Minor Transactions: 02/13/23
Another day, another slate of NHL games to enjoy. Tonight’s lineup of games features matchups between two up-and-coming teams in the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings, two playoff hopefuls in the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers, and two Central Division rivals in the Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators. As NHL fans take in tonight’s action, player movement is ever-active across the hockey world. We’ll track notable moves in minor and foreign leagues here.
- 2019 Carolina Hurricanes fourth-round pick Tuukka Tieksola, who signed his entry-level deal with the team in 2021, has been loaned to Liiga’s Karpat for the rest of the season. Tieksola had spent this year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and scored 15 points in 40 games. With just one point in his last six games, though, and Karpat in the midst of a playoff push, Tieksola is headed back to Finland to get some more high-level professional experience under his belt.
- The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have announced two trades: they have acquired forward Max Johnson from the Wheeling Nailers for future considerations, and Chris Ordoobadi from the Orlando Solar Bears in exchange for cash considerations. Johnson, 24, is in his first professional season after capping off a five-year NCAA career. Johnson was a star at Bowling Green State University, scoring around a point-per-game rate there, before he headed to the University of Wisconsin for his finals season. This trade gives Johnson a change of scenery as his pro debut with the Nailers had been difficult, and he struggled to the tune of just five points in 23 games, In Ordoobadi the Railers acquire a big, physical 28-year-old winger who was actually a waiver claim of the Railers in December 2021.
- The ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies have released defenseman Jordon Stone. Stone was activated off of injured reserve just three days ago, and now finds himself released after playing in his first game with the team since December. Late in the third period of that game, the Grizzlies were losing 6-1 to the Rapid City Rush. After dumping the puck into the offensive zone, Stone chased it and appeared to shove a Rush player to the ground with enough force that the player’s helmet came off. As the Rush’s goaltender attempted to play the puck behind the net, Stone laid a body check on the goalie, appearing to follow through with his elbow up through the goalie’s head. Stone was assessed a game misconduct for charging, and now finds himself released by his team only a few days later.
- The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have released netminder Brett Epp and forward Sam Hu. 2017 Nashville Predators fifth-round pick Tomas Vomacka was re-assigned to Norfolk as well, meaning Epp was out of a job as the team’s backup with Cale Morris already on the roster. Epp signed with Norfolk on February 8th, just a day before his team, the SPHL’s Vermilion City Bobcats, ceased operations. Epp will now look to continue his pro career elsewhere after a difficult season with the Bobcats for reasons largely out of his control. As for Hu, this release comes after a 19-game run with the Admirals that saw him score just four points. Hu split time last season between the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star in his home country, China, and in Norway with Manglerud. It’s possible a return to overseas hockey could be in the cards after this release.
- Per a team announcement, former Boston Bruins prospect Emil Johansson will be leaving his current club, Sport Vaasa in the Finnish Liiga. Sami Hoffren of Finland’s Ilta-Sanomat reports that Johansson is set to join current DEL leaders EHC Red Bull Munich. Johansson scored 23 points in 43 games for Vaasa as their number-one defenseman and will help Munich as they chase their fourth DEL title.
- Liiga’s Assat Pori will be without their starting netminder, Niklas Rubin, for two to three weeks as he recovers from an injury. As a result, the team has signed Canadian goaltender Cody Porter from RoKi Rovaniemi, a club in Finland’s second-tier Mestis. The 25-year-old has a .920 save percentage in 21 games for RoKi, and has been brought in to help Pori down the stretch of this season. This move was potentially motivated by Porter’s performance last Wednesday, when he stopped 24 of 26 shots against Pori playing on loan for Tappara Tampere, winning the game for his temporary club by a 6-2 margin.
- SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that 20-year-old center Ake Stakkestad will be making the leap to the SHL next season. Per Svensson’s report, Stakkestad will play for HV71 next season, on a one-year contract. Stakkestad recently returned to the ice for his current club, HockeyAllsvenskan’s BIK Karlskoga, and has scored two points in three games. In total, he has scored eight points in 13 games this season.
- Switzerland’s HC Lugano will retain their backup netminder beyond this season. The team has announced the signing of goalie Niklas Schlegel to a three–year contract extension. The 28-year-old is a Swiss NL champion who led his league in save percentage during a brilliant 2015-16 season with the ZSC Lions. He’s currently backing up former Edmonton Oiler Mikko Koskinen and has been decent with a .903 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average.
- 19-year-old Konsta Kapanen, the brother of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen and son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen has been loaned to Liiga’s HPK for the rest of the season. Kapanen will seek a better opportunity at tenth-place HPK than he’d be likely to find at fifth-place KalPa, and will likely get a chance to finish his season in Liiga rather than in Mestis. KalPa also made another move today, signing veteran Jaakko Lantta to a one-year contract extension.
- In addition to bringing in Tieksola, Karpat has also loaned netminder Karolus Kaarlehto to the SHL’s Timra IK. The 25-year-old began his season in France before a stretch playing for Karpat’s Liiga rivals, Jukurit Mikkeli. Now, he heads to Sweden to help Timra to fill the team’s backup goalie spot, a role left vacant by Thursday’s transfer of David Rautio to the SCL Tigers of Switzerland.
- Nearly two weeks after his release from HC Slovan Bratislava, Carl Ackered has found a new place to play. The Sheffield Steelers, a club competing in the EIHL, the highest tier of professional hockey in the United Kingdom, have signed Ackered. It’s a major acquisition for the Steelers, as just two years ago Ackered led the Slovak league in points by a defenseman and was named an All-Star. He had a difficult 21-game run in the Slovak capital, though, and now returns to the league where he starred for three years as a member of the Guildford Flames.
- HockeyAllsvenskan’s IF Bjorkloven have confirmed the transfer of former Arizona Coyotes prospect Jens Looke, a transfer we covered as a rumor two days ago. Looke is a difference-maker in Sweden’s second division, having scored 62 points in 52 games in his last season there, helping Timra earn promotion to the SHL. That’ll be his goal with Bjorkloven, who sit second in the league standings.
- The DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg have signed their captain, Canadian Spencer Machacek, to a two-year extension. The former Atlanta Thrasher has been a star in Germany, and has scored 285 points in 436 games there. He’s currently second in league scoring with 51 points in 47 games, and his extension should come as welcome news for Wolfsburg’s supporters who are hopeful the team can cement a place in the DEL playoffs.
- 413-game KHL veteran Dmitri Yudin has signed a two-year contract extension with his current club, Ak Bars Kazan. The 27-year-old has been with Kazan since 2018-19, and before that he played for Spartak Moscow and perennial juggernauts SKA St. Petersburg. A teammate of former NHLers Alexander Radulov and Vadim Shipachyov, Yudin will hope to keep Kazan in playoff contention over the course of his new deal.
- 23-year-old Slovenian forward Rok Kapel is headed back to the AlpsHL after spending most of this season in the higher-tier ICEHL. Per a team announcement, Kapel will play for Kitzbuheler EC moving forward, leaving HC Olimpija Ljubljana, the ICEHL club in the Slovenian capital. Kapel scored 14 goals and 29 points in 40 games for Ljubljana, leading the team in goal-scoring, and is expected to be a difference-maker moving forward now that he’s down a level of competition.
- Nick Dineen, a star in Norway’s top professional hockey league, has signed an extension to remain with the Stavanger Oilers beyond this season. Dineen was formerly the captain at Lillehammer, where he hovered around a point-per-game scoring rate for six seasons. Financial issues at Lillehammer forced a January transfer to the Oilers, and he has continued his strong play there with 14 points in 11 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Philadelphia Flyers Make Several Roster Moves
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Kieffer Bellows and goaltender Samuel Ersson have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivier Reiner notes that Zack MacEwen has been placed on injured reserve.
These moves bring Bellows back to the Flyers’ active roster just days after he was placed on waivers by the team. Bellows played one game in his stint in the minors, tallying an assist and three shots on goal in Lehigh Valley’s 3-0 win over the Bridgeport Islanders.
Bellows now has ten points in 12 AHL games this season, although he has found NHL success harder to come by. He has just one goal in 16 total games this season, but will at least bring some size and grit to reinforce the Flyers’ forward corps for their road trip.
In Ersson, the Flyers add a third goalie to their active roster. The 23-year-old 2018 fifth-round pick has had a strong season serving as the Flyers’ number-three goalie. At the AHL level, he’s played in 26 games and boasts a 15-10-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against-average, and a .911 save percentage.
In the NHL, Ersson has won five of his six starts with strong overall numbers: a 2.37 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. While teams typically don’t like to carry three goaltenders, it’s possible this recall is designed to give the Flyers a chance to use a contest on this four-game road trip to further evaluate Ersson.
The final move, putting MacEwen on injured reserve, comes as no surprise. The forward underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw in late January, and was given a five-week timeline to return to the ice. His placement on injured reserve frees a roster spot for the Flyers to work with, allowing them to bring extra bodies on their road trip.
MacEwen is on an expiring $925k AAV deal and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. He became an NHL regular with Philadelphia last season after he was claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks, and he ended up skating in 75 contests, where he registered three goals, nine points, and 110 penalty minutes.
Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few 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 Dallas Stars.
Usually, when a team is leading an entire conference 50+ games into the season, there is more chatter about them adding significant talent at the deadline to go on a long Stanley Cup run. But the Stars, sitting first in the West with 70 points, are somehow usually still left out of the conversation.
Fans and media are focused on what the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, or Winnipeg Jets may be up to. Dallas slowly hides in the shadows with a team that could rival anyone in the league. Over the next few weeks, that could change, with the Stars emerging as one of the most exciting deadline teams to watch, given a reasonable cap situation and interesting prospect pool.
Record
30-14-10, 1st in the Central
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.15MM today, $1.64MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2023: DAL 2nd, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
2024: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
Trade Chips
When the Stars traded a first-round pick for Nils Lundkvist in September, it removed their most significant chip for this season. Without a 2023 first to give up, it isn’t easy to get involved in some of the biggest deadline names. Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko, for instance, both returned first-round selections for the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, with names like Timo Meier expected to do the same.
But the interesting side effect of adding Lundkvist was how it clogged the path for some other defense prospects in the organization. The assumption when Dallas let John Klingberg go last summer was that Thomas Harley would likely establish himself as a full-time NHL defenseman this season, taking some of the easy minutes that Klingberg had been given in the past. But Harley, the 18th overall pick from 2019, has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
Lian Bischel, their 2022 first-round pick is even further down that depth chart, and will have a number of players to leapfrog before he sniffs NHL minutes. He isn’t even signed at this point, meaning there are still years until he makes an impact.
Either of these defense prospects could be flipped in a deal, given Dallas has five defensemen signed through next season and looks like a legitimate contender this year.
A forward prospect like Mavrik Bourque could be dangled, too, after his first minor league season has been just okay. That likely isn’t the case with Wyatt Johnston, who has made an NHL impact as a rookie and looks like a long-term building block for the group, or Logan Stankoven, who was recently ranked ninth overall among drafted prospects by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
One interesting name is Denis Gurianov, who continues to frustrate the organization. The talented 25-year-old forward has moments of pure brilliance when he looks like a dominant NHL player. That’s how he scored 20 goals as a sophomore and nine more in the bubble playoffs as Dallas went to the Stanley Cup Final.
But his game is just rife with inconsistency, leading to regular scratches and just two goals in 38 games this season. The 12th overall pick from 2015 might be an interesting reclamation project for a rebuilding club, though it’s hard to see someone pay a premium for him at this point.
(As an aside, this isn’t the first time a big, talented winger has frustrated the Stars front office. After Valeri Nichushkin failed to score a single goal in the 2018-19 season he was bought out by Dallas, only to find an organization in Colorado that would patiently develop him into one of the best two-way forwards in the league. Gurianov certainly doesn’t look like that right now, but neither did Nichushkin during those frustrating years.)
Other trade chips: F Ty Dellandrea, F Christian Kyrou, G Anton Khudobin
Team Needs
1) Top-six forward: Even with the return of Jamie Benn as a top-end player and Tyler Seguin‘s recovery from injury going better than many imagined, the Stars could still use a little bit of punch upfront. The nice part about this is the versatility that some of their players bring, meaning it could be any of the three forward positions they add. If Mason Marchment had brought last season’s scoring touch with him, this might not be an issue, and Johnston could be an internal option for more offensive minutes.
But adding a difference-maker from outside the organization seems the most likely outcome for Dallas at the deadline if they’re willing to part with the assets to get one.
2) Defensive depth: Defense? Didn’t we just finish saying how Dallas has a full blueline? Well, yes – but if the team isn’t comfortable with Harley as the next man up for this playoff run, it might make sense to add another depth piece. The kind of veteran player who can step in and give you 12-15 hard, mistake-free minutes is a valuable thing to have at playoff time, and if they aren’t making a big splash up front, Dallas might pivot to defense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Devin Shore Clears Waivers
As most sports fans prepared nacho dips and buffalo wings ahead of the Super Bowl, the Edmonton Oilers quietly placed Devin Shore on waivers to help clear additional cap space. The veteran forward has cleared and can now be sent to the minor leagues.
The demotion of Shore, 28, should come as no surprise. He hasn’t scored a single goal through 29 appearances and has just three points on the year, a far cry from the player that was once a 30-point contributor in Dallas. He is averaging fewer than nine minutes a night and has been held without a single shot on goal in half of his games.
By waiving him and sending him down, the team is getting closer to having enough cap room to activate Kailer Yamamoto. It will still require an additional transaction, though, which could end up being Jesse Puljujarvi hitting waivers as well tomorrow.
Because of their cap situation, every move from here on will be complicated for the Oilers. Adding anyone before the deadline will require money to go the other way, unless more players end up on long-term injured reserve.
Jakob Chychrun Remains Out Of Arizona Lineup
Though he still hasn’t been traded, it appears as though Jakob Chychrun‘s time as an Arizona Coyote is over. According to Adam Vingan of Sportsnet, head coach Andre Tourigny confirmed Chychrun will remain out of the lineup “until something happens.”
Notably, Karel Vejmelka will start tonight. Vejmelka has also been the center of trade rumors recently, but the team will not pull him out of the lineup like Chychrun.
It appeared as though there was a deal in place for Chychrun over the weekend, but nothing has happened to this point. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast today speculated that a different contract or trade situation was holding up a deal (potentially with the Los Angeles Kings). Brandt Clarke, who had his name reported as a return for Chychrun, has apparently been told by the Kings he is not involved in any deal and will not be traded.
At the very least, it appears as though the months-long speculation about Chychrun will soon come to an end. The young defenseman wanted a trade out of Arizona to play for a contender, but general manager Bill Armstrong would never rush to move him. If a team wanted Chychrun, they would have to pay a high price that Arizona set.
With 28 points in 36 games and outstanding possession numbers, Chychrun has certainly made the Coyotes’ job easier. His play coming back from injury has warranted interest, and it appears as though someone is finally willing to meet that price.
Remember that Arizona already has a huge number of high picks over the next few seasons, and should only add more at this year’s deadline. No rebuild is guaranteed to work, but the management group there has at least set itself up for future success by pulling off creative transactions to add future value. The trade of Chychrun could be the capstone to that strategy, as a 24-year-old defenseman under control for two more seasons at a reasonable cap hit is one of the most valuable assets in the league. Risking that return by playing him the next few nights doesn’t make much sense.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Francouz, Forsberg
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, led by New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin. The 31-year-old winger had nine points in four games including a five-point effort against the Carolina Hurricanes in a very important game. With that, he’s up to 59 points in 53 games and once again on pace to break 90 this season.
Even that might not catch second place though, as Erik Karlsson once again gets a star as his incredible season continues. The San Jose Sharks defenseman is up to 73 points on the season, an 82-game pace of 110 points. It’s hard to follow that, but Clayton Keller did his best to earn third, after scoring seven points in three games for the Arizona Coyotes. Despite the Coyotes’ struggles, Keller has a chance to set career highs in goals and points this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche have listed Pavel Francouz out with a lower-body injury, and recalled Jonas Johansson from the AHL to replace him. It is not clear how long the former will be out, but it likely means that Alexandar Georgiev will be starting tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Avalanche on a back-to-back Wednesday in Minnesota, Johansson’s services may be required.
- After Anton Forsberg needed a stretcher to leave the ice for the Ottawa Senators, the worst was feared. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia gives something of a promising update though, reporting that the veteran goaltender will actually not require surgery on his knees. His recovery timeline is set at two to three months as he recovers from MCL tears in both legs.
Latest On Luke Schenn
One of the names that have been floating around in trade speculation for weeks now is Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn. The tough, experienced defender would be a good fit on several clubs, in part due to his extremely reasonable cap hit of $850K.
Today, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that things are “getting close” on Schenn, and notes that the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins are still in the mix to acquire the veteran. The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, who have been linked most often to Schenn thanks to their history together, are out, according to Pagnotta.
If the reported price tag of a third-round (or more) is correct, you can see why the Lightning might decide to pull out of the running. The club doesn’t have much ammunition to make trades this year after sending multiple first-round picks away, and probably doesn’t want to use their highest selection this year on a player that would see limited minutes in the postseason.
Of course, things could certainly change. Depending on how long these negotiations go and how many other pieces are moved in the meantime, new contenders might emerge for Schenn’s services. Even if he isn’t going to make a huge impact, getting a two-time Stanley Cup champion for $850K is certainly an intriguing option for many contenders.
Nashville Predators Recall Philip Tomasino
One of the most confusing things about the Nashville Predators season so far has been the absence of Philip Tomasino. The young forward played the entire season in the NHL last year and faired well, racking up 32 points in 76 games. This year he has that same total in the minor leagues through 38 games without a single appearance with the Predators.
Now, perhaps that is about to change. Tomasino has been recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals and will join the Predators ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes.
The 21-year-old Tomasino is an interesting case of COVID-affected development. After being selected 24th overall in 2019, he returned to the OHL for his post-draft season with championship sights. After dominating with the Niagara IceDogs through the first half, but still losing nearly all of his games, Tomasino was sent to the Oshawa Generals for a playoff run. It would be just 26 games (and 43 points) before the season was shut down, ending his year early.
In 2020-21, the OHL never ran at all, meaning he was stuck playing in the AHL even as a teenager. For many prospects, that might be overwhelming, but Tomasino showed off his offensive upside by scoring 32 points in 29 games. That led to him making the NHL club last season and showing well despite limited minutes. While prospects taking a step back isn’t uncommon, it was always sort of puzzling why he hasn’t received a single call-up this season.
With Filip Forsberg now out with injury, this is a huge opportunity for Tomasino to show he doesn’t belong in the minor leagues anymore. This team has only two forwards over the 30-point mark on the season and one that could certainly use some offensive juice inserted into the lineup. Even when Forsberg is back, there’s a reasonable case for Tomasino to stay, should he prove he’s ready over the next little while.
Five Key Stories: 02/06/23 – 02/12/23
The All-Star break is behind us, and it’s officially trade season. With so much going on, you might have missed out on some of the top stories this week.
Buffalo Locks Up Cozens: The week started out with a bang when a seven-year, $49.7MM contract extension was announced for Dylan Cozens. The Buffalo Sabres are making a strong commitment to their young core, handing out long-term deals for Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson over the last few months.
Pretty nice early birthday present for the young center, who turned 22 on Thursday and has 44 points in 50 games so far this season.
Hughes Gets Hurt: New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes is listed out week-to-week with an upper-body suffered just after the break. While there isn’t anyone challenging Connor McDavid for the league scoring title, Hughes was right in that next tier of players, with 35 goals and 67 points in 50 games.
You could certainly notice his absence yesterday against the Minnesota Wild, but so far, the Devils have been able to step up and continue grabbing points in the standings.
New York, New York: The biggest news of the week came on Thursday when the New York Rangers landed Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues. With plenty of debate over whether the Blues got enough for the six-time 30-goal scorer, it will hopefully start moving the trade deadline dominoes.
It paid off right away for New York, as Tarasenko scored the opening goal in his first game as a Ranger (on a feed from long-time friend Artemi Panarin, no less). One interesting thing to watch is how the team uses Tarasenko down the stretch. He’s played fewer than 14 minutes in each of his appearances so far.
Press Box For Jakob: This weekend, the Arizona Coyotes have decided to pull Jakob Chychrun off the lineup card, scratching him for “trade-related reasons.” It appears as though he has played his last game for the organization and will finally be dealt after months (and months) of speculation.
Chychrun has been very public with his desire to join a contender and has played well through 36 games so far. The Coyotes have maintained through the entire process that they would wait for a high price to be matched, and it appears that is close to happening.
Oilers Chasing A Shark: Reports emerged yesterday that the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers have discussed an Erik Karlsson trade, though it would be a complicated deal to pull off midseason. With the way McDavid is playing this season, the Oilers might end up pushing all of their chips to the middle at the deadline to give him the best chance they can. Karlsson has been outstanding offensively and is on pace to be the first 100-point defenseman in decades.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
PHR Mailbag: Blackhawks, Kraken, Predictions, Stars, Draft, Devils, Mantha, Kings
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include what Seattle might do to add before the deadline, how Dallas could be an intriguing team to keep an eye on, if there’s a trade market for Anthony Mantha, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s two mailbag columns.
Grocery stick: What would the Blackhawks do with Connor Bedard? If they keep trading away everyone, is Bedard supposed to play with wingers like Mackenzie Entwistle and Boris Katchouk? Should I keep my fingers crossed anyone else wins the lottery?
This is a question I’ve wondered myself for a few possible lottery winners. When you get a potential franchise player, the last thing a team should want to do is to waste his three cheap seasons by continuing to aim to finish at the bottom of the standings. If Bedard pans out as many expect him to, his second contract is going to be a pricey one, probably in the double-digit AAV range. It’s much easier to try to win when that player is capped at a $1MM base salary on an entry-level deal.
For Chicago specifically, I don’t think winning the lottery would necessarily end the rebuild and the spending would start right away to add some quality talent around him. However, I do think it would expedite what otherwise is likely to be a multi-year process.
Next season, I wouldn’t expect much to change. I think they’ll want to add a capable veteran or two (or perhaps re-sign a certain duo if they opt not to be dealt) to insulate Bedard a little bit but the goal will still be tanking so their current wingers would still likely be part of the lineup. In 2024-25, Frank Nazar might be ready to turn pro after his freshman year this season was cut short due to injury and Lukas Reichel should be a full-timer by then. They’ll also be armed with ample cap space and what should be a pretty good selling point (come play in a strong market with the next great star) to help attract some quality veterans. That’s not enough to become an immediate contender but they might be able to get to the playoffs. From there, 2025-26 would be their ‘go for it’ year before Bedard’s contract would start to become more of an obstacle.
aka.nda: How big do the Kraken dare to dream about their postseason?
I don’t expect GM Ron Francis to be dreaming too big here. Part of the logic for Seattle hiring him was the slow and steady approach he has for roster building. This is only their second year and I don’t think he feels that they’re at a spot where it’s time to flip a switch, consolidate some assets into more impact pieces, and really go for it.
There’s a big question that stands out to me that make it difficult to justify loading up too much, their goaltending. Martin Jones isn’t a true starting goalie, Philipp Grubauer is still underachieving, and even when Chris Driedger returns from his season-long injury, he’s not a real starter either. They’re not going to go trade for yet another goalie and it’s hard to think someone in that triumvirate is going to carry them to postseason success. With that in mind, it’s probably not the right time to load up.
They’ve already made their depth move on the back end with the addition of Jaycob Megna from San Jose. I could see them aiming for a third-line forward signed beyond this year with Toronto’s second-rounder being in play (a non-rental makes it easier for them to justify parting with the pick) but that’s about the extent of the buying I expect them to do.
The Duke: Oh, Supreme Soothsaying Spheroid, I humbly seek your wise fortune-telling: 1. Does Horvat somehow resurrect Barzal’s scoring? 2. Luke Hughes rumored up with Devils in early March; does he make their PP? 3. Does Tarasenko stay or go – and to where n’ for whom? 4. Same Q regarding Laine?
1) If you mean scoring in terms of goals, probably not. Mathew Barzal just isn’t a goal scorer; he’s a playmaker. It doesn’t matter who you put with him, he’ll hover around the mid-teens for goals; he’s just not a high-end shooter. But what Bo Horvat should do is balance things out. The Isles now have two capable scoring lines with some players that can be shifted around. In the long term, that’s going to help their offense and, by extension, help Barzal’s point total. If he’s on the wing with Horvat as he is now, that line should score more. If Barzal’s on the second line and Horvat’s line is drawing the tighter checkers, that should make it a bit easier on Barzal. Long story short, the trade should help Barzal’s assist total but I wouldn’t expect his goal total to change much.
2) Assuming Hughes does turn pro as expected and is in New Jersey’s lineup, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense if he wasn’t on one of their power play units. If you’re going to put someone into the lineup straight out of college, putting that player in a position to succeed is critical. He’s quite comfortable and productive on the man advantage at Michigan so it would make sense to play him on the second unit with the Devils. Damon Severson is in that spot at the moment but only has four goals (none of which were on the power play) so it’s not as if that spot can’t be upgraded.
3) Well, we all know the answer to this one now as Vladimir Tarasenko is with the Rangers as the crystal ball predicted back in December.
4) There isn’t much of a reason to think Patrik Laine is going anywhere over the next few weeks. It was a big deal for them to get Laine to give up a few UFA years on his last contract so why would they move him in the first year of that? Yes, things haven’t gone well at all and there will be changes coming but it’s not going to be their top guys that move. Laine (and Johnny Gaudreau) should be around for a couple more years at least.
@JasonClausen7: Are the Stars pretty much handcuffed this trade deadline? It seems the Benn and Seguin contracts have stopped them from being able to do anything lately. Benn’s resurgence has been great but what’s happened to Seguin? Will he ever be better than this?
I actually think Dallas is in reasonable shape compared to some other potential buyers. Barely having $1MM in cap room (per CapFriendly) isn’t much to work with but it’s better than quite a few teams. On top of that, they have an expiring offset contract in Anton Khudobin who’s counting on the books at $2.208MM while he’s in the minors. Most contenders don’t have a veteran roster player that they’d want to move out but Khudobin, who isn’t on the roster at all, is an easy exception. Include him in a trade and all of a sudden, that ups their spending capital past the $3MM mark and if the trading team is retaining up to the maximum of 50%, now we’re talking about a $6MM player. That gives them some options so I don’t see them being handcuffed.
As for Tyler Seguin, I don’t see a big resurgence coming. He’s averaging 0.66 points per game this season. If we expand that timeline back to his average since 2018-19, it’s at 0.66 points per game. This is basically who he is now, a second liner that, if he’s healthy, should average between 50-55 points in a season. That’s still a pretty useful player all things considered. Don’t get me wrong, the contract is lousy and is probably one of the worst in the league. But at the very least, he’s still a more than serviceable player.
Devil Shark: I know it’s early(ish) but… Is 2018 the biggest bust draft this millennium?
By a quick look, there are about three top-tier players out of the whole draft and a few bit players which seems incredibly weak. I’ve seen a lot of debate about the top drafts of the past 20 years… but what about the worst?
Thanks in advance.
The top-end depth of this draft is okay in Rasmus Dahlin, Quinn Hughes, Andrei Svechnikov, and Brady Tkachuk. That’s not bad and all those players are still on an upward trajectory. Perhaps there isn’t a superstar in the mix but those are some quality core players that will have long careers. But there is definitely some fall-off after that as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Barrett Hayton, and Filip Zadina (all top-six picks) have been depth players at best thus far. There have been some good value picks (Noah Dobson at 11, Joel Farabee at 14, and K’Andre Miller at 22 among the first rounders) but even at that, that’s not that special compared to other seasons.
I think I’d nominate 2012 as a bigger bust of a draft than 2018. Nail Yakupov was a bad pick at first overall. Ryan Murray is no more than a depth defender now, he was the second pick. Alex Galchenyuk’s in the minors after bouncing around the last few years (and is still fifth in scoring from this group). The fourth pick, Griffin Reinhart, never scored a single NHL goal. Now, there have been some good value picks from that class that have given it some depth (Filip Forsberg, Tomas Hertl, and Teuvo Teravainen were all picked in the middle third of the first round) and there are 21 players (and counting) with at least 500 NHL appearances. That helps. But 2018’s group should eventually get to that level within the next six years (where it could be better compared with 2012’s class today) and at least the first couple of picks (Dahlin and Svechnikov) are panning out to be high-end pieces. That just can’t be said for the 2012 group.