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Minor Transactions: 02/06/20

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After the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings completes a late-night trade yesterday, eyes are now peeled for the next move around the NHL. With 12 games on the schedule for this evening there will be plenty of minor moves as teams prepare, and we’ll keep track of them right here.

  • The Kings have recalled Cal Petersen after moving Jack Campbell to Toronto, giving them a second goaltender for the remainder of the season. Petersen should get a look down the stretch to find out if they really have a potential starter, as Jonathan Quick has struggled mightily this season.
  • Similarly, the Maple Leafs have demoted Kasimir Kaskisuo after acquiring Campbell. The trade gave Toronto 24 men on the roster and reassigning the now third-string goalie was the obvious solution to get them back down to 23.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks, Andrew Peeke and Kevin Stenlund, the former two returning after just one day in the minor leagues. The Blue Jackets will take on the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night and are still dealing with various injuries.
  • Sebastian Aho is headed back to the New York Islanders, recalled once again. The young defenseman has been up and down all season, but still hasn’t worked his way into the NHL lineup.
  • Andy Andreoff has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, as they prepare for a divisional matchup against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Andreoff has played in 13 games for Philadelphia this season, but has just one assist.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Matt Bartkowski to the NHL while Carson Soucy deals with an illness. The Wild are facing the Vancouver Canucks this evening.
  • Robbie Russo is up with the Arizona Coyotes as Jason Demers deals with another injury. Demers has been placed on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least a little bit of time.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will not wait any longer for an upgrade in net. After falling to the New York Rangers tonight, the team has acquired Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Kings will receive depth forward Trevor Moore, a third-round pick in 2020 (CBJ) and a conditional third-round pick in 2021. That pick will become a second if the team re-signs Clifford or the Maple Leafs make the playoffs and Campbell wins six regular season games. The Kings will also retain 50% of Clifford’s remaining salary.

Toronto had been struggling all season to find a reliable backup goaltender and with Frederik Andersen’s recent injury, were forced to play Michael Hutchinson again this evening. After four goals against—including one laughable mishap where Hutchinson fell down and lost his stick—Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas had apparently seen enough. It comes as little surprise that Campbell would be a target of Dubas, who once traded for the goaltender while still running the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Campbell, 28, comes to Toronto after quite the journey. The 11th overall pick in 2010, the big goaltender had shown plenty of promise as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. Unfortunately that success didn’t really carry over to the CHL or AHL ranks, and he struggled to even make it up the Dallas Stars’ depth chart. By 2015-16 he was splitting time between the AHL and ECHL, looking like a failed draft pick.

In came the Kings and goaltending coach Bill Ranford, who turned Campbell from a failed prospect to a part-time starter last season. Now through 58 career NHL games, he carries a .916 save percentage and a lot of hope for Maple Leafs’ fans.

Not to be forgotten in the deal is Clifford, who will cost just what remains of $800K for Toronto down the stretch. That essentially makes him the same price as Moore, though he comes with some very obvious stylistic differences. Clifford is an extremely physical forward who is willing to stand up for his teammates and punish defenders as they go back for the puck. A lack of physicality has been a critique of the Maple Leafs for some time, though we’ll have to wait and see if he can bring that on a regular basis.

For the Kings, Moore represents another potential forward piece for their rebuild. The 24-year old was signed out of the University of Denver in 2016 and produced very well at the minor league level, but was limited to mostly fourth line duties in Toronto. He has 13 points through 52 career games, but brings a ton of speed to a lineup that has been looking for it. Not only will Moore likely get a bigger opportunity in Los Angeles, but the Thousand Oaks, California native will be a lot closer to home.

Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez Drawing Interest

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The Los Angeles Kings are a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches, and they took up a pair of notes in Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column. The Sportsnet scribe writes that even though Kings’ head coach Todd McLellan wanted to re-sign Tyler Toffoli, the forward will “more likely than not” be traded in the next few weeks. The Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers are all linked to Toffoli, who has turned around his season and has 17 points in his last 23 games.

Another player to watch according to Friedman is Alec Martinez, who is linked to the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights in the piece. It’s clear the Kings are looking to rebuild their squad after struggling in consecutive seasons.

Toronto Maple Leafs “Kicked Tires” On Jack Campbell

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were without Frederik Andersen at practice today as he continues to be evaluated for the upper-body injury he suffered last night. The team announced after their 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers that Andersen—who left the game after the first period—had passed his concussion tests, but obviously they need to take things cautiously with their franchise netminder. He is now listed as day-to-day with a neck injury, but won’t travel with the team to New York. That led to Luke Fox of Sportsnet examining several potential trade options that Toronto could look at to solidify their goaltending situation, including Jack Campbell of the Los Angeles Kings.

Fox reports that Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas has “kicked tires” on Campbell, who has played in 20 games for the Kings this season and carries a .900 save percentage. That number is not something to get very excited about, but it is important to remember that the Kings have struggled in almost every facet of the game this season. Campbell did post a .928 save percentage in 31 appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.

One potential hiccup however, is the increasing salary Campbell is going to get moving forward. Though he carries just a $675K cap hit this year and could fit into the Maple Leafs’ tight financial picture, a new two-year extension kicks in for 2020-21 that has an average annual value of $1.65MM. Toronto, thanks to some incredibly large contracts signed by their star forwards, may not be able to afford a backup with that kind of deal—especially if they have any thoughts of an Andersen extension after his contract expires in 2021.

Even if Andersen proves healthy enough to return to action quickly, the Maple Leafs still may have a backup issue as they try to stay afloat in the Atlantic Division playoff race. The team hasn’t been able to rely on backup Michael Hutchinson, as evidenced by his performance last night in relief. Hutchinson allowed three goals on 13 shots, lowering his season save percentage to .886, fourth-worst in the league among goaltenders who have at least ten appearances.

Minor Transactions: 02/03/20

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A new week of NHL action and wild speculation starts with three games this evening, including the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs battling for position in the Atlantic Division. The two clubs are trying desperately to capture a divisional playoff spot and avoid the wild card race entirely, with Toronto currently leading by two points. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Christian Folin from the minor leagues, after sending two of their youngsters down in recent days. Folin played five games for the Canadiens earlier this season and has one point.
  • Joey Anderson is on his way to the New Jersey Devils, recalled after scoring 34 points in 44 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Anderson made his NHL debut in 2018-19 and ended up playing in 34 contests for New Jersey, but has been limited to AHL action this year.
  • Carl Grundstrom has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, with Matt Luff heading down in his place. The 22-year old forward has played in nine games with the Kings this year, but once again has spent most of his season in the minors. Acquired as part of the Jake Muzzin deal last season, Grundstrom has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.
  • After bringing up Maxim Letunov yesterday, the San Jose Sharks recalled another pair from the minor leagues. Andrew Shortridge and Danil Yurtaykin both joined the NHL roster, after the team placed Logan Couture and Joel Kellman on injured reserve. At least part of this move was to get as close to the salary cap ceiling as possible before placing Tomas Hertl on long-term injured reserve. Once that move was made earlier today, Shortridge and Yurtaykin were returned to the Barracuda and forward Alex True was recalled.
  • Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud are back, after being in a paper transaction yesterday for the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy has to be used to this by now, after spending nearly the whole season bouncing up and down between the two levels.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Gilbert has split his season almost evenly between the two teams, with 20 games for Chicago and 15 gmes for Rockford. He’s still looking to find consistent production in either place.
  • Daniel Sprong is back up with the Anaheim Ducks. The Dutch winger has been recalled from the AHL and hopes to stick longer than he has in numerous short trips this season. It will help if he can improve on just two points in eight games thus far with Anaheim.

Pacific Notes: Doughty, Stastny, Ferland, Roussel

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Up until recently, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty hadn’t missed a game since the 2013-14 season. Suddenly, due to an undisclosed injury, Doughty will miss his third straight game on Sunday. However, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the team hopes he will return on Tuesday against Washington, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.

“We thought he might sneak in today, but not enough practice time with the break,” said McLellan. “Get tomorrow’s skate in and potentially one Monday before we fly out and then counting on him Tuesday.”

  • The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) breaks down the top trade chips of the Vegas Golden Knights as the team closes in on the trade deadline and notes that if Vegas opts to spend big once again like it has in the past two years of the team’s existence, then one name that might come up could be center Paul Stastny. The 34-year-old center has been a solid contributor with Vegas, but due to the fact the team has juggled him around the lineup, Stastny has struggled getting comfortable with any linemates as he has just 12 assists so far this year, which could be because he is one of the team’s top goal scorers at 15 already. However, with the development of Chandler Stephenson, the Golden Knights might actually be able to survive without him. Stastny has just one year remaining on the three-year deal he signed two summers ago at $6.5MM, although the veteran does have a 10-team no trade list.
  • The Vancouver Canucks seem a step closer to getting forward Micheal Ferland back from injury. The forward has been skating on his own the last few days and Sportsnet’s Joey Kenward reports that Ferland is expected to report to Utica of the AHL this coming week and is expected to practice with the team. The hope is that he might be ready to play in a game or two with the Comets before the Canucks bring him back up.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that despite having returned from an ACL tear in December, forward Antoine Roussel recently stated that playing on that knee hasn’t felt the same and he hasn’t been pleased with the way he’s been playing since returning, which isn’t surprising, considering the injury. “I had no legs for ten games,” Roussel said bluntly. “I was rusty, my pop wasn’t there and then you slowly get back there and I’m at game 22 now. So 12 games where I felt pretty decent, I’m just trying to build on that.” Roussel does feel that his game is finally rounding into form and his best hockey could be coming in the second-half of the season, which is just another thing going well for Vancouver.

Trade Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings

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With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer 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?  Next up is a look at the Los Angeles Kings.

It hasn’t been a good season for the Kings. In fact, the team currently has their worst winning percentage since 1997, a year in which Dmitri Khristich led the club in scoring with 56 points. They could use that kind of production right now, as only two players have more than 30 points and they sit dead last in the Western Conference. The deadline is all about the future for the Kings, who will be selling everything not tied down (or too expensive).

Record

19-28-5, eighth in the Pacific Division.

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$23.87MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, CGY 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th
2021: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th

Trade Chips

The first thing you’ll notice when it comes to the Kings, is how much cap space they have. The team has worked hard to rid themselves of some bad contracts over the last few years, including agreeing to a mutual termination with Ilya Kovalchuk. Not only will that allow them some flexibility in free agency this summer, but they can also use that space to take on bad money at the deadline.

That’s likely what they’ll have to do in order to move any of the best trade chips they have. Tyler Toffoli is the biggest name up front, but his $4.6MM cap hit is hard to fit in for many contenders. The same can be said about Alec Martinez’ $4MM hit, especially because it comes with another year on it.

Those two are definitely the biggest names you’ll hear, but there are several other expiring contracts the team could shed. Trevor Lewis, Kyle Clifford, Derek Forbort and Joakim Ryan all have various levels value at the deadline, along with some of the older pending RFAs like Nikolai Prokhorkin and Kurtis MacDermid.

Five Players To Watch For: F Tyler Toffoli, D Alec Martinez, F Trevor Lewis, F Kyle Clifford, D Derek Forbort

Team Needs

1) Young Scoring: Anze Kopitar will be 33 by the time next season begins, and yet is still leading the Kings by 15 points this season. With Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown really showing their age, the Kings need some new players up front to lead them into this decade. Yes, they have some interesting prospects coming but it isn’t enough just yet.

2) Draft Picks: There’s no doubt that the Kings will still be looking at draft talent at the deadline. While they obviously don’t want to stay at the bottom of the league for very long, they realistically know that to compete in the NHL their system needs to start providing impact talent. Even the lottery ticket mid- and late-round picks are worthwhile for the Kings right now, and that’s exactly what they might have to settle for in some of the upcoming trades.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 01/29/20

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Six games are on tap in the NHL this evening, including Jason Spezza’s return to Dallas after leaving the Stars for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will have the latest battle of Alberta as well, with all eyes on Matthew Tkachuk and Zack Kassian after their altercation the last two times these teams played.

  • Edmonton will have a familiar face back in the lineup tonight for the battle as Matt Benning has been activated from long-term injured reserve. Benning hasn’t played in nearly two months, after suffering multiple head injuries.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have also activated a defensemen, bringing back Joakim Ryan for their game tonight. Ryan has missed ten straight games for the Kings with a lower-body injury.
  • With all eyes on the New York Rangers’ goaltending situation, they’ve recalled Igor Shesterkin again after the break. The team will have three goalies on the roster until they decide what to do with Alexandar Georgiev.
  • Dennis Gilbert is on his way back to the NHL after being recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he has spent half the season. The third-round pick from 2015 looks like he might be a full-time member of the squad at some point in the future, but so far has split his year between the Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs.
  • After the St. Louis Blues placed Oskar Sundqvist on injured reserve earlier today, they have recalled the recently waived Troy Brouwer. The veteran forward hadn’t even reported to the AHL yet and was still deciding whether to continue his career.

Minor Transactions: 01/27/20

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The All-Star break is over and NHL teams have less than a month to figure out exactly what they want to do at the trade deadline. These first few games after vacation are extremely important for getting back on the right track, and 12 teams will try to do just that this evening. That includes a battle between the two Western Conference division leaders, as the St. Louis Blues head to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled both Luke Schenn and Mitchell Stephens from the minor leagues as they prepare for action tonight against the Dallas Stars. Stephens has played 20 games for Tampa Bay in this his rookie season, scoring four points.
  • As expected, Blake Lizotte has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings after getting a little taste of the minor leagues over the break. The 22-year old forward had previously spent the entire season with the Kings, scoring four goals and 15 points in 45 games.
  • Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes, after losing a weekend affair to the Bakersfield Condors. Hill has a .911 save percentage in 14 appearances for the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, but a .920 in nine games with the Coyotes.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have officially recalled Chase De Leo, Max Jones and Troy Terry from the AHL. To make room, Blake Pietila has been reassigned to the San Diego Gulls. Terry is making his return to the NHL after suffering a broken leg earlier this season.

Trade Candidate: Ilya Kovalchuk

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

There was plenty of anticipation when Ilya Kovalchuk announced he wanted to return to the NHL after five straight years in the KHL. The former star wanted another crack at a Stanley Cup title, but made the mistake of signing a contract with the Los Angeles Kings (a three-year, $18.75MM deal), who were hoping for one more title run. Between the team’s struggles and Kovalchuk’s inability to fit into the Kings’ lineup, he bottomed out this year, even being asked to sit out before finally being placed on unconditional waivers. However, the Montreal Canadiens rescued him where he has thrived eight short games.

Having revived his career with the Canadiens in just a short amount of time, Kovalchuk suddenly could become quite the trade chip who is quite inexpensive as he is under a minimum contract and might be a big win-win for general manager Marc Bergevin.

Contract

Once a free-agent, Kovalchuk was free to sign with anyone and anywhere, but his main goal was to sign with an NHL team and the Montreal Canadiens offered him that chance, signing him to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K.

2019-20

Kovalchuk’s numbers may look adequate when looking at his numbers with the Kings, but the veteran didn’t fit in with new head coach Todd McLellan and on Nov. 12, was informed that he would not be in the lineup for the “foreseeable future.” The veteran averaged just 15 minutes on the ice and often found himself on the fourth line when with the Kings. He was eventually placed on unconditional waivers, while Los Angeles is still responsible for the final year of his deal next season at $6.25MM.

The Montreal Canadiens, however, took a chance, signing the 36-year-old to a one-year deal to revive his career. And that he’s done, as he has four goals and eight points in eight games with the Canadiens and looking like the player that many expected when he signed with the Kings back in 2018.

Season Stats

TOTAL: 25 GP, 7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points, -7 rating, 12 PIMs, 57 shots, 16:45 ATOI, 51.5 CF%
L.A.: 17 GP, 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, -10 rating, 12 PIMS, 35 shots, 15:25 ATOI, 49.3 CF%
MON: 8 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, +3 rating, 0 PIMS, 22 shots, 19:36 ATOI, 55.2 CF%

Potential Suitors

The key reason that Kovalchuk might provide significant value isn’t just for his offensive prowess, but because he comes with a minimum salary, which could mean that top playoff teams with little to no cap room should easily be able to afford the 36-year-old.

That could leave several thoughts on where he might go, but one thought could be a trade to the New York Islanders. The Islanders have solid goaltending and a quality defense, but the rank 21st in the league in scoring and 19th in the league in power-play efficiency. Kovalchuk, who is well-known by general manager Lou Lamoriello (he signed him to the infamous 15-year, $100MM contract), could boost both those numbers as he could fit into the team’s lineup perfectly and even play a role on the team’s second power-play unit. The Boston Bruins could also be looking to add a cheap option to their top six, although the team does have some cap room to work with if needed.

In the west, teams such as Dallas and Edmonton could use Kovalchuk’s skills. Dallas could use another impact forward for their middle nine, while Edmonton is desperately in need of forwards and have little cap room to work with, making Kovalchuk an obvious option.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Much of whether Kovalchuk will be traded at the trade deadline will be determined by what Bergevin decides to do with him. The Canadiens seem to be a better team with him in the lineup and if Bergevin can convince Kovalchuk to sign an extension before the trade deadline, then Montreal might be better off holding onto him. However, if the team cannot find a way to lock him up or if other teams are offering significant assets that Bergevin can’t pass up, then the team will likely be better off trading him away and just remembering they signed him for almost nothing. Because the worst thing that could happen to Montreal is not trading him and then watching him leave at the end of the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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