Decision Looming For New York Rangers
It’s not very often that a team decides to dismantle their team quite as thoroughly and openly as the New York Rangers have over the past year. Starting with a letter to their fans in early February 2018, the Rangers’ front office explained that they did not believe the roster as then constructed was going to bring any realistic success or a chance at a Stanley Cup. Just a few weeks later the team began selling off their biggest assets, dealing Nick Holden, Michael Grabner, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller in the span of just a few days. After that kind of a deadline, it was obvious that the Rangers wouldn’t stop there.
This season’s deadline brought much of the same, as New York jettisoned Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid for almost entirely future assets. One name that was brought up repeatedly but never moved however was power forward Chris Kreider. Kreider represents the last member of the former core with an expiring contract, as his deal is up following the 2019-20 season, and now sits as the biggest decision the team must make this summer. The talented winger will turn 28 in April, and could be an extension candidate if the team believes he can help them get back to the playoffs with their rebuilt lineup. He could also be their biggest trade chip at the draft if they want to take another step backwards to build the prospect cupboard up. In fact, Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that there is “not even the slightest chance” that Kreider will report to Rangers training camp in the fall without an extension, implying he would be traded without one.
That decision will come after a potentially career-best season from Kreider, even if it has come with some ups and downs. The 6’3″ forward is just two goals and four points from his previous highs, both set in 2016-17 on a team that finished with 102 points and made it to the second round. There would certainly be a lot of teams lining up for his services if available, given his 30-goal potential and all-around effectiveness. Hayes, for instance (who admittedly is a center) has never scored 50 points in a season but landed the Rangers a good young player and first-round pick even as a pure rental. The fact that they potentially could get more than that for Kreider with a bigger market may be too much to pass up.
But at some point, the team will have to decide if they’re ready to compete again. A multi-year extension for Kreider, expensive as it may be, may help the team do just that in the next few years when young players like Brett Howden, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil are still on their entry-level deals. There’s plenty of talent in the system now for New York, and it may be time to start retaining it instead of cashing it in.
For now, Kreider and the team will focus on finishing out the season strong and without injury—something the forward has battled for much of the season, according to Brooks—while developing their young players at the highest level. But come this summer there will be a point where GM Jeff Gorton and his staff will have to decide when the next phase of the plan is scheduled for, and if Kreider is a part of it.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Charlie Lindgren
The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had a backup goaltender they can rely on lately, as Antti Niemi has struggled mightily in his last few appearances. While Carey Price will obviously carry the load down the stretch, the team today made a move to give them another option in net. Charlie Lindgren was recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, giving the team three goaltenders for the time being.
Lindgren, 25, has struggled for the Rocket this season to the tune of an .884 save percentage but also has a history of success in the NHL. Through 17 appearances with the Canadiens over the years the undrafted goaltender has recorded a .914 save percentage and two shutouts, though his overall record still sits at 7-8-2. While that may not strike you as a huge upgrade over Niemi, the team needs to find some sort of reliability behind Price should he suffer an injury. In fact, Eric Engels of Sportsnet notes that Price did take a painful shot at practice today. While he didn’t suffer any real injury it highlighted the need for depth at the position, something that Lindgren will try to provide.
The Canadiens are currently sitting outside the playoff bubble after losing their last two, and actually have played one more game than both the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets who occupy the wild card spots. With just a single back-to-back situation remaining on the schedule the team can probably get away with Price playing 12 out of the 13 games, putting him at 64 starts on the year. That’s a big number, but with the uncertainty behind him it might just be what the team requires to secure a spot in the postseason.
Minor Transactions: 03/11/19
We’re another week closer to the 2019 NHL Playoffs, and every game is incredibly important for those teams looking to snatch the final few spots. The New York Islanders will welcome in the desperate Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in a game that could make the Metropolitan Division race even more interesting. As teams prepare for all the action tonight, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Colton White from the minor leagues, his first chance to join the NHL team. White, a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2015, has 25 points in 61 games this season in his first full season at the AHL level. The 21-year old defenseman split the 2017-18 season between the AHL and ECHL, turning in a brilliant performance in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
- Lee Stempniak has been assigned to the Providence Bruins after suiting up twice for the Boston Bruins. Stempniak signed a deal just before the trade deadline to provide some veteran depth for the Bruins, but isn’t expected to play a big role with the NHL club. Instead he’ll return to Providence where he had five points in seven games before being called up.
- Filip Chlapik is on his way back to the Ottawa Senators, recalled under emergency conditions. Chlapik was held out of the Belleville Senators’ afternoon game in Toronto, but has an impressive 30 points in 45 games for the AHL club.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Joseph Blandisi under emergency conditions, giving them some insurance in case Zach Aston-Reese can’t play tomorrow night. Blandisi has played just a single game for Pittsburgh since coming over from the Anaheim Ducks, but does have 15 points in 17 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Rangers Notes: Tanking, Panarin, Shattenkirk
A concern of New York Rangers fans all season long has ironically been that they aren’t bad enough. The team had little expectation of pushing for a playoff spot in 2018-19, yet continued to hang around with the likes of the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings, rather than down with the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils. When the postseason is out of reach, many focus only on an improvement of their draft lottery odds, which has certainly been true with New York fans. While the Rangers’ pipeline is well-stocked and deep with talent at every position, the team is still looking for their next surefire star. Surely after the trade deadline, in which their third- and fourth-highest scorers – Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello – were dealt away, the Rangers’ play would drop off, right? Entering last night, the team was on a six-game win-less streak; however, they had picked up the loser point in four of those six games and then got back in the win column by taking down the Devils. The Rangers continue to stay afloat, currently ranked 13th in the East and 23rd in the NHL, with multiple teams less than two points ahead of them. If they stay on their current trajectory, the Rangers will likely have between a 3% and 6.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and combined odds of no more than about 20% of landing any of the top three lottery spots. They stand a much higher chance of picking outside the top ten than inside the top three. And there’s no reason to believe that their pace won’t continue. According to NHL.com’s strength of schedule calculations for the remainder of the season, the Rangers have the easiest stretch run of any team in the Metropolitan Division and are second only to the Sabres in the conference. Only half of their remaining games are against playoff-bound competition and five of their final 14 games come against teams presently below them in the standings. So as for those hopes of tanking, they may be all for not. With weak competition on the schedule and top young talent taking more responsibility in the lineup, the Rangers could potentially improve or at the very least stay the course for the remainder of the campaign.
- If they can’t land one of the top prospects in the coming draft, will Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and company look to add star power in the free agent market? The Athletic’s Craig Custance writes that the expectation that New York will add heavily in the off-season may be overblown after speaking with Gorton. The GM states that he is only looking for players that will be “part of the rebuild, not someone who is going to restrict it.” This likely means a free agent on the younger side who fits the preferred system and the style of the Rangers’ up-and-coming young players. While Custance knows Gorton would never say it outright, Columbus Blue Jackets star winger Artemi Panarin sounds like the ideal target to fit that mold. The 27-year-old has the immense talent to be a short-term difference-maker and the youth and longevity to be a long-term fit who doesn’t clog up cap space down the road. All three of the New York-area teams have been considered likely landing spots for Panarin, the top free agent forward this summer, but the draw of playing in the heart of the Big Apple in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd could be enough to entice Panarin, who has his sights set on growing his persona in the next stage of his career.
- If the Rangers are going to sign Panarin, it is going to take money and a lot of it. One player who could be shown the door to accommodate the need for extra cap space could be defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. The Rangers’ big free agent addition just two years ago has not been the player that the team expected and the New York Post’s Larry Brooks believes that he is fighting for life in these final games of the season. Shattenkirk was a healthy scratch the other night for the second time this season, parking himself and his $6.65MM AAV salary in the press box. He has just 23 points on the year so far, the same amount as last season when he missed close to half of the season due to injury. Compare that to 40+ points in five of his six seasons prior to joining New York and it explains why patience is running out. Brooks feels that if Shattenkirk cannot show substantial improvement in his effort and results down the stretch, he could be a prime candidate for a buyout this summer. Per CapFriendly, such a move would save the Rangers more than $5MM against the cap next season, with minor savings in 2020-21 as well, at a cost of just $1.433MM in each of the two seasons after. Despite it being a buyout that makes sense on paper, Brooks writes that “no one wants this”. He has spoken to both Shattenkirk and head coach David Quinn about what Shattenkirk needs to do to improve on his slow, overly-methodical style and it sounds as if they are on the same page. “I know what I have to do, I know how I have to play,” Shattenkirk says, but the question is whether he can actually do it. Failure to act on his shortcomings could mean his days in New York are numbered.
Pacific Notes: Ritchie, Neal, Virtanen, Wagner
The Department of Player Safety announced that Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie has been fined $4,121.86, the maximum-allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Christian Folin.
The hit (video here) came in the first period of Anaheim’s 8-2 victory Friday over Montreal in response to an earlier hit when Folin delivered a high hit on rookie Troy Terry earlier in the game. The 23-year-old was assessed a two-minute minor for interference for the hit. Ritchie has been in trouble before, getting suspended for one game back in 2017 after punching Chicago’s Michal Rozsival.
- Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg reports that Calgary Flames forward James Neal, who has been out since Feb. 14 with a lower-body injury, has begun skating again, although Flames head coach Bill Peters said that he still has a little way to go before returning. Despite the team being in first place and having a solid season, it’s been with little contribution from Neal, who the team signed to a five-year, $28.75MM free-agent deal this summer. Neal has struggled with injuries this year and hasn’t produced, posting just five goals and 15 points in 55 games in his first year with Calgary.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced that forward Jake Virtanen will return tonight against Vegas. The 22-year-old has been out with a fractured rib since Feb. 13. The 2014 sixth-overall pick has improved on his rookie campaign with 12 goals and 22 points in 58 games, while averaging a career-high 14:49 of ATOI. He won’t be eased into the lineup either as he is expected to join the Canucks’ top line right away as well as the team’s second-line power play unit.
- Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen writes the Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner, who has been out for a week with a lower-body injury, may not be back soon. The 21-year-old rookie skated Friday in a track suit, but isn’t just ready to return to the lineup. “He’s probably more than a week out, I think,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Maybe close to a week, but when you’re not skating (in gear) right now, you’ve got to be skating to be close, and he’s not that close.” Wagner has nine goals and 16 points in 49 games.
Strength Of Schedule And The Eastern Conference Wild Card Race
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a chance to clinch a playoff spot last night on the first Thursday in March. While it didn’t go their way, the Bolts are undoubtedly going to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are well on their way to a President’s Trophy with a 15-point lead on the next-best team in the league. That next team up is the Boston Bruins, who are second only to Tampa in both the NHL and within their own Atlantic Division. Riding an 18-game point streak, the Bruins’ playoff position is also in little doubt. The Toronto Maple Leafs, currently holding a top-five record in the league, are on pace to finish third in their own division and without home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Boston and Toronto seem destined to meet in that opening round, with the winner likely getting Tampa Bay as their reward for moving on.
As frustrating as the current playoff format may be for the Leafs – as well as the Bruins and Lightning – at least the three teams know where they stand in the postseason structure with a month to go in the regular season. The same can’t be said for the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders. Just eight points separate the New York Islanders, the current Metropolitan Division leaders, from the Columbus Blue Jackets, presently in ninth in the East and on the outside of the playoff picture, in the standings. Between the two are three more Metropolitan teams, as well as the Atlantic’s Montreal Canadiens. With all six of these competitors struggling to pull away from the rest of the group, it could be that each team’s schedule down the stretch determines where they end up by the end of the regular season. Three divisional spots and two wild card spots are up for grabs; who has the luck of the schedule on their side?
According to the strength of schedule numbers released by the NHL this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opposing points percentage of .555 is the most favorable of the group. That’s not to say the Pens face an easy slate, though. Pittsburgh faces eight current playoff teams in their final 15 games, not including tomorrow night’s tilt against Columbus, but end the year with a nice stretch that includes a home-and-home against the lowly Red Wings and a final match-up against the Rangers. The experienced Penguins team is a safe bet to stay in the playoff picture, especially if they can get healthy on the back end.
The Montreal Canadiens have a similarly easy schedule, a .575 opposing points percentage, but with a dramatically different ending. Fighting for just one of two wild card spots, the Habs will face eight current playoff teams themselves, again not including a game against the Blue Jackets, but only three of those contests are within their next nine games. Montreal may get a nice boost over the next couple of weeks, but face a daunting final stretch; Columbus, Winnipeg, Tampa, Washington, and Toronto await them in their final five games. How they fare against those Cup contenders could determine whether they make or miss the postseason.
With just seven current playoff teams on the schedule from here on out, not including two run-ins with Columbus, the New York Islanders are in good shape with a .567 opposing points percentage. The team also avoids any road trips of longer than two games for the rest of the season. While a regular season finale against the Capitals could prove critical, the Islanders look as if they should be able to hold on to their playoff spot. The health of Robin Lehner could be a game-changer, though.
Things have not gone as expected since Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets went all out at the trade deadline. The team sits outside of the playoff picture currently, two points back of the final wild card spot, and there is no guarantee that things will get better. The Jackets have a .581 opposing points percentage, including ten games against current playoff teams, and play just six of their final 15 games at home. Perhaps the one saving grace will be trips to Buffalo, the Rangers, and Ottawa in three of their last four games, but Columbus has their work cut out for them.
The Carolina Hurricanes have a similarly tough schedule, but benefit from having a game or two in hand on their playoff berth competition. In their final 16 games, the ‘Canes will face opposition with a .586 points percentage, ten of which are playoff teams. They also have three sets of back-to-back games remaining. However, with the cushion of extra games and dates with the Devils and Flyers to round out the year, the red-hot Hurricanes are on pace to erase their league-worst nine-year playoff drought.
Finally, there are the defending champs. The Washington Capitals not only have the most difficult remaining schedule in the East’s wild card race, but in the entire NHL. At a .599 opposing points percentage, the Caps are about to go through the ringer in their final 15 games. Ten playoff teams are on the docket for Washington, including three games against the powerhouse Lightning and five playoff teams among their final six competitors. Fortunately, the team does play more than half of their remaining match-ups at home, but there’s little else to find comfort in. If any team in this race is at risk of a dramatic fall from their current playoff position, it is the Capitals, especially if the extra work of last year’s Stanley Cup run starts to catch up to them down the stretch.
Noah Juulsen Will Not Play Again This Season
While he is still expected to make an eventual recovery from the “vision-related issue” that has kept him out for much of the season, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Juulsen will not play again this year according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Juulsen, 21, has had a rough start to his professional career since being selected 26th overall in 2015. In 2017 as he was preparing for his first pro season he broke his foot in training camp, and was limited to just 54 games across two levels in the 2017-18 season. This year he’s played even fewer, suiting up just 24 times between the NHL and AHL. In November Juulsen was hit in the face twice by errant pucks and suffered facial fractures, taking him out of the lineup for a long stretch. He actually returned to play a few games but will now be shut down for the rest of the year.
Vision related issues are often quite serious and there was some worry that Juulsen’s career would be in jeopardy. That doesn’t appear to be the case right now, but we’ll have to keep a close watch on him as he recovers through the offseason. Hopefully he can return at full strength for the Canadiens and be a key part of their blue line for a long time.
Atlantic Notes: Senators, Kadri, Howard, Rosen
With Guy Boucher out as head coach in Ottawa Friday, and 18 games left in the season, the young Ottawa Senators must make a quick decision on their head coaching job this summer. The team gave the interim tag to Marc Crawford, but unless he can turn around the franchise in those 18 games, the Sporting News’ Murray Pam writes that general manager Pierre Dorion may opt to look for a new voice to coach the franchise.
Among the top potential candidates that could take over this summer, Pam suggests that 66-year-old Jacques Martin could be an interesting candidate that can give the team a fresh voice. The veteran coach, who was raised in Saint-Pascal, Ont., not far from Ottawa, has been an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last six years, 31 years of NHL experience and has two Stanley Cup rings.
One obvious candidate could also come from within as the Belleville Senators’ head coach, Troy Mann, who has done an impressive job in his first year as head coach of the AHL franchise and already knows many of the players on the team’s roster. His recent track record is the most interesting as he has led the team to a 16-game unbeaten streak as the team has gone 11-0-5 and is on the cusp of the AHL playoffs. He’s in his fifth year as an AHL head coach. The scribe throws in several other candidates, including Montreal Canadiens’ assistant Luke Richardson and Columbus Blue Jackets’ assistant Brad Shaw.
- Despite missing his sixth straight game Saturday, Toronto Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri, who has been out with a concussion, seems to be improving. According to The Star’s Kevin McGran, Kadri skated this morning, which is a good sign for his recovery. “Obviously, our medical staff has to do a good job with those guys and keep them out as long as they’re supposed to be out,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I think it’s obviously good for him to be out there, just morale-wise. It looks like he’s going in the right direction. I didn’t talk to the coaches since he’s been out, just to see what kind of skate they were able to give him and what he was able to handle. (We’ll) still monitor that and see, and then we’ll see how hard we can push him. I don’t know when he’s ready.”
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has struggled immensely in the month of February, posting a 3.97 GAA and a .866 save percentage in nine games. On top of that, he has been pulled from his last three games, not exactly what you’d expect from a goaltender who represented the Atlantic Division at the All-Star Game. However, don’t expect the veteran to give up. Howard has spent countless hours studying video of his play, trying to figure out what’s gone wrong, according to Dana Gauruder of the Detroit Free Press. “To be honest, going through the video, it’s just being off by a fraction,” he said. “Not having the correct angle. When you don’t have that as a goalie, guys can put the puck in tight areas and that’s what’s happened.”
- With recent injuries to Toronto Maple Leafs’ defensemen Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner, many fans have wondered why Toronto hasn’t turned to promising young defenseman Calle Rosen. The 25-year-old has been tearing up the AHL with the Toronto Marlies this year and signed a two-year extension with the team back in December. However, Rosen can’t be recalled yet, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby, because he took a puck off his foot a few days ago and isn’t ready to return to the ice just yet. Regardless, Rosen, who has seven goals and 44 points in 52 games with the Marlies, could be called up soon.
Minor Transactions: 02/25/2019
With the trade deadline upon us, roster restrictions have now been lifted so there should be an influx of recalls today. On top of that, there should be plenty of “paper transactions” post-deadline as teams send down and then recall players in order to preserve their AHL postseason eligibility. Only players on AHL rosters at 3pm ET are eligible to play in the league’s playoffs. While all eyes are on the deadline, today is also one of, if not the, busiest day of the season for minor transactions. Try to keep up right here:
- The Canadiens announced the recall of winger Dale Weise from Laval (AHL). He was sent down last week to accommodate the return of Paul Byron from IR but this move was expected with the 23-man roster limit now removed. Weise played in three games with the Rocket, scoring twice. He will likely battle for fourth line ice time down the stretch.
- The Devils have shuffled their forward group, announcing that they have sent wingers Joey Anderson and Brett Seney to AHL Binghamton while recalling forwards Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and John Quenneville. Anderson has just three points in 19 NHL games this season while Seney has spent the bulk of the year in New Jersey, collecting 13 points in 50 NHL contests. McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has played just once with the big club this season but sits second on Binghamton in scoring and should now get a longer look to assess his development. Bastian has also played just once in New Jersey but leads Binghamton in goals with 17 in 56 games. They also announced that goalie MacKenzie Blackwood has been recalled from Binghamton following the trade of Keith Kinkaid, as well as defenseman Egor Yakovlev, with Eric Gryba heading back to the AHL.
- For the time being at least, the Senators have re-assigned defenseman Cody Goloubef, centers Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik, and winger Drake Batherson to Belleville of the AHL, per a team announcement. The team also made forward Rudolfs Balcers and defenseman Christian Wolanin paper transactions for the inevitable reality of last-place Ottawa having an early end to their season, but Belleville continuing on to the postseason.
- The Flyers have brought back defenseman Samuel Morin from his conditioning stint with AHL Lehigh Valley. He has been working his way back from ACL surgery from an injury sustained in the minor league playoffs back in May and played in a pair of games with the Phantoms. It’s likely that Morin won’t be thrown into action with Philadelphia right away but with the roster limit gone, they can have him on the active roster from here on out. The team also made defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Corban Knight paper transactions. The young Myers was the top defender for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantom prior to his recall, while Knight is an experienced AHLer who can lead a team. Their return for the postseason would be a major boost for the Phantoms.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Donovan from the AHL, placing Dan Hamhuis on injured reserve. Donovan is leading all Milwaukee Admirals defensemen in scoring with 29 points through 55 games, but hasn’t played an NHL game since 2014-15.
- Christian Dvorak has officially been recalled from his conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners, meaning he’ll be back on the ice for the Arizona Coyotes soon. The young forward has missed the entire season up to this point, but could give the Coyotes a much needed offensive boost down the stretch.
- Matt Luff was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings today, only to be returned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign later on alongside Michael Amadio. It’s unclear if this move was intended for AHL postseason means, seeing as the Reign are in last place in the entire league and aren’t going to be heading to the postseason.
- The Vancouver Canucks have returned goaltender Marek Mazanec and forward Zack MacEwen to the AHL’s Utica Comets, the team announced. Mazanec’s demotion is good news for the Canucks; Thatcher Demko has been cleared for action and will dress for the Canucks as the backup tonight.
- Teddy Blueger has been reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, but could be on his way back up shortly. With Tanner Pearson shipped out of town, Pittsburgh needs another forward and Blueger has been the next man up. He should get a chance at regular minutes down the stretch.
- Collin Delia will return to the minors upon the activation of Corey Crawford, Chicago announced. Delia has performed admirably in net during Crawford’s absence and even earned a contract extension with his play, but needs the starts available in the AHL rather than sitting behind Crawford and Cam Ward.
- With the Toronto Maple Leafs trading away Par Lindholm today, stating their desire to open up regular NHL minutes for Trevor Moore, it is no surprise that Moore was an emergency recall by the team. Moore has been the epitome of consistency through his time with the University of Denver and AHL Marlies and now hopes to bring that same dependable production to the NHL.
- The Arizona Coyotes made a pair of paper transactions, assigning defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Conor Garland to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners – to ensure their AHL postseason eligibility – and then called them back up.
- The Carolina Hurricanes followed suit, making forwards Saku Maenalanen and Warren Foegele paper transactions, so that they may compete with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers if need be.
- The Dallas Stars are without Mats Zuccarello after just one game with the trade addition. To fill his roster spot for the time being, the team has recalled Denis Gurianov from AHL Texas. Gurianov has shown flashes, but inconsistency in the pros, but now Dallas needs him to be a reliable option over the next four weeks.
- Daniel O’Regan seemed like a likely trade candidate as a young impending free agent who has not been a fit in Buffalo. The Sabres even showcased him this past week, but to no avail. The deadline has come and gone and Regan is still a Sabre, or more accurately a Rochester American after being demoted today. Tage Thompson was a paper transaction for the club.
- Dylan Sikura was made a paper transaction by the Chicago Blackhawks, as well. While the team would like to see what he can do in the NHL over the next month, the Blackhawks are trending away from the postseason, making Sikura’s best bet at postseason play a return to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The move today maintains his eligibility to do so.
- The Colorado Avalanche made dependable depth forward Sheldon Dries a paper transaction, but the reassignments of fellow forwards A.J. Greer and Andrew Agozzino were not just formalities. The pair will head back to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, having presumably lost their roster spots to the healthy Colin Wilson and the acquisition of Derick Brassard.
- Goaltender Harri Sateri, defenseman Filip Hronek, and forward Filip Zadina were all made paper transactions by the Detroit Red Wings. Sateri and Hronek are currently filling in as injury replacements and will likely return to the AHL for real in short time, but Detroit wants to see what top prospect Zadina can do in the NHL down the stretch. The Red Wings surely won’t be making the playoffs though, so they made sure the trio can all still experience a postseason run this year.
- The Edmonton Oilers made veteran minor league forwards Brad Malone and Josh Currie paper transactions. The duo is currently helping out in the NHL, but with the Oilers’ playoff hopes all but dead, their major role the rest of the way will likely be as experienced leaders guiding the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors into the postseason.
- Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin, and new addition Ryan Donato were all made paper transactions today by the Minnesota Wild. The trio is very much part of the Wild’s immediate plans this season, as well as their future, but Minnesota may not make the playoffs this year and the forwards could benefit from making a run with AHL Iowa.
- New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews was another paper transaction. Toews has carved out a role for himself with the club, which currently leads the Metropolitan Division, but should be be available to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers come playoff time, a return to the team at a critical time would only further his development.
- Lukas Radil was a paper transaction for the San Jose Sharks today. The Sharks are hoping to make a deep playoff run this year, but on the off chance that doesn’t materialize, the experienced forward Radil would be of benefit to the AHL Barracuda.
- The Vancouver Canucks currently have defensemen Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois on the roster as the team battles injuries. However, to make sure the AHL’s Utica Comets were not stripped of two of their top defenders this season, Vancouver made the pair paper transactions today.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have reassigned defenseman Tucker Poolman to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose today. The move was expected after the Jets traded for not one but two defenseman today. The move also serves to ensure Poolman can play in the AHL postseason if need be. The same goes for forward Mason Appleton, who was also sent down.
- Peter Cehlarik and Karson Kuhlman have both been returned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but it remains unclear if this is a paper transaction or an actual move by Boston. With the deadline passed and roster restrictions nullified, one would think that Cehlarik and Kulhman – who have both player regular minutes for the Bruins of late – would be back up. However, no such move has been made and perhaps the team simply wants to give the duo some more ice time in the minors now that their NHL roster includes several more veteran members up front.
- The Anaheim Ducks have demoted defenseman Andy Welinski and forward Sam Steel in favor of defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Angus Redmond. The move may have something to do with AHL playoff eligibility, but more than anything it is about Redmond’s recall. The Ducks, who continue to struggle with injuries in net, will dress Redmond as their backup tonight with Ryan Miller sidelined with a lower-body injury. It is the first NHL experience for a keeper who has played almost exclusively in the ECHL as a pro.
2019 Trade Deadline Day Recap
The trade deadline for the 2018-19 season has come and gone, with teams all around the league loading up for a Stanley Cup run. This year saw a nearly unprecedented level of skill available, though things got started quite early. Before deadline day, names like Matt Duchene, Brandon Montour, Mats Zuccarello, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Dzingel, Gustav Nyquist and Nick Jensen all switched teams. However, the day was no disappointment; a slow pace early on ended in fireworks right before the deadline and as deal trickled in right after. Below is a complete list of the 21 trades featuring all but seven of the NHL’s teams made on February 25th alone (chronologically):
To Anaheim Ducks:
D Patrick Sieloff
To Ottawa Senators:
F Brian Gibbons
To New Jersey Devils:
2022 fifth-round pick
To Columbus Blue Jackets:
G Keith Kinkaid
To Winnipeg Jets:
F Kevin Hayes
To New York Rangers:
F Brendan Lemieux
2019 first-round pick (top-3 protected)
2022 conditional fourth-round pick (if Winnipeg wins Stanley Cup)
To Montreal Canadiens:
F Jordan Weal
To Arizona Coyotes:
F Michael Chaput
To Florida Panthers:
F Cliff Pu
Future Considerations
To Carolina Hurricanes:
F Tomas Jurco (AHL contract)
Future Considerations
To Colorado Avalanche:
F Derick Brassard
2020 conditional sixth-round pick (no pick if Brassard re-signs)
To Florida Panthers:
2020 third-round pick
To Columbus Blue Jackets:
D Adam McQuaid
To New York Rangers:
D Julius Bergman
2019 fourth-round pick
2019 seventh-round pick