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Trade Rumors: Ducks, Senators, DeMelo, Duclair

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When action resumes following the All-Star break, it is the unofficial start of NHL Trade Deadline season. In fact, with a relatively early deadline day of February 24th this year, things should pick up sooner rather than later. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch came prepared to handle the transition from All-Star exit to trade mania, reporting on a number of situations in his latest “Insider Trading” column. Garrioch begins with the further shift in the status quo of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim began the season hoping to return to being contenders with a talented mix of veterans and youngsters. However, it has not played out that way on the ice, as the Ducks hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Recently, a report came out that the team was willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts if it meant that they could add prospects and picks in return. Garrioch now reports that the team is taking it one step further, perhaps in response to winning just three of their past 15 games. He hears from multiple league sources that the Ducks are preparing for a full rebuild and are at least willing to listen on just about every player. For a team with so few valuable impending free agents – Michael Del Zotto and Derek Grant lead the way – this shift in the status quo could make for a much bigger deadline in Anaheim. Ondrej Kase, who has previously been rumored to have fallen out of favor with the team, could be one possible casualty, as could defenseman Josh Manson, who has recently been linked to a few other teams. What about Rickard Rakell, one of the best value contracts in the league and a player that any contender would like to get their hands on? Or long-term players like Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique, and Jakob Silfverberg? Franchise faces Ryan Getzlaf and John Gibson and top defender Hampus Lindholm are likely off the table, but nearly anyone else in Anaheim over the age of 24 appears to be a candidate to move at the right price.

  • Garrioch mentions a number of available players, many of whom won’t comes as much of a surprise, including L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon, and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider (if the team can’t re-sign him). However, he states definitively that the New Jersey Devils’ impending UFA’s are also up for grabs. This means Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, and Wayne Simmonds, three players who many were unsure the Devils would part with, could very well be on new teams in a month’s time. As for teams in the mix, Garrioch claims that the Islanders and Jets are leading the search for defense, while the Bruins, Blues, Flames, and Coyotes are the most eager to add forwards.
  • The Ottawa Senators have ten impending UFA’s on the roster, but not all of them will survive the trade deadline. Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion plans to sit down with each one before the deadline and discuss the possibility of an extension before putting them on the block. At this point in their rebuild, the Senators cannot afford to let valuable players walk away as free agents, meaning the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki, and Dylan DeMelo and more need to have made a decision on their commitment to Ottawa soon or they could be sent packing.
  • On the DeMelo front in particular, Garrioch reports that the Florid Panthers are the leading suitor for the 26-year-old defenseman, should Ottawa opt to move him. He mentions that that the Carolina Hurricanes are another team with definite interest. Garrioch adds that Florida is also looking for a backup goalie, which could potentially put former Panther Craig Anderson on their radar.
  • As for one player who has made up his mind on his future with Ottawa, All-Star Anthony Duclair tells Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he hopes to re-sign long-term with the Senators. The 24-year-old has excelled since arriving in Ottawa late last season and wants to continue to play a central role for the team through their rebuild:

I just want to focus and really end the season on a positive note like I did last year, and really make a statement to the management and the coaching staff that I want to be a big part of this rebuild. I’m still a young guy. When the change is gonna happen, when Ottawa’s gonna become a contender, I want to be part of that. So I’m working as hard as I can.

Minor Transactions: 01/26/20

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The 2020 NHL All-Star Game is in the books. The 3-on-3 tournament produced a familiar result, with the Pacific Division taking home the title. In five years under this All-Star format, the Pacific has won three times and the Metropolitan twice, with the Atlantic and Central still seeking a title. The Atlantic got close yesterday; after winning their first game 9-5 over the Metro, the Atlantic suffered a 5-4 loss in a much tighter game against the Pacific, who had also blown out their first game against the Central, 10-5. Unsurprisingly, the celebrity captain assigned to the Pacific was Wayne Gretzky, who always has the hockey gods on his side. Despite the final loss, Boston forward David Pastrnak was voted the MVP of the All-Star tournament with a total of four goals and six points (if only Pastrnak could help his Bruins – league leaders in OT/SO losses by a wide margin – improve on their 3-on-3).

Now, with many teams returning to action on Monday, be prepared for a flurry of activity today, as evidenced by an early start. Many minor moves will be filed before games resume tomorrow night, so keep up with all of today’s transactions here:

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled forwards Drake Batherson and Filip Chlapik from AHL Belleville, the team announced. Chlapik has skated in 23 games with Ottawa this season, recording five points, while Batherson has a pair of points in nine NHL games. Batherson though has largely spent his year in the AHL, where he has compiled 46 points in 37 games – the league’s third-highest scorer. In fact, Batherson was supposed to be in attendance at today’s AHL All-Star event in Ontario, California, but apparently will be a last-minute absence.
  • According to CapFriendly, the Anaheim Ducks have reversed the exact move the team made eight days ago before their bye week began. Blake Pietila has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, having not gotten into any NHL games still thus year, while fellow forwards Max Jones, Chase De Leo, and Troy Terry have been recalled. Following a long-term injury, Terry needed the extra game action in the minors over the break, but both he and Jones have played in 30+ games with the Ducks this season and look like NHL fixtures moving forward. De Leo on the other hand has only skated in one game with Anaheim this year and is still working toward proving himself.
  • CapFriendly also adds that the Tampa Bay Lightning have brought veteran defenseman Luke Schenn and young forward Mitchell Stephens back to the NHL ranks. Schenn has cleared waivers multiple times this season and looks like a capable and flexible depth option for the team down the stretch, even if his usage has been limited thus far. Stephens, 22, is still waiver exempt and has split his season evenly between the NHL and AHL, contributing at both levels.
  • After several injury-plagued seasons and a failed attempt at earning a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in training camp, veteran goaltender Michal Neuvirth has decided to return to his roots, perhaps until he calls it a career. Neuvirth has signed with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga, returning to the organization that he grew up in as a developing teenager before embarking on a pro career in North America. The team’s press release reveals that Neuvirth, who trains with the team during summers, has also been working with them over the past couple of months before deciding he was ready for game action. They note that persistent injuries remain a concern, but that the opportunity is there for Neuvirth to seize the starting job and perhaps earn a contract extension beyond this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Lawrence Pilut from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The Sabres are overloaded with defenders, but Pilut’s production in the minors this season – 22 points in 30 games – has left them with little choice but to keep giving him NHL looks.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL on emergency conditions, while sending goaltender Kaden Fulcher to the ECHL ’s Toledo Walleye. Pickard will likely take over backup duties while Jonathan Bernier works his way back from a lower-body injury.
  • The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled three players from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, including forwards Colton Sissons, Yakov Trenin and defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Sissons spent the past week practicing with the Milwaukee after missing 10 games with the Predators due to a lower-body injury. Trenin has become a popular figure after he went toe-to-toe with Boston’s Zdeno Chara several weeks ago. He has two goals and six points in 13 games where he is averaging just 10:33 of ATOI. He has 31 hits in those 13 contests. Tinordi has appeared in seven games, averaging 14:12.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled forward Tyler Gaudet of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The 26-year-old has two goals and 13 points for the Marlies this year in 39 games. Gaudet, considered to be a tireless worker, has been a favorite of head coach Sheldon Keefe for years. Gaudet played for him back in the CCHL with the Pembroke Lumber Kings during the 2012-2013 season and then again with the Soo Greyhounds between 2012-14.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced they have assigned forward Jansen Harkins to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, so Harkins could play in the AHL All-Star Game. The Jets replaced him on the roster with forward Cameron Schilling. The move was necessarily even though Winnipeg doesn’t play again until Jan. 31, because the team must keep a 20-man roster and by sending Harkins down, the Jets had no choice but to recall Schilling.
  • The San Jose Sharks announced they have recalled forwards Joel Kellman, Dylan Gambrell and Antti Suomela from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. That reverses a move made before the team’s break with the exception of Gambrell, who replaces Joachim Blichfeld on the NHL roster. Gambrell played 30 games with the Sharks, but was assigned to the Barracuda to work on his game where he had 12 points in 15 games there.
  • The Calgary Flames have recalled forward Buddy Robinson from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. The 28-year-old forward is having a solid season with the Heat, posting 16 goals and 30 points in 40 games. Robinson has played in seven NHL games over the course of his career (all with Ottawa), but hasn’t appeared in a game since 2016-17.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled two players in Blake Lizotte and Matt Luff from the Ontario Reign of the AHL, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. Both players were sent down before the break. Lizotte was out with a lower-body injury and hasn’t been in the lineup since Jan. 8. He played one game for Ontario over the break, but is expected back in the lineup. He has four goals and 15 points over 45 games. Luff has five points in 17 games with the Kings.

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

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Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

Auston Matthews To Sit Out All-Star Game

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Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will not participate in any on-ice events at the All-Star festivities, but will be still be there in St. Louis. Matthews is dealing with a wrist injury and has been listed as day-to-day by the Maple Leafs. In his place, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators will join the Atlantic Division roster.

Matthews was the captain of the Atlantic squad last season when the game was held in San Jose, and took part in both of his first two years as well. While the fans won’t get to see him participate in any of the action, he will still join Maple Leafs teammates Frederik Andersen and Mitch Marner at the event.

For Tkachuk though, this is a significant honor. Not only will this be his first time at the event, he’ll get to make his All-Star debut in his hometown of St. Louis and alongside his brother Matthew Tkachuk who will participate for the Pacific Division squad. Linemate Anthony Duclair will also be there from the Ottawa Senators.

The younger Tkachuk is in his sophomore season and has 27 points through 45 games. Selected 4th overall in 2018, the big winger won’t turn 21 until September.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/20

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Following last night’s results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. As such, the teams’ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. The Central Division’s top three – St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas – may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside. So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. Keep an eye on all of today’s transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:

  • Many of “today’s” minor transactions occurred late last night, as 17 different teams are entering their bye week and many shuffled their young players to minors once their final game came to an end. The Ottawa Senators are one such example. The team reassigned young forwards Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Belleville following last night’s win.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a similar boat, sending Adam Brooks and Tim Liljegren back to the AHL’s Marlies following last night’s game, which was also Liljegren’s NHL debut. Brooks has played in seven games with the Maple Leafs so far in his rookie season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes also head on bye, and have demoted goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Kyle Capobianco, and forward Michael Chaput to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Hill has played a key role of late for the ‘Yotes, but the team hopes to have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta at full strength on the other side of this time off.
  • The St. Louis Blues made just one minor move before hitting their bye, assigning young defenseman Niko Mikkola to the San Antonio Rampage. Mikkola has looked good on the ice if not on the score sheet in five games with the Blues this season.
  • Also making just a single demotion before the bye were the Dallas Stars, who sent forward Joel Kiviranta to AHL Texas. Kiviranta is still looking for his first NHL point after seeing limited ice time in seven NHL games and will benefit from an increased role in the minors for a while.
  • Other bye week moves being reported by CapFriendly include the Los Angeles Kings sending forwards Matt Luff and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign, the San Jose Sharks shifting Joachim Blichfeld, Joel Kellman, and Antti Suomela to the AHL Barracuda locker room, and the Montreal Canadiens reassigning veteran Dale Weise to the Laval Rocket.
  • This morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced their own flurry of moves, reassigning forwards Rasmus Asplund and Scott Wilson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. While Pilut and Wilson have seen limited action, Asplund’s demotion is a bit surprising. Of every player sent down so far for their team’s bye week, none have played as many NHL games this season as Asplund’s 28. Yet, apparently the Sabres do not feel that he has earned the week off.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forward Dylan Sikura to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. The 24-year-old had a more successful run with Chicago this year as he scored his first NHL goal and three points in nine games. He’ll continue to work on his game in Rockford where he has nine goals and 16 points in 22 games.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, including goaltender Cory Schneider and forwards Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist. It will be Boqvist’s first trip to the AHL as he made the New Jersey squad directly out of Sweden.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they are sending injured defenseman Matt Benning to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out with a head injury since Dec. 1. The team has been extra cautious with Benning as its his second head injury this season. With the Oilers off until Jan. 29, Benning’s best chance of getting game experience is with the Condors, who have four games coming up this week. Benning has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging just 13:42 of ice time.

College Hockey Round-Up: 01/15/20

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With college students around the country returning to campus, NCAA hockey is back in the spotlight. While games continued here and there through December, many programs returned to action the first weekend of January. The second half of the season will be more conference-centric, with teams focused on positioning themselves as best they can before conference tournaments begin in mid-March. That will all lead up to the six conference champions and ten at-large selections squaring off in the NCAA tournament. Right now, No. 2 North Dakota and No. 3 Minnesota State are the only top five teams who also lead their respective conferences, which should make for an exciting and unpredictable second half.

The Current Landscape

The biggest question entering the second half of the college season may just be whether anyone can stop No. 1 Cornell? The nation’s top team still has just one regulation loss on the year and ranks sixth in goals per game and second in goals against per game. The Big Red are also not an easy team to game plan against. While goaltender Matthew Galajda has been phenomenal while appearing in all 15 of Cornell’s games and Morgan Barron (NYR) is the undisputed star, the team gets a balanced effort from the entire lineup. With that said, the Big Red have shown some cracks in the New Year, going 2-0-2 thus far with ties against Union and No. 11 Providence.

Speaking of the Friars, Jack Dugan (VGK) continues to lead the chase for the Hobey Baker Award with the NCAA’s best total and per-game scoring numbers. He performed especially well in front of his potential future home crowd in the Ice Vegas Invitational. Line mate Tyce Thompson (NJD) remains in the scoring hunt as well, thanks in part to an NCAA-best 17 goals. Providence is currently the leader of Hockey East, but they have their work cut out for them against stiff competition, including No. 5 Boston College and No. 13 UMass Lowell, both of whom have games in hand on PC. With No. 10 UMass and No. 12 Northeastern in the mix as well, Hockey East will be a cutthroat battle the rest of the way, leading up to conference tournament that will shift the national scale.

The NCHC is no slouch either, featuring two top-five teams in No. 2 North Dakota and No. 4 Denver, not to mention two-time defending champs No. 8 Minnesota Duluth. The three teams are all set to be tested by one another in the coming weeks: the Bulldogs host the Fighting Hawks next weekend before traveling to face the Pioneers the following weekend, who themselves will visit the Hawks the weekend after that. The NCHC standings may be in for a shake-up, but none of those three teams look likely to lose their top-ten billing any time soon.

New year, same dominant lone wolf near the top of the national rankings. No. 3 Minnesota State continues to suffocate their opponents behind the stellar play of Hobey Baker hopeful Dryden McKay in net. The team is allowing an NCAA-best 1.33 goals against per game and have outscored opponents 17-2 in a perfect 4-0 start after New Year’s. With wins over UND and Duluth (twice) this season, their record is no fluke, even if they do routinely dominate their WCHA competition. Will Mankato be the team to beat come tournament time?

Kuznetsov’s Stock On The Rise

When NHL Central Scouting released their midyear rankings for the 2020 NHL Draft, it was easy to notice Wisconsin forward Dylan Holloway sitting in 10th among North American skaters. However, you may have missed UConn defenseman Yan Kuznetsov, who was 28th in the same group and has very much entered the conversation as a potential first-round pick this spring. Kuznetsov may not light up the score board, but then again no Huskies have this season. The Russian blue liner’s nine points are in fact tied for eight on the team and second among defensemen. However, the hallmarks of Kuznetsov’s game are his size and composure, especially for a 17-year-old freshman. Kuznetsov projects to be a shutdown defenseman with a high ceiling, as he is already playing at an elite level in the NCAA at a young age. UConn has slim odds of an extended postseason run this season, so scouts will be focused on the team’s remaining regular season schedule as they get a final read on Kuznetsov before he’s available for selection in June.

Pinto Receives A Suspension

Shane Pinto (OTT) has made headlines for a few different reasons lately. The North Dakota center was one of the standout performers on an otherwise disappointing Team USA entry at the recent World Junior Championship, recording seven points in five games and flashing the high-level skill that the Fighting Hawks faithful have come to love this season. The freshman then stayed loyal to his college teammates, allegedly rebuffing attempts by his NHL rights holder, the Ottawa Senators, to convince him to join the nearby Ottawa 67’s of the OHL for the remainder of the season. Pinto’s latest headline is not as positive though. The freshman forward has been handed a one-game suspension from the NCHC for an illegal check against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend, an incident that earned him a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct as well. Pinto, who has 16 points in 20 games for North Dakota this year, will sit for the team first game against Miami on Friday, but will be eligible to return for game two of the series on Saturday.

Andreas Englund Clears Waivers

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Tuesday: Englund has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the Belleville Senators of the AHL.

Monday: The Ottawa Senators have placed defenseman Andreas Englund on waivers according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. This comes as the Senators are set to welcome Nikita Zaitsev and Mark Borowiecki back from injury.

Englund, 23, hasn’t quite established himself as the lockdown defender the Senators hoped for when they made him the 40th overall pick in 2014. Through four professional seasons in North America he has spent far more time in the minor leagues than the NHL, suiting up just 21 times with Ottawa and recording just two points. The 6’4″ Englund has 12 of those games this season, but will have to wait for his next opportunity.

That is of course unless he’s picked up off waivers tomorrow. Signed to a one-year, two-way $700K contract there may be some teams willing to take a chance on the big defenseman. He will be a restricted free agent again this summer.

Craig Anderson’s Trade Stock Plummeting

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Both the Ottawa Senators and goaltender Craig Anderson have an interest in the veteran’s trade value with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching next month. The Senators are again outside of the playoff picture and looking to deal any impending free agents for futures. Anderson meanwhile is 38 years old and has never come close to winning a Stanley Cup, reaching the postseason five times in his 17-year career and only twice advancing past the first round. Both sides would seemingly like to see a deal made.

Yet, as The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes, Anderson’s play of late may be ruining that chance for both he and his team. Anderson has allowed four or more goals in each of his last four games, all of which have ended in Senators’ losses. His save percentage has dropped below .900, while his goals against average has jumped to 3.27. Entering this season after back-to-back difficult campaigns, Anderson needed consistently strong play to redeem his value. Instead, the long-time Ottawa keeper looks like a player whose days as a reliable contributor are over.

However, Anderson remains “open-minded” to the idea of a trade and the Senators certainly would like to get anything out of him on the market, if at all possible. However, if Anderson’s value is to improve at all over the next six weeks leading up to the deadline, Ottawa must be wiling to but the veteran in net. Anders Nilsson received the lion’s share of starts early in the season, so much so that he has one fewer appearance than Anderson despite being out with an injury since mid-December. Even with Nilsson sidelined, Anderson has been sharing the net, now with young Marcus Hogberg. Hogberg has played in nine games this season, seven since Nilsson’s injury, and of late has been at the opposite end of the spectrum of Anderson, allowing two goals or fewer in each of his last three appearances. Despite these efforts, if the Sens want to move Anderson they must put him in the lineup, even once Nilsson returns to action.

If Ottawa isn’t willing to give Anderson the chance to improve his trade stock, they likely will struggle to get anything back for him. The rental goalie market is far from vacant; there are upwards of a half-dozen goalies who could easily be on the move by the end of February. The Chicago Blackhawks have at least one keeper that they could move, San Jose’s Aaron Dell and Montreal’s Keith Kinkaid are established backups who will be made available, and Anderson is not even the only gray-haired veteran on the block, with the Ducks’ Ryan Miller and Red Wings’ Jimmy Howard potentially available. There are more goalies for sale than there are backup buyers and not all of these names will move. If the Senators and Anderson hope that he is one of the few to go, things need to change – and soon.

Nikita Zaitsev To Resume Skating This Week

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It has been a strange last few weeks for Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.  Originally expected to return shortly after the holiday break from his deep bone bruise, that plan has been pushed back a few times.  However, it appears that the wait may be coming to an end.  Head coach D.J. Smith told Postmedia’s Ken Warren that the hope is that the blueliner will be able to return to practice at some point this week and that they haven’t ruled out him returning before their bye week.  Zaitsev has been out since December 16th with the issue but still ranks second on the team in blocked shots with 74 in just 32 games while ranking second in ice time per game behind only Thomas Chabot.

Snapshots: Pinto, Zucker, Palat, Lagesson

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After an impressive performance at the World Junior Championships earlier this month, the Ottawa Senators were hoping to convince forward Shane Pinto to sign with them at the end of this collegiate season. In fact, leDroit’s Jean-Francois Plante (translation required) writes that Senators general manager Pierre Dorion visited Pinto Thursday in hopes of convincing him to sign with Ottawa after his season, but he was turned away.

Pinto, the team’s 2019 second-round pick (32nd overall), has been a revelation. Considered a bit of a reach by Ottawa immediately after the draft, Pinto has taken off, posting nine goals and 15 points in 19 games for the University of North Dakota. He joined the United States team at the WJC and was one of the team’s leaders, scoring four goals and seven points in five games. However, Plante reports that Pinto’s agent would like Pinto to continue his development at North Dakota for at least one more year before likely joining the AHL team when he’s more ready physically to compete.

  • The Minnesota Wild could be getting back some offensive firepower as forward Jason Zucker practiced with the team Saturday and is a game-time decision for their game Sunday against Vancouver, according to NHL.com’s Dan Myers. Zucker suffered a fractured right fibula after getting hit with a slapshot dump-in by Chicago’s Brent Seabrook on Dec. 15. The forward had surgery and was given a 4-6 week timetable, but looks to be ready early. The 27-year-old has 12 goals and 24 points in 34 games so far this season and could provide the Wild with a much needed offensive boost.
  • While Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat missed his first game of the season Saturday with a lower-body injury, NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman reports that Palat is still a possibility to play on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils. Palat has struggled with minor injuries throughout his career, but has produced a solid 12 goals and 26 points in 43 games so far this season.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) breaks down the play of Edmonton Oilers defensive prospect William Lagesson and his potential future with the team. The 23-year-old, currently on the Oilers’ NHL roster, might have trouble cracking the team down the road due to the team’s depth in defensive players and upcoming prospects, which could leave Lagesson on the outside looking in.

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