Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:
Deadline Day
Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny
St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar
Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick
Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick
San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane
Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic
Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow
Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick
Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore
Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick
Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Eastern Conference:
Deadline Day
Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller
New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole
Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick
New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon
Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick
Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris
Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg
Nashville, Arizona Make Four-Player Minor League Deal
Another late trade has come through, as the Arizona Coyotes continue to focus on strengthening their farm team, the Tuscon Roadrunners, who currently sit atop their division with an eye on the Calder Cup this season. The Tennessean’s Adam Vignan relays that the Nashville Predators have sent Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Trevor Murphy to Arizona for Tyler Gaudet and John Ramage.
The deal appears to suit both teams well, as Murphy appears to be the prize for Arizona, enjoying a great year with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, while Gaudet and Ramage have NHL experience that could prove useful to Nashville the rest of the way if injuries occur.
Ryan Hartman Traded To Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have indeed acquired Ryan Hartman from the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The Blackhawks will receive a 2018 first-round pick, a 2018 fourth-round pick and prospect Victor Ejdsell. Nashville will also receive a 2018 fifth-round pick along with Hartman.
Hartman got off to a flying start to his season, collecting six points in his first two games. However, he has tailed off offensively since then, tallying just 19 since then in 55 contests. On the season, he has eight goals and 17 assists while averaging 12:48 of ice time per game.
The gritty winger was Chicago’s first-round pick (30th overall) back in 2013 and is in his second full season in the NHL. He has spent some time at center this year and while the Predators are well-stocked at that position, that type of versatility was certainly attractive to them.
Hartman carries a cap hit of just $863K this season and does not have any bonuses in his entry-level contract. He will be a restricted free agent in July but will not have arbitration eligibility.
In terms of a return for Chicago, the Blackhawks will be happy with the package received. Though Nashville’s first pick will come late in the round, it’s still a strong asset to play with and help accelerate the Chicago re-tool. It gives the Blackhawks another shot to select a top prospect, or another piece to use in an offseason trade.
Ejdsell though could be the most interesting piece in the deal. After spending quite a bit of time wooing him last summer, the Predators signed the big winger to an entry-level contract but allowed him to stay in Sweden for another year. He made them look like geniuses, as he jumped to the SHL and has recorded 30 points in 47 games. The 6’4″ winger is a strong goal-scoring threat that can contribute in several different ways in the offensive zone, and could jump right to the NHL level next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mike Fisher Ends Retirement, Officially Signs With Nashville
2/26: The Predators have officially announced the signing.
2/25: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Predators will announce a one-year, $1MM deal with Fisher tomorrow. The pro-rated deal will only cost Nashville around $225K to bring back their former captain for one last run at the Stanley Cup. Fisher has been working out with the team since the initial report last month and no doubt will be ready to go when he gets his first chance to again take the ice.
1/31: In probably the most surprising turn of the season, Mike Fisher is set to come out of retirement and sign with the Nashville Predators for the remainder of the season.
Fisher hung up his skates in August after deliberating for much of the offseason, calling it the “hardest decision” he’d ever had to make. The 37-year old center captained the Predators all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, after a successful regular season which saw him record 18 goals and 42 points. The Predators have brought in both Nick Bonino and Kyle Turris since then to try and fill out their center depth, and adding Fisher now will make them an impressive group.
Just recently, Predators’ GM David Poile admitted to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he would like to make an addition up front, though a big splash didn’t seem likely. With Fisher back in the fold, the Nashville forward group can be matched up with anyone in the league, at least when healthy.
There is no exact timeline yet on when Fisher will be ready for game action, but his contract must be signed and added to the roster before the February 26th deadline in order to be eligible for the playoffs. Depending on how well he’s kept himself in shape since retiring, it could be even sooner than that. No financial details have been released yet, but the contract is expected to only be for the rest of 2017-18.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Predators Add Depth In Minor Move With Sharks
The Nashville Predators announced they have made a minor deal as they acquired forward Brandon Bollig and goaltender Troy Grosenick from the San Jose Sharks for a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
It’s the second move for the Predators today, who earlier traded away forward Pontus Aberg in a three-team deal, that netted them a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Bollig, a 31-year-old veteran, hasn’t played a game for the Sharks this season. The winger has played the past two years in the AHL and likely is being brought aboard to increase the depth on the Milwaukee Admirals, their AHL affiliate. With the Barracuda, Bollig has eight goals and two assists in 45 games this year with 68 penalty minutes.
Grosenick also will provide the team some depth on the goaltending depth chart. The 28-year-old has served as an emergency backup this year for the Sharks, but has never appeared in a game. He currently has a 2.98 GAA with the Barracuda in 20 appearances.
Edmonton’s Letestu Traded To Nashville, Then Flipped To Columbus
The Nashville Predators traded winger Pontus Aberg to the Edmonton Oilers for center Mark Letestu and then immediately flipped Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2018 fourth-round pick, according to Pierre LeBrun.
Letestu return to Columbus where he played for four years before signing with the Oilers in 2015. The bottom-six center fills a depth need at center as Columbus has struggled at the position with injuries, but also as a special teamer. He is an excellent penalty killer. In 60 games this season, the 33-year-old Letestu has eight goals and 11 assists and a minus-17 plus/minus ratio. He had a big year last year when he scored 16 goals for the playoff-bound Oilers.
The Oilers added a young scoring forward Aberg, who has had trouble breaking into the Predators’ lineup. The former second-round pick in the 2012 draft has been in and out of the lineup, often as a healthy scratch and has appeared in just 37 games with just two goals and six assists to show for it. He did make a name for himself during the Predators playoff run last year when he had to fill in due to injuries and scored two goals and three assists in 16 games.
For Nashville, the move is essentially a roster dump as the team is likely trying to clear a roster spot to eventually add 2017 first-rounder Eeli Tolvanen when his season is over when his KHL team has been eliminated from the playoffs. The Predators are also likely to bring in veteran Mike Fisher back as well, so roster space was needed.
Senators, Karlsson Trying To Get Trade Done By Deadline
The Ottawa Senators and Erik Karlsson are both working hard on making a deal happen by the trade deadline with the Tampa Bay Lightning being the leading candidate to acquire the star defenseman, according to Elliotte Friedman Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada.
“Whatever gets said, the belief is the Ottawa Senators want to try to make this happen and Erik Karlsson wants it to happen, and they have been grinding away in the last two or three days to see if they can,” Friedman said. “Obviously Tampa Bay is a leading contender, I think they’ve thrown several different proposals at each other.”
While negotiations haven’t reached their final stages, other teams have also shown interest in Karlsson, including the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The idea that Karlsson could end up in Tampa Bay is not unrealistic considering he is close friends with fellow Swede Victor Hedman. The two playing on the Lightning’s blueline could be the ultimate piece for a team that want to win a Stanley Cup this year. However, what would be the cost? While Tampa Bay has quite a lot of solid prospects they could deal, Ottawa would almost definitely be looking for a major piece from the team’s active roster with names such as Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde and Vladislav Namestnikov, rumored to be names that Ottawa would want back.
“I’m sure the names Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde have come up, but at the very least it might even cost them [Vladislav] Namestnikov and we know how important he is to the first line in Tampa Bay,” said Kypreos on the same segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “But Ottawa wants a major piece back.”
Friedman added in the segment that he believes if Ottawa is willing to accept Namestnikov as the centerpiece of the deal, “that’s something that Tampa would do.” However, the real question is what else would Ottawa want? The team is unlikely to part with 19-year-old Mikhail Sergachev, who seems to have turned the corner after recent struggles.
You also have to factor in the injury to Ondrej Palat, who is out for another two or three weeks with what many believe is a high ankle sprain. Does the team have enough depth to survive without a Namestnikov, who is a major influence on the team’s first line. The 25-year-old is having a breakout season with 20 goals and 24 assists in 62 games this year. He is only making $1.94MM this year, but will be a restricted free agent next year, which could make him harder to sign for the future.
Eastern Notes: Karlsson, Nash, Lindblom, Rosen
Did Erik Karlsson play his last game as a member of the Ottawa Senators?
Just a few weeks ago, there was no way Karlsson would be traded. Just a few days ago, there was nothing more than a rumor that general manager Pierre Dorion might consider a trade if he was blown away. Now suddenly, it seems like everyone is in on a potential trade and there is a good chance Karlsson will be dealt.
The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that while he believes there is a better chance than not that Karlsson will remain with the Senators after the trade deadline, it seems that teams are lining up to make offers. The scribe writes that three teams, in particular, have all been mentioned as trade partners for Karlsson, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators. Tampa Bay would love to add Karlsson to their stable of defensemen and have a 1-2 combination of Victor Hedman and Karlsson. Vegas wouldn’t mind acquiring the star and making him the face of their franchise and would be easily able to take the contract of Ryan off Ottawa’s hands as well.
The San Jose Sharks have also been mentioned as having checked in with Ottawa about Karlsson and also have the cap room to take on Ryan, but seem an unlikely option.
All three clubs would like to have Karlsson for the next two postseasons, but Garrioch writes that unless the Senators are blown away by an offer, the team should hold onto the star defenseman and move him before the draft. That’s the more likely time the team will see the best offers. The Senators have made it clear to anyone calling that they are looking for about five to six pieces to help the team both immediately and in the future.
- Pierre LeBrun tweets that the New York Rangers that trade talks surrounding winger Rick Nash are progressing. While there is no mention of what teams are attempting to make a deal for the veteran, LeBrun writes the Rangers got an offer they are considering, but then adds that other teams remain in the mix. A deal within the next 24 hours is not out of the question. Elliotte Friedman just added that the Boston Bruins may be the leading candidate in the Nash sweepstakes.
- Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that for Philadelphia Flyers prospect forward Oskar Lindblom to remain with the Flyers once Wayne Simmonds returns from injury, he would have to knock one player off one of the top three lines. Lindblom, who had 16 goals with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL this year has played in just two games since being recalled after Simmonds went down. While he hasn’t put up any points yet, O’Connor writes that Lindblom would need to show that he can produce at the NHL level better than either Michael Raffl or Jordan Weal. Both could easily move to the fourth line to make room for him. The question is whether he can produce.
- Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that one asset the Toronto Maple Leafs have is their AHL franchise, the Toronto Marlies, which seems to have one of the deepest rosters in the league. While that is great, the team has too many players and once playoff time rolls around, the Marlies will have some real issues. If the Maple Leafs are eliminated from the playoffs before the Marlies are, the Maple Leafs will also likely send some players down, causing an even bigger roster jam. Wheeler writes the Maple Leafs should consider moving some of their AHL players such as defenseman Calle Rosen to lighten their load, but some of those pieces could also be used to acquire another piece for the Maple Leafs.
Trade Deadline Notes: Lightning, Predators, Bruins
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL this season and are looking to round out their roster ahead of Monday’s deadline. In fact, it has been rumored that the Bolts might be looking to do more than just add depth, as they’ve been connected to some of the bigger names on the market, such as star defensemen Erik Karlsson and Ryan McDonagh. However, in speaking to GM Steve Yzerman, the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith is not so sure they’re willing to pay the price for players of that caliber at this point in time. Smith indicates that it could be a much quieter deadline for Tampa, as Yzerman is not interested in dealing any of his young roster players, such as Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev. “We’re trying to keep this team together with the hope of improving it”, Yzerman said, though he also added that there have been very few “fits” in his trade discussions thus far. Smith suggests that the Lightning could still get their major blue line addition without losing top young talent if they target the Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Green. However, there are few who would argue that Tampa can’t win the Cup this year without making a move and Yzerman seems willing to test that hypothesis is the market doesn’t meet his expectations over these next few days.
- Another contender that could be somewhat reluctant to make a move are the Nashville Predators. Predators staffer Thomas Willis spoke with GM David Poile today, and the long-time executive sounded less than thrilled about the prices on his trade targets. “Every team we talk to asks for Eeli Tolvanen“, Poile told Willis. Tolvanen, the Preds’ 2017 first-rounder unexpectedly fell in the draft last year and already has teams regretting that, as he has dominated the KHL, World Juniors, and now the Winter Olympics in an epic age-18 campaign. Of course, Tolvanen is untouchable and it was recently reported that he could even join Nashville this season, so Poile is understandably upset by that unreasonable trade request. Poile also said to Willis that he would prefer not to give up the Predators’ first-round pick this year in a trade, unless he absolutely had to. After watching Tolvanen slide right into their hands at #30 last year, no one can blame Poile for being protective of his top pick again, although it could handicap his ability to make a splash at the deadline.
- After trading Frank Vatrano to the Florida Panthers and announcing that Anders Bjork would be out long-term following shoulder surgery in a matter of hours today, it’s clear that the Boston Bruins will be on the hunt for an addition or two to their forward corps. However, they may be able to do so without even making a trade. Though there has been nothing official as of yet, there is speculation that one of the Olympics’ top scorers, Ryan Donato, could sign with the Bruins in a matter of time. The Hobey Baker candidate is likely to stay with Harvard through the end of their season, WEEI’s Ty Anderson believes, but could then join the team for the playoffs much like Charlie McAvoy did last season. Another option right in their back yard could be old friend Jarome Iginla. Iginla skated again with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence today and told The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver that the Bruins were one of his preferred destinations for one last run at the Stanley Cup. Iginla added that he’s not sure that an offer will come, but it sound like if one did, he would accept it.