Morning Transactions: Bruins, Blue Jackets, Predators, Canadiens
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Boston Bruins have reassigned forward Peter Cehlarik to the AHL Providence Bruins. This move may have less to do with Cehlarik’s performance and more to do with the fact that the Bruins enter their bye week this week. With no games until Sunday February 19th, Cehlarik is better served getting playing time in the AHL. The young prospect recorded two assists last night against the Montreal Canadiens—including one on the powerplay—so expect the Bruins to call him back up in time for next Sunday’s game.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets swapped backup goaltenders with its AHL affiliate the Cleveland Monsters, recalling goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and reassigning goaltender Anton Forsberg. Columbus hopes Korpisalo can regain his form from last year. The Finnish goaltender has struggled so far in his limited appearances with Columbus, going 3-1-0 in four starts but earning a .893 Sv% and 3.57 GAA. Conversely, Forsberg, who has only one NHL start this season, is performing better in the AHL than his Finnish counterpart. The Swedish Forsberg has a .927 SV% and a 2.23 GAA in 28 games. Korpisalo has earned a .909 SV% and 2.67 GAA in 15 games.
- The Nashville Predators also swapped backup goaltenders, recalling Marek Mazanec and reassigning Juuse Saros with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators also reassigned forward Pontus Aberg. Like the Bruins above, the Predators enjoy a bye week this week so they’ve sent their young prospects to Milwaukee for more ice time. Saaros has outperformed all Nashville goalies this year, posting a .933 SV% and a 2.09 GAA in 12 games. Aberg hasn’t had the same level of success, recording only 1G and 1A in 15 games with the big club.
- The Montreal Canadiens reassigned forward prospect Michael McCarron to the AHL St. John IceCaps last night. The Habs have a bye week this week so McCarron will get more playing time down in the AHL. The young prospect used his last game to fight Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller. McCarron is still adjusting to the NHL, recording 1G and 4A in 18 games. He’s had more success in the AHL, scoring 7G and 12A in 30 games, and compiling 64 PIM.
Snapshots: Carlo, Nyquist, Dumba
After winning their last two games against the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins are undefeated since firing their long-time head coach Claude Julien. While they’re certain to lose another game this season, the strong play into their bye week (which starts after taking on the Montreal Canadiens at home tonight) has them still in the thick of the playoff race and potential buyers at the trade deadline.
That’s what has Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon worried, as his latest column speaks to the dangers of trading young Brandon Carlo at the deadline for a short term boost. With Carlo’s emergence this season the Bruins might have a potential top pairing defenseman on their hands and should look no further than his defense partner for a reason not to deal him. Zdeno Chara was traded by the Islanders for immediate scoring help at the draft back in 2001, which looks like one of the worst trades in the team’s history. If the Bruins end up dealing him, they better be very sure that what they bring back can help the team for more than just the immediate future.
- In today’s Minnesota Wild-Detroit Red Wings game, there were quite a few physical incidents but none more vicious than Gustav Nyquist‘s disturbing high stick on Jared Spurgeon. Spurgeon would get a few stitches and return to the game, but all the talk after the game was about possible league discipline. As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports, Bruce Boudreau wasn’t happy about the attack on his star defenseman. “Two inches closer, the guy could have speared his eye out,” Boudreau told Russo in his post game scrum. We’ll see what kind of suspension comes down tomorrow from the league. Nyquist for his part says that he didn’t mean to do it at all and is happy Spurgeon is okay.
- In other Wild news, Russo reports that Mathew Dumba is still day-to-day and hopes to get back on the ice in the next few days. Dumba finished the game on Friday against the Lightning, but had injured himself on a hit from Ondrej Palat early in the game. Dumba’s absence was notable today, especially when Spurgeon was getting his face stitched up. Getting him back soon is important for the Wild, who continue to lead the entire Western Conference with 80 points.
West Notes: Shattenkirk, Enroth, Avalanche, Michalek
While it has been speculated that St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk would only be open to playing with an American team, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (video link) that a pair of Canadian squads are on a list of 12 that he would be interested in playing for beyond this season. Those two teams are the Canadiens and Maple Leafs.
Although the Blues are playing themselves back into the postseason hunt, many expect them to deal the pending UFA to ensure they get something in return instead of losing him for nothing in free agency. While he doesn’t have any no-trade protection and could be dealt anywhere (including the Oilers who had permission to speak to him last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement on an extension), it’s more likely that St. Louis will look to move him to a team that is on that list of 12, hoping the acquiring team may pay a bit more with the thought they’d have a shot at signing him long-term.
Other notes from the West:
- With the performance of goalie Jhonas Enroth with AHL San Diego, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register wonders if his play could make Anaheim netminder Jonathan Bernier expendable. Enroth has a stellar 1.20 GAA and a .954 SV% since being acquired from Toronto and carries a cap hit of just $750K. Meanwhile, Bernier carries a $4.15MM cap hit (though they’re only responsible for $2.15MM as the Leafs paid his $2MM signing bonus back in July) and the Ducks find themselves using LTIR for Simon Despres to remain in cap compliance. If Anaheim needs to free up some cap space to make a move, moving Bernier and calling up Enroth is certainly an option for them.
- A large reason for Colorado’s current struggles is due to their continued struggles to draft quality defensemen, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. Over the past decade, the Avs have drafted several blueliners in the top two rounds but have really only hit on one. (That player happens to be Shattenkirk, who they dealt to the Blues back in 2011.) Now, they’re faced with the prospect of having to deal a top forward such as Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog to fill an organizational void that hasn’t really been addressed under multiple management groups.
- Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek has yet to decide if this is his final season, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. The 34 year old is in the final year of a two year contract that carries a cap hit and salary of $3.2MM. However, he was waived early in the year and cleared, in part due to his expensive contract. He’s suited up in 28 games at the minor league level this season and acknowledged he may be in tough to get a guaranteed NHL deal next year. There isn’t a great chance he’ll get moved at the deadline either unless the team is willing to retain a big chunk of his deal (they can hold back up to 50%) or take a similarly bad deal back in return.
Minor Transactions: 2/12/2017
The Washington Capitals rewarded rookie Zach Sanford for scoring his first NHL goal, the game-winner in their 6-4 defeat of the Anaheim Ducks yesterday, by sending him back down to the AHL. The Capitals announced this morning that they have reassigned Sanford to the Hershey Bears. Of course, the team is entering its bye week, so his demotion is not so much a reflection of his performance, as it is an effort to get him some more ice time while the NHL squad takes a break. The first-year pro has just two points in 21 games with Washington this season, but has 14 points in Hershey.
Sanford was nearly a point-per-game player for the Boston College Eagles last year, scoring 39 points in 41 games as a sophomore. A 2013 second-round pick of the Capitals, he chose to leave BC early this summer and get an early start on his pro career. The Eagles have felt the effect of his and others decisions to depart the team, leaving BC without a single junior on the squad. Sanford joined defenseman Steven Santini and forward Miles Wood of the New Jersey Devils, forwards Alex Tuch and Adam Gilmour of the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks goalie prospect Thatcher Demko, and Florida Panthers defenseman Ian McCoshen as former Eagles who skipped out on the 2016-17 NCAA season. While Boston College still sits atop the Hockey East Conference with a 13-4-1 record so far, their overall record of 18-9-2 going into this week had them ranked 7th overall, behind local rivals like Boston University and Harvard, and following losses to BU and Merrimack, they should fall even farther down the ranks.
Elsewhere around the league:
- As expected, Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond cleared waivers and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, according to the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. It’s been a monumental career collapse for Hammond, who is just two years removed from posting an unreal .941 save percentage and 1.79 goals against average in 24 games in his rookie season with the Senators. Hammond’s numbers tailed off some last year, but he was still impressive. No one could have predicted that through six games in 2016-17, the young keeper would have an abysmal .837 goals against average and 4.08 goals against average. Whether it’s due to injury or mechanical problems or even just the stress of the fluid state of Craig Anderson‘s availability and the competition with newcomer Mike Condon, Hammond has not performed like himself at all this year and no team was willing to take a chance on him at this time. It’s unfortunate for Hammond, who likely needs a change of scenery, but has never played well in the AHL and would be better served to sit on the bench with another NHL team for a while.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced last night that they have demoted forward Daniel Carr to the St. John’s Ice Caps of the AHL. Carr has two goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Habs this season, but is still trying to carve out a permanent role for himself on the team. The move opens up a roster spot for them to activate right winger Brendan Gallagher off IR.
- The Los Angeles Kings also made a move late last night, reassigning defenseman Paul LaDue to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. LaDue made his NHL debut last Tuesday and recorded his first NHL point on Thursday, but will head back to the minors with just those two games under his belt. A member of the NCAA champion University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux last year, LaDue capped off a third straight season of about 20 points in 41 games, and has maintained that pace in the AHL with 18 points through 36 games with Ontario in 2016-17.
- The Edmonton Oilers have again sent down forward Anton Lander to the AHL. Once considered to be surefire NHL regular, Lander has struggled all season long in Edmonton, scoring just one goal and three assists in 22 games. When Lander has spent time with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, scoring has been no problem, but he has not been able to translate that success to the next level. In his stead, the Oilers have recalled Iiro Pakarinen. Like Lander, Pakarinen was expected to be a contributor in Edmonton after playing in 63 games last season. However, he managed to score just 13 points in that time, and in response has seen no NHL action yet in 2016-17. With Lander not capitalizing on his chances, it seems likely that GM Peter Chiarelli has decided to give Pakarinen another shot.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they’ve sent winger Erik Condra and center Gabriel Dumont to Syracuse of the AHL. Condra has been held off the scoresheet in 13 NHL games this season but has been better in the minors with 26 points in 29 contests. As for Dumont, he has ten points in 19 games with the Crunch plus a pair of points in 14 contests with Tampa Bay. With the team off on their bye week until Saturday, this will give them a chance to stay in game shape before likely being recalled later in the week.
More to come.
Trade Candidates: Mathieu Perreault
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Rarely do you see a player who just signed a long-term extension get traded before that extension even kicks in, but that very well could be the case with Mathieu Perreault and the Winnipeg Jets. Entering the final season of his three-year, $9MM deal, Perreault inked a big four-year extension this summer. However, the team may have erred in not first considering the possibility of an Expansion Draft this off-season, and is facing a very real possibility that if they don’t move the veteran center, they could lose him for nothing. The Jets appear poised to protect four defenseman – Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, and Tyler Myers – leaving just four forward spots available, which will almost definitely go to Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little, and Adam Lowry. TSN was the first to report the high likelihood of a Perrault trade, and he remains on their “Trade Bait List“. But is there a market for his services in-season?
Contract
Perreault will enter the first year of a four-year, $16.5MM extension in 2017-18. Currently, he is in the final year of his previous three-year, $9MM deal. That annual $3MM cap hit will be pro-rated to under $900K at the Trade Deadline, but will then jump back up to $4.125MM for the next four seasons.
2016-17
Hurting Perreault’s “tradability” in 2016-17 is a noticeable drop-off in production. If the Jets had chosen to trade the play-making pivot last spring, they would have brought in quite the haul in draft capital. Perreault had back-to-back 41-point seasons to begin his tenure in Winnipeg and was in the midst of potentially the best season of his career with career highs in assists, power play points, and ice time. He also had a year remaining on his deal at an affordable cap hit. This season? Not so much. Perreault now carries a four years at $4.25MM and does not have the stats to back up the cost. In between missing time with injuries this season, Perreault has registered just 17 points in 40 games, which may as well be canceled out by his career-worst -17 rating. However, Perreault is still considered a high-end play-maker and a power play specialist, and his cap hit at his previous numbers is more than tolerable. If Perreault can pick up his play down the stretch and improve on a dismal performance so far, interest will heat up in no time.
Season Stats
40 GP, 4 goal, 13 assists, 17 points, -17 rating, 83 shots, 15:31 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Adding players with term on their contract is easier said than done this season. With the Expansion Draft weighing on everyone’s decisions this deadline season, no one is going to pay a lot for a player they then stand to lose for nothing if he doesn’t fit into their protection scheme. Perreault could prove to be a difficult addition for many teams.
The New York Islanders have really felt the loss of center Frans Nielsen this season and desperately need some depth at center. They also have some flexibility in the expansion process and have the salary cap space to accommodate his cap hit. Perrault down the middle behind John Tavares would be quite an upgrade over Casey Cizikas and Alan Quine this year and in the future.
If the Montreal Canadiens miss out on their rumored top target of Martin Hanzal and don’t want to pony up for Matt Duchene, they could come calling for Perreault. With Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais showing clear signs of decline, the Habs are desperate for depth down the middle going forward. Montreal is reportedly “all in” at the Trade Deadline, so a move to bring in a big-time center would come with no surprise, though the salary cap implications would need to be closely monitored.
Another strong candidate, though a Western Conference foe, is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are perusing the center market as well, and could use depth behind Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Cap space is not as big an issue for L.A. who could really solidify their top nine by adding Perreault to the mix.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has shown a willingness to make big moves, especially when the pressure is on, and there is no greater pressure than potentially losing a key player for nothing in the Expansion Draft. However, that same draft makes moving a long-term player like Perreault much more difficult than moving an impending free agent. As the Jets sink further and further into the basement of the Western Conference, the more likely it will become that Cheveldayoff stops working on ways to keep Perreault and starts looking for ways to trade him. The difficulty in doing so makes this move far from a sure thing though.
Canadiens Eyeing Alex Burrows
With a loss earlier today to the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks are falling further and further out of postseason contention. The Canucks sit six points behind the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings for a wild card berth in the Western Conference. They also have just one win in their last six games face powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks in their upcoming games leading to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 1st. Though in many ways Vancouver has exceeded expectations in 2016-17, they are trending more toward being sellers at the deadline than buyers.
One of Vancouver’s top trade pieces is none other than career-Canuck Alexandre Burrows. The agitating forward is still a strong two-way contributor, but his offensive production has been tailing off for years. A rebuilding Canucks squad seems unlikely to re-sign Burrows yet again, and would be especially willing to move on if they can get something in return. A destination may already be in mind: the Montreal Canadiens. As The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes, Burrows and teammate Jannik Hansen could command a good return for Vancouver if the GM Jim Benning only asks them to waive their no-trade clauses.
We here at PHR have already connected Hansen to Montreal, but according to Kuzma, the Canadiens have been heavily scouting the Canucks and may have interest in Burrows as well, if not more. While the first item on Montreal’s wish list is a top-six center, they have also made it known that they are in the market for other forward help. In fact, many expect the Canadiens to be one of the biggest players in what otherwise could be a quiet deadline market. In Burrows, Montreal would receive a gritty forward who is able to win battles along the boards, make his presence felt around the net, and, more than anything, help out on the penalty kill and in improving the team defense. The Quebec native seems like a suitable fit for a team whose GM and coach, Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, have emphasized two-way play from their forward corps in recent years, so look for the Canucks to pull the trigger on a deal if it develops.
Snapshots: Ericsson, Canadiens, Oilers
After leaving Thursday night’s game with an upper-body injury, Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will undergo surgery next week and will be out for the next 12 weeks, effectively ending his season, GM Ken Holland told MLive’s Brendan Savage (Twitter link). Originally, the team was hopeful he’d only miss six-to-eight weeks.
Ericsson was injured after an awkward hit by Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom (video link). Backstrom hit Ericsson into the boards as the defenseman was skating towards the boards behind his own net.
He has nine points in 50 games this season, while averaging 19:29 minutes a night on Detroit’s second pairing. This is the third year of Ericsson’s six-year, $25.5MM contract.
- The Montreal Canadiens have a short window to win the Stanley Cup with their current roster. Superstar goaltender Carey Price has one more year left at $6.5MM and captain Max Pacioretty has two years left at a steal of $4.5MM. That combined $11MM will likely jump to $17MM or so, which will cause quite the cap crunch. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has suggested that GM Marc Bergevin “has got his fingers in everything” (transcribed by Chris Nichols of FanRagSports). On Toronto radio this morning, Friedman shared an anecdote from Bergevin’s time in Chicago, where the Blackhawks had a chance to trade for Chris Pronger in the summer of 2006 but passed on making the deal because they “weren’t ready [to contend].” As Friedman put it, Bergevin’s philosophy is to hit singles to build a team, then swing for the fences when his team has a chance to win. Following this philosophy, Friedman suggested that “if there’s a big name, you can assume that Montreal has inquired.”
- Speaking of windows of contention, Jonathan Willis wrote a piece for Sportsnet arguing that the Edmonton Oilers need to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender by next season to follow the paths set out by Chicago and Pittsburgh. This means a deep playoff run while Connor McDavid is still on his entry-level contract. No team has a smooth ride to the top, Willis writes, pointing at Chicago and Boston’s struggles to keep their teams together as their stars take up more money. If the Oilers aren’t a serious contender in 2017-18, then “they may be too far behind Pittsburgh and Chicago to catch up” to their path to the Cup.
Injury Notes: Burakovsky, Ericsson, Hanzal
Injury updates around the NHL during tonight’s busy slate of games:
- Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky will miss the rest of tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, reports the NHL’s Tom Gulitti. The Capitals’ young forward went down with an upper body injury after blocking a Detroit slapshot around the midsection that may have injured his hand. Burakovsky has 11G and 18A in 51 games this season, and is on pace for a career-high in points.
- Tom Gulitti also reports that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will also miss the rest of that Washington-Detroit game. Ericsson suffered an upper body injury during a hit by Washington’s Niklas Backstrom. Ericsson has 1G and 8A in 50 games this season and averages 19:29 minutes a night on Detroit’s second defensive pairing.
- AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan reports that pending unrestricted free agent Martin Hanzal did not participate in the Arizona Coyotes‘ pregame skate this evening, meaning that Hanzal will miss tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Scouts attending the game will surely be disappointed as Hanzal is a hot commodity for teams looking for a playoff-run rental. Hanzal has 10G and 9A in 43 games so far this season.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Bjorkstrand, Avalanche
The Montreal Canadiens are mired in a four-game losing streak and their grip on the top of the Atlantic Division is slipping. They need help down the middle and everyone knows it, making it tough for GM Marc Bergevin to make a deal. Darren Dreger of TSN spoke today about their struggles recently and how broken up the schedule has been for them. He also mentions the defensive side of the ice and how the Habs would like to make incremental improvements there if possible.
He does give some good news on the injury front, telling us that Brendan Gallagher is travelling with the team and should be back in the lineup as soon as this weekend. There is a possibility he’ll return Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, but more likely in the second half of the back to back against Boston on Sunday.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made Oliver Bjorkstrand an emergency call up on Wednesday evening, bringing him back to the NHL for the third time this season. The 21-year old Bjorkstrand has played five games for the Jackets this season, registering just one point. Last season the Danish winger really shone in the AHL playoffs with 16 points in 17 games, helping the Monsters win a Calder Cup. He’s destined for the NHL in the long-run, but still needs some seasoning to unlock his full potential.
- The Colorado Avalanche have made a goalie swap, sending Spencer Martin to the AHL while bringing Jeremy Smith up to the NHL squad. Martin has been shelled in his short time in the NHL, allowing 13 goals in three games. With Semyon Varlomov out, the team has been relying on Calvin Pickard and would like to have a little more depth behind him. Smith, selected in the second round a decade ago, has never made it into an NHL game. He does have a solid AHL resume, including a .934 save percentage last year for the Providence Bruins.
Minor Transactions: 2/8/2017
Tracking the minor transactions from around the NHL for February 8, 2017.
- The Boston Bruins, fresh off firing their head coach, have once again swapped goaltenders with their AHL squad. Anton Khudobin has been recalled and Zane McIntyre demoted to Providence. Khudobin is in the first year of a two-year contract worth $1.2MM annually. His second stint in Boston has not gone well; he’s 1-5-1 with an 0.885 and a 3.06 GAA. While he has a 7-3-1 record in the AHL, that comes with a poor 0.896 SV% and 2.69 GAA. McIntyre is 0-3-1 in seven NHL games with a 0.860 SV5 and a 3.95 GAA, but has a sterling record in the AHL, going 11-0-0 with a 0.950 SV % and 1.44 GAA. Unfortunately for the Bruins, backups Khudobin, McIntyre, and Malcolm Subban have combined for one win in 11 starts.
- The Bruins Atlantic Division rivals in Montreal have also made a few roster moves, calling up Michael McCarron and Daniel Carr while sending Jacob de la Rose to the AHL. McCarron has four points in 15 NHL games and 19 points in 30 AHL games; Carr has eight points in 31 NHL games and the same total in just six AHL games. de la Rose has no points in nine NHL games, but has 15 in 34 games in the AHL.
- The NHL-leading Washington Capitals have recalled Zachary Sanford from the AHL. Sanford has one point in 20 NHL games and 14 points in 24 AHL games.
- Over in Minnesota, the Wild swapped defensemen with their AHL club. Mike Reilly will be heading to Iowa while Gustav Olofsson is coming back to Minnesota. Reilly has one point in 17 NHL games while Olofsson has only appeared in one NHL game this season.