor Transactions: 2/10/2017
The flip-flop of young backups continues in Columbus. The Blue Jackets announced today that they have demoted Joonas Korpisalo to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and recalled Anton Forsberg to take his place. The 22-year-old Korpisalo won both of his last two starts, but was unimpressive, allowing a combined ten goals in the process. He did relieve Sergei Bobrovsky recently with 13 minutes of shutout hockey, but it was not enough to keep him around. Korpisalo has an .893 SV% and 3.57 GAA in five appearances this season. Ironically, Forsberg has not done much better. In his first and only game with Columbus in 2016-17, the 24-year-old allowed four goals on 27 shots in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. With both young keepers set to go unprotected in the upcoming Expansion Draft, perhaps it is GM Jarmo Kekalainen‘s strategy to not allow either to get hot at the NHL level in an effort to dissuade the Vegas Golden Knights from damaging the Blue Jackets’ future in net.
Columbus also sent Oliver Bjorkstrand down to the AHL. The 21-year-old Danish winger was expected to have a much greater role with the Blue Jackets this season, but to this point has just one point in five games. Bjorkstrand has spent almost the whole season with the Monsters, scoring 14 goals and nine assists in 35 games.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Last night, the Edmonton Oilers recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle and forward Anton Lander from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The pair have been sent back-and-forth frequently of late while Edmonton balances their lineup. Lander has been demoted recently during struggles to make a difference with the Oilers, only to dominate the AHL level with 28 points in 18 games. On the flip side, Edmonton has tried inserting Oesterle into the lineup recently due to his 18 points in 26 games to lead all Condors defensemen.
- Eric Gelinas has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage by the struggling Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are desperate for defense, but Gelinas has not been the solution. The former New Jersey Devils top prospect was traded to Colorado at the deadline last year, and has been a major disappointment. After playing a prominent role for the Devils, he has just one point in 33 games for the Avalanche.
- One of the main reasons that the Winnipeg Jets placed defenseman Julian Melchiori on waivers earlier today was to make room for fellow blue liner Ben Chiarot. The Jets announced that they have activated Chiarot from the injured reserve today. Chiarot has been out since early January for the Jets, and his presence will be much-welcomed with Tyler Myers still sidelined.
- Buffalo announced via Twitter that they have sent forward Evan Rodrigues back to AHL Rochester. He has played in just four career NHL games – two this season – but is having a strong season at the minor league level with nine goals and 18 assists in 43 contests with the Amerks.
- The Sharks have made a series of roster moves, announcing that they have recalled defenseman Tim Heed and winger Kevin Labanc from San Jose of the AHL while assigning blueliner Joakim Ryan and center Ryan Carpenter to the Barracuda. Heed and Labanc have been shuffled back and forth routinely as the team looks to free up extra cap space and will be available for a matinee game against the Flyers tomorrow.
- Dallas has assigned blueliner Julius Honka to their AHL affiliate in Texas, reports Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). Honka has played in ten NHL games this season, recording four assists. The move suggests that Jamie Oleksiak could be ready to return from his hand injury; he has been out of the lineup since January 11th.
Trade Candidate: Gabriel Landeskog
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
The Colorado Avalanche are one of only two teams – Arizona being the other – that currently identify as certain deadline sellers and in the midst of a disappointing campaign it’s believed the team is willing to consider dealing anyone not named Nathan Mackinnon as they try to find the right blend. Colorado may consider moving winger Gabriel Landeskog and he represents the type of player you don’t often see come available. Landeskog is a four-time 20-goal scorer and at just 24, the Swedish winger is still comfortably within his prime. He also has four more seasons left of team control at a price that’s quite fair for a solid, two-way top-six winger. Sure, Landeskog isn’t having a particularly strong season but there would still likely be plenty of interest in acquiring his services if he was truly available.
Contract
As noted above, Landeskog has four years left on a deal that comes with an AAV of $5.57MM. His deal contains neither a NMC nor a NTC, putting the Avalanche in the driver’s seat in terms of trade talks.
2016-17
Landeskog has tallied just nine goals and 20 points in 40 games this season, a scoring rate well below his career average of 0.67 points-per-game. Part of that is likely a function of Colorado icing the league’s lowest scoring attack, averaging just 2.06 goals-per-game. He’s generating shots at a rate not much below that of his career norm and his conversion rate of 10% is right in line with his career average. His 95.5 PDO is indicative of bad puck luck and a regression could be in order.
Season Stats
40 GP, 9 G, 11 A, 20 Pts, -13 plus/minus rating, 44 PIM, 19:12 ATOI
Suitors
The Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins have both previously been rumored as potential landing spots for Landeskog. Both make a ton of sense as they tend to favor bigger forwards who can play a physical forechecking style. At 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds, Landeskog certainly brings good size. Colorado reportedly asked Boston for a package headlined by rookie blue liner Brandon Carlo but the Bruins balked at the asking price. The Kings will have nearly $7MM in deadline cap space meaning they can afford to add the winger without moving salary, however such a transaction would complicate their salary cap situation in seasons ahead. Anaheim, with their blue line depth would seem to make for a natural match for the Avalanche, and the Ducks also appreciate size and physicality in their forwards. Considering the term remaining on his deal, any team in the league could show interest in Landeskog should they be willing to meet Colorado’s understandably high asking price.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Blockbuster trades involving multiple pieces are complicated and are rarely able to be completed during the season. Prior to the 2012 trade deadline, the New York Rangers worked feverishly to acquire winger Rick Nash from Columbus and even though Nash’s market was severely limited due to his willingness to go to only a few teams, a deal wasn’t completed until after the season. The Rangers ultimately sacrificed a package of talent similar to what they offered at the deadline, but then Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson still held out, hoping the market would improve.
It’s likely the Landeskog negotiations will play out similarly. Considering their ask of a young, top-four blue liner, a prospect and a first-round pick, a deal of this nature is easier to make in the offseason when the salary cap plays less of a role in the proceedings.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Bjorkstrand, Avalanche
The Montreal Canadiens are mired in a four-game losing streak and their grip on the top of the Atlantic Division is slipping. They need help down the middle and everyone knows it, making it tough for GM Marc Bergevin to make a deal. Darren Dreger of TSN spoke today about their struggles recently and how broken up the schedule has been for them. He also mentions the defensive side of the ice and how the Habs would like to make incremental improvements there if possible.
He does give some good news on the injury front, telling us that Brendan Gallagher is travelling with the team and should be back in the lineup as soon as this weekend. There is a possibility he’ll return Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, but more likely in the second half of the back to back against Boston on Sunday.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made Oliver Bjorkstrand an emergency call up on Wednesday evening, bringing him back to the NHL for the third time this season. The 21-year old Bjorkstrand has played five games for the Jackets this season, registering just one point. Last season the Danish winger really shone in the AHL playoffs with 16 points in 17 games, helping the Monsters win a Calder Cup. He’s destined for the NHL in the long-run, but still needs some seasoning to unlock his full potential.
- The Colorado Avalanche have made a goalie swap, sending Spencer Martin to the AHL while bringing Jeremy Smith up to the NHL squad. Martin has been shelled in his short time in the NHL, allowing 13 goals in three games. With Semyon Varlomov out, the team has been relying on Calvin Pickard and would like to have a little more depth behind him. Smith, selected in the second round a decade ago, has never made it into an NHL game. He does have a solid AHL resume, including a .934 save percentage last year for the Providence Bruins.
Trade Candidates: Jarome Iginla
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Jarome Iginla is a legend with very bad luck. He’s a six-time All-Star, a two-time Maurice Richard winner, and a past Art Ross recipient. He’s third among active players in points, second in goals, and fourth in assists. He’s a sure-fire future Hall of Famer. However, in his 20-year NHL career, Iginla has not won a Stanley Cup. The face of the franchise for the Calgary Flames for 16 seasons, Iginla holds just about every career offensive record for the team. But, when the Flames made a Cup run in 2004, his 22 points in 26 games were not enough to seal the deal as the Flames fell in Game 7 of the Finals to the Tampa Bay Lighting by a score of 2-1. After years of first rounds exits in Calgary following that close call, Iginla asked for a trade in 2013 at the age of 35 in his hunt for a title. Ironically, Iginla vetoed a trade to the Boston Bruins, instead opting to join the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to have the Bruins end his Cup hopes in the Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins would then fall to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup. Many have opined that if the Bruins had Iginla rather than Jaromir Jagr in 2013, they would have won their second Stanley Cup in three years. Iginla tried to erase his mistake by signing with the Bruins for the 2013-14 season, but it was too late. A much better fit in Boston than in Pittsburgh, Iginla’s efforts again were still not enough, as the President’s Trophy-winning Bruins lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
While Iginla had some close calls in Calgary, Pittsburgh, and Boston, his next decision was as far off as possible in his search for Lord Stanley. Iginla signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, expecting the young team to grow into strong contenders during his tenure. In 2016-17, his third year with the team, the Avalanche are instead the worst team in the NHL. Mere games away from statistical elimination, Colorado stands no chance at making the playoffs this season and, if he’s not traded, Iginla’s title championship dreams may forever remain unfulfilled. His play has dropped off as he approaches 40 years old, with just 14 points in 50 games. It is expected that Iginla will call it a career at the end of this season. With nothing to lose in trading the valuable veteran and with a General Manager in Joe Sakic who understands the importance of a respected veteran winning a title (see: Ray Bourque, 2001), the Avalanche seem likely to move Iginla.
Contract
Iginla is in the final season of a three-year, $16MM contract that he signed with Colorado when free agency opened in 2014. His $5.33MM cap hit will be pro-rated to about $1.5MM at the Trade Deadline.
2016-17
Iginla has been a high-end point producer deep into his playing years. With Boston in 2013-14, Iginla had 61 points in 78 games and in his first two seasons in Colorado, he had 106 points combined while playing every single game. In 2016-17, Iginla has hit a wall. The 39-year-old has just seven goals and seven assists through 50 games for the Avalanche. It is almost a foregone conclusion that, traded or not, Iginla will have the lowest scoring season of his career. His shooting percentage is also a career-worst and significantly below his average and his hits are way down as well; Iginla is no longer an elite sniper nor an elite checker. As could be assumed, all of this has led to Iginla averaging his least amount of ice time in 18 years.
Despite all of this, one of the game’s great veterans is still a valuable asset. He may not be a high-end scorer or defensive player any more, but on the right team and fueled by a desire to finally win a Cup, he can still be effective in those areas. His leadership and locker room presence is also invaluable, especially to young teams. Iginla may be at the end of the line in his career, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t go out with a bang.
Season Stats
50 GP: 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points, -16, 100 shots, 7% shooting percentage, 59 hits, 14:44 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Iginla has made it known that he would like to be traded. Obviously, he will only be interested in top teams with realistic shots at making it out their respective conference, giving the 20-year veteran a final shot at the Stanley Cup. However, these teams will also have to have the cap space to squeeze in his pro-rated cap hit. The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins would all be logical destinations and have previously expressed interest in one way or another, but all three teams would need to make other roster changes to fit Iginla in under the salary cap.
Instead, two teams that jump out as having the space and the need for some bottom-six depth and playoff experience are the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. The two biggest surprises of the season are also in need of some additional depth and have the cap flexibility to add Iginla without having to surrender too much trade capital. With solid goaltending and defense already in place in Minnesota, Iginla likely has his best shot at a Stanley Cup by joining the Wild and strengthening their forward corps.
Likelihood Of A Trade
The Avalanche have no reason not to trade Iginla and actually would face some significant backlash if they chose not to. Assuming someone with space and need comes calling, Iginla will almost surely be traded. Finishing off a phenomenal career with a championship would certainly be a fitting end for Iginla.
Injury Updates: Malkin, Savard, Jets
Evgeni Malkin has been out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup since January 24th, when he suffered a knee injury just before the All-Star break. He would miss the festivities (and the Top-100 list) and every game since, but he’s getting closer to a return. Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that he was back at practice today though he still is not taking any contact. Without Malkin, the Penguins have gone 3-1 but would welcome back one of the top players in the NHL.
There is no timetable still for Malkin’s return, but he took “a step forward” according to head coach Mike Sullivan. He will definitely not play on Tuesday when the Penguins welcome the Calgary Flames to town, but a return Thursday in Colorado hasn’t been ruled out.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have slowed their torrid pace a bit in the last few weeks and have had trouble in the defensive zone. Part of that is likely due to the loss of defenseman David Savard and his poise in their own end. Savard has been out since January 26th but skated by himself before practice today. Like Malkin, there is no exact timeline for his return, but Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch called a “good sign” nonetheless. The Blue Jackets could use his help, as they’ve allowed 13 goals in three games since he went down.
- Brian Munz of TSN 1290 gives us a rundown on the Winnipeg Jets’ injuries, as they head into their matchup with the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night. Bryan Little didn’t skate today with the team but will play, Drew Stafford is hopeful to suit up, Ben Chiarot is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury and there will be an update on Tyler Myers in the next day or two but nothing has changed as of yet. Myers especially is an important player to get back for the Jets, and after undergoing knee surgery in November he’s been skating with the team for almost a month.
Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?
After struggling mightily in 2015-16, the Columbus Blue Jackets weren’t expected to be a big threat this year. However, they have been one of the more pleasant surprises through the first half and not only find themselves in the thick of the playoff race but also in a battle for top spot league-wide.
Record
33-13-5, T-2nd in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$9.1MM – full-season cap hit ($13.9MM with LTIR), 44/50 contracts, via CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2017: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd*, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
2018: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd*, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
* – Columbus owes one of those second round picks to Vancouver as compensation for hiring head coach John Tortorella.
Trade Chips
Given that they’re a top team, it’s unlikely that they’re going to deal anyone off of their active roster. Accordingly, their trade bait consists of the draft picks noted above and youngsters who haven’t quite made the full-time jump to the NHL but would be intriguing to rebuilding teams. Given what they’re likely to target GM Jarmo Kekalainen likely won’t consider giving up their top young assets such as wingers Oliver Bjorkstrand and Sonny Milano.
On top of that the Jackets have a pair of young netminders who are slated to be exposed in the Vegas expansion draft that could be of interest to some teams as potential backup goalies for next season. It’s unlikely that they’d deal both but one moving would certainly be a possibility.
Five Players To Watch For: LW Paul Bittner, G Anton Forsberg, LW Markus Hannikainen, D Dillon Heatherington, G Joonas Korpisalo
Team Needs
1) Veteran Backup Goaltender – With Curtis McElhinney not holding down the backup job, youngsters Forsberg and Korpisalo have been splitting the number two duties behind Sergei Bobrovsky. While both have fared well at the minor league level, neither have had enough NHL success for the team to be comfortable with one of them stepping in for Bobrovsky if he were to go down in the middle of a playoff series. Getting a veteran with some postseason experience would be a useful addition and is one that shouldn’t cost one of their top young assets either.
2) Center Depth – Columbus has a pair of centers who struggle considerably at the faceoff dot in Alexander Wennberg and William Karlsson. With matchups being exploited that much more in the postseason, the Blue Jackets would stand to benefit from adding someone who is above average on the draw.
While the team has several capable fill-in options on the wings at AHL Cleveland, the same can’t be said down the middle. They have Boone Jenner who can shift over from the wing (who is also quite strong at the dot) but since they can’t really expect one of their minor league centers to step in, they’ll have to look outside the organization to add any further depth and with center being a crucial position, they would be wise to explore the market for some help at that spot.
Peter Budaj And The Comeback Kids
Peter Budaj was done. Finished. Washed-up. On his way out. Lost at sea.
Then, suddenly he wasn’t.
When Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff both sustained injuries within the first two weeks of the season, many believed the Kings would panic and overpay for a replacement netminder. Ben Bishop, Jimmy Howard, Marc-Andre Fleury were all names that were expected to be linked to the west-coast royalty, but nothing materialized. The team immediately said that they weren’t going to overpay for a goaltender when they weren’t sure how long Quick would be out, and believed their team was good enough to hold down a playoff spot until his return. What they didn’t expect, was that they would get all-star level goaltending from a guy who had never given it before, and who was rapidly approaching the back half of his thirties.
Peter Budaj made his first start for the Los Angels Kings this season on October 20th, and allowed three goals on 20 shots. Here we go, thought Kings’ fans who expected an .850 save percentage was about all they would get from a 34-year old journeyman. After all, Budaj had played in just one NHL game the last two seasons, and had a career .903 save percentage. Their season was lost unless they went out and got another goaltender, but how could they afford it?
And then, magic. Budaj would find another gear and lead the Kings to a 24-14-3 record while recording a .923 save percentage. His seven shutouts lead the league (ahead of some household names in Braden Holtby, Devan Dubnyk and Tuukka Rask) and he’s recorded a goals against average 0.7 less than his career average. In short, he’s been great.