Panthers Willing To Trade Mark Pysyk
Earlier today, it was reported that the Panthers are willing to deal defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich. It turns out that he’s not the only rearguard that can be had. In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Florida is also open to trading blueliner Mark Pysyk.
This has not been a particularly strong season for the 27-year-old. He suffered an upper-body injury less than two weeks into the year and then sat for several games after receiving medical clearance to return. When Pysyk has played, he hasn’t had a significant impact – he’s logging just 17:43 per night of ice time, his lowest since joining Florida in 2016-17.
It wasn’t that long ago that Pysyk was viewed as a key part of the Panthers’ back end for the long haul, so much so that they opted to leave winger Jon Marchessault unprotected over him in the Vegas Expansion Draft. Suffice it to say, they’d likely a mulligan on that one. Which Marchessault has gone on to be one of the Golden Knights’ top offensive players, Pysyk has settled into more of a depth defender role.
As a right-shot defender, Pysyk should attract some interest as finding regular players on that side can be difficult at times. However, his contract will be an issue for some teams. He’s in the second season of a three-year, $8.2MM deal and an AAV of $2.73MM may be too high for someone that is likely to be a third pairing player elsewhere. On top of that, the contract is backloaded and he is owed $3.5MM in salary for 2019-20.
With Florida currently sitting 14 points out of a playoff spot, it appears they’re likely to be sellers before the February 25th trade deadline. With Kiselevich and now Pysyk available, it appears they’ll be looking to make some tweaks to their back end between now and then.
Florida Panthers Make Bogdan Kiselevich Available For Trade
It looked like the Florida Panthers were getting an inexpensive depth addition for a potential playoff run when they convinced KHL veteran Bogdan Kiselevich to come to North America last summer. The 28-year old defenseman had been an excellent player for years, suiting up at the World Championships and even the Olympics for Russia. That playoff run hasn’t gone according to plan though as Florida finds themselves near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference standings after a seven-game losing streak. If the playoffs are out of the question the Panthers aren’t going to hold on to Kiselevich, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that GM Dale Tallon has informed the rest of the league that the Russian defenseman is available for trade.
While that news may not be surprising, Kiselevich could very well be a savvy pickup for a playoff team looking for depth. Despite averaging fewer than 15 minutes a night, Kiselevich has actually been relatively effective for the Panthers, recording eight points in 31 games and posting positive possession statistics. Though he’s not going to step into a first pairing and change the outlook of a blue line, there’s reason to believe he could be a third-pairing upgrade especially given his experience in pressure-heavy tournaments and playoff situations in Russia.
An easy comparison for Kiselevich is the Washington Capitals acquisition of Michal Kempny last season. The smooth-skating Kempny was picked up in mid-February by the Capitals for a third-round pick and found immediate success in his new home. He would go on to be a key player in a Capitals Stanley Cup run, and earned himself a four-year extension. There are much less successful examples, but that’s the one teams will point to in order to justify acquiring Kiselevich over the next few weeks. We’ll have to wait and see if he can have the same kind of impact.
Paul Byron To Face Disciplinary Hearing
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is hard at work this morning reviewing all the questionable hits from last night, and have decided that one in particular is deserving of further discipline. Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron will have a hearing today after charging Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. Weegar suffered an injury on the play.
Byron has been an excellent performer once again this season for the Canadiens, tallying nine even-strength goals in just 34 games despite averaging just 12 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5. The speedy forward is a lethal counter-puncher, and provides a solid balance for the more skilled Montreal players who can sometimes be hesitant to leave the perimeter. Losing Byron for any length of time would hurt the Montreal attack, and force the team to use someone else on the penalty kill for at least a few games.
Schedule For Upcoming NHL “Bye Weeks”
For the third year in a row, the NHL has scheduled a mandated multi-day break for each team in the middle part of the season. Meant to give each team a rest, much like the bye week in the National Football League, this break also includes limits on practice, including several days in which all team activities are prohibited. A seven-day break this season, on paper an increase from the original five-day break, the “bye week” is actually less intrusive this season than it has been in the past despite the longer length. All 31 teams will take their break either right before or right after the upcoming All-Star Weekend, with those two days counting toward the seven and simply extending what has always been a short break for non-participants. Below are the lists of teams who will take leave on one side of All-Star festivities or the other:
Before All-Star Weekend (January 20 – 24)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets
After All-Star Weekend (January 27 – 31)
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
How each team feels about taking an extended break in the middle of the season generally varies based on situational factors. While many players would enjoy getting to spend some time away with their families, others would rather keep the pedal to the metal mid-season. More specifically, a team that is playing well and stringing together wins would rather keep playing and not lose out on that momentum. Another team may be in a slump or struggling with injuries and desperately in need of a break. Either way, not every team will be in favor of the bye week each season.
There also remains some scheduling flaws with the mandated break, as most teams will only get the actual seven days or an eighth day off for travel, but others are set to go ten or eleven days without a contest. The “bye week” seems to be a move by the NHL that has enough support to continue in future seasons, but the league could work on sharpening the schedule so as to give teams as close to an even break as their competition as possible.
Maple Leafs Could Face Another Goalie Dilemma
It has been two weeks since the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Michael Hutchinson from the Florida Panthers to combat the outside chance that both starter Frederik Andersen and backup Garret Sparks could miss significant time. In those two weeks, the only goalie to appear in the Toronto net has been Hutchinson, as that outside chance has turned into reality. Tonight, Hutchinson makes his fifth straight start and again it is unproven emergency recall Kasimir Kaskisuo as his backup. Andersen is still recovering from his groin injury and now has the flu on top of it, while Sparks has returned to practice but has not been cleared to play yet as he fights concussion symptoms. A short-term stopgap solution has turned into a lengthy stretch with Hutchinson as the starting goalie and as a result more problems could be headed Toronto’s way.
Sportsnet’s John Shannon made note today that when Hutchinson takes the ice tonight against the visiting Boston Bruins, it will be his ninth NHL appearance of the season – he made three starts and a relief appearance for the Panthers. When that number hits ten, which could be as early as Monday if one or both of Andersen and Sparks are not yet ready to return, Hutchinson will require waivers to be sent to the AHL. Waivers has been a thorn in the side of the Maple Leafs all season, as it is what originally cost them both Curtis McElhinney (CAR) and Calvin Pickard (ARI) before the campaign even began and what prevents them from moving Sparks to the minors without risk. Should that happen, more of a when than an if, Toronto will again face a goalie conundrum in which they would either have to carry three goaltenders or potentially lose Hutchinson on waivers. While Hutchinson struggled in Florida to begin the year, he has vastly improved since landing in Toronto, posting a .919 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average. He would likely be an attractive option on the waiver wire for many teams in need of depth in net. By no means is Toronto guaranteed that he would clear.
The injuries to Andersen and Sparks could linger and, even if they didn’t, losing Hutchinson would be a blow to their depth in net. Toronto would yet again need to acquire a goaltender if Hutchinson is lost to waivers. On the other hand, keeping three goalies on the roster through the trade deadline late next month, after which roster limits expand, would also hamstring the team at other positions. There is no easy answer to the potential problem, as the waiver status of the team’s goaltenders continues to plague the Maple Leafs this season. During the all-important stretch run, and even more so the postseason, the team needs to be prepared for all possibilities, including one of their keepers going down yet again. While they had hoped Hutchinson would be that security blanket, that likely won’t occur without taking a major risk or making sacrifices.
Minor Transactions: 01/08/19
If you wanted to see some NHL hockey tonight’s the night, as 22 teams are in action across the league. Most notably perhaps is a clash between the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets, two teams separated by just six points in the Central Division standings. These two teams could very well be on a collision course in the first round of the playoffs. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league as teams prepare for the busy night.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs lead off the moves once again by sending both Kasimir Kaskisuo and Trevor Moore back to the minor leagues, given they don’t play until Thursday. The Maple Leafs are hoping to save cap space with these daily moves while also giving Kaskisuo a chance to stay fresh playing for the Marlies.
- Yesterday the Florida Panthers recalled Ian McCoshen for the first time this season, after suiting up 35 times in the minor leagues. The former Boston College standout was considered “NHL-ready” when he left the NCAA in 2016, but failed to establish himself as a full-time player for the Panthers. He’ll get another chance soon, after recording nine points in those 35 AHL games this season.
- Dan Renouf has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes, an interesting move given their depth at defense. The team has several other options in the minors like Haydn Fleury, Jake Bean and Roland McKeown, but decided to reward Renouf for his solid play all year.
- The New York Islanders have sent Joshua Ho-Sang back to the minor leagues, making room to activate Valtteri Filppula. That move certainly won’t come with much fan support, given Ho-Sang’s obvious offensive talent and potential as a prospect. Still, the 22-year old has just two points in ten games for the Islanders this season.
- Days after clearing unconditional waivers and having his contract terminated by the New York Rangers, Vince Pedrie is on to a new team. The Milwaukee Admirals, affiliate of the Nashville Predators, have signed the 24-year-old defenseman to a contract, the AHL announced. Pedrie, a former Penn State University standout, left school early to sign with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2017. However, that proved to not be the opportunity that he had hoped, as Pedrie did not get his shot at the NHL during the tail end of that season or any of last season. Instead, Pedrie remained with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where he failed to impress. Early this season, Pedrie has split his time between Hartford and the ECHL’s Maine Mariners before negotiating his release. While he is unlikely to earn an NHL contract this season, Pedrie could return to his college form with Milwaukee and try his hand at the free agent market this off-season.
Three Players Placed On Waivers
Monday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Sunday: The Los Angeles Kings have come to the same decision that the Montreal Canadiens made earlier this season, and have placed young forward Nikita Scherbak on waivers. He’ll be joined by Jordan Schmaltz of the St. Louis Blues and Chris Wideman of the Florida Panthers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Scherbak was claimed by the Kings in an attempt to add some more speed and youth to their lineup in a hope that it would create more offense, but the 23-year old winger failed to do so through his eight games in Los Angeles. Scoring just a single goal, Scherbak struggled to adjust to his new team and will now be available for the entire league once again. If he clears, Los Angeles would be able to send Scherbak to the Ontario Reign and keep him in the organization.
St. Louis too is hoping to sneak Schmaltz through and send him to the minor leagues, given the fact that he hasn’t played in an NHL game since December 14th. The 25-year old defenseman just can’t seem to crack the Blues lineup on a full-time basis, playing in 20 games this season but earning an average of just 11:29 minutes of ice time. Schmaltz was a first-round pick of the Blues in 2012, but has just five points in 42 NHL games and could very well be on his way to another organization to get a fresh start.
Wideman, meanwhile has seemed to get a fresh start every few days this season. After being involved in the infamous Ottawa Senators Uber video earlier this year, he was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers in late November. After just five games as an Oiler, the team decided to ship him out to Florida as part of the package that acquired Alex Petrovic. Wideman made his Florida debut last night recording two shots in just under 12 minutes of ice time, but apparently did not do enough to impress Bob Boughner‘s coaching staff. If assigned to the minor leagues, Wideman’s entire $1MM salary would be buried and not count towards the cap for the Panthers.
Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Trocheck, Backes, Schenn
The Tampa Bay Lightning had two chances to acquire superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson to their lineup and while many still feel that they should have gone out and paid the price to bring one more superstar into their lineup, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) looks back and feels the team should be thankful it didn’t do that when it had the chance.
While the Lightning seriously considered trading with Ottawa at the trade deadline and then again in the offseason, the team opted to go a cheaper route and bring in defenseman Ryan McDonagh. That trade was critical, according to Smith, who writes has been crucial to the team’s penalty kill, which was 28th in the league at the time of the trade last season. While he doesn’t contribute as much offensively, that’s one area of the game that Tampa Bay doesn’t need help on.
The scribe also points out that the team would have been forced to move Mikhail Sergachev in any deal to acquire Karlsson, and while the youngster has had an up-and-down season so far this year, the team still views Sergachev as a top-four defenseman and a key piece to the Lightning’s long-term future.
- Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck is ahead of schedule in his rehab on his fractured right ankle that he suffered on Nov. 11. The 25-year-0ld returned to the ice both Friday and Saturday. “It was encouraging,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “I talked to him and asked him how it was to be on the ice [Friday] and he said he was a little sore during the day, but he woke up real good today, so that’s a good sign after his first skate.” Boughner said that Trocheck definitely won’t be back until after the all-star break, but much will depend on how he feels with each step in his recovery.
- Despite never having any success next to David Krejci, Boston Bruins forward David Backes filled in on the team’s second line alongside Krejci and Jake Debrusk and showed that he might be the answer to their team’s hole there, according to NHL.com’s Joe Haggerty. Backes scored the game-winning goal against Buffalo Saturday and looked like the perfect linemate after the team has cycled through Ryan Donato, Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen all failed to succeed there. The 34-year-old has seen his offense decline over the years from a 30-goal threat to a 14-goal season a year ago. With just four goals this season, the team would be thrilled if Backes could contribute in a top-six role in the future.
- That report comes a day after Haggerty’s report that the Bruins have expressed interest in acquiring Brayden Schenn from St. Louis. While Haggerty writes that the team has shown considerable interest in Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle, the scribe writes that Schenn would be a much more intriguing option to fill the hole on the second line. While the 27-year-old center’s numbers have been down this year with just eight goals and 23 points, he is coming off a 28-goal, 70-point season last year and could be a big addition to a Bruins team if they opt to go out and get him.
Derek MacKenzie Will Not Return This Season
Back in October, Panthers center Derek MacKenzie suffered a shoulder injury in the season-opener against Tampa Bay. He underwent successful surgery in November and at the time, there was no timeline for a return. It turns out that he will not be returning after all. George Richards of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that MacKenzie’s playing career is over and that he has already transitioned into a coaching role with the team.
The 37-year-old came into the season with the idea that he would retire at its conclusion when his contract expired and ceded the captaincy to Aleksander Barkov at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the injury has capped his 2018-19 campaign at all of four shifts, taking away the opportunity to go out under his own terms.
MacKenzie’s career comes to a close with 611 career regular season games played between Atlanta, Columbus, and Florida. While he was never a prolific scorer (his career high in goals in a single season was nine), he became a valuable energy center that played with a physical edge, could contribute on the penalty, and be above average at the faceoff dot.
Given that he is under contract for this season, his $1.375MM cap hit will remain on the books for the remainder of the year while he’s on injured reserve. Florida already projects to have $4MM in end-of-season salary cap space per CapFriendly but if the Panthers make a move or two to add salary, they can put MacKenzie’s contract on LTIR to free up some additional cap space if they need to do so.
Edmonton Oilers Acquire Alex Petrovic From Florida
After a rough recent stretch, the Edmonton Oilers added to their defensive corps when they traded for Florida Panthers defenseman Alexander Petrovic in exchange for Chris Wideman and a conditional third-round draft pick, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. This may not be the Oilers only move as Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that Edmonton may not be finished making trades.
With Edmonton owning two third-round picks in the upcoming 2019 draft, the Panthers will receive the better of the two picks between their own and the New York Islanders’ third-rounder the team received in the Brandon Davidson deal back in February of 2018.
Despite starting 9-2-2 under Ken Hitchcock when he replaced Todd McLellan on Nov. 20, the team has since struggled, losing five straight, all in regulation. Suddenly, the team finds itself in sixth place in the Pacific Division and moving further and further away from a playoff spot. For Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli, this is a desperation move in hopes of saving his job as the hope is that the 6-foot-4, 216-pound defenseman will add some size and toughness to the Oilers’ blueline. Petrovic, a stay-at-home defenseman should provide some defensive talent for a team that has been without several key players on the blueline, including Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell, who are both on injured reserve as well as Andrej Sekera, who has been out all season.
The 26-year-old Petrovic has struggled finding solid footing in Florida recently as he hasn’t been handed significant minutes with the Panthers despite the fact that the francise was incredibly high on him just a couple of years ago. In fact, Florida opted to protect Petrovic over Jon Marchessault, who they instead traded to Vegas in the expansion draft last year. Petrovic was most well known for a hit against Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane that broke the star forward’s collarbone just before the trade deadline in 2015. That physical play was what led Florida to protect Petrovic. However, Petrovic has averaged just 17:23 ATOI this season, which is an improvement over the 14:39 he averaged last season, but far from the numbers that the Panthers had expected when he arrived in Florida in the 2012-13 season when he was 20 years old. The hope is that with a change of scenery, especially with him returning to his birthplace of Edmonton, Petrovic may fulfill some of those hopes of being a top defensive, physical player.
Wideman, who was just recently brought aboard in Edmonton via Ottawa, moves onto his third team this season. Wideman was acquired on Nov. 22 from the Senators in exchange for a 2020 conditional sixth-round pick, a relatively low price for a defensive defenseman. However, despite being a defensive-minded coach, Hitchcock didn’t trust Wideman, evident by him averaging just 11:26 of ATOI in the five games he appeared in.
Both players will be unrestricted free agents next season as Petrovic is finishing out a one-year deal he signed this summer for $1.95MM and was likely not returning to the team next year anyway considering the lack of playing time the blueliner has been receiving the last two years. Wideman is on a one-year, $1MM deal and must prove that he belongs if he wants to hold a NHL roster spot in the future.