West Notes: Chychrun, Clarke, Klingberg, Kahkonen
Last night, the Coyotes made waves when they revealed that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was being sat for trade-related reasons. No immediate word came through about the likely destination for the 24-year-old but Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos reports (Twitter link) that the Kings are now viewed as the team that’s likely to land the blueliner which would certainly give their back end a significant boost as they continue to jockey for position in the very tight Pacific Division.
Arizona has long been seeking a package of three first-round picks (players or comparable prospects) and Kypreos notes that defenseman Brandt Clarke is likely to be included should a deal be completed. The 19-year-old was the eighth overall pick in 2021 and made his NHL debut this season, getting into nine games with Los Angeles before being sent back to OHL Barrie where he has been dominant with 26 points in 14 games. If the trade does go through, he’d immediately become their top defensive prospect.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against Vegas that defenseman John Klingberg was scratched due to illness. The veteran has been a bit more productive lately, picking up nine points in 15 games in 2023 but has still underwhelmed with 20 points in 45 games on the season. Klingberg is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $7MM AAV and is widely expected to be traded over the next few weeks.
- After not having James Reimer available due to illness, the Sharks’ goalie depth got tested further today in their victory against Washington. Prior to the third period, the team announced (Twitter link) that Kaapo Kahkonen suffered an injury and he did not return. Washington center Evgeny Kuznetsov’s shoulder made contact with Kahkonen’s head and while the team didn’t provide any specifics about the injury, it could be inferred that he is in concussion protocol.
Injury Notes: Xhekaj, Forsberg, Reimer
One of the best stories of the Montreal Canadiens 2022-23 season so far has been the emergence of rookie defenseman Arber Xhekaj. The undrafted player has taken a winding road to the NHL, and by all accounts impressed in a defensive unit stocked to the brim with rookie blueliners. Not only has he quickly established a reputation as one of the most fearsome, physical young players in the NHL, he has also flashed some more skill and ability with the puck than one might expect from someone with his profile.
It is made all the more disappointing, then, that the excitement his rookie season has inspired could be put on hold. Xhekaj left for the locker room during the Canadiens’ game against the Edmonton Oilers immediately after fighting Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The Canadiens tweeted that Xhekaj would not return for the third period of the game, and did not add any additional information on the nature of the injury. TVA Sports’ Marc-Andre Perreault did note that it’s a possible shoulder injury.
For some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Nashville Predators have announced that star forward Filip Forsberg is out with an upper-body injury. Per the team, his status is to be considered day-to-day. The loss of Forsberg, even for just a few games, is a significant one for the Predators as he is their leading scorer among forwards with 42 points in 50 games. This is a crucial stretch of their season, as they have games in hand on both the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, the two teams ahead of them for the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot. If the Predators, who are just four points out of that spot, want to keep pushing for the playoffs they’ll have to hope that this absence is a minor one for Forsberg.
- San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer is dealing with a minor illness, according to Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka. In his absence, Kaapo Kahkonen will take up number-one netminder duties for the Sharks, while Aaron Dell has been recalled to serve as a backup. Per Pashelka, the hope is that Reimer will be back in action in time for the Sharks’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Tuesday. Reimer is a pending unrestricted free agent who has posted an .895 save percentage in 28 games played this season.
Brad Hunt Clears Waivers
02/12/23: Hunt has cleared waivers, according to an announcement from the Avalanche. He has been re-assigned to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and will likely resume his important role there as the Eagles look to solidify a playoff spot.
He has 20 points in 22 AHL games this season, which still ranks first among all Eagles blueliners despite the fact that Hunt has split time between Denver and Loveland this season.
02/11/23: The Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Brad Hunt on the waiver wire Saturday, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Colorado signed Hunt, 34, to a two-year, two-way contract before this season. He’s played in 26 games for the Avs, called into action with a slew of injuries affecting the team. He has three goals and three assists for six points and has been restricted to a bottom-pairing role.
Hunt had played in every game for Colorado after he was recalled in early December. It’s unclear why Colorado has opted to place Hunt on waivers, although the team has made a habit out of waiving players but not sending them down purely to create roster flexibility in advance.
It could also be a sign that Josh Manson, who’s been on injured reserve with a lower-body injury since December 3, will be ready to return soon. There were whispers that he could return on the team’s current road trip, but he’s not expected to play in their final game of the trip today against Florida.
Los Angeles Kings Loan Jacob Moverare To AHL
The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Jacob Moverare has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The move puts Moverare back on the team that he’s spent most of this season with, same for a two-game stretch he played for the Kings in November.
The 24-year-old was recalled yesterday as part of a series of roster moves the Kings made. He didn’t end up skating in the team’s victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, but was brought to the NHL roster nonetheless to serve as a seventh defenseman. He returns to the AHL to resume his role as a top-four defenseman for the Reign, perhaps returning to his partnership with 2020 35th overall pick Helge Grans, a fellow Swede.
This re-assignment gives the Kings a free roster spot for GM Rob Blake to work with. Los Angeles is one of the teams front-and-center in the Jakob Chychrun trade rumors, and the Coyotes did make Chychrun a healthy scratch yesterday for what the team termed “trade-related” reasons.
While it’s far more likely that this move is simply the Kings moving an AHL contributor back to the league he’s meant to play at, one wonders if the Kings are clearing space for a potential addition to their blueline. It is worth noting, though, that yesterday’s reports on Chychrun did state that no Chychrun trade was “imminent,” so any connection to be made between this roster move and a Chychrun deal is largely speculation.
Scott Perunovich Sent To AHL On Conditioning Assignment
The St. Louis Blues have announced that defenseman Scott Perunovich has been assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, on a conditioning assignment.
The terms of injury conditioning assignments allow Perunovich to remain in the AHL for up to two weeks as he looks to get back to full speed. Perunovich underwent shoulder surgery in October, with a timeline that expected him to miss most of this season. The blueliner’s recovery process has presumably gone well, though, as he’s seemingly nearing a return with a solid chunk of the season still yet to be played.
Perunovich, 24, was a second-round pick of the Blues at the 2018 draft and has long ranked among the team’s top defensive prospects. He had a stellar three-year NCAA career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, registering 105 points in 115 games en route to back-to-back NCAA championships as well as a Hobey Baker Award win in 2019-20, among quite a few other honors.
While undersized by traditional standards at five-foot-ten, 175 pounds, Perunovich is extremely talented with the puck on his stick and has the potential to be an offensive difference-maker and a valued asset in transition. He made his professional debut last season, excelling at the AHL level to the tune of 22 points in 17 games.
He had some issues staying healthy, and adjusting his game to the pace and physicality of the NHL sometimes proved a challenge, but he impressed enough to see time in the Blues’ run to the second round of the 2022 playoffs.
Now, he’ll get a chance to return to playing a top role at the AHL level as he works his way back from an injury. With rumors swirling about other potential trades coming to St. Louis after the team already dealt Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola, it’s possible that additional room on St. Louis’ roster opens up right when Perunovich gets back to full health and is ready to return to the NHL.
Jake Sanderson Out Two Weeks, Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese
As expected, the Ottawa Senators have recalled goaltender Kevin Mandolese from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. The move comes after Senators goalie Anton Forsberg had to be stretchered off the ice during last night’s game due to a lower-body injury. He will be out indefinitely with MCL tears in both knees.
In addition, Senators GM Perre Dorion announced that rookie blueliner Jake Sanderson would miss a minimum of ten days (and likely two weeks in total) with an upper-body injury.
Mandolese’s recall comes as the Forsberg injury puts the Senators’ difficult goalie situation into an even more dire state. Veteran Cam Talbot is already on injured reserve and expected to miss another week, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
The team already has 2019 second-round pick Mads Sogaard on the active roster on an emergency loan, and now Mandolese heads to the active roster as well having previously started games this season at both the AHL and ECHL level. He has a .879 save percentage at the AHL level this season and a .927 in the ECHL.
With both Sogaard and Mandolese up in the NHL, the AHL Senators are now forced to rely on minor-league veteran Antoine Bibeau, as well as ECHL trade acquisition Logan Flodell, who has an .800 save percentage in the AHL so far.
The loss of Sanderson, though, is perhaps even more discouraging given the success he has had in his rookie season. The Senators are interested in playing meaningful, competitive hockey down the stretch even though their playoff hopes remain in long-shot territory.
Losing Sanderson, who has helped their penalty kill and overall defensive game, for two weeks will likely hurt them in the standings if the Senators’ other defensemen can’t pick up and capably fill the minutes he leaves.
Anton Forsberg Out Indefinitely With Torn MCL
02/12/23: Senators general manager Pierre Dorion announced that Forsberg has torn his MCL in both his left and right knee, and will as a result be likely out for the rest of the season. This announcement comes as a devastating blow for both the 30-year-old netminder and the Senators as a team.
Such a significant, season-ending injury is always horrible news, and it’s made especially so since Forsberg was in the midst of another solid season. While his save percentage had declined from last season’s .917 mark (he has a .902 in 28 games this season) that decline was more of a product of the play in front of him than any decline in talent on Forsberg’s part. Public sources such as Moneypuck.com are still bullish on Forsberg’s performance, with him ranked 16th in the entire NHL in goals-saved-above-expected, above Darcy Kuemper, Stuart Skinner, and Ville Husso, among others.
He’ll now have to focus on his recovery rather than stopping pucks, with the aim of returning to full health by the start of the 2023-24 season so that he can help the Senators get off to a strong start and possibly even get into the hunt for a playoff spot.
02/11/23: Saturday’s matinee against Edmonton didn’t go well for Ottawa as they dropped a 6-3 decision. On top of that, goaltender Anton Forsberg had to be stretchered off the ice after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury just before the sixth goal was scored. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch noted postgame that an update on Forsberg isn’t expected until Sunday.
Forsberg has been a nice story for the Senators as he was picked up on waivers in 2021 (the third time in barely two months he had been waived and claimed) and has played his way into a regular role between the pipes. Last season, he had a 2.82 GAA along with a .917 SV% in 46 appearances, earning himself a three-year contract extension along the way. Things haven’t gone as well this season, however, as he entered today’s action with a 3.13 GAA and a .905 SV% in 27 games.
On top of Forsberg being injured, Cam Talbot remains out of the lineup with a lower-body injury for at least a few more days so the short-term starting role will fall to rookie Mads Sogaard. Ottawa now sits nine points out of the final Wild Card spot so they will have their work cut out for them if they want to get back into the mix.
The Senators will need to recall a goaltender in advance of their next game on Monday against Calgary. There are two options in Kevin Mandolese and veteran Antoine Bibeau. The 22-year-old has split the season between AHL Belleville and ECHL Allen and has a save percentage of just .879 with the Baby Sens. Bibeau, meanwhile, just made his first appearance today in the minors after missing more than two months due to an injury. However, the 28-year-old has considerably more professional experience and even a handful of NHL appearances over the years and might be a better option to partner with an inexperienced Sogaard for the time being.
Trade Deadline Notes: Bertuzzi, Boeser, Van Riemsdyk, Watson, Kravtsov
As we inch closer to the March 3rd trade deadline, trade winds across the league are beginning to pick up. The 32 Thoughts segment of yesterday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast offered quite a few updates on notable trade situations across the NHL, including that of Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek noted that brief extension talks between the Red Wings and Bertuzzi “didn’t go anywhere,” leaving it more likely that he is dealt before the deadline.
Marek reported that the Red Wings are expected to set a high price for Bertuzzi, who scored 62 points in 68 games last season and plays the sort of rugged, physical game many teams covet. Marek called the price “something substantial” in his report. Teams such as the Dallas Stars, who are reportedly seeking a player to play next to Tyler Seguin on a more regular basis, Edmonton Oilers, and Tampa Bay Lightning were all linked by Marek as teams holding varying degrees of interest in acquiring the talented Red Wings forward.
Some other notes from this news-filled 32 Thoughts segment:
- While Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser could be one of the more talented wingers on the trade market over the next month or so, he could be in for a bit of a wait until it’s determined whether or not he’s dealt. On 32 Thoughts, Friedman reported that Boeser may be widely seen as a possible backup plan for teams that fail in their pursuit of San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier. As a result, his status in terms of a trade could be stuck in a “holding pattern” until there is more clarity in Meier’s situation.
- Another name that was brought up as being on the market is that of veteran Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk. The 33-year-old has scored a healthy 21 points in 34 games this season, and would in all likelihood give a team additional scoring help at a lower cost than some of the other forward options on the market, such as Meier or Bertuzzi. Marek linked van Riemsdyk to three teams: the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights.
- If teams are looking to acquire some more toughness and grit for their bottom six as they gear up for the war of attrition that is the NHL playoffs, Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson could be a quality option. Marek reports that Watson has been made available to other teams in advance of the March 3rd deadline, and would likely come at a relatively affordable price. The 31-year-old is a valued leader in the Senators’ locker room and averages two minutes per night on the team’s above-average penalty kill. He’s on an expiring $1.5MM AAV deal and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer barring an extension.
- Another new name to enter the trade deadline mix is that of 2018 ninth-overall pick Vitali Kravtsov, with Friedman reporting that the 23-year-old Russian “has been made available” to other clubs for trade in the aftermath of his being healthy scratched for the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Kravtsov has been given opportunities to shine in New York this season and had an opportunity to establish himself in the NHL given the openings the Rangers had at right wing before the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. With Tarasenko now in the mix, it seems Kravtsov’s leash is beginning to run short, and with just six points in 28 games a change-of-scenery trade could be in order.
Sharks And Oilers Discussing Erik Karlsson Trade
02/12/23: On the 32 Thoughts segment of yesterday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman issued the following update on Karlsson and the Oilers, stating: “for this to work, [Karlsson’s] got to be about a six-and-a-half to seven million dollar player,” meaning the Sharks would need to retain around four and a half to five million dollars on Karlsson’s contract.
That is, of course, a significant reported expectation and one that would leave the Sharks with a large chunk of dead money for the foreseeable future. Retaining such a large portion of Karlsson’s deal would also, though, open up the Sharks and GM Mike Grier to likely earn a more valuable package of assets in return for their blueliner.
Were the Sharks to only retain a minimal portion of Karlsson’s deal, the value they would be receiving from a Karlsson trade would be more centered around clearing his $11.5MM cap hit from their books, rather than adding valuable futures. Despite how well Karlsson has played this year, it’s highly unlikely that a team would surrender many valuable assets to add the player if he’s coming at his full price tag.
So what Grier and the Sharks front office will need to decide is whether the dead money associated with retaining Karlsson’s salary in order to facilitate a move to Edmonton is worth it in order to receive the assets the Oilers are willing to send to San Jose in return.
If Oilers GM Ken Holland is willing to move one of the team’s top prospects, such as Xavier Bourgault or Philip Broberg, does that make it worthwhile for the Sharks to retain more than the 18% of Karlsson’s deal they have been previously reported to be willing to retain? It’s a difficult question, and something the entire Sharks front office will need to wrestle with in the coming days if the Oilers truly are motivated to acquire the two-time Norris Trophy winner.
02/11/23: It has been a resurgent season for San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson. After battling injuries and putting up offensive numbers that were well below expectations, he has bounced back in a big way and all of a sudden, he’s back to being a premier offensive blueliner. That has caught the attention of some teams including Edmonton as Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the Sharks and Oilers have re-engaged in trade discussions about the defender.
The 32-year-old enters play today as the league leader for points by a defenseman by a fairly sizable margin as he sits 15 ahead of Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin who sits second. Karlsson is averaging an assist per game through 53 contests while also chipping in with 17 goals, four shy of his career high. He’s playing at a 108-point pace which would blow past his previous benchmark of 82 which came back in 2015-16 when he was still with Ottawa.
Karlsson is also logging heavy minutes, averaging 25:36 per night, his highest ATOI since 2017-18. That puts him fifth among NHL defenders despite seeing very little time on the penalty kill, averaging just a dozen seconds per night in that situation.
Of course, there are other numbers that must be kept in mind with Karlsson. The first is an $11.5MM cap hit, the richest contract for a defenseman in NHL history. The other number on that front to know is four which represents the number of years left on his contract after this one; he’s signed through 2026-27. That’s a difficult contract for pretty much any team to be able to absorb.
In Edmonton’s case, finding a way to fit in Karlsson’s contract would be extremely difficult. With Kailer Yamamoto nearing a return to the lineup, Edmonton’s already in a situation where they’re going to have to make a cap-clearing move to activate him off LTIR. Recent speculation has Jesse Puljujarvi (who scored the game-winner in Ottawa today) being a potential waiver candidate in the coming days as a result. Adding an $11.5MM contract to their cap puzzle, one that GM Ken Holland said this week is a money-in, money-out situation, would be that much harder. To that end, Johnston notes that there are considerable financial hurdles on both ends for this potential move to work.
Edmonton has been believed to be looking for defensive help dating back to the last couple of years but their cap situation has resulted in some smaller moves being made. Karlsson would definitely fit the bill as being a legitimate number one defender that can log heavy minutes and take some pressure off Darnell Nurse. He’d also elevate what is already an elite power play which entered today’s action clicking at a success rate of over 31%. However, they also have a pretty good offensive defender in Tyson Barrie at the moment while they have high expectations for young blueliner Evan Bouchard so they’d be adding to an area that is already relatively strong.
San Jose is eligible to retain up to 50% of Karlsson’s contract and the retention must be uniform throughout the remainder of his contract. Of course, by doing so, the potential acquisition cost would go up considerably as basically any retention will result in millions of dollars of dead money and the Sharks won’t be doing that for cheap.
Accordingly, finding the right combination of future assets (prospects and picks from a system that isn’t among the deeper ones in the NHL) to satisfy San Jose’s needs as they embark on a rebuild along with movable roster players from Edmonton to balance out the money is going to take some time.
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their respective primes, Edmonton’s window to win is now. Acquiring someone like Karlsson would be an extremely bold move, one that would certainly elevate their status in the tight Western Conference. Now, can they find a way to make the money work? That’s a tough question for a lot of teams this season but there is definitely an added layer of difficulty at play for this potential move. If Holland can find a way to make it work, the Oilers will certainly become a top threat as a result.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Meier, Johnson, WHL Suspensions
While the major news of the day from a trade deadline perspective revolves around Jakob Chychrun, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier remains the top forward option on the market for many teams. We covered how teams would be potentially interested in Meier even as a rental forward, despite the fact that he has one year remaining of eligibility for restricted free agency — albeit with a pricey $10MM qualifying offer attached.
Today, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Sharks have not yet given permission to Meier and his agent, former NHLer Claude Lemieux, to negotiate the terms of a potential contract extension with interested teams. LeBrun did note, though, that “the expectation is that will happen closer to trade offers being firmed up.” But the fact that these talks have not yet occurred could be an indication that the Meier trade process isn’t quite as far along as the Chychrun saga seems to be, especially given today’s news of Chychrun being healthy scratched.
Some other notes from across the hockey world:
- The Colorado Avalanche announced that veteran blueliner Erik Johnson would not return to tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury. Dater on Hockey’s Adrian Dater added that the “worry is it might be broken foot,” but no further information beyond that has been released. A broken foot would obviously be a massive blow for the Avalanche as they look to climb the standings down the stretch, so all involved will likely be hoping that what knocked Johnson out of the game ends up being only a minor obstacle.
- The WHL announced that four Moose Jaw Warriors players have been indefinitely suspended pending an investigation into possible violations of team rules and the WHL’s Standard of Conduct policies. No further details beyond that were given in the league’s announcement. Of note is that one of the suspended players, Maximus Wanner, is an Edmonton Oilers 2021 seventh-round pick who signed his entry-level deal with the team in September.