Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Devils Rumors

Trade Rumors: Hart, Elliott, Tolvanen, Rangers, Senators

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Some bad news on one player could turn out to be a blessing in disguise in regards to another. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that rookie sensation Carter Hart will be out at least ten days with a lower-body injury. Hart has been playing phenomenally this season and his absence could end what little hope the Flyers had of reaching the postseason this year. However, it will force the team to start Brian Elliott tonight in their Stadium Series game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philly’s final game before the deadline. Recent acquisition Cam Talbot is still new to the team and unable to jump in net just yet. However, Talbot’s presence makes Elliott expendable and the Flyers are known to be shopping him. The team tried to move Elliott to the Edmonton Oilers as part of the Talbot return, but ended up trading away the younger Anthony Stolarz. However, with playoff-bound teams like the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights in need of reinforcements in net, Elliott is very much still in play. A strong performance on a grand stage tonight could be enough to convince those kicking the tires to take a shot on Elliott. Moreso, the injury news on Hart could be the final straw for new GM Chuck Fletcher, as he is still allegedly unsure of whether to sell or not at the deadline. With Elliott, Wayne Simmonds, Michael Raffl, and several others drawing interest, Fletcher should be more encouraged to part with those pieces now that his stud goaltender is out for what could be weeks.

  • The New York Rangers are one of the most talked-about teams as the deadline approaches, as rentals Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, and Adam McQuaid and even term players like Chris Kreider and Vladislav Namestnikov are drawing considerable interest. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the Nashville Predators are one of the teams in talks with the Rangers, but it appears that one of their best assets may be off the table. Brooks reports that the Predators will not trade 2017 first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen for a rental this season. Nashville does not have interest in Hayes, but has looked into Zuccarello, however they won’t offer up Tolvanen to land him. Brooks believes Tolvanen would only be available to the Rangers in a deal for Kreider. The talented Finnish forward has only seen limited NHL action thus far, but is still coveted by sellers – not only the Rangers – for his potential. In this scenario, it’s the sellers who may have to ante up with a signed player to get the prized prospect. As for the Rangers, they may have better luck getting a top return for Zuccarello elsewhere. Brooks states that the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins are among the teams pursuing the veteran winger, while a report yesterday stated some contenders are willing to pay the price to package Zucarello and Hayes together.
  • Meanwhile, the price for McQuaid has gone up significantly today following the trade of Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars. McQuaid is arguably the top rental defenseman left on the market, currently ranked No. 21 overall on TSN’s Trade Bait List. With the trade statuses of Alex Edler, Niklas Kronwall, Cody Ceci, and others still unclear, McQuaid looks like the top target for defense-needy teams versus the likes of Michael Del Zotto and Bogdan Kiselevich. McQuaid is by no means a star or season-changing acquisition, but he is likely the best available defenseman even as just a physical, stay-at-home defender. If the New Jersey Devils can draw a third-round pick and young roster player for Lovejoy, the Rangers are suddenly looking at second-round territory with McQuaid. To protect their top trade assets, New York will not play McQuaid, Zuccarello, or Hayes today, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
  • Many have felt that the allure of the free agent market for Matt Duchene and Mark Stone and the caliber of return the Ottawa Senators could get for trading them left Ryan Dzingel as the most likely of the trio to re-sign with the team. That certainly isn’t going to be the case. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Dzingel recently turned down a five-year extension offer worth more than $20MM, a significant pay raise over his current $1.8MM cap hit. After that, the team made the definitive decision to trade him before the deadline. Garrioch adds that Stone also rejected the Senators’ last offer, and eight-year pact of unknown value, but the team has not yet completely closed the door on a new deal. They continue to take offers on the star winger though, as Garrioch writes that the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning are the team’s most involved in Stone talks. He believes the Bruins are also interested in Dzingel. It remains to be seen who ends up with Stone or Dzingel and how the returns compare to that of Duchene, but one way or another the Senators are walking away from the deadline with a complete lack of star power on the roster, but a massive influx of picks and prospects to show for it.

Dallas Stars Acquire Ben Lovejoy

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Dallas Stars are looking to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race and have opted to strengthen their back end in that pursuit. The Stars have acquired veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Connor Carrick and a 2019 third-round pick. The Devils have confirmed the deal.

The deal comes as a slight surprise, as the Stars are deep on the blue line, having carried eight defensemen for much of the year. However, Lovejoy does bring a veteran presence that the team lacked on defense outside of Roman Polak. He is also a strong penalty killer and will be a major boost for the Stars when shorthanded. Lovejoy isn’t much for offense, with seven points in 51 games, but the impending free agent plays a dependable defensive game and is a nice piece to have in the postseason. He also has ties to the organization, as cousin Gavin Bayreuther is also a defenseman for the Stars. It’s a nice pickup for Dallas and Lovejoy should fit in nicely as a reliable depth piece.

Dallas is not done though. The Stars are heavily rumored to be wanting to add more scoring, as they currently lack the firepower they will likely need to knock off a top seed in the West as a wild card team. The Devils did not retain any salary in the trade, so the Lovejoy acquisition does eat up some of their available cap space. At $2.67MM compared to Carrick’s $1.3MM, Lovejoy’s addition is not that taxing and still leaves the Stars with over $3.4MM to add another forward. Although two trade chips are now gone, expect the Stars to continuing exploring the market for both rental and long-term help up front.

The real story of this trade is the great return for the Devils. GM Ray Shero managed to turn Lovejoy, an expiring asset on the decline, into a young defenseman with team control and a mid-round pick. Carrick, who is also offensively challenged, is nevertheless growing into a capable bottom pair defender and by many metrics has outplayed Lovejoy this season. Carrick will be a restricted free agent this summer due a qualifying offer of just $1.1MM, so the Devils are likely to hold on to him to see what he can do next year. The worst case scenario is merely that Carrick doesn’t work out, but New Jersey still would net a nice pick. The Stars’ third-rounder becomes the Devils’ ninth pick in the upcoming draft. The Devils aren’t done either. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Marcus Johansson, who sat out of Thursday night’s game alongside Lovejoy, will sit again tonight and seems very likely to be traded.

Trade Candidate: Ben Lovejoy

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 25th.

Three years ago, Ben Lovejoy had a strong postseason with the Penguins during their run to the Stanley Cup.  While he isn’t quite the player he was then, he’s still a veteran player that can kill penalties and has a fair bit of playoff success under his belt.  With that in mind, New Jersey will probably be getting some calls for his services if they haven’t already.

Contract

Lovejoy is in the final season of a three-year, $8MM contract that he signed following that Stanley Cup run.  He has a salary of $2.75MM with a $2.67MM AAV and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  There is no trade protection in the deal.

2018-19

His performance over his career hasn’t been particularly flashy from game-to-game as he’s an old-fashioned stay at home defenseman and this year has been no exception.  Lovejoy has largely been a regular on New Jersey’s third pairing and has been a fixture on the penalty kill, logging nearly four minutes a night in that regard.  He has shown that he’s still a capable shot-blocker, slotting second on the team with 77.  He isn’t producing much offensively (he never does) but the 35-year-old is still serviceable in his own end.

Season Stats

51 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, +1 rating, 33 PIMS, 70 shots, 17:35 ATOI, 48.8 CF%

Potential Suitors

There aren’t many playoff-bound teams that would be slotting Lovejoy in as a full-time regular.  However, as far as injury insurance or extra penalty killing help goes, he’d be a strong option for quite a few teams.

In the East, Toronto has been looking for a right-shot blueliner that could kill penalties even before their acquisition of Jake Muzzin (a lefty).  While GM Kyle Dubas has said he’d prefer to avoid the rental market, this would be an easily-affordable acquisition as they have plenty of cap room to work with for this season and the acquisition cost shouldn’t be steep.  Montreal could be seeking some insurance with youngster Noah Juulsen potentially out for the season.  Tampa Bay is likely setting their sights on a top-four blueliner at the moment but if they can’t add one, this is the type of fallback they could be looking for.  Pittsburgh could make some sense as they wouldn’t mind adding another depth piece but the Devils would have to retain for the Penguins to be able to fit him in on the cap.

Out West, the Stars don’t have great defensive depth on the right side to the point where Lovejoy could very well crack their top six.  GM Jim Nill is likely looking to make more of a splash but if they can’t do that, they could turn towards adding some depth pieces (using LTIR to free up some cap room).  The injury to Ian Cole in Colorado has left them down their top shot-blocker which could create a short-term opening for Lovejoy and with the Avs being on the outside looking in, this may be the type of marginal upgrade that GM Joe Sakic could justify making without affecting their future.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Considering New Jersey decided to sit him for their last game as a healthy scratch to avoid the risk of injury, it’s pretty clear that they think they’ll be moving Lovejoy shortly.  The return may not be particularly high but it appears that he’ll be in another uniform come Monday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Edler, Rangers, Kinkaid

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks have maintained all along that they would like to work out an extension with Alex Edler, and today GM Jim Benning said just that once again. Edler is on an expiring deal and could potentially provide some veteran defense for a contending team, but is so valuable to the Canucks as a legacy player and mentor for young Swedish star Elias Pettersson.

Edler, 32, has been effective when in the lineup this season but has had trouble staying healthy once again. The veteran of 796 NHL games has only played all 82 in a season once during his long career, and no more than 74 in a season since 2011-12. He is currently on injured reserve and carries a cap hit of $5MM.

  • With Matt Duchene and potentially Artemi Panarin off the market after today’s trade, teams looking for offense will have to look elsewhere. The New York Rangers are one of the clubs with expiring assets that could be difference makers, and Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that several teams have expressed interest in acquiring both Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello together. A package like that would certainly cost a lot, but bringing in two legitimate top-six options with familiarity and playoff experience could be seen as quite the answer to Duchene’s arrival in Columbus today.
  • Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reports that the New Jersey Devils “would like to move” goaltender Keith Kinkaid, but there isn’t much of a market at this point.  It wasn’t so long ago that Kinkaid looked to be stealing the starting job from Corey Schneider and setting himself up for a potential long-term contract, but the 29-year old has struggled immensely this season and provides little upside. With the emergence of MacKenzie Blackwood as a potential NHL goaltender next season, Kinkaid’s expiring contract will likely not be renewed by the Devils.

Senators, Devils Hold Top Trade Candidates Out Of Lineup

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The match-up between the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils tonight could have somewhat of a preseason feel. When two of the NHL’s three worst teams face off, they will do so without many of their top players. Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel will not dress for Ottawa and neither will Marcus Johansson and Ben Lovejoy for New Jersey.

Both teams have confirmed that the scratches are “precautionary”, but seeing as all five are impending unrestricted free agents rumored to be on the trade block with the NHL Trade Deadline just four days away, it is easy to read between the lines. While the likes of Duchene and Johansson have been confirmed as on the market and likely to be traded, speculation is set to soar about Stone and Dzingel, as well as Lovejoy. Case in point: TSN’s Frank Seravalli has moved Stone up to No. 1 on the TSN Trade Bait List following this news, stating that “sitting out signals his apparent decision to forego a contract extension with the Senators in favour of testing the open market.” Stone and Duchene are now occupying the top two spots on the list, with Dzingel at No. 9. For New Jersey, Johansson comes in at No. 14 and Lovejoy at No. 41. Tonight’s lineup decisions indicate all five could be headed elsewhere in the coming days.

Fans in attendance tonight will likely be disappointed by the lack of star power, but not as much as the scouts in attendance. TSN’s Gord Miller notes that the many scouts still evaluating Ottawa’s big three – who make up 41% of their scoring this season – will likely be frustrated by the absence of not just Duchene, who sat out last game, but also Stone and Dzingel. This includes the Winnipeg Jets, who have been frequently linked to the Senators’ stars. NJ.com’s Chris Ryan reports that the Jets have three scouts in attendance, yet no Ottawa stars to observe. Ryan states that ten teams have scouts in attendance and some were likely there to see Johansson and/or Lovejoy as well, but instead will only see sellers protecting their assets.

Devils Open To Keeping Marcus Johansson Beyond This Season

at CDT | by 1 Comment

  • The Devils have received considerable interest in pending UFA winger Marcus Johansson, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted in an appearance on TSN 1040 (audio link). After being injured early on in the season, he has been particularly productive over the past month, notching six goals and six assists in just 13 games while playing nearly 19 minutes per night.  As teams start to turn to the secondary market, the interest in the 28-year-old should pick.  LeBrun adds that New Jersey has interest in keeping him beyond this season so if they don’t get fair value for Johansson’s services, it’s likely that they’ll hold off on moving him and presumably would then look at working on a contract extension.

Trade Rumors: Johansson, Canucks, Sharks, McQuaid

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun writes that New Jersey Devils center Marcus Johansson could prove to be one of the best bargains at the trade deadline. LeBrun notes that Johansson’s stock has dropped due to his recent injury history, but has been back on the rise due to his recent production. Johansson has seven points in his past six games and buyers have taken notice. LeBrun reports that Johansson’s five-team no-trade list should not hinder a deal and Devils GM Ray Shero will pull the trigger, sooner rather than later, if he gets a fair offer. However, LeBrun believes there is a chance Shero will keep Johansson and try to re-sign him if he receives only low-ball offers. Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman echoes that Johansson is for sale, but that Shero will be aggressive in the sale as he was with Brian Boyle. Friedman names the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks as teams that have already checked in on Johansson, but that will hardly be the extent of the interest by the time the deadline rolls around.

  • Friedman believes that the Canucks, who seem like an outlier among the buyers interested in Johansson, are looking to replace the production of the injured Sven Baertschi as they try to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. Although few expect Vancouver to be major buyers, they are still just one point out of the final wild card spot and could make some minor tweaks to stay involved. Friedman adds that Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky is another forward that the Canucks have looked into. Burakovsky makes for an interesting fit in Vancouver, as the Capitals seek a replacement forward in return and the Canucks have their own talented, but underwhelming young forward on the block in Nikolay Goldobin. A deal centered around the duo seems like a possibility.
  • As for the Sharks, Friedman believes that they intend to add forward depth before the deadline. While Johansson seems to be of interest, Friedman notes that a very different style of player could also be in their sights. He believes that a reunion with Eric Fehr, currently with the Minnesota Wild, could be in store. The Wild appear to be sellers now and Fehr, who fit in well as a deadline addition for the team last year, is a logical target for both the team’s cap situation and need to strengthen their defensive play up front. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz feels that San Jose needs to target a goaltender before the deadline. The Sharks have received poor results from Martin Jones and Aaron Dell this season – the team has the worst even strength save percentage in the league – and last nights’s game, in which Jones allowed six goals on 20 shots against the Boston Bruins could be the last straw. While Kurz comes to the conclusion that an addition in net is unlikely, he hopes the team considers all of their options.
  • Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, Bob McKenzie stated that New York Rangers defenseman Adam McQuaid is very likely to be moved before the deadline. The impending UFA defender was acquired from the Boston Bruins this off-season for a fourth-round and seventh-round pick, as well as fellow blue liner Steven Kampfer, and McKenzie feels that the Rangers will move him for any package wherein they can recoup those picks or better. Friedman says similar, writing that there has been “traction” on McQuaid move. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been frequently linked to McQuaid, but the tough, stay-at-home righty should have a significant market.

Colorado’s Odds At The First Overall Pick

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Early this season, the Colorado Avalanche were in the most enviable position in sports. Their team was excelling and looking playoff-bound, but without any negative effect on their draft status. Because as the Avs won games, the Ottawa Senators were losing them and Colorado owned the Sens’ first-round pick this year as part of last season’s Matt Duchene trade. There was a real possibility that the Avalanche could be Stanley Cup contenders and also have the first overall pick in the draft. Lately, the Avs have looked less like a playoff team and more like the Senators. Colorado has four wins in their past 23 games dating back to mid-December and have slipped into a tie for tenth-place in the Western Conference, three points out of a playoff spot. The one silver lining: their odds at drafting No. 1 have improved and might end up being the best in several years.

Ahead of the 2014 NHL Draft, the NHL changed the draft lottery rules. Any team in the lottery could now move up into a top-three position and the odds would be more fairly distributed among all lottery teams. There have been slight variations in the odds for each draft, but the biggest shift came last year when the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights to the league added a fifteenth member of the lottery group and further split the odds. Yet, with 18.5% odds, the last-placed Buffalo Sabres still retained the first overall pick and drafted Rasmus Dahlin, a generational defenseman. This year’s prize, play-making forward Jack Hughes, is seen by most scouts as a guaranteed top-six center and power play wizard and the team with the worst record still stands the best chance of getting him by a significant margin.

Of course, the worst record looks like it will belong to Ottawa and thus the pick will belong to Colorado. The Senators are currently in 31st overall in the league standings, three points back of the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils. If those standings hold, based on last year’s odds Colorado will have a 18.5% chance that the Ottawa pick will be first overall, compared to 13.5% for L.A. and 11.5% for New Jersey. Then, Colorado’s own pick comes into play. Currently, the Avs are technically 23rd overall. If they remain in that spot, they would have 5% odds that their own pick would be No. 1. Combined, they would have a 23.5% shot at picking first. Since 2014, no team has come close to having odds that high at the top pick and Colorado could continue to struggle down the stretch and improve the odds on their own pick. If the Avs were to slip three more spots in the league standings, their odds would be greater than 25%, giving them better than a one-in-four shot at Hughes.

The possibilities are even more intriguing when you consider the odds of both picks winning the lottery instead of just one. Currently, there is about a 0.9% chance that Colorado could pick first and second, not dissimilar odds to those that the final lottery team has of picking first. The addition of both Hughes and the presumptive No. 2 pick, Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, would be an enormous influx of elite draft talent unseen since the Sedin twins landed with the Vancouver Canucks at second and third overall in 1999. There is a whopping 58% chance that both of their picks land in the top four, which would also be an unbelievable boost for the Avalanche with a number of impact forwards available in this class. And again, these odds can only improve if the Avalanche continue on this downward spiral. If the current standings hold, the worst that Colorado could do is to pick fourth and twelfth – which would still be a better first-round combination than any team in recent years – and the odds of that happening are approximately 18x less likely than picking both first and second; the best case is greater reality than the worst-case.

The moral of the story is that, while it’s disappointing for Avalanche fans to see a talented team plummeting down the standings, there is some upside as well. The team is young and built for the future and are in better shape than any team in recent memory to add the best player in the draft and perhaps two of the best available. So whether you’re a Colorado fan soley focused on Hughes or holding out for another top prospect as well, the team’s current slump is only helping in that pursuit. The ping pong balls will ultimately decide the Avs’ fate, but the future is bright.

Metropolitan Notes: Johansson, Zibanejad, Lamoriello

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With so many names being bandied about before the trade deadline, no one know who will be the next domino to fall. One name that could be moved sooner than later will be New Jersey Devils winger Marcus Johansson, who according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, has generated quite a bit of interest in the last couple of days.

Johansson, who was featured by Pro Hockey Rumors  as a trade candidate here, was a key player for the Washington Capitals over the years, but the team traded him away the year before they won the Stanley Cup Finals. He’s struggled with injuries since arriving in New Jersey in 2017, scoring just five goals and 14 points last year in just 29 games. He has fared a little better this year as he has 11 goals and 25 point in 46 games, but the 28-year-old has been heating up more recently. He has scored five goals and 10 points in his last 11 games and could provide a team with a solid rental player for a playoff run.

LeBrun adds that Johansson has a five-team no-trade list, but none of the teams on his list are teams that would be interested in trading for him. A trade could come quickly as New Jersey general manager Ray Shero is well known to make his trades long before the trade deadline. The team has already moved Brian Boyle.

  • Colin Stephenson of Newsday writes that despite a breakout season by New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad, the 25-year-old isn’t enjoying it as he is having trouble coping with the team’s compounding losses. Zibanejad has 25 goals already this season with his career high being 27, which he scored last year. He currently projects to post 36 goals and 82 points, potentially making him a point-a-game player and giving the Rangers the No. 1 center they hoped for and a key piece to their rebuilding project. However, Zibanejad isn’t dealing with his success well. “Of course I’d be lying if I say I don’t know that it’s my career numbers,” Zibanejad said. “But at the same time, you don’t enjoy it if your team is not benefiting from it, and we’re not winning. That’s what we’re in this business for — winning. And if you don’t do that, good or bad, you don’t really care.’’
  • New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said he’d be fine if the Islanders stand pat at the trade deadline despite having plenty of prospects, picks and pending unrestricted free agents it could deal if needed, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. “I am very comfortable with this hockey team,” Lamoriello said. “Our coaching staff has done an outstanding job and the players have done an outstanding job buying into what’s been asked. You have to be very, very careful. There are so many factors involved, whether it’s the chemistry of your team, needs and making sure that it doesn’t get in the way of what’s transpiring.” Of course, Lamoriello is known to be secretive in nature, however, and could easily pull off the biggest surprise at the trade deadline as he’s has been known to do when with both Toronto and New Jersey.

Brian Gibbons Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Saturday: Gibbons has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Friday: The Anaheim Ducks have very few impending free agents to peddle at the deadline, especially as they continue to pursue an extension with forward Jakob Silfverberg. One of the few rentals of value was thought to be veteran forward Brian Gibbons. Well, instead the team placed Gibbons on waivers today, reports The Athletic’s James Mirtle, and contenders are now free to scoop him up.

Gibbons, 30, had played exclusively in the minors for more than two years before the start of the 2017-18 season. An aging, undersized forward, Gibbons was an unlikely candidate for a breakout year. Yet, he won a job with the New Jersey Devils and recorded 12 goals and 26 points in 52 games, both career highs and among the Devils’ top nine forwards. When he reached free agency this summer, Gibbons turned down opportunities elsewhere to sign a one-year, $1MM contract in Anaheim, where he saw a chance to remain in the NHL full-time through another season. Barring a claim in the next 24 hours, that might not happen.

Gibbons has been a non-factor for the Ducks this year, registering just five points in 43 games. With the team trying to turn their season around, and GM Bob Murray now at the helm as head coach, it seems they have opted to move on from Gibbons, who has not lived up to his performance from last season. However, that doesn’t mean another team won’t take a chance. Gibbons’ affordable cap hit is virtually meaningless at this point in the season, so a team with some roster flexibility looking for a veteran body may be interested in taking a risk-free, cost-free gamble. Gibbons showed last year that in the right situation he can still be a capable goal-scoring winger and even with the Ducks has shown consistent effort and two-way contribution. There are many players of Gibbons’ caliber available at the deadline, but not often are they up for grabs on waivers. A playoff contender could certainly put in a claim if they have not been scared off by the drop in production this year.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top