Snapshots: Guentzel, Bindulis, Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins, like any other champion of the salary-cap era, have found worthwhile contributions from previously unheralded sources. Last year saw the playoff breakout of Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary, while this year Justin Schultz has turned into the defenseman that everyone had hoped for in Edmonton. As Dave Holcomb of FanRag Sports details, it may be Jake Guentzel that is the next breakout star for a team that has so many.
Guentzel has seen his ice time skyrocket since his latest call up, playing as much as 19:52 in a regulation loss on the 28th. He’s become a relied-upon member of the Penguins top-9 and will be needed past this year’s playoffs. With Sheary and Schultz up for new contracts as restricted free agents this summer and Nick Bonino hitting the open market, the team will have to make some tough decisions on the future construction of their lineup around the $25MM trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Having a cost-controlled option like Guentzel that can slot in with any of the three is a huge plus for the Penguins and their long-term future.
- Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Kristofers Bindulis is the latest college free agent to watch. Several teams are after the Lake Superior State defenseman after his solid debut in the WCHA. The Lakers are having a rough season, but Bindulis has turned heads with 12 points in 28 games. Rail-thin in his draft year, Bindulis is now listed at 6’3″, 180-lbs and likely still able to fill out into his large frame. Watch for Vegas to start their roster off with some college free agents, and perhaps Bindulis is on their minds.
- The New York Rangers better hope they don’t finish fourth in the Metropolitan Division. After getting pummeled by the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 last night and causing Alain Vigneault to become more angry than he has all season (according to Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post), the team is now just 5-4-1 in their last 10 and 0-3 against the Habs this season. With the first wildcard sport set to face the Atlantic Division winner, the Rangers would be up against the Canadiens right away and would need to turn that record around fast.
Alexander Radulov Out With Lower Body Injury
As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face the New York Rangers tonight in what very well could be a preview of a first-round playoff series, they do so without star forward Alexander Radulov. Radulov is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury and is out of the lineup tonight. The big winger blocked a P.K. Subban shot in the Canadiens’ last game, and while it was likely much appreciated by new coach Claude Julien, it also is likely the cause of his current absence.
Radulov has had a remarkable comeback season in 2016-17, his first full NHL season since 2007-08, after coming over from the KHL this summer. Criticized at first for giving the Russian enigma a $5.75MM contract, the deal has paid off for Montreal as Radulov has scored 15 goals and added 31 assists for 46 points, just 12 points off his NHL career-high 58 set almost a decade ago with the Nashville Predators. Radulov trails only captain Max Pacioretty in scoring on the Atlantic-leading Canadiens. Offensive depth has been an issue all season for the Habs, but they would have been in even deeper trouble without Radulov. The two sides are rumored to have already agreed upon an extension, but don’t expect an announcement until after the Expansion Draft.
While Radulov rests for the next few games in all likelihood, the Canadiens will get to see what their newly-acquired muscle can do. With a right wing spot opened up, former Colorado Avalanche bruiser Andreas Martinsen will draw into the lineup tonight. Also making his debut is Steve Ott, as he replaces rookie Michael McCarron in the lineup. The latter move may not go over as well as the former, but the new-look Habs will be interesting to watch regardless.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Chris Terry To One-Year Extension
The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed minor league forward Chris Terry to a one-year extension that will keep him in the organization through 2017-18. Though he hasn’t played much in the NHL this season, Terry will help to fill one of the forward requirements for the Canadiens at this summer’s expansion draft. He played 68 games last season for the Carolina Hurricanes and 14 this year for the Habs, making him eligible for the 70/40 requirement—not that the team was going to have much trouble, it is always good to have more options heading into the draft.
Terry was drafted in the fifth round a decade ago, and has turned into a prolific scoring winger in the AHL. With 351 career minor league points, Terry ranks among the top in the AHL each season. His NHL career hasn’t turned into much, though he did play regularly on Carolina the past two seasons. With just 38 points in 152 games, and close to turning 28 years old, he seems destined for a minor-league career.
More deals like this will be made over the next few months as teams finalize their expansion lists. The trade deadline changed a lot of rosters despite mostly dealing in rental players. The draft has provided players like Terry with a unique opportunity to sign a deal (with Eric Engels of Sportsnet even reporting that it is a one-way contract) when one may have not presented itself under normal circumstances.
Snapshots: Subban, Roussel, Rust
Bon retour P.K.! That’s what the Bell Centre’s video board read as the crowd jumped to their feet so salute a former star returning last night. P.K. Subban made his return to Montreal as a member of the Nashville Predators and received quite the ovation from Canadiens fans, standing and cheering him on throughout his video tribute as tears rolled down the defenseman’s face. Arpon Basu of NHL.com writes that those tears are all we saw from the former Norris winner all night, as the Predators fell 2-1 on a last second goal from Paul Byron.
At ESPN, the insiders—including Craig Custance, Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun—take a look at the short and long term ramifications of the Subban-Weber trade 60 games in. Weber is signed for another nine seasons in Montreal, while Subban is only under contract through 2021-22.
- The hits just keep on coming for the Dallas Stars, who lost Antoine Roussel last night to injury and likely for the year. Mike Heika of SportsDay reports that head coach Lindy Ruff expects Roussel to be “a while; in all likelihood the rest of the year.” Though the Stars aren’t really competing for a playoff spot any longer, Roussel was having a career year. He was just three points shy of setting a career-high in points, and would likely have broken his goal and assist marks as well with 20 games remaining.
- Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some good news for Penguins fans, as he spotted Bryan Rust skating before practice. A playoff hero last season, Rust has been a solid contributor to the Penguins run this year. With 25 points in 50 games, he’s giving the team some excellent secondary scoring and is a useful piece up and down the lineup. Molinari also adds that new defenseman Mark Streit will be wearing #32 for the Penguins when he suits up for a game.
Snapshots: Vatrano, Lazar, Canadiens
When Ryan Spooner spoke out recently saying that he didn’t have a good relationship with Claude Julien during his tenure with the Bruins, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Spooner never fit into Julien’s system, and the two obviously didn’t mesh properly. The Bruins likely didn’t like having a player speak out against a coach past or present, regardless of whether that coach was now behind the bench of a divisional rival.
Today another Boston forward has spoken up. In Joe Haggerty’s latest column for CSNNE, he relays that Frank Vatrano sounded very similar in his comments on a Boston radio show, saying that he “didn’t have the best relationship with Claude”. Vatrano doesn’t exactly speak ill of Julien, just that he feels much more comfortable with Bruce Cassidy his former coach with Providence and now bench boss of the NHL-Bruins. It’s showing on the ice, with Spooner and Vatrano combining for seven points in the last five games, which include four wins.
- When Pierre Dorion said that he’d hold out for a first-round pick before dealing Curtis Lazar, Senators fans rejoiced knowing that they wouldn’t be underselling their former 17th overall pick. Apparently the addition of the recently waived Jyrki Jokipakka was enough to sway Dorion, as he dealt Lazar (and Mike Kostka) to Calgary for a second-rounder and the defenseman. Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun believes that he made a huge error in sending the struggling Lazar out west, even claiming that in ten years Lazar would have likely been wearing the captain’s ‘C’ for Ottawa. While that seems unlikely, it is a good gamble for the Flames, who may have nabbed a future NHLer at his lowest value.
- It certainly won’t look like the same team in Montreal, even if many of the key parts remain. The Habs added size in a big way at the deadline, shipping out some of their undersized pieces for Hulk-sized players. As Eric Engels writes in his latest piece for Sportsnet, the team has definitely gotten harder to play against, if not more skilled at the same time. The Canadiens’ biggest (in terms of impact) acquisition might be Dwight King, who might actually have a little bit of offensive upside left in him. Once upon a time King used his huge frame as an effective power forward, even scoring 30 points in 2013-14. His bang-and-crash style will be brand new to Montreal, who will fit perfectly into Claude Julien’s approach.
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:
Winners
Boston Bruins:
- Acquired Drew Stafford from Winnipeg Jets for conditional 2017 sixth-round pick
GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.
Detroit Red Wings:
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick from Chicago Blackhawks for Tomas Jurco
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick from New York Rangers for Brendan Smith
- Acquired 2018 sixth-round pick from Montreal Canadiens for Steve Ott
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and Dylan McIlrath from Florida Panthers for Thomas Vanek
As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.
Colorado Trades Martinsen To Montreal For Andrighetto
The Colorado Avalanche have been surprisingly quiet at the deadline for the league’s worst team, but they’ve jumped into yet another deal by swapping young forwards with the highly-active Montreal Canadiens, sending Andreas Martinsen to the Habs in exchange for Sven Andrighetto.
Martinsen is the fifth new player that the Canadiens have added at the deadline, and continues their trend of getting bigger and tougher. The 6’3″, 220-lb. Norwegian winger played only limited minutes for the Avs and has just seven points in 55 games. However, Martinsen is a heavy hitter and plays in well to new head coach Claude Julien‘s system of strong, two-way play.
Colorado took a long look at Andrighetto when he was on waivers earlier this season, and clearly decided they wanted to pull the trigger on acquiring the speedy Swiss forward. Andrighetto had 17 points in 44 games last season with Montreal but, instead of a promotion, he has instead seem less time and production in 2016-17. The Avalanche will provide some much-needed new opportunity for Andrighetto to show he belongs in the NHL.
Los Angeles Kings Trade Dwight King To Montreal
The Los Angeles Kings have moved big winger Dwight King to the Montreal Canadiens for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018. The pick can become a third-round selection should King re-sign with Montreal this summer. No salary will be retained in the transaction. 
King is another expiring contract, earning $1.95MM in the last season of a three-year deal. The 27-year old is a huge bottom-six player capable of giving the Canadiens a little more punch in the corners. He’s not an offensive presence, but is capable of scoring 10-15 goals and chipping in here and there.
After bringing in Steve Ott last night, the Canadiens will be a much harder team to play against for the rest of the season. They’ve been the most active team so far, bringing in Brandon Davidson and Jordie Benn as well. After a brilliant start to the season on the back of what was some of the best goaltending the league had ever seen, the struggles the team has faced have clearly sparked something in Marc Bergevin.
A fourth-round pick isn’t much for the team to give up, especially when they still have five second-round selections over the next two years. They won’t miss the mid-round pick much, especially if King helps them win a playoff round.
For Los Angeles, moving out King’s salary will open up a bit more room to add if they want, and the fourth-rounder is a nice return. If they are indeed going after Jarome Iginla at the deadline, they’ve just opened up a spot for him.
John Shannon of Sportsnet was the first to report the deal, with Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports giving us the details on the pick.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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