Trade Candidate: Ilya Kovalchuk
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.
Eastern Notes: Skinner, Gallagher, Drouin, Palmieri, Boqvist
The Buffalo Sabres got some good news as forward Jeff Skinner practiced with the team Sunday and is now considered day-to-day, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. Skinner suffered an upper-body injury in late December and was deemed to be out three to four weeks.
Skinner, however, had already been skating on his own before the all-star break and many had hoped he might be ready for Tuesday’s game against Ottawa. Head coach Ralph Krueger said that he hopes that Skinner will be available on Tuesday. Skinner has been a bit of a disappointment so far this year after signing an eight-year, $72MM contract in the offseason with just 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games, a far cry from his 40-goal season last year. If Skinner is ready to play Tuesday, Buffalo will have to activate him off of injured reserve.
- Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said that while none of his injured trio are expected to play on Monday against the Washington Capitals, two of his players are close to returning, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Forward Brendan Gallagher, who has missed nine of the team’s past 10 games with a head injury, still needs to be cleared by doctors, but Julien said he feels good and should be back in a few days. Jonathan Drouin is also supposed to be ready to return within the week, but Julien said he had no idea when that would be. Drouin has missed 31 straight games after having surgery on his wrist. Paul Byron is out “longer term.”
- The New Jersey Devils are expecting to get back a key player as well as forward Kyle Palmieri returned to practice Sunday and is expected to play Monday against Ottawa, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Palmieri missed four games before the break and missed the All-Star Game as well, with a foot injury. The 28-year-old has 16 goals and 31 points in 44 games for the Devils.
- Stein also adds that New Jersey Devils rookie forward Jesper Boqvist, who was assigned to the Binghamton Devils in the AHL before the break so he could continue playing while the team was off, will remain there for the time being to get some extra playing time. The 21-year-old has just four goals and no assists in 34 NHL games and has one goal in three games with Binghamton.
Trade Candidate: Chris Kreider
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.
The New York Rangers find themselves in quite the dilemma as one of their top players for the last several years, Chris Kreider, finds himself ready to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, and the team has to decide what to do with him. As of now, most indications are that the Rangers and Kreider haven’t gotten very far in extension talks and the general belief is that New York intends to trade him at the trade deadline.
With the team in a rebuilding phase, it makes sense to move Kreider, but the team has made some progress in the last year. The team is just 11 points out of a playoff spot and a strong second-half could allow them to catapult them into the playoffs. However, the team is hardly ready to compete for a Stanley Cup and at age 28, signing Kreider to a seven or eight-year deal may also not be the greatest idea either. Despite the sentimental side of things, the team might be better off getting what they can.
Contract
Kreider is in the final year of a four-year, $18.5MM contract that he signed back in 2016. He has a an AAV of $4.625MM and will hit unrestricted free agency in July. He does have a modified no-trade clause in which he has an 11-team no-trade list.
2019-20
Kreider has been a consistent goal scorer in New York for the past seven years and the 28-year-old has been no different this season. After a 28-goal campaign in 2018-19, Kreider is well on his way of duplicating that number once again. He currently has 17 goals and 32 points and should be in line for similar numbers from last year, if not better. However, he’s been even better over the past 20 games as Kreider has 11 goals in that span, along with 19 points, making his stock continue to rise as he has been playing close to a point-per-game player. He has been playing so well that many wonder if the Rangers would be losing too key of a player.
Season Stats
48 GP, 17 goals, 15 assists, 32 points, +1 rating, 58 PIMS, 117 shots, 17:43 ATOI, 47.4 CF%
Potential Suitors
Many teams will be looking to acquire a speedy power forward, who can score. The earliest suitor for Kreider goes back a ways as there were rumors that the Colorado Avalanche might be interested to bring Kreider in for a Stanley Cup run. However, that interest has supposedly slipped. The Montreal Canadiens have also expressed interest, but there are rumors that Kreider put all Canadian teams on his no-trade list.
In the East, the Rangers have a history making moves with the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline and this year is likely no different. Despite a dominant first line, the Bruins are still struggling to get quality offense from their second line and could use a veteran goal scorer who could step in and help anchor a group of forwards, including Jake Debrusk and Charlie Coyle. The team does have almost all of its picks, including its first-round picks in the next three drafts, so the have some key assets in which to acquire Kreider. The Bruins also have a bunch of young forwards that are NHL ready and could be another trade chip to use, including Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen as well as several forwards currently playing in Providence of the AHL.
Out West, there could be several teams interested in Kreider, but its rumored that the Dallas Stars might be looking for some goal scoring. The team is currently ranked 27th in goals scored and also acquired Mats Zuccarello from the Rangers last season. Despite being tight against the cap, Dallas does have the luxury of placing Martin Hanzal on LTIR, which could open up the needed space to bring in Kreider. The biggest concern, however, is that the team might be hesitant to move its first-round pick after having already traded their second-round (to Vegas for Marc Methot) and a third-rounder (to the Rangers for Zuccarello), which could leave without any picks until the fourth round at the draft. Even among prospects, Dallas might hesitate to trade their top prospects, which could make a match difficult, but not impossible.
Likelihood Of A Trade
With a key game-winning goal against the rival New York Islanders nine days ago, many have felt that moving Kreider would be a mistake as he is a major part to the team. However, the Rangers expect to have some cap issues in the coming seasons as the team has to sign several key players in the next couple of years to long-term deals, including Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Alexandar Georgiev for next year, while others like Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil are both likely to expect big deals down the road. Throw in the $6.08MM cap hit that the team will get from Kevin Shattenkirk‘s buyout next year, and there doesn’t look to be much money left available for Kreider, who is likely looking for a big payday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Shea Weber Wins Hardest Shot Competition
- Hardest Shot: Shea Weber (Canadiens), 106.5 MPH
2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced
Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:
Fastest Skater
Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Save Streak
David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Accuracy Shooting
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
Hardest Shot
Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Shooting Stars
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Women’s Three-On-Three
Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull
Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein
All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.
Snapshots: Kovalchuk, Sorokin, Backes
How the tables have turned already for Ilya Kovalchuk. The veteran forward was unemployed entering the new year after having his contract terminated by the Los Angeles Kings. Despite his decorated history in pro hockey, he was left scouting the market for a minimum contract with a team that maybe had a chance at the postseason in 2019-20. He landed in Montreal, signing a one-year, pro-rated $700K contract with a team heading in the wrong direction for playoff contention because that was his best option at the time. Just two weeks later, Kovalchuk’s stock has skyrocketed. The 36-year-old has eight points in eight games with the Canadiens and has looked phenomenal, especially compared to his play in L.A. When he first started scoring, many Habs fans were excited at the prospect of the team flipping him for assets at the trade deadline.
While this remains a distinct possibility, as Kovalchuk continues to produce many other are asking whether Montreal should instead look to re-sign the winger. Not only has Kovalchuk been an impressive offensive contributor, but he provides the veteran presence and star power that the team is lacking in its forward corps, which plays a part in why Kovalchuk has been such a hit with fans so early in his tenure. Yet, Kovalchuk has been so successful in such a short time with the Canadiens, that his camp is already thinking about cashing in, mere weeks after settling for the smallest NHL contract possible. When asked about the prospect of Kovalchuk re-signing in Montreal, agent Pat Brisson told TVA Sports that it is too early to talk extension. While he admits that Kovalchuk is enjoying his time with the team, Brisson states that the focus is only on making the playoffs, which – when spoken by an agent – is a strong indication that Kovlachuk will be looking to test the market or at least continue to drive up his price before talking contract with Montreal. A trade would also change the status quo and could afford Kovalchuk the opportunity to improve his stock even more with a postseason appearance, which seems unlikely in Montreal this season. While the veteran star is not going to land a long-term contract this season, his sudden resurgence all but guarantees that he will be back in the NHL next season and making significantly more than his current $700K cap hit.
- Ilya Sorokin is a name that has long been tied to the NHL, despite the player never having set foot on pro ice in North America. The New York Islanders prospect has long been one of the best goalies in the KHL, even at just 24 years old, yet he has been reluctant to sign with the team and commit to coming overseas. Reports earlier this season were that Sorokin wanted a clear shot to a guaranteed NHL job and has not been happy with the situation in New York, first with Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner last year, now Greiss and Semyon Varlamov this year, and at least Varlamov signed for several more years. Those reports indicated that Sorokin intended to stay in Russia unless traded by the Islanders. Some subsequent rumors believed that the team was considering moving Sorokin’s rights as a result. However, when KHL insider Igor Eronko approached Sorokin about the topic, a different sentiment came from the horse’s mouth. Sorokin expressed that he was surprised to read the stories about his trade demands and that the team was looking into moving him. He stated that he and the Islanders have a different understanding and he has not been told that the status quo has changed. Don’t be surprised if the Russian star remains Islanders’ property through the trade deadline after all.
- The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa writes that David Backes has five choices after being waived and demoted by the Boston Bruins. One option that might come as a surprise, not as a suggestion but as a concrete theory, is that Backes could retire rather than accept his assignment. Shinzawa reports that Backes seriously considered retirement after his concussion earlier this season, but was assured by a concussion expert that it was safe for him to return to action. Yet, after Backes failed to return to an NHL-caliber level of play, could he decide to play it safe and call it quits? He would forego the remaining salary on his contract, but would protect himself from the risk of long-term harm with another injury, one that would especially be a shame while merely competing at the AHL level. Shinzawa suggests that Backes could instead decline his assignment and see his contract terminated, which would make him a free agent where he could at least try to find a worthwhile job elsewhere in the NHL. The other option is that he simply accepts his assignment to AHL Providence, which could also lead to a trade request down the road or further consideration of retirement or contract termination before the end of next season.
Snapshots: Gallant, KHL Cross-Over Series, Kovalchuk
Gerard Gallant spoke to the media for the first time since being relieved of his duties as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights for two and a half years, along with his longtime assistant in Mike Kelly, and made it clear that he intends to return to coaching, according to Jason Simmonds of the Journal Pioneer.
“I’m far from done,” said Gallant, 56. “I enjoy coaching. If an opportunity comes up I will definitely look at it – myself and Mike. Mike is a big part of what I do too and sometimes people forget about the assistant coaches. Mike is a good man, we have been together for a long time. It’s not just me, Mike is part of that, too. We will get ready and hopefully, something comes up.”
Despite being shocked and disappointed that his tenure in Vegas ended so suddenly, the longtime coach still has good feeling about his time with the team.
“The 2 ½ years were incredible,” said Gallant. “That first year was a magical season. If we could have capped it off winning the Stanley Cup it would have been incredible. The second year was a really good year, too. We made the playoffs, battled hard. Up until I got fired, I had 2 ½ years of being really happy in Vegas. It’s a good organization, a good team and I was excited.”
- There has been high hopes that the NHL and KHL might be able to produce a cross-over event between the two leagues. However, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that possibility now remains unlikely after an interview with KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko. “Everyone dreams of having a series, but it’s a matter of schedules,” said Chernyshenko. “What’s convenient for us is not convenient for them.” Kaplan said that Chernyshenko sat down with NBC to try to work out a time period that both leagues might get together, however, they failed to come up with dates to make it work.
- The Montreal Gazette’s Jack Todd writes that Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin needs to sign forward Ilya Kovalchuk to an extension now. Currently on a one-year deal with the Canadiens, the 36-year-old has been impressive in his first eight games with the franchise, posting four goals and four assists. The scribe suggests that with the window closing for players like Carey Price and Shea Weber, the team needs veteran players to aid an already young locker room. He also notes that while often players struggle when they reach Montreal and the pressure that comes with it, Kovalchuk has thrived, suggesting he’s a perfect fit for the Canadiens and needs to be retained rather than moved at the trade deadline or worse, hope that he’ll sign a new deal in the summer when other teams can lure him away.
Minor Transactions: 01/19/20
Following last night’s results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. As such, the teams’ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. The Central Division’s top three – St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas – may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside. So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. Keep an eye on all of today’s transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:
- Many of “today’s” minor transactions occurred late last night, as 17 different teams are entering their bye week and many shuffled their young players to minors once their final game came to an end. The Ottawa Senators are one such example. The team reassigned young forwards Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Belleville following last night’s win.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a similar boat, sending Adam Brooks and Tim Liljegren back to the AHL’s Marlies following last night’s game, which was also Liljegren’s NHL debut. Brooks has played in seven games with the Maple Leafs so far in his rookie season.
- The Arizona Coyotes also head on bye, and have demoted goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Kyle Capobianco, and forward Michael Chaput to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Hill has played a key role of late for the ‘Yotes, but the team hopes to have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta at full strength on the other side of this time off.
- The St. Louis Blues made just one minor move before hitting their bye, assigning young defenseman Niko Mikkola to the San Antonio Rampage. Mikkola has looked good on the ice if not on the score sheet in five games with the Blues this season.
- Also making just a single demotion before the bye were the Dallas Stars, who sent forward Joel Kiviranta to AHL Texas. Kiviranta is still looking for his first NHL point after seeing limited ice time in seven NHL games and will benefit from an increased role in the minors for a while.
- Other bye week moves being reported by CapFriendly include the Los Angeles Kings sending forwards Matt Luff and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign, the San Jose Sharks shifting Joachim Blichfeld, Joel Kellman, and Antti Suomela to the AHL Barracuda locker room, and the Montreal Canadiens reassigning veteran Dale Weise to the Laval Rocket.
- This morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced their own flurry of moves, reassigning forwards Rasmus Asplund and Scott Wilson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. While Pilut and Wilson have seen limited action, Asplund’s demotion is a bit surprising. Of every player sent down so far for their team’s bye week, none have played as many NHL games this season as Asplund’s 28. Yet, apparently the Sabres do not feel that he has earned the week off.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forward Dylan Sikura to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. The 24-year-old had a more successful run with Chicago this year as he scored his first NHL goal and three points in nine games. He’ll continue to work on his game in Rockford where he has nine goals and 16 points in 22 games.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, including goaltender Cory Schneider and forwards Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist. It will be Boqvist’s first trip to the AHL as he made the New Jersey squad directly out of Sweden.
- The Edmonton Oilers announced they are sending injured defenseman Matt Benning to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out with a head injury since Dec. 1. The team has been extra cautious with Benning as its his second head injury this season. With the Oilers off until Jan. 29, Benning’s best chance of getting game experience is with the Condors, who have four games coming up this week. Benning has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging just 13:42 of ice time.
Minor Transactions: 01/16/20
Nearly the entire league is in action tonight on a busy Thursday that will see 13 games in the NHL. Sidney Crosby is back and ready to challenge the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins, while Peter DeBoer will be behind the Vegas Golden Knights bench for the first time when they take on the Ottawa Senators. As all of these teams prepare for the night’s action, we’ll keep track of any minor moves.
- Late last night the Montreal Canadiens sent Matthew Peca to the minor leagues, returning him just a few days after activating him from injured reserve. Peca has played in five games for the Canadiens this season but is still looking for his first point.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks and Adam Clendening from the minor leagues, sending Veini Vehvilainen back down. With a home game scheduled against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, Columbus will have Kivlenieks serve as the backup to Elvis Merzlikins.
- Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom have been sent to the AHL by the Anaheim Ducks, who have a game tonight and tomorrow before resting through the All-Star break. The two young players will likely continue to play in the minor leagues while the NHL club enjoys more than a week off.
- After clearing waivers, Chris Stewart has been sent to the minor leagues by the Philadelphia Flyers. The team has recalled Joel Farabee in his place, bringing up the young forward again to continue his rookie season.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Trade Rumors: Georgiev, Sharks, Canadiens
On Sportsnet’s “Saturday Headlines” segment last night, Elliotte Friedman made it very clear that trade talks are heating up and teams have begun issuing league-wide statements on where they stand ahead of next month’s trade deadline. The top story belongs to the New York Rangers, who have informed their competitors that they are willing to listen to offers for young goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. The team’s stance has changed in just a matter of days since recalling top goalie prospect Igor Shesterkin from the AHL, who proceeded to win his first two starts, including a 46-save performance on Thursday. Shesterkin, though an older prospect at 24, was actually an established superstar in the KHL before coming over this season and looks like the heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist. Georgiev, still only 23, has performed well in three seasons with the Rangers, but doesn’t project to be the type of player that Shesterkin is, making him expendable. Both Lundqvist and Shesterkin are under contract through next season and the team cannot continuing carrying three goalies that whole time. Additionally, the Rangers have Adam Huska playing well in the AHL in his first pro season, Tyler Wall dominating the NCAA in his senior year at UMass Lowell, and 2018 second-round pick Olof Lindbom waiting in the wings in Sweden. It’s an embarrassment of riches in net for the Rangers’ organization and Georgiev looks like the odd man out.
With that said, New York will not give him away. Friedman reports that the asking price for Georgiev is a young roster forward or a pro-ready forward prospect. The Rangers are looking to add young building blocks up front and feel they can land one young asset by trading away another. Friedman stressed that the Rangers are just listening right now and will wait for a deal to their liking before moving Georgiev. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks are the teams rumored to be most interested in Georgiev, but are they willing to pay the asking price?
- When it comes to the Sharks, the answer may be no. Friedman reports that the Sharks have let it be known that they are not willing to move any core pieces this season. Friedman cites the 2014-15 campaign, when San Jose last missed the playoffs, as management resisted a tear-down in that year as well and ended up going to the Stanley Cup Final the next season. The Sharks have many good pieces in place and believe they can be contenders again in 2020-21, so they will only entertain trade offers for impending free agents this season. Defenseman Brenden Dillon is a name that is very much in the rumor mill, while fellow blue liners Tim Heed and Radim Simek and forward Melker Karlsson will also be for sale. It remains to be seen whether the Sharks would be willing to move future Hall of Famers Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau or backup goalie Aaron Dell. Moving forward, the Sharks will have to address their issues in net, so perhaps the one exception to their rule about only moving rentals this season could be a deal a top prospect for a new goalie, but they could wait until the off-season to make a move.
- Fans of the Montreal Canadiens don’t want their team to wait any longer to make a trade. The Habs are 2-7-1 in their past ten games and currently in 13th in the Eastern Conference, seven points back of a playoff spot with more games played than all but one of the teams ahead of them in the wild card chase. It seems like all hope is lost for this season, but Friedman reports that the team won’t be making a move any time soon. GM Marc Bergevin is being careful with his next steps, especially when his job could be on the line. He has told potential trade partners that he will wait until after the team’s pre-All-Star break meetings to make a move. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are about to play four games in six nights, during which suitors can see more from potential trade chips, but with those players exposed to the risk of potential injury as well. Montreal will have their “bye week” leading up All-Star weekend, giving Bergevin and company plenty of time to discuss their options, but there is no telling how the trade market could change in the meantime. Eventually, the team will make a decision on their direction in the coming weeks, but there is no expectation as to what that might be. Some have speculated that they could play it safe, opting to deal expiring contracts like grinders Nate Thompson, Dale Weise, and Matthew Peca and recent additions Ilya Kovalchuk and Marco Scandella. Others believe that the team is eyeing a complete rebuild and could move Tomas Tatar, Jonathan Drouin, or Jeff Petry or even ask Carey Price and Shea Weber if they would like to move on. Only time will tell, but that time will come a little bit later than some have hoped.