Analysts Weigh In On Phaneuf Trade
After the trade that sent Dion Phaneuf to the Los Angeles Kings, analysts from around the hockey world weighed in on their thoughts of the trade. The deal also brought Nate Thompson from Ottawa in exchange for Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore. Here are the thoughts of some scribes around the league.
The Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke:
Zupke sees Los Angeles benefitting from a veteran defenseman with playoff experience:
Phaneuf fills a need as a top-four defenseman with leadership and experience. He plays more than 20 minutes per game, in all situations, and he helped Ottawa reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season. Phaneuf also turns 33 in April and is signed through 2020-21, but the Kings are banking on some immediate dividends.
Garrioch, like many others, looks at the financial ramification of the deal and how the rebuild is on in Ottawa.
Naturally, this is a huge deal for the Senators because they get Phaneuf’s cap hit off the books, though it does have to take Gaborik’s contract in return…This is the start of general manager Pierre Dorion’s promise to build the team back to respectability. The Senators had asked Phaneuf to waive his ‘no move’ clause in the summer so they could protect Marc Methot in the expansion draft, but couldn’t get the deal done. The move will give the Senators flexibility with the roster.
Kevin McGran: The Toronto Star
McGran also examines the financial aspect, indicating that the Sens may end up buying Gaborik’s deal in the end.
There is some cash savings, which is important for Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk: Phaneuf is due $18.5 million in actual salary in the three years after this one. Gaborik is due $10,825. The Senators have to pay 25 per cent of Phaneuf’s salary, or $4.6 million. So they’re up to $15.4 million, a savings of $3.1 million (plus another half million for the remainder of this year) when comparing Phaneuf to Gaborik.(They’ll save on Nate Thompson, but his ultimate replacement will probably come in around the same dollar value.) One thing that makes sense is a buyout. Gaborik would cost less than Phaneuf. A Robidas Island situation is not likely. The Senators aren’t likely to spend to the cap anyway.
Mendes sees this as the beginning of sell-offs, and echoes McGran in saying that a buyout of Gaborik’s contract is likely.
Based on owner Eugene Melnyk’s recent statement – in which he announced a three-year contract extension for Dorion – it now appears as though the club has a mandate to shed salary and put more of an emphasis on developing younger talent.
The Phaneuf deal is likely the first domino to fall, as the club will save north of $5 million in real dollars over the next few seasons. Those savings could increase if the club opts to buy out the contract of Marian Gaborik this summer, although it’s unclear which route they will take at this point. We could get our first clue later this week if the Senators make Gaborik a healthy scratch for their games against Buffalo and the Rangers.
Los Angeles Kings Still Looking For Scoring Winger
The Los Angeles Kings added a big name on their blue line last night, bringing in Dion Phaneuf from the Ottawa Senators for almost nothing but money. Now, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the team is still looking for a “mid-level scoring winger” to help them into the playoffs. The Kings sit out of the playoffs at the moment, but are just three points behind the San Jose Sharks for second in the Pacific Division.
There is no shortage of wingers on the market, from the expensive rentals like Evander Kane or Rick Nash, to the players with more term like Mike Hoffman and Max Pacioretty. Whether Los Angeles would ante up for any of the top names is unclear, but there are less expensive versions like Patrick Maroon and Michael Grabner that could interest them as well. The Kings have had trouble scoring since Jeff Carter went down, but are still one of the tightest defensive groups in the league.
If the Kings do go after one of the top names, they have their full cupboard of draft picks available to offer. With interesting prospects like Gabe Vilardi and Kale Clague in the system, they might be able to afford selling a piece of their future for success this season. Still, with the playoff picture so undecided in the Western Conference, every team will have to be careful with how much they’re willing to spend.
Dion Phaneuf, Nate Thompson Dealt To Los Angeles For Marian Gaborik
After much speculation, TSN’s Darren Dreger tweets that the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a deal that will send Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore from LA to Ottawa for Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson. The deal will also see Ottawa absorb 25% of Phaneuf’s cap hit. The trade call was confirmed by the league at 9:14 CST per a tweet from TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
McKenzie tweeted out earlier that “something appears to be done,” but players involved were still competing in their respective games. McKenzie tweeted even earlier that Phaneuf had been pulled from the lineup during the Ottawa-Pittsburgh contest so the trade could get done. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also confirmed the speculation, tweeting that the teams were working on a deal.
Phaneuf still has three years left on his 7-year, $49MM deal at the end of the season. With 25% of the deal eaten by the Senators, Ottawa will save $4MM tweets TSN’s Frank Seravalli. The Kings will see a cap hit of $5.25MM.
McKenzie was the first to report that a deal was being worked between LA and Ottawa. Dreger was the first to report the actual deal that involved Gaborik and Shore for Thompson and Phaneuf.
Trade Candidates: Nick Holden
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
The New York Rangers are selling. That much is well-established. While the main focus of the media is on big names like Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello, the reality is the only deals that are more likely than not include the team’s impending unrestricted free agents. One such player, and the only Rangers defenseman that fits that description, is Nick Holden. While Holden is not the swift, puck-moving defenseman emphasized by today’s NHL, he still holds value in many facets of the game. In fact, it’s fair to say that Holden has been routinely under-rated throughout his career (at least Patrick Roy thought so). New York knows this too, after acquiring him from Colorado for just a fourth-round pick back in the 2016 off-season only to watch him play a key role on the blue line the past two seasons. Now that they’re on the other side of the table looking to trade him away, they’ll try not to make the same mistake. However, with a “fire sale” potentially about to begin for the Rangers, Holden seems destined to be shipped out for the best offer.
Contract
Holden is in the final season of a three-year, 4.95MM contract extension signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. His cap hit in 2017-18 is $1.65MM, but will count for under $500K at the deadline.
2017-18
Nothing that Holden does on the ice jumps out, though for a defenseman, that can be a good thing. In no way does Holden play a flashy, offensive possession game and his numbers this season prove that. He has just a few goals and a handful of assists on the year, below average Corsi numbers, and almost no role on the power play. Perhaps the most telling detail of his playing style is that the casual hockey fan likely has never heard of him, as his play rarely garners attention. Why then is he playing top-four minutes for the Rangers this year and playing top-pair minutes last year? Holden simply has a solid, no-nonsense game. He plays a safe, dependable style in his own end and can thus be relied on for major minutes without risking a breakdown on defense. Holden is also a physical, but clean player. He has led the Rangers in hits in back-to-back seasons, but does so while taking few detrimental penalties. When given the chance, Holden also has quite the shot and led all Blueshirt blue liners in goal-scoring in 2016-17. It’s easy to say that Holden has taken a step back this season. His offensive totals are way off his pace set last year and his plus/minus and ice time are down as a result. However, as for the hallmarks of his game, Holden is playing just as physical, is blocking more shots, and has improved greatly in turnovers, with fewer giveaways and more takeaways. Holden’s 2017-18 season would give no team any reason to think that he is a game-changer or the answer to all of their problems, but could he be a reliable asset to a contender? Absolutely.
Season Stats
51 GP, 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points, +4 rating, 12 PIM, 48 shots, 19:00 ATOI, 45.0 CF%
Potential Suitors
Holden fits the bill of a player who gets traded every deadline season – a responsible depth defenseman who can play reliable hockey when called upon. Every season contenders seems to add a player like this simply out of convenience rather than necessity. Holden is not the type of player who will radically change the fortunes of a contender, but – especially at that cap hit – he is one worth the asset investment as he can provide reliable defense if necessary. Look for the top teams in the league to take a look at Holden in the next two weeks. The Atlantic trio of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs could all use depth on the blue line and while at times they have all been connected to bigger targets, surely one or more will decide to settle for a lesser addition. In the Metro, the Washington Capitals could really use some defensive depth and experience and the New Jersey Devils could particularly use a more safe, reliable defender given their current goal-tending crisis. In the Pacific, the Los Angeles Kings would make a nice fit, so long as their playoff position is a little firmer by the deadline.
However, the best fit for Holden seems to be the Central’s Dallas Stars. The Stars have little cap space to work with and have admitted that they won’t be major buyers, but the affordable contract of Holden paired with the responsible, hard-nosed game that head coach Ken Hitchcock appreciates makes for a nice match. Dallas is in good position to at least clinch a wild card spot this season and perhaps play spoiler in the postseason, but regardless of the status of Marc Methot, the team is known to be looking for a defenseman and Holden fits the bill for the type of guy they want and can afford to acquire.
Likelihood of a Trade
If the Rangers are serious about their fire sale, then a Holden trade is nearly a certainty. There has been no word on any extension talks, meaning Holden’s days in New York are numbered; no point in keeping him around just to fade away into free agency at the end of the season. The Rangers got Holden for a fourth-rounder in the off-season two years ago and now, two solid campaigns later and at deadline prices, they should be able to get at least that back. If the fire sale is on, they should take what they can get and move on.
Kings’ Dustin Brown Suspended For One Game
7:15 PM: Brown has been suspended for one game, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link). He will sit out Tuesday night against Carolina and return on Thursday versus Pittsburgh.
1:38 PM: The Department of Player Safety announced this afternoon that they will have a hearing today for the Los Angeles Kings Dustin Brown for kneeing Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev during Saturday nights game. The knee-to-knee hit can be seen here.
Brown, who is not new to the Department of Player Safety hearings, had a hearing only last month for cross-checking Pittsburgh Penguins’ Justin Schultz. In that incident, Brown got a surprisingly gently slap on the wrist as he was not suspended despite receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. He was fined $10,000. Brown had been suspended two games 18 months previous to that for a hit against Jason Pominville, then with the Minnesota Wild.
While he wasn’t necessarily classified as a repeat offender in his hearing in January, that won’t be the case this time around as a suspension would seem likely. With the Kings fighting to stay in the Western Conference playoff race (currently holding the third spot in the Pacific Division), losing Brown for any amount of time could be crippling. The 33-year-old wing has 16 goals and 38 points. He also has accumulated 52 penalty minutes, the most since he had 66 in the 2013-14 season.
Lewis Sent Back To L.A. After Crash
- Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
Flames Won’t Part With Picks For Rentals
Calgary Flames president Brian Burke isn’t one to mince words. So, when Burke told Sportsnet 590 host Bob McCown that the Flames won’t be using picks as trade bait at the NHL Trade Deadline, it’s legitimate:
“We don’t have a lot of picks — we’re not picking until [the third round of the 2018 draft], so we can’t use the deadline to pick up a rental player with a relatively high pick… We’re not going into [2019] picks … unless it’s an extraordinary circumstance.”
Burke’s comments seem to line up with recent reports about Calgary’s current condition. Last week, we took a look at exactly what Burke was referring to – the team’s lack of draft picks. The Flames could potentially have to wait until the fourth round to make their first pick this June and, one way or another, have already surrendered their 2019 second-rounder. Burke is not exaggerating when he says that the team can’t afford to give up any more high picks for rentals this deadline. The team’s unwillingness to move picks also adds some credence to the report that young goaltenders Jon Gillies and David Rittich are on the market. If Calgary wants to make a move, they’ll have to dive into their prospect depth to avoid surrendering further draft picks. In addition to their young goalies, slowly-developing 2013 first-rounders Emile Poirier and Hunter Shinkaruk and young defensemen Oliver Kylington, Rasmus Andersson, and even Brett Kulak could be on the move. One player who won’t be leaving: 2017 first-round pick Juuso Valimaki, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says is highly sought-after, but untouchable (Thought 6).
What exactly do the Flames need at the deadline? Burke says a scoring winger and the team’s 20th-ranked offense and 23rd-ranked power play would seem to back that up. Burke seems to think that a return to health for Kris Versteeg could be the solution, but the veteran forward alone is not enough to cure an ineffective bottom-six. Calgary currently sits in the third and final Pacific playoff spot, tied with the Anaheim Ducks and one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, but in fact sit behind L.A. in terms of points percentage. With it looking increasingly likely that the Central Division will claim both Western wild card spots, the Flames can’t help but seek an edge over the Ducks and Kings if they want to make the playoffs. Despite Burke’s hopes of an internal turnaround and the team’s difficult draft pick situation, sitting pat at the deadline will likely spell doom for the Flames’ 2017-18 campaign.
Los Angeles Kings Have Shown “Mild” Interest In Ottawa Defensemen
With Jeff Carter‘s expected return at some point this season to help the offense, many believe the Los Angeles Kings could turn to their defensive unit for a trade deadline upgrade instead. Though the Kings have allowed the second fewest goals in the league, there is always room for a marginal upgrade as teams head into the playoffs.
Now, Bruce Garrioch writes in his latest piece for the Ottawa Citizen, that the Kings have shown a “mild” interest in both Dion Phaneuf and Johnny Oduya. Apparently, Los Angeles made a play for Phaneuf at the draft last June but couldn’t come to an agreement, though it’s unclear how much contact there has been since then.
The Kings obviously already have a stud defenseman in Drew Doughty that can log nearly half the game and is a perennial Norris candidate, but they could have an opening in the back half of the group for someone a little more established. The team has relied on players like Kurtis MacDermid, Oscar Fantenberg, Christian Folin and Kevin Gravel this season to various degrees, not trusting any of them to play a real regular shift and instead relying on their top group of Doughty, Alec Martinez, Jake Muzzin and Derek Forbort.
An addition like Phaneuf, who has been miscast in the past as a top-pairing player but could still have something to give in a more sheltered role, could give the Kings one of the deepest groups in the league. That would come with quite a financial burden though, as the 32-year old Phaneuf still has three more seasons on his current contract with a $7MM cap hit (though the actual salary does drop off a bit).
It will be interesting to watch Ottawa over the next few weeks, as Garrioch reports that most of the interest from around the league surrounds Mike Hoffman, Zach Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Cody Ceci. If they’re to really start a fire sale, teams will be hovering like vultures trying to pull away any useful meat.
Los Angeles Kings Trade Zac Leslie To Vegas Golden Knights
The Los Angeles Kings have completed their first ever trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, sending minor league defenseman Zac Leslie in exchange for future considerations.
A sixth-round pick of the Kings in 2013 in his second year of eligibility, Leslie has spent the last three seasons in the minor leagues with the Kings organization, not yet getting a chance in the NHL. The 24-year old played four years for the Guelph Storm of the OHL, showing off his quick puck-moving skills and being a big part of the 2014 team that were OHL champions. Since then, he’s progressed slowly through the minors, even spending some time in the ECHL.
Leslie signed a one-year contract with the Kings in the offseason, meaning he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer for the Golden Knights. While Vegas has had a lot of success in the NHL, building a minor league pipeline is still a work in progress. Next season, when the St. Louis Blues are no longer sending players to the Chicago Wolves the Golden Knights will have to fill out the ranks themselves, and try to continue the team’s strong play.
This year, the Wolves are sitting at 24-15-8 and in good shape for the playoffs, but have had trouble getting much offense from their blueline. Jason Garrison leads the way with 19 points, but isn’t even on the roster currently. Shea Theodore‘s 11 points in 8 games actually still ranks fourth on the team among defensemen, something that hopefully Leslie can change if given the opportunity.
Final Standings Projections At The Mid-Way Point
It’s impossible to tell exactly how the remainder of the 2017-18 season will shake out, but with the NHL set to resume it’s unofficial second half of the season tomorrow, there’s no better time to look at the current state of the league. The final standings could look much like they do now or they could differ greatly, depending on whether or not the status quo shifts over the next few months. The trade deadline, rookie wall, and the health rigors of an 82-game season can all change the course of the campaign for many teams, but as of now, this is what the final standings and 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs will look like:
Atlantic Division
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 119 points
- Boston Bruins – 115 points
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 98 points
- Detroit Red Wings – 79 points
- Montreal Canadiens – 77 points
- Florida Panthers – 77 points
- Ottawa Senators – 68 points
- Buffalo Sabres – 62 points
Metropolitan Division
- Washington Capitals – 105 points
- New Jersey Devils – 96 points
- Columbus Blue Jackets – 95 points
- Philadelphia Flyers – 94 points
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 92 points
- New York Islanders – 90 points
- New York Rangers – 90 points
- Carolina Hurricanes – 87 points
Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Match-ups:
#1A Tampa Bay vs. #2W Pittsburgh
#1M Washington vs. #1W Philadelphia
#2A Boston vs. #3A Toronto
#2M New Jersey vs. #3M Columbus
Central Division
- Nashville Predators – 113 points
- Winnipeg Jets – 108 points
- St. Louis Blues – 101 points
- Dallas Stars – 98 points
- Colorado Avalanche – 97 points
- Minnesota Wild – 95 points
- Chicago Blackhawks – 89 points
Pacific Division
- Vegas Golden Knights – 116 points
- San Jose Sharks – 101 points
- Calgary Flames – 97 points
- Los Angeles Kings – 95 points
- Anaheim Ducks – 93 points
- Edmonton Oilers – 79 points
- Vancouver Canucks – 74 points
- Arizona Coyotes – 54 points
Western Conference First Round Playoff Match-ups:
#1P Vegas vs. #2W Colorado
#1C Nashville vs. #1W Dallas
#2C Winnipeg vs. #3C St. Louis
#2P San Jose vs. #3P Calgary
The biggest takeaway from this current outlook? It won’t take 100 points to be a playoff team this year, but the vast number of mediocre teams opens the door for some last-minute playoff drama. The Islanders, Rangers, Wild, and Kings all project to be just one win outside of a playoff berth. These races could come down to the wire. It should be a fun second half.