Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Dysin Mayo
The Vegas Golden Knights have added some defensive depth, acquiring Dysin Mayo from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick and the contract of de facto retired defenseman Shea Weber. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report the deal.
Vegas immediately assigned Mayo to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
Mayo may not be an NHL impact player for Vegas, but he does provide a huge boost in organizational depth for the future. He has recent experience as a full-time NHLer, forced into tough minutes with the Coyotes last year on a paper-thin blueline. After recording four goals and eight assists in 67 games, Mayo was rewarded with a three-year, $2.85MM contract extension from the Coyotes.
That means Mayo will be a Knight for two seasons after this, and the 26-year-old could be an important piece for Henderson as the relatively new AHL franchise continues to settle into life in the desert. In 26 games with AHL Tucson this season, where he’s spent more than six seasons, he recorded two goals and five assists in 26 games. He had 15 games up with the Coyotes, failing to record a point in his second NHL tryout.
A fifth-round pick is certainly fair value for a call-up option with a full season’s worth of NHL experience. Shedding Weber’s contract, which was due at a $7.86MM cap hit through 2026, makes maneuvering the offseason salary cap much easier for Vegas as they look to build some long-term financial stability.
PuckPedia notes that the Coyotes only owe Weber under $3MM in actual money for the remainder of the contract. Acquiring the deal also aids Arizona in reaching the salary cap floor, as they still have just $52.8MM in cap charges next season.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Aatu Raty, Guillaume Brisebois
The Vancouver Canucks announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled forward Aatu Raty and defenseman Guillaume Brisebois from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, also assigning forward Phillip Di Giuseppe to Abbotsford.
This could be Canucks fans’ first look at Raty in the NHL. Raty, still just 20 years old, was the centerpiece of the trade return for captain Bo Horvat when he was dealt to the New York Islanders late last month. After a strong start with the Islanders’ farm team in Bridgeport, though, it’s been a tough adjustment for Raty in Abbotsford. He has just one assist in eight games since joining the AHL Canucks.
It’s likely best not to read too much into Raty’s offensive struggles post-trade. A mid-season, coast-to-coast move across country borders would be understandably taxing on the young Finn. He’ll now get his second chance in the NHL this season after recording two goals in 12 games with the Islanders before the trade.
Raty and Brisebois will join the Canucks in St. Louis as they wrap up a road swing through the Central Division. Brisebois, a 25-year-old defenseman, has posted a goal and five assists in 36 games with Abbotsford this season. He saw time up with Vancouver in late October 2022, recording his first NHL point in a brief three-game stint.
Di Giuseppe, who signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to the Canucks last July, has recorded two goals and an assist in nine games with Vancouver this season. The 29-year-old will look to continue his strong offensive pace in Abbotsford, where he’s combined for 25 goals and 41 assists in 75 games since 2021.
Three Players Placed On Waivers
Three forwards have hit the waiver wire today. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joey Anderson, Florida Panthers center Chris Tierney, and Anaheim Ducks winger Justin Kirkland are on today’s list, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
For the Maple Leafs, this is one more step in a long list of salary cap management moves this season. As the team looks to add one more small piece after acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues, every dollar of salary cap space matters. If Anderson clears waivers, they have the flexibility to shuttle him and his cap hit up and down to the AHL through the trade deadline.
Anderson has slowly moved up the Toronto depth chart over his three seasons there, and he’s played more NHL games this season than the last two combined. The 24-year-old has two goals and an assist in 14 games this year.
With Anthony Duclair nearing a return to action, the Panthers need to create some roster flexibility as well. Tierney had already cleared waivers once preseason, but after spending most of the past three months on the NHL roster, he’ll need to clear again in order for Florida to assign him to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Tierney, 28, is averaging under nine minutes of ice time this year and has three points in 13 games with Florida.
Kirkland landing on waivers today signifies he’s healthy again after sustaining an undisclosed injury in early January. The 26-year-old AHL mainstay made his NHL debut this season but has yet to register his first NHL point.
Jesper Froden Recalled From AHL
The Seattle Kraken have recalled Jesper Froden from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, potentially giving him a chance to make his season debut against his old team. This is Froden’s first call-up since joining the Kraken last summer on a one-year, two-way deal.
The 28-year-old undrafted forward has been outstanding for the Firebirds, scoring 25 goals and 47 points in 44 games. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given how well he played for the Providence Bruins in his first year of North American professional hockey in 2021-22. That success didn’t carry over to his short stint with Boston, though, as Froden scored just a single goal in seven games.
If you want an example of hard work and determination, consider that Froden played six full seasons in the Swedish second tier before even getting a chance to play in the SHL. He would be named the SHL Rookie of the Year in 2020 after his long-awaited debut, and join the Swedish World Championship squad in 2021, scoring four points in five games. A contract with the Bruins followed, and now his chance to make an impact with Seattle.
While he is not a prospect, there must be a little excitement for the Kraken if Froden gets into the lineup. He has scored at every level so far; perhaps he can continue that trend in the NHL with a team willing to offer a fresh start to struggling offensive talents.
Injury Updates: Johansen, Danforth, Muzzin
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen will be out of the lineup after surgery this morning. While little is known about the specifics of the procedure, it is worth noting that Johansen left the Predators’ 5-4 shootout win last night with an apparent leg injury.
Johansen has struggled at times throughout this season, with just 28 points in 55 games. Nashville as a team has failed to live up to pre-season expectations and could be an interesting team before the trade deadline as they sit seven points out of the final wild card position. Predators GM David Poile has never been shy about adding to his team in previous deadlines, but Johansen’s injury may push the veteran GM to be a seller.
Some other injury updates:
- Although the Columbus Blue Jackets are gearing up to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline, it does appear that one player could be returning to their lineup this season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that forward Justin Danforth is skating 4-5 times per week and hopes to play again this year. Danforth was expected to miss 4-6 months after his surgery in late October to repair a labral tear, meaning that a late-season return could fall right in his expected recovery window.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have addressed the short term future of defenseman Jake Muzzin this afternoon. After meeting several specialists it was announced that Muzzin will be kept out of the lineup for the rest of the season. Muzzin suffered a cervical spine injury in October and has only appeared in four games for the Maple Leafs. Muzzin is signed through 2023-24 at a cap hit of $5.625MM, and his absence has left a large gap on Toronto’s backend. Many NHL insiders expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to add to the defense before the March 3rd trade deadline as they push to win a playoff round for the first time since 2004.
Dylan Larkin Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
The Detroit Red Wings will escape Washington with two points and their captain’s availability intact. Dylan Larkin has avoided a suspension and was instead given a $5,000 fine—the maximum allowable under the CBA—for his cross-check on T.J. Oshie last night.
Larkin was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for the play, which happened partway through the first period. Missing more than two periods likely impacted the decision, though the Red Wings were still able to fight off the Capitals for a 3-1 win, thanks to two unassisted goals from Pius Suter.
Whether intentional or not, Larkin delivered a forceful blow directly to the face of Oshie as he tried to slow him down coming out of the zone. He is rather fortunate to escape without at least a one-game ban, especially given the important match tomorrow against the New York Rangers.
Detroit is in a race for one of the wildcard positions in the Eastern Conference and sit just two games behind the Florida Panthers with four games in hand. If they can continue their recent hot streak—the Red Wings are winners of seven of their last ten—they have a chance of making the playoffs this season. Larkin, with 56 points in 55 games, is a big part of that.
The incident ended a pretty significant streak, too. Larkin had scored seven goals and 13 points over a seven-game point streak going into the game against Washington but had it snapped when he played just 2:54 before exiting.
New York Islanders Recall Otto Koivula
The New York Islanders have made a roster swap, sending Andy Andreoff to the AHL while recalling Otto Koivula ahead of tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Andreoff, 31, has played in three games so far this season, recording one assist in just 22 total minutes of ice time. The veteran winger has been mostly a minor league player for his decade-long professional career and has suited up just nine times with New York since joining the organization in 2021.
For the Bridgeport Islanders, though, he’s been a key player, scoring 20 goals in just 46 games this season. With Bridgeport entering a key three-in-four stretch over the next few days, he’ll be a welcome reinforcement.
Koivula, meanwhile, has played just one game for New York, the 21st of his NHL career. The 24-year-old forward has 25 points in 45 games for Bridgeport and continues to bounce up and down whenever the organization needs an extra body at the NHL level.
West Notes: Karlsson, Kane, Krug
Edmonton Oilers fans’ dreams of two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson being traded to oil country might have to wait to become a reality. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that a deal between the Oilers and San Jose Sharks for Karlsson is considered “unlikely,” for mainly financial reasons. Pagnotta reports that while the Sharks are willing to retain two or three million dollars off of Karlsson’s deal, the Oilers want the Sharks to retain a more significant portion, around $5MM, if not more.
As a result, Pagnotta says that “it sounds like there haven’t been any recent serious discussions between the two clubs as a result” of those financial disagreements. The rationale for the Oilers to want to acquire Karlsson is very real, as he’s a Norris Trophy frontrunner with 76 points in 58 games. But asking San Jose to take on such a large number of dead cap dollars for the foreseeable future is a major ask, and it’s understandable that the Sharks balked at the prospect of making such a deal. According to Pagnotta, the Oilers could be pivoting to new targets, such as Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg, and Arizona Coyotes blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere.
Some other notes from across the Western Conference:
- As relayed by NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis, Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson gave an update on the team’s situation with top trade candidate Patrick Kane. Davidson said that he is in “constant contact” with Kane’s representatives, but hasn’t yet heard a decision on whether Kane wants to be dealt and is willing to waive his trade protection. While Kane has had some health issues and scored less than he’d likely have hoped he would, his decision on a trade is still one of massive importance, as Kane is likely at or near the top of quite a few contending teams’ trade deadline wishlists.
- The St. Louis Blues announced that defenseman Torey Krug left tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury. It’s another stroke of bad luck for Krug, who has dealt with lingering injury issues recently. Krug’s performance this season has mirrored the Blues as a whole: inconsistent and largely disappointing. The veteran defenseman, who is on a $6.5MM AAV contract through 2027, has scored just 22 points in 40 games, a decline from last season when he scored 43 points in 64 games. Hopefully, this injury is not connected to what Krug has been dealing with in recent weeks and this absence was just a precautionary measure.
Trade Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings
The trade deadline looms and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Los Angeles Kings
The rebuild is over in Los Angeles. After a three-season stretch where the Kings languished near the bottom of the standings, the Kings climbed out of the basement last season, making the playoffs for the first time under head coach Todd McLellan. While they would fall to the Edmonton Oilers in a hard-fought seven-game series, the team left the 2021-22 season highly encouraged about the future of their franchise. So far this season, the Kings have largely supported that attitude with quality play.
The Kings are just a point behind the Vegas Golden Knight for first place in the Pacific Division. Centerpiece offseason acquisition Kevin Fiala has fit in about as well as anyone could have imagined. He’s leading the team with 61 points in 57 games, and behind him, the Kings have a balanced group of scorers led by franchise legend Anze Kopitar, two-way force Phillip Danault, a now-extended Adrian Kempe, and a resurgent Drew Doughty, among others. This is a team that has been ramping up for true contention for quite a bit of time now, and might just be ready to take their first big swing.
Record
32-18-7, 2nd in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$2.81MM in current space, $3.51MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2023: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, PIT 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th
2024: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th
Trade Chips
The most obvious of the Kings’ trade chips can be identified by taking just a quick look at the team’s cap sheet. Goaltender Cal Petersen is currently playing in Ontario, with Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, and is costing the Kings $3.875MM against the cap, which is the value of his $5MM cap hit once the Kings “bury” it in the AHL. the issue is, since the deal has two years left after the conclusion of this season, moving Petersen is easier said than done.
There aren’t many teams across the NHL who can afford to take in money with term without moving money out to match. We saw this last summer when the Montreal Canadiens dealt Jeff Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins and received Mike Matheson in return, with Canadiens GM Kent Hughes later commenting on the fact that it was next to impossible to find a suitable deal for Petry without taking a contract back.
Those kinds of deals can be exceptionally difficult to complete in the middle of a season, so while it seems likely that the Kings would love to deal Petersen before the deadline, it seems highly unlikely that they’d actually be able to find a suitable trade. His .868 save percentage this season and .895 last year is simply too big of a cloud over his head for him to be a simple player to move.
If the Kings want to acquire a significant player to add to their lineup for the rest of this season and beyond, they’ll likely need to pull from a well-stocked prospect cupboard. A few names stick out in that regard, and no, the Kings probably won’t be trading top prospect Brandt Clarke, despite some earlier reports. Instead, a prime candidate to be moved from the Kings’ prospect pool appears to be 2019 fifth-overall selection, Alex Turcotte. The aggressive, pace-pushing forward has struggled with injuries and underperformance since turning pro after one season at the University of Wisconsin, and he has thus far been unable to break into the NHL in the way other 2019 lottery picks have.
Perhaps a team that had Turcotte high on their draft board in 2019, a team that still believes in his upside, would be willing to prioritize acquiring Turcotte when dealing with Los Angeles. It’s worth noting here in terms of potential interest that Kirby Dach, once a fellow underperforming top 2019 draft pick, net his former club the 13th overall pick at the 2022 draft via trade, and now Dach is flourishing with his new club.
At this trade deadline, the Kings could look to follow that model with Turcotte, except with the return likely coming in the form of a useful player rather than a top draft choice.
Other Potential Trade Chips: D Tobias Bjornfot, D Sean Durzi, C Tyler Madden, D Helge Grans
Team Needs
1) Left-Shot Defenseman: While most might look at the performance of the Kings’ goalies and say that that position is undoubtedly their top need, 31-year-old Pheonix Copley just signed a contract extension and has a 17-3-1 record this season. While the Kings should definitely explore upgrades in the crease, it feels that upgrading the left side of their defense should be the more pressing priority. The team’s current stable of left-handed blueliners is extremely thin behind the underrated Michael Anderson. Their top two left-shot options behind him are 36-year-old veteran Alexander Edler and Tobias Bjornfot, who is still largely unproven. Adding a capable top-four (or better) left-shot blueliner would do wonders for the overall makeup of their lineup. And for those who’d prefer a new goalie, adding to the Kings’ defense will also help their goalies as well.
1) A Quality Goalie: As mentioned, Copley has stolen the show in Los Angeles with his impressive record through 23 games. But if the Kings want a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup, they might want a more reliable face in their crease beyond a player with 54 games of NHL experience and Jonathan Quick, who for all his accomplishments is 37 years old and has an .878 save percentage this season. Netminders such as Joonas Korpisalo, Semyon Varlamov, Cam Talbot, or even Karel Vejmelka could be available and each would present a solid investment for a team with a shaky-at-best situation at the game’s most important position. The Kings have made a deadline-season goalie acquisition before, and it didn’t work out well for them, but they can’t let that history stop them from making what would likely be a very helpful addition this time around.
Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Ovechkin, Konecny, Schmid
Alex Ovechkin is expected back in the Washington Capitals lineup later this week. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that the Capitals star will return to the Washington area on Wednesday and could make his return to the lineup as soon as Thursday night. The Russian sniper has been away from the team since February 12th, dealing with the death of his father, Mikhail.
The team has told Ovechkin to take the time he needs before returning to the lineup, but Kaplan reports that he will likely return either Thursday or Saturday. The Capitals host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday before taking on the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Ovechkin has continued his torrid goal-scoring pace this season with 32 goals and 54 points in 54 games played. He will look to boost the Capitals playoff chances upon his return as they sit just outside the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
- Travis Konecny will miss tonight’s Philadelphia Flyers contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Flyers beat reporter Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports Konecny has an upper-body injury and will be assessed by medical staff when the team returns home. The Flyers wrap up a four-game western road trip tonight and will be looking to tighten things up defensively after allowing 15 goals in the previous three games. They will miss Konecny’s presence as he is the team’s leading scorer with 54 points this season.
- The New Jersey Devils have called up goaltender Akira Schmid from the AHL’s Utica Comets as per a team release. Devils reporter Amanda Stein added Mackenzie Blackwood tweaked something in practice this morning, so Schmid will serve as Vitek Vanecek‘s backup when the Devils face the Montreal Canadiens tonight.