Wayne Simmonds Confirms Retirement
March 18: Simmonds has officially announced his retirement and will sign a one-day contract with the Flyers, per a team release. He’ll sign the contract and be honored by the team on April 13, the second-to-last home game of Philadelphia’s season.
Jan. 26: Free agent winger Wayne Simmonds told Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press on Friday that he won’t continue his 15-season NHL career. The 35-year-old has yet to file retirement paperwork with the league but confirmed he will not attempt a comeback.
Simmonds last suited up in 2022-23, making 18 appearances with the Maple Leafs. The Scarborough, Ontario native reached UFA status after completing a two-year, $1.8MM extension signed with Toronto in June 2021.
He played for six NHL clubs during his career. The first of those was the Kings, who selected him with the final pick of the second round in the 2007 draft from the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack after racking up 49 points and 112 PIMs in 66 games.
Simmonds spent the following season back in junior hockey, breaking out for his first point-per-game campaign and winning gold with Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championship. That was enough of a development jump for the Kings, who named Simmonds to their opening-night roster in 2008-09.
The Kings struggled that season, finishing three games below .500 and scoring only 2.46 goals per game, but Simmonds’ rookie performance was promising. He didn’t earn Calder Trophy consideration, but he played in all 82 games while posting 23 points in a bottom-six role.
His sophomore season wasn’t his defining campaign, but it was a large step forward. The Kings offense went from 28th to seventh in 2009-10, and Simmonds’ 16 goals and 40 points (along with 116 PIMs) helped kickstart the jump. He finished with a team-high +22 rating, too, earning him a handful of Selke Trophy votes.
He took a small step back in the third and final season of his entry-level contract, though, seeing his goal and point output drop to 14 and 30, respectively. With the Kings exiting their late 2000s rebuild and looking to build a more veteran core around Anže Kopitar and Drew Doughty, they decided to cut bait with Simmonds and ship him, along with center prospect Brayden Schenn, to the Flyers in the 2011 offseason in exchange for established top-six threat Mike Richards.
The trade worked out well for the Kings, who won two Stanley Cups over the next three seasons with Richards anchoring their second line. It also worked out quite well for Simmonds, who scored 28 goals in his first season with Philadelphia and spent parts of eight years in the City of Brotherly Love.
With the Flyers, Simmonds became one of the most visible power forwards in the league, inking a six-year, $23.85MM extension within two years of the trade and eventually eclipsing the 30-goal mark twice. He racked up 203 goals, 175 assists and 378 points over his 584 games for the Flyers, consistently logging top-six minutes and serving an important leadership role, as evidenced by his Mark Messier Leadership Award win in his final season with the team.
As the extension wrapped up, though, it was clear Simmonds was in an early decline. His totals had steadily dropped since his 32-goal, 60-point season in 2015-16, and the Flyers decided to part ways with the fan-favorite near the 2019 trade deadline. They dealt him to the Predators, who were two years removed from a Stanley Cup Final appearance, but his play outside of Philadelphia stagnated further. He recorded one goal and three points in 17 games with Nashville after the trade and played in two of six games during their first-round loss to the Stars.
Simmonds spent the following four seasons playing for the Devils, Sabres and Maple Leafs in a reduced role, seeing his ice time dip below 10 minutes per game by the 2021-22 season. He was waived twice over the course of the 2022-23 campaign, recording two assists in 18 games to close out his career.
He ends his time in the NHL with 263 goals, 263 assists and 526 points, along with 1,313 PIMs, over the course of 1,037 games. He also added 22 points in 53 career playoff games.
PHR extends its best wishes to Simmonds in his post-hockey career and congratulations him on a lengthy and impactful NHL stint.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Ryan Johansen’s AHL Assignment Reversed Due To Injury
The hip injury keeping Flyers forward Ryan Johansen out of the lineup is already inhibiting their roster flexibility. The ailment, which may prevent the Flyers from executing a buyout on his contract this summer if not healed, has now reversed the team’s attempt to assign him to the minors after he cleared waivers earlier this month, GM Daniel Brière told Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now.
Brière told Bailey that the Flyers were surprised by Johansen’s injury at the time of his acquisition. He was included as part of the return from the Avalanche for defenseman Sean Walker a few days before the deadline. Johansen, who has a reduced $4MM cap hit and was limited to 23 points in 63 games with Colorado, landed on waivers the same days. Brière stated shortly after the deal that he didn’t expect Johansen to ever suit up in an NHL game for Philadelphia, and he was only included in the trade for salary cap management on Colorado’s end.
According to Brière, Johansen informed the Flyers directly after the trade that he was dealing with a hip injury, which did not keep him out of the lineup for any period of time in Colorado. Philadelphia’s team doctors then confirmed the injury. While the initial plan was for Johansen to rehab with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the league reversed the reassignment because an injured player cannot be sent down on a non-conditioning loan. Per Brière, the team does not have a timeline for Johansen’s return to health. If he remains on the roster for under 30 days, he won’t need to clear waivers again to head to Lehigh Valley.
If the Flyers can provide documentation that Johansen’s injury healed before this summer’s buyout window, they may buy out the final season of his eight-year, $64MM contract. They would only be responsible for half of the buyout cost — the Predators, who retained half of Johansen’s salary in last summer’s trade that sent him to Colorado, would shoulder the other half.
League game reports show that Johansen was reinstated to the NHL roster sometime between Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Sharks and Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. As such, his cap impact for the Flyers is now $4MM instead of the reduced $2.85MM they have as a buried penalty while Johansen is in the minors. Per CapFriendly, this reversal leaves Philadelphia just over $500K in cap space.
Atlanta-Based Owners Request Initiation Of Formal NHL Expansion Process
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a new Atlanta-based ownership group named Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment Group, led by former NHL player Anson Carter, has formally requested the NHL begin an expansion process that would bring the league back to Atlanta, GA. Aside from Carter, the group is also composed of Neil Leibman of Top Tier Sports, Peter Simon of Simon Sports, and Aaron Zeigler of Zeigler Automotive Group.
Mentioning that discussions for an Atlanta-area expansion have been ongoing since 2019 with Commissioner Gary Bettman, the ownership group has also created a partnership with New York Life in the hopes of using the North Point location in Alpharetta, GA. The location would be around 30 miles north of central Atlanta, and about 20 miles northeast of the recently built Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves of the MLB.
Atlanta has not seen an NHL team since the 2010-11 season when the team was purchased by True North Sports & Entertainment for a reported $170MM and subsequently moved to Winnipeg to create the second version of the Winnipeg Jets. Before the Thrashers began play in the 1999-00 NHL season, Atlanta had not seen an NHL team since the 1979-80 season, with the Atlanta Flames becoming the Calgary Flames only a year later.
If the NHL Board of Governors is not warm to the idea of expansion, the new ownership group could also look to relocate a current NHL organization, namely the Arizona Coyotes. After reportedly securing a land parcel in the Phoenix area, the Coyotes organization has been extremely quiet about their future home in Arizona. Given that the Seattle Kraken paid a reported $650MM to become the 32nd team in the league, it may be more financially prudent for the Atlanta-based ownership group to relocate.
Josh Norris Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out For Season
The Senators will indeed be without center Joshua Norris for the rest of the season after he underwent shoulder surgery last week, the team informed reporters (including Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun). It’s unclear if the team expects Norris, who has had three surgeries on his left shoulder in the past few years, to be ready for the beginning of next season. Depth center Rourke Chartier will also be sidelined for roughly one week with an upper-body injury, per CapFriendly.
Ottawa placed Norris on injured reserve on Feb. 29 and moved him to long-term injured reserve the next day to gain much-needed relief from his $7.95MM cap hit. That relief ensures the Senators can ice a full roster down the stretch after being forced to dress a skater short on multiple occasions this season due to cap constraints.
Norris began the season on IR after sustaining a setback in his recovery from his second shoulder surgery, which was performed in January 2023, during training camp. He made his season debut in mid-October and couldn’t recapture his 2021-22 season form that earned him his eight-year, $63.6MM extension. Over 50 appearances, the left-shot pivot recorded 16 goals and 30 points while averaging 17:38 per game. He posted a -6 rating and recorded 115 shots on goal, a 0.31 shots-per-game decrease from his 35-goal showing two years ago.
It’s another concerning development for the 24-year-old as he deals with seemingly consistent shoulder injuries. They limited him to just eight games last season, meaning he’ll have played only 35% of the Senators’ games since 2022 once this campaign concludes. He has six years remaining on his extension, with a 10-team no-trade list from July 1, 2026 onwards.
Norris last played on Feb. 27. He also missed four games in January with what the team termed an upper-body injury, although it’s unclear if that absence was related to his shoulder. The Senators, who are now down two centers with Chartier injured, will need to recall a forward from AHL Belleville before tomorrow’s game against the Penguins to have 12 available. They’ll be eligible to use an emergency recall, keeping their four post-deadline standard recalls open for later.
Chartier, 27, has three points in 37 games with the Sens this season. He was briefly reassigned to Belleville on deadline day to make him eligible to participate in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
2024 Trade Deadline Day Recap
With the preceding 48 hours causing enough excitement in their own right, the 2024 Trade Deadline still brought some action to the table. The day saw some rumored names such as Tyler Toffoli, Jason Zucker, and Matt Dumba all find new homes, while star player Tomas Hertl was moved to a divisional rival in a surprising blockbuster. Below is a complete list of the 23 trades made on March 8th alone:
Blue Jackets Acquire Malcolm Subban
Trade Details: St. Louis Blues send G Malcolm Subban to Columbus Blue Jackets for future considerations.
Hurricanes Acquire Evgeny Kuznetsov
Trade Details: Washington Capitals send F Evgeny Kuznetsov to Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in 2025 (CAR). Washington also retained $3.9MM (50%) of Kuznetsov’s contract.
Panthers Acquire Kyle Okposo
Trade Details: Buffalo Sabres send F Kyle Okposo to Florida Panthers for D Calle Sjalin and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2024 (FLA). Conditional selection will upgrade to a fifth-round pick in 2024 if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.
Ducks Acquire Ben Meyers
Trade Details: Colorado Avalanche send F Ben Meyers to Anaheim Ducks for a fifth-round pick in 2024 (ANA).
Rangers Acquire Chad Ruhwedel
Trade Details: Pittsburgh Penguins send D Chad Ruhwedel to New York Rangers for a fourth-round pick in 2027 (NYR).
Rangers, Wild Swap Turner Elson For Nic Petan
Trade Details: Minnesota Wild send F Nic Petan to New York Rangers for F Turner Elson.
Jets Acquire Tyler Toffoli
Trade Details: New Jersey Devils send F Tyler Toffoli to Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in 2024 (WPG) and a second-round pick in 2025 (WPG). New Jersey also retained $2.125MM (50%) of Toffoli’s contract.
Red Wings Send Klim Kostin To Sharks, Acquire Radim Simek
Trade Details: Detroit Red Wings send F Klim Kostin to San Jose Sharks for D Radim Simek and a seventh-round pick in 2024 (NJ).
Predators Acquire Jason Zucker
Trade Details: Arizona Coyotes send F Jason Zucker to Nashville Predators for a sixth-round pick in 2024 (DAL).
Bruins Acquire Pat Maroon
Trade Details: Minnesota Wild send F Pat Maroon to Boston Bruins for F Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026 (BOS). Conditional selection will be sent to the Wild if Maroon plays one game in the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Sabres Send Erik Johnson To Flyers
Trade Details: Buffalo Sabres send D Erik Johnson to Philadelphia Flyers for fourth-round pick in 2024 (PHI).
Philadelphia Trades Wade Allison To Nashville For Denis Gurianov
Trade Details: Nashville Predators send F Denis Gurianov to Philadelphia Flyers for F Wade Allison.
Bruins Acquire Andrew Peeke
Trade Details: Columbus Blue Jackets send D Andrew Peeke to Boston Bruins for D Jakub Zboril and a third-round pick in 2027 (BOS).
Penguins Trade Magnus Hellberg To Panthers
Trade Details: Pittsburgh Penguins send G Magnus Hellberg to Florida Panthers for G Ludovic Waeber and a seventh-round pick in 2025 (FLA).
Devils Acquire Jake Allen
Trade Details: Montreal Canadiens send G Jake Allen to New Jersey Devils for a conditional third-round pick in 2025 (NJ). Conditional selection will upgrade to a second-round pick in 2025 if Allen plays in 40 or more games next season and the team he is rostered on makes the 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs. Montreal also retained $1.925MM (50%) of Allen’s contract.
Lightning Acquire Matt Dumba
Trade Details: Arizona Coyotes send D Matt Dumba and a seventh-round pick in 2025 (ARZ) to Tampa Bay Lightning for a fifth-round pick in 2027 (TB).
Flames Acquire Nikita Okhotiuk From Sharks
Trade Details: San Jose Sharks send D Nikita Okhotyuk to Calgary Flames for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 (CHI). Conditional selection will be the better of the two 2024 fifth-round selections that Chicago owns.
Sabres Send Devin Cooley To Sharks For Draft Pick
Trade Details: Buffalo Sabres send G Devin Cooley to San Jose Sharks for a seventh-round pick in 2025 (WSH).
Rangers Acquire Jack Roslovic
Trade Details: Columbus Blue Jackets send F Jack Roslovic to New York Rangers for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026 (NYR). Conditional selection upgrades to a third-round pick in 2026 if the Rangers make it to this year’s Stanley Cup Final and Roslovic plays in at least 50% of the games.
Sharks Trade Kaapo Kahkonen To Devils
Trade Details: San Jose Sharks send G Kaapo Kahkonen to New Jersey Devils for G Vitek Vanecek and a seventh-round pick in 2025 (NJ).
Golden Knights Acquire Tomas Hertl
Trade Details: San Jose Sharks send F Tomas Hertl, a third-round pick in 2025 (SJ), and a third-round pick in 2027 (SJ) to Vegas Golden Knights for F David Edstrom and a first-round pick in 2025 (VGK). San Jose also retained $1.3875MM (17.1%) of Hertl’s contract.
Jets Acquire Colin Miller From Devils
Trade Details: New Jersey Devils send D Colin Miller to Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick in 2026 (WPG).
Maple Leafs Acquire Connor Dewar
Trade Details: Minnesota Wild send F Connor Dewar to Toronto Maple Leafs for F Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a fourth-round pick in 2026 (TOR).
Logan Couture Out For Season With Groin Injury
San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture has announced that he won’t play again this season due to a groin injury in a press conference with team media, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Couture didn’t make his season debut until January 20th, missing the season’s first half with a lower-body injury. He played in just six games, and recorded just one assist, before re-aggravating the injury and once again exiting the lineup. Couture didn’t play any games outside of the last two weeks of January. His season now ends before it really got started, marking the first year Couture has missed since making his NHL debut in 2009-10.
The 15-year-pro Couture quickly established himself as a backbone of the Sharks lineup, scoring 32 goals and 56 points in the 2010-11 season, his first full year in the NHL. He scored 31 goals and 65 points in the subsequent season – and has since crossed the 30-goal mark just one additional time, in 2017-18, and crossed the 60-point mark four more times, including when he scored a career-high 70 points in 2018-19.
Couture has served as San Jose’s captain for each of the last five seasons after four seasons as an alternate captain, taking over the role from Joe Pavelski. Couture has seen it all in his 933 career games with the Sharks, going from a fringe playoff contender, to a Stanley Cup hopeful, and then to one of the league’s bottom-dwellers over the course of the 2010’s. He ranks fourth in all-time scoring among Sharks, with 701 career points, and fifth in all-time games played. He is signed through the end of the 2026-27 season, carrying an $8MM cap hit, and will aim to play in his 1,000th NHL game when he returns next season.
Sharks Trade Kaapo Kahkonen To Devils
The San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils have completed a goalie swap, sending Kaapo Kahkonen to New Jersey and Vitek Vanecek to San Jose, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. The Sharks will also be receiving a 2025 seventh-round pick.
While he’s seen his rights traded, Vanecek may need to wait to make his debut with the Sharks, with Devils team reporter James Nichols reporting that he could miss the remainder of the season with injury. The Devils placed Vanecek on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on February 20th, though his last appearance was on February 10th. He’s since missed New Jersey’s last 13 games.
This could place the Sharks in a unique situation, now without their de facto starter in Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood, who has landed on injured reserve with a groin injury. That leaves the Sharks with Magnus Chrona – a 23-year-old in his first professional season – as their top option. Chrona has played in four NHL games already this season, allowing 17 goals on 100 shots and yet to record his first win. Chrona has moved to the pros after spending the last four years at the University of Denver. He’s accomplished the impressive feat of playing in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL all in one season, ultimately recording five wings and saving 821 of the 922 shots he’s faced, good for a .890 save percentage between the three leagues.
Chrona will likely be backed up by Devin Cooley, who the Sharks acquired from the Buffalo Sabres right at the trade deadline, sending a 2025 seventh-round pick the other way. Cooley, 26, carries more pro experience than Chrona, having played in the minor leagues since the 2020-21 season, but he has yet to make his NHL debut. He’s spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season in the AHL, recording six win and a .891 save percentage in 14 games. Cooley is also an alum of the University of Denver, serving as Chrona’s backup in the 2019-20 season.
While San Jose’s situation is certainly more dire, the Devils will also be faced with a brand new goaltending duo, with Kahkonen likely slotting into the starting role ahead of fellow newcomer Jake Allen. New Jersey sent a third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for the veteran Allen. Kahkonen has faced a barrage of shots in San Jose, posting six wins and a .895 save percentage in 31 games, while facing an average of 32 shots. Allen’s stat-line has been similar this season, posting six wins of his own and a .891 save percentage in 21 games. He’s seeing a slight decline in his effectiveness, posting an .891 save percentage last season – the first time he’s posted a save percentage below .900 in his 12-year career. Together, Kahkonen and Allen will look to lift New Jersey back into a playoff spot, after ineffective goaltending and a bad case of injuries pushed the team down the standings.
Canucks Do Not Sign Phil Kessel
March 8, 2:02 p.m.: The Canucks have not signed Phil Kessel by the trade deadline, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.
March 8, 8:48 a.m.: Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic relays that the signing is contingent on Vancouver opening up enough cap space before the deadline. Otherwise, it won’t happen. If they can do so, the agreement is expected to be for the prorated minimum salary of $775K.
March 7: The Canucks are expected to sign free-agent winger Phil Kessel through the remainder of the season before tomorrow’s trade deadline, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.
Kessel, 36, had been linked to the Canucks as far back as last summer. It became apparent last month that Vancouver would be his next NHL home after Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced Kessel had traveled to the area and would be skating with their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.
Vancouver must sign Kessel by 2 p.m. CT on Friday to make him eligible to play in the postseason. Players not on their team’s reserve list at the trade deadline are ineligible to play in the playoffs.
A three-time Stanley Cup winner, including just last season with the Golden Knights, Kessel still carries value as a depth winger with decent scoring ability. While he was a healthy scratch for most of Vegas’ playoff run, he appeared in all 82 regular-season games, continuing his league-record streak of 1,064 consecutive games played. That streak will remain active until he’s scratched for a regular-season contest while under contract.
Averaging a career-low 12:49 per game last season, Kessel scored 14 goals and added 22 assists for 36 points. However, his possession impacts were subpar for the third straight season – a 46.1 CF% at even strength and a -2.5 expected rating. His 1.82 shots per game were also a career low, although that’s to be expected with a reduction in ice time.
Kessel could see an even further reduced role in Vancouver, as he’s likely to unseat any of Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland or Dakota Joshua for a spot as a third-line winger. He’ll instead likely skate in a fourth-line role, slotting in above the likes of Phillip Di Giuseppe. However, it’s hard to imagine Kessel’s iron-man streak lasting much longer with Vancouver’s already strong scoring depth on the wing.
The 2007 Masterton Trophy winner will be a UFA again next summer.
Golden Knights Acquire Tomáš Hertl
The Golden Knights and Sharks have agreed to a deal sending all-star center Tomáš Hertl, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick from San Jose to Vegas in exchange for center prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick, reports Darren Dreger of TSN. The Sharks are retaining 17% of Hertl’s contract, making his cap hit for the Golden Knights $6.75MM.
It’s a true shocker of a deal, given that the Sharks had given no previous indication of selling off their number-one center, who is under contract through 2030. Hertl, 30, had a no-move clause in his deal that he waived to accept a trade to Vegas. He’s on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery last month but is expected back before the end of the regular season. Before the injury, Hertl had 15 goals, 19 assists and 34 points in 48 games, which led the Sharks in scoring at the time.
While Hertl will be an incredibly important on-ice factor for the Golden Knights in their effort to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, the financial aspects of this deal are also highly consequential. With captain Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve, as well as former starting goaltender Robin Lehner, the Golden Knights have been able to bring in three major targets in Hertl, top-four defenseman Noah Hanifin, and winger Anthony Mantha, albeit with salary retained on all of them by their former teams.
Hertl will be eligible for LTIR after the trade call goes through, but the Golden Knights must have cap space to add him to their active roster before doing so. As of now, they don’t have said space. Per CapFriendly, the team has $5.5MM in their LTIR pool – roughly $1.25MM short of what they need to acquire Hertl. To execute this trade, the Golden Knights will likely assign forwards Byron Froese and Mason Morelli to AHL Henderson briefly, bringing them down to 10 forwards and seven defensemen on the active roster. Their cap hits equate to $1.54MM. The trade will then go through, allowing them to remain cap-compliant while absorbing Hertl’s $6.75MM cap hit before placing him on LTIR, backdated to when he last played in late January, at which point they can bring Froese and Morelli back up. That won’t solve all of Vegas’ problems, though, as they’ll need to free up that space again to take Hertl off LTIR before the end of the regular season.
Hertl can play both center and left wing, although he’s likely to remain down the middle (or on the wing alongside William Karlsson) for the Golden Knights as they attempt to shore up their second line behind Jack Eichel. Chandler Stephenson is amidst a down season, posting 38 points in 59 games with uncharacteristically poor defensive impacts. Hertl is an underratedly competent two-way player, and he should help round out their offense enough to counteract Stephenson’s regression and allow him to drop to a third-line role.
The Prague-born center has remained a consistent two-way force even as the Sharks’ roster has crumbled around him, producing at least 0.70 points per game in every season since 2018. Remarkably, he’s managed a -2.5 expected rating on this year’s Sharks, the first time he’s posted a negative in that stat in his career. That rating was the second-highest among full-time Sharks skaters, save for Ryan Carpenter. He also had a 46.6 CF% at even strength, 4.9% higher than the Sharks’ overall CF% without Hertl on the ice.
Meanwhile, the Sharks have made the surprising choice to use up all three of their salary retention slots for the time being, preventing them from being third-party brokers for any draft-day deal. All three spots will also be occupied next season, as they’re still retaining salary on the contracts of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. Burns’ deal expires in 2025, but Karlsson’s lasts through 2027, so only one retention slot will open next summer.
They do land a nice prospect in Edstrom, although the return seems underwhelming considering the length of time they’ll be on the hook for a portion of Hertl’s salary – especially considering they conceded two third-round picks in the trade. Edstrom was the last pick of the first round of last year’s draft, and has posted 17 points in 42 games while on loan to Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League. He projects as a relatively safe high-floor, low-ceiling third-line pivot. The Golden Knights signed him to an entry-level deal over the summer, and he’ll be an RFA in 2026.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie was first to report that Hertl was heading to Vegas.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report that the Sharks were retaining a portion of Hertl’s salary.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Lightning Acquire Matt Dumba
The Lightning are nearing a trade to acquire defenseman Matt Dumba from the Coyotes, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. There is no salary retention in the trade, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, and the Lightning are receiving a 2025 seventh-round pick along with Dumba. Tampa Bay is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to Arizona as compensation. The Arizona Coyotes have confirmed this trade package.
Dumba sat out of Arizona’s Thursday night game for trade-related reasons, alongside fellow veteran and long-time teammate Jason Zucker. Both players were
dealt ahead of the Deadline, with Arizona reeling in a sixth and seventh round pick for the pair. Dumba was in his first season with the Coyotes, signing a one-year, $3.9MM contract with the team this summer. It was the first move of his 10-year career, with Dumba spending the last nine seasons in a prominent role with the Minnesota Wild. He quickly proved to be an effective offensive-defenseman, with 11 goals and 34 points in the 2016-17 season cementing his spot in Minnesota’s lineup. The Wild sent Alex Tuch to the Vegas Golden Knights in order to guarantee they wouldn’t select Dumba in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, and Dumba awarded them appropriately, recording a career-high 14 goals and 50 points in the subsequent 2017-18 season. He was continuing his high-scoring into the 2018-19 year, with 22 points in 33 games, but lost his season to an upper-body injury in December, kicking off a nagging injury bug that’s since followed Dumba’s career. He’s only played in 70 or more games once since the 2017-18 season – coming last year, when he scored 14 points in 79 games.
Dumba’s string of injuries also represented a severe dip in scoring, with the defenseman failing to score more than seven goals in any of the last six seasons. He should have ample opportunity to fix that in Tampa, with the Lightning’s defense in shambles after losing Mikhail Sergachev to injury. Tampa has been forced to ice Darren Raddysh and Nicklaus Perbix in top-pairing roles and while each player has managed modest scoring – with 21 and 20 points respectively – they ceratinly don’t bring the pedigree that Dumba’s amassed across his 656 career games. The newest Lightning defenseman could quickly earn a top-pairing role next to Victor Hedman, unless Tampa opts to play him down the lineup, with the hopes of making their blue-line depth more cohesive.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.