Trade Candidates: Evander Kane
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Evander Kane is one of the game’s gifted talents, but has been a lightning rod for criticism both on and off the ice. From his arrest in Buffalo last July to what Buffalo News scribe Mike Harrington called “shenanigans” in Winnipeg, Kane could be a catch for a team, but come with a “buyer beware” for his past issues.
Contract
Kane is in year five of a six-year, $31.5MM deal. With an AAV of $5.25MM, he would carry a hefty hit for a contender looking to add him.
2016-17
Harrington describes Kane as “an absolute beast.” Though sidelined by injury this season, Kane has played well in the 45 games he’s appeared in. Kane has been complimented for his game by general manager Tim Murray according to a report from WGR 550. Despite rumors that Vancouver was chasing him back in November, it turned out that he would stay put as Vancouver backed off. With each passing day, the Buffalo forward seems less and less likely to be dealt.
Season Stats
45 GP, 18 G, 10 A, 28 Pts, -9, 79 PIM, 46.9 CF% 18:48 ATOI
Suitors
The cap hit and strong play makes Kane’s value difficult to gauge in terms of where he would land. Buffalo could take some of the salary back, but unless it was a significant return, that seems unlikely. Based on CapFriendly, it would have to be a trade that would offset assets from the other team to balance it financially. The Rangers could be a potential target but with several players due raises next season, it would be too tough financially to massage a deal. Another option? The Blue Jackets, though again, unlikely. While they have the cap room and having another scorer like Kane on the roster would boost their depth in a competitive Metropolitan Division, the logistics of such a trade seem unlikely. The Wild were rumored months ago to be interested, but that chatter never amounted to anything.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Though Kane is playing well and would be an upgrade for any team, it just doesn’t make sense financially for a move and further, why would the Sabres give up on him now? They rode out the storm from last year’s arrest and seeing that this season is already a wash, why not give it one more try next year? The possibility for a trade would be far more likely next season, when the Sabres could wash their hands of the contract, absorb dollars in what would be the final year of his deal, and potentially snag some prospects or a high draft pick in exchange. Until then, it looks like Kane should stay put.
Gustav Nyquist Waives Right To In-Person Hearing
According to the Department of Player Safety, Gustav Nyquist has waived his right to an in-person hearing and instead will conduct a phone interview with the NHL on Wednesday afternoon regarding his vicious high stick on the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon.
The NHL had offered Nyquist the in-person hearing to plead his case over the incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon. With it, the NHL likely plans to give out at least a six-game suspension to the Detroit forward. The incident has prompted much discussion around hockey about whether prior offenses or injury sustained on the play should figure into the decision. Nyquist has no record of supplementary discipline, and Spurgeon was able to return to the game, but the incident itself is one of the most egregious in recent memory.
As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports, the league retains the right to hand out a six-game ban (or more), despite Nyquist not wishing to appear at the hearing. The Red Wings are set to take on the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, and most likely will be without Nyquist’s services.
It will be interesting to see how many games he does in fact receive. Duncan Keith was given a six game ban (which included one playoff game) for his high-stick on Charlie Coyle late last season which had many of the same characteristics—including being retaliatory in nature. The longest suspension given out this season for an on-ice incident has been to Radko Gudas for his late, blindside hit on Austin Czarnik. Gudas recieved six games but had a long history with the NHL Department of Player Safety for borderline offenses.
Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Canadiens
For the Maple Leafs, the past calendar year has been one of wild swings. In the last 12 months (and a few days) the team dealt team captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa for cap relief, finished last in the NHL, drafted the future face of the franchise and vaulted themselves into playoff contention. In the last few weeks though the team has held on tight as the roller-coaster has tilted up on two wheels.
The team currently sits tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, but has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net in recent weeks. After two back-to-back shutouts over Calgary and Detroit in late January, the team has allowed 30 goals in eight games and gone 2-4-2. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports on their mediocrity and where the team’s mindset is as they try to turn things around. One of the positive notes has been the play of William Nylander, who after an early season demotion to the fourth line has recharged his defensive tanks and become a leader on a shutdown line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.
The team has no time to settle in though, with a condensed schedule and eight games in the fifteen nights remaining in February. They’ll take on the New York Islanders tomorrow on home ice.
- The Boston Bruins are 3-0 with their new head coach, getting a boost from the new voice of Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. They tore apart their rival Montreal Canadiens last night 4-0 and have put some space between them and the struggling Maple Leafs. Perhaps the coaching move was the right choice, but they’re in for a tough road trip when they come back off their mandated bye-week. The team will hit the road on the west coast with matchups against San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas out of the break—a tough schedule for anyone.
- Montreal could do with a little of that coaching magic, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post. While the Bruins surge, the Canadiens flounder at the top of the Atlantic Division, now only six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators despite having played five more games. For what at one point looked like a lock for the top see in the division, Montreal now faces a tough final stretch of games. Traikos opines that Michel Therrien should be fired like his Boston counterpart, despite still holding onto that top seed. For now he remains with the team an they’ll come out of their break against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
- Hopefully they will return with some help, says Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. In his latest column, Campbell examines the Canadiens need for some secondary scoring help behind the top duo of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. After Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and AGM Chris McFarland were seen in attendance at the Bruins-Habs matchup on Sunday, hope sprung in Montreal about a possible addition of one of the two young players on the Avalanche trade-block. Both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog would provide a nice punch to the second line for the Habs, though the asking price remains as high as ever.
Wild Recall Alex Tuch, Waive Tyler Graovac
Despite having the most points in their conference, the Wild have decided to shake up their roster. The team has announced that they’ve recalled top prospect Alex Tuch and winger Zack Mitchell from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. To make room on the roster, the team has placed forward Tyler Graovac on waivers and placed defenseman Jonas Brodin on the injured reserve (retroactive to January 18th).
Tuch, who was selected 18th overall in the 2014 draft, will be receiving his second career cup of coffee. The 20-year-old appeared in three games for the Wild earlier this season, averaging a bit under 12 minutes per game. The talented offensive weapon failed to record a goal or assist during his brief cameo, but he has compiled 12 goals and 13 assists in 36 games for Iowa this season. Dane Mizutani of TwinCities.com notes that Tuch was practicing alongside first-liners Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter during Monday’s practice.
Mitchell, 24, made his NHL debut earlier this season with the Wild, compiling zero points in 10 games. The former undrafted player has spent the past two-plus seasons with Iowa, and he’s compiled eight goals and six assists so far this season.
The team may have placed Graovac on waivers, but Mizutani notes that the squad is assuming that he’ll go unclaimed and ultimately land with Iowa. On the flip side, Jason Brough of Pro Hockey Talk writes that Graovac’s affordable contract (including a $625K cap hit for next season) could be enticing to some teams. The transaction is also an indication that the organization would like Charlie Coyle to get more reps at center.
The 23-year-old has spent much of the season on the Wild’s fourth-line, collecting three goals and one assist in only six games. Prior to this season, the 2011 draft pick has played in five games for the Wild between two seasons.
Brodin has missed the past 12 games as he’s recovered from a fractured finger. The former first-rounder was logging a career-low 19:47 minutes per game, but his offensive production was approaching career-highs. After having never finished with more than 19 points in his previous four seasons, Brodin had already scored three goals and provided 13 assists in 43 games this season.
Nyquist Gets In-Person Disciplinary Hearing
Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist will receive an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnson. An in-person hearing means that Nyquist could—and probably would—receive a suspension lasting at least six games. Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweets that the hearing is set for Tuesday February 14th.
Nyquist dangerously high-sticked Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon during today’s game between the two teams (Yahoo Sports video link). Spurgeon received stitches but returned to finish the match. The optics on this play are bad—Spurgeon knocks Nyquist down into the boards during a battle for the puck, and Nyquist gets up and immediately raises his blade into Spurgeon’s face.
In-person hearings generally mean that the player will receive at least a six-game suspension. A phone hearing is reserved for suspensions less than six games, while in-person hearings can result in much longer sentences. As Chris Johnson points out, Nyquist would forfeit $26,388.89 per game of his suspension.
The suspension length will be affected by both Nyquist’s clean disciplinary history, and that Spurgeon did not suffer any serious injury. Nyquist has never been suspended before, which may lessen the punishment’s severity. Nevertheless, expect Nyquist to receive between 5-8 games because of the NHL’s focus on injuries to the head.
Snapshots: Carlo, Nyquist, Dumba
After winning their last two games against the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins are undefeated since firing their long-time head coach Claude Julien. While they’re certain to lose another game this season, the strong play into their bye week (which starts after taking on the Montreal Canadiens at home tonight) has them still in the thick of the playoff race and potential buyers at the trade deadline.
That’s what has Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon worried, as his latest column speaks to the dangers of trading young Brandon Carlo at the deadline for a short term boost. With Carlo’s emergence this season the Bruins might have a potential top pairing defenseman on their hands and should look no further than his defense partner for a reason not to deal him. Zdeno Chara was traded by the Islanders for immediate scoring help at the draft back in 2001, which looks like one of the worst trades in the team’s history. If the Bruins end up dealing him, they better be very sure that what they bring back can help the team for more than just the immediate future.
- In today’s Minnesota Wild-Detroit Red Wings game, there were quite a few physical incidents but none more vicious than Gustav Nyquist‘s disturbing high stick on Jared Spurgeon. Spurgeon would get a few stitches and return to the game, but all the talk after the game was about possible league discipline. As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports, Bruce Boudreau wasn’t happy about the attack on his star defenseman. “Two inches closer, the guy could have speared his eye out,” Boudreau told Russo in his post game scrum. We’ll see what kind of suspension comes down tomorrow from the league. Nyquist for his part says that he didn’t mean to do it at all and is happy Spurgeon is okay.
- In other Wild news, Russo reports that Mathew Dumba is still day-to-day and hopes to get back on the ice in the next few days. Dumba finished the game on Friday against the Lightning, but had injured himself on a hit from Ondrej Palat early in the game. Dumba’s absence was notable today, especially when Spurgeon was getting his face stitched up. Getting him back soon is important for the Wild, who continue to lead the entire Western Conference with 80 points.
Snapshots: Bowness, Johnson, Vegas
Tampa Bay’s Rick Bowness is the all-time leader in games coached. You may be shocked to hear that, given that Scotty Bowman’s 2,141 games as a head coach is a record that will likely last for a long time. But it’s not the head coaching record that Bowness is breaking, but that of total games coached. Bowness has been behind the bench in an associate or head coaching role for 2,165 games after tonight’s match-up against the Minnesota Wild. 463 of those have come as the head coach, split with five different franchises, but most of his work has been as an assistant. Congratulations to Bowness for a long, successful career in the NHL that doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon.
- Sticking with Tampa Bay, and following the report from earlier, the team was indeed missing Tyler Johnson from the lineup tonight when it headed into battle with the Wild. He was out with an undisclosed injury and played only 14 minutes on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, more than four minutes less than his average. Johnson is the topic of much conversation lately, as his name has recently come up in trade speculation. The Lightning have a tough roster crunch coming up this summer and with Johnson’s RFA status he may be deemed expendable. An injury at this junction would be a terrible blow to GM Steve Yzerman and the Lightning if they are indeed looking to move the diminutive center. With Johnson’s relatively down season—he has just 33 points in 54 games—Yzerman already wouldn’t be selling at a high point.
- ESPN’s Craig Custance reported today (subscription required) that as many as six NHL teams have already reached out to George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights brain trust. Not necessarily to make deals—the team isn’t allowed to make a deal until the final expansion payment is made official on March 1st—but to figure out their ideas heading into the expansion draft. NHL teams have a very important trade deadline coming up that will determine who will be left exposed for Vegas come June 17th. It won’t be easy to operate in the dark, and as Custance says, more teams will likely reach out as they decide whether they’re buyers or sellers.
Ryan Carter Attempting Return To Wild
For the first time since April of last year, Ryan Carter will attend an NHL practice. The Star Tribune reports that the former Minnesota Wild forward will skate with his former teammates today and is expected to continue working with the team through the remainder of the month. Carter played for the Wild for the past two years, recording 25 points in 113 games as a regular on the team’s checking line. However, when the Minnesota native hit free agency this summer, he decided he would sign with his hometown team or not at all. Unable to commit to a contract for the 33-year-old, Minnesota invited Carter to camp this fall, but he was released due to issues with a lingering shoulder injury. Carter underwent a procedure on a torn labrum in his right shoulder four months ago, and is just now returning to full strength.
With experience not only playing with much of the current roster, but also with 46 playoff games under his belt, including two last spring, the Wild’s interest in reuniting with Carter makes sense. Although they have been one of the most dominant teams in the NHL this season, Minnesota is not without fault and a gritty veteran is on their wish list this Trade Deadline season. Rather than use up valuable picks and prospects to acquire such a player, they have the option of simply giving Carter a cheap pro-rated deal for the rest of the season. As long as the Wild make the signing official prior to March 1st, Carter will be eligible to play in the postseason.
If he truly is back at full strength, Carter would likely present an upgrade to the Wild’s current group of energy liners like Jordan Schroeder, Kurtis Gabriel, and Tyler Graovac. Carter is a veteran of 473 career regular seasons games, during which he has scored 41 goals and added 52 assists. He’s a physical player who knows how to check and win battles along the boards, and he’s also above average at the face-off dot. More than anything, what makes Carter so appealing to Minnesota at this point in the season is his playoff success. The journeyman grinder won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and returned to the final in 2012 with the New Jersey, adding five goals for the Devils along the way. A return to the Wild lineup for a local guy who has had to fight his way back into the fold would be quite a story, and will be something to watch for over the next month.
Minor Transactions: 2/9/2017
For the third consecutive day no players were placed on waivers, as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet noted this afternoon. However, that doesn’t mean teams aren’t busy calling players up from or sending players to the minor leagues. In this post we’ll track the day’s minor transactions and update as needed.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled forwards Evan Rodrigues and Derek Grant from Rochester. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald added that Zemgus Girgensons wasn’t on the ice for the team’s morning skate and while Evander Kane was, he didn’t take line rushes. The implication being both players might be unavailable tonight thus necessitating the call-ups. Rodrigues has appeared in two games this season, going scoreless while averaging 11:28 of ice time. Grant, who was recently reacquired via waivers from Nashville, has registered four points, all assists, in 41 games. He is still searching for his first NHL goal after seeing action in 81 games over parts of five seasons with Ottawa, Calgary, Buffalo and Nashville.
- Winger Alex Tuch has been reassigned by the Minnesota Wild to their AHL affiliate in Iowa, the team announced this morning. Tuch, the club’s first-round pick, 18th overall, in the 2014 draft, has appeared in three games this season without netting a point. He’s registered 11 goals and 22 points in 34 AHL contests. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune tweeted that unless the team recalls another forward from the minor then it appears as if Charlie Coyle will move back to the wing with Erik Haula and Tyler Graovac assuming the third and fourth line center slots, respectively.
- Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times brings word that the Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned forwards Michael Bournival and Joel Vermin to Syracuse. Smith adds that this could be good news for Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn, as the reassignments leave the team with just 12 healthy forwards – Ryan Callahan is currently on IR. Palat has missed the last two games while Killorn didn’t play in Tampa’s 5 – 0 shutout win over the L.A. Kings.
McKenzie’s Latest: Coaching Vacancies, Coyotes Rentals
In a series of tweets after appearing on NBCSN, Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that both the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers will likely seek permission from the Boston Bruins to interview Claude Julien for their coaching vacancies. Though Julien is just couple of days removed from the job in Boston, many people feel like he’ll immediately bounce back and helm one of the open teams.
McKenzie adds that the New York Islanders, who fired Jack Capuano last month will not talk to Julien about their vacancy, instead happy with Doug Weight for the time being. Julien would be an interesting option for the Golden Knights, who have made it known that they want a big name for their first coach. Ken Hitchcock and Gerard Gallant are also available, though McKenzie reported this week that Hitchcock is currently just enjoying his time off.
Julien has been the coach of the Bruins since 2007-08, and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2011. After back to back seasons out of the playoffs, and an up and down 2016-17 the team decided to move on. He’s been to the playoffs in 9 of his 14 seasons (though some have been partial) and is generally regarded as one of the best coaches in the league.
McKenzie also responded to a report that three Arizona Coyotes officials (including GM John Chayka) are in attendance at tonight’s Chicago Blackhawks-Minnesota Wild game saying that the Coyotes are trying to market their rentals. A matchup between two Western Conference contenders would be a great place to do that, though Chicago GM Stan Bowman has said multiple times that they will likely be very quiet at the deadline do to cap issues.
The Coyotes have a number of expiring contracts, including Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Michael Stone. Several of those if not all, are likely to move before the deadline. Stone is an interesting case though, as his relative youth (26) could still fit in with the rebuild of the Coyotes. His health is a concern, as is the inconsistent play this season but he should still command a hefty price on the free agent market and would be a solid addition for many teams around the league at deadline time.