The Latest On Radim Vrbata
At least five teams have expressed an interest in Arizona right winger Radim Vrbata according to ESPN’s Craig Custance (Twitter link). The Bruins, Flames, Islanders, Panthers, and Penguins are all interested in the services of the 35 year old, who is expected to be one of the more prominent forwards dealt today. TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that the Canadiens are among the teams that have the most interest in him as well.
Vrbata is in the middle of a strong bounce back season in his third stint with the Coyotes. Through 62 games this year, he has 15 goals and 32 assists to lead the team in scoring. That type of production would fit in well on just about any contender so GM John Chayka should be able to line up a nice return for the veteran.
Part of the allure for Vrbata is his contract which carries a cap hit of just $1MM and he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. However, it’s worth noting that he has playoff-based incentives in his deal as well: $250K if his team makes the postseason plus an additional $250K for each round that team wins and the acquiring team will be responsible for absorbing those onto their cap either this year or next season as a bonus overage penalty.
Detroit Red Wings Trade Steve Ott To Montreal Canadiens
Despite being after midnight on the east coast, the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens are still working. The Wings have sent Steve Ott—who was scratched from tonight’s game in a telling move—to the Montreal Canadiens for sixth-round pick in 2018. 
While the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs both added a little more toughness yesterday with their acquisitions of Alex Burrows and Brian Boyle respectively, the Montreal Canadiens have done the same late tonight. Ott is by no means the equal to either of those players on offense, but may be as big of a pest as either. He has made a career out of getting under other team’s skin and providing a physical presence in the corners.
The Canadiens have now acquired a handful of players and seem poised to make an even bigger deal at some point before the deadline. After winning again tonight in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal has extended their lead in the Atlantic Division to six points. While they are no guarantee for the playoffs just yet, they are a good bet.
Ott will help them in that department, as he lends his experience and leadership to any room. His 55 games of playoff experience will be welcomed into a room that will be relying on certain players without much. The Canadiens top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov (if put together again) has a total of 72 postseason games combined.
For Detroit, moving another expiring veteran for a draft choice is a positive, regardless of the round. They’ve now moved out relatively small pieces and gained some valuable selections to start a rebuild with, and still have some much bigger named players yet to move if they choose.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers Acquire Desharnais From Canadiens For Brandon Davidson
Per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Montreal Canadiens have dealt David Desharnais to the Edmonton Oilers for Brandon Davidson. The Canadiens also retained 20% of Desharnais’ contract as well, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
With the move, the Oilers grab a center they were seeking, who can slot in anywhere from second to third. In 31 games for the Habs, Desharnais had 10 points (4-6). Davidson has just one point in 28 games.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug tweets that he’s been 47% in the circle, but injuries limited him this season. Additionally, he apparently fell out of favor with head coach Claude Julien. As for Davidson, the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples wrote an article last year praising the young defenseman. ESPN’s Scott Burnside agrees, writing that the Habs acquired “a promising defenseman”. Hockeybuzz’s Mike Augello argues that while the Canadiens have another depth defenseman, they are still in need of scoring.
Desharnais, though he fills a hole for the Oilers, has seen his performance steadily declined writes Spector Hockey’s Lyle Richardson. The move will ease the burden on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, making it flexible to flip-flop him between a second and third line center.
Renaud Lavoie was the first to report the trade. Pierre LeBrun was the first to report the contract details.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jordie Benn From Dallas Stars
It’s a big day in the Atlantic Division. The Montreal Canadiens have made a deal of their own, acquiring Jordie Benn from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Greg Pateryn and a fourth-round pick. The Stars defenseman has two years left on his current deal at $1.1MM per season. 
After Pateryn was publicly put on the block recently, it was only a matter of time before the Canadiens found a taker for the 26-year old. Turns out they’ve used him as part of a package to acquire the Benn, a solid depth defender that will help them in their playoff push—especially now that the Maple Leafs and Senators have added to their forward groups.
Benn is the older brother of Stars’ captain Jamie Benn, but far less of a household name. A fine puck-mover capable of playing on the penalty kill, he has 15 points in 58 games this season. Despite being left-handed, Benn has been playing the right side in Dallas and may jump right over Nikita Nesterov who was acquired earlier this year and has played sparingly in recent weeks.
With the Habs relying so much on a 38-year old Andrei Markov and a less than effective Alexei Emelin, Benn offers some respite. Though Nathan Beaulieu has shown the promise of a top-pairing defenseman in the future, adding the experience of a proven NHL player is always welcome as a team heads towards the playoffs. The fairly low cost of Pateryn and a fourth-round pick is understandable for a team in first place.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vancouver Canucks Trade Alex Burrows To Ottawa Senators
Following the Maple Leafs’ acquisition of Brian Boyle, the Ottawa Senators have made their own deal up front. The Vancouver Canucks have sent Alex Burrows east in exchange for Jonathan Dahlen, a prospect selected in the second round this summer. The deal includes a two-year extension for Burrows which will pay him $2.5MM per season.
Ottawa has needed help on the wing since Bobby Ryan broke a finger and was ruled out for more than a month if not before. When Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman were both injured the next day, it proved just how fragile their depth at the position was. Burrows adds to that depth in a big way, despite not being the 30-goal scorer of his youth. His production has dropped to that of a third liner in recent years, though he does give you some special teams flexibility with experience on both the powerplay and penalty kill.
Burrows is currently earning a full season salary of just $3MM, though his cap-hit comes in at $4.5MM. For a team like Ottawa who does not spend right up to the cap, having a lower actual salary is a big plus.
Despite having his offensive production slip in recent seasons, Burrows still provides an ample amount of sandpaper to any game, getting under the skin of star players and often forcing teams into bad penalties. His style of play and general demeanor will be welcome on an Ottawa team that has missed that kind of play from Chris Neil due to being scratched or only playing a handful of minutes. Burrows would immediately become a hated target in the Atlantic Division, and a valuable playoff asset.
Burrows had a full no-trade clause in his contract, and may have only been willing to waive it after agreeing to an extension with the Senators. There was no guarantee he would get a two-year deal on the open market this summer, especially at the age of 35. With the Atlantic crown is clearly up for grabs, the Maple Leafs and Senators have pushed some of their chips forward as they reach for the top. We’ll see if the Montreal Canadiens now answer with a move of their own (turns out they will).
In Dahlen, the Senators have paid a very high price for the addition of grit and depth. The Swedish prospect was selected at #42 in this summer’s draft and is tearing up the Swedish second league with 41 points in 43 games. The 19-year old forward is an exceptionally skilled offensive player that dropped in the draft due to his small stature. The Canucks, dealing with a nightmarish season have pried a very good return out of a rental with a no-trade clause. While they didn’t receive any draft picks, Dahlen should be considered no worse than a late-first/early-second round pick in this year’s draft.
It’s a hefty price to pay for Burrows, even if he does fit the Senators lineup well. We’ll see if Ottawa has any more additions in the next few days, as teams load up for a dogfight in the last two months.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun was the first to announce that the two were finalizing a deal, though Joshua Kloke of The Athletic heard rumors of the deal earlier today. Kloke would include that it came with an extension, one that Dan Murphy of Sportsnet gave us the financials on.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Evening Snapshots: Radulov, Fleury, Oilers
If not for a certain one-for-one swap in late June, Alexander Radulov would have been the most fascinating move of the summer for the Montreal Canadiens.
Radulov spent the better part of eight seasons in the KHL, with two controversial stints in Nashville, before signing a one-year, $5.75MM contract with the Canadiens. The term suggested this was very much a “show-me” contract, and show them he has. Radulov has been one of the Canadiens best players, with 42 points in 59 games thus far. Now, the Canadiens will have to lock up their Russian star long-term.
They won’t be the only team with interest in the big winger. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reported that Radulov is a “strong position” to negotiate with the Canadiens (link in French). Radulov and T.J. Oshie are the only big names under the age of 35 set to hit unrestricted free agency. The KHL is also an outside option for Radulov, but staying in the NHL with Montreal appears to be his first choice.
[Related: PHR’s Midseason UFA Power Rankings]
This advantage give Radulov “every reason” to wait until July 1st, according Lavoie. Even though he’s expressed interest in staying in Montreal, this summer is likely his last chance to hit a home run in free agency. His former coach and friend Barry Trotz suggested he would be “shocked” if Radulov didn’t end up signing long-term in Montreal. Last Saturday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Radulov wants to sign long-term, perhaps even looking for a six-year pact. That would take him to age 37, which might make the Canadiens uncomfortable. Power forwards tend to drop off a cliff sometime in their mid-thirties, so GM Marc Bergevin would be taking a risk to sign Radulov for that kind of term.
Kypreos suggested the Canadiens could offer Radulov a five or six year contract worth somewhere around $4.5 or $5MM per season, but would need to go to the $7MM neighbourhood to keep the term to three years. The Canadiens have some money coming off their cap this summer, but have Radulov, franchise goaltender Carey Price, and captain Max Pacioretty due for new contracts in each of the next three summers. With those big money signings on the horizon, it’s no wonder that Bergevin is considered “all-in” on this playoff run.
- Despite needing to address his goaltending situation before this June’s expansion draft, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford would prefer to keep both Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury for the remainder of this campaign, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. Murray has been significantly better this season, and with Fleury’s no-move clause (NMC), the Penguins need to make a move to avoid losing their young starter. If Rutherford doesn’t trade Fleury before next Wednesday, then the wily GM will have to convince him to waive his NMC in the spring for either the Golden Knights or a trading partner. Two teams to watch are the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Bob McKenzie of TSN reported on Thursday that the Flames are looking to improve their current goaltending duo of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson; while there hasn’t been any reports of interest on the part of Winnipeg, they’re currently two points out of a wildcard spot while only one of their three goaltenders have a SV% above 0.900 (Connor Hellebuyck). Should the Jets get stable netminding, then they could be a darkhorse candidate in the Western Conference.
- Speaking of goaltenders, an interesting tidbit came out of Edmonton today regarding their 2015 acquisition of Cam Talbot. The Oilers acquired Talbot at the 2015 NHL Draft, trading three picks (2nd, 3rd, and 7th) for the then-unproven goalie and a seventh round pick. While discussing the Oilers’ interest in trading for Kevin Shattenkirk, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported that Talbot “told the Oilers point-blank ‘don’t trade for me because I’m not going to re-sign here.'” Just six months later, Talbot signed a three-year extension to stay with the rising Oilers. Talbot has been the Oilers’ MVP (non-Connor McDavid category) with 30 wins and a 0.921 SV% in 54 games so far this season. Seravalli’s anecdote is notable as Talbot and Shattenkirk share an agent, and it shows GM Peter Chiarelli has previously been able to pitch Edmonton to players who were originally not interested in staying long-term.
Minor Transactions: 02/23/17
There are six games on tap in the National Hockey League tonight, including a big matchup between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens that both teams need desperately to keep pace with the rest of the surging conference. There will be quite a few roster moves as teams get closer to the trade deadline, and we’ll have them all right here for you. Keep checking back as it will be updated throughout the day.
- A move that actually happened last night, the Anaheim Ducks called up Jhonas Enroth to backup Jonathan Bernier‘s amazing performance. John Gibson couldn’t go due to a lower-body injury—that is only listed as day-to-day—and thus the hottest goalie in the AHL was called up in reserve. We spoke about Enroth in the Ducks deadline preview, and how he could supplant Bernier if the team could find a buyer for him this week.
- The Washington Capitals have sent Travis Boyd back down after their game in Philadelphia last night. He was just there for insurance against an injury just before game time and now will return to Hershey for the time being.
- Jeff Glass apparently has done enough for the Chicago Blackhawks to keep him around. The former third-round pick that has played hockey all over the world signed a two-year deal today to stay in the Hawks’ system. The Blackhawks didn’t have a goaltender to expose in the upcoming expansion draft, as both Scott Darling (UFA) and Mac Carruth (RFA) are free agents this summer.
- Jeff Zatkoff has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That does not mean that he has been reassigned to the Ontario Reign however, as the Kings decide what to do with their goaltending. It sounds like Jonathan Quick is not quite ready to return, but is getting closer each day.
- The Boston Bruins have assigned Austin Czarnik to the AHL and sent down Joe Morrow on a conditioning stint. The baby Bruins also lost Zac Rinaldo for the rest of the season according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. He will have surgery on his wrist and will not play again this season.
- The Capitals have also recalled Riley Barber and Aaron Ness today, following the news that Matt Niskanen is likely out for tomorrow night’s game. To make room, the team has moved Andre Burakovsky to injured reserve.
Casey Cizikas To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
After leaving last night’s game, Casey Cizikas will be out for approximately four weeks according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. 
The Islanders made an emergency recall of Bracken Kearns today to fill in, but was thought of as the fill-in for Cal Clutterbuck who also left with an injury. We’ll wait and see what the lineup looks like tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.
With Cizikas out, the Islanders have lost even more depth at a position they severely lack. Center ice has been a problem for them all season with Mikhail Grabovski fighting concussion symptoms and Ryan Strome not being able to make the transition at the NHL level. Cizikas has played up and down the lineup for the team and takes the second most draws behind only John Tavares. His absence will not only leave a defensive hole, but also a physical one. He and Clutterbuck have formed one of the most punishing combinations in the league in recent years—along with Matt Martin who signed with Toronto this summer—and have worn out defenders with a persistent forecheck.
For the Islanders, who are actually tied for a playoff spot currently, it is a big blow to an already depleted forward group. Since watching Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo leave in free agency, the team has had a difficult time finding forwards that can provide consistency for them. Cizikas even has more points than the big offseason fish Andrew Ladd, though that is turning around recently. This may force the team to pursue an upgrade at the trade deadline, even if it does come in the form of a rental from one of the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference.
Montreal Canadiens Make Greg Pateryn Available In Trade
In a tweet from TSN’s Frank Seravalli, he reports that other clubs have told him Montreal Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn is available for trade. Apparently GM Marc Bergevin sent out a note to the league advising as much, though Pateryn remains in the lineup for the Habs tonight against the New York Rangers. As Seravalli notes, this should come as a surprise to no one. Montreal has had a logjam on the blueline since acquiring Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay, with Pateryn sitting out frequently.
Tonight he’ll be in the lineup instead of Nesterov perhaps for a bit of a showcase before the deadline but more likely because the Tampa Bay defender hasn’t impressed lately and played only 12 minutes on Saturday. New head coach Claude Julien will need to find some trust in one of the defenders, or risk having to learn even more on Shea Weber and company.
For teams around the league, Pateryn may look like a worthwhile addition as a six or seventh defenseman. He has some interesting underlying possession numbers, and provides a big body on the back end. While he is by no means a game-changing addition, his relatively low cost may be of some interest. He’s owed just $800K this season and next, before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Keegan Lowe From Carolina Hurricanes
In a much smaller move than the one we saw yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens have acquired defenseman Keegan Lowe from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Philip Samuelsson. Amazingly, both players are sons of former NHL players, Kevin Lowe and Ulf Samuelsson—who is actually the head coach of the Charlotte Checkers where his son will now play.
This isn’t the biggest deal we’ll see this deadline but perhaps it is just another crack in the dam and deals will start to come through. Lowe does still have some upside after being drafted in the third round in 2011. A solid AHL defenseman, if his puck moving ability ever improved he could crack an NHL bottom pairing. It wasn’t going to happen in Carolina though, behind a young mobile defense corps.
Samuelsson was drafted in the second round in 2009 but hasn’t turned into the player Pittsburgh had hoped for. Instead, he’s bounced around a bit and is not expected to make much of an impact in the NHL ever again. He’ll be 26 in July and will now hope to make an impact under his father’s tutelage. Ulf played over 1000 games in the NHL, and was one of the most feared checkers in the league—perhaps he can show his son a thing or two about lining guys up over the middle.