Injury Notes: Gallagher, Tanev, Eichel, Andersen
Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin spoke with the media today following the passing of the trade deadline and did not parse words when asked about injured star Brendan Gallagher. Bergevin does not believe that Gallagher has a chance to play prior to the conclusion of the regular season, he openly admitted. This would align with the six-week timeframe that Gallagher received after fracturing his thumb this past week. There was some optimism that Gallagher could return before the Canadiens’ season is currently scheduled to end on May 11, but Bergevin either does not see this as realistic or simply will not rush Gallagher back to play regular season games. With the North Division playoff teams all but set, Montreal faces little risk of missing the postseason so the priority with Gallagher is only to get him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
- Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall had similar things to say about one of his own players today. Hextall told the media that the move to acquire Jeff Carter was at least partially influenced by the belief that Brandon Tanev will not play again in the regular season. He stated that Tanev’s upper-body injury, which landed him on Long-Term Injured Reserve, is a “tough injury to judge” but that he does not believe the rugged forward can return before the playoffs. Tanev has been a scoring presence and a physical presence for the Penguins this year and the team will have to replace his output in a number of areas. Fortunately, Hextall at least noted that Kasperi Kapanen is expected back in 10-14 days and Evgeni Malkin is likely to play again before the end of the regular season.
- The Buffalo Sabres’ season is obviously lost and the team will not rush injured superstar Jack Eichel back into action to play meaningless games. GM Kevyn Adams spoke to the media today and stated that Eichel has not officially been shut down for the year, but he is at least out for a while longer. The superb center has missed 18 games since suffering a neck injury in early March and has only made “slight improvement” in that time per Adams. He did not rule out Eichel playing in some of the Sabres’ final games, but by that point it seems even more unlikely that the team will see any value in putting him back in the lineup.
- One GM did share some optimism with the media today regarding a key injury. Toronto’s Kyle Dubas made it clear that he does not consider starting goaltender Frederik Andersen to be done for the season. Andersen’s has been struggling with a nagging injury and to this point there has been no timetable for his return. As a result, Dubas made a major addition in net by trading for David Rittich to pair with the red-hot Jack Campbell, but he did not rule out Andersen taking his job back at some point. Dubas did not try to guess as to whether Andersen would be able to return before the end of the regular season or if he would instead be active for the playoffs, but he simply believes that Andersen will play for the Maple Leafs again this year. For the impending free agent, pushing through the pain to get back on the ice may be Andersen’s last chance of suiting up for Toronto again.
Trade Deadline Summary: North Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the North Division.
Calgary Flames
Status: Neutral
In – F Emil Heineman, 2022 second-round pick (FLA), 2022 third-round pick (TOR)
Out – F Sam Bennett, G David Rittich, 2022 sixth-round pick
Edmonton Oilers
Status: Buyer
In – D Dmitry Kulikov
Out – conditional 2022 fourth-round pick
Montreal Canadiens
Status: Buyer
In – F Eric Staal, D Jon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson
Out – F Hayden Verbeek, 2021 third-round pick, two 2021 fifth-round picks, 2022 seventh-round pick
Ottawa Senators
Status: Seller
In – F Ryan Dzingel, F Michael Amadio, D Brandon Fortunato, 2022 third-round pick (BOS), 2022 seventh-round pick (NYI), 2023 seventh-round pick (NSH)
Out – D Mike Reilly, D Erik Gudbranson, D Braydon Coburn, F Cedric Paquette, F Alex Galchenyuk, D Christian Wolanin,
Toronto Maple Leafs
Status: Buyer
In – F Nick Foligno, G David Rittich, D Ben Hutton, F Alex Galchenyuk, F Riley Nash, F Stefan Noesen, F Antti Suomela, G Veini Vehvilainen
Out – F Alexander Barabanov, D Mikko Lehtonen, D David Warsofsky, F Yegor Korshkov, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick, conditional 2022 seventh-round pick
Vancouver Canucks
Status: Neutral
In – F Matthew Highmore, D Madison Bowey, 2021 fifth-round pick (CHI), 2021 sixth-round pick (WPG)
Out – D Jordie Benn, F Adam Gaudette, 2021 fourth-round pick
Winnipeg Jets
Status: Buyer
In – D Jordie Benn
Out – 2021 sixth-round pick
Montreal Canadiens To Acquire Erik Gustafsson
The Montreal Canadiens lost Victor Mete on waivers today, but they’re bringing in some more defensive depth. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Canadiens have acquired Erik Gustafsson from the Philadelphia Flyers. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Canadiens will send a 2022 seventh-round pick, while the Flyers are retaining 50% of Gustafsson’s remaining cap hit.
It might seem amazing that a defenseman who scored 17 goals and 60 points in the 2018-19 season could be grabbed for a seventh-round pick, but that’s just how poorly Gustafsson’s defense is regarded around the league. There’s no doubt he can be an offensive catalyst, but he has played his way out of the lineup for three different teams now with his inconsistent ability in his own end.
Luckily, the Canadiens won’t be asking Gustafsson to be playing heavy minutes given how the depth chart looks right now. Instead, he’ll come in along with the recently acquired Jon Merrill to give the bottom-pair rotation a different look or fill in for any injuries.
Senators Claim Victor Mete Off Waivers
The Senators have added some extra depth to their back end off the waiver wire as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that Ottawa has claimed Victor Mete off waivers from Montreal. This move comes off the heels of them trading Mike Reilly and Braydon Coburn late last night.
Mete has played a very limited role with the Canadiens this season, suiting up in just 14 games this season, picking up three assists while averaging a career-low 14:09 per game. It’s a sharp contrast from the beginning of his career when he spent considerable time on the top pairing with Shea Weber but he was surpassed on the depth chart by Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, and Alexander Romanov as they were brought in over the last two years. That resulted in an early-season trade request, one that was clearly not fulfilled and evidently Montreal couldn’t find a taker before waiving the 22-year-old yesterday.
With the limited role he had in the bubble, Mete opted to accept his $735K qualifying offer, making him a low-cost acquisition for Ottawa down the stretch. However, he is eligible for salary arbitration this summer and with nearly 200 career NHL games under his belt, he will have a good case for a somewhat notable raise if it was to get to a hearing despite how things have gone this season.
But that’s an issue for the summer. In the meantime, the Senators will get a free opportunity to take a closer look at Mete to see if he can be a part of their future plans. As for Montreal, they basically brought in his replacement yesterday with the acquisition of Jon Merrill from Detroit so this news won’t affect any of their other plans before today’s trade deadline.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jon Merrill
The Montreal Canadiens have added a defenseman that can potentially replace the recently-waived Victor Mete, acquiring Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens will send a 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT) and minor league forward Hayden Verbeek.
While the Canadiens obviously hope Mete clears waivers, they’ll add another depth defenseman to the group in Merrill, who was held out of the lineup by the Red Wings last night as a trade came together. The 29-year-old has played nearly 400 games in his career, and though Merrill isn’t much of an offensive producer, he does add some more size and experience to Montreal’s back end for a playoff run.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Merrill also comes with just a $925K cap hit (which Detroit did not retain any of), making him one of the more affordable options on the defense market. He could potentially be extended by Montreal, but this move is more about the upcoming North Division postseason run than anything else.
The Canadiens certainly looked like they needed some defensive help last night. The Winnipeg Jets picked them apart with a 5-0 victory, pushing Montreal to 17-12-9 on the season and just six points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the last playoff spot. Mete wasn’t even part of that game, watching Otto Leskinen skate just over 16 minutes instead. It’s that sixth spot that Merrill projects to fit into, though the team could still work with a rotation through the bottom pairing to find the right fit.
Adding defensive depth at the deadline is never a mistake, especially when it comes at the low cost of a fifth-round pick. But many will question the move if Mete ends up claimed off waivers. Still, Merrill definitely adds a better defensive presence and it’s clear that Mete isn’t a favorite of the current coaching staff after suiting up just 14 times this season.
In terms of the return, the Red Wings seem happy to collect as many mid-round picks as possible in a rebuilding season, but the deal also comes with a bit of fun. Verbeek is the nephew of former NHL forward Pat Verbeek, who just so happens to be the Red Wings assistant general manager.
Montreal Canadiens Place Victor Mete On Waivers
The Montreal Canadiens have placed defenseman Victor Mete on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. With it being the last day to place players on waivers before the trade deadline, it could ignite suggestions that the team is ready to let the youngster go. The 22-year-old defenseman has been involved in trade rumors most of the season.
While many interesting players have hit the wire and not claimed this season, it would seem hard to imagine that Mete will clear waivers considering he is making just $735K, is so young, can be controlled for three more seasons and has 185 NHL games under his belt. He is a perfect candidate to be claimed by weaker teams, looking to add a solid defensive defenseman as well as playoff teams looking to add cheap blueline help. One positive stat from Mete is his plus/minus which is a plus-30 throughout his career.
While offense has never been Mete’s strength and he actually did struggle scoring a goal for much of the early part of his career, Mete did score four goals and 11 points last season in 51 appearances, but has fallen out of favor this year in Montreal, only appearing in 14 games. While the general belief was that the Canadiens would trade the blueliner, the team would now have to hope that no team claims him, making him more valuable as a taxi squad player. However, there could be a number of teams willing to keep him on their roster for the rest of the year.
Several Players Clear Waivers
Saturday: All four players passed through waivers unclaimed, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Friday: The Ottawa Senators have placed Clark Bishop on waivers in order to be able to place him on the taxi squad once again. He’s not the only one on the wire, as the Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran forward Kyle Turris and the Montreal Canadiens have placed Paul Byron on waivers. The New York Islanders have also signed Kenneth Appleby to an NHL contract, meaning he has to clear waivers to remain in the AHL.
For Bishop and the Senators, this is a simple move to regain the roster flexibility they have had for most of the season. After clearing waivers before the season began, Bishop was able to move freely between the active roster and taxi squad depending on need, saving the Senators some cash on off days. His exempt status expired earlier this month, meaning he needed to clear again to be assigned to the taxi squad. With just three points in 12 games, Bishop is likely to clear again.
Byron too should be used to this by now, given he has cleared waivers twice this season and is part of a near-daily rotation through the taxi squad. The 31-year-old forward was once an important part of the Canadiens attack but is limited to mostly fourth-line duties these days. Given his contract carries a $3.4MM cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season, he will clear again.
Turris hasn’t cleared this season, but it won’t be a surprise if he does. The 31-year-old forward is a shadow of the player that once scored 64 points for the Ottawa Senators and is overpaid even at $1.65MM this season. Turris signed a two-year deal with the Oilers in the offseason that the team is probably already regretting after he registered just five points in his first 25 games this season. Moving his deal to the taxi squad could bury $1.075MM of it, giving the Oilers some added flexibility.
Appleby, the biggest unknown of the bunch, is a 25-year-old minor league goaltender that would need an NHL deal in order to serve as the taxi squad netminder. In two appearances with Bridgeport this season he has an .896 save percentage and there is no suggestion that he’ll ever see time in the Islanders net. CapFriendly reports that Appleby receives a two-year contract, making him eligible to be exposed to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Cole Caufield Wins 2021 Hobey Baker Memorial Award
As expected, Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield has been named the 2021 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner. The 20-year-old forward beat out Shane Pinto and Dryden McKay, the other two Hat Trick Finalists that were announced earlier this month.
Though the other finalists had outstanding seasons, this was always going to be Caufield’s year after leading the nation in goals and points. The diminutive forward recorded 30 goals and 52 points as a sophomore for the University of Wisconsin, while also helping lead the U.S. World Junior team to gold. It was an incredible performance for the 15th overall selection from 2019, one which has now put him in a small fraternity of Hobey Baker winners.
Caufield quickly signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens after Wisconsin was eliminated from the NCAA tournament–in a game where he recorded 13 shots, scoring two goals and registering an assist in a losing effort—and is expected to make his professional debut for the Laval Rocket tonight.
It’s difficult to have a better two post-draft years than Caufield has, and Canadiens fans are anxiously awaiting his time in Montreal. Though he stands just 5’7″ he is the first player in Big Ten hockey history to win consecutive scoring titles and is an offensive machine from anywhere in the attacking zone. He has broken records at the U.S. National Team Development Program, tied some of Alex Ovechkin‘s U18 international records, and now added the Hobey Baker to his growing resume.
If you want to bet against Caufield because of his size, you’re probably going to lose your money.
Brendan Gallagher Out Six Weeks
The Montreal Canadiens will be without one of their most important players for the rest of the regular season, as Brendan Gallagher has been placed on long-term injured reserve with a fractured thumb. The Canadiens expect him to miss at least six weeks, which means he won’t be back before the postseason.
Importantly, that means Gallagher’s entire $3.75MM cap hit can essentially be used as room for another deadline upgrade, given the playoffs do not have any cap restraints. Montreal was pressed quite close up against the $81.5MM ceiling after acquiring Eric Staal recently, but now have a little extra wiggle room to play with should GM Marc Bergevin wish to make another addition.
Still, he’d obviously rather have Gallagher in the lineup as the Canadiens try to fight for seeding down the stretch. The 28-year-old forward is the true heart and soul of the team’s forward group and is second on the team in goals this season with 14. His 23 points in 35 games also put him fourth, meaning a huge part of the team’s offensive attack is now missing.
Despite Bergevin’s claims that it would be a quiet deadline for Montreal, there is reason to believe they could add another piece. The team now sits eight points clear of the Vancouver Canucks in the North Division playoff race (one which seems all but concluded) and still has four games at hand on each of the three teams ahead of them. Should the team go on a strong run down the stretch they could easily secure higher seeding or perhaps even home-ice advantage (such as it is) in the first round.
Goalie Notes: Senators, Price, Ranking
The Ottawa Senators have moved Pierre Groulx out of his role as goaltending coach, replacing him with Zac Bierk. Groulx will now work with the scouting staff and development team after serving as goalie coach since 2016. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explained the move:
Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season have been underwhelming. I think very highly of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the organization, but we recently reached a point where we thought a fresh outlook could help return some stability to our crease.
The Senators have a combined save percentage of .887 this season, only ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers’ .878 mark. The biggest contributor to that poor performance has been Matt Murray, who has an .880 in 22 appearances after signing a four-year, $25MM deal with Ottawa in the offseason. Murray’s contract is actually back-loaded with $15MM in salary owed over the last two years, meaning he’ll need to get his game back on track to be worth it for Ottawa.
- Carey Price will not be traveling with the Montreal Canadiens to Toronto for their upcoming games, instead remaining at home to get treatment on his injury. Cayden Primeau has been recalled from the AHL to the taxi squad to give the team a third goaltender during the trip. Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that Price’s injury is a lingering one and the goaltender should only be considered day-to-day at this point.
- Even though Price hasn’t been good this season, posting a .903 save percentage through 23 appearances, his contemporaries still believe he has the ability to be among the best in the world. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski polled ten active NHL players (including three goaltenders) and ten people in hockey operations to create a ranking of the best goalies in the game and Price still came in third behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck. The list speaks to the up-and-down nature of the position, with other names like Carter Hart and Jacob Markstrom also ending up ranked despite brutal 2020-21 seasons.