Trade Rumors: Penguins, Mete, Bjork
Amidst the shocking news that Jim Rutherford had resigned as GM of Pittsburgh Penguins, it is easy to forget that this was a team that less than a week ago was reported as being active on the trade market. While ownership suddenly needs to focus on the long-term welfare of the franchise by finding a new GM, the Penguins are still in need of defense in the short-term. While Rutherford’s final move was to find a stopgap in free agent addition Yannick Weber, that might not be enough. The Pittsburgh blue line has been devastated by injuries early this season with Michael Matheson, Juuso Riikola, and Zach Trotman on injured reserve, Marcus Pettersson also officially out, and Brian Dumoulin injured in last night’s game. Even the thought-to-be-healthy John Marino was missing at practice today. What’s left is a group that is almost entirely right-handed, including the newcomer Weber, and includes a struggling Cody Ceci and an untested rookie in Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The Penguins need to to continue to be on the look out for help on the back end. With that said, NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz doubts that interim GM Patrick Allvin will have the authority to make a trade, until they potentially remove the interim tag that is. In the meantime, can the Penguins afford to stand pat in a shortened season facing tougher playoff odds and a more difficult division? Can they withstand extended absences from their current injured defenders? Unless owner Mario Lemieux decides to step in and pull the strings while also making a decision on his next GM, they may not have an option but to stick it out.
- Through their first six games of the season, the Montreal Canadiens have yet to lose in regulation and have earned 10 of a possible 12 points. Everyone in Montreal is happy so far this year, that is except defenseman Victor Mete. With the team rolling on all cylinders, the Habs have had no reason to change out their starting six defenseman. In fact, there has been only one lineup change among skaters for one single game thus far. The Canadiens do not want to lose the promising, young Mete on waivers, but so far that has left 22-year-old sitting in the press box for every game. If Montreal continues to win and stay healthy, then there is also no reason for that to change. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has taken notice and he’s not alone. Friedman reports that there is interest in Mete across the league and offers will be coming to Montreal soon, if they haven’t already. After losing Noah Juulsen on waivers earlier this year, the Habs may be hesitant to part with another young defenseman whose career has been impacted by injuries but could be primed for a breakout. However, if Mete won’t get any opportunity to shine in Montreal, they may as well move him. After all, he will likely be available for free to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft anyway.
- If there is one thing that has quietly defined the Don Sweeney administration in Boston, it is that they are not afraid to move young forwards who are unable to carve out a consistent role in the lineup. In consecutive years, the Bruins have traded away Frank Vatrano, Ryan Donato, and Danton Heinen, each of whom was struggling and bouncing around the lineup prior to being moved. Now, Anders Bjork could be the next name on that list. The team has liked the upside of Bjork, 24, and made that clear with a three-year, $4.8MM contract this summer. However, injury and inconsistency has made it hard to get a good look at the player. Now healthy and in the starting lineup through six games this season, that look hasn’t been good. Bjork has played on several different lines and with different line mates but nothing has clicked. He has zero points and just two shots on goal and hasn’t made a major impact defensively either. With the emergence of rookies Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic as NHL-ready assets and the upcoming injury returns of David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase, there won’t be space left in the lineup for Bjork. Multiple sources are now reporting that in anticipation of this result, interest is growing in the young winger. Bjork may not be a fit in Boston right now, but as a player with positional and two-way versatility and under team control for several years, a number of teams could be interested in taking a chance. With a lineup that is looking pretty complete so far this season, Bjork may also come cheap with the Bruins opting for a pick or prospect rather than a roster player in return.
Islanders Place Anthony Beauvillier On IR
The Islanders will be without one of their top-six wingers for at least the next week as the team announced (Twitter link) that they have placed Anthony Beauvillier on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Arthur Staple of The Athletic clarifies (Twitter link) that the placement is retroactive to Monday but even so, Beauvillier will miss at least the next four games. Kieffer Bellows has been recalled from the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
Beauvillier had a career year in 2019-20 with 39 points in 68 games along with 14 more in 22 postseason contests (including nine goals which tied for the team lead) but that hasn’t carried over into this season. Through five games in 2020-21, the 23-year-old has just a single assist that was recorded back in the season opener while also managing just four shots on goal after averaging nearly two per game last season.
As for Bellows, the 22-year-old has actually played in all but one of New York’s five games so far this season but has been making regular appearances in our taxi squad shuffle posts as he has been moved up and down with regularity. Although he has shown some offensive upside in the past which helped him get selected 19th overall in the 2016 draft, he has been deployed on the fourth line this season. However, with Beauvillier out, Bellows may get his chance to play a bigger role for the time being.
Jack Campbell Out “Weeks” With Leg Injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost some of their goaltending depth when Aaron Dell was claimed off waivers earlier this season, and now the position group will be tested even further. Jack Campbell will be out “weeks” with a leg injury according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who spoke to reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN before tonight’s matchup against the Calgary Flames. That means Michael Hutchinson is once again the team’s backup, while Joseph Woll has been recalled to the taxi squad.
Despite winning five of their first seven games and sitting tied for first place in the North Division, the Maple Leafs will shake up the lineup tonight with several changes. Travis Dermott, Jason Spezza, and Alexander Barabanov are all expected to come out in favor of Mikko Lehtonen, Joey Anderson, and Travis Boyd, the latter two getting their first game action of the season. Toronto has been outscored at even-strength this season and is looking to change that, though much of the responsibility will still fall to the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander.
Campbell seemed to suffer the injury late in Monday’s game, just before the Matthew Tkachuk incident that incensed so many Maple Leafs fans. The 29-year-old had been oh-so-good for Toronto since arriving last season, posting a .917 save percentage in eight appearances. That’s not necessarily out of character, even if Campbell hasn’t quite lived up to the 11th-overall pick that the Dallas Stars used on him in 2010. Over 66 NHL games, he now has a .916 save percentage and was likely on his way to earning more playing time from the Maple Leafs.
Hutchinson meanwhile flamed out in Toronto a year ago, but managed to get his career back on track with the Colorado Avalanche when he was forced into action in the postseason bubble. In four appearances the journeyman netminder had a .910, leading to the Maple Leafs bringing him back as the fourth-string option this offseason. That four has turned into a two in the span of a week, meaning Frederik Andersen will need to carry the net for the next while.
Filip Chytil Out Four To Six Weeks
The New York Rangers have lost one of their young forwards for at least a month, announcing today that Filip Chytil will be out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. The injury likely occurred when Chytil collided with Evan Rodrigues, a hit that left the Pittsburgh Penguins forward injured as well.
Chytil, 21, has still not experienced a breakout season with the Rangers, but was off to quite a strong start in his third year. The young forward was the team’s third-line center and had three points through his first four games, averaging just over 14 minutes a night. The team will have to find a replacement now as they try to climb out of the bottom of the East Division.
The Rangers have lost three straight and still haven’t received any contribution from first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, who is still looking for his first NHL point. Losing a core piece like Chytil, even if he still hadn’t reached his potential, is concerning for a team that was already struggling. Even more weight will be placed on the shoulders of some of their veteran players to get things turned around.
Evan Rodrigues Out “Longer-Term”
Injuries are starting to pile up once again for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had already lost several defensemen from the starting lineup. Today, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Evan Rodrigues would be out “longer-term with a lower-body injury.” Rodrigues collided with New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil on Sunday night, and appeared to injure his knee in the process.
The Penguins’ injured reserve already includes Zach Trotman, Zach Aston-Reese, and Mike Matheson, while Juuso Riikola and Marcus Pettersson could be moved there at any point while they deal with their own injuries. With Rodrigues also now out long-term, the team’s depth is being severely tested through the first part of the season.
For the most part, the Penguins have been able to navigate the injuries and keep their heads above water in the East Division. They sit at 4-2 on the season and are on a four-game winning streak, but still manage to have a negative goal differential. Jack Roslovic, one player they were interested in trading for, has now been moved to his hometown team in Columbus, meaning at least one name is off their radar. One option that could be enticing is Tyler Ennis, who was placed on waivers today by the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins could potentially fit in his $1MM cap hit and it would give them another veteran to slot somewhere into the lineup.
Otherwise, the team’s reserves will get a chance. The taxi squad currently includes Drew O’Connor and Sam Lafferty, the latter having played 50 games for the team last season.
Mitchell Stephens Out Indefinitely
The Tampa Bay Lightning relayed some disappointing news today, announcing that Mitchell Stephens will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Stephens got tangled up with Columbus Blue Jackets defender David Savard on Saturday, appearing to have his ankle trapped underneath both their falling bodies. The team also announced that Erik Cernak, who fell awkwardly in the same game, is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Stephens, 23, became a semi-regular for the Lightning last season, playing in 38 games and recording six points. He had embraced his fourth-line center role, winning a huge portion of his faceoffs and generally limiting the damage against, even if he wasn’t producing much himself. With his absence, the team will have to figure out another option for that role, one that doesn’t really stand out among the team’s extra forwards. Perhaps Gemel Smith will get a chance to center that fourth unit, or the team could move someone off the wing and into the middle.
A team like the Lightning can certainly get by without Stephens, but these injuries to depth players can come back in a big way should one of the team’s more prominent players go down. Without a clear timeline, the Lightning will just have to hope for the best in Stephens’ case.
Blue Jackets Place Brandon Dubinsky On LTIR
It might seem like a strange time to do it, but the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have placed veteran forward Brandon Dubinsky on long-term injured reserve.
The team, who hadn’t needed to place the forward on LTIR up until now, were forced into the roster move as the contract of Jack Roslovic, who the team acquired along with Patrik Laine Saturday in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, took effect today, meaning the team would have been over the salary cap by just over $100K if they didn’t move Dubinsky to LTIR.
Dubinsky hasn’t played since the 2019 playoffs as he’s been hampered with a chronic wrist injury and likely will never play again. He missed the entire 2019-20 season. The 34-year-old is in the final year of a six year, $35.1MM contract with a $5.85MM AAV. The veteran signed the extension after a 16-goal, 50-point season with 234 hits back in the 2013-14 season. The deal looked good for the first year or two, but the forward’s offense saw a decline after that, posting just six goals in his third and fourth years with just six goals each and spending most of his time in the bottom-six.
Patrik Laine Moved To Injured Reserve
The Winnipeg Jets have made several transactions today, not the least of which was moving Patrik Laine to injured reserve. Laine has played in just one game so far this season and will not play tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators. Nate Thompson joins Laine on injured reserve, while Dylan DeMelo has been activated and David Gustafsson has been brought up from the minors to the taxi squad.
While Laine won’t play, it is good news to see DeMelo activated after missing the first four games. The 27-year-old defenseman will be a welcome addition for the Jets who have shuffled their defense around on a daily basis this season, especially after he fit in so well down the stretch in 2020. DeMelo was acquired at the deadline from the Ottawa Senators and logged more than 21 minutes a night in ten regular season games with the Jets, before seeing big minutes again in the postseason bubble.
Murat Ates of The Athletic isn’t sure whether it will be Logan Stanley or Ville Heinola coming out for DeMelo, but does note that the later is still a slide candidate should he play fewer than seven games this season. Heinola has played just one so far, meaning they could potentially send him to the minors and allow his entry-level contract to extend another year. Stanley, who is already 22, will become a restricted free agent in the summer no matter how many games he plays this season.
After a tumultuous offseason that saw Laine’s agent suggest a trade would be best for his client, the 22-year-old forward can’t seem to get back into the lineup thanks to his somewhat mysterious injury. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet that Laine had more testing done today and that “nothing new came up on it.” In that one game Laine has played, he registered two goals and one assist.
Canucks Place Travis Hamonic On IR
While Vancouver was able to take the first of a three-game set against Montreal on Wednesday, it came at a cost on their back end with both Alex Edler and Travis Hamonic leaving with injuries. The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that Hamonic has been placed on injured reserve; Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that it’s an upper-body injury for the veteran. Blueliner Brogan Rafferty has been recalled from the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
Hamonic signed a PTO deal with Vancouver in training camp and had it converted to a one-year, $1.25MM contract on the eve of the regular season. He sits fourth on the Canucks in ATOI in the early going, logging 18:11 per night over five games, a number that’s skewed in part by him exiting early on Wednesday. He has two assists in seven blocked shots so far.
As for Rafferty, he’s one of Vancouver’s more interesting prospects. The 25-year-old has just two career NHL games under his belt (which came after leaving Quinnipiac in 2019) but he finished third in the AHL in scoring by a defenseman last season, notching seven goals and 38 assists in just 57 games. He should have an opportunity to jump into the lineup right away and should be an intriguing complement to Quinn Hughes as another offensive threat from the back end.
Josh Manson Out With Oblique Injury
The Anaheim Ducks will be without one of their top defensemen for the next six weeks. Josh Manson has been ruled out with an oblique muscle injury suffered on Monday against the Minnesota Wild and has been placed on injured reserve.
Manson, 29, was forced from the game on Monday after just six minutes of ice time but has long been one of the most important players on the ice for Anaheim. Combined with Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Kevin Shattenkirk, he formed an exceptional top-four that was expected to carry most of the defensive responsibility. In his absence, Jani Hakanpaa has been pushed up the depth chart, logging 19 minutes in each of the last two games. Though Hakanpaa has certainly held his own so far, the 28-year-old has just nine games under his belt at the NHL level, a lack of experience that will certainly be tested over the next six weeks.
Anaheim is already without Brendan Guhle, who was given his own six-week recovery timeline in early January after spraining his MCL. Suddenly, the Ducks defensive depth is quickly disappearing with only seven names between the NHL roster and taxi squad. For a team that was already in tough against a West Division that includes several top teams, losing part of the team’s biggest strength will be a challenge.