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New York Rangers Have Interest In William Nylander

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With now less than two weeks remaining before the December 1st deadline for signing restricted free agents, the pressure is on in Toronto to come to a conclusion with William Nylander. While there seems to be a growing feeling that the team will not cave even if it means having him sit out the entire season–Nylander must sign by December 1st or be deemed ineligible to play at all this year—other front offices are surely circling like vultures waiting for an opportunity to acquire the young forward.

The Carolina Hurricanes have long been considered a team that will show immediate interest if Nylander is truly put out for sale, but others including the Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have been linked, however tenuously, throughout the process. The latter’s interest is confirmed by Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who writes that while they should not be considered front-runners they also shouldn’t be ruled out just yet.

In fact, Brooks argues that the potential ask of young defenseman Brady Skjei in return should not deter the Rangers from pursuing Nylander at all. Though he discusses how Skjei doesn’t match exactly what the Maple Leafs are rumored to be looking for, he also points out that the Rangers shouldn’t back away from the table if his name is brought up. The 24-year old defenseman was recently scratched by the team after struggling this season, and hasn’t been able to quite replicate his outstanding 2016-17 rookie season so far.

If any team in the league is serious about prying Nylander away from the Maple Leafs, it will likely take an elite talent that can step into the Toronto lineup immediately. While defense—especially right-handed defense—remains the most obvious need, it’s not clear exactly what GM Kyle Dubas and the rest of the front office has in mind if they do make a deal. Reports have surfaced that they’ve asked teams to indicate who they wouldn’t trade, but very little has come out about the players who have been offered, if it has come to that at all.

It’s now November 18th, and the Maple Leafs are among the league leaders in several categories while finding themselves near the top of the Atlantic Division. Things have gone smoothly so far for them, but it’s getting down to crunch time on one of the biggest decisions of the year. You can bet the Rangers aren’t the only team hoping they make the call to sell.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 11/18/18

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After an outstanding Saturday filled with exciting finishes and huge comebacks the NHL is relatively quiet today with just five matches scheduled. Things get kicked off this afternoon between the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders, but first there will be roster moves around the league. We’ll be here to keep track of those moves:

  • The New York Rangers have reassigned Vinni Lettieri to the minor leagues, after he seemingly got benched yesterday for much of their game. Lettieri took a two-minute penalty in the first period, but ended up seeing the ice for just 4:29  in total. The 23-year old has been held scoreless in all 14 of his opportunities this season, and now will have to rediscover his game in the AHL.  They  announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Steven Fogarty from AHL Hartford to take Lettieri’s place.  He’s off to a strong start to his third full professional campaign, collecting 14 points through the first 18 games of the season.  (For reference, his career high is 20.)
  • CapFriendly reports that the Florida Panthers have recalled veteran forward Micheal Haley from a conditioning loan with the Springfield Thunderbirds after spending the first part of the season in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Now ready to return, the veteran played two games with Springfield, putting up a goal and an assist and now is ready to return to Florida. The 32-year-old had three goals and nine points in 75 games last year. CapFriendly also reported they have recalled Dryden Hunt from Springfield, who was tearing up the AHL with eight goals in 15 games. The team countered those moves by assigning two players to Springfield, including Maxim Mamin and Denis Malgin. Mamin has played seven games with no points, while Malgin has been more successful with a goal and five points in 14 games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings announced they have recalled forward Austin Wagner from the Ontario Reign of the AHL to help fill in for injured veteran Trevor Lewis who is out week-to-week. The 21-year-old has already played eight games with Los Angeles and has no points, but has a pair of goals in five games with the Reign. The team also assigned goaltender Cole Kehler to Ontario.
  • With the Boston Bruins currently missing six defensemen due to injury and icing a starting six that includes four players expected to spend the majority of the season in the AHL, the Providence Bruins are also suffering from a dearth of defenders. The team currently rosters just three defensemen signed to NHL contracts, one of whom – Cody Goloubef – is also out with an injury. As a result, the team today brought in some reinforcements in the form of ECHL loans. Veteran pro Kyle Cumiskey of the Newfoundland Growlers and young Chris Carlisle of the nearby Manchester Monarchs have been added by Providence, per the ECHL. They join Boston-area native Desmond Bergin of the Adirondack Thunder as three on-loan players competing for ice time among a total of just seven healthy defensemen.
  • With John Gibson feeling sick, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Kevin Boyle from San Diego of the AHL.  The 26-year-old has posted a .920 save percentage so far this season, ranking sixth among AHL netminders.

Oilers, Rangers Swap Ryan Strome And Ryan Spooner

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The New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers have decided to shake things up by exchanging centers. The Rangers were the first to announce the deal, which sees them send Ryan Spooner to the Oilers for Ryan Strome. This is is a one-for-one swap, although TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Rangers have retained $900K of Spooner’s contract to make it an even salary exchange.

This trade is simple case of two players who didn’t work out in new locations and needed a change of scenery. If Spooner’s and Strome’s names look familiar in a trade context, it is because both were just shipped off last season. In the 2017 off-season, the Oilers sent Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders straight up for Strome. The move was panned initially, then Strome gained some support over the course of the season, but after recording just two points through 18 games to begin the new campaign, he was again drawing the ire of executives and fans alike. Spooner was included in the package that the Boston Bruins sent to the New York Rangers in exchange for Rick Nash at last season’s trade deadline, but hardly seemed like the centerpiece in a deal that also featured a first-round pick and defensive prospect Ryan Lindgren. Although Spooner played very well for the Rangers down the stretch, he too has just two points to show for his efforts this season, a disappointment to those who felt he could play a top-six role for the team moving forward.

It will be difficult to determine a winner in this trade for some time. Both players carry a cap hit of $3.1MM through the 2019-20 season. Spooner, 26, and Strome, 25, are almost dead even in career points, although Spooner has 160 points in 289 games whereas Strome has 162 points in 358 games, close to a season more. Both are power play assets who can be too passive offensively at even strength and are known for streaky play. The only main difference between the pair is in style; Spooner is an elite passer and a quicker player with very little patience for the defensive aspects of the game, while Strome is two-way forward with penalty-killing prowess, superior possession numbers and more goal-driven production.

Back with the man who drafted him in Boston, GM Peter Chiarelli, Spooner likely stands the best chance of a rebound. The Oilers have been looking to improve their team speed and Spooner certainly brings that element to his game. Edmonton’s usage of Spooner will bear watching, as the team could use a high-end play-maker on the wing more than they really need a third-line center, but historically Spooner has fit better down the middle and the loss of Strome does vacate a spot. Meanwhile, Strome joins a center-heavy lineup in New York and will likely have to earn a spot down the middle. The Rangers could use his scoring touch, if he can find it, but also need more two-way accountability, which Strome can bring.The Rangers’ brass watched Strome play with the Islanders for years and know what they’re getting in this deal. Both players have struggled to fit in in previous NHL situations; the Oilers and Rangers hope this time they can get it right.

Dennis Everberg, Michael Lindqvist On Unconditional Waivers

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Wednesday: Both players have cleared waivers and will now see their contracts terminated.

Tuesday: The season of contract termination continues, as the Winnipeg Jets are the latest to place a player on unconditional waivers. Dennis Everberg finds himself there today, for the purpose of mutually terminating his contract after just 11 games in the minor leagues. Bob McKenzie of TSN adds that the New York Rangers have placed Michael Lindqvist on unconditional waivers for the same purpose.

It seems as though the majority of undrafted European free agents have decided to terminate their deals in North America this year, with Everberg and Lindqvist only adding to the total. The former, who signed a one-year two-way contract on July 1st, was actually returning to this side of the ocean after previously playing two seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization between 2014-16. The Swedish forward struggled last year in the KHL and didn’t find much more success in the AHL this time around. With just a single point in 11 games with the Manitoba Moose, Everberg will likely now return to the SHL to continue his playing career.

Lindqvist though is an even more interesting story, given that the Rangers did include a European Assignment Clause in his contract. Signed in May to a one-year entry-level contract, the team could have potentially allowed him to return to Sweden this season and still retain his rights as a restricted free agent next summer. After the 24-year old scored seven points in 16 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack one would think the Rangers were interested in keeping him in the system, but they’ve decided to terminate his deal instead. That will make Lindqvist an unrestricted free agent once again, though it seems unlikely that he’ll be back in an NHL organization anytime soon.

The Rangers likely made this decision thanks to the fact that Lindqvist would be arbitration eligible after the season, a process they would want to avoid. Everberg meanwhile would have been an unrestricted free agent anyway, and hadn’t found a real role in the Winnipeg organization.

Minor Transactions: 11/14/18

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The NHL has a light schedule tonight with just four games, though there are still some prime matchups. Arguably the two best lines in hockey will face off when Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche welcome in Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins, while Mike Yeo will try to cool off his seat as he heads to Chicago to face the Blackhawks. We’ll be right here to keep track of all the minor roster moves around the league as all those teams without a game prepare for the second half of the week.

Pavel Buchnevich Out Four To Six Weeks With Broken Thumb

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The New York Rangers are trying to use this season as a development year, giving young players lots of ice time to see what they can do. Unfortunately, one of those young players is going to lose a huge chunk of the season to injury, as the team announced Pavel Buchnevich will be out for four to six weeks after breaking his thumb this weekend.

Buchnevich, 23, is coming off an impressive season which showed he could be a key player for the Rangers going forward. With 14 goals and 43 points in 2017-18, he actually finished fourth on the team in scoring and set himself up for a pretty substantial raise at the end of his entry-level contract. That was dependent on him taking another step forward this season, but it looked like he had early on as Buchnevich already has nine points in 14 games. Unfortunately that 43 point total now seems in doubt given he’ll miss up to 18 games with this latest injury.

The Rangers are off to a better start than many expected, as their 8-7-2 record has them tied for third in the Metropolitan Division. That’s in part thanks to Buchnevich’s strong play to start the year, something they’ll have to find a replacement for now that he’s sidelined. An increased opportunity may present itself for some of the Rangers other prized young players like Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, something they’ll have to take advantage of quickly if the team has any hope of competing for the playoffs this year.

Metropolitan Notes: Hayes, Duclair, Folin, Pesce

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While there are plenty of rumors abound about potential trade candidates, the New York Rangers may opt to wait before they make any trades, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, who appeared on NBCSN’s post-game show on Wednesday. While there are rumors that the Rangers could move center Kevin Hayes whenever they want and might consider moving him soon, Dreger said that was unlikely and he can’t picture the Rangers moving Hayes or Mats Zuccarello until after the new year.

“You’re right, it’s still a little bit early,” said Dreger. “But I would have said a month ago that the New York Rangers were more interested in listening to what sort of interest might have been in Kevin Hayes. But the reality is Kevin Hayes is playing pretty well for the New York Rangers right now. There are always teams in the market for centermen, particularly guys who are playing well and are 6-foot-5. So it’s still a little bit early to ramp up the rumors with Kevin Hayes and even Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers. I would say very early in the New Year we’ll be able to identify those specific teams with interest.”

The 26-year-old Hayes, who is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, has three goals and 11 points in 17 games so far this season. While he is still young, there are many among the Rangers’ brass who aren’t sure they want Hayes to be the center-point of their rebuilt franchise and might be better off moving him for more pieces. Zuccarello is also in the final year of a four-year deal and can also be a free agent. The 31-year-old has three goals and 10 points in 15 games.

  • Even though Columbus Blue Jackets forward Anthony Duclair has been impressive this season with seven goals in his first 17 games as he’s currently on pace for a 35-goal season at a minimum $650K. However, many were shocked when Duclair found himself benched during the third period and overtime Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Tom Reed (subscription required). Head coach John Tortorella made his point quite clear. “He’s got to check,” Tortorella said. “He’s got to learn to check.” Of course, Tortorella put the blame on Duclair’s entire line, including Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand. However, it was Duclair’s minutes that were cut into as he played just 5:40, although strangely, he was still given an opportunity to take a shootout attempt at the end of the game.
  • One reason for the Philadelphia Flyers improved play of late is the recent emergence of defenseman Christian Folin, who has impressed Flyers’ brass with his defensive play, especially with his physicality and his willingness to block shots, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required). The scribe writes that after struggling during the preseason and making multiple gaffs early in the regular season, Folin has come into his own over the last couple weeks. “I really didn’t see him do anything different tonight than what he’s done over the past however many games,” the Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “Fols is a consistent player. He’s reliable in terms of you know what you’re gonna get, and you get those elements at a high level.”
  • Michael Smith of NHL.com reports that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce did not practice Sunday after taking a knee-to-knee hit during Saturday’s game against Detroit and is listed as day-to-day. Pesce, who is in the first year of a six-year, $24.2MM deal ($4.03MM AAV), has been mentioned in potential trade rumors with the Toronto Maple Leafs in a potential William Nylander trade. The 23-year-old could provide Toronto with a cheap, young defensive-minded blueliner who could stabilize any teams’ defense.

Mats Zuccarello To Miss At Least The Next Two Games

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  • The Rangers will be without winger Mats Zuccarello for at least the next two games due to a groin strain, notes Newsday’s Anthony Rieber. He will be re-evaluated by team doctors when they return from their road trip this weekend.  New York will, however, have center Brett Howden back for their game on Friday though after he missed Tuesday’s victory over Montreal because of an upper-body injury.

New York Rangers Recall Lias Andersson

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The New York Rangers have decided it is time to give one of their other young players a chance. The team has recalled forward Lias Andersson from the minor leagues prior to their game tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens. The move comes as Brett Howden missed this morning’s practice, leading to doubt he’ll be able to suit up against Montreal. The team is taking it “day by day” with Howden according to head coach David Quinn, but now have another impressive rookie to consider.

Andersson, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2017 and put on quite a show at training camp that fall before ultimately being assigned to Frolunda in the SHL. His return to Sweden wouldn’t last the whole season though, as soon after competing in the World Junior Championship he was brought over to join the Hartford Wolf Pack before eventually making it up to the Rangers for seven games. He registered two points in those seven contests, while performing well at the AHL level in 2017-18.

This season has started out even better for the young center, as he has 12 points in 14 games for the Wolf Pack and looks like he is ready to take the next step. A dominating presence on the ice in the minor leagues, Andersson is set to be a huge part of the rebuild in New York along with fellow top prospects Howden and Filip Chytil. The team is already off to a better start than many expected, sitting at 6-7-1 through their first 14 games and coming off three straight wins. Though it seems unlikely that they’ll challenge for a playoff spot this season, seeing the likes of Andersson take a step forward to prove he is an NHL talent would be a positive development.

Adam McQuaid Downgraded To Week-To-Week, Fredrik Claesson Nearing Return

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  • It seems like Rangers defenseman Adam McQuaid will be out longer than expected. Head coach David Quinn acknowledged to reporters, including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link), that the lower-body injury the blueliner is dealing with is different than what they had originally thought.  As a result, he has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week.  New York does not plan to bring someone up from the minors to take his spot on the roster as Fredrik Claesson (upper body) is nearing a return to the lineup.

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