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Pacific Notes: Kovalchuk, Hoffman, Ritchie, Karlsson

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The Los Angeles Kings may have moved one of their biggest trade chips several weeks ago in Jake Muzzin, but don’t expect the Kings to stand pat as the deadline nears. Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes that general manager Rob Blake has spoken to veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk, who is seriously considering waiving his no-move clause to go to a contender.

However, Kovalchuk, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM deal last summer, might not fetch a big return for the Kings. A team has to be willing to take on two more years of the 35 year-old’s contract which carries an expensive $6.25MM AAV with it. He has scored 13 goals and has 28 points in 50 games so far this year, while dealing with injuries, but few teams would be willing to give up more than a lower-level prospect to take on Kovalchuk.

Elliott also points out that Los Angeles are far more likely to hold onto defenseman Alec Martinez, who might not bring back the return they were hoping for, while few teams have shown much interest in Jeff Carter so far.

  • Sportsnet’s Marc Savard tweets that the Florida Panthers are getting a lot of calls on forward Mike Hoffman and the Arizona Coyotes, who are looking to make a late playoff run, are pushing hard to acquire the speedy winger. The 29-year-old is having a nice season as he has 26 goals and 51 points, which is in line for a career year. Hoffman could bring back a signficant return as he has another year on his deal at $5.19MM and would be another significant addition of scorers for the Coyotes.
  • The Anaheim Ducks may make a quiet move or two, but after agreeing to a five-year extension with Jakob Silfverberg, the team lacks any significant trade assets to move at the trade deadline. However, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that with the play of Max Jones and the Max Comtois (currently in juniors), winger Nick Ritchie might be expendable now and be potentially available. A holdout at the beginning of the season, Ritchie eventually signed an inexpensive three-year deal, totaling just $4.6MM, which some teams might covet. Ritchie, of course, hasn’t proven he can be anything more than a 15-goal scorer.
  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Erik Karlsson, who left in the second period of Saturday’s loss to Columbus, tweaked his groin injury in the game. No word on the severity of the injury, however. Karlsson already missed a month between January and February with that lower-body injury, and more missed time would be a setback for a Sharks’ team trying to work their way to the top of the Pacific Division. Head coach Peter DeBoer said he is concerned. “Absolutely,” said DeBoer. “I thought we were as conservative and cautious as you can be but muscle injuries you don’t know. Sometimes you get in positions or over-extend it. We’ll see where it’s at tomorrow.”

Florida Panthers Sign Frank Vatrano To Three-Year Extension

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The Florida Panthers have locked up one of their own Saturday when they signed winger Frank Vatrano to a three-year contract extension worth $7.59MM, according to The Athletic’s George Richards. The contract, which will buy out on unrestricted free-agent year, will give him an AAV of $2.53MM.

Vatrano, who was acquired from Boston almost a year ago today for a third-round pick, has been quite successful in Florda as he has already has a career-high 20 goals this season and has been a key part to the team’s offense. Vatrano looked like he had potential after the team picked him up at the trade deadline as he posted five goals in 16 games last year while Florida made an impressive run to get into the playoffs last year. However, this year, he’s taken his game up a level and has proven that is a key piece to the team’s future.

Vatrano, who was making $925K this season will get quite a boost next season. Vatrano had two years remaining as a restricted free agent and with arbitration being a possibility for him, it isn’t a surprise that Florida tried to get him locked up now and getting an extra year out of him in the deal makes the deal that much better, especially with many restricted free agents getting more and more at this point in their careers.

 

Derick Brassard Won't Play Today, Expected To Be Traded

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  • Panthers center Derick Brassard is expected to be scratched today against Los Angeles in anticipation of a trade, notes George Richards of The Athletic (Twitter link). Florida only acquired him at the beginning of the month but as they’re well out of a playoff spot and the 31-year-old is a pending free agent, it’s not surprising that they’re going to be looking to move him already.  Brassard has struggled considerably this season with just 19 points in 50 games so it’s quite unlikely that Florida will come close to getting what the Senators got for Brassard at the deadline last year, a package that involved a first-round pick.

San Jose, Florida Complete Minor Deal

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The San Jose Sharks have sent minor league forward Vincent Praplan to the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations. Praplan was signed by the Sharks in March 2018 and has been playing all season for the San Jose Barracuda.

Praplan, 24, has 16 points in 27 games for the Barracuda but there have already been rumors of a potential return to Switzerland after the season. His one-year entry-level contract will expire at the end of 2018-19, at which point Praplan would be an arbitration eligible restricted free agent. There’s a real chance that the Sharks were not intending to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the year, something that the Panthers may be more willing to do.

It’s interesting that this deal comes just after the Panthers watched Micheal Haley return to the Sharks, but there is no way they could have guaranteed he fell all the way to San Jose in the waiver process. Instead, it likely is just a favor to the player or organization to provide a better opportunity down the stretch.

Mike Hoffman Asked To Submit No-Trade List

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The Florida Panthers have already traded away Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann in an attempt to clear some salary off their books moving forward, and are at least preparing to do it again if the need arises. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Mike Hoffman has been asked to submit his 10-team no-trade list ahead of the deadline, giving the Panthers at least some idea of where he does not want to go. LeBrun is quick to point out that this does not guarantee a trade by Monday’s deadline, but does signify that teams have been expressing interest in the sniper. Hoffman’s contract carries a $5.1875MM average annual value through the 2019-20 season.

Hoffman, 29, is having the best season of his career in Florida with 49 points through his first 58 games. That includes 26 goals, a pace that would push him over the 30-goal threshold for the first time in his career. Possessing a lethal combination of shooting ability and speed, the winger could be added to almost any lineup for an instant offensive injection.

Still, that success that Hoffman has found in Florida is not something the team will be quick to throw away. After the Ottawa Senators were forced to sell Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks following a locker room feud between him and then captain Erik Karlsson, the Panthers snapped him up knowing first hand how dangerous he could be with the puck on his stick.

All that success might not matter though if the Panthers have their sights set on a bigger fish. Several reports have surfaced over the last month that the team will be interested in signing Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin should they both reach free agency, and Florida would need to clear salary—not necessarily cap space—in order to do that. The team is not quite a cap team, especially if the ceiling keeps increasing every year. Of course, clearing salary doesn’t immediately mean Hoffman is on his way out. Signing Bobrovsky would also mean the departure of at least one of Roberto Luongo or James Reimer in some fashion, though the former has very little actual salary left on his deal.

If Hoffman was available, you can bet several teams would be interested despite his questionable departure from Ottawa. Those who are less interested in going after the high-end rental options might think that he’s actually more valuable, given that he will be coming back for an additional season at a reasonable price and is still young enough to continue performing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

San Jose Sharks Claim Micheal Haley

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The San Jose Sharks are bringing back a familiar face, claiming Micheal Haley off waivers from the Florida Panthers. Haley will be returning to the team he played 78 games for between 2014-17, and one that is loading up for another long playoff run.

It’s been a tough year for Haley on and off the ice, culminating in his removal from the Panthers roster in early October to take part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. The Panthers stuck with him throughout, and have put him back in the NHL lineup for 24 games this season. Those contests have resulted in just three points, but Haley was never known for his contributions on offense. Instead, he’s regarded as one of the last enforcers in the league and an extremely tough player to share the ice with.

While there’s no reason to believe Haley will see increased minutes in San Jose with a better Sharks team, this move does smack of an answer to the Nashville Predators acquisition of Cody McLeod earlier this month. The two teams expect to contend for the Stanley Cup this season and will want all the toughness and grit they can get down the stretch. Haley costs the team very little, given his $825K full-season cap hit.

Four Players Placed On Waivers

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Wednesday: Eaves, McCollum and Leighton have all cleared waivers. Haley was claimed by the San Jose Sharks.

Tuesday: Four players have been placed on waivers. Patrick Eaves of the Anaheim Ducks and Micheal Haley of the Florida Panthers are on regular waivers, while goaltenders Thomas McCollum and Michael Leighton have both signed NHL contracts for the rest of the season and were required to be put through the process. McCollum’s two-way deal with the Nashville Predators will see him earn a prorated $650K at the NHL level ($100K in the AHL) for the rest of the season, while Leighton’s contract with the Vancouver Canucks will carry the same NHL salary.

Eaves is perhaps the most surprising of the group, given the excitement over his arrival in Anaheim at the end of the 2016-17 season. The veteran forward found a perfect fit with the Ducks and scored 11 goals down the stretch for them, finishing with a career-high of 32 on the season. Unfortunately, things took a disastrous turn last season when Eaves was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and played just two games for the Ducks. This year has been marred by injury after injury, leading to just seven games played by the 34-year old winger.

With another season remaining on his three-year, $9.45MM contract it will be hard for any team to justify a claim on Eaves, who doesn’t have a point this year. With that in mind, using waivers will give the Ducks a chance to move him back and forth if need be.

Vancouver has been strapped for goaltending help since trading away Anders Nilsson and losing Mike McKenna on waivers, and Leighton has done enough to deserve an NHL deal. The 37-year old netminder has a .912 save percentage over four games with the Utica Comets and will likely serve as emergency insurance for the Canucks down the stretch.

Senators’ Julius Bergman Likely To Return To Sweden

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The entire Mike Hoffman situation last summer was regrettable for all involved and forced the Ottawa Senators’ hand. However, since the initial trade out of Ottawa, it has only gotten worse for the Senators. First, the team received an underwhelming return back for the perennial 20-goal scorer; the San Jose Sharks sent capable, but overpaid forward Mikkel Boedker, prospect defenseman Julius Bergman, and a sixth-round pick in exchange for Hoffman, Cody Donaghey, and a fifth-round pick. Then, they watched as the Sharks flipped Hoffman the same day to the Florida Panthers for second-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks, a much more desirable return. Over the course of this season, the Senators have been disappointed by Bergman, the default centerpiece of the Hoffman package, who has just six points through 33 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Now, it seems they are about to lose Bergman entirely, just one year after acquiring him.

Sport Bladet, a reputable Swedish news source, reports that Bergman has agreed in principal on a contract to return to his former Swedish Hockey League club, Frolunda HC. Seeing as the NHL season is not yet over, Bergman cannot officially agree to any such contract. However, the 23-year-old defender is at the end of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this off-season. The Senators can only issue a qualifying offer to retain his rights, but can do nothing to stop him from signing in Sweden if he so chooses.

For all of his struggles this season, Bergman is still considered a promising prospect. A second-round pick out of Frolunda in 2014, Bergman made the jump overseas immediately to play with the OHL’s London Knights. In his one junior season, he scored 13 goals and added 29 assists as a top-pair defenseman for the Knights. He spent the next three seasons with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, recording 61 total points, highlighted by a 30-point campaign in 2016-17 that also included a dominant postseason performance. However, that production has dried up since his arrival in the Senators’ organization. An offensive defenseman who suddenly isn’t scoring, Bergman hasn’t given the team any reason to rush him to the NHL, yet the Sport Bladet article cites his frustration at not getting any NHL opportunity as one of the reasons for his return to Sweden.

It is still possible that Bergman decides to stay with the Senators instead of joining Frolunda. It is also possible that he spends a year or two in Sweden and wants to return as a more polished product. However, there is also a strong possibility that these next few months in the AHL are the last we see of Bergman in North America, adding insult to injury for a poor trade made in a difficult situation by the Senators.

Minor Transactions: 02/17/2019

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Yesterday saw the Hurricanes move into the Eastern playoff picture at the expense of the Penguins, the Bruins pass the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic, and the Blues win their ninth straight as they pull away from the Western wild card race entirely. With another six games on the docket today, featuring eight teams still jockeying for playoff position, we could see more movement in the standings. Meanwhile, there will definitely be some movement across NHL rosters, as teams prepare for the week ahead. Keep up with all the action here:

  • The Vancouver Canucks recalled a newly-acquired player before last night’s game, but it wasn’t Ryan Spooner. Luke Schenn, acquired in the Michael Del Zotto trade in January, was given his first Canucks promotion the team announced, although he did not suit up last night. The veteran blue liner has played well since joining the AHL’s Utica Comets and the Canucks could use some solid play on the back end while dealing with several injuries.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced the return of young goaltender Filip Gustavsson to the AHL, as well as veteran forward Darren Archibald, who has become a fixture of the team’s the daily transactions. Gustavsson, 20, was given his first recall on Tuesday to serve as the backup to Anders Nilsson while Craig Anderson was sidelined. Gustavsson did not see any action and will now head back to the Belleville Senators. Meanwhile, his reassignment implies that Anderson has been cleared to return to action.
  • CapFriendly reports the Colorado Avalanche have sent Sheldon Dries and Dominic Toninato back to the minors. Dries has skated in three times as many games with the Avs this season than the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and has never been down for too long, whereas Toninato has only gotten into two NHL games as opposed to 37 AHL games and has been more productive at the lower level. Neither player has been any help in solving the Avalanche’s secondary scoring problem, so for now they’ll get some work in with the Eagles. BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports the Avalanche have recalled Andrew Agozzino. The 28-year-old veteran hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2015-16 season. He currently has 22 goals and 50 points in 48 games with the Eagles.
  • No sooner than he was called up is Tucker Poolman being sent back down. The Winnipeg Jets announced that the 25-year-old defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose after he was recalled just yesterday, only to watch the Jets’ game from the press box. Poolman has yet to play in the NHL this season after getting into 24 contests last year. Poolman is signed for two more years and is hoping to earn a role in Winnipeg sooner rather than later.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards relays from head coach Bob Boughner that the Florida Panthers have placed Roberto Luongo on the bereavement list due to a death in the family. He will be unavailable through at least tonight’s game. As such, the team will call up young Samuel Montembeault from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds to back up James Reimer for the time being. The team has since confirmed the move.
  • Casey Nelson has finished his own conditioning stint and has been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced. Nelson has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since early December, but after a five-game stint with the AHL’s Rochester Americans he looks ready for a return.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled Michael Bunting from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL just a two days after the team put him on waivers and sent him to the AHL. The 23-year-old Bunting has appeared in just five games for Arizona, but has flashed some potential in Tucson as he has posted 11 goals and 27 points in 31 games.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have assigned forward Sammy Blais to the San Antonio Rampage after being recalled Saturday. He was recalled to fill in as an emergency forward for Sunday’s game. He didn’t play and now will return to San Antonio. Blais has 18 points in 25 games for the Rampage.

Deadline Primer: Florida Panthers

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Florida Panthers.

For all the talk of the Florida Panthers trading for Artemi Panarin and/or Sergei Bobrovksy, it doesn’t really make much sense. The Panthers are 11 points back of a playoff spot and don’t seem to have the makings of late-season run like in 2017-18. The team doesn’t need Panarin and Bobrovsky this year, they want them for the future. Luckily, both are slated to be unrestricted free agents this summer. The rumors of Florida’s interest may very well be true, but they will take their shot in the off-season.

No, the truth this season is that the Panthers are pure sellers and that’s it. The team entered the campaign with high expectations and have failed to perform up to the level many assumed they would. Florida has the talent in place, but simply couldn’t put it together this year. They will sell off what they can, tweak the roster this summer, and likely enter next year with high expectations again.

Record

24-24-8, sixth in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$11.67MM in full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: FLA 1st, PIT 2nd, EDM 3rd, FLA 4th, MIN 4th, PIT 4th, FLA 5th, FLA 6th, FLA 7th
2020: FLA 1st, FLA 2nd, FLA 3rd, FLA 4th, FLA 5th, TOR 5th, FLA 6th, FLA 7th

Trade Chips

The Panthers already made a major trade this season, sending Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, and a package of picks. While a second-rounder and two fourth-rounders is a nice get for Florida, this deal is still only half done. Barring an unexpected extension of either player, both Brassard and Sheahan are impending unrestricted free agents brought in as pieces for Florida to flip before the deadline. Expect the Panthers to shop both aggressively.

Yet, even prior to that trade the Panthers had UFA pieces ready to move. Veteran bottom-six forwards Troy Brouwer, Micheal Haley, and the recently-waived Jamie McGinn are all up for grabs. Defensemen Bogdan Kiselevich, Julian Melchiori, and Chris Wideman, another player acquired earlier this season, are depth options on the block as well. None of these players will return much to Florida, but if they’re able to trade all or most of them, it will result in a nice bundle of mid- to late-round picks or project prospects, which never hurts.

The team has already refuted reports that Jonathan Huberdeau is available, but the same might not be true for several other Florida players with term or team control. Mike Hoffman has been a great fit for the Panthers and is on pace for a career year offensively. However, he has just one year left on his contract and would be more highly-valued on the market now as opposed to this off-season or next season. The same can be said for Evgenii Dadonov, who has quietly been a dominant presence in Florida but will be due a significant raise after next season. There isn’t a great chance that either player is moved, but it’s certainly possible. More likely, albeit for a significantly lesser return, is that the Panthers move on from an aging RFA defender like MacKenzie Weegar or Ian McCoshen, if there’s a market. Neither has developed the way the team had hoped and it seems unlikely that they’re both back on the roster next year.

If the Panthers can figure out some way (read: retained salary) to move James Reimer, they will. The Reimer-Roberto Luongo tandem experiment has not worked out, as evidenced by the teams purported interest in Bobrovksy. Florida does not want to buy out or bury Reimer if they can trade him. Some team in need of a backup may be willing to make a deal if the Panthers eat a chunk of his $3.4MM cap hit over two more seasons. Sadly, Reimer has been the better of the two goalies this season and Luongo’s contract is basically immovable.

Five Players To Watch For: F Derick Brassard, F Riley Sheahan, F Troy Brouwer, D Bogdan Kiselevich, D MacKenzie Weegar

Team Needs

1) Prospect Defensemen: The Panthers’ biggest needs are a starting goaltender and top-four defenseman; they won’t be getting those at the deadline. However, those needs are reflective of a team defense that is simply horrid. Not a single player on Florida’s roster has a positive plus/minus following the trade of Bjugstad. No other team in the NHL can claim that unfortunate mark. This has to change if the Panthers ever want to improve. Looking ahead, the team is missing that top defensive prospect who could come in and make an impact without being yet another defensive liability. While Florida has some promising forwards in the pipeline, they should target a high-upside blue liner if possible.

2) Draft Picks: Do the Panthers really need draft picks? No. This team wants to retool in the off-season and try to compete again next year, rather than rebuild. However, when most of your deadline pieces are depth players on expiring contracts, the best you can do is maximize your draft pick return. Those picks could then be used on prospects, but also traded away for immediate help as well. If the Panthers can’t pry a top prospect – preferably a defenseman, but a forward is fine – for Brassard, look for the team to target another second-round selection this year to replace their own and pair with Pittsburgh’s.

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