Ryan Carpenter, Braden Schneider Dressed, Not Playing For New York Rangers
As the New York Rangers carefully manage their cap in preparation for the expected addition of Patrick Kane later this week, some interesting decisions must be made. Tonight Ryan Carpenter and Braden Schneider are dressed for the game but are not expected to actually play a shift, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic.
The reason is that these players will be sent down to the minor leagues in the coming days, allowing the Rangers to bank enough cap space to add Kane before the trade deadline. If either one suffered an injury, the plan—one with very little room for error—would be impossible, and the Rangers would be forced to make a different transaction to accommodate an incoming cap hit.
It does not mean that Carpenter or Schneider are involved in the potential trade (though it doesn’t rule that out, either), only that the team needs to protect their health as the few waiver-exempt players on the roster. Because they will still be dressed, the Rangers won’t get the bonus emergency exception that playing shorthanded usually affords a team.
Playing with just 16 skaters is difficult, but it’s a small price to pay for potentially adding a future Hall of Famer later this week. The Rangers don’t play again until Wednesday. As if taunting the hockey gods, though, K’Andre Miller has taken a match penalty in the first period for spitting at Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, which means the Rangers are effectively playing with just four defensemen. It also will mean an automatic review of the situation by the league and a potential suspension for Miller this week.
Barry Trotz Will Replace David Poile As Predators GM
The Nashville Predators will soon have a new general manager for the first time in franchise history, but it will be a very familiar face. David Poile will retire as GM and president of hockey operations effective June 30th, staying in a consulting role afterward. Barry Trotz is expected to be hired immediately and officially take over the position this summer.
Poile, 73, has led the Nashville franchise since 1997 before they were even known as the Predators. He navigated the expansion process, bringing hockey to a market where few believed it would be successful. The team, even without a Stanley Cup championship, has become one of the league’s most stable organizations, drawing strong crowds and reaching the playoffs in 15 of the last 18 seasons.
This season, he became the first executive in NHL history to serve as general manager of a franchise for 3,000 games, combining his time in Nashville with years leading the Washington Capitals previously. This is his 41st consecutive season as an NHL GM.
Trotz, 60, was a big part of bringing hockey to Nashville as well. The team’s first head coach, he was behind the bench for the first 15 years of Predators hockey, leading them to a 557-479-60-100 record. He would then, coincidentally, head to Washington, where he won a Jack Adams and Stanley Cup with the Capitals, and then to the New York Islanders, where he would take home his second Coach of the Year award.
After leaving the Islanders, Trotz has spoken publicly about his desire to get into an NHL front office. The Predators are the perfect fit, given his ties to the organization and the need for something of a new voice in the front office.
Poile’s direction has been questioned in recent years, as the Predators struggled to stay among the league’s elite after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. The books are filled with long, expensive contracts for veteran players, and a potential teardown may be in the cards at some point.
That was signaled with this weekend’s trade of Nino Niederreiter, but there is a lot more surgery to be performed on this roster if Trotz is to lead them to a championship. The Predators are expected to be serious players in the next few days, and the incoming executive will likely be involved in many of those decisions, even if his title won’t be official for a few months.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter.
Snapshots: Dumba, Olofsson, Boqvist
The Minnesota Wild have acted as a banker the last few weeks, retaining salary in two transactions to grab some extra draft capital. Given their place in the standings, though, many assume they will do something more significant at the deadline. General manager Bill Guerin spoke candidly about his team today, once again answering specific questions on Matt Dumba:
Look. If someone comes through and offers a boatload for him we’ll think about it, but as of right now, Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year. I would bet that he’s here through the end of the year. I can’t make that promise, but he’s playing pretty good hockey right now.
Dumba, 28, is on an expiring contract, and despite Guerin’s comments that he’ll be in Minnesota through the end of the season, he once again implied that the team wouldn’t be able to (or wouldn’t even try to) re-sign him in the summer. Minnesota is in fourth in the Central but just four points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.
- Speaking of Dallas, they have once again loaned Fredrik Olofsson to the minor leagues, as they do on almost every off-day. The Stars have been banking cap space all season, and today’s addition of Evgenii Dadonov opened up even more room, due to the salary retention by the Montreal Canadiens. The team now has plenty of flexibility going into this week’s negotiations and could add another significant player.
- Adam Boqvist was scratched from today’s Columbus Blue Jackets game due to a lower-body injury but is only out day-to-day, according to the team. The young defenseman was playing arguably his best hockey of the season lately, registering points in five of his last six games. He was replaced in the lineup by Billy Sweezey, who is making his NHL debut while Vladislav Gavrikov continues to sit out.
Jake Leschyshyn Clears Waivers
Feb 26: Along with the other two players on waivers, Leschyshyn has cleared without issue. He has been sent to the minor leagues in favor of Ryan Carpenter, who was recalled because the Rangers need 18 skaters if they are cap compliant. Carpenter’s $750K cap hit is slightly lower, though, allowing the team to bank a tiny bit of extra space today.
Feb 25: With the Rangers expected to be trying to clear up some salary to make another move to add to their roster, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that Jake Leschyshyn is expected to be on waivers at the top of the hour.
It will be the second time that the 23-year-old is on waivers this season as Vegas put him on the wire back in January when New York picked him up. Leschyshyn has yet to put up a single point in 35 games in 2022-23 between the two teams (22 with the Golden Knights, 13 with the Rangers) although he does have 55 hits and has won a little over 50% of his faceoffs so far. Last season was his first taste of NHL action when he had four goals and two assists in 41 appearances with Vegas.
Notably, Leschyshyn is in the first season of a three-year, one-way deal that carries a cap hit of $766.7K. Teams may be hesitant to commit two years of guaranteed salary to a player whose place on an NHL roster is very much in flux even though starting next season, his AAV will be below the league minimum. If Vegas elects to put in a claim and no one else does, they would be permitted to send Leschyshyn to the minors but if anyone else opted to, he would need to stay on the NHL roster.
Jordie Benn, Vinni Lettieri Clear Waivers
Feb 26: Both players have cleared waivers today and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Feb 25: On top of Jake Leschyshyn‘s previously-reported waiver placement, two others are on the wire today as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that the Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jordie Benn on waivers while the Bruins have done the same with forward Vinni Lettieri. Additionally, Johnston tweets that defenseman Kevin Gravel, who was waived yesterday, passed through unclaimed.
Benn has played in 12 games for Toronto this season, picking up a goal and an assist in less than 16 minutes per night while chipping in with 29 blocked shots and 32 hits. However, he has been eighth on the depth chart for a while and hasn’t suited up for a month now. The 35-year-old is on a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum of $750K and would be a low-cost depth addition for a team looking to shore up some depth. The impetus for the move from the Maple Leafs is to create some extra cap flexibility as his cost would come off the books entirely if he went unclaimed and was sent to the AHL’s Marlies. With Matt Murray set to come off LTIR as soon as this week, some roster moves will need to be made for them to be able to do so.
As for Lettieri, he was recalled by the Bruins at the end of January but landed on injured reserve one day later without suiting up. This placement means that he has been cleared to return. The 28-year-old has had a productive season with Providence of the AHL, notching 16 goals and 21 assists in 41 games. He has 82 career NHL appearances under his belt and could be scooped for extra depth but the likelier outcome is that he clears and returns to the AHL. That would open up an extra $750K in cap room for Boston heading into the trade deadline.
In related news, the Bruins also announced that center Tomas Nosek has been activated off LTIR. He has been out with a foot injury for a little more than a month. The 30-year-old has eight points in 42 games this season but is a key penalty killer that has won more than 58% of his faceoffs so far.
Michael Rasmussen Out Indefinitely For Detroit Red Wings
Forward Michael Rasmussen is out indefinitely for the Detroit Red Wings, with a lower-body injury, announced via coach Derek Lalonde on the team’s Twitter account.
Team reporter Carley Johnston reports more will be known in the coming days but a timetable is not yet known for his return.
Rasmussen, 23, has recorded 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 56 games this season. The 6’6″ Canadian behemoth hasn’t produced at the NHL level at the rate one would expect from a top-10 pick, but has started to carve out a role on a Red Wings team still trying to discover its identity.
Snapshots: Greenway, Jonsson-Fjallby, Avalanche
The San Jose Sharks are one of the most active teams on the market right now, and it’s not only because of Timo Meier. The team is expected to make several other moves, targeting young, cost-controlled NHL assets if possible. They’ve been linked heavily to Dante Fabbro of the Nashville Predators, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also believes they are interested in Jordan Greenway of the Minnesota Wild.
The 26-year-old Greenway is signed through 2024-25 and carries a $3MM cap hit, but his offense has completely dried up this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also referenced Greenway’s availability in a recent 32 Thoughts column, as the Wild try to position themselves for success this season with an eye on some hefty cap penalties coming down the pipe. With just two goals on the season, perhaps the 6’6″ forward doesn’t fit the team’s plan anymore.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Axel Jonsson Fjallby once again, as Nino Niederreiter is now designated as a non-roster player as he deals with immigration issues. The newest Jet is expected to join the club early this week, though this move throws some uncertainty on when exactly that will be. Niederreiter was acquired from the Predators in exchange for a second-round pick yesterday.
- The Colorado Avalanche have sent Brad Hunt and Justus Annunen back to the minor leagues, as they await their game tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite having Gabriel Landeskog on LTIR, the Avalanche have set their cap up to accrue extra space in the meantime. A goaltender will be recalled tomorrow at the very least, though it could be Jonas Johansson if it’s just as a backup.
Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Ivan Barbashev
The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired forward Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues. The Blues will receive prospect Zach Dean in return. Barbashev is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $2.25MM cap hit.
This move takes another quality name off the trade board in advance of Friday’s deadline and is the third trade the Blues have made this month, following the departures of Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly.
Worth noting is that this deal is not expected to take to the Golden Knights out of the running for San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, whose trade saga was reported today to be down to just two teams: Vegas and the New Jersey Devils.
Adding Barbashev gives Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy a talented, versatile option to plug into his forward corps. Injuries have forced Vegas to play Michael Amadio as a top-six winger as of late, and has forced top scorer Chandler Stephenson into the third-line center role in between Phil Kessel and William Carrier.
Barbashev can play center and the wing, so Cassidy could choose to play him in Amadio’s spot or even shift him to third-line center, allowing Stephenson to return to a role as a top-six winger. Barbashev has had success in both roles, scoring 26 goals and 60 points last season playing quite often as a winger alongside other scoring forwards.
He’s also had success playing as a two-way center, and is able to play on both special teams units. While Barbashev’s production is down from last season (he has 10 goals and 29 points in 59 games this year) he remains a valuable, versatile two-way player who can help fill needs as they pop up in Vegas’ lineup.
His jack-of-all-trades abilities should help Vegas as they seek to return to the playoffs, and as they get healthier, his value to their team will only grow.
For St. Louis, nabbing Dean for an expiring contract is a nice cherry on top of what was already a successful trade season. The 20-year-old forward was selected 30th overall in 2021, and was recently showcased as a member of the Canadian World Junior team. He ended up with 33 penalty minutes in the short tournament because of an illegal check to the head as he played his signature brand of physical, high-energy hockey. Dean has recorded 49 points in 38 games for the Gatineau Olympiques this season.
Vegas continues to trade away top prospects for players they believe can get them closer to a Stanley Cup in the short term. Dean joins Peyton Krebs, Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brannstrom as first-round selections that have been traded since the team’s expansion. Only Brendan Brisson remains from the six players they’ve selected in the first round, and one would expect he is likely involved in any Meier talks.
TSN’s Darren Dreger first broke the trade on Twitter.
Stars, Canadiens Swap Denis Gurianov, Evgenii Dadonov
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired forward Denis Gurianov from the Dallas Stars in exchange for veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov. Per the team announcement, the Canadiens will retain 50% of Dadonov’s $5MM cap hit.
This move re-unites Dadonov with Stars head coach Peter DeBoer, who was Dadonov’s coach with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. While Dadonov has had his fair share of struggles this season (he has just 18 points in 50 games) DeBoer had a front-row seat last season for some of the best play Dadonov has to offer.
With the Golden Knights ravaged by injuries and Dadonov himself nearly traded away to the Anaheim Ducks, the Russian winger at times played like Vegas’ best player, scoring at a strong rate and keeping the team in the playoff hunt far deeper into the year than many might have expected. He finished last season with 20 goals and 43 points and has a 70-point season on his resume.
While Dadonov’s struggles this season might give some fans pause, it is worth noting that Dadonov’s play has been noticeably better of late.
He remains someone who has scored at least 40 points in three of five seasons since returning from the KHL, including two years where he scored at least 65 points.
The Stars have a far more talented set of offensive weapons than the Canadiens can boast, so it’s easy to see why DeBoer, given his familiarity with Dadonov, would be comfortable acquiring the winger despite Dadonov’s struggles this season.
It’s not immediately clear where Dadonov will slot in on Dallas’ lineup, as he may not be the best fit on the team’s fourth line, where Gurianov was playing.
Perhaps he’ll get a look next to Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn in Ty Dellandrea‘s right-wing spot should DeBoer choose to shift Dellandrea down the lineup, or this Dadonov deal could have been made with the intention of him serving as plug-and-play scoring depth should any of their established wingers be unavailable.
CapFriendly notes that this trade leaves the team with just over $2.1MM in deadline cap space, which is enough space for the Stars to be able to add another player should they choose to do so.
While Dadonov is a pending unrestricted free agent, Gurianov is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. For the Canadiens, this trade lands them a reclamation project, possibly a preferable option to the mid-to-late-round pick Dadonov would likely have net them had they targeted just a pick.
The 25-year-old winger was the 12th overall pick at the 2015 draft, and he has been a maddeningly inconsistent scorer. He has been excellent at times, such as the 2020 playoffs where he scored 17 points in 27 games, helping the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Other times, he has frustrated the Stars with his inconsistent night-to-night effort and inability to land on the scoresheet with any sort of regularity despite his tantalizing offensive tools.
The Canadiens’ 2022-23 season is all about player development, and the team has made significant investments in the area of player development under the leadership of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.
Head coach Martin St. Louis’ reputation as a developer of talent is on the rise, with his work on Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach, among others, garnering praise. Accordingly, targeting Gurianov rather than just a draft pick is a show of faith by the team’s front office in their coaching staff’s ability to develop players.
It’s no guarantee that Gurianov will be in Montreal for the long haul. With a $2.9MM qualifying offer required in the summer in order for the Canadiens to retain Gurianov’s rights, it’s possible that he’s not even a Canadien beyond this season. But for a team whose player development goals have been dealt a serious blow due to injuries, adding Gurianov is a worthy gamble.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Latest On Timo Meier
The Timo Meier trade saga seems to be finally reaching a conclusion. While no trade is believed to be imminent, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the San Jose Sharks “are down to two teams” in Meier trade talks: The New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights.
LeBrun does note that the situation remains fluid, meaning nothing is final until trade calls have been made to the league and the paperwork has been filed, but it does seem as though those two teams are the final two in the mix for Meier, and that the Carolina Hurricanes have been eliminated from consideration.
These reports should not come as a major surprise, as yesterday we covered reports that the Devils were leading the pack in the chase for Meier. But today’s news that the Hurricanes are out of the running for Meier does come as a major development.
The Hurricanes have been active in the chase of a scoring winger ever since Max Pacioretty was lost for the season with another Achilles injury, and Meier was viewed as one of their top targets not only for his skills but also due to how well his age fits in with the Hurricanes’ other star players.
Now, they’ll likely have to look elsewhere to find scoring help, which could mean inquiring on the availability of other scoring wingers such as Brock Boeser, James van Riemsdyk, or even a reunion with last year’s trade deadline add: Max Domi.
In addition to seeking scoring help, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Hurricanes have made calls in recent days looking to acquire a left-shot defenseman as well, presumably to find an upgrade for their third pairing.
For Vegas and New Jersey, this development is an important step forward in their chase of Meier. They now reportedly have just each other to compete with in making trade offers for Meier, meaning each is within striking distance of acquiring the talented Swiss power forward.
New Jersey has the advantage over Vegas in terms of prospects it can offer, as the team has the NHL’s second-ranked prospect system according to the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, while Vegas ranks 23rd. (subscription link)
Assuming top-end pieces such as Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are off the table, the Devils have 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz to offer, as well as other talented youngsters such as 2022 second-rounder Seamus Casey, 2020 first-rounder Shakir Mukhamadullin, top AHL scorer Graeme Clarke, or other first-rounders such as Nolan Foote and Chase Stillman.
For Vegas, the best prospects they have to offer to San Jose, beyond just the draft picks presumed to be present in both teams’ trade offers, are first-round picks Brendan Brisson and Zach Dean, or breakout AHLers Pavel Dorofeyev and Lukas Cormier. That’s a quartet of talented players to headline a system, but not quite the wealth of options New Jersey can boast.
Worth noting is the fact that Vegas not only shares a division with San Jose, they also are one of the team’s fiercest rivals. While it’s definitely reasonable to expect some fans to accept a Meier-to-Vegas trade if taking Vegas’ offer is in the best interests of the Sharks, it’s also easy to see a significant portion of the fanbase in uproar should the team’s most talented forward be handed over to such a hated rival.
One wonders, then, if the Sharks will require a higher standard of offer from the Golden Knights in order to be willing to trade him in-division, and how much higher that expectation might be.
It’s a difficult situation for each involved team to be in, as there are risks to any course of action when such high-end pieces move teams. But for all three teams in the mix for Meier, these next few days offer significant opportunity, and a chance for each franchise to take a significant step towards achieving its goals.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images