Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Injury

Eastern Notes: Zuccarello, Burakovsky, Grzelcyk

at CDT | by 5 Comments

With just over two week remaining before the NHL trade deadline, the New York Rangers like what they are seeing from veteran Mats Zuccarello, who is only helping his trade value for the team as he’s picked up five goals and 10 assists in the last 10 games, giving the team the potential for a big return. However, the 31-year-old says that he would like that trade to happen sooner than later, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.

“I just wish sooner rather than later, just to clarify it,” Zuccarello said Sunday. “But I’m here now. I’ll play my hardest and do my best. That’s all I can control.”

While the 31-year-old is a fan favorite in New York, the rebuilding team isn’t likely to bring back the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent next season, who will be 32 at the start of next season. However, he’d be a better fit on a playoff team, looking for a playmaker. However, his strong play recently should get him a new opportunity.

  • NBC Sports J.J. Regan writes that the Washington Capitals have seen a recent resurgence from their third line of Andrei Burakovsky, Lars Eller and Brett Connolly has been crucial to the team’s recent success. However, with Burakovsky’s name constantly in the news as potential trade bait, he has played two straight games playing high-quality hockey, putting up a goal and two assists. The question then is whether the team should move the inconsistent forward who still has just 15 points this season. However, with restricted free agency upcoming this summer, the team might be better off moving on from him regardless because the Capitals will have to offer him a salary of $3.25MM in order to qualify him and retain his rights as a restricted free agent. The Capitals, already strapped under the salary cap, may not be ready to do this.
  • The Boston Bruins announced that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who has missed both weekend games with a lower-body injury, is expected to skate Monday and could return on Tuesday against Chicago. The 25-year-old has a goal and 14 points in 50 games this season with 54 penalty minutes.

Minor Transactions: 02/10/2019

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After a 14-game slate yesterday, several teams are back in action today as the NHL trots out eight more games, including six matinees. Among the match-ups, St. Louis and Nashville will complete their weekend home-and-home series, in-state rivals Tampa and Florida are set to square off, and Chicago looks to extend their league-best six-game win streak as they host Detroit. Meanwhile, many teams will be tinkering with their rosters in anticipation of a new week of games. Tomorrow marks two weeks out from the NHL Trade Deadline and some minor moves could be clues of bigger things to come. Stay tuned right here:

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled a recently-acquired piece. The team has announced that forward Justin Bailey has received his first call-up since coming over from the Buffalo Sabres last month. Bailey, 23, was swapped for Taylor Leier and since arriving in Lehigh Valley has five goals and seven points in ten games with the AHL Phantoms. Bailey has NHL experience with the Sabres, but this is the first test of how he fits in the Philly lineup. Ideally, Bailey will challenge to fill a starting winger spot next season in the likely absence of impending free agents Wayne Simmonds and Michael Raffl. 
  • Another player traded away by Buffalo is getting the opposite of an NHL opportunity. First-year pro Cliff Pu, the centerpiece prospect of the Jeff Skinner trade, has been reassigned by the Carolina Hurricanes from the AHL to the ECHL. Pu, a 2016 third-round pick, heads to the Florida Everblades after recording just six points through 42 games with the Charlotte Checkers, the team announced. Admittedly, Pu was joined by future second-, third-, and sixth-round picks in the Skinner return, but the optics are poor for the Hurricanes that Pu has struggled mightily in the minors while Skinner’s 33 goals are second-best in the NHL.
  • The Florida Panthers announced they have recalled forward Jamie McGinn from Springfield of the AHL and have placed Colton Sceviour on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. McGinn was just placed on waivers on Feb. 1 and has looked impressive in four games with the Thunderbirds with two goals and four points. The 30-year-old underwent back surgery in September, but has shown he might be ready to return to the team’s bottom-six. Sceviour played a full shift Saturday against Washington and has five goals and 14 points.
  • With the loss of Sven Baertschi, who will be out for a while, the Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled Zach MacEwen from the Utica Comets of the AHL. The 22-year-old was brought into the system as an undrafted free agent, but has thrived with Utica, especially this year where he has 17 goals and 42 points in 49 games along with 49 penalty minutes. He gets called up one day after posting a four-point game against Rochester.

Pacific Notes: Baertschi, Carrier, Phaneuf, Thornton

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks may be fighting for a playoff spot, but they will have to do it for a while without winger Sven Baertschi, as Canucks’ head coach Travis Green reported that Baertschi will miss some time after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, according to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun.

Baertschi has been feeling ill since last Sunday, the day after the team played Colorado and he didn’t report any symptoms before the game. However, Green said this is not a new concussion as there is no indication that he suffered any hit during the game. Instead it is believed this ties in to a concussion Baertschi suffered in October when he took a hit to the head from Vegas’ Tomas Hyka. There is no specific timetable to how long Baertschi will be out.

“We’re going to give him some time off,” Green said. “(He’s) probably going to be out for a little bit.”

Baertschi did not accompany the team to Philadelphia last week and has now missed three games, all losses. Johnston adds that post-concussion syndrome can linger for months after an initial concussion.

  • The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that the Vegas Golden Knights will be swapping players Saturday. The team is expecting to get back fourth-line winger William Carrier for their game today against Columbus. Carrier has been out for more than a month after going down with an undisclosed injury. Carrier has played a career-high 44 games and has eight goals, but has been essential to the team’s bottom line with 219 hits. With Carrier’s return, the team has placed third-line winger Ryan Carpenter on injured reserve, also with an undisclosed injury.
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes that after being scratched for the first time in his career, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Dion Phaneuf was unhappy with the developments and despite potential rumors of an eventual buyout, he claims he has plenty more left to give in the NHL. “I’m not that old. So I will say that,” said Phaneuf, who will turn 34 on April 10, “I’ve got lots left. Mentor, whatever you want to call it, I’ve got a job to do as well. I feel good. I know I’ve played a long time. I’ve got more left. Right now, it’s about working to get back in the lineup. When you get back in, you want to do your job.”
  • Despite talk of still being injured, The Mercury News’ Paul Gackle writes that the 10-day break that Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks got recently has done wonders for their third-line center. Thornton, who has struggled with knee issues on and off this sea is now fully healthy and starting to become what head coach Peter DeBoer envisioned when Thornton took over his third-line center duties, giving the team a sparkplug on a bottom-six line. “A healthy Joe Thornton creates mismatches. He turns depth players into very-good players,” DeBoer said. “That’s a key to success in this league.”

Snapshots: Fines, Barrie, Senators

at CDT | by 5 Comments

James van Riemsdyk has been fined $5,000 for his high-stick on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez last night. That is the maximum allowable fine for the incident, which did not draw a penalty in the game. While van Riemsdyk will not face a suspension, fines like these are taken into account for any future discipline handed down from the Department of Player Safety.

  • The Colorado Avalanche are about to have a wealth of right-handed defensemen available to them, and Mike Chambers of the Denver Post believes it might mean they end up trading Tyson Barrie. In fact, Chambers went so far as calling a Barrie trade “inevitable” in his latest mailbag, noting that Conor Timmins is close to a return from injury and Cale Makar is expected to sign after the NCAA season is completed. Barrie is having another outstanding offensive season with 40 points in 49 games and could likely bring back a substantial trade package for the Avalanche if they make him available. With another year on his current contract, a trade doesn’t necessarily need to be before this month’s deadline.
  • Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet radio today to talk about the trade market, and he explained that “in the next three to five days” there should be a resolution one way or another with Mark Stone and Matt Duchene in Ottawa. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Senators will have signed or traded their two star free agents, but likely that their camps will have indicated to GM Pierre Dorion where negotiations are headed and whether he needs to move them. Friedman notes that those players are still holding up the market at large.

Mikko Koivu Suffers Season-Ending Injury

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Friday: Koivu has undergone successful surgery to repair both the ACL and meniscus. An update on his recovery timeline will be provided in the summer.

Wednesday: The Minnesota Wild are still fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but will now have to do it without their captain. Mikko Koivu has suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus in his right knee, and will have surgery to repair the damage on Friday.

Not only is this a blow to the Wild’s playoff chances, but a devastating injury for Koivu at this point in his career. The 35-year old center has one year remaining on his current contract and was already nearing the end of his time as a real top option in the middle. While it’s too early to speculate on whether Koivu’s career is in jeopardy, he will definitely miss a good chunk of whatever time he had left. A torn ACL takes quite a bit of time to recover from, and some players struggle to ever get back to the same level.

More immediately though, this drastically changes things for the Wild as they look to make the playoffs this season. Not only are they losing their best defensive center, but will also likely weaken themselves on the wing by moving Charlie Coyle back to the middle. It’s nice that they possess that kind of versatility, but they’ll now have to think long and hard before adding anything at the deadline.

The Wild are sitting in a wild card spot at the moment, but have dropped three in a row and are only holding on because of the lack of challengers in the Western Conference. A loss like Koivu could very well push them even lower in the standings, or at least reduce their chances of competing in the postseason.

Kyle Capobianco Suffers Season-Ending Injury

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Arizona Coyotes appear to be cursed. The team announced today that young defenseman Kyle Capobianco suffered a lower-body injury last night and will be out for the remainder of the season. The Coyotes have suffered almost countless long-term injuries this season, including season-ending ones to Antti Raanta, Jason Demers and Nick Schmaltz. Michael Grabner, Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun, three others who have seen huge parts of the season taken away (or in Dvorak’s case the whole thing so far), were back at practice today in one form or another.

Capobianco, 21, won’t be as lucky after suffering what looked like a knee injury last night. Originally selected in the third round in 2015, Capobianco has been extremely effective at the minor league level and earned himself a pair of games this season. That’s all he’ll end the year with, meaning he now heads into the final season of his entry-level contract with just three NHL contests under his belt.

The Coyotes meanwhile are just trying to stay competitive during their injury-riddled season, but have now lost five consecutive games and are within a point of last place in the Western Conference. That means they’re still within four of a playoff spot, but things have not gone well for the team over the past few weeks. If they can get some of their ailing forwards back before long there might be a chance they can go on a run and secure one of the wildcard spots, but it’s looking like another lost year for GM John Chayka and the rest of the organization at the moment.

Minor Transactions: 02/08/19

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After an extremely busy night in the NHL the league is almost completely quiet this evening, with just one game between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers scheduled. Teams will surely use this day off to make slight tweaks to their roster, and we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • Casey Nelson has been sent to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan. The Buffalo Sabres defenseman has missed more than two months with an upper-body injury, but is apparently healthy enough to get back on the ice. Nelson, 26, had six points in 22 games before suffering the injury.
  • With Jayce Hawryluk heading to injured reserve, the Florida Panthers have recalled Bogdan Kiselevich from the minor leagues. Kiselevich hasn’t played nearly as much as expected when he signed out of the KHL, but could get another opportunity to show what he can do in order to entice a contender at the deadline.
  • Christian Djoos has been recalled from his conditioning loan by the Washington Capitals, but has not yet been activated from long-term injured reserve. Djoos could be ready to get back into the lineup this weekend, but does not have to come off LTIR until deemed completely healthy. Jonas Siegenthaler has been sent down to the minor leagues, signalling even further that Djoos will be activated at some point.
  • Cody Goloubef has been sent back down by the Ottawa Senators after playing in his first game of the season last night. The 29-year old defenseman was acquired by the Senators last month but is still expected to spend the majority of the year in the minor leagues.
  • Matt Luff has been sent down to the minors by the Los Angeles Kings, as the team prepares to activate Trevor Lewis from injured reserve. Luff has played in 30 games this season and has ten points, but will have to wait for his next chance in the NHL.
  • Malcolm Subban is healthy enough to resume playing for the Vegas Golden Knights, meaning Maxime Lagace has been sent back to the AHL. Lagace has been up with the team since the beginning of January, but only actually played in one game during that period.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Ryan Graves from the AHL, a welcome sight for many fans of the team. Graves made quite an impression during an earlier call-up and has two goals in nine games this season.
  • Egor Yakovlev has been sent back down to the minor leagues by the New Jersey Devils, who recently activated Ben Lovejoy off injured reserve. Yakovlev has played in 14 games this season for the Devils, providing five points.

Trade Rumors: Predators, Avalanche, Henrique, Ferland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators made a splash yesterday when they acquired both Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod to strengthen their bottom-six. However, many continue to speculate that the Preds are not done and in fact remain one of the top players for the market’s most valued rentals forwards. That may not be so, though. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen cites an interview with GM David Poile on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville today in which he spoke about the additions of Boyle and McLeod, the return from injury for center Kyle Turris, and his hope of improvement from young winger Kevin Fiala. “If those guys can do it, we’re probably not making any more moves,” Poile stated. It seems that the veteran executive is willing to wait on pulling the trigger on another trade before he can see if the team improves internally. Poile has never been afraid to make a move at the deadline, but is also a careful dealer. “It’s a little bit of an arms race these couple weeks before the trade deadline and I don’t want to say I would react to what another team does. I mean, first and foremost, you’ve got to take care of your own team,” Poile continued, but did add that “nothing is out of the realm of possibilities… I’m making calls. I’m receiving calls. I’m just looking for an opportunity to improve our team. If that comes our way between now and Feb. 25, I’m all in.”

  • One team that will play it safe at the deadline, and understandably so, are the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have lost four games straight and eight of their last ten and have fallen out of a playoff spot, all the way to 10th-place in the Western Conference, behind both the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues for the final wild card slot. Colorado still has the talent to right the ship and reach the postseason, but their total lack of secondary scoring and their inconsistent goaltending have put them in a tough spot. GM Joe Sakic is not about to mortgage the future at the trade deadline when his team may has such serious needs and may not even make the playoffs. Sakic told The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers that he believes the team can get back into playoff position and he may look at some minor trades to help them along, but Colorado’s top trade capital is off the table. This includes both of the team’s first-round pick in 2019, their own and the Ottawa Senators’, the latter of which has strong odds of being the No. 1 overall pick. Also included in the untouchables are top defensive prospects Cale Makar and Conor Timmins and top forward prospects Shane Bowers and Martin Kaut. As such, any sellers dealing with Sakic and company should not expect an overwhelming offer for their rental players and, as a result, Avs fans should not expect fireworks at the deadline.
  • The Anaheim Ducks are desperate for a shake-up. The team has just two wins in their last 19 games, including a current five-game losing streak, and have plummeted to 14th in the Western Conference. The team also has more cap space committed to their roster for next season than any other team in the NHL and are equally desperate for help alleviating that cap crunch. The result is that Ducks players not previously thought to be available are popping up on the rumor mill. It seems almost anyone on the Anaheim roster could be had in the right deal, but Adam Henrique is currently the most talked-about name. TSN’s Frank Seravalli recently moved Henrique up to No. 15 on the Trade Bait List; he had previously been off the board completely. Henrique signed a five-year extension with the Ducks back in July and will carry a $5.825MM cap hit beginning next season. Although Henrique is second in scoring for Anaheim, his 27 points through 54 games is significantly behind his production rate from last season after coming over from the New Jersey, as well as his scoring pace in most seasons with the Devils. With the Ducks in search of both re-shaped roster and a lesser payroll, the underacheiving Henrique could be on his way out of Anaheim before ever playing a full season with the team.
  • TSN’s Trade Bait List also reflects another intriguing change on the trade market. Carolina Hurricanes winger Micheal Ferland, once though to be as good as gone, has fallen down the board to No. 9 overall. While still a high ranking, Seravalli notes that trade talks surrounding Ferland have cooled as the ’Canes may prefer to hold on to him. Colleague Darren Dreger recently reported the same thing, believing Carolina could use Ferland as their “own rental”. The Hurricanes are currently three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets in pursuit of the final Eastern Conference wild card spot, and have played one more game than Columbus and the Buffalo Sabres. However, when your team has holds a league-worst nine-year playoff drought, you jump on any chance you have to get back to the postseason. Ferland is now looking increasingly likely to stay in Carolina as the team tries to make the most of their stretch run and secure a playoff berth, but their play leading up to the deadline will be the deciding factor when it comes to Ferland’s future this season.

Michael McCarron To Miss Rest Of Season With Shoulder Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

If any Montreal Canadiens fans were hoping for a late season Michael McCarron call-up, it isn’t coming. The team announced today that McCarron’s season is over after undergoing shoulder surgery yesterday. The 23-year old forward had been playing with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

McCarron has not turned into the player the Canadiens hoped they were getting at 25th overall in 2013, but was at least having a positive impact in the AHL. With this injury that impact on Laval is over, and there are now serious doubts about McCarron’s future in Montreal. As a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, there is a real chance that the Canadiens could decline to extend a qualifying offer to the young forward, which would allow him to search for another deal elsewhere around the league. His performance so far in the NHL doesn’t scream success in the future, but perhaps a fresh start would spark some development.

In 70 NHL games across the regular season and playoffs McCarron has recorded just eight points, and will be turning 24 before free agency begins. While the Canadiens could extend him a qualifying offer and risk arbitration, there is also the option of trying to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent to a less expensive two-way deal. That would give him a chance to continue to play for the Rocket, where he had 21 points in 32 games this season. It’s not the end of the line for McCarron, but a major injury like this is just the latest setback in a disappointing career so far.

Morning Notes: Phaneuf, Kampf, Rasmussen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Kings have already traded one veteran defenseman, and now they’re going to sit down another. Dion Phaneuf is expected to be a healthy scratch for the Kings tonight when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers, a move that isn’t totally surprising given the role he’s played this season. Phaneuf has seen more than 17 minutes of ice time just four times this season, and not since early November.

After this season the 33-year old has two years remaining on the massive seven-year, $49MM contract he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013 and could be headed towards a buyout in the summer. While the result of a buyout wouldn’t be outstanding for the Kings, having Phaneuf on the roster isn’t helping them much at this point and they have younger players who would benefit from that opportunity. The Ottawa Senators, who retained a portion of Phaneuf’s contract when they traded him to the Kings, would still be responsible for 25% of the salary and cap hit from a buyout.

  • David Kampf will be out of the Chicago Blackhawks lineup for up to a month with a foot injury, the team announced today. Kampf is a restricted free agent at the end of the year and has done enough to show he deserves another contract with the team, but a month off will certainly hurt his negotiating leverage. The 24-year old forward has 16 points in 50 games but is a solid enough depth option down the middle.
  • After a brief conditioning stint in the minor leagues, Michael Rasmussen is expected to be back in the lineup tonight for the Detroit Red Wings. The big center scored twice in three games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, and will look to continue his offensive development in the second half of the season in Detroit. A huge part of their future, the 6’6″ forward had just 13 points in his first 41 games. Playing in the NHL at 19 is an accomplishment in itself, but the team will need more scoring from him going forward.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top