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Calgary Flames Acquire Oscar Fantenberg

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The Calgary Flames have been involved on some of the biggest names of trade deadline day, but the first deal to come together is for a depth defenseman. The Flames have acquired Oscar Fantenberg from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick.

Fantenberg, 27, is only in his sophomore season in the NHL after a long career overseas. Playing in the SHL and KHL he was a useful two-way player, but has settled into a more defensive role since joining the Kings. In 73 games across two seasons he has just 13 points, but is an effective player at shutting down rushes and will give the Flames a bit more depth on the left side.

Calgary is preparing for a long playoff run given their place in the standings and will need as many defensemen as possible. Fantenberg may not play a ton for them, but given how right-heavy their blue line is at the moment he’ll be a worthwhile addition. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is earning the league minimum this year.

Blackhawks Acquire Spencer Watson

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The Blackhawks have struck their second minor move in recent days, announcing (via Twitter) the acquisition of winger Spencer Watson from the Kings in exchange for winger Matheson Iacopelli.

Watson was a seventh-round pick of Los Angeles (209th overall) back in 2014 and while he was a strong scorer at the OHL level with Kingston and Mississauga, that has not translated to much in the way of success in the pros.  He has spent the bulk of his first professional seasons at the ECHL and has played all but two games with ECHL Manchester this season.  He has been productive at that level this year though with 47 points in as many games and has been assigned to Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford.

As for Iacopelli, he was a much higher selection in 2014 by Chicago (83rd overall) but he also hasn’t lit up the minors thus far.  He has split the season between Rockford (four points in 27 games) and ECHL Indy (four goals in nine contests).

Both players are in the final year of their respective entry-level contracts and the two teams are hoping that a change of scenery will be enough to give them a boost.  Otherwise, they both will not likely be tendered a qualifying offer in June.

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.”

Minor Transactions: 02/21/19

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The NHL has a full slate of action on tap tonight, with 11 matches taking place including a rematch of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks face off in an important game for both clubs as they try to secure playoff berths in their respective conferences. As the league prepares for tonight’s play, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled J.T. Brown from the minor leagues, though Ryan Donato is expected to enter the lineup. Brown has just four points in 35 games for the Wild this season and was sent down to the AHL earlier this month.
  • The Washington Capitals have officially sent Devante Smith-Pelly to the minor leagues after he cleared waivers, meaning he will play his first AHL game since the 2013-14 season. Even with the recent addition of Carl Hagelin, the Capitals could very well bring up Smith-Pelly at some point down the stretch for his playoff experience.
  • Jonny Brodzinski has been activated from injured reserve, and could help replace Hagelin in the Los Angeles Kings lineup. Brodzinski hasn’t played a game for the Kings this season but recorded one goal in a three-game conditioning stint with the Ontario Reign.
  • Landon Bow has been returned to the AHL by the Dallas Stars, which should signal a return to action for Ben Bishop. Bishop hasn’t played a game since February 4th, but will have to play a big role for the Stars down the stretch if they’re to make the playoffs.

Washington Capitals Acquire Carl Hagelin

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The Washington Capitals were bound to make a move of some sort after waiving Devante Smith-Pelly yesterday, and it comes in the form of Carl Hagelin. The Capitals have acquired Hagelin from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick and a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick. The Kings will be retaining 50% of what remains on Hagelin’s contract, which had already been involved in a retained salary transaction earlier in the year and expires at the end of this season. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the sixth-round pick will be sent to Los Angeles if the Capitals win two playoff rounds and Hagelin plays in 50% of any two rounds combined.

Hagelin, 30, should be very familiar to Capitals fans already from his days with the Pittsburgh Penguins, though he is not quite the same player that scored 16 playoff points en route to a 2016 Stanley Cup victory. In fact, Hagelin has just eight points through 38 games this season split between the Penguins and Kings. Still, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan obviously saw a way for his team to improve, and released a statement explaining why he made the move:

We are pleased to welcome Carl to our organization. We felt this trade enables us to add depth up front and provides us with a veteran player with a tremendous amount of speed to help us on the penalty kill.

If there is one thing Hagelin is still known for, it is that speed. One of the fastest players in the NHL, he will jump into the Capitals bottom-six and replace a player in Smith-Pelly who has slowed considerably this season. There’s a good chance the former Penguins forward will also become a trusted penalty killer, a role that he has excelled at over the years.

For the Kings, this was always the plan after acquiring Hagelin from the Penguins in exchange for Tanner Pearson earlier this year. As an expiring contract he was never expected to stay the whole season in Los Angeles, where the team is committed to a short rebuild after getting off to such a slow start. The Kings now have ten picks in the upcoming draft including five in the first three rounds. The team could acquire even more by selling off other names like Ilya Kovalchuk, Tyler Toffoli or Alec Martinez, but it is unclear if they will really want to move on from those more important players.

Washington meanwhile is happy to give up a third-round selection to add some Stanley Cup experience to the team for another playoff run. While other teams were giving away their first-round picks last year to try and load up at the deadline, the Capitals decided to hold onto theirs and actually selected three times in the first two rounds. Once again they still have their first and second for the upcoming draft, ensuring that more young talent will continue to flow into their system.

Even with the retained salary on Hagelin’s deal, the Capitals are right up against the cap and have almost no room to do anything else at the deadline. They could however move out some other names that have been rumored, including Dmitrij Jaskin who was expected to be placed on waivers yesterday. If not, this is the group they’ll have to ride until the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Kyle Clifford Generating Trade Interest

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The Los Angeles Kings are incredibly not out of the wild card race in the Western Conference, but that isn’t because of any real turnaround. The team is still in last place with a 23-30-6 record and have lost five consecutive games, leading to more speculation about trade assets on the roster. The team has already traded Tanner Pearson, Nate Thompson and Jake Muzzin this year and have several others who might draw calls from around the league as Monday’s deadline approaches.

One of those who is already generating interest is Kyle Clifford, according to NHL Network correspondent Dennis Bernstein and LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. Both reporters note however that the Kings may not be jumping to move Clifford, who is having an excellent season by his standards and is one of the team’s locker room leaders.

The 28-year old looks like he will shatter his previous career-high of 15 points as he now has 13 through 49 games this season. It’s his physicality and leadership, not offense, that teams would be acquiring him for though, as Clifford has never been more than a bottom-six player that gets between 9-11 minutes a night. The heavy winger could add some experience to any fourth line in the league, given his two Stanley Cups with the Kings and 55 playoff games overall.

Clifford also only carries a $1.6MM cap hit this season and next, making it easy to understand why the Kings would hesitate to move him. It’s unlikely he would bring back a huge return, meaning his veteran presence may be worth more to them as they try to turn things around and install the next wave of young talent in 2019-20.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Atlantic Notes: Muzzin, Zadina, Scandella, Rodewald

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A lot of praise was sent towards Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and the organization for pulling off an impressive trade when they acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles for a what’s likely to be a late first-rounder and two above average prospects. The move didn’t take away any players off their current roster and only made them better.

However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun writes that Mike Babcock may not be integrating Muzzin properly so far. The 29-year-old averaged 21:32 of ice time in 50 games with the Kings. However, his ATOI is quite a bit less in Toronto with Babcock playing him just 18:37. The team has no intention of moving Morgan Rielly away from the left-side, but the team might be better off moving Muzzin to the right side and allowing him to play alongside Rielly. At the moment, Muzzin is playing on the second defensive unit. Regardless, the team needs to find a way of increasing Muzzin’s minutes.

  • Peter Wallner of MLive.com writes that the hottest player currently on the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL is 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina, who scored an overtime goal Saturday to pick up his fourth goal in four games. The 19-year-old winger who naturally struggled early on when he arrived in the AHL, seems to have found his stride. He has seven points in his last eight games and has had a plus-six rating, a big improvement considering he had a minus-16 rating previous to the run. He now has 15 goals and 29 points in 43 games. While there is no word on whether the team might bring him to Detroit at some point, with the team currently struggling, a recall is potentially possible, although the team might be wary of allowing him to play more than 10 games this year and burning that first year of his entry-level deal.
  • NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella is injured once again and did not go with the team on their current road trip, although he could rejoin them. Head coach Phil Housley said that Scandella will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury. “Being evaluated by doctors and we’ll know more hopefully when we get down to Florida,” said Housley. It’s very likely the team will place him on injured reserve until he is ready to return.
  • TSN 1200 reported that the Ottawa Senators activated Jack Rodewald from injured reserve Saturday and have already assigned the 25-year-old forward to Belleville of the AHL. Rodewald was injured in a game against Anaheim on Feb. 7 with a lower-body injury and was expected to miss two weeks. He had played in six games with Ottawa, but had failed to record a point. The team also activated forward Mikkel Boedker from a mid-body injury.

Colorado’s Odds At The First Overall Pick

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Early this season, the Colorado Avalanche were in the most enviable position in sports. Their team was excelling and looking playoff-bound, but without any negative effect on their draft status. Because as the Avs won games, the Ottawa Senators were losing them and Colorado owned the Sens’ first-round pick this year as part of last season’s Matt Duchene trade. There was a real possibility that the Avalanche could be Stanley Cup contenders and also have the first overall pick in the draft. Lately, the Avs have looked less like a playoff team and more like the Senators. Colorado has four wins in their past 23 games dating back to mid-December and have slipped into a tie for tenth-place in the Western Conference, three points out of a playoff spot. The one silver lining: their odds at drafting No. 1 have improved and might end up being the best in several years.

Ahead of the 2014 NHL Draft, the NHL changed the draft lottery rules. Any team in the lottery could now move up into a top-three position and the odds would be more fairly distributed among all lottery teams. There have been slight variations in the odds for each draft, but the biggest shift came last year when the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights to the league added a fifteenth member of the lottery group and further split the odds. Yet, with 18.5% odds, the last-placed Buffalo Sabres still retained the first overall pick and drafted Rasmus Dahlin, a generational defenseman. This year’s prize, play-making forward Jack Hughes, is seen by most scouts as a guaranteed top-six center and power play wizard and the team with the worst record still stands the best chance of getting him by a significant margin.

Of course, the worst record looks like it will belong to Ottawa and thus the pick will belong to Colorado. The Senators are currently in 31st overall in the league standings, three points back of the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils. If those standings hold, based on last year’s odds Colorado will have a 18.5% chance that the Ottawa pick will be first overall, compared to 13.5% for L.A. and 11.5% for New Jersey. Then, Colorado’s own pick comes into play. Currently, the Avs are technically 23rd overall. If they remain in that spot, they would have 5% odds that their own pick would be No. 1. Combined, they would have a 23.5% shot at picking first. Since 2014, no team has come close to having odds that high at the top pick and Colorado could continue to struggle down the stretch and improve the odds on their own pick. If the Avs were to slip three more spots in the league standings, their odds would be greater than 25%, giving them better than a one-in-four shot at Hughes.

The possibilities are even more intriguing when you consider the odds of both picks winning the lottery instead of just one. Currently, there is about a 0.9% chance that Colorado could pick first and second, not dissimilar odds to those that the final lottery team has of picking first. The addition of both Hughes and the presumptive No. 2 pick, Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, would be an enormous influx of elite draft talent unseen since the Sedin twins landed with the Vancouver Canucks at second and third overall in 1999. There is a whopping 58% chance that both of their picks land in the top four, which would also be an unbelievable boost for the Avalanche with a number of impact forwards available in this class. And again, these odds can only improve if the Avalanche continue on this downward spiral. If the current standings hold, the worst that Colorado could do is to pick fourth and twelfth – which would still be a better first-round combination than any team in recent years – and the odds of that happening are approximately 18x less likely than picking both first and second; the best case is greater reality than the worst-case.

The moral of the story is that, while it’s disappointing for Avalanche fans to see a talented team plummeting down the standings, there is some upside as well. The team is young and built for the future and are in better shape than any team in recent memory to add the best player in the draft and perhaps two of the best available. So whether you’re a Colorado fan soley focused on Hughes or holding out for another top prospect as well, the team’s current slump is only helping in that pursuit. The ping pong balls will ultimately decide the Avs’ fate, but the future is bright.

Minor Transactions: 2/16/19

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As is often the case, Saturday is a busy day on the schedule with 24 teams in action which means there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • The Jets announced the recall of defenseman Sami Niku from AHL Manitoba. The 22-year-old has split the season between the NHL and AHL which has prevented him from really getting into a rhythm as of late.  He has a dozen points in 20 games with the Moose plus a pair of assists in 11 contests with Winnipeg so far this season.  With Joe Morrow suffering a lower-body injury that’s going to keep him out for two-to-three weeks, Niku, who has been part of trade speculation in recent weeks, may be in line for some more playing time.  In a separate move, the team has also promoted blueliner Tucker Poolman from Manitoba.  After playing 24 games with Winnipeg last year, he has yet to play with them this season while injuries have limited him to just 25 contests with the Moose.
  • Dallas is giving a look to the top goal scorer in the AHL as center Joel L’Esperance has been brought up from Texas (AHL) per a team release. The 23-year-old is in his first full professional season and has already scored 27 goals in just 49 games.  He signed with the Stars as an undrafted free agent last summer, a move that is certainly paying dividends already.  This will be L’Esperance’s first look at the NHL level.
  • The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned winger Andrew Ladd and defenseman Thomas Hickey to Bridgeport of the AHL on conditioning stints. Ladd has been out for three months due to a leg injury while Hickey has been out of action with an upper-body issue for nearly two months.  GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters, including Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter links) that both players have been transferred to LTIR today and are pegged to play two games with the Sound Tigers before re-evaluating their progress.
  • Defenseman Filip Hronek is back with the Red Wings after the team announced his promotion from AHL Grand Rapids.  The 21-year-old has been quite productive in limited action at the minor league level, collecting 23 points in 28 games.  He also has more than held his own with Detroit, logging over 18 minutes a night in 23 contests with the big club.
  • Injuries on the back end for the Kings have provided an opportunity for Matt Roy to get a look with the big club as the team announced that he has been brought up from Ontario (AHL).  Roy leads the Reign in scoring by a defenseman with 29 points in 45 games so far this season.  His recall was required with Alec Martinez and Sean Walker are out with upper-body injuries.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned winger Kevin Roy to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 25-year-old has been on season-opening injured reserve after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. Roy played 25 games for the Ducks last season, putting up six goals and seven points. He will attempt to find his game after a long layoff with the Gulls, where he scored 14 goals and 37 points last season.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have assigned forward Mikhail Vorobyev to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The 22-year-old was recalled for a second stint with the team on Jan. 28, but has failed to produce offensively. He hasn’t register a point in eight games since that call-up. He has just one goal and two points in 15 games total this season, while receiving just 9:20 of ATOI.
  • Ed Willies of The Province reports that injured winger Jake Virtanen has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Virtanen took a big hit from Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf Wednesday, missed Thursday’s game and had an MRI this morning, prompting the team to place him on IR. The team will use that open roster spot to put newly acquired forward Ryan Spooner on the ice. Head coach Travis Green said the injury is not concussion-related. He is expected to miss at least a week.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have placed defenseman Carl Gunnarsson on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The veteran defenseman has been out of the lineup since Feb. 5 and therefore can return whenever he is ready. The team has recalled forward Sammy Blais from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Blais has played 24 games for the Blues, but has just two goals and three points in that time.

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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