Lightning’s Steven Stamkos Out Six To Eight Weeks
March 3: Stamkos underwent successful surgery on Monday. His timeline has not changed.
February 29: The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a significant loss when the team announced that captain Steven Stamkos will miss the next six to eight weeks to have surgery to repair a core muscle injury, which he is expected to have Monday, March 2. To make matters worse for the Lightning, even if the estimated injury time is on the short end (six weeks), Stamkos is still likely to miss some playoff time as the playoffs start in five weeks from today.
That’s a serious issue for a team that were swept out of the first-round of the playoffs last season by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Lightning have been up and down all season, on top of that, and while it looked like the team was heading in a positive direction recently, clearly establishing themselves as the Atlantic Divsion’s second-best team and looking to challenge the Boston Bruins for first place, the Lightning have now lost four straight.
The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) wrote Friday that there was some concern regarding Stamkos, who was held out of Thursday’s game due to a lower-body injury. He has missed three games earlier in the month and has skipped several practices and skates to heal his injury. Jon Cooper has already said that the team will have to go “game-to-game” with Stamkos until this announcement.
Stamkos’ loss is critical, not just because the 30-year-old’s a top-line player who currently has 29 goals this season, but because of his leadership in the locker room. On top of that, this has been an issue for the veteran for quite a while and yet, Stamkos has still been quite effective. Unfortunately, the team has to hope it can continue on its course and finish strong during the regular season as well as hope that it can win some playoff games without him until Stamkos is ready to return.
Jake Muzzin Signs Four-Year Extension
Now that the trade deadline is over without much movement, the Toronto Maple Leafs can announced Jake Muzzin‘s four-year extension. The veteran defenseman has inked a deal that keeps him in Toronto through 2023-24, and will carry an average annual value of $5.625MM.
The deal will be of little comfort for Maple Leafs fans that saw their team do almost nothing on deadline day, but does keep a solid contributor in the mix for the next several years. Muzzin has fit in well in Toronto as a two-way star that can log huge minutes in a shutdown role while also moving the puck quickly to the team’s talented forwards. In Morgan Rielly‘s absence he has been the only real reliable option on the back end, part of the reason why so many were expecting a change to occur today.
Like many of their previously extensions, Muzzin’s deal is front-loaded with huge signing bonuses. That makes it easier to get rid of down the line, and leans on the financial might of the organization to give them a slight advantage.
Still, signing any 31-year old defenseman comes with substantial risk. Muzzin has deal with injuries this season and has a lot of miles on his body after playing a physical style for parts of nine seasons. If he takes a step backwards as his thirties roll along the Maple Leafs could be in real trouble given how much money they already have committed to their star forwards.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Sami Vatanen, Brady Skjei
It’s a busy last few minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they are set to acquire both Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that the Devils will receive Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson and a conditional fourth-round pick for Vatanen, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Skjei will be had for a first-round pick.
These two defensemen will come into an organization that already acquired Vincent Trocheck earlier in the day, making the Hurricanes one of the obvious winners from today’s festivities. Adding two potential top-four options and a second-line center in the matter of a few hours will change the look of the team as they head into a playoff chase.
Vatanen, 28, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is actually currently injured, but will rejoin the lineup soon in Carolina and offers a right-handed puck-mover to help replace the losses of Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce. Vatanen has played both sides of the ice and can do a little bit of everything, including help on the powerplay and penalty kill.
Skjei meanwhile represents a more long-term addition for the Hurricanes. The 25-year old defenseman is signed through the 2023-24 season at a $5.25MM cap hit, but has also been quite inconsistent this year for the Rangers. Perhaps asked to fill a smaller role in Carolina will allow him to flourish once again, given how deep the team is on the blue line.
When all is said and done the Hurricanes will sit with a group including Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, Joel Edmundson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Haydn Fleury, Vatanen and Skjei, with Pesce and Hamilton working their way back at some point (though when that will be still isn’t clear). That’s just about the deepest defense corps in the entire league, not to mention the fact that Carolina still has Gustav Forsling, Jake Beane, Joey Keane and Roland McKeown in the minor leagues.
Kuokkanen becomes one of the most interesting prospects for the Devils immediately, after posting strong results in the minor leagues but getting little opportunity in Carolina. He’ll surely get a bigger chance on the Devils as they rebuild, and when added to a mid-round pick is nice work by interim GM Tom Fitzgerald.
For the Rangers, clearing Skjei’s contract was the clear goal, even though the defenseman still obviously has value. The team has work to do on their cap moving forward, and nabbing a first-round pick will only help fill their prospect cupboards even more.
Islanders Acquire Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Sign Him To Six-Year Extension
12:53 p.m. — It looks like the cost to bring Pageau aboard isn’t just for a rental, however, as the Islanders announced they have signed him to a six-year extension to remain with New York. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds that the deal has a $5MM AAV.
9:46 a.m. — The New York Islanders announced they have completed a deal with the Ottawa Senators, as the team picked up center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. In exchange for Pageau, the Islanders sent over a significant haul of draft picks as Ottawa receives a 2020 first-rounder, a 2020 second-rounder, and a third-rounder in 2022. The first-round pick is top-three protected while the third-rounder will only be conveyed if the Islanders win the Stanley Cup this season.
The 27-year-old had been engaged in discussions regarding a contract extension in recent days but clearly, the two sides weren’t able to come to an agreement. This means he’s likely to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent unless New York can work out an agreement with him.
Pageau is having a career year offensively. He already has 24 goals and 16 assists in 60 games; it’s the first time that he has reached the 20-goal mark in his career though that is aided by a 17.8 shooting percentage. He has also seen his ice time jump to over 19 minutes per game, also a career-best.
He immediately becomes the top goal scorer on the Islanders (Brock Nelson checks in at 22 goals) and should play a key role for them as a second-line pivot. The fact that he can be an effective penalty killer will certainly help a unit that is killing just over 80% of their penalties and his 53.2% success rate at the faceoff dot will be critical as well. Nevertheless, it’s a steep price to pay for someone who has been more of a third liner for most of his career.
Meanwhile, the Senators add a third first-round pick to their arsenal for the upcoming draft (unless New York wins in the draft lottery) and currently have 14 picks at their disposal. GM Pierre Dorion already has a deep prospect pool and with this many selections (including nine in the first three rounds), it’s about to get a lot stronger.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie was the first to report the trade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Edmonton Oilers Acquire Andreas Athanasiou
After coming close to a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Detroit Red Wings are actually sending Andreas Athanasiou back to his old GM instead. Ken Holland and the Edmonton Oilers have acquired Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner. In return, the Red Wings will receive Sam Gagner, a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick. The Oilers will retain 10% of Gagner’s remaining salary.
As our Brian La Rose wrote when Athanasiou looked like he was heading to Columbus, it has been a very strange season for the 25-year-old. Last year, he had a career-best 30 goals and 24 assists in 76 games and it looked like he was on his way to being part of Detroit’s long-term core. However, things have gone completely off the rails this season. He has struggled considerably offensively with only 24 points in 46 games while his plus/minus has been dreadful at -45. That’s already in the bottom 30 all-time among NHL forwards.
While he would have had plenty of opportunity in Columbus due to their injuries, Athanasiou’s future in Edmonton may be even more exciting. One of the few players in the league who can keep up with Connor McDavid‘s skating ability, there is a chance the pair could be combined to make the fastest line in the league. That kind of speed could be devastating for opponents to deal with, though Athanasiou will have to find some more consistency in his game to deserve a spot on the top line.
Not only will he know the GM from their time in Detroit, but Athanasiou will join Mike Green on his way over from the Red Wings at the deadline. You might not think that grabbing two players from the worst team in the league is a positive strategy, but familiarity is certainly a factor here for an executive that wants to win right away.
In terms of the return, Detroit gets two nice picks for a player that was bound to be a tough negotiation this summer. Athanasiou is a restricted free agent again and had already held out late into the offseason previously. The 25-year old currently carries a $3MM cap hit but could certainly put himself in line for a big raise with a strong few months in Edmonton.
Rangers Sign Chris Kreider To A Seven-Year Extension
While it wasn’t looking likely on Sunday that the Rangers would reach an extension with Chris Kreider, that has changed. The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve agreed to a seven-year extension with the winger. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (via Twitter) that the deal carries a $6.5MM AAV.
For most of the season, it was believed that extension talks were virtually non-existent but that changed in recent days with the trade deadline fast approaching. GM Jeff Gorton was still fielding offers throughout the process and evidently decided that a new deal was preferable to whatever the top offer was from elsewhere.
The 28-year-old has spent the entirety of his eight-year career with the Rangers who drafted him 19th overall back in 2009. He has emerged as one of the better power forwards in the league over that time and is on pace to set new career highs offensively. This season, he has 24 goals and 21 assists in 60 games while averaging 17:33 per night, the highest average of his career.
The seven-year term certainly carries some risk as players that play a physical style that Kreider does tend to wear down towards the end of their career. Yesterday, it was believed that New York only wanted to go six years but they have relented on that desire. On the other hand, it ensures that his prime years will be spent in New York where he will continue to be part of their core. The deal represents a nice raise on his current $4.625MM AAV.
GM Jeff Gorton will soon need to free up some cap space for next season and beyond. The Rangers now have more than $72MM tied up in 16 players for next season with Ryan Strome, Anthony DeAngelo, Alexandar Georgiev, and Brendan Lemieux all restricted free agents next summer. That means there is likely more movement to come by next season but the cap-clearing move may have to come over the offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that an extension was close.
Hurricanes Acquire Vincent Trocheck
The Hurricanes have added a core center as they have acquired Vincent Trocheck from the Panthers in exchange for centers Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark plus prospect defenseman Chase Priskie and center Eetu Luostarinen.
Trocheck looked like he was on his way to stardom two years ago when he put up 75 points in 82 games but his production has tapered off since then. He had 34 points in 55 games last year and is on a similar pace this season with 36 in 55 contests although his ice time has dipped by nearly three minutes per night.
Nonetheless, there is cause for optimism that a change of scenery could help him rebound. He will be likely slotting in behind Sebastian Aho on their depth chart which will push Jordan Staal into more of a checking role. Trocheck should be around for a while as he is signed through 2021-22 at a $4.75MM cap hit. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2022 offseason.
As for Florida’s return, Haula is also a couple of years removed from a big offensive season that saw him put up 55 points in his first season in Vegas. However, injuries have limited him since then. This season, the pending unrestricted free agent has played in 41 games, picking up 11 points and 11 assists. Haula carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.
Wallmark has emerged as a capable bottom-six player for the Hurricanes over the past two seasons and he has already set a new career-high in goals this season with 11 in 60 games. The 24-year-old is eligible for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility and is in line for a nice raise on his current league minimum $700K salary.
Priskie signed with Carolina this summer as a college free agent after not coming to terms with Washington who originally drafted him in the sixth round back in 2016. He has been productive with AHL Charlotte, collecting 31 points in 56 games but has yet to have a chance to play at the NHL level. The Panthers don’t have the defensive depth that the Hurricanes do so that opportunity may be coming soon enough. The 23-year-old has one year left after this one on his entry-level deal with a $925K AAV.
As for Luostarinen, the 2017 second-round pick made his NHL debut with Carolina this season, picking up an assist in eight games. He has spent the bulk of his first season in North America with the Checkers, picking up 25 points in 44 contests.
Carolina hasn’t shown much interest in rental players in recent years and this trade continues that trend. In Trocheck, they land someone that they hope can be part of their core and aren’t parting with a top prospect or draft pick to get one. It will be interesting to see if Florida holds onto all four pieces or if they will be flipping one or more of those in the coming hours.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.
Capitals Acquire Ilya Kovalchuk
The Capitals have added some offensive depth for the stretch run as they have acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Canadiens in exchange for their 2020 third-round pick. Both teams have confirmed the swap. The 36-year-old will now be joining his third team of the season.
Kovalchuk started the season with the Kings but some early season struggles led to a long-term stint as a healthy scratch. Once the remainder of his signing bonus was paid out, the two sides agreed to a mutual contract termination. However, it took until early January for him to find a new home when he joined Montreal.
He made an immediate impact with the Canadiens, recording five goals and five assists over his first dozen games with the team. While he tailed off a bit since then, he leaves them with 13 points over 22 contests which is a pretty good return on a pro-rated league minimum contract of $700K. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Montreal will retain half of that on their books as part of the deal.
While he averaged nearly 19 minutes a night with the Canadiens, his role will likely be much lower with Washington. Kovalchuk should slot in on their third line and give them another weapon for an already strong power play. It’s a reasonable price tag to pay for veteran depth while for Montreal, they turn someone they signed for nothing into another draft pick, giving them 13 for the upcoming draft which they will host in June.
Kovalchuk is now on the books for four different teams at the same time which is a first. He’s on New Jersey’s cap for salary cap recapture from his initial retirement. He remains on Los Angeles’ books as his contract was a 35+ deal so despite the termination, his full cap hit remains. Meanwhile, Montreal and Washington are both responsible for a pro-rated $350K from this deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Boston Bruins Acquire Ondrej Kase
The Boston Bruins are set to make a move addressing their hole on right wing, acquiring Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the Ducks will receive David Backes, Axel Andersson and a 2020 first-round pick. The Bruins will retain 25% of Backes’ contract.
Though he may not have a huge level of name recognition, Kase is a substantial acquisition for the Bruins as they drive towards the playoffs and a Stanley Cup chase. The 24-year old has proven in the past that he can drive play at even-strength, but has had trouble staying healthy throughout his short NHL career.
In 198 career games, Kase has 43 goals and 96 points and is an absolute darling of the analytics community. His possession statistics are off the chart, and he’ll likely be tried in a spot the team has been desperate to fill for some time. The Bruins’ second line right wing spot beside David Krejci has had a revolving door of auditions, but no one has been a perfect fit. If Kase can become that full-time solution, it allows the team to move Charlie Coyle back to the middle lower in the lineup.
Getting out from under the Backes contract is also huge for the Bruins, given he was no longer even playing for the team. The veteran forward has another year left on his deal at $6MM, meaning the Ducks will be taking on a $4.5MM cap hit next year to make this deal work.
The fact that the Bruins actually gain cap space in this contract, given Kase’s $2.6MM hit this season and next, means they’re not necessarily prevented from making another trade in the coming days. Kase will still only be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, making this exactly the kind of move that GM Don Sweeney has started to turn to after acquiring rentals in the past. Last year the team used a young piece to bring back Coyle, who had term on his deal (and has since been extended) to help them longer than just one spring. That’s exactly what Kase will do, though he’ll have to stay healthy for it to work.
For Anaheim, this is exactly what it meant when they made it clear to reporters they would take on bad contracts for young assets. Kase’s name had been in trade rumors for some time, and they cashed in to add two interesting pieces to a rebuild.
Andersson isn’t one of the Bruins very top prospects, but he does come with plenty of upside. The 20-year old defenseman was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft and currently plays in the QMJHL. He has 22 points in 41 games, but still needs quite a bit of time to be ready for the NHL. That’s time the Ducks have but the Bruins don’t, as they are in very different competitive windows.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to break the deal on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Canucks Acquire Tyler Toffoli
The Canucks are currently in a battle for top spot in the Pacific Division and GM Jim Benning has made a move to bolster their attack. They have acquired winger Tyler Toffoli from Los Angeles in exchange for winger Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick that is contingent on Toffoli re-signing with Vancouver. Both teams have confirmed the trade and there is no salary retention on anyone.
The 27-year-old has already matched his point total from last season following a hat trick against Colorado in the Stadium Series game on Saturday. Through 58 games this season, he has 18 goals and 16 assists; his 34 points ranked third on the Kings.
Vancouver has very quietly put together a top-ten attack this season and have a very balanced attack. Toffoli’s addition will give the Canucks seven forwards with at least 16 goals and not many other teams can contend with that type of depth.
While that certainly bodes well for Vancouver, it may not be the best thing for Toffoli’s free agent fortunes. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season and will likely be seeking a contract that’s close to his current $4.6MM AAV. If he winds up spending time on the third line for the Canucks, that has the potential to hurt his value on the open market.
As for Schaller, his inclusion in the deal is solely to help make the money work. Two years ago, he had a 22-point season with Boston but has failed to reach that mark over his two years in Vancouver combined. Through 51 games this season, he has five goals and one assist which isn’t a great return on a $1.9MM AAV. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Even with Schaller’s inclusion, the money isn’t close enough to work under Vancouver’s salary cap. Accordingly, CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that wingers Josh Leivo and Tyler Motte plus center Tyler Graovac have all been transferred to LTIR which frees up enough room for now although there could be complications down the road when any of them are ready to be activated. Micheal Ferland is also on LTIR but the Canucks announced (via Twitter) that he has been shut down for the rest of the season due to recurring concussion-like symptoms. They also revealed that Brock Boeser will miss at least three weeks due to a rib cartilage fracture which likely was part of the impetus for this move.
Madden was a third-round pick of Vancouver (68th overall) back in 2018 but is quickly outperforming his draft stock. He leads Northeastern in scoring in his sophomore season with 19 goals and 18 assists; his 37 points put him fourth in NCAA scoring. However, he broke his finger over the weekend that will keep him out for the next month or so. Los Angeles will have two years after this one to sign him and while he may still be a year or two away from turning pro, he is a nice addition to a Kings prospect pool that is quickly being stocked up.
With Toffoli now gone, the focus in Los Angeles will certainly shift towards defenseman Alec Martinez. The 32-year-old is believed to be one of the more sought-after defenders that could move by next week’s trade deadline as he carries a $4MM AAV and unlike many of the players who will be moved between now and then, he’s not a rental player as he is signed through 2020-21.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Toffoli had been dealt to Vancouver.