Flames Sign Daniil Miromanov To Two-Year Extension
The Calgary Flames have signed their newest member, Daniil Miromanov, to a two-year, $2.5MM contract extension, per Miromanov’s agent Dan Milstein. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun shares that the new deal will carry an annual cap hit of $1.25MM. Calgary acquired Miromanov alongside a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in the Wednesday evening trade that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights. He was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, finishing off a two-year, $1.525MM deal signed with Vegas in June of 2022.
Miromanov joined the Golden Knights organization in March of 2021, signing as an undrafted free agent at the end of the KHL season. He recorded two assists across 11 AHL games to close out the year, including the playoffs. The 2021-22 season would more formally kick off Miromanov’s career, and the excitement around him, after the defenseman managed 11 goals and 40 points in 53 AHL games and recorded his first 11 NHL games in spot starts throughout the season. He’s since continued to split time between the AHL and NHL, proving plenty productive in the minor leagues but struggling to carry that scoring to Vegas. Miromanov has 72 points in 84 career AHL games, but just seven points in 29 career NHL games.
An undisclosed injury earned Miromanov a place on Vegas’ season-opening injured reserve. He was activated to play on February 4th and has since played in five AHL games and four NHL games.
The Calgary Flames are clearly excited about Miromanov’s long-term outlook, signing the 26-year-old to a seven-figure extension before he played 30 games in the league. The Flames’ defense has been completely dismantled this season, with the team trading Hanifin, Nikita Zadorov, and Chris Tanev and losing Nick DeSimone on waivers. This has created plenty of opportunity for new defenders to carve out a big role, with Miromanov likely set to compete with former Golden Knights teammate Brayden Pachal for the right-hand spot on Calgary’s third pairing. Calgary currently carries eight defensemen, including recent waiver claim Joel Hanley and healthy scratch Dennis Gilbert.
Golden Knights Acquire Noah Hanifin From Flames
9:23 p.m.: The Vegas Golden Knights have announced the full trade package – sending a 2025 first-round pick, a conditional 2025 third-round pick, and defenseman Daniil Miromanov to the Flames. The first-round pick carries top-10 protection, while the third-round pick will upgrade to a 2024 second-round pick if Vegas advances to the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Vegas also sent a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers to broker the deal. Calgary retained 25 percent of Hanifin’s $4.95MM cap hit, while Philadelphia retained 50 percent, meaning he’ll only count towards $1.2375MM of Vegas’ salary cap. Philadelphia sent the rights to 27-year-old centerman Mikhail Vorobyov to Vegas to facilitate the salary retention.
Vorobyov played in 35 NHL games across the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season, scoring two goals and five points. He’s spent each of the last four seasons in Russia’s KHL, including the last three with routine heavyweight SKA St. Petersburg. Vorobyov has 112 points across 194 KHL games since the 2020-21 season.
5:28 p.m.: Even after acquiring Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals yesterday, the Vegas Golden Knights were not done adding to their current roster. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that the Golden Knights would be acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that defenseman Daniil Miromanov is heading from Vegas to Calgary as part of the return.
Not only will Vegas be adding a top defenseman to their already loaded defensive core, but Darren Dreger of TSN reports the two sides are working on a contract extension as well, although Friedman did pour some cold water on that scenario later. Since Hanifin will be a member of the Golden Knights before the trade deadline, he is eligible to sign an eight-year deal in Vegas.
With Alec Martinez being placed on the team’s injured reserve earlier this morning, Vegas had an opening next to top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Factoring in the recent activation of Shea Theodore, the Golden Knights have once again put together a top defensive core leading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As the defending Stanley Cup champions, Vegas will likely represent Hanifin’s best opportunity to win Lord Stanley’s trophy for the first time in his career. There are some personal ties as well for Hanifin in Nevada, as he did play with star center Jack Eichel a decade ago on the United States National Junior Development Team.
Suppose the Flames are willing to retain 50% of Hanifin’s salary. In that case, a deal became feasible, as Vegas was only $500k from being able to absorb Hanifin’s full salary for the rest of the season. Still holding on to their first-round pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and a moderate prospect pool to deal from, the makings of a deal came to fruition rather quickly between the two teams.
Kings Sign Jacob Ingham To One-Year Deal
The Kings have added another goalie under NHL contract, inking depth netminder Jacob Ingham to a one-year, two-way deal with a $775K cap hit. He was promptly loaned to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits without being placed on waivers.
Ingham, 23, was a sixth-round pick of the Kings in 2018. He stayed with the Kings’ AHL and ECHL affiliates after turning pro in 2020, but a back injury cost him the entire 2022-23 campaign and caused the Kings not to issue him a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired last summer. As such, Ingham became a UFA and could sign a contract with any NHL club.
He remained in the Kings organization nonetheless, inking an AHL contract with their affiliate, the Ontario Reign, to continue developing in the organization. Ingham has responded with his best showing in the pros, posting a 3-2-0 record and .917 SV% in six appearances with the Reign and a career-high .918 SV% and 16-6-1 record in 25 games with ECHL Greenville.
The Kings regain his exclusive NHL rights by signing Ingham to a deal for the remainder of the season. Given his age, he’ll be an RFA this summer if the Kings issue him a qualifying offer, which looks like a likely scenario given his continued development in the minors and their lack of other notable young netminders signed other than former University of Michigan standout Erik Portillo.
Flames’ Martin Pospisil Suspended Three Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday that Flames winger Martin Pospisil has been suspended for three games for boarding Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn in the third period of Monday’s game. His suspension opens a roster spot for the Flames as they continue to work out a trade to send top-four blue-liner Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights.
Pospisil was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play. Dunn sustained an apparent head injury and did not return for the game’s final minutes.
The Department of Player Safety said Pospisil’s actions constituted supplemental discipline because “the onus is on Pospisil to avoid this hit entirely, change his angle of approach and deliver this check legally, or, at the very least, minimize the impact of this hit. Instead, with time to make a different decision, Pospisil chooses to drive Dunn forcefully into the boards from behind.”
Pospisil, 24, has not been fined or suspended throughout his 45-game NHL career. Since making his Flames debut in early November, the 2018 fourth-round pick has worked his way into a full-time role, posting six goals, nine assists, and 15 points with a +8 rating. The Zvolen, Slovakia native has demonstrated a willingness to play on the edge and has gotten burned for it, garnering 72 PIMs. It’s otherwise been a promising rookie season for Pospisil, who boasts a 53.5 CF% at even strength and a +0.9 expected rating while logging 12:06 per game.
His suspension means Nazem Kadri is now without both his most common linemates this season, Pospisil and rookie Connor Zary. Zary is on injured reserve and listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. In their absence, Kadri is expected to center midseason trade pickup Andrei Kuzmenko and 2019 first-round pick Jakob Pelletier.
Latest On Tyler Toffoli
The Devils are one of a handful of teams potentially in both buy and sell modes ahead of Friday’s deadline. A goaltending upgrade remains a short-term and long-term necessity, but as they’re now eight points out of a playoff spot with three wins in their last 10 games, it might behoove GM Tom Fitzgerald to recoup some value on their pending UFAs.
Their leading goal scorer, Tyler Toffoli, is the most prominent name on that list. While the Devils reportedly prefer to continue discussing an extension with their number-two winger, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Toffoli is still a candidate to be on the move in the next two days and could garner a significant return.
Kings fans may wish for a reunion with the winger, who won a Stanley Cup in Los Angeles as a rookie in 2014, as they deal with injuries to Viktor Arvidsson and Adrian Kempe down the stretch. That could still be in the cards, as GM Rob Blake had reported interest in Toffoli last week.
A Pacific Division rival is creating some competition, though. The Golden Knights, who are still finalizing a massive trade to land top-pairing defender Noah Hanifin and have already added winger Anthony Mantha for added scoring depth this week, have also demonstrated interest in Toffoli, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
A Toffoli trade likely isn’t indicative of a step back in the Devils’ rebuild. Nearing completion of a four-year, $17MM deal signed with the Canadiens in 2020 that’s seen him traded twice, Toffoli and the Devils haven’t agreed on the length of a potential extension as of Tuesday. It doesn’t appear there’s been progress in the last 24 hours, making it a prudent move on Fitzgerald’s part to retain assets for Toffoli instead of potentially letting him walk for nothing on July 1. Moving him out at the deadline doesn’t mean New Jersey couldn’t circle back with Toffoli if he heads to market over the summer.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic says not to expect a trade tonight, so the Devils will continue gauging the market tomorrow and potentially Friday morning before electing to move him.
Kings Sign Jacob Moverare To Two-Year Extension
The Kings signed defenseman Jacob Moverare to a two-year contract extension Wednesday, per a team release. The deal carries the league minimum salary of $775K in both seasons, making him a UFA upon expiry in 2026.
While the timing of such an extension may seem random, it’s likely a calculated move by the Kings’ front office. The team placed Moverare on waivers earlier Wednesday in an attempt to assign him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, and attaching an additional two seasons to his term is likely to dissuade teams from placing a claim for short-term help.
Moverare, 25, was selected by Los Angeles in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Despite signing his entry-level contract just a few days after the draft, it took him a while to join the Kings. He spent two seasons in major junior hockey with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and another two seasons with Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League before making his North American professional debut with the Reign in 2021.
He’s since played in 31 games for the Kings, recording two assists and a +1 rating while averaging 15:50 per outing over the last three years. 10 of those showings have come this season, during which time he’s been held without a point but has decent possession impacts with a +0.9 expected rating and a sparkling 65.3% expected goals share through 75 minutes partnered with Matt Roy, per MoneyPuck.
A decent two-way presence at the minor-league level, Moverare also has 18 points and a +16 rating in 34 games with the Reign this year. He doesn’t grade out as much more than a seventh defender on a contending team. Still, he’s shown the ability this season to be inserted into the lineup without being a liability.
Moverare was to be a Group VI UFA this summer after completing a two-year, $1.525MM extension signed with the Kings in June 2022. While his cap hit increases slightly from $762.5K to $775K, he isn’t getting a pay raise – the second year of his extension was structured as a one-way deal with a $775K salary, the same as what he’ll earn for the next two years.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Pavol Regenda, Glenn Gawdin
After trading away Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers earlier today, the Anaheim Ducks had two roster spots up front that needed to be filled. To solve the problem, the team has recalled Pavol Regenda and Glenn Gawdin from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
With both Regenda and Gawdin serving as offensive depth options for the organization, neither has played in an NHL game yet this season. Lining up in a contest against the Ottawa Senators tonight, both will likely make their season debut.
Signed out of Slovakia last year, Regenda has been more than solid at the AHL level. Factoring in a 13-goal, 29-point performance in 38 games for the Gulls this season, Regenda has scored 29 goals and 54 points in 88 total games over his short minor-league career. Even though he is already 24 years old, Regenda has every opportunity to be a main piece in Anaheim’s middle-six next year.
As more of a veteran presence, Gawdin is very similar to Regenda as far as production. With limited experience at the NHL level playing for the Ducks and the Calgary Flames, Gawdin has been much more productive in the AHL. With over 300 games played over the last six seasons, Gawdin has scored 80 goals and 221 points in total, making him one of the more consistent offensive threats in the minors.
Avalanche Notes: Foudy, Pavel, Nichushkin, O’Connor
A few hours ago, the Colorado Avalanche made a pair of trades, sending Ryan Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers as a part of a trade to land Sean Walker in the Mile High City, as well as sending Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt. In doing so, with both Walker and Mittelstadt unavailable to the team tonight, two roster spots opened up in the active lineup before the team’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
To solve the issue, the Avalanche have recalled forwards Jean-Luc Foudy and Ondrej Pavel from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Both players should feature in the team’s bottom six, with Foudy taking over as the center of the third line, and Pavel joining Chris Wagner and Andrew Cogliano on the team’s fourth line.
Both players have primarily played on the Eagles this season, with Pavel registering one game with the Avalanche back in November. At the AHL level, Pavel has suited up in 48 games for the Eagles, scoring three goals and seven points in total. Foudy, however, has had his season severely limited by injury, only registering 12 games in the AHL, scoring two goals and six points up to this point.
Other notes:
- Making his way back from the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the Avalanche are hoping that forward Valeri Nichushkin will be able to make his way back to the lineup on Friday against the Minnesota Wild (X Link). Although not playing since early January, Nichushkin is still sitting fourth on the team in scoring, putting up 22 goals and 42 points in his first 40 games this year.
- Another player who will not be in the lineup for Colorado tonight will be forward Logan O’Connor, who is out with a lower-body injury according to Ryan Boulding of the NHL. Previously missing time in mid-February with a similar injury, O’Connor has still put together a quality season for the Avalanche. Suiting up in 57 games for Colorado this season, O’Connor has scored 13 goals and 25 points overall, with three of those goals coming on the penalty kill.
Pacific Notes: Canucks, Emberson, Bordeleau, Barabanov
Pittsburgh Penguins beat writer, Josh Yohe, is reporting that although several teams remain in the mix for forward Jake Guentzel, the Vancouver Canucks have been far and away the most aggressive team. This reaffirms multiple reports over the last several days listing the Canucks as one of the top suitors for Guentzel’s services.
Yesterday there was a report from TSN’s Chris Johnston, which indicated that Vancouver was working on a potential trade that would land them Guentzel as well as shipping Elias Lindholm to the Boston Bruins. With just over 48 hours left until the trade deadline, a trade of this magnitude may have too many moving parts to be completed, but would be a fascinating shift from Vancouver after acquiring Lindholm just over a month ago.
In his own right, Guentzel does make a lot of sense for a team like the Canucks, with many of the team’s top players having minimal playoff experience throughout their careers. Playing for the Penguins over his entire career, Guentzel has been a standout playoff performer, scoring 34 goals and 58 points in 58 postseason games as well as a Stanley Cup ring in 2017.
Other Pacific notes:
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- In an announcement coming from the organization, the San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Ty Emberson on injured reserve, and have recalled forward Thomas Bordeleau in a corresponding roster move. This will mark Emberson’s third stint on the IR this season, losing time in December and January as well. However, when healthy, he has been a solid performer in San Jose this season, scoring one goal and 10 points in 30 games played, coupled with a 91.7% save percentage in all situations as well. Bordeleau, on the other hand, has only appeared in six games for the Sharks this season, scoring one goal and one assist while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per night.
- Sticking with the Sharks, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that extension talks have broken down between the team and forward Alexander Barabanov, and they are actively shopping the veteran to a Stanley Cup contender. Experiencing something of a down season due to injuries earlier in the year, Barabanov has only been able to muster 10 points in 38 games for the Sharks this season. However, Barabanov is only one year removed from a 15-goal, 47-point performance, which may entice some contenders as a secondary-scoring option down the stretch.
New York Rangers Acquire Alexander Wennberg
3:11 pm: The Rangers have made the trade official, announcing that Wennberg will be headed east to New York.
2:18 pm: With a flurry of trade activity today, the New York Rangers have decided to enter into the madness. Emily Kaplan of ESPN is reporting that the Rangers are working on a deal with the Seattle Kraken that would land Alexander Wennberg in the Big Apple.
TSN’s Pierre Lebrun is reporting that the deal is done, indicating that the Kraken will be receiving the Rangers 2024 second-round pick, as well as New York’s fourth-round pick in 2025. Seattle will also be retaining 50% of Wennberg’s remaining salary, bringing his AAV down to $2.25MM with the Rangers.
Ever since the Rangers lost center Filip Chytil back in November due to a concussion, the team has been looking to fill the void for nearly the entire season. The organization has tried both Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski in this role but had their eye on a bona fide forward to add down the middle.
Not as much of an offensive threat as he was during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the addition of Wennberg should help in multiple areas of the Rangers lineup. Initially, he is readily available to center the team’s third line, and will also be able to serve on the team’s penalty kill unit as well.
Coming over to Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in the 2021-22 offseason, Wennberg is in the last year of a three-year, $13.5MM contract. Throughout his tenure in Seattle, Wennberg has played in a total of 142 games for the expansion franchise over the last three years, scoring 22 goals and 63 points in the process.
Although Wennberg doesn’t have the amount of success in the dot teams might be expecting out of their bottom-six centers, his possession metrics show that he brings solid defensive awareness to the table. Wennberg will also be able to help a New York penalty kill unit that is already top five in the league, recording an 83.15% success rate being a man down.
The General Manager of the Kraken, Ron Francis, is using a similar deadline strategy as he used two years ago, as he went on to acquire 10 total draft selections leading up to the deadline in 2022. In this deal, Seattle will now have five total selections in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft, and 17 total selections over the next two years.