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Three Players Clear Waivers

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April 8: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

April 7: Three players have been placed on waivers today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Richard Panik of the Washington Capitals, Nick Merkley of the New Jersey Devils, and Martin Frk of the Los Angeles Kings all find themselves available to the rest of the league.

Panik was scratched again last night for the Capitals, the third time he had been out of the lineup in the last five games. That is what happens when you are brought in for secondary scoring and record just three goals and nine points in 36 games. Panik hasn’t been close to effective enough in his role this season, failing to record a point in his last eight and only generating five shots on goal during that stretch. Remember that the 30-year-old forward is on a four-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2019 and carries a $2.75MM cap hit. $1.075MM of that can be buried by putting him on the taxi squad, giving the Capitals a little more cap flexibility as the deadline approaches.

Merkley is in a nearly opposite situation in New Jersey, where he is still just trying to establish himself at the NHL level. The 23-year-old actually has six points in 13 games this season but doesn’t have a consistent enough effort at the defensive end of the rink. A first-round pick in 2015, there is obvious offensive skill locked away in Merkley, but it’s hard to rely on him in a top-six role at this point in his career. The bottom-six isn’t a great fit for the 5’10” forward, meaning he’s stuck in a difficult situation. Just like New Jersey did when they included him in last year’s Taylor Hall deal, perhaps another team believes they can unlock the next level for Merkley and grabs him off waivers. Given he cleared in January though, that seems unlikely.

If Panik is an overpaid veteran and Merkley is a young player trying to find his way, Frk falls somewhere in the middle. The 27-year-old has been given countless opportunities to really establish himself at the NHL level and despite being an elite minor league contributor, can’t seem to keep his head above water when he moves up. Armed with an incredibly hard shot, Frk scores goals on a consistent basis in the minor leagues but has just 18 in 118 NHL contests. He’s played just one game for the Kings this season after spending most of it on injured reserve, and is likely headed for the taxi squad if he clears.

Snapshots: Johnson, Winnik, NCAA Transfers

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After Adam Johnson’s sudden and unexpected departure from the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks, the forward has landed back in North America. Johnson has signed a contract with the AHL’s Ontario Reign for the remainder of the year, the team announced. This isn’t quite the NHL contract that was expected when Johnson returned home from Sweden, but is still a good opportunity for the 26-year-old to show off for the L.A. Kings and other NHL teams before the off-season. Johnson played in 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past two years, recording four points, and has put up good numbers in the AHL previously. The University of Minnesota-Duluth product is hoping that another strong showing in the minors will prove that he is worthy of another NHL deal.

  • Veteran forward Daniel Winnik will not be returning home, though. Winnik, 36, will continue his playing career for at least another season by signing a one-year extension with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss National League. The contract also includes an additional option year, if the experienced pro actually has two years left in him. Winnik played in nearly 800 career NHL games before departing for Switzerland in 2018, suiting up for eight different teams along the way. He has found more consistency in the second stage of his career, having already played three seasons with Geneve-Servette and now gaining one or two more to come. Winnik has excelled overseas even in his late thirties, playing at a near point-per-game pace.
  • There will be a number of familiar faces in new places across the NCAA next season. It has already been an unprecedented off-season for notable transfers, even with the Frozen Four still yet to be played. More than a dozen players have already switched schools, including some NHL prospects. Two of the more recent names to make a change include Vegas Golden Knights’ forward prospect Brandon Kruse and Winnipeg Jets’ goalie prospect Jared Moe. Kruse, 22, has already played four full seasons at Bowling Green, but will take advantage of his fifth year of eligibility due to COVID to become a graduate transfer to Boston College, the program confirmed. The 2018 fifth-round pick has been one of the Falcons’ best forwards and is a nice pickup for the Eagles, who are still believed to be in the running for several other noteworthy transfers as well. Moe, 21, is moving on from Minnesota after sitting behind Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect Jack LaFontaine this season (and LaFontaine has committed to another year with the Gophers as well). Moe has reported on his own that he will flip to Big Ten rival Wisconsin next season, where the starting job is at least open to competition. Moe may not be the only Winnipeg keeper to transfer this off-season too; UMass Lowell goaltender Logan Neaton is also in the NCAA Transfer Portal after he too was used sparingly this season.

Brendan Lemieux Had Requested A Trade From Rangers

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  • The acquisition of Brendan Lemieux by the Kings over the weekend came as a bit of a surprise but Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the 25-year-old had asked for a trade from the Rangers which accelerated the process. Lemieux was believed to be seeking a larger role after averaging just over 10 minutes per game with New York prior to the move.  While he’s still in quarantine, Lemieux should be able to get that with Los Angeles, especially if they wind up moving a forward or two out between now and the trade deadline.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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April 2: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to their respective taxi squads or minor league teams.

April 1: The waiver wire has some interesting names on it today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Tyler Ennis of the Edmonton Oilers, Nikita Gusev of the New Jersey Devils, and Matt Luff of the Los Angeles Kings have all been placed on waivers. The trio of forwards are available for claim by the rest of the league.

Gusev’s name will stand out among the group, given how recently he was considered an up-and-coming name in the NHL. The 28-year-old made a splashy debut for the Devils last season, scoring 44 points in 66 games after signing a two-year, $9MM deal. The Devils only had his rights in the first place after trading second and third-round picks to the Vegas Golden Knights, a deal they might want to reverse if they had the chance.

In 20 games this season, Gusev has just five points and has received 16 or more minutes of ice time just twice. Since the beginning of March he has registered just one point and played a season-low 8:41 just a few games ago. With his $4.5MM cap hit that just isn’t cutting it, meaning the end to his Devils career might be coming quickly. Gusev is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the team has several top forward prospects pushing for roster spots. One of them, the recently-signed Tyce Thompson, joined practice today for the first time. While it seems very unlikely that Gusev will be claimed, perhaps a deal could be made with a team should the Devils be willing to eat some of his cap hit. Clearing waivers would make him a more desirable trade asset, since he will be able to be placed on the taxi squad.

Ennis has been here before, clearing waivers in January for the Oilers. The undersized forward is a useful player, but one that can only fit certain roles. For Edmonton, room was needed on the active roster and under the salary cap to add Alex Stalock, who will serve as additional goalie depth down the stretch. Given Ennis has already cleared once, the chance of claim this time around remains low.

Luff started the year on injured reserve and has played just 11 games for the Kings, but doesn’t represent much offensive upside anyway. The 23-year-old winger went undrafted and has made it to the NHL after grinding it out in the minor leagues, but has just one point this season. His contract is a two-way deal worth $700K, which means he might actually draw the most interest on the wire, but just like most of the other skaters this season is more likely to clear and be assigned to the taxi squad.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Mike Amadio

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The Ottawa Senators have swapped some recently-waived assets with the Los Angeles Kings, acquiring Michael Amadio in exchange for Christian Wolanin. Both players recently cleared waivers with their respective teams and can report directly (following the appropriate quarantine) to the taxi squad or minor leagues. The trade does not include any other players or draft picks.

Amadio, 24, had zero goals and just two points in 20 games for the Kings this season, unable to create any offense even when given substantial minutes. In his last game on March 14, he played more than 17 minutes but manged just a single shot on net and was a -1. The team seemingly decided to move on at that point, putting him on waivers a few days later and sticking him on the taxi squad. Just a few days ago Amadio was demoted even further, this time to the Ontario Reign of the AHL.

In Ottawa, the right-shot center will likely receive a chance to get his career back on track, but at the very least can be a depth option for the team next season. Amadio’s current two-year contract will expire at the end of this season, but he will still be a restricted free agent without much leverage that the Senators can likely sign for cheap.

The same can’t be said about Wolanin, who will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent should he fail to play in another 13 games this season. Technically, given the Kings have played just 32 so far this year, Wolanin could get to that mark should he quickly clear COVID protocols, but it seems unlikely. Instead, he’s a rental piece that can get a look on the Kings depth chart down the stretch.

Los Angeles has several young defenders waiting in the wings, but Wolanin does have 58 games of NHL experience and has shown flashes of upside. Unfortunately, those flashes haven’t come often enough and he has played just 18 games for the Senators since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. The 26-year-old defenseman shouldn’t be considered a prospect anymore and is just another name to throw into the taxi squad mix in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Brendan Lemieux

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In a trade that few likely saw coming, the Los Angeles Kings have established themselves as buyers at this trade deadline with the acquisition of New York Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux. The Rangers announced that they have dealt the 25-year-old grinder to L.A. in exchange for a 2021 fourth-round draft pick. Lemieux’s contact carries a $1.55MM AAV and expires after the 2021-22 season, at which time he will be a restricted free agent.

From the Rangers’ perspective, maybe this trade should not have been a surprise. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes, New York is dealing with a difficult roster crunch right now and he believes that they have been looking to swap a contract for a draft pick for some time. Lemieux has also seemingly hit a wall in his offensive development as well, appearing to be no more than a 25-point player at best, and as such has been relegated to a fourth-line role with the Rangers where his physicality and energy can be best implemented. Lemieux serves the role well, but he is more valuable to a contender than to a team like the Rangers that needs to focus on evaluating their young talent and putting together a playoff-caliber core. With that said, New York is not the most aggressive team and will need to look elsewhere for that spark with Lemieux now gone.

The more intriguing aspect of this deal is the team on the other side. The Kings have been one of the NHL’s positive surprises thus far, still very much in the conversation for a playoff spot in the West Division albeit more so before their current cold streak. It’s not so much L.A.’s impressive pipeline turning the team around either as it is their veterans leading the charge. Bringing in a relatively older player who is seemingly locked into a fourth-line role, especially one with term remaining on his contract, would have been a very strange move for the rebuilding Kings prior to this season, but given their recent success it could help them both get into the postseason and handle the increased pace and physicality of playoff hockey. Lemieux also adds the aggression element that L.A. too often lacks; the team averages about 18 hits per game (7th-worst in the NHL) and has just six fighting majors on the year (tied for 9th-fewest).

One repercussion of this move that may not immediately jump to mind but could become important down the road is the Expansion Draft impact. For the Kings, Lemieux is an additional term forward that the team will need to decide whether or not to protect, although his addition does guarantee that they should meet exposure requirements at forward one way or another. The Rangers are not in as lucky a situation following Lemieux’s departure. Although New York needed to move a player to create roster space, moving a regular starter signed beyond this season could put them in a difficult spot. As of right now, the team only has two players who meet the requirements for the two-forward exposure quota – Ryan Strome and Kevin Rooney – and Strome is likely to be protected. The only other player who can meet the requirements this season is Colin Blackwell, who needs to play in five more games. If Blackwell does not reach the games played requirement due to injury or trade or if the Rangers instead choose to protect the current top-six scoring forward, they will be one body short of the quota – a spot that Lemieux was expected to fill – and will have to make an addition before the draft.

Trade Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings

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Although we’re now just two months into the season, the trade deadline is less than a month away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Los Angeles Kings.

It has been an interesting season for the Kings.  While they’re still in the midst of their extended rebuild, they’ve done well enough to hang around the playoff picture.  Accordingly, there is a case to be made for GM Rob Blake to try to add a piece or two but on the other hand, staying the course would certainly be prudent as well.  As a result, that makes them a team of some intrigue heading into the April 12th trade deadline.

Record

13-12-6, 5th in West Division

Deadline Status

Light Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$22.72MM in full-season space ($41.09MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: LA 1st, LA 2nd, STL 2nd, LA 3rd, TOR 3rd, CGY 4th, LA 4th, LA 5th, LA 6th
2022: LA 1st, LA 2nd, LA 3rd, LA 4th, LA 5th, LA 6th, LA 7th

Trade Chips

Up front, the Kings only have one pending unrestricted free agent in winger Alex Iafallo who is certainly an under-the-radar player.  After finishing second on the team in scoring last season, he has upped his point per game average to a career best 0.67 with 20 points (7-13-20) in just 30 games.  The 27-year-old is also very quietly averaging nearly 20 minutes per game while taking turns on the power play and penalty kill.  With a $2.425MM cap hit and an ability to play pretty well anywhere in the lineup, Iafallo is someone that could certainly fit on quite a few contending teams.  On the other hand, he is someone that they want to retain and whether or not he gets moved will likely depend on the status of how extension talks go over the next few weeks.

Andreas Athanasiou is no stranger to trade speculation having been in it for several years before finally getting moved to Edmonton at last year’s deadline, a deal the Oilers undoubtedly would love a mulligan on.  His trip through unrestricted free agency last fall after being non-tendered wasn’t what he was hoping for as he eventually settled for a one-year, $1.2MM deal.  Athanasiou isn’t having the best of seasons but the low price tag and potential for another year of control as he remains RFA-eligible makes him a possible candidate to be moved, albeit for much less than the two second-rounders that he yielded a year ago.

With Calvin Petersen looking like the starter of the future, Jonathan Quick’s name has come up in some trade speculation.  However, he still has two more years left on his deal after this one with a $5.8MM cap hit although his salary is considerably lower at this stage of his 10-year contract.  Given the salary cap constraints that so many teams face right now, it’s hard to see there being much demand for his services although an injury elsewhere could certainly change things.  Lias Andersson has had a limited role this season and has made numerous appearances in our daily Taxi Squad Shuffle pieces.  With the centre depth they have in the system, the 22-year-old could make some sense as a change of scenery candidate.

Others to Watch For:

F Michael Amadio ($700K, RFA), F Matt Luff ($700K, RFA), D Austin Strand ($735K, RFA)

Team Needs

1) Long-Term Defensive Help – While Los Angeles has to be pleased with the performances of Michael Anderson and Tobias Bjornfot, their long-term prospects on the back end aren’t the greatest.  Recent deals to Matt Roy and Sean Walker (last offseason) give them some depth at somewhat high prices but both are better suited for limited roles as is Olli Maatta.  Adding to their prospect pool would certainly help but bringing in a current top-four NHL defenseman with a few years of team control would give them a boost.  That may be a move for the offseason instead as it’s more of a buyer trade but the fact that they have as much cap space as they do could put them in a better spot to act now rather than later.

2) Top-Six Forwards – Similar to above, the Kings have decent forward depth in terms of their bottom-six options but they are lacking a bit in the impact forward department.  Obviously, the hope is that their top prospects (including Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, and Rasmus Kupari) will eventually fill the void but adding a slightly older established player to the core would fill a big need.  Again, it may not quite be time for that just yet but the reality is that the players that they could move now aren’t going to really fill any of their needs and instead just add to their draft pick capital.  When the time comes to add, Blake will need to be thinking big.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Matt Roy To Three-Year Extension

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The Los Angeles Kings announced they have signed defenseman Matt Roy to a significant raise as the team has extended him for three more years. The deal is worth $9.45MM with a $3.15MM AAV. Roy was going to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

The terms of the deal (via TSN’s Pierre LeBrun):

2021-22: $2MM
2022-23: $3.25MM
2023-24: $4.2MM

The 26-year-old was making just $700K this year, the last year of his two-year bridge deal he signed in 2019. By signing a three-year pact, the Kings bought out two UFA years, hence the significant raise.

Roy is the ultimate success story.

Drafted in the seventh round in the 2015 draft after his freshman year at Michigan Tech, Roy had two more positive seasons in college before signing with the Kings at the end of the 2017. He played two seasons with the Ontario Reign in the AHL before earning a promotion to Los Angeles late in 2019. He played 25 games for the Kings that year and earned himself a full-time role immediately. Roy finished last season with four goals and 18 points, but more importantly carried a plus-16 rating on a weak L.A. team. This year, Roy has seven assists in 24 games along with a plus-two rating, while averaging 19:16 in ice time, third among Kings’ defensemen behind Drew Doughty and Michael Anderson.

NHL Postpones Blues-Kings

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The NHL has been forced to postpone another game, though once again it isn’t because of any COVID-related issues. The St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings will not play their scheduled game this evening thanks to weather conditions in Denver. The Kings, who just finished a two-game set against the Colorado Avalanche, were unable to fly to Los Angeles yesterday. The game does not have a makeup date yet.

This is not the first game postponed due to inclement weather, as the Dallas Stars also went dark for a week while Texas was dealing with a drastic winter storm. In a year that was already incredibly difficult due to the pandemic, weather-related postponements are just another issue the league has had to deal with all season long.

The list of postponements continues to grow, one way or another:

Read more

Injury Notes: Bozak, Trocheck, Bruins, Kings

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After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak is finally making some progress toward a return. Speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Craig Berube displayed optimism when discussing the health of his veteran center, who was back at practice on Friday. “He’s gonna get some work here in the next few days and he could be available soon,” Berube said. “It’s good to see him out there and working… making some real good progress.” Bozak has not played since January 26th, when he was forced out of game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an apparent concussion. With the Blue about to embark on a six-game road trip, they will have to decide if bringing Bozak is the right move or if he requires additional time before his return. While St. Louis also just got Vladimir Tarasenko back and Oskar Sundqvist returned from a short-term injury, they could still use all the help they can get. Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas, Jacob De La Rose, and more are still among the Blues’ injured.

  • The news on Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck does not sound as optimistic. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour tells The Athletic’s Sara Civian that Trocheck’s recent upper-body injury will keep him sidelined for “longer than hoped”. The coach held back on providing any definitive timeline, but any long-term absence for Trocheck will be a major loss for the team. In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has been a point-per-game player and is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team’s scoring lead. If there is one silver lining for Carolina, it is that the injury occurred before the trade deadline; with a considerable amount of cap space, the ’Canes still have time to bring in help to make up for an extended period without Trocheck.
  • Back on the positive side, the Boston Bruins have been dealing with an onslaught of injuries for some time, but there could be some help on the way. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced today that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller has resumed skating and is likely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Miller has been resting his surgically-repaired knee, but seems like he is ready to get back on the ice. Cassidy also said that defenseman Brandon Carlo is “coming around” and, while he is unsure if it will happen, there is at least some consideration that he could travel as well. This is the first concrete update on Carlo since he was hospitalized by a high hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson, but its seems that Carlo will not be out for a lengthy period as many feared.
  • It’s a scary time for any unknown illness given the shadow of the Coronavirus, so the Los Angeles Kings played it safe and cancelled practice this morning, citing an “illness” spreading around the group. Head coach Todd McLellan and the Kings do not believe that this is COVID, but a seasonal virus. However, the team will wait to see what their latest batch of test results say. Defenseman Olli Maatta is currently on the league’s COVID Protocal Related Absences list, though Alex Iafallo missed the team’s last game with similar symptoms and did not test positive for COVID. Obviously, the hope of all involved is that this is what McLellan believe it to be: some unrelated bug going around the locker room.

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