Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire David Savard
Official now, the Tampa Bay Lightning have nabbed one of the best rentals on the market. The team has acquired David Savard as part of a three-team deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.
- To Lightning: David Savard, Brian Lashoff
- To Blue Jackets: 2021 first-round pick (TBL), 2022 third-round pick (TBL)
- To Red Wings: 2021 fourth-round pick (TBL)
Columbus and Detroit will both be retaining part of Savard’s $4.25MM cap hit. Columbus retained 50% of the contract in the first deal with Detroit, and then the Red Wings retained an additional 50% of what remained. That leaves the Lightning carrying just 25% of the $4.25MM, or $1.0625MM.
Three picks may seem like a lot to give up for a player on an expiring contract, but it was required in order to facilitate the salary retention. The Lightning now add a top-four defenseman that they can fit into their tight salary cap structure. GM Julien BriseBois is making something of a mockery of the cap system, as the Lightning are nearly $18MM over the cap ceiling thanks to their huge amount of salary on long-term injured reserve. Nikita Kucherov, who makes up $9.5MM of that LTIR salary, is expected back for the playoffs once the cap ceiling is no longer used.
This move, just like the other maneuvering the Lightning have done this season, pushes the limit of the CBA but has actually been done before. Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs were involved in the trade that sent Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Vegas Golden Knights, retaining salary along the way in exchange for a draft pick. Like Tampa Bay, the Maple Leafs were deep into LTIR, meaning it didn’t really affect their cap situation by taking on some retained salary.
The outside-the-box thinking in Tampa Bay didn’t start with BriseBois. Former GM Steve Yzerman, who is now running the Red Wings, was known for his creative trade work; once again, he’s pulled off a deal to net an asset without giving up much of anything. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick just for a small salary commitment, but getting Lashoff and his $325K minor league guarantee off the books basically evens things out. The 30-year-old defenseman shouldn’t play much of a role for the Crunch and it wouldn’t even be surprising to see him loaned back to the Grand Rapids Griffins where he has played this season.
For Columbus, cashing in on Savard was a necessary move for GM Jarmo Kekalainen after the season did not go his way. The Blue Jackets have struggled for much of the year and it seemed unlikely that the team would re-sign Savard with other negotiations coming up. Landing a first and third for him should be considered a huge win, even if they will likely be extremely late picks thanks to Tampa Bay’s strong performance. Columbus has begun to start restocking the cupboard that was left so bare when they went all-in for the end of the 2019 season, acquiring the likes of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel.
All three teams seem to come out ahead in this deal, not something that can often be said at the NHL trade deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Patrik Nemeth Traded To Colorado
The Avalanche have added to their back end as they have acquired Patrik Nemeth from the Red Wings in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2022. Both teams have announced the trade.
The 29-year-old is certainly familiar with Colorado as he spent two seasons with them in 2017-18 and 2018-19. It was there that he had the best years of his career offensively (15 and 10 points, respectively) while he emerged as more of a physical presence in his second season, notching 137 hits. That helped land him earn a two-year, $6MM deal with Detroit in the summer of 2019 with an eye on helping to stabilize their back end. Colorado won’t be assuming that full price tag, however, as Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings are retaining the maximum 50% (or $1.5MM) of Nemeth’s deal.
In his first season with Detroit, Nemeth logged just over 22 minutes a night but his playing time has dipped notably this season down to 18:24 per night while notching two goals and six assists in 39 games. However, he’s still a physical player with an ability to kill penalties and block shots, elements the Avs haven’t had as much of this season with Erik Johnson‘s lingering injury troubles and the early-season trade of Ian Cole to Minnesota.
It’s likely that Nemeth will have even more of a limited role with the Avs as he figures to slot in on their third pairing. But with him already familiar with the system, he should have more of a seamless transition into their lineup than most acquisitions would although he won’t debut for a few more days as he’s currently out with a hand injury. As for Detroit, this is the first of their three allowable retained salary transactions, a number that may very well increase between now and Monday’s trade deadline and they earn themselves a mid-round pick for doing so; they now have three fourth-round selections already in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bobby Ryan Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
The Detroit Red Wings have one fewer trade chip for Monday’s deadline. The team announced today that Bobby Ryan is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Ryan is a pending unrestricted free agent.
It’s a brutal end to the year for Ryan, who was on something of a comeback tour this season after going through difficult times in Ottawa. The 34-year-old forward had seven goals and 14 points in 33 games for the Red Wings and could have ended up on a contender at the deadline. Instead, he’ll now have to head into an uncertain offseason once again without a contract.
Hopefully, Ryan is able to recover and return to the NHL next season, but for players of his age season-ending ailments are never a positive sign. Over a long successful career, the veteran forward has suited up in 866 regular season games, scored 569 points, and won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2020.
For Detroit, losing Ryan isn’t ideal, but he wasn’t expected to bring back a premium asset anyway. The team is perhaps missing out on a mid-round pick, but GM Steve Yzerman has plenty of other trade chips to use—not to mention already owns six selections in the first three rounds this year.
Red Wings Will Know More About Robby Fabbri's Injury On Tuesday
- Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri missed today’s game due to an undisclosed injury. Following the contest, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link), that the 25-year-old is listed as day-to-day and they expect to know more about the extent of the injury on Tuesday. Fabbri sits third on Detroit in scoring with ten goals and eight assists in 30 games.
Overseas Notes: Komarov, Kadeykin, Nickl
New York Islanders forward Leo Komarov is far from a free agent. Not only is the veteran still actively playing with the Islanders this season, who hope to have a long playoff run ahead of them as well, but Komarov also has one year left on his current deal. Yet, that hasn’t stopped European clubs from making their interest known, should Komarov be bought out by New York this off-season. After all, Komarov had landed on waivers thrice this season and has just four points in 21 games. The Islanders could easily see the upside in opening up more than $1MM in savings next season by buying out the remaining year and $3MM cap hit of Komarov’s contract. There would not likely be much NHL interest in the 34-year-old either if he hits the open market this summer, hence the push from European suitors already. Just how far has the early courting process already come? Finnish hockey insider Markus Nuutinen reports that Komarov actually has a handshake agreement in place for next season in the event he is bought out by the Islanders, but it isn’t in his native Finland. Instead, Komarov is expected to return to the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, the same club he was with prior to beginning his NHL career back in 2012-13. There are obviously no terms available yet for this unofficial agreement, but it would come as little surprise if a Komarov reunion with Moscow does come to fruition.
- Though most Detroit Red Wings fans have likely forgotten or are unaware of the name Alexander Kadeykin, the club is assuredly keeping tabs on him. Unfortunately, they will not have the opportunity to negotiate with the KHL forward for yet another year. Following a career year with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, in which he set new highs in goals and points, Kadeykin has signed a one-year extension to remain with Ufa, the club announced. It certainly didn’t hurt his extension chances that Kadeykin was second on the team in postseason scoring, as Ufa made it to the conference semifinals of the Gagarin Cup. Kadeykin, 27, was a seventh-round pick of the Red Wings in 2014 and since he has never made the move overseas, he remains under indefinite team control. One more year in the KHL does not completely rule out the chances that he will ever sign with Detroit, but with each passing year it grows more and more unlikely. Should Kadeykin finally decide to try his hand in the world’s top league, the 6’5″, 220-lb. center with ever-improving offensive numbers would certainly be a name to watch.
- Anaheim Ducks defensive prospect Thimo Nickl returned to Europe this season after spending last year in the QMJHL, a decision that was likely spurred by numerous factors. The young blue liner initially signed with the U-20 club of Rogle BK, but that was a short-lived stint. After recording five points in his first nine games at the junior level, Nickl was recalled to the SHL squad and has never looked back. In fact, Rogle has been so impressed with the 19-year-old that they have signed him to a one-year extension on an SHL contract. This is unlikely to bother the Ducks at all; a 2020 fourth-round pick out of Austria, Nickl was not expected to push for a spot in the organization any time soon. Playing against pro competition in Sweden, and more so finding success, is surely a developmental path that Anaheim is content to let him follow. The next challenge for Nickl will be postseason play, with the SHL playoffs approaching and Rogle sitting pretty in second place.
Evgeny Svechnikov Clears Waivers
Saturday: Svechnikov has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Friday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Detroit Red Wings have placed Evgeny Svechnikov on waivers for the second time this season after the young forward cleared in early January. Now that he has played 10 games for the Red Wings this season, he needed to clear waivers again to be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.
Svechnikov, 24, has never developed into the top-six power forward that Detroit hoped for when they selected him 19th overall in 2015. His younger brother Andrei Svechnikov has reached those heights in Carolina, but the Red Wings forward has instead toiled at the minor league level for almost all of his professional career. In 30 NHL games, Svechnikov has nine points, five of those coming this season. Even in the minor leagues though things haven’t gone smoothly, with Svechnikov only recording 60 points in 112 AHL games since the start of 2017-18.
Of course, part of the reason why that number is so low is the entire season he missed in 2018-19 after suffering a major knee injury. While that can’t be completely blamed for his stalled development, it certainly didn’t help things.
There have been flashes of potential this season, but Svechnikov doesn’t appear to really be in the long-term plans for the Red Wings. His one-year contract will expire at the end of this season and leaves him a restricted free agent again. Should a team want to claim him now, he’d have to remain on their NHL roster until clearing waivers in the future.
Trade Candidate: Jonathan Bernier
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue our closer look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and April 12th.
It has been a rough ride for players in Detroit in recent years but one of the few exceptions has been goaltender Jonathan Bernier. The 32-year-old netminder put up respectable numbers in his first two seasons with the Red Wings but has played quite well this season, putting up a winning record on a team that has lost 26 of 38 games so far. While the goalie market is usually soft around the trade deadline, Bernier’s performance has been good enough to make him a viable trade candidate over the next week and a half.
Contract
Bernier is in the final year of a three-year, $9MM contract with a $3MM AAV and a $2.5MM salary. The deal does not contain any form of trade protection. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
2020-21
When Detroit signed Thomas Greiss to a two-year deal last fall, the intention seemed to be to platoon him and Bernier with Greiss expected to do better than Jimmy Howard’s poor showing a year ago. Greiss has done that but not by much. As a result, Bernier – when healthy – has been the clear-cut number one in terms of performance although the veterans have still largely alternated starts when both are available.
Among goalies with at least 10 starts this season, Bernier is 17th in save percentage. That may not seem impressive but when you consider the quality of the team in front of him, being in the top-20 is certainly notable. Considering that potentially interested teams aren’t likely to view Bernier as a starter but rather an upgrade on their backup position, having a second option performing that well becomes quite intriguing.
It’s worth noting that Bernier was placed on IR earlier this week due to a leg injury that has kept him out for the past two weeks. That was more of a procedural move for roster space than a sign of his recovery as he has returned to practice and is expected to be back soon. It’s the second time that he has missed time due to injury this season.
Season Stats
17 GP, 8-6-0 record, 2.78 GAA, .918 SV%, 0 SO
Potential Suitors
There are two types of teams that look for goalie help around the deadline. The first is those that have had an injury and need a replacement (or at least someone to get them through the time until the injured goalie gets back) and the other is a team with playoff aspirations that is in the mix in spite of poor goaltending. This year, there are teams in both categories.
Among the teams with injuries, Colorado stands out. Pavel Francouz has missed the entire season and while Philipp Grubauer has been nothing short of outstanding, they can’t keep playing him at the rate they have been if they want to keep him somewhat fresh for the playoffs. Hunter Miska wasn’t the solution and neither is the recently-acquired Jonas Johansson. With there being no real update on Francouz’s situation, a proven backup is certainly needed and the Avs are certainly familiar with Bernier from his time with them in 2017-18.
Tristan Jarry’s injury in Pittsburgh and Frederik Andersen’s issue in Toronto also have to be monitored. Both teams would undoubtedly like to focus their limited cap space to try to fill another need but if the prognosis isn’t good for them, those teams may have to pivot. Jarry has resumed light skating although Andersen hasn’t. Arizona is viewed as a possible seller but they are hanging around the playoff race despite being without both Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta. If they decide not to sell, they could be an outside suitor for him as well.
Then there are the teams that are in the mix but could use an upgrade despite their goalies being healthy. The Flyers have already been linked to Bernier and have both Carter Hart and Brian Elliott scuffling as of late; it has become a situation where Bernier could potentially come in and start. I’d also put Chicago in this situation. Kevin Lankinen has done well but Malcolm Subban has been a bit erratic in his limited action and can’t really be relied upon in a playoff race. Bernier would give Lankinen a capable veteran to work with while Chicago would get much more consistent backup play. St. Louis and Washington could also use a veteran backup but their cap situations complicate things.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Assuming Bernier is able to return from his injury as planned, there are still two ifs at play. The first is Detroit’s willingness to retain money. Considering they have plenty of cap room and no retained salary slots on the books, that one seems like a yes. However, the second is entirely out of their control. If Florida decides to make Chris Driedger available with Spencer Knight now signed, Driedger immediately jumps to the top of the wish list for any team looking for a goalie and at $850K, he’s much more affordable than Bernier even with maximum retention.
The rental goalie market is often tricky to predict as returns have often been lower than expected in recent years on the rare occasions that one does move. There are definitely a few teams that could benefit from his services and even if Detroit wants to re-sign Bernier, they can still take a run at that this summer in free agency. This feels like a situation where the actual odds of him moving are lower than they should be. If GM Steve Yzerman can get a reasonable offer, Bernier should move but a lot will depend on Florida as to whether or not that happens.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/30/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- Late Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights made a number of roster moves, according to CapFriendly, which includes recalling forward Cody Glass and defenseman Dylan Coughlan, while also calling up goaltender Oskar Dansk on an emergency loan. Dansk was just filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury who got the day off. The team also called up forward Dylan Sikura, defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and goaltender Logan Thompson to the taxi squad.
- Vegas also announced it has assigned center Cody Glass to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL, which is somewhat surprising after the forward put up an impressive performance Monday against Los Angeles. Of course, that doesn’t mean he will play a game for Henderson, but something to keep an eye on as Vegas works the salary cap before the trade deadline.
North Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have reassigned three players to the taxi squad, including forwards Adam Brooks and Scott Sabourin as well as defenseman Timothy Liljegren. All three played in the Toronto Marlies victory over Stockton Monday with Brooks and Liljegren each picking up goals, while Sabourin picked up a five-minute major. The team also assigned forward Nicholas Robertson and defenseman Calle Rosen to the Marlies.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have recalled three players from the taxi squad to the NHL club, including forwards Zac Dalpe and Liam Foudy as well as recalling goaltender Cam Johnson on emergency conditions. That likely means that goaltender Joonas Korpisalo may not be ready to step into backup duties. After clearing waivers, the team has also assigned defenseman Scott Harrington to the taxi squad.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled forwards Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov and Frans Nielson from the taxi squad, their standard roster moves before a game.
- With a need of defensive help, the Florida Panthers announced the recall of veteran Anton Stralman to the NHL squad. The 34-year-old has three goals and nine points in 29 games this season.
- Another day, another shuffle of forwards in Dallas. The team announced that Ty Dellandrea, Justin Dowling, and Tanner Kero have all been activated from the taxi squad, while Joel L’Esperance has been reassigned to the taxi squad. All four have been transaction fixtures this season.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have recalled goaltender Maxime Lagace to the taxi squad from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. After an undisclosed injury to Tristan Jarry, the team may need Lagace closer to home. To make room on the taxi squad, the team has send forward Jonathan Gruden to the WBS Penguins.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Bobby Ryan Expects To Be Dealt By Trade Deadline
- Everyone knows the Red Wings will be selling between now and the April 12th trade deadline and Bobby Ryan is certainly in that group. He told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he knows that he will likely be on the move by then and that it’s the first time in his career that he’s approaching the deadline with that feeling. Ryan’s first season in Detroit hasn’t been overly productive but he has still managed seven goals and seven assists in 31 games. With just a $1MM cap hit and salary, he’s certainly affordable for cap-strapped teams and while he won’t yield much of a return, Detroit would be wise to pick up any future asset they can get for him.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Seth Barton
The Detroit Red Wings have inked one of their collegiate prospects, signing Seth Barton to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin with the 2021-22 season, meaning Barton cannot play for Detroit down the stretch this year.
Coming off his junior season with UMass-Lowell, the 21-year-old Barton is ready to take the next step into professional hockey. Originally selected 81st overall in 2018 he has been a competent two-way defender for the River Hawks for some time now and scored 11 points in 20 games this season.
As the release notes, Barton was selected with the third-round pick the Red Wings received in a trade for Petr Mrazek. That’s a trade the Philadelphia Flyers would certainly not do again, given how poor Mrazek played for them down the stretch in 2017-18. The Flyers actually let the goaltender go without a qualifying offer, meaning that draft pick was spent on almost nothing. Now, as he enters the Red Wings development system, Barton has a chance to show exactly what the Flyers and every other team missed by letting him fall to the end of the third round.