Trade Candidates: Jannik Hansen
The Vancouver Canucks can choose from a few different reasons why they should trade Jannik Hansen. 1) The injuries are becoming a concern; after missing 15 games last year, he’s played in only 18 games this season. 2) They probably won’t end up protecting him in the upcoming Expansion Draft and would then very likely lose him for nothing. Hansen has been a hard-working and loyal contributor, but you don’t risk losing a Sven Baertschi or Markus Granlund to keep an injury-prone 30-year-old. 3) Whether they think so or not, the team is in a rebuild and they can get a quality return for a forward with a year remaining at $2.5MM who scored almost 40 points and posted a +16 in 2015-16. The playoffs always seemed to be out of reach for this Canucks team this season, and despite their best efforts, it just doesn’t seem likely to happen this year. If there is any consolation, Vancouver can become bona fide sellers at the Trade Deadline, of which there are very few, and can find a fair deal for Hansen.
Contract
Hansen is in the third year of a four-year, $10MM extension with the Canucks. While his cap hit will count for under $900K at the deadline, any team that acquires him will be on the hook for another year at a $2.5MM cap hit and $3MM salary.
2016-17
Hansen’s 2016-17 season has been forgettable to this point, due primarily to the fact that he has barely played. Hansen missed all but three games in the month of November with broken ribs and returned in mid-December, only to suffer a knee injury just two weeks later. Hansen has not played since December 22nd, and there has been little noise about an impending return. While you can say he was on a career-high pace with nine points through 18 games, that’s a lot of speculation based on a small sample size. It’s more fair to call this season a wash for Hansen, at least so far. Lucky for him, last season was one of the best of his career and the last five years tell the story of one of the most under-rated players in the NHL. Hansen had 157 points in 348 games over the past five seasons and before that was a key piece of the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup run, all while making under $2MM per year on average.
Season Stats
18 games: 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points, even +/-, 30 shots, 16:11 ATOI
Potential Suitors
The Edmonton Oilers would be an excellent fit for Hansen. The team is playoff-bound and lacks a right-shot scorer other than Jordan Eberle. They also have a young team, but not much cap flexibility, and a good, affordable veteran for next season and possibly beyond could go a long way. By March 1st, Vancouver should be far enough outside the postseason picture that they would be willing to deal even with their division rival.
However, if the Canucks are uncomfortable with the thought of facing Hansen, a nice bargain that they have kept to themselves all of these years, on a regular basis in 2017-18, they may seek an option outside of the Pacific. The Montreal Canadiens could be willing to move some capital to make Hansen part of the team. Another team in a cap crunch and in desperate need of a right-handed scorer behind Brendan Gallagher, Hansen would be able to help the Habs in the postseason this year and help them to get back to the postseason next year. Other Atlantic teams like the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins could also use another scoring winger, and both have plenty of cap space next season, such that $2.5MM would hardly make a dent. Watch out for the Columbus Blue Jackets as well, who need a right-shot forward this year and may need one even more next year if they are unable to retain Sam Gagner.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Hansen is a rare commodity in this market. He is not an impending free agent, nor does he carry a long and expensive contract. Instead, he has just one year remaining at an affordable cap hit, and with many concerns over the salary cap not increasing next season, that is very valuable. The Canucks are often believed to be disillusioned with the state of their franchise, seemingly trying to build a contender when their success implies a need for a rebuild. It’s possible that Vancouver passes on moving Hansen and decides to protect him over a younger asset in the Expansion Draft. However, GM Jim Benning is not that short-sighted. If he can figure out a way to keep Hansen without hurting his squad, he probably will, but the odds are that his best bet is to trade the career Canuck a get a good return for him. Teams may not be lining up for a player with only 18 games under his belt this season, but Hansen’s value extends past the stretch run and the postseason and several squads will surely jump at that opportunity.
Wild Trade Hagel To Senators For Future Considerations
The Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators have made a minor trade on Wednesday morning, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
The Wild have sent minor-league forward Marc Hagel to the Senators in exchange for future considerations. Hagel has 76 points in 198 games at the AHL level. All but six of those games have been with the Iowa Wild. This season, Hagel has two goals and seven points in 26 games. The 28-year-old former NCAA winger has not played in the NHL.
Hagel has one year remaining at $605K. The trade clears a contract off the Wild’s 50-contract limit; they now sit at 47 contracts and the Senators are up to 44. This gives the Western Conference-leading Wild a little more leeway to make trades before the upcoming deadline.
Ottawa has since announced that Hagel will report to Binghamton of the AHL.
Snapshots: Letang, Carlson, NHL
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Kris Letang off of Injured Reserve today. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Jason Mackey tweeted that Letang was on the ice for the Penguins warmup skate before tonights game against the Nashville Predators. Letang suffered a lower-body injury January 14th against the Detroit Red Wings, and has been out ever since. The Penguins did not struggle without him, but adding Letang back into the mix should propel the Penguins higher atop the Metropolitan Division.
- The Penguins aren’t the only Metropolitan team getting their defenseman back. The Washington Capitals welcome John Carlson back to the ice after the young defenseman missed the last two weeks. Carlson suffered a lower body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 15. Carlson has 5G and 20A in 43 games so far for the Capitals and the leads all Capitals skaters in average ice time.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NHL plans to have two regular season games in Sweden next season, pending NHLPA approval. Dreger says that the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche will likely play each other in two games in November. Both teams have Swedish captains: Erik Karlsson for Ottawa and Gabriel Landeskog for Colorado. It is unclear whether both games will take place in one city or divided amongst two.
Injury Updates: Larkin, Anderson, Barkov
Injury updates around the NHL this evening:
- MLive’s Ansar Khan tweeted this evening that Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is cleared to play tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. The Red Wings placed Larkin on injured reserve on January 23rd with an upper-body injury. Larkin’s numbers this year have declined from last season’s breakout rookie performance. In 47 games Larkin scored 12G and 6A. Last season Larkin has 23G and 22A in 80 games. The Wings hope that Larkin’s return sparks an anemic offense that sits 21st in goals for. Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News believes that Drew Miller will be sent down to Grand Rapids to make room for Larkin’s return.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson returns to the team today, and is expected to start tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Anderson left the team in December to be with his wife Nicole as she battles cancer. It was the third time Anderson left the team this season, but the latest absence proved to be the longest as Anderson last started on December 5, 2016. The Senators look forward to Anderson’s return as they try and hold down a playoff spot in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
- Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov returns to practice for the first time since injuring his back on December 28, 2016. The Finnish forward has 9G and 18A in 36 games so far for the Panthers, and hopes to pick up right where he left off. Despite his absence, however, Barkov is taking it slow and not rushing his recovery. He says there is no timetable for his return, but practicing with the team is always a good sign.
Trade Candidates: Curtis Lazar
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
When the Ottawa Senators selected Curtis Lazar 17th overall in 2013, there were high hopes for the center out of the WHL. He lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a Memorial Cup, scoring 169 points in 199 games in the WHL. Lazar also captained Team Canada to the 2015 World Junior Championships (nine points in seven games) during a break in his NHL rookie season.
Unfortunately for Lazar and the Senators, it hasn’t been an easy transition to the NHL. In 2015-16, Lazar scored 20 points, which represents his current career-high. Because of his slow development, the Senators could look to move Lazar to give him a fresh start.
Contract
Lazar is a pending RFA, following his entry-level contract. His AAV is $895K.
2016-17
It’s been a trying year for Lazar. He started the season in the AHL after battling mononucleosis late in the summer. After 13 games with the Binghamton Senators, where he scored four points, he was recalled to the big club. Stuck on the fourth line, he has just one assist in 27 NHL games this season. His most common linemates are aging veterans Chris Kelly and Chris Neil. While the former first-round pick Lazar is expected to drive a line against weaker competition, Neil and Kelly aren’t exactly known for their offensive abilities, even at the peak of their careers.
Season Stats
27 games: 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point. 39.7 CF%, -6, 8:22 ATOI.
Potential Suitors
It’s unlikely that any playoff contenders will be interested in adding a one-assist fourth liner, but some tweener-teams could look to add Lazar with the hopes that a fresh start re-boots his career. The Islanders, Hurricanes, Lightning, Sabres, Devils, Flames, and Canucks are mid-range teams who could look to add a young player with solid potential.
The Lightning could use a young and cheap forward going into next year, after what is sure to be a tough summer. The Islanders, Hurricanes, and Sabres are all building teams who could use a young forward with potential. The Devils, Flames, and Canucks desperately need offence to take strides forward.
The Oilers could be a wildcard team in the Lazar sweepstakes, as he impressed during his time with the Oil Kings and there are former Oil Kings management members in the Oilers front office. Could the Senators look to acquire a different Oil King alum/ first-round pick looking for a fresh start in Griffin Reinhart?
Likelihood Of A Trade
Because of Lazar’s minimal impact on the Senators this season, it’s not impossible that Pierre Dorion would take a long look at trading the former first rounder, especially if the trade would benefit his team this season. Lazar is eligible to be selected by Vegas in this summer’s expansion draft, meaning the Senators will likely have to decide between Lazar, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Ryan Dzingel. Because Lazar has the highest pedigree, he would likely get the most in a trade. The Senators could trade Lazar and recoup at least a second round or equivalent asset, avoiding losing him for nothing to Vegas.
AHL Announces Realignment For 2017-18
The AHL is set to make some changes to its league structure yet again. The AHL’s president and CEO, Dave Andrews, made the annual AHL All-Star League Address this morning, and NHL.com’s Patrick Williams was on hand to relay the news. While Andrews commented on many issues across the minor league, the main announcement was that of divisional realignment coming before next season, to accommodate the movement of existing teams. The two new teams, of course, are re-located Canadian squads. The Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate, the St. John’s Ice Caps, are moving to Laval, Quebec to become the Laval Rocket. The Ottawa Senators are moving their affiliate, the Binghamton Senators of upstate New York, across the border to Belleville, Ontario.
The realignment plans come as somewhat of a surprise to many. The AHL has gone through massive alignment in recent years, with the move of many franchises to the west coast, including the rookie franchise Tuscon Roadrunners, but appeared to have found a good balance. The league is currently structured as the inverse of the NHL, with eight teams in each Western Conference division and seven teams in each Eastern Conference division, and neither of next year’s moves appears to be in conflict with that formula. While the Laval Rocket will no longer be as far east as St. John’s, Newfoundland, they will still be the most northeastern team in the league and were expected to remain in the North Division with fellow Canadian team, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Marlies franchise. Similarly, the move from Binghamton to Belleville is not exactly a geographic jump, and the AHL Senators were also expected to remain in the North Division. The AHL has not announced the specifics of the 2017-18 realignment just yet, but if it is prompted by these two moves, it is difficult at this point to pinpoint what changes may be made.
The AHL also has to consider future changes when realigning for next season. With the Ottawa Senators moving their team out of Binghamton to fill the void left by the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, the New Jersey Devils have jumped at a similar opportunity, announcing that the Albany Devils will replace the Senators in Binghamton, beginning in 2018-19. There is also the possibility that a 31st AHL franchise will be added as soon as next year to serve as the Vegas Golden Knight’s affiliate, and will certainly be added at some point in the next few years. Andrews briefly touched on the topic of new AHL locations, stating that the AHL will not be going to Kansas City, Missouri next year, nor have they had any talks with the abandoned Nassau Coliseum about putting a team in the Islanders’ old home. Andrews did confirm that talks of new locations are exclusive only to a new franchise right now, as there have been no discussions about moving the Vancouver Canucks’ affiliate, the Utica Comets, from New York to the west coast and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Charlotte Checkers franchise will not be moving either, but will potentially transfer to the Eastern Conference as part of realignment to better accommodate their coastal location. With many questions still yet to be answered regarding the structure of the AHL for next year and beyond, expect more news to continue coming out over the course of the next few months.
5 Key Stories: 1/23/17 – 1/29/17
Congratulations to the members of the Metro Division All-Star team, who capped off an entertaining three-on-three tournament by defeating the Pacific Division 4 – 3. It’s time for PHR’s weekly roundup of the five key stories from the week of 1/23/17 through 1/29/17.
Colorado center Matt Duchene, the subject of trade rumors for much of the season, expressed a willingness to being dealt to another club in comments made to The Denver Post this week. The talented pivot has two years remaining on a contract that comes with an AAV of $6MM and is sure to attract plenty of trade interest. The team is reportedly hoping to land at least a young, top-four defenseman and a high draft pick in return.
The Ottawa Senators added some bottom-six depth by acquiring veteran winger Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks for minor leaguers Zack Stortini and Buddy Robinson along with a seventh-round draft pick. Still just 28, Wingels could prove to be a solid pickup for the Senators. During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, the seven-year veteran combined for 31 goals and that’s the kind of production the Senators are hoping for. From the Sharks perspective, the trade cleared needed cap space with Tomas Hertl poised to come off of IR.
Looking for additional defensive depth, the Montreal Canadiens picked up Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league prospect Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round draft choice. Nesterov has tallied 12 points in 35 games this season and could provide solid value for the Habs as a long-term fit on their blue line. He carries a cap hit of $725K and will be a RFA this summer.
As he draws nearer unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, New York Islanders franchise center John Tavares indicated he is open to inking a long-term extension to remain on Long Island despite the team’s struggles this season. It’s not a surprising position for the #1 overall selection in the 2009 draft to take. There’s no point in limiting any option this far from free agency and a lot can change between now and July 1, 2018. Any way you look at it, Tavares is going to land a lucrative long-term deal, whether it’s with the Islanders or another franchise.
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado’s starting goaltender, will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a groin injury. Like many of his teammates, the 2016-17 campaign has not been a good one for the Russian netminder and now his season is going to be cut short. Varlamov will have two years remaining on a deal that comes with a $5.9MM cap hit and it will be interesting to see what the Avalanche, already rumored to be considering significant roster changes, do with their goaltending situation.
Afternoon Snapshots: Duchene, Wings’ Contracts, McLellan
Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun reports that it will cost a lot for the Ottawa Senators to acquire the Avalanche’s Matt Duchene. He adds that it would behoove the Sens to wait on any potential deal for Duchene. According to Garrioch, it would cost upwards to a first round pick, a top four defenseman, and a top prospect. Garrioch adds that the requests are “fantasy” like, and that Colorado might even ask for more should the trade market yield little fruit in the way of impact players. Though Pierre Dorion is looking to improve the roster, he won’t be that desperate to give up so much.
In other news around the league:
- TSN’s Travis Yost breaks down the nightmarish contracts the Red Wings have and it appears as bleak as it looks. He lists Henrik Zetterberg‘s deal as one that will bog the team down as he ages, noting that Zetterberg is not producing as he once did. He adds that Frans Nielsen is not living up to his rich and long term contract, but that at only 32, he’s still movable. It’s the contracts for Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader where Yost sharpens his criticism as the Wings threw money away on players hardly worth the financial investment (a combined $8.1MM cap hit). Those that passed the test? Gustav Nyquist. Though paid to be a goal scorer, Yost points out that Nyquist is a core player and there are other arguments out there defending Nyquist’s value. Mike Green is another name Yost brings up as worth the money. Regardless, it’s another indication that unless Ken Holland is prudent and crafty, the Wings are in for tough times ahead.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins believes that Edmonton bench boss Todd McLellan doesn’t get the credit he deserves in the Oilers’ turnaround. An underrated catalyst to the success of the Oilers, McLellan has Leavins’ vote for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the league’s best coach. To turn around a decade’s long culture of losing is impressive in itself. Leavins even points out that McLellan, a patient man who gets coaching advice while at Edmonton gas stations, is more than willing to accept blame for the team’s failures. Regardless of who deserves the credit for the Oilers turnaround, Leavins feels it’s a disservice to not give McLellan the lion’s share of the kudos.
Remembering The Early Trades From 2015-16
The month between the All-Star game and the NHL trade deadline is an interesting one. While most of the action happens right at the end, even sometimes extending past the official deadline due to trade calls, sometimes big moves happen early in February.
Last season, 33 trades happened in the last few days (from February 26-29) before the deadline, but there were also seven deals that happened in the weeks immediately after the All-Star break. Those deals were just as important to the futures of their teams as any made on the day itself. Let’s look back at the seven deals made between February 9th and 25th last season.
February 9th: Toronto trades Dion Phaneuf, Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and Cody Donaghey to Ottawa for Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Milan Michalek, Tobias Lindberg and a 2017 2nd-round pick.
Starting with a whopper, the Maple Leafs continued their drastic tear-down by trading their current captain and highest paid player to a cross-province and divisional rival. The Senators had been looking for another big-minute defenseman and thought Phaneuf could become that player for them.
While it hasn’t worked out perfectly for the Senators, Phaneuf has logged over 23 minutes a night since coming over and is having a fine if unspectacular season offensively this year. While his massive looks like an albatross on their books – he’ll have a cap-hit of $7MM (more than Erik Karlsson) until 2020-21 – the actual salary is much lower. The team also rid themselves of dead money in Cowen, Greening and Michalek and only had to pay the price of a middling prospect in Lindberg and what looks like a fairly late second-round pick.
Lou Lamoriello and the Maple Leafs worked some accounting magic, and have effectively rid themselves of the cap-hits for all three players, burying Greening and Michalek in the AHL and buying out Cowen after a lengthy dispute. Moving Phaneuf was an integral part of the plan going forward, and both teams are fighting for playoff spots a year later.
Minor Transactions: 1/27/2017
As is customary over the NHL’s All-Star weekend, many teams have begun the day with sending waivers-exempt players down to the minors for some salary cap savings over the next few days. No team has been as enthusiastic to move some bodies as the New Jersey Devils, who announced that nearly half of their defensive corps will take a short trip to Albany to visit the AHL Devils. Joining the recently demoted Yohann Auvitu this weekend will be Steve Santini, Seth Helgeson, and Karl Stollery. Although the trio has only played in a combined 26 games in 2016-17, Santini and Stollery have formed the bottom pair for the Devils of late with Auvitu, Andy Greene, and John Moore sidelined with injuries. Helgeson has generally been the seventh defenseman this season, spending most games in the press box, but getting to see the ice in five contests. The 29-year-old journeyman Stollery has played in just eight games, but is already having the best season of his NHL career, recording his first big-league points and playing about 16 minutes per night.The rookie Santini has shown promise so far in the first half, skating in 13 games and scoring two goals and three assists while playing a sound defensive game as well. Expect Santini and at least one of Stollery and Helgeson to be back up in New Jersey after a brief break.
Elsewhere in minor moves:
- Another Metropolitan team has moved a majority of one position down to the AHL, but it should come as welcome news to the fans. The Carolina Hurricanes announced that, after a long hiatus dealing with concussion symptoms, goalie Eddie Lack has been activated from the injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for a rehab stint. With Cam Ward having played in 41 of 48 games for the ‘Canes, including 22 of the last 24, he, the organization, and the fans will be happy to have Lack back in the fold as soon as possible. Joining him in the minors will be his recent replacement, veteran Michael Leighton, whose demotion could be more of the permanent variety this time around. However, Leighton, who is the AHL’s all-time leading goalie in games played, will at least get to participate in the AHL All-Star Game upon his return.
- The Washington Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the time being. Unlike his last call-up to the Caps, Stephenson got to see some game action during this last trip. Though the young center was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point through 11 games, Stephenson played confidently in the past two contests and has earned another promotion in the near future.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have again returned forward Markus Hannikainen to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The big Finnish winger, playing in just his second season in North America, scored his first NHL goal in the Jackets’ 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, his only game action on this trip to Columbus.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Casey Nelson has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Nelson has done his best to help Buffalo out with their rash of blue line injuries this season, but has struggled to make much of a difference in nine scoreless games.
- After his recent NHL debut and first career goal, the Arizona Coyotes’ Christian Fischer gets to continue his highlight-reel week by heading to the AHL All-Star Game. The Coyotes announced his demotion, but more than anything the move allows the AHL to honor the league’s top rookie in the first half of the season before he likely heads back to the NHL for the second half.
- In addition to placing Michael Bournival and Gabriel Dumont on waivers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have demoted forward Erik Condra to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, which has become common this season. The bottom-six groupings are set to change drastically following the All-Star break.
- The Ottawa Senators have activated Andrew Hammond from the injured reserve, and in a corresponding move and have sent down Chris Driedger to the Binghampton Senators of the AHL. However, this only partially helps the Sens’ logjam in net. Mike Condon has taken over as the starter with Hammond out and Craig Anderson on leave since early December, but with both soon back in the fold, Ottawa will still be carrying three goalies. Expect another move sooner rather than later.
- The San Jose Sharks are using All-Star weekend to get a whole group of guys some play time. The team announced that Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, and Tim Heed have all be reassigned to the AHL Barracuda and will join the team in Michigan tonight for a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
- After just recalling Ivan Barbashev to replace the injured Kyle Brodziak, the St. Louis Blues have returns the AHL All-Star to the Chicago Wolves for this weekend. Expect he, or fellow All-Star Kenny Agostino, or possibly both, to be right back with the Blue after the break.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled goalie Anton Khudobin from the Providence Bruins and reassigned rookie keeper Zane McIntyre to the AHL. While McIntyre’s demotion was expected, as he has been the best goalie in the AHL this year and a highlight of the AHL All-Star Game, the subsequent recall of Khudobin could signal that the Bruins are ready to return to the veteran as their backup to begin the second half of the season.
- The Winnipeg Jets returned Brian Strait to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, one day after recalling the six-year veteran defenseman from the minors, the team announced via Twitter. Strait was a healthy scratch last night as the Jets took a 5-3 decision from Chicago. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound blue liner has yet to see action in the NHL this season but has appeared in 182 regular season contests over parts of six seasons with the Pittsburgh and New York Islanders organizations.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to flip-flop backup goalies, sending Joonas Korpisalo to Cleveland of the AHL and recalling Anton Forsberg from the same affiliate. The team announced the corresponding transactions via Twitter. Forsberg has made just one appearance this season for Columbus, allowing four goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss to Carolina. Korpisalo has won two of his three starts and has appeared in four games overall.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Carter Rowney back to the AHL after just a day with the big club. The forward came up last night with Evgeni Malkin out, but didn’t make it into the game against the Boston Bruins. Rowney will need to wait for his next shot with the big club.
- The Anaheim Ducks have signed some depth between the pipes, inking ECHL netminder Ryan Faragher to a one-year deal. The 26-year old Faragher has been in their system since 2014, but wasn’t under a pro-deal until now. He’ll earn $575K if he should ever make it to the NHL (which he most likely will not, unless something drastic happens in Anaheim) and $50K in the AHL.