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Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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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 is a look at the Nashville Predators.

Nashville Predators GM David Poile isn’t scared of making a big move. He’s done it time and time again over his career, with recent examples like P.K. Subban, Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris. He was rewarded last year with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, though the Predators would ultimately come up short in their quest for a championship. This season, there is no doubt that Nashville is one of the best teams in the Western Conference and could take a shot at the trade deadline to try and secure another long playoff run.

Record

35-14-9, first in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$14.9MM full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: NSH 1st, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th, NSH 7th
2019: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 4th, COL 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th, NSH 7th

Trade Chips

Eeli TolvanenBecause the Predators have used their own home grown players in many of those big trades, the team has still managed to keep many of their draft picks and continue developing prospects. Many of the speculative trades begin with Eeli Tolvanen, but he should be about as close to untouchable as you can get for the Predators. The Finnish forward is breaking records for his age in the KHL, and excelling in the Olympics for his country. He’ll be a big part of the Predators future, and could even make an impact in the playoffs this year.

Beyond Tolvanen, the Nashville prospect pipeline is still healthy. Dante Fabbro is one of the league’s top defensive prospects, Victor Ejdsell was pursued by several teams and is proving why in Sweden this year, and Emil Pettersson looks like a late-round steal after finding early success in the AHL. There’s no doubt that some of their top prospects will be in discussions if Nashville really gets into the market.

From the NHL roster, one has to wonder if someone like Colton Sissons could be sacrificed given that Mike Fisher is coming back very soon. Sissons has shown that he could develop into a solid third-line center for any team in the NHL, and is under contract for another season at the league minimum. He’d be an interesting option for a team like the New York Rangers who’ve made it clear they are seeking roster-ready bodies. Obviously the Predators aren’t looking to deal Sissons, but if there is a big move in the works they may need to sell at least one NHL-level player.

Five Players To Watch For: F Frederick Gaudreau, D Alexandre Carrier, F Pontus Aberg, F Colton Sissons, F Emil Pettersson

Team Needs

1) Scoring Winger: If we’re being honest, the Predators don’t desperately need anything.

What they could use more than anything though is another top-6 option on the wing, and they’ve been linked to just about every available option. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that Nashville has interest in Tomas Tatar of the Detroit Red Wings. Tatar is under contract through 2020-21, which might make it a bit tricky for the Predators. Though Poile has signed team-friendly deals with many of his stars, Ryan Ellis (UFA) and Kevin Fiala (RFA) are both free agents after next season and will require substantial raises.

The team has also been linked to Rick Nash as a potential rental option, which could make more sense given their vast available cap room at the deadline. The Predators could add any of the players on expiring deals without worry, making them one of the most interesting teams to follow over the next few days.

Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

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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 is a look at the Chicago Blackhawks.

2018 looks like it will bring the end of a decade of playoff appearances for the Chicago Blackhawks, who came as close to a dynasty as you can in today’s NHL by winning three Stanley Cups in six seasons. The team sits last in the Central Division and started selling today by moving Michal Kempny for a third-round pick. That should be followed by several other moves, but more substantial changes may have to wait for the summer.

Record

25-26-8, seventh in Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$3.9MM full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: CHI 1st, CHI 3rd, WSH/TOR 3rd*, CHI 5th, CBJ 5th, CHI 6th, CHI 7th
2019: CHI 1st, CHI 2nd, CHI 3rd, CHI 4th, CHI 5th, CHI 6th, CHI 7th, ANA 7th

*Chicago will receive the earlier of the two picks

Trade Chips

Ryan HartmanDespite some interest from Blackhawks fans in a rebuild, Chicago isn’t in a position to tear it all down. With Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith all still signed through at least the 2022-23 season it will be some time before a new leadership group comes to town.

That said, there have been interesting rumors surrounding several of the other top names on the club. Brandon Saad’s name has surfaced after he hasn’t made the immediate impact expected, and Artem Anisimov has drawn interest despite his full no-movement clause (which drops to a 10-team no-trade list after this season). Both could bring back nice packages, but are tough trades to make in-season.

Beyond the top names, expiring contracts like Lance Bouma, Tommy Wingels and Cody Franson (who is currently in the minor leagues) could all be swapped for a draft pick before the deadline. Restricted free agents like Ryan Hartman and Tomas Jurco could also draw interest, as could Connor Murphy if a team is willing to take on his long-term deal.

Five Players To Watch For: F Ryan Hartman, F Tommy Wingels, D Cody Franson, D Connor Murphy, F Artem Anisimov

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks & Prospects: Despite it not being a full tear down in Chicago, the team still needs to keep restocking their system with young players. That’s the only way to compete when so much of your cap is committed to an aging quartet, and they’ve dealt away much of their future in previous seasons. If GM Stan Bowman believes the Blackhawks can still compete next season, prospects close to NHL-ready could be more valuable than draft picks, though tough to acquire with certainty.

2) Defensive Help: After watching players like Trevor van Riemsdyk and Niklas Hjalmarsson forced out of town over the past few seasons, the team hoped that Murphy could handle a large role and grow with the team. Instead, they’ve had to lean on a rapidly declining Seabrook and install Jordan Oesterle as one of their top options. While Oesterle has performed better than anyone could expect, the Blackhawks need to find the next group of defenders to take some of the strain off Keith as he heads into his mid-thirties.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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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 is a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins

Two years, two Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking to take home a third consecutive championship in 2018. The Sidney Crosby-led team has a group of superstars in their prime who have turned around some early season struggles to push themselves into contention once again. Now, with just over a week before the deadline, GM Jim Rutherford is expected to make one of his customary acquisitions to help give the Penguins an extra playoff push.

Record

33-22-4, second in Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$927K full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 5th, DET 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2019: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT/MIN 4th*, PIT 5th, PIT 7th

*Dallas will receive the earlier of the two picks

Trade Chips

Daniel SprongTo use a baseball term, the Penguins for the last few years have been an example of a stars and scrubs roster, except have quickly turned those scrubs into useful players. Undrafted forward Conor Sheary, third-round picks like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, and late-round castoffs like Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin have all played important roles in the Stanley Cup victories.

Now they’re trying to make it happen once again with players like Dominik Simon and Zach Aston-Reese. That continuous development and promotion has left the prospect cupboard fairly bare for the Penguins in terms of potential impact players, save for one name: Daniel Sprong.

Sprong has been involved in nearly every speculative trade scenario for some time, as the first-round pick continues to bide his time in the AHL. An impressive offensive talent, he could still be used as a legitimate piece to acquire an impact player at the deadline.

Beyond Sprong, the Penguins are left with a good pipeline of goaltending options but the team has already come out to say they’d rather not move any of them. Despite Matt Murray’s early career success, Rutherford knows that his team is just a quick injury away from relying on Tristan Jarry throughout the playoffs.

On the NHL roster, Ian Cole has garnered his fair share of trade speculation after reportedly clashing with head coach Mike Sullivan, but looks unlikely to move now that he’s reclaimed his role. Matt Hunwick on the other hand could be the piece used to create some cap flexibility, as his three-year, $7.75MM contract doesn’t look good less than a year in.

Team Needs

1) Fourth-Line Center: For much of the season, talk surrounding the Penguins involved their search for a third-line center to push Riley Sheahan down and strengthen their group in the middle. Instead, now it seems as though the team is confident in Sheahan to fill that role and is looking for an even less impactful player. Mark Letestu has been linked to the team, and would certainly be a relatively cheap option for them at the deadline.

2) Scoring Help: Even though the Penguins have three players who can each drive a line in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, the team has been circling around some scoring help all season long. Whether that appears in the form of a big acquisition like Evander Kane or Rick Nash, or is limited to a bottom-six addition like Benoit Pouliot or Thomas Vanek is still unclear. To do anything at the deadline, Rutherford will have to move some salary out, and the bigger the prize, the tougher it becomes to fit them in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Deadline Primer: Vancouver Canucks

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With the trade deadline now just days away, we continue to take 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?

It has been a strange season for the Vancouver Canucks.  Early on, they were a popular pick to finish near the bottom of the standings but were hovering near a postseason spot for a good chunk of the year.  Now, they have several players potentially dealing with the mumps.  They’ve fallen back recently and as a result, are likely to make a handful of moves over the next few days.

Record

26-29-6, 6th in Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$0 ($2.4MM with LTIR) – full-season cap hit, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 7th
2018: VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th

Trade Chips

Jan 23, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Vancouver Canucks right wing Jannik Hansen (36) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsFor starters, GM Jim Benning will be looking to get something in return for his pending unrestricted free agents and has approached his players with no-trade clauses to see where they may be willing to go.  Unfortunately for them, they’re only likely to receive interest in two or three rental players; their other expiring UFAs are mostly depth players that contending teams already have in their system.

Many expect that right winger Jannik Hansen will draw some interest even though he’s not eligible for free agency until 2018.  He’s someone that’s right on the borderline of being protected for June’s expansion draft and as a result, the Canucks could move him now.  He has an eight team trade list that was submitted to the team earlier this week and is affordable with a cap hit of just $2.5MM.  Defenseman Ben Hutton has also been thought of as a possibility to move and his exemption from the expansion draft (plus a reasonable bridge deal starting next season) should result in some trade suitors although he has now been isolated from the team due to potential mumps symptoms.

2014 first round pick Jake Virtanen could also be one to watch.  He has struggled at both the NHL and AHL levels this season and is someone that could potentially use a change of scenery.  However, Vancouver would be selling low on the 20 year old and there’s no indication that the team has completely given up on him yet.

Five Players To Watch For: W Alexandre Burrows, RW Jannik Hansen, D Ben Hutton, D Philip Larsen, G Ryan Miller

Team Needs

1) Scoring Help – Vancouver is the second lowest scoring team in the conference in terms of goals per game and the same thing can be said for their AHL affiliate in Utica.  (To make matters worse, several of their top scorers in the minors are minor league veterans instead of prospects.)  While the Canucks aren’t going to be in the market for established players who will help them until the offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them target some AHL forwards that they could give an NHL look to down the stretch (or at the very least bolster the playoff hopes of the Comets in the minors).

2) Draft Picks – As things stand, the Canucks just have five draft picks as a result of deals for Larsen and Emerson Etem made last year.  This comes on the heels of a draft where they had just two selections in the first four rounds.  It’s widely believed that the team needs to rebuild but in order to do that, they need to replenish their draft picks.  Vancouver doesn’t have the trade pieces to bring in a first rounder over the next few days but they should be able to add at least two or three more selections in the upcoming draft which is at least a good start.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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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?

The defending Stanley Cup champions are aiming to be the first team to win two in a row since the Red Wings did so in the late 1990s. However, their quest to repeat will be hampered by injuries and a severe lack of cap space. Captain Sidney Crosby is dominating, leading the NHL in goals with 34 and second only to Connor McDavid in points, despite playing in eight fewer games. GM Jim Rutherford has a goaltending controversy on his hands, but appears comfortable waiting until the summer to deal with it.

Record

38-14-8, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

Current cap space: $0
Deadline cap space: $0
LTIR: $4.495MM
45/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: PIT 1st, PIT 3rd, PIT4th, OTT 5th*, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2018: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th

* The Penguins acquired Ottawa’s fifth round pick back in November for Mike Condon. Condon played just one game for the Penguins after they claimed him off waivers from the Canadiens to cover for an injury to Matt Murray.

Trade Chips

The Penguins have already traded their second round pick to acquire Ron Hainsey from the Hurricanes. They could also be willing to move their first round pick in a weak draft to bolster their lineup, but they would need to send money out in almost any deal made. In addition to draft picks, the Penguins could trade someone like Derrick Pouliot. The young defenseman has struggled to earn a permanent slot in the Penguins lineup, and would be of interest to building teams.

Of course, Rutherford could take the nuclear option and trade Marc-Andre Fleury. It would clear $5.75MM off their cap, in addition to the player(s) coming back. While Rutherford has said he would prefer to wait until the summer to make a goaltending move, he has also said what he does will depend on how Fleury feels.

Player To Watch

G Marc-Andre Fleury, D Derrick Pouliot

Team Needs

1) Goaltending clarity – The Penguins will need to make some kind of move in the blue paint before the expansion draft. Because Fleury has a no-move clause (NMC), he must be protected; that would leave Murray vulnerable, and Vegas would need to be heavily bribed not to select him. Instead, expect the Penguins to either convince Fleury to agree to a trade now or before the expansion draft, or at worst to waive his NMC and head to Vegas. The Penguins could make a move now and acquire a goaltender in return for Fleury to maintain their depth, but improve their roster elsewhere. Despite below-average numbers this season, Fleury still has value. What Rutherford needs to determine is whether Fleury has more value on the bench during the playoffs or in a trade.

2) Good health – The Penguins have a solid defensive core and three of the best offensive players in the game. While they can’t acquire “health” at the deadline, they can improve their overall depth to fight back against injuries. Look for a few minor additions from Rutherford to boost the depth of their roster as they prepare for another long playoff run.

Deadline Primer: New York Rangers

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At times this season the New York Rangers have looked the part of legitimate Stanley Cup contender. With a talented a deep group of forwards, the Blueshirts have shown the ability to score goals in bunches and have been among the top offensive teams in the NHL all season long. Certainly they boast enough firepower to keep pace with anyone in the league.

At other times the defensive lapses that derailed their 2015-16 campaign have reappeared and may again threaten to undermine the Rangers playoff hopes. It looks more likely than ever that Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein are simply ill-suited for the fast paced style the Rangers want to employ and just can’t cut it in top-four roles. Either would be decent options on the third pair but right now one of them has to play on one of the team’s top two pairings.

So what exactly are the Rangers? Are they a team one savvy blue line addition away from competing for the Stanley Cup? Or are they a team whose window is all but closed; one that needs too much help to reasonably expect to contend and who should resist the urge to mortgage yet more of their future in what will almost surely be another fruitless effort to win it all? That’s the question that GM Jeff Gorton and his staff have to answer in the coming days.

Record

39 – 19 – 2, 80 points, currently in third place in the Metro Division.

Deadline Status

They’re the Rangers and have essentially been all-in for the last several seasons. The Blueshirts have added Martin St. Louis, Keith Yandle and Eric Staal at the deadline at each of the last three trade deadlines respectively and they’ll be a buyer yet again. But don’t necessarily expect a splashy move. Gorton has already displayed a strong desire to protect the organization’s limited pool of prospects and draft picks. They’ll look to make a deal but likely are not willing to sacrifice much in the way of young NHL talent or futures in any move.

Deadline Cap Space

According to Cap Friendly, the Rangers will have just more than $10.1MM in cap space with which to play with. Again, a significant departure from past versions of the Rangers but a welcome one all the same as the team won’t necessarily have to pay a higher price due to requiring their trade partner to retain salary.

Draft Picks

2017: NYR 1st, NYR 3rd, Florida 4th, NYR 5th, Vancouver 6th, NYR 7th

2018: NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, Ottawa 2nd, NYR 3rd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th, Florida 7th*

*Contingent on Dylan McIlrath appearing in at least 30 NHL games in 2016-17.

Trade Chips

Shockingly, the Rangers still have their first round pick for 2017. The Blueshirts haven’t exercised a pick in the draft’s opening round since 2012, when they chose defenseman Brady Skjei 28th overall. Should they choose to hold onto that pick, they do own multiple second round picks in 2018 thanks to the Derick Brassard–Mika Zibanejad swap. Perhaps they’ll be willing to make one of those choices available.

After failing to earn a spot with the Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford, Ryan Gropp returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, where he has registered a 25-41-66 scoring line in 55 games. He was the Rangers second round pick in 2015 and could be viewed by some teams as a potential late bloomer. The Rangers are fairly deep between the pipes in their system with Igor Shesterkin leading the way. Adam Huska and Tyler Wall are both playing NCAA hockey this season and are legitimate NHL prospects. The Rangers have done an excellent job as an organization identifying unheralded goaltending prospects and seeing them develop into quality pro netminders and Huska and Wall have a chance to continue that trend.

The Rangers will be reluctant to move anyone on the NHL roster but might consider including one of Jesper Fast or Oscar Lindberg in a package to upgrade the blue line given the amount of depth up front. They might also be willing to part with Matt Puempel or Brandon Pirri but neither player likely carries much trade value. Other clubs will come calling on young forwards like Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider, players just beginning to hit reach their respective ceilings in the NHL, but it would take a substantial offer to pry one of them away.

Players to watch: Kevin Klein (recent back issues could increase the Rangers need on the blue line); Lindberg; Fast; Gropp; Wall;

Team Needs

  1. Defense: The question is whether one legitimate top-four blue liner is enough or will the team need to add two new defensive options.
  2. Defense: See above
  3. Defense: See above the above.

 

Stanislav Galiev On The Trade Block

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As predicted in our Washington Capitals Deadline Primer, the team is indeed ready to move on from young forward Stanislav Galiev. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that the Russian winger is likely to be moved ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline this Wednesday. Galiev has 15 goals and 11 assists in 33 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season, but has yet to earn a call-up to the Caps in 2016-17.

No one is doubting that Galiev is a skilled hockey player. The 25-year-old had 45 points in 67 games in the AHL in his first pro season in 2014-15 and then spent the entire season in Washington last year. However, he recorded just three assists in 24 NHL games in 2016-17. The Capitals did not want to use a roster spot on that production again this season and opted again to send Galiev back to Hersey, by way of clearing waivers. With the likes of Zachary Sanford and Jakub Vrana getting the bulk of the recalls this season, along with Washington’s astonishing streak of being healthy, Galiev has not had any opportunity to earn NHL minutes again.

Rather than frustrate the young forward any further and force him back to Russia, it sounds as if the Capitals’ brass had decided to move on from Galiev and get what they can for him. Unlike the Ottawa Senators and Curtis Lazar, it seems likely that Washington could simply settle on their best offer rather than wait to be blown away. Whether they trade Galiev straight up for a pick or prospect or throw him into a deal for a veteran forward or third-string goalie, it seems as if the young winger’s time with the Capitals is soon coming to a close.

Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the trade deadline less than a week away, we continue to take 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?

The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the most depressing stories of the season so far (sorry Flyers fans) after their hot start has crumbled in front of their eyes. Once winners of ten straight, the Flyers have gone 9-15-4 since then and have almost seen their playoff hopes vanish entirely. They are currently five points out of a playoff spot with two teams between them, and are in danger of being overtaken by the surging Tampa Bay Lightning and perhaps even the Buffalo Sabres.

It’s not all bad for the Flyers though, who have seen Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny have solid debuts as teenagers, and Wayne Simmonds continue to make his deal look like one of the best in the NHL. They have two games remaining before the deadline, one against their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins, and one against the lowly Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps they will decide the fate of the Flyers come the deadline.

Record

28-25-7, 6th in Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Likely Seller, but with eyes on a quick reload.

Deadline Cap Space

$740K – full-season cap hit, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, BOS 3rd, PHI 4th, NYI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2018: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

Trade Chips

Michael Del ZottoIt’s all about the rental defensemen for the Flyers, who have a few options to sell at the deadline. If they want to move on from both Mark Streit and Michael Del Zotto, there will be takers for both. While neither is a defensive dynamo, both provide offensive ability and can be used to boost a powerplay. Their value is fairly low, as both have been healthy scratches at times this season and aren’t reliable enough in their own end to warrant a high draft pick or top prospect.

Both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are free agents at the end of the year, but neither has played well enough for a team to think they could help them win games down the stretch. Philadelphia is likely stuck with them for the rest of the year, unless they can convince someone to take Mason’s hit in a salary-swapping deal.

It will be interesting to see if the Flyers push any of their other assets into the fray, and try a little rebuild on the fly. They’ve benched Shayne Gostisbehere at times this season to try and help his development defensively, and could get a ransom for him if they made him available. Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier would both be considered among the best available names if they listened on them, and could bring back packages close to the ones Joe Sakic is looking for in Colorado.

Likely though the deadline will come down to shopping defenders for Philadelphia, who would listen on Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald if anyone called. Both players (especially MacDonald) likely have too big of a contract to deal in-season though.

Five Players To Watch: D Michael Del Zotto, D Mark Streit, D Radko Gudas, C Nick Cousins, F Chris VandeVelde

Team Needs

1) Expansion Draft Goaltending: The Flyers have a decision to make at the expansion draft, as currently the only goaltender that fills the requirement is Anthony Stolarz, a prospect they likely wouldn’t want to lose—though they do also have Carter Hart and Alex Lyon in the pipeline. They’ll either have to re-sign one of the two pending free agents, or bring in another goaltender to expose. It doesn’t have to be anyone who will play for the team next season, but look for them to at least address that situation by the deadline.

2) Young Roster-Ready Players – The Flyers won’t want to undergo a complete rebuild, with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek right in their prime and signed long-term. Mid-round draft picks are nice to keep a pipeline full of talent, but the Flyers need to get better now. Look for them to go after any pre-prime player that is available, though those are few and far between this season. The crunch up front in Tampa Bay, or the crop of good young defenders in Carolina and Anaheim could be targets but will likely have to wait until the summer to get anything done.

Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the trade deadline now just a week away, we continue to take 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?

If the Carolina Hurricanes as deadline sellers wasn’t a foregone conclusion before, it is now after today’s trade of Ron Hainsey to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although Hainsey, who will finally get to play in the first postseason game of his 14-year NHL career, was a candidate to be traded regardless, the move is even less surprising given Carolina’s recent performance. After shocking many who believed they could be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season with a strong first half, the wheels have fallen off in Carolina since the calendar flipped to 2017. The Hurricanes are just 8-11-1 in the new year and haven’t had a regulation win since February 3rd. Facing an uphill battle as it was in the powerhouse Metropolitan Division, it didn’t help that Carolina was unable to get consistent play and fell from a playoff spot into the basement of the Eastern Conference in short order.

The ’Canes are loaded with talented young defensemen and some great young depth up front as well. They also hold a king’s ransom in draft picks and have an inordinate amount of cap space going into next season. There’s good reason behind the rumors connecting them to big-ticket trade bait like the Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. However, deals of that magnitude typically occur in the off-season. Don’t expect any different this year. The Hainsey trade either signals the beginning of a small-scale fire sale or potentially could be the only move for the Carolina at the deadline.

Record

24–24–8, last in the Metropolitan Division/Eastern Conference

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

Current Cap Space: $63,619,668

Deadline Cap Space: $71,572,127

46/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, NYR 2nd, PIT 2nd, CAR 3rd, conditional NJ 3rd, CAR 4th, BOS 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
2018: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

Trade Chips

Carolina’s best trade chip at the deadline was Ron Hainsey and GM Ron Francis did a great job in getting a strong return for the defenseman in a second-round pick and a prospect. Hurricanes fans should be happy about that haul, because that may be all they get. The reason that the Hainsey trade may be the only move that the ’Canes make at the deadline is because they lack a wealth of attractive veterans on expiring contracts. Among their impending free agents are Viktor Stalberg, Jay McClement, and Matt Tennyson and it’s doubtful that any of that trio have drawn much interest around the league. Stalberg and McClement have just 17 points combined despite playing in nearly every game and Tennyson is hardly even an NHL-caliber player. The one outlier is Derek Ryan. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ryan has finally developed into an NHL regular in Carolina at the age of 30 and would cost almost nothing against the cap with a salary of just $600K (about a $125K pro-rated cap hit on March 1st). For cap-strapped contenders facing difficulties adding players, Ryan could be very attractive as a bottom-six depth forward. He has eight goals and ten assists in 42 games and has shown some versatility within the lineup. However, are the Hurricanes willing to let their diamond in the rough go that easily? Unless Ron Francis is given a fair-value offer, he may look to bring back Ryan for next season instead as a nice complementary player.

Players To Watch

F Derek Ryan, F Viktor Stalberg, F Jay McClement, D Matt Tennyson, F Andrej Nestrasil

Team Needs

1) Franchise Forward – The rebuild in Carolina has been much faster and more successful than anyone could have expected and the organization has put together a solid young core of forwards and defensemen. The list of impact starters age 24 or younger is unreal: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin and more. That doesn’t even include top prospects on the blue line like Jake Bean, Haydn Fleury, and Roland McKeown, 2016 first-round forward Julien Gauthier, and a near-guaranteed top-five pick this June. It’s an embarrassment of riches in the youth department in Raleigh, but if the ’Canes want to climb the ranks of the Metropolitan, they need to move some young pieces to add a top forward. Not just a nice top-six player either; a star scorer. Colorado’s Duchene or Landeskog have specifically been mentioned, while Jordan Eberle, James van Riemsdyk, or Evander Kane, all reportedly available depending on who you ask and when, might be a nice addition to the “Redvolution” as well. With that said, a mega-deal like this seems very unlikely to form in the next week and could instead happen this summer.

2) Depth Defenseman – So what of the deadline? Don’t be surprised to see the Hurricanes sneak another defenseman on to the roster as part of any other moves they make. As discussed earlier this month, Carolina is in an Expansion Draft predicament with their blue liners, most of whom are so young that they don’t qualify for exposure. As of now, only the All-Star Faulk would fill the quota, and that certainly won’t be happening. The simplest move for Francis is to re-sign Tennyson or Klas Dahlbeck and simply expose one of them, but if Tennyson is traded or the team doesn’t want to keep either player around, a small trade to bring in a qualifying veteran would make sense.

Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the trade deadline now just a week away, we continue to take 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 slipping into the playoffs last year with less than 90 points and the final wildcard position, only to get punched in the mouth by the Dallas Stars and go home early, the Minnesota Wild needed a change. They’d fired their coach halfway through the season, and were relying on an aging (but excellent) core of Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter too much to succeed.

Enter Bruce Boudreau and the kids. After good solid seasons from the young guns a year ago, many of them have exploded to the forefront of the team this season, with Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Jason Zucker all already setting career-highs in points through 59 games. They’re leading the Western Conference by five points and look poised for a deep playoff run.

Record

39-14-6, 1st in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.20MM – full-season cap hit, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: MIN 1st, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th
2018: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

Trade Chips

Minnesota will almost surely avoid trading anything off the roster that has put them in prime position for a Stanley Cup run, meaning they’ll have to use draft picks and prospects as bait if they want to add anything next week. It’s a shame they don’t have their second-round pick from this season—which they traded to Buffalo for Chris Stewart back in 2015—since they are used so often in rental deals. Jason Pominville

The Wild do however have a fairly stocked cupboard of prospects that could be waived in front of a team looking to get younger. Their drafting the last decade (or longer) though not perfect in the first round has unearthed plenty of talent in later selections. They’ve picked players like Cal Clutterbuck (3rd), Justin Falk (4th), Marco Scandella (2nd), Erik Haula (7th), Darcy Kuemper (6th), Zucker (2nd) and Johan Larsson (2nd) all outside of the first round and found excellent value in each.

If a team really wants to go after youth, they could ask for prospects like Jordan Greenway, who showed off his skills at the most recent World Juniors. Kirill Kaprisov is tearing up the KHL as a 19-year old, and it was recently reported that he’ll play for CSKA next season. Alex Tuch is showing his ability at the AHL level after a dominating NCAA career, and Luke Kunin continues to captain the University of Wisconsin up the college hockey rankings. It would be crazy to trade any of these names for a rental, but if the Wild want to enter the ring of possible long-term upgrades, they have the pieces to do it.

One Player To Watch: F Jason Pominville, who has a big cap-hit and is playing much less due to the emergence of the young guns is a contract that the Wild may look to move out if they’re to make any improvements.

Team Needs

1) Wing Depth – The Wild would like to move Coyle back to center ice if possible, but they’d need a winger who can jump into their top-six to do it. Jannik Hansen has been rumored to be on their radar, but a player like Patrick Eaves seems a better fit. It’s not guaranteed that they’ll do anything, though GM Chuck Fletcher has said that they have some “unproven depth” at forward.

2) Center – The nice thing about having Coyle is that if you can’t find the upgrade at the wing you could always acquire a center instead and leave him out there. Arizona’s Martin Hanzal was quoted today by Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune as saying he wants to stay in the middle even if traded, which would still be possible for the Wild.

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