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Snapshots: Vatrano, Lazar, Canadiens

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When Ryan Spooner spoke out recently saying that he didn’t have a good relationship with Claude Julien during his tenure with the Bruins, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Spooner never fit into Julien’s system, and the two obviously didn’t mesh properly. The Bruins likely didn’t like having a player speak out against a coach past or present, regardless of whether that coach was now behind the bench of a divisional rival.

Today another Boston forward has spoken up. In Joe Haggerty’s latest column for CSNNE, he relays that Frank Vatrano sounded very similar in his comments on a Boston radio show, saying that he “didn’t have the best relationship with Claude”. Vatrano doesn’t exactly speak ill of Julien, just that he feels much more comfortable with Bruce Cassidy his former coach with Providence and now bench boss of the NHL-Bruins. It’s showing on the ice, with Spooner and Vatrano combining for seven points in the last five games, which include four wins.

  • When Pierre Dorion said that he’d hold out for a first-round pick before dealing Curtis Lazar, Senators fans rejoiced knowing that they wouldn’t be underselling their former 17th overall pick. Apparently the addition of the recently waived Jyrki Jokipakka was enough to sway Dorion, as he dealt Lazar (and Mike Kostka) to Calgary for a second-rounder and the defenseman. Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun believes that he made a huge error in sending the struggling Lazar out west, even claiming that in ten years Lazar would have likely been wearing the captain’s ’C’ for Ottawa. While that seems unlikely, it is a good gamble for the Flames, who may have nabbed a future NHLer at his lowest value.
  • It certainly won’t look like the same team in Montreal, even if many of the key parts remain. The Habs added size in a big way at the deadline, shipping out some of their undersized pieces for Hulk-sized players. As Eric Engels writes in his latest piece for Sportsnet, the team has definitely gotten harder to play against, if not more skilled at the same time. The Canadiens’ biggest (in terms of impact) acquisition might be Dwight King, who might actually have a little bit of offensive upside left in him. Once upon a time King used his huge frame as an effective power forward, even scoring 30 points in 2013-14. His bang-and-crash style will be brand new to Montreal, who will fit perfectly into Claude Julien’s approach.

Injury Notes: Zacha, Senators, Prince

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After the New Jersey Devils sold off a couple of expiring assets, the rest of season will likely come down to developing some young players and building chemistry for next year. Though they’re not out of the playoff race completely, it’ll be a tough climb out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

One of those youngsters, Pavel Zacha, has been out of the lineup since February 21st with a concussion but was back on the ice this morning according to Andrew Gross of The Record. It was his first time on the ice with his teammates since suffering the head injury, a good sign for the 19-year old.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:

Winners

Boston Bruins:

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

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Ottawa Sends Curtis Lazar To Calgary

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The Ottawa Senators were hoping to get a better return for Curtis Lazar than a second-round pick, but it seems that offer never came. The Calgary Flames have acquired Lazar and Mike Kostka for their 2017 second-rounder and defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka. 

After months of speculation due to an inferred poor fit and a drop-off in production, the Senators have finally moved on from their promising 21-year-old forward. Lazar was the 17th overall pick in 2013 and Ottawa had high hopes for his career. Lazar broke into the NHL in 2014-15 and over the past two seasons he accumulated 35 points in 141 games. However, 2016-17 has been a different story, as Lazar has hit a wall in his development and has struggled to fit in with the team’s system. He has just one assist in 33 games and Ottawa has been frustrated over his lack of production.

In a new location, especially with the speedy Flames, Lazar can still be a great player. Lazar has mostly played right wing in Ottawa, but prefers to play center, and Calgary has all lefties down the middle. Lazar, even if it’s not until 2017-18, should eventually slot in nicely as a right-handed center for the Flames who can keep up with their fast, skilled forwards. To give a talented young player a fresh start, an investment of a second-round pick and a young defenseman who has not worked out is certainly a good deal for Calgary and GM Brad Treliving. For Ottawa, they simply took the best offer they could get for a player who clearly needed to move on.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Viktor Stalberg From Carolina

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The Ottawa Senators aren’t finished. The team has acquired winger Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.<a rel=

As noted when the team traded for Alex Burrows yesterday, the Senators have needed depth on the wing all season and have now added both size and scoring potential in their two new players. Stalberg is a big bodied winger with speed to burn and a 20-goal season in his past, though he’s used more as an intimidating forchecker and penalty killer these days. A role-player in the Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup, he does have 43 games of playoff experience and will fit well into the bottom-six of the Senators.

With Ottawa just four points back of Montreal for first place in the Atlantic (with two games in hand mind you), owner Eugene Melnyk gave a clear directive for the Sens front office to follow. Playoffs or bust in 2017. The Senators are an internal budget team that relies on playoff revenue to continue to operate slightly above the cap floor, and with the two additions they’ve helped their case down the final 20 games. Though a third-round pick may seem pricey for a rental in Stalberg, they will likely recoup some of their lost draft selections with other trades—like a possible Curtis Lazar swap—before the draft this year.

For the Hurricanes, this represents an excellent value for Stalberg after signing him in the summer to a one-year deal. Though they had hoped that a playoff run was on the table this season, they still have an excellent young team and now own seven selections in the first three rounds of this summer’s draft. With the Metropolitan looking like a juggernaut for at least this season, but several teams (see: Washington) having multiple free agents leaving them this summer the slow burn of a Carolina rebuild may eventually pay off.

The Hurricanes still have Jay McClement and Lee Stempniak as possible veteran additions or a handful of young defenders to waive in front of team’s noses for the next 25 hours. They could easily acquire even more picks, or perhaps another young scoring forward before the deadline.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN was first to break the deal on Twitter after Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet heard rumblings earlier today. Darren Dreger of TSN chimed in with a confirmation and the details on the pick going to Carolina.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ottawa Senators Sign Chris DiDomenico To One-Year Deal

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Tuesday: The team has officially announced the deal as a two-year, two-way contract that will pay DiDomenico the prorated version of $575K/$150K for the rest of this season, and $650K/$190K for 2017-18. The forward will go on waivers today.

Monday 8:21am: The Ottawa Senators have looked outside the NHL for some help up front. The team completed a one-year deal with forward Chris DiDomenico today, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Johnston reports that it is a one-way deal for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.

DiDomenico had been playing with the Langau Tigers of the NLA (Switzerland) where he had 38 points in 48 games. You’re forgiven if you don’t remember DiDomenico from his brief stint in the AHL after originally being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. After being traded to Chicago as part of the package that brought Kris Versteeg to Toronto, DiDomenico played 74 games over two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs but never found his way.

After a short stint in the ECHL, DiDomenico headed to Italy where he dominated the professional leagues before moving on to Switzerland. Working his way up through the system there, he has spent the last two seasons at the highest level and has been quite successful.

Once thought of as too small for the NHL, DiDomenico may have been unfairly judged because of his thin frame. Though he is by no means an intimidating center, he does have strong faceoff skills and at one point was thought of as an excellent penalty killer. We’ll see in what capacity the Senators use him this season, but perhaps he’s made the decision to come back to North America full-time. At just 28, he surely still has something to offer.

Vancouver Canucks Trade Alex Burrows To Ottawa Senators

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Following the Maple Leafs’ acquisition of Brian Boyle, the Ottawa Senators have made their own deal up front. The Vancouver Canucks have sent Alex Burrows east in exchange for Jonathan Dahlen, a prospect selected in the second round this summer. The deal includes a two-year extension for Burrows which will pay him $2.5MM per season.Alex Burrows

Ottawa has needed help on the wing since Bobby Ryan broke a finger and was ruled out for more than a month if not before. When Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman were both injured the next day, it proved just how fragile their depth at the position was. Burrows adds to that depth in a big way, despite not being the 30-goal scorer of his youth. His production has dropped to that of a third liner in recent years, though he does give you some special teams flexibility with experience on both the powerplay and penalty kill.

Burrows is currently earning a full season salary of just $3MM, though his cap-hit comes in at $4.5MM. For a team like Ottawa who does not spend right up to the cap, having a lower actual salary is a big plus.

Despite having his offensive production slip in recent seasons, Burrows still provides an ample amount of sandpaper to any game, getting under the skin of star players and often forcing teams into bad penalties. His style of play and general demeanor will be welcome on an Ottawa team that has missed that kind of play from Chris Neil due to being scratched or only playing a handful of minutes. Burrows would immediately become a hated target in the Atlantic Division, and a valuable playoff asset.

Burrows had a full no-trade clause in his contract, and may have only been willing to waive it after agreeing to an extension with the Senators. There was no guarantee he would get a two-year deal on the open market this summer, especially at the age of 35. With the Atlantic crown is clearly up for grabs, the Maple Leafs and Senators have pushed some of their chips forward as they reach for the top. We’ll see if the Montreal Canadiens now answer with a move of their own (turns out they will).

In Dahlen, the Senators have paid a very high price for the addition of grit and depth. The Swedish prospect was selected at #42 in this summer’s draft and is tearing up the Swedish second league with 41 points in 43 games. The 19-year old forward is an exceptionally skilled offensive player that dropped in the draft due to his small stature. The Canucks, dealing with a nightmarish season have pried a very good return out of a rental with a no-trade clause. While they didn’t receive any draft picks, Dahlen should be considered no worse than a late-first/early-second round pick in this year’s draft.

It’s a hefty price to pay for Burrows, even if he does fit the Senators lineup well. We’ll see if Ottawa has any more additions in the next few days, as teams load up for a dogfight in the last two months.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun was the first to announce that the two were finalizing a deal, though Joshua Kloke of The Athletic heard rumors of the deal earlier today. Kloke would include that it came with an extension, one that Dan Murphy of Sportsnet gave us the financials on.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Andrew Hammond Will Require Hip Surgery, Out Three Months

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The Ottawa Senators goaltending depth got a little weaker today after Andrew Hammond was ruled out for the next three months. He’ll need surgery on a torn labrum in his hip, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The Senators will go with Craig Anderson and Mike Condon for the rest of the season.

Since his dream debut for the Senators in 2015 going 20-1-2 down the stretch and leading them into the playoffs, Hammond hasn’t been able to replicate that play or consistency. Bounced back and forth between the NHL and minor leagues the last two seasons, he struggled mightily this year filling in for Anderson and Condon. Now 29 with one year remaining on his contract, it’s unclear what the Senators plan on doing in net going forward.

With Anderson signed through next year, and the team considering a long-term extension for Condon, they would have three goaltenders making substantial money under contract. He may stay buried in the minors, or potentially bought-out this summer. For a player who once looked like a future starting goaltender in the NHL, it has been a long and painful fall to where he is now. Perhaps a summer of rehab and a new start somewhere else would get him back on track.

Atlantic Division Notes: Sens, Franson, Panthers

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The Ottawa Senators have been in the market for a top-six forward for much of the season and that need has only grown with the recent news that Bobby Ryan would be on the shelf for three to six weeks due. Ryan, with just 24 points in 50 games, hasn’t been as effective this season as in years past but still brings the track record of a proven scoring forward. However, despite the team’s need, Senators GM Pierre Dorion is not willing to give up too much in any deal, as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes.

As the scribe notes, the Senators are one of several clubs that have been linked to Colorado center Matt Duchene at various times this season but the asking price, a young NHL defenseman, a prospect and a first-round pick, is too rich for Dorion’s blood. Cody Ceci, Thomas Chabot and Colin White, players Colorado would certainly demand as part of a package in any trade talks, are considered off limits according to Garrioch. That leaves Ottawa shopping in the second tier rental market in all likelihood, with Garrioch suggesting the team has or may have interest in pending free agents Jiri Hudler, Thomas Vanek and/or Drew Stafford. While those names may not be particularly awe-inspiring to Sens fans, as long as Dorion chooses to hoard the team’s best young assets then that’s more than likely the best they can do ahead of the trade deadline.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • There has been no shortage of teams with reported interest in St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the top offensive defenseman believed to be on the trade market. Every year contenders burn up the phone lines looking for quality blue line depth ahead of the deadline to bolster their chances of making a deep postseason run. Of course only one team will end up with Shattenkirk, which will leave plenty of disappointed teams looking for alternatives. One option for some of those clubs may well be Cody Franson, according to Bill Hoppe in a piece on Buffalo Hockey Beat. Earlier in his career, the right-shot blue liner was a solid point producer capable of playing in all situations. Since signing with the Sabres ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, the 29-year-old’s offensive game has regressed with Franson posting just 16 points in 53 games this season. However, given the high demand for defensemen capable of playing the right side, it’s likely the Sabres could flip Franson for a solid return to one of the teams either unwilling or unable to meet the high price tag the Blues have set for Shattenkirk.
  • Since Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau returned from injury nine games ago, the Florida Panthers more closely resemble a viable playoff contender even if they’ve actually drawn no closer to a postseason spot. The recent surge has possibly shifted GM Dale Tallon’s deadline position from potential seller to potential buyer. In the event they go the latter route, the Panthers could be in the market for a depth winger, as Tallon tells TSN’s Frank Seravalli in a recent interview. The longtime NHL executive tells Seravalli that he feels the team is “strong up the middle,” and that “either wing some place would work.” He also says that while the team has a couple of talented young wingers in the system, he doesn’t feel that “they’re ready to take the next step yet.” Tallon was extremely aggressive at last year’s trade deadline, adding forwards Teddy Purcell and Jiri Hudler to improve the club’s scoring depth. With plenty of veteran wingers reportedly available, there’s little reason to believe he won’t be just as aggressive this year, assuming he can find a deal or two to his liking.

Morning Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Senators, Rangers

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced yesterday that forward Matt Calvert is week-to-week with a strained oblique muscle. Calvert hasn’t had a large impact production-wise, scoring 9G and 2A in 51 games, but is a valuable part of the team’s penalty kill and fourth line energy unit. In his stead is Finnish prospect Markus Hannikainen, who has 12G and 8A in 36 games for the AHL Cleveland Monsters. He’s appeared in 7 games for Columbus so far, scoring 1 goal in the process. This is only Hannikainen’s second season in North America, so its taken him some time to adjust from the Finnish leagues.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled forwards Mike Blunden and Phil Varone this morning, the team announced. The team simultaneously reassigned forwards Casey Bailey and Max McCormick. Blunden has bounced between the AHL and NHL for 10 seasons now, and currently has 12G and 10A in 47 games for the AHL Binghamton Senators. Varone—acquired from Buffalo last season—has 13G and 25A in 48 games with Binghamton, but has yet to register a point in 4 games for Ottawa. The Sens hope that his AHL production will transition to NHL points. Bailey did not impress in his two-game stint with the Senators, going pointless and averaging under 10 minutes a game. McCormick fared even worse, registering zero points and averaging less than 6 minutes in the same two games.
  • New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein’s back issues are more severe than initially thought, reports New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis. Klein originally suffered back pain while warming up before Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and pulled out of that game. He did not attend Friday’s practice, and coach Alain Vigneault now says that Klein will miss the Rangers’ back-to-back games this weekend. Klein acts as a depth defenseman for the Rangers, scoring 3G and 11A in 52 games while averaging under 18 minutes a night. With the Rangers comfortably in a playoff spot, its prudent to rest veteran players for the upcoming post-season grind.

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