Jachym Kondelik Signs With Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have been active in the last 24 hours, and that continues right now. The team announced the signing of 2018 draft pick Jachym Kondelik to his two-year entry-level contract today, set to begin next season.
Kondelik, a Czech citizen born in Germany, was drafted 111th overall in the fourth round in 2018. He’s spent all four seasons post-draft at the University of Connecticut, where he was named captain for the 2021-22 season. Largely a playmaker, Kondelik notched his first season with double-digit goals this year, potting 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 36 games. He’s been consistent throughout his college career, netting at least 20 points in each season.
He’ll undoubtedly head to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals next year but will likely see some decent ice time and opportunity there considering Nashville’s somewhat thin prospect pool. He could absolutely emerge as a strong call-up candidate, though, and it’s not out of the question that he sees at least a game of NHL action in 2022-23.
Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators Complete Minor Trade
Amid a flurry of moves containing NHL-caliber players, the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings have finalized a swap of two players with one game of NHL experience between them. The Kings have acquired defenseman Frederic Allard from the Predators in exchange for forward Brayden Burke. This is a swap of AHL players right as both teams’ AHL affiliate squads look set to qualify for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. The Kings’ affiliate, the Ontario Reign, are second in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators’ affiliate, are third in the AHL’s Central Division, so this trade was likely done with their seasons in mind.
The Kings, in getting Allard, get the player in the deal that has made it to the NHL before. Allard has played in one game, in 2020-2021, and was one of the Predators’ two 2016 third-round picks, along with Rem Pitlick. The 24-year-old defender has five points in 36 AHL games and spent time playing in Austria in 2020-2021. The Kings’ defense is currently ravaged by injuries, and a whole host of players including Drew Doughty, Sean Walker, Matt Roy, Tobias Bjornfot, and Mikey Anderson have been unavailable. They recently traded a seventh-rounder to Detroit for defenseman Troy Stecher, and now make this deal as another move to help shore up that beaten-up blueline. Allard is also a pending restricted free agent, which means that the Predators will have the opportunity to retain him should they deem him a good fit in their organization.
The Predators deal Allard for Burke, who has been an AHL player since 2018-19. He has been a decent scorer at that level, with his best season coming in 2019-20, when he had 52 points in 51 games. He now has 17 points in 31 games for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners this season and figures to help as a secondary scorer for the Admirals. Given that he is a pending group-six unrestricted free agent, it is unlikely that the Predators have Burke in their long-term plans. But he should be able to reinforce Milwaukee for their playoff chase, and the Predators have historically been interested in having success at the AHL level, which is where Burke has been for the entirety of his professional career.
New York Rangers Acquire Justin Braun
The New York Rangers have made an interesting defensive addition, acquiring Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will receive a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for the defenseman.
Braun, 35, is a pending unrestricted free agent like many of the other players moved today, but represents a nice fit for the Rangers who have decided to push at least a few chips to the middle during their surprising run in the Metropolitan Division. While the team is still on the way up, Igor Shesterkin and company have done enough in the first part of the season to deserve a bit of deadline help.
That help comes in the form of the 6’2″ Braun, who has a history of playing with more mobile, offensive partners. This year that’s been almost entirely with Ivan Provorov, who has also heard his name bandied about in trade rumors recently. Braun now goes to a team with several of those puck-movers, and could potentially help support a younger player like K’Andre Miller as the team takes the next step in their competitive window.
For the Flyers, selling Braun was almost a certainty after they decided to move out pending free agents. While a second-round pick surely was the target, they’ll have to settle for a third when it comes down to it. The fact that it’s in 2023 is interesting though as that draft has been targeted heavily in trade talks and the Flyers don’t seem committed to a true rebuild. They could potentially flip that pick at some point down the line for more immediate help.
The Rangers still have plenty of picks to deal from if they want to add more at the deadline, including two second-round picks this year. They also have plenty of cap space, meaning more moves could be coming in the next few hours.
Jeff Marek of Sportsnet was first to break the trade on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nashville Predators Acquire Alex Biega
The Nashville Predators are adding a bit of defensive depth, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that they have acquired Alex Biega from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kevin Weekes of ESPN adds that the deal is for future considerations.
Biega, 33, has spent almost the entire season in the minor leagues, playing 31 games for the Toronto Marlies and just two for the Maple Leafs. A right-handed option with nearly 250 games of NHL experience, he shouldn’t be expected to hold a regular role in Nashville but does provide the kind of depth that many teams need during a playoff push.
Signed to a one-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of just $750K, the key here is that Biega has already cleared waivers and can be stashed in the minor leagues until needed.
For Toronto, the key is clearing out a contract slot ahead of today’s deadline. Before the deal they had already used 49 of 50 slots, meaning they would have been restricted if they wanted to make any more trades. Even with Rasmus Sandin dealing with an injury and Jake Muzzin still working his way back from a concussion, the Maple Leafs were very unlikely to use Biega at any point, making him completely expendable.
Snapshots: Bertuzzi, Larsson, Bergeron, White, Chara
While Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi has been in some trade speculation as of late, he told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan that his desire is to stay with Detroit, the team that drafted him back in the second round in 2013. The 27-year-old has one year left on his deal with a $4.75MM AAV and will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason. He sits second on the team in scoring this season with 49 points in 51 games which means GM Steve Yzerman would be placing a very high price tag if a contender wants to take a run at adding Bertuzzi today.
Other news and notes around the league:
- The Coyotes have made some progress on a trade involving center Johan Larsson, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has been out for nearly two months with a lower-body injury but is nearing a return. Larsson has 15 points in 29 games this season but has been a checker for most of his career which is the role contending teams would have in mind for him. With a $1.4MM AAV, he’s someone several teams will be able to afford.
- Boston is hoping that center Patrice Bergeron will be able to return from his arm injury for Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, note Elaine Cavalieri and Eric Russo of the Bruins’ team site. The veteran will miss his third straight game tonight against Montreal and has 45 points in 56 games this season.
- Senators center Colin White is someone that a couple of league executives believes in play, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 25-year-old recently returned to the lineup after missing the first 50 games of the year with a shoulder injury. He has six points in a dozen contests but with three years remaining on his deal with a $4.75MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him moved unless Ottawa is willing to take a similar-sized deal in return.
- The Oilers are among the teams to check in on Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, Chris Johnston reports in his latest Toronto Star column. The 45-year-old is still averaging more than 18 minutes a night and with a base cap hit of just the league minimum of $750K, he’s someone that they should be able to afford with their limited cap space. Chara also has another $750K in undisclosed performance bonuses which an acquiring team may become responsible for absorbing although that can roll over to next year’s cap if necessary.
Wild Acquire Marc-Andre Fleury; Trade Kaapo Kahkonen To Sharks
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been traded again. The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2022. If Minnesota advances to the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins a minimum of four games in the first two rounds combined, the pick will upgrade to a 2022 first-round pick. Chicago is also retaining 50 percent of Fleury’s contract.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson released the following statement:
This trade immediately puts us in a better position at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, giving us a pick that will land early in the draft. We are in a better position today at the upcoming draft than we were yesterday. In a short time with the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre made quite an impression on our fanbase and in our locker room. We appreciate his willingness to work with us on finding a deal that worked for everyone.
In a related move, the Wild have traded Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jacob Middleton.
As recently as last night, the talks between Minnesota and Chicago appeared to have broken down, as the veteran netminder took the crease for the Blackhawks against the Winnipeg Jets. Fleury ended up losing that game, allowing five goals on 31 shots. That performance notwithstanding, he’ll offer a huge experience upgrade over Kahkonen as the Wild continue their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
Fleury, 37, won the Vezina with the Vegas Golden Knights last season in the most impressive year of his career, but ended up shipped out to the Blackhawks in a shocking offseason move. From the moment it happened, Fleury’s days in Chicago seemed numbered, given his expiring contract and the lack of competitiveness from the Blackhawks after games started. The question was always would he even want to be traded somewhere else, as he ended up with a handshake no-movement clause after arriving in Chicago.
Minnesota now has a netminder with over 900 regular season games of NHL experience, plus three Stanley Cup rings on his shelf. Still, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s ready to take the Wild all the way. In both of the last two championships he won in Pittsburgh, Matt Murray took over the net at some point in the playoffs, and a similar change happened in Vegas when they brought in Robin Lehner. Over 162 career playoff games, Fleury has just a .912 save percentage, not exactly what most teams need to go all the way.
Among executives in the league who know what Fleury can bring though, Wild GM Bill Guerin certainly ranks pretty high. Their time in Pittsburgh together was quite successful, and now they’ll try to do it one more time before Fleury’s career wraps up in the coming years (or months).
He’ll still have another goaltender to lean on with Cam Talbot, but the fact that Minnesota felt Kahkonen was expendable certainly shows how all-in Guerin is this season. The Wild have huge cap penalties coming next season due to the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, meaning this year may be their best chance to contend. Giving up a conditional first-round pick may be a pricey decision for a rental goaltender, but it’s hard to argue against the resume that they’ve brought in.
In dealing Kahkonen to San Jose, the Wild have also shored up the defensive side of the puck by adding a big, mean, physical player in Middleton. The 6’3″, 220-lbs defenseman has finally broken through and become a regular in the NHL this season, averaging more than 18 minutes a night. With the additional acquisition of Nicolas Deslauriers, the Wild have added plenty of size to the lineup to go on a deep postseason run.
For San Jose, adding Kahkonen gives them a potential future starter, though things haven’t gone perfectly so far in his young career. The 25-year-old has a .910 save percentage this season in 25 games. Importantly, he’s also a pending restricted free agent, one that the Wild would have had to give a hefty raise despite still paying Talbot next season. For the Sharks, they now have two younger goaltenders–along with the injured Adin Hill–who could both provide some great value moving forward.
Sharks acting general manager Joe Will released a statement on Kahkonen:
Kaapo is a quick, athletic goaltender who has shown the ability to win consistently at every level he has played. He provides our club additional depth at the goaltending position this season and in the coming years.
Questions will now be asked about James Reimer though, who currently sits as the starter for the Sharks and is signed through next season. There isn’t really room for all three, meaning at some point–either today or in the summer–there could be a market for San Jose to move Reimer out.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to provide the full details of the Fleury trade, while Michael Russo of The Athletic broke the Kahkonen trade a few minutes after Fleury was acquired.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Bryan Little
The Arizona Coyotes have made a bit of a creative move. The team has acquired Bryan Little and the rights to prospect Nathan Smith from the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick. Both teams have announced the deal. Little, 34, has only played in seven games since 2018-19 and does not figure to play in the NHL again due to injuries. He was on long-term injured reserve for the Jets and has a contract worth $5.29MM against the cap through 2023-2024.
For the Jets, this move paves their path to being able to avoid the use of long-term injured reserve in the future. Long-term injured reserve (LTIR) is an incredibly complex area of the NHL’s salary cap and one that is difficult for many to wrap their heads around. One of the major reasons a team would want to avoid the use of LTIR is so they could accumulate cap space throughout a season. The Jets now only have Kristian Reichel and Cole Perfetti on LTIR, two players that are not going to be long-term fixtures on that list, so moving Little allows them to get away from relying on LTIR to be cap compliant.
For the Coyotes, this move is designed to help them navigate what should be a tricky financial situation for the foreseeable future. The team is set to move into an arena far smaller than NHL teams are typically used to, meaning their revenues will likely be hurt by the lower amount of tickets they can sell. The Coyotes have a significant amount of their team on expiring contracts, meaning they have very little money tied to their roster for next season. With that in mind, the team still needs to be able to clear the salary cap floor for next season. By acquiring Little, the Coyotes gain a contract of a player costing over $5MM against the cap, a decently large amount, who will also cost them a relatively minimal amount of actual dollars paid. Little’s contract, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, is covered by insurance, meaning that the Coyotes will not be on the hook for paying Little most or even potentially all of the cash he is owed. As a result, the Coyotes can inch closer to the required cap floor while minimizing the number of dollars they themselves need to pay.
For their trouble, the Coyotes also receive an intriguing prospect in Smith. By getting Smith as part of the deal, GM Bill Armstrong adds another NCAA prospect on the back of yesterday’s trade for Jack McBain. Smith, 23, was the 91st overall pick in 2018 and has had an immensely productive season at Minnesota State University. He has 18 goals and 49 points in 34 games and is likely close to NHL-ready given his age and college production. Getting potentially NHL-ready NCAA prospects seems to be the strategy for Armstrong, whose team is set to share an NCAA arena as their home for the next few years.
The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. TSN’s Bob McKenzie was first on the compensation.
Capitals Acquire Marcus Johansson
Earlier today, it was reported that the Capitals were among the teams showing interest in winger Marcus Johansson. They have indeed landed the veteran in a trade with Seattle, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). Samantha Pell of the Washington Post reports (Twitter link) that winger Daniel Sprong and draft picks are going to the Kraken. Johnston adds (via Twitter) that the picks are a 2022 fourth-rounder and a 2023 sixth-rounder.
The 31-year-old is no stranger to Washington having spent the first seven years of his career there after he was their first-round pick (24th overall) back in 2009. However, while he was a key secondary scorer during his stint with the Caps, Johansson has certainly bounced around since then and hasn’t been able to produce with any level of consistency.
After playing with five teams over the past three seasons, Johansson inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Seattle back in August with the hopes that he’d be a secondary producer for them. That hasn’t exactly happened, however, as he has just six goals in 51 games although he has chipped in with 17 assists which put him in a tie for seventh in team scoring. He has averaged 16:35 per game this season and it’s quite unlikely he’ll play anywhere close to that in his second stint with the Capitals as he’ll be bottom-six forward depth for them.
Per CapFriendly, Washington has just over $63K in cap space so there needed to be some roster moves made to fit Johansson’s salary. Sprong’s inclusion, coupled with Seattle using their final retention slot to retain half of Johansson’s AAV, allows the Capitals to remain cap-compliant.
Meanwhile, Sprong is an interesting addition for Seattle. The 25-year-old has eight goals and six assists in 47 games with Washington this season and is still controllable through restricted free agency for two more years. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer and is only a year removed from picking up 13 goals and 20 points in 42 games. That would have likely pushed his arbitration value higher than what the Capitals were willing to pay which would have made him a non-tender candidate. Now, he’ll have a chance to make a good first impression with the Kraken for the stretch run.
AHL Shuffle: 03/21/22
It’s certainly a busy day in the NHL today with the trade deadline just hours away plus four games on the schedule. There will be considerable roster movement on the trade front while there will be plenty of paper moves made prior to the 2 PM CT deadline made to give players eligibility to play in the minors down the stretch. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent winger Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. The 25-year-old has three points in a dozen games this season with Pittsburgh while adding 15 points in 31 minor league contests.
- The Washington Capitals re-assigned forward Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears of the AHL (link). Leason had just been recalled by the Capitals yesterday, but the re-assignment could be to simply keep Leason’s AHL eligibility for the remainder of the season intact.
Central Division
- The Predators have sent defenseman Jeremy Davies back to Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. Davies was brought up on Saturday but with Nashville adding Jeremy Lauzon from Seattle late on Sunday, the 25-year-old can head back to the minors.
- The Dallas Stars have sent goaltender Adam Scheel back to the AHL after acquiring Scott Wedgewood yesterday. Scheel, 22, has up as an emergency backup and never actually saw any NHL action. The young netminder is in his first full season of professional hockey.
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Ville Heinola, Jeff Malott, and Kristian Reichel have all been reassigned to the minor leagues, making them eligible. Notably, Cole Perfetti is not with this group, suggesting that his time in the minor leagues is over after impressing so far.
- After making several trades in the past 24 hours, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled two players from the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL: forward Michael Carcone and goaltender Josef Korenar. Carcone has played just two games at the NHL level, both coming this season, however he has been a productive AHL player, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists in 48 games with Tuscon this season. Korenar has not played in the NHL yet this season, but did play in 10 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21 and was moved to Arizona this offseason as part of the Adin Hill trade.
- Having traded goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks have recalled goaltender Collin Delia from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Delia has had a solid season playing for Rockford, but has only appeared in two NHL games thus far in 2021-22.
Pacific Division
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Kole Lind from AHL Charlotte. Lind has played in seven games with Seattle this season after being their pick in expansion from Vancouver but has spent most of the year in the minors. Seattle has also activated winger Joonas Donskoi off injured reserve.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL after he played a game with the Bakersfield Condors over the weekend. The 32-year-old is actually the captain of the minor league club, but after converting his contract to an NHL deal has played six games for the Oilers.
- Jake Leschyshyn and Brayden Pachal are heading back up to the Vegas Golden Knights. Leschyshyn’s seen a lot of NHL opportunities this year, getting into 27 games this year and notching his first five NHL points. Pachal made his NHL debut recently before immediately getting sent back down, but he may get another chance here in some NHL games.
- The San Jose Sharks announced they have re-assigned goaltender Zach Sawchenko to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. In addition to this, the team recalled forward Sasha Chmelevski and defenseman Ryan Merkley from the Barracuda, and activated Radim Simek off of injured-reserve.
- After placing Michael Amadio and Zach Whitecloud in COVID protocol and trading away Evgenii Dadonov, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they have called up four players: forwards Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg and defensemen Daniil Miromanov and Zack Hayes. Of this group, only Hayes does not have any NHL playing experience, spending this season and last in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights, and the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL before that.
- The Vancouver Canucks also made a flurry of AHL assignments, primarily for the purpose of keeping players’ AHL ability alive. The organization announced it assigned forwards Sheldon Rempal, Vasily Podkolzin, and Nic Petan, as well as defenseman Noah Juulsen to the Abbotsford Canucks. Podkolzin and Petan were immediately recalled back to Vancouver.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forward Danny O’Regan from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. O’Regan, 28, has played parts of four seasons dating back to 2016-17, including four games this season with Anaheim.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Bruins Sign Jake DeBrusk To Two-Year Extension
Despite a trade request that is still active, Jake DeBrusk has chosen to accept an extension offer from the Boston Bruins. DeBrusk’s new contract is a two-year, $4MM AAV pact that will take him through his age-27 season. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that “the belief” is that the Bruins “still want to trade” DeBrusk, and believe that signing him to this extension makes him a more attractive trade asset. DeBrusk was due a $4.41MM qualifying offer this offseason from a team looking to retain his rights as a restricted free agent, but now that situation is swapped with a much clearer two-year deal that takes DeBrusk straight to unrestricted free agency when the contract expires.
For the Bruins, this contract makes DeBrusk a more cost-controlled asset than he previously was. Given how long the DeBrusk trade saga has lingered, it is possible that Boston was simply not getting the offers they deemed acceptable for DeBrusk and found that the uncertainty of his contract situation impeded making a satisfactory trade. With the extension, they have cleared up those murky financial waters and paved a path for an acquiring team to have a much clearer sense of the value they’d be receiving if they choose to acquire DeBrusk. It is a bit curious though, given that players looking at sign-and-trade situations typically get traded first and then sign their extension, as Boston did recently with Hampus Lindholm. One thing to note is that DeBrusk’s actual salary this season is $4.85MM, a significant increase from his $3.675MM cap hit, which may be a barrier keeping the Bruins from making a trade given how many teams are still reeling from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By signing this extension, DeBrusk cashes in on his recent performance and also bets on himself by signing for only a two-year term. DeBrusk has recently found a better fit in Boston as a winger on their first line. He has 15 goals and 26 points so far this season, numbers that are a nice improvement from last year’s miserable five-goal, 14-point campaign. Some still believe that DeBrusk, the 14th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has the potential to become a 30-goal scorer in the NHL, and any team acquiring him would likely be buying into that potential. Things can change quickly in the NHL, and DeBrusk is no stranger to that, having gone from 27 goals in 2018-19 to five in 2020-2021, so naturally there is risk for the player in signing a deal only two years in length. But with this extension, DeBrusk is betting on himself and the possibility of him realizing his potential with a long-desired change of scenery.