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Minor Transactions: 02/19/19

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The NHL is busy tonight with nine games on the schedule, including a Central Division battle between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. With the St. Louis Blues on a ten game winning streak, the Stars are just trying to keep pace in the playoff race while the Predators try to hold onto second spot. As teams prepare for that action we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Tucker Poolman as Dustin Byfuglien deals with another injury. Byfuglien will miss the next few games, meaning Poolman is up to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman. The 25-year old has played 30 games for the Manitoba Moose this year, but is still waiting to make his season debut in the NHL.
  • Ashton Sautner has been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks as they deal with several injuries to their defense corps. Sautner, 24, played in five games for the Canucks last year but has spent this entire season in the minor leagues.
  • With Victor Rask moved to injured reserve, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Cal O’Reilly from the AHL. O’Reilly has 38 points in 43 games with the Iowa Wild this season and has long been an exceptional minor league player. The 32-year old has yet to make his season debut for Minnesota. UPDATE: O’Reilly has been sent back to the minor leagues already.
  • Dale Weise is on his way back to the minor leagues, this time to make room on the roster for Paul Byron. The Montreal Canadiens have activated Byron from injured reserve, a huge boost to their team as they search for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
  • Blake Coleman has been activated from injured reserve by the New Jersey Devils, meaning the end of the run for Nick Lappin. The Devils sent Lappin back to the AHL today after just three games in the NHL.

“Chances Are High” Montreal Canadiens Will Stand Pat At Deadline

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It’s been a surprisingly successful season for the Montreal Canadiens to this point, but don’t expect that to translate to an active trade deadline. Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has said all along that his team would not be interested in acquiring rentals this season and now another voice has echoed that sentiment. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, one of the top Montreal insiders, states that he has heard the “chances are high that nothing much will happen” when it comes to the Habs in this week leading up to the trade deadline.

The Canadiens have had a great 2018-19 season and have outperformed most expectations. However, their own success has to be considered relative to the success of teams around them. In the uber-competitive Atlantic Division, Montreal is in fourth place, six points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is unlikely to challenge for a divisional spot. The Eastern Conference wild card race has picked up as well and the Habs will have to outlast the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and red-hot Carolina Hurricanes just to make the postseason. Dom Luszczyszyn’s model for The Athletic currently projects the Canadiens to finish with a very respectable 96 points for the year. However, that gives them an eighth-place finish and a date with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. In fact, their 96-point pace only provides a 67% chance of making the playoffs according to the model, with Carolina projected for 95 points and 64% postseason odds. The Hurricanes have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL and are desperate to simply make the playoffs. Can the Canadiens say the same?

Odds are Lavoie’s report of little to no trade action expected in Montreal stems from the team’s own contentedness with how the season has gone. The Canadiens were not expected to make this kind of jump and Bergevin and company can rest easy with their success this year without giving up futures at the deadline. The Habs are not a lock for the playoffs and, if they do make it, would be a round one underdog in almost any scenario. If the team can continue to defy expectations, then that is great for them, but no one can blame management for not wanting to buy in completely on a run this year. The Canadiens have massive amounts of salary cap space heading into the off-season and are expected to be active players on the free agent and trade markets then and have even been mentioned as an offer sheet threat. There’s no need to rush a re-tooling that is already ahead of schedule. Aside from a minor tweak or even a small sale, expect the deadline to come and go in Montreal this season without much to talk about.

 

Red Wings Place Martin Frk On Waivers

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Thursday: Friedman reports that Frk has indeed cleared waivers. He is expected to be reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Not expected to be in demand on the trade market, the Red Wings’ next decision regarding Frk is likely whether or not to make him a qualifying offer this summer.

Wednesday: The Detroit Red Wings are over the Martin Frk experiment, at least for now. The team has placed the 25-year-old forward on waivers, writes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and this isn’t the first time. Frk was lost on waivers by the Red Wings early in the 2016-17 season, only to be reclaimed later when the Carolina Hurricanes also placed him on waivers. Will he survive the wire this time around? Limited game action and production could suggest so.

Although Frk has earned one-year extensions from Detroit in each of the past two seasons, he continues to be a difficult player to figure out. A 2012 second-round pick, Frk is known for his heavy shot and offensive instincts, but lacks the skating ability and awareness to put himself in scoring position often. Frk found some success last season, recording 25 points in 68 games, but has been limited to just 25 games, minimal ice time, and a resulting five points this year. At 25, the question is whether there’s still time and coach-ability left in Frk for him to develop into a complete player. If another team thinks so, Frk’s offensive potential may be worthy of a claim. If not, a pass through waivers could be the first step toward the impending RFA being out of the league sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Friedman adds that the lone player on waivers yesterday has cleared. Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Chaput went untouched on the wire and remains with the Habs organization. The team was quick to announce that Chaput has been reassigned to the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Deadline Primer: Montreal Canadiens

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  As we continue previewing the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal has been one of the bigger surprises in the league this season.  After their summer activity, many expected they would be battling for draft lottery seeding but instead, they’re in the mix for a top-three spot in the division.  Instead of being sellers, the Canadiens may very well continue to try to add to their roster.

Record

31-18-7, fourth in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Moderate Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$41.813MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: MTL 1st, CBJ 2nd, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, ARI 5th, CHI 5th, EDM 5th, MTL 6th, WPG 7th
2020: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, WPG 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th

Trade Chips

GM Marc Bergevin has already stated that he is open to taking on a bad contract to bring in other assets, similar to what he did when the team added winger Joel Armia in late June from Winnipeg in exchange for taking on (and buying out) goalie Steve Mason’s contract.  That’s not the most appealing of trade chips but it’s likely the Canadiens will be trying to make a similar type of move in the next little while.

In terms of players that could be available, Montreal has been tinkering with their defense corps for a while now and that probably hasn’t finished yet.  Jordie Benn is likely the most appealing of the players available as a veteran that can play a third pairing role on both sides with a fairly cheap $1.1MM cap hit.  If the team adds someone else in their top-four, they could potentially turn around and flip Benn elsewhere.  It was interesting that the Flyers had to retain on Christian Folin’s contract in their trade last weekend to bring him down to the league minimum AAV of $650K.  Considering that the team didn’t exactly need the extra cap room, that could at least provide the possibility that they could flip him.  Karl Alzner is certainly available if a team wants to exchange underperforming big contracts but with a $4.625MM cap hit, that’s going to be tough.

Up front, the Canadiens aren’t likely to tinker with more than the fringes of their roster.  They’ve added a couple of players already in Dale Weise and Nate Thompson which has already put winger Charles Hudon’s future with the team even more in question.  His agent stated earlier this season that while Hudon would like to stay in Montreal, he’d also like to play regularly which, despite collecting 30 points in 72 games last season, doesn’t appear to be likely when the team is fully healthy.  With a $650K cap hit, he could be an intriguing buy-low candidate for a cap-strapped team and it appears the asking price has been set at a mid-round draft pick.

Five Players To Watch For: D Jordie Benn, D Christian Folin, F Charles Hudon, G Charlie Lindgren, D Mike Reilly

Team Needs

1) Left Side Defense: The Canadiens have been lacking a top-pairing left-shot defender since Andrei Markov left and while Victor Mete, Mike Reilly, and Brett Kulak have all played well at times, that left side is not the making of a contender.  Finding someone that can be counted on to log considerable minutes would really give them a safety net for their postseason push while potentially elevating the play of Shea Weber or Jeff Petry as well.

2) Power Play Help: Although Montreal is in the middle of the pack when it comes to scoring, their power play has been an issue all season long.  That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering they dealt their two top natural scorers in the offseason but finding a way to upgrade their play with the man advantage would certainly help their chances.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them try to bring in a second-line winger with a track record of success on the power play.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Montreal Places Michael Chaput On Waivers

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As expected, the Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Michael Chaput on waivers. The team needed to make a move after recalling Dale Weise and trading for Nate Thompson yesterday, and Chaput was the obvious waiver candidate.

The Canadiens have shown a willingness to expose depth forwards to waivers this year, already losing Nikita Scherbak, Jacob de La Rose and just yesterday Kenny Agostino. The team clearly believes it has the depth to handle these losses given their recent additions, and have now risked another player. Chaput, 26, has actually played 137 games in the NHL during a winding career, 32 of those coming this season with the Canadiens. Originally a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chaput has just five points in 2018-19.

Since Montreal used the non-roster designation on Chaput yesterday in order to get under the 23-man threshold, he must immediately be assigned to the minor leagues if he clears tomorrow. If that does happen, he very well could be back up with the team in a few weeks after the roster limits are relaxed.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Nate Thompson

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The Montreal Canadiens lost a depth forward on waivers today when Kenny Agostino was claimed by the New Jersey Devils, but have acquired another. Montreal has traded a 2019 fourth-round pick (CGY) for Los Angeles Kings center Nate Thompson and a 2019 fifth-round pick (ARI).

Thompson, 34, represents a veteran addition for the Canadiens who have surprised many in their hunt for the playoffs this season. The young, speedy team is in a battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division and could very well meet one of those teams in the first round. Thompson, while not nearly as quick as some of his new Montreal teammates, is a reliable defensive center who is excellent in the faceoff circle and has 62 playoff games under his belt.

The cost for the Canadiens is almost nothing, given that the difference in draft picks is likely just a handful of spots once the standings are finalized. Instead they’ll take the rest of Thompson’s $1.65MM annual salary off the Kings’ hands. Montreal, who came into the season with plenty of cap space, can basically add whoever they want at the deadline to help their playoff chances this year. Thompson will only take up a small amount of their deadline cap room, but he will force them to make another roster move to open a spot.

The team recalled Dale Weise earlier today giving them a full 23-man roster, meaning there will be someone else on waivers tomorrow. CapFriendly believes that player will be Michael Chaput, though there has not yet been any confirmation from the team.

For the Kings, Thompson was always expected to be dealt before the deadline given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent. The team now has just two rental options remaining on the NHL roster, Carl Hagelin and Oscar Fantenberg.

New Jersey Devils Claim Kenny Agostino

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The New Jersey Devils have decided to claim forward Kenny Agostino off waivers, meaning the Montreal Canadiens have lost another forward to the process. Montreal has already watched teams claim Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de La Rose this season. The Devils have sent Ryan Murphy to the minor leagues to make room, while recently acquired forward Dale Weise has been recalled by the Canadiens.

Agostino, a New Jersey native, will be reunited with the GM that drafted him in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. When Ray Shero used a fifth-round selection on the undersized forward he knew there was a lot of offensive potential there, but perhaps could not have imagined just how well Agostino would fare in the minor leagues. A former AHL MVP, the 26-year old Agostino has recorded 246 points in 273 regular season minor league games. Unfortunately that minor league success hasn’t translated to NHL opportunity, with 36 of Agostino’s 58 career NHL games coming this season with the Canadiens.

Still, there is little risk in a pickup of this nature for the Devils. Agostino is on a two-way contract that pays just $700K in the NHL and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Either he can contribute a bit for New Jersey down the stretch, or potentially becomes a deadline trade asset for a team looking for some depth. Montreal obviously couldn’t move him for anything worthwhile, but perhaps a showcase in New Jersey could create a market for the talented forward. Otherwise, it gives Agostino a chance to get familiar with an organization who may want to bring him back next season. There’s little doubt that he can help a minor league club, but New Jersey might also experience quite a bit of turnover through the summer given that players like Marcus Johansson and Drew Stafford are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.

Canadiens Seeking A Mid-Round Pick For Charles Hudon

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  • Canadiens winger Charles Hudon was expected to play on Saturday night but was a late scratch which fueled some trade speculation. To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes (video link) that Montreal has been looking for a mid-round pick for the 24-year-old.  Last season, Hudon put up a respectable 30 points in 72 games but has had difficulties staying in the lineup in 2018-19 and has been quiet when he has played as he has just three goals and two assists in 30 contests this season.  He’s earning the league minimum salary of $650K this season and will be eligible for salary arbitration in the summer.

Canadiens Place Karl Alzner On Waivers

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Sunday: The Montreal Canadiens announced that Alzner has cleared waivers and the team has reassigned the defenseman to the Laval Rocket of the AHL.

Saturday: Following their acquisition of Christian Folin earlier today, the Canadiens needed to free up a roster spot.  They’ve done just that as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Karl Alzner on waivers.

Alzner saw his ironman streak end at 622 regular season games in the season opener against Toronto and it was a sign of things to come.  He has played in just nine games with Montreal this year and has not been injured at any time.  The 30-year-old cleared waivers back in November and has played in 11 games with their AHL affiliate in Laval.

Alzner is in the second season of a five-year, $23.125MM contract that he signed back in the 2017 offseason.  Considering the $4.625MM AAV and the term remaining on his contract, it’s a guarantee that he’ll pass through unclaimed once again and will be assigned back to Laval on Sunday.  He’ll continue to serve as injury depth down there for the time being but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him recalled following the trade deadline when the 23-man roster limit is eliminated.

Montreal Canadiens Place Kenny Agostino On Waivers

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After placing Karl Alzner on waivers Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens were at it again as they have put forward Kenny Agostino on waivers Sunday, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The team likely needs to free a roster spot with forward Paul Byron close to returning.

Agostino was initially placed on waivers and started the year with the Laval Rocket in the AHL after signing a one-year deal this summer. He played well there, posting four goals and 10 points in 12 games and was finally recalled on Nov. 8. Since joining the Canadiens, he’s played in 36 games, posting two goals and 11 points, while averaging 11:11 of ice time. However, he has struggled of late as he hasn’t scored a point since December and has seen his hit numbers decline in that time.

While there has been no confirmation on what corresponding move will be made, the team is likely close to getting back Byron from injured reserve or intend to bring in Dale Weise, who the Canadiens acquired Saturday in a deal with Philadelphia.

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