Roster Notes: Kings, Shore, Stars
The Los Angeles Kings have announced via a press release that forward Carl Grundstrom has been activated off of injured reserve, while forward Trevor Moore has been placed on the injured reserve. Grundstrom returns from a rather lengthy stay on the IR, having not played since January 11th against the San Jose Sharks. A very physical player, Grundstrom is known to rack up over 100 hits a season, adding a certain physicality to the bottom six of the King’s lineup.
Unfortunately for the Kings, they will lose an important piece of their roster for the near future. Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season, Moore has really come into his own in Los Angeles. Scoring a career-high of 23 points in his first full year with the Kings in 2020-21, Moore followed that up with his coming out party in 2021-22, scoring a total of 48 points last year. After that impressive run, the Kings decided to keep Moore around long-term, signing him to a 5-year, $21MM contract, ending after the 2027-28 season. Continuing close to a 0.5 PPG pace this year, Moore will be leaving a hole in the King’s roster.
- After trading away Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes this morning, Devin Shore has been recalled by the Edmonton Oilers from their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors. Playing in under nine minutes a night this season, Shore has scored a total of five points in 33 games. Only 28 years old, Shore is now in his 8th season in the NHL. Not serving on the powerplay or penalty kill once this year, Shore will likely see limited action with the Oilers in the coming days.
- Continuing on their carousel, the Dallas Stars announced that they have once again loaned forwards Frederik Olofsson and Fredrik Karlstrom back to their AHL affiliate Texas Stars. As he is loaned back to the minors for the 8th time this season, Olofsson has managed to suit up in 17 games for the Stars. Registering only four points on the year, Olofsson has been used sparingly by Stars’ head coach Peter DeBoer, failing to average over 10 minutes of action a night. Similarly, Karlstrom will be loaned back to Texas for the 5th time this year. Having served in only three games this year for Dallas, Karlstrom has been employed much the same as his Swedish counterpart.
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Jesse Puljujarvi
The Jesse Puljujarvi saga in Edmonton is ending. The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired Puljujarvi from the Oilers today, after months (if not years) of trade speculation. The rights to Patrik Puistola are going back to Edmonton in the trade, and the Oilers will not be retaining any of Puljujarvi’s contract.
This ends a long, disappointing tenure for Puljujarvi in Edmonton, starting the moment they selected him fourth overall in 2016. Despite his size, speed, and relative success in the Finnish professional league, he was completely overwhelmed when he entered the NHL in 2016-17. Bouncing up and down between the NHL and AHL hindered his development, and a few years later, Puljujarvi had enough.
In 2019-20, when his entry-level deal expired, he refused to sign a contract with the Oilers and asked for a trade. He would return to Finland to play for the entire season, once again finding great success in a more offensive role back home.
Upon returning to Edmonton the following year, Puljujarvi turned in a relatively good performance, scoring 15 goals and 25 points in 55 games. But his game had inconsistent swings in production, and it was hard to know exactly where his place on the Oilers really was.
Now, with Edmonton looking to make a big splash at the deadline but pushed right up against the salary cap ceiling, Puljujarvi needed to go. His $3MM will come off the books, meaning the team can add something significant in the coming days.
Puistola, 22, may never actually play for the Oilers. The 2019 third-round pick is unsigned and would need a contract by June 1, or his exclusive draft rights will expire. That gives Edmonton a few months to work something out with the young forward, who scored 38 points in 56 games with Jukurit in Finland this season.
In Carolina, Puljujarvi should feel a little more at home. The Hurricanes’ roster is filled with Finnish players, including 2016 World Junior teammate Sebastian Aho. There’s a real chance that he finally shows some of the offensive potential that has been locked up for so long, though that is by no means guaranteed after so many tumultuous development years.
At the very least, Puljujarvi—who has some very good underlying defensive and possession metrics—will add another big-bodied forward to the Hurricanes attack, and lengthen their forward depth chart even further. The injury to Max Pacioretty gave Carolina some wiggle room in terms of cap space, and they’ve used it to take a swing on a move that could still pay huge dividends down the road.
Puljujarvi is still scheduled for restricted free agency at the end of the year, and would be due a $3MM qualifying offer. Given the money coming off the books in Carolina, there’s no reason why they would be afraid of that number, meaning they could get a longer look at Puljujarvi with a long-term commitment if finds a fit down the stretch.
It is a disappointing outcome for another high pick in Edmonton, but fans will quickly forget the sacrifice if they can turn this cap space into a difference-maker at the deadline.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic broke news of the deal on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers Set To Restart Talks On Chychrun, Ekholm, Gavrikov
- The Edmonton Oilers have a busy day ahead of them, with talks planned on several high-profile defensemen. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that discussions with the Arizona Coyotes on Jakob Chychrun were progressing yesterday, but have since cooled. General manager Ken Holland will reach out on Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Mattias Ekholm today.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that Gavrikov is likely “Plan C” for the Oilers, with Chychrun and Ekholm the leading targets. For the Nashville Predators defenseman, the early ask started with two first-round picks, according to LeBrun.
Edmonton Oilers Loan Devin Shore To AHL
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Devin Shore has been loaned to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Shore was originally called up to the Oilers on February 18th. This move signals that Klim Kostin is likely ready to return to the lineup after an injury-related absence.
The 28-year-old is a veteran of over 400 NHL games and managed to get into coach Jay Woodcroft’s Oilers lineup four times in this stint on their roster. Shore played reasonably well, getting between seven and a half and thirteen minutes of ice time per game.
He registered an assist and scored a goal, and the Oilers went 2-1-1- during his time in their lineup. While he’s spent the majority of his season at the NHL level and therefore can’t be entirely thrilled about heading back to the minor leagues, he is firmly in a position to be called back up to the active roster.
In 33 games this season, Shore has five points. He’s been more of a difference-maker at the AHL level, though, where he has five points in five games.
It’s been Shore’s first bit of AHL action since 2015-16 when he played for the Texas Stars, and he’s performed quite well, cementing his status as a viable depth option for Edmonton. Shore is a pending unrestricted free agent who is making $850k against the cap this season.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Hutchinson, Kaut
The NHL has announced the Three Stars of the Week ending on February 26th. For the third time this season, Oilers captain Connor McDavid receives the first star honors, while goalies Linus Ullmark and John Gibson finished second and third, respectively. McDavid continues on pace toward one of the most incredible individual seasons in recent memory. McDavid put up six goals and five assists leading the Oilers to two wins in three games over the week. Predominantly known for his incredible playmaking and powerplay work, McDavid was also able to register two shorthanded points on the week, showing why he is one of only a few players who can play at an elite level in any situation.
Following behind, Ullmark similarly continued on an elite individual season, winning two games while collecting a 1.00 GAA with a .966 SV%. Aside from the phenomenal goaltending stats, Ullmark also scored the first-ever goalie goal in Bruins franchise history. As he put the game against the Canucks out of reach, Ullmark became the most recent goalie to score in the NHL since Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators scored during the 2019-20 NHL season.
Rounding out the list, Gibson finally sparked a moment of joy for Ducks’ fans this season. Not having much to get excited about, Gibson was able to rattle off a couple of 51-save performances, as well as leading the league in saves for the week with 143. Although this season has not gone well for the Ducks, earning a third star of the week is a tremendous victory for Gibson in his own right, as he becomes the second Ducks player to receive the honor this year.
- After being recalled on an emergency loan and sent back down a few days later, the Vegas Golden Knights have once again recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the minor leagues. Serving in the backup role on the Winnipeg Jets for many seasons at the beginning of his career, Hutchinson has become somewhat of a journeyman goaltender in the NHL. Having only played 10 games since the start of the 2020-21 season, it will be hard to say if this will be an extended call-up or another short stay in the NHL for the netminder. As starting goaltender Logan Thompson heals, and as cap space becomes increasingly more important toward the trade deadline, the Knights may have to play some musical chairs behind the crease for the time being.
- Since being acquired by the Sharks in January, Martin Kaut has spent much of his month in the minor leagues, until being called up on February 20th. Scoring one goal in three games, the Sharks have decided to return Kaut to the minors. The Sharks are expected to move some more players off the roster in the coming days, so it is very likely that Kaut will see time in the NHL more this season. Noted upon his arrival in San Jose, Kaut is good friends with Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl, as the two are known to do offseason training together.
Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators Discussing Mattias Ekholm
When insiders talk about the Nashville Predators being “open for business” this trade deadline, it usually includes a small caveat. Three untouchables are on the roster: Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, and Filip Forsberg. Notably, that list does not include long-time Predator Mattias Ekholm, who has seemingly been on the block-off the block for a few years.
After last night’s stunning return for Tanner Jeannot, Predators fans may be on board with blowing up the core and rebuilding, and there may even be a little trust returning to a front office that had lost the confidence of many in the market.
Today, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Predators are in discussions with the Edmonton Oilers regarding Ekholm, though there is no indication that a deal is close. The Oilers have been connected to just about every high-priced defenseman on the market as they try to give Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl some support ahead of the playoffs. Dreger adds that there are still talks between Edmonton and the Montreal Canadiens centered around Joel Edmundson.
Ekholm, 32, is signed through the 2025-26 season and carries a $6.25MM cap hit, meaning the Oilers would have to find a creative way to fit him into their current structure. The team essentially has to move out any money they bring in, and it seems unlikely that the Predators would want to retain a large portion of Ekholm’s salary, given how long his contract extends.
But the Oilers aren’t the only team in the mix. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that the Los Angeles Kings have also “kicked this idea around” as they look for their own defensive addition.
If the Predators can strip some of the expensive, veteran contracts off the books while adding future assets, new general manager Barry Trotz will be coming into an enviable situation. The team is already looking at a pretty full draft cupboard, with 11 picks this year, nine in 2024, and an extra first-round selection in 2025.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jake McCabe Reportedly Has Edmonton Oilers On No-Trade List
- Sportsnet senior columnist Mark Spector reports that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe has listed the Edmonton Oilers on the latest no-trade list he’s submitted. McCabe is one of the top defense targets available at the deadline, save for Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov, and he has a seven-team no-trade list as part of his four-year, $16MM contract with Chicago. One of the better defensive blueliners in the league, McCabe’s value is increased by his cost certainty — he’s only in year two of his contract, meaning he’s set at a $4MM cap hit through 2025. The 29-year-old veteran of nearly 500 NHL games has two goals and 17 assists in 53 games with Chicago this year.
Latest On Oilers, Erik Karlsson
Edmonton Oilers fans’ dreams of two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson being traded to oil country might have to wait to become a reality. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that a deal between the Oilers and San Jose Sharks for Karlsson is considered “unlikely,” for mainly financial reasons. Pagnotta reports that while the Sharks are willing to retain two or three million dollars off of Karlsson’s deal, the Oilers want the Sharks to retain a more significant portion, around $5MM, if not more.
As a result, Pagnotta says that “it sounds like there haven’t been any recent serious discussions between the two clubs as a result” of those financial disagreements. The rationale for the Oilers to want to acquire Karlsson is very real, as he’s a Norris Trophy frontrunner with 76 points in 58 games. But asking San Jose to take on such a large number of dead cap dollars for the foreseeable future is a major ask, and it’s understandable that the Sharks balked at the prospect of making such a deal. According to Pagnotta, the Oilers could be pivoting to new targets, such as Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg, and Arizona Coyotes blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Vincent Desharnais
After playing Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche shorthanded, the Edmonton Oilers earned themselves another emergency recall that is exempt from the cap. The catch is that it can only be a player with a cap hit of $850K or lower. Luckily, Vincent Desharnais falls right at that threshold and has been recalled today to give the team an extra defenseman.
It might seem like savvy cap management, getting Desharnais and Devin Shore up for no hit, but the Oilers have had to play multiple games shorthanded now, and have lost both by a small margin. The club is coming off three-straight extra-time losses and is now 4-1-5 in their last ten.
For an NHL team to get themselves into this kind of situation is rather surprising, given how much time they had to clear cap space while Kailer Yamamoto was injured. Should anyone else experience minor injuries, the team would likely be forced to play shorthanded again.
As the deadline approaches, the team will have to consider making a cap-clearing move of some sort if they want to improve the group in any fashion.
For now, the big, bruising Desharnais will get back into the lineup, after showing pretty well earlier this year. The 6’6″ defenseman recorded four assists and 17 penalty minutes in 12 games, registering an impressive +9 rating despite playing just 12 minutes a night.
Dylan Holloway Out "At Least a Month"
- The Edmonton Oilers will be missing young forward Dylan Holloway for “about a month” according to Jason Gregor of The Nation Network. After a very productive college hockey career, Holloway has failed to replicate his production in college to the professional level. Playing primarily in Edmonton’s bottom six, Holloway has scored nine points in 51 games this season. Due to the activation of Kailer Yamamoto off the injured reserve on February 17th, Holloway was sent down to Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Although he’s now rostered in the minors, losing Holloway could be a significant hurdle in Edmonton’s upcoming trade deadline plans.