Interest Rising For Jack McBain
One of the more interesting stories around this season’s trade deadline is unsigned college prospect, Jack McBain. The rights to the Minnesota Wild draft pick are expected to be traded in the next few days, as McBain has apparently made it clear he will not be signing with Minnesota and would instead test free agency this summer. He could reach unrestricted free agency in the middle of August, at which point the Wild would receive no compensation and essentially lose the third-round pick they used on McBain in 2018.
Now 22, the Boston College star could sign and play with a team this season, adding an impressive 6’4″ forward into the mix. In 24 games at BC this season he scored 19 goals and 33 points, while also attending the Olympics with Team Canada. The asking price was believed to be a second-round pick, though Darren Dreger of TSN suggests it could even be climbing as multiple teams join the hunt to try and get him signed.
Selected 63rd overall in 2018, McBain was the first pick of the third round and could quickly become one of the steals of the draft should his college production carry over to the professional ranks. Big, two-way centers aren’t easy to come by, and given the sneaky amount of skill that McBain possesses, there may even be more than the bottom-six pivot he still projects as. If he can carve out a role similar to Joel Eriksson Ek, for instance, he would obviously be worth even more than a second-round pick.
That’s obviously not a guarantee though, and as contenders load up on rentals, McBain’s future may lie with a team not quite as close to the top. Prospects in a situation like this often chase the best opportunity, not necessarily the best team, as they hope to make an impact early on. Given that he’s already 22, McBain will be signing a two-year entry-level contract, meaning he’ll be set to reach restricted free agency by the end of 2022-23. If he wants to have NHL stats to take into a negotiation, finding a home with a less impressive depth chart may be the way to go.
Trade Deadline Primer: Winnipeg Jets
As we enter the middle of March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Winnipeg Jets.
A revamped back end for Winnipeg over the summer provided some cause for optimism heading into the season. After a quick exit in the second round to Montreal, the additions of Nate Schmidt and Brendan Dillon were supposed to steady the blueline and help the Jets take that next step forward. They’ve certainly helped on that front but unfortunately for them, Connor Hellebuyck has struggled and the end result is that they find themselves right in the middle heading into next week’s deadline – too close to automatically give up but too far away to realistically spend assets to try to make a run.
Record
28-23-10, 6th in the Central
Deadline Status
Toss-up
Deadline Cap Space
$669K today, $669K in full-season space (using LTIR), 0/3 retention slots used, 40/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: WPG 1st, CBJ 3rd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th
2023: WPG 1st, WPG 3rd, WPG 4th, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th
Trade Chips
The good news for Winnipeg is that if they do decide to sell, they have two veterans at a position that will be in high demand. One of those is Andrew Copp, whose specific case we looked at in some detail over the weekend. He’s currently out with a head injury and while it’s not believed to be too serious, it could put a hold on talks for the time being. While his production has tapered off in recent weeks, he’s a two-way player that can play all three positions and do so in both offensive and defensive roles. Pretty much every contender would have a use for that type of versatile player although, with a $3.64MM AAV, not all of them will be able to afford him.
The other center that would be available if they sell is Paul Stastny. The 36-year-old has actually improved his offensive numbers from last season with 17 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, giving him his best point per game average since the 2018-19 season. Stastny has spent a lot of this season on the wing with Winnipeg having Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois on their top two lines but he was a full-time middleman as recently as last season. He’d fit in well on the third line for several contenders with an ability to move up in a pinch although his price tag of $3.75MM will take some creativity for some of them to fit the veteran onto their roster.
Nathan Beaulieu is currently on LTIR and will be out until next month but if there’s a team looking to add a bit of depth, his $1.25MM cap hit isn’t overly high and the 29-year-old has held his own on the third pairing in the past although his role has been reduced this year. The return would be minimal – a conditional draft pick based on games played at most – but there’s at least a small possibility that he’d move.
On the other side of the coin is David Gustafsson. The 21-year-old pending RFA actually cracked Winnipeg’s lineup as a 19-year-old but had a very limited role that year and in the two seasons since then, his NHL time has been extremely limited, including just two appearances this season that totaled less than five minutes of action. He has played well with AHL Manitoba with 20 points in 33 games but as someone that needs waivers next season and doesn’t appear to have the confidence of the NHL coaching staff right now, he’s someone that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff might be comfortable parting with in a smaller move if he decided to try to add a small piece to try to help get the Jets into the second Wild Card spot.
Then there are the blank spots on their roster. Only one team (Seattle) has fewer players signed to NHL contracts and there are a dozen teams that are three or less away from the limit of 50. Winnipeg is in a position where they could add some extra AHL depth and perhaps a late draft pick to take a contract from one of those teams that has to free up a slot to make a move. It wouldn’t be worth much but the empty slots effectively are a trade chip for the Jets.
Others To Watch For: D Tyrel Bauer (unsigned prospect), F C.J. Suess ($725K, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks – If Winnipeg sells, they need to stock up on picks. They haven’t had a full set of draft choices since 2017 and have had just four selections in each of the last two seasons. At the moment, they only have two choices in the first 140 spots which is hardly ideal.
2) Depth Forward Upgrades – As a result of keeping their top forwards intact from last year and adding to their back end, Cheveldayoff had to go really cheap at the bottom of the depth chart. The results haven’t been great for the most part. They need low-cost improvements both now and in the long term, making this a team need that needs to be addressed regardless of which direction they ultimately wind up taking over the next few days. While there are other needs to fill, it’s unlikely they’ll be addressed here with the Jets either selling or basically standing pat
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Acquire Ben Chiarot
The Panthers have added to their back end, acquiring Ben Chiarot from the Canadiens in exchange for their 2023 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round selection (acquired in today’s Frank Vatrano trade), and prospect center Ty Smilanic. Montreal will retain 50% of Chiarot’s $3.5MM AAV as part of the deal. Florida GM Bill Zito released the following statement about his newest rearguard:
Ben is a solid veteran defenseman that will bring both experience and size to our blue line. Having reached the Stanley Cup Final with Montreal last season, he is a player that knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run, which is what our organization is striving for in these next few months.
The 30-year-old blueliner has worked his way up from being a role player in Winnipeg to a key part of Montreal’s back end, logging at least 21:47 a night in each of his three seasons with the Canadiens. His offensive numbers aren’t overly exciting – just seven goals and 11 assists in 54 games – but he is better known for his physicality and defensive game, elements that the Panthers certainly covet as they load up for what they hope will be a lengthy playoff run.
It’s Chiarot’s performance in the playoffs last season that had him on the radar for several contenders and had Montreal setting a high asking price comparable to last season’s David Savard trade. He logged more than 25 minutes a night for the Canadiens in their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, playing a key shutdown role along the way. That’s likely the role that Florida envisions for him as a complementary partner for Aaron Ekblad on their top pairing, allowing MacKenzie Weegar to drop to the second pair. The net cap cost in this trade is still lower than Vatrano’s so Florida still has ample cap space to work with to try to make another addition before Monday’s trade deadline.
It should come as no surprise that Chiarot was traded with Montreal well out of playoff contention and the fact the team made him a healthy scratch against Arizona on Tuesday for what was termed a managerial decision. They managed to add three future assets including the first-round pick they were coveting. Worth noting is that while there is no condition on Florida’s 2023 first-rounder, the deal could technically change if Florida was to somehow fall out of the playoffs and land a top-ten pick this year. In that case, this 2023 pick would be conveyed to Buffalo from the Sam Reinhart trade. Of course, that’s extremely unlikely to happen. The Canadiens will also assume the conditions on the fourth-rounder from the Vatrano deal and will receive the lowest-rated of the fourth-round selections the Rangers have – their own and Winnipeg’s.
As for Smilanic, the 20-year-old was a third-round selection (74th overall) back in 2020. He has played in 38 games with Quinnipiac of the NCAA this season, picking up 13 goals and nine assists. He was also selected to USA’s entry into the since-postponed World Juniors. Montreal has until August 15, 2024 to sign him to an entry-level deal.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report that Chiarot was being traded to Montreal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Flames Acquire Calle Jarnkrok
Last month, the Flames made an important addition on the wing with the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli from Montreal. They’ve now added another winger as they have acquired winger Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle. In exchange, the Kraken receive Florida’s second-round pick in 2022, Calgary’s third-rounder in 2023, and a 2024 seventh-round selection.
The 30-year-old was the Kraken’s selection from Nashville in expansion and he has been his usual dependable two-way self this season. He has played in 49 games for Seattle this season, picking up 12 goals and 14 assists while logging just shy of 17 minutes per game. He has seen regular action on both the penalty kill and power play this season, giving him some versatility in terms of where head coach Darryl Sutter will be able to deploy him.
It’s notable that Jarnkrok has played at center in the past although he has predominantly been on the wing the last three seasons. It’s possible that Calgary could opt to deploy him there in which case he’d likely be upgrading their fourth line as it’s unlikely he’d displace Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, or Sean Monahan from their current roles.
Jarnkrok is in the final season of a six-year, $12MM contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. The Flames didn’t currently have enough cap space to absorb his $2MM AAV – they have just $769K in space at the moment per CapFriendly – but Seattle hadn’t used any of their three retention slots before this deal. That, coupled with Adam Ruzicka being waiver-exempt and eligible to be sent back to AHL Stockton, gives them enough cap room to make this work.
In the meantime, Seattle gets a very strong return for a rental player in Jarnkrok. With the second-rounder this year, they now have nine selections for the 2022 draft in July while the 2023 third-rounder gives them ten picks for that draft. They’re likely to look to stockpile more over the coming days with veteran blueliner Mark Giordano expected to be among those on the move by then.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report Jarnkrok was going to Calgary. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the draft picks going to Seattle.
Pacific Notes: Hill, Ducks, Flames, Oilers
Sharks goaltender Adin Hill returned to the lineup on Saturday and recorded a 29-save shutout over Los Angeles. However, it appears he hasn’t fully recovered from the lower-body injury that kept him out for 15 games as Corey Masisak of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the netminder has suffered a setback and will be out for at least a week. The team isn’t considering shutting him down for the season at this point and surgery isn’t on the table at this time so fortunately for San Jose, it would appear the setback is a minor one. James Reimer and Zachary Sawchenko will serve as the goalie tandem for the Sharks for the time being.
More from the Pacific:
- While the Ducks recently traded Josh Manson, it’s too early to automatically assume that fellow pending unrestricted free agents Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell will have the same fate. GM Pat Verbeek told reporters, including Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register, that the door hasn’t been closed yet on signing the veterans to extensions. Verbeek recently indicated that they’d be traded if there wasn’t a new contract in place by then so it’s certainly getting close to the pressure point for Anaheim.
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis pegs Calgary’s biggest need to fill as a depth center. The Flames have used Brad Richardson and Adam Ruzicka as fourth line middlemen this season and haven’t had much production from them as the duo has combined for 13 points in 50 games. An upgrade at that position wouldn’t normally seem like a top priority but with minimal cap space, it’s one they could realistically afford without requiring significant retention or needing to move someone off their current roster.
- In an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link), Oilers GM Ken Holland indicated that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is still a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup from his shoulder injury. He also stated that he’d ideally like to add to Edmonton’s defense corps by the trade deadline. Cap space is limited for them – less than $600K at the moment per CapFriendly – so unless they’re able to clear up some room, that addition to the back end may need to be a depth one.
San Jose Sharks Sign Long-Term Extension With Tomas Hertl
The San Jose Sharks have maintained throughout the early part of the season that they would work hard to extend Tomas Hertl instead of trading him, and they have followed through on that promise. The two sides have agreed on an eight-year extension that will keep Hertl in San Jose through the 2029-30 season. Though the team did not immediately report the financial terms of the deal, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it will carry an average annual value of $8,137,500. The deal also includes a full no-movement clause in the first three years and a limited no-trade clause in the last five.
Acting general manager Joe Will released a lengthy statement on the deal, which includes:
By agreeing to this contract, Tomas is cementing his path with the Sharks, following in the footsteps of some incredible players who have worn the Sharks crest. He has shown that he wants to play in San Jose for years to come and it shows his dedication to the organization and community since he joined the team in 2012. We are thrilled to have Tomas for another eight years.
Hertl, 28, is in the final season of a four-year, $22.5MM contract signed in 2018 that carries a cap hit of $5.625MM. Notably, that deal includes a no-trade clause that allows the Sharks’ forward to block deals to all but three teams in the league. That would have made trading him even more difficult, though there never did seem to be an appetite for a split from either party.
While he has slowed down considerably over the last two months, Hertl is still having an excellent season with 25 goals and 48 points in 59 games for the Sharks, trailing only Timo Meier in terms of offensive output. He’s now being rewarded for his strong play with a contract very similar to captain Logan Couture, the team’s other star center that carries much of the offensive load. With Evander Kane‘s contract off the books (pending a grievance), the Sharks did have some extra cap space to spend.
Still, signing another big-money, long-term deal will certainly raise eyebrows. The Sharks aren’t really in the playoff race this season and now have five players on the books through at least 2024-25 at a cap hit of $7MM or more. Hertl is actually the youngest of that group and is still now signed through his age-36 season. It’s hard to really know what direction the team is going; maybe those veteran talents are enough to carry them to the next level, or perhaps they’re going to turn into anchors that keep the Sharks at the bottom of the Pacific for years to come.
At any rate, Hertl gets to stay with the only franchise he’s ever known, and continue to pile up points as one of the team’s most important players. He has scored 371 points in his 562-game career, numbers that already put him seventh among the Sharks’ all-time scoring leaders. He has a long way to go to catch some of the players in front of him–Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton lead the group at 1,111 and 1,055 points respectively–but another eight years could very well mean he spends his entire career in San Jose.
For the rest of the NHL, a top trade target comes off the board, making other centers all the more valuable before Monday’s deadline. If teams were interested in the Sharks forward, they’ll have to pivot over the next few days.
Other pending free agents like Nazem Kadri also must be smiling when they see Hertl’s number come up, as there are certainly some red flags with a deal like this. Not only is he now signed well into the normal decline phase of an NHL player but Hertl also has never even scored at a point-per-game rate. His closes was in 2018-19 when he had 35 goals and 74 points in 77 games, and no one doubts his talent as a difference-maker. But someone like Kadri, with 73 points in 58 game this season, or even top free agent wingers like Johnny Gaudreau (78 points in 59 games) and Filip Forsberg (55 points in 47 games) should all be able to demand huge salaries this summer as the league’s finances start to rebound.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Kubalik, Giordano, Sanderson
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a nightmare season and chief among the underachievers has been Dominik Kubalik. The 26-year-old forward has just 11 goals and 21 points in 61 games, a far cry from the 30-goal season he put up as a rookie in 2019-20. With that disappointing season getting even worse of late–Kubalik has just one goal and four points in his last 18 games–his name started to rise in trade speculation recently and is now a prime candidate to be moved in the coming days.
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Blackhawks are “making progress” on a Kubalik trade, with the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers as frontrunners. Whoever does acquire the enigmatic winger is getting a player on the last year of his current contract that will be a restricted free agent and eligible for arbitration in the summer. Kubalik will be owed a $4MM qualifying offer just to retain his rights as an RFA.
- Another top deadline target, Mark Giordano, isn’t expected to play tonight for the Seattle Kraken as they look to protect their asset. The 38-year-old defenseman is supposed to be honored for playing 1,000 games–a mark he hit on the road earlier this month–but will apparently have to do it in street clothes as head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters Giordano won’t be in the lineup. Already confirmed to be heading somewhere, the 2019 Norris Trophy winner should bring Seattle a strong package of assets despite his age and expiring contract.
- Jake Sanderson was expected to join the Ottawa Senators after his college career ended, but the young defenseman has suffered another injury that could potentially jeopardize that. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that Sanderson will miss the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and is out week-to-week with this new issue. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia adds that the Senators’ medical staff has reached out to the University of North Dakota staff to get a full report and there is some concern that he could be out “a while.” Sanderson was limited to just 23 games for UND this season, while missing time at both the World Juniors (which was eventually canceled) and the Olympics (in which he played just one game because of COVID and injury issues).
AHL Shuffle: 03/16/22
The NHL has just four games on the schedule tonight, including one between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild that could have important playoff implications in both conferences. The Bruins find themselves just two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division playoff race after their recent hot streak, while Minnesota has lost seven of their last ten and has slipped down into a wild card position. As those teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling:
Atlantic Division
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Jack Studnicka from the AHL, while assigning newly signed Marc McLaughlin to the Providence Bruins to start his pro career. Studnicka has played in ten games for the Bruins this season, registering two points, but has been nearly a point-per-game player in the minor leagues.
Metropolitan Division
- Maxwell Willman has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, giving them another forward for tomorrow’s matchup against the Nashville Predators. The Flyers have lost three in a row, seven of their last ten, and appear poised to trade their long-time captain in the coming days. The 27-year-old Willman has earned plenty of NHL action in this disappointing Flyers season, making his debut and playing in 34 games.
- Morgan Barron has been returned to the AHL, after the New York Rangers acquired Frank Vatrano earlier today. Barron, a sixth-round pick from 2017, has one assist in 13 games for the Rangers but remains a bottom-six option because of his size, physicality and ability to play center.
Central Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Ville Heinola to the minor leagues once again. The 21-year-old defenseman continues to be left out of the NHL lineup, and has played just eight games this season for the Jets. The 2019 first-round pick has 18 points in 31 games for the Manitoba Moose, where he’s headed now.
Pacific Division
- Christian Wolanin has been sent back to the AHL, his third transaction in as many days. The depth defenseman continues to be bounced up and down between leagues while his waiver status allows it, this time as Alex Edler returned to practice for the Los Angeles Kings. Wolanin, 26, has been all over the place this season, playing 24 games with the Ontario Reight, eight with the Kings, and one with the Buffalo Sabres during a short period between waiver claims.
- Sheldon Rempal and Noah Juulsen have been loaned to the Abbotsford Canucks, as the Canucks continue a homestand that will last through the weekend. Juulsen hasn’t played in over a month and has just seven games for Vancouver on the year, while Rempal played just his first game of the season a few days ago.
- With Kris Russell nearing a return, the Edmonton Oilers have sent Philip Broberg back to the AHL. The top prospect played just 11:48 last night in the win over Detroit and has averaged just over 13 minutes in 22 appearances this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day
New York Rangers Acquire Frank Vatrano
The New York Rangers have added to their forward group, acquiring Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick. The Panthers will receive the later of the two fourth-round picks the Rangers have. Florida did not retain any salary in the trade.
Vatrano, 28, turned into a huge success story after an early-career trade from the Boston Bruins. After scoring a total of 20 goals in 108 games with the Bruins, the team that signed him as an undrafted college free agent, he would go on to register 24 in his first season in Florida and 73 in his entire 273-game span. As the Panthers have gotten better though, filling out their lineup with other talented forwards, Vatrano’s minutes and role have diminished, to the point where he was a healthy scratch at times this season.
In 49 games, he has scored ten goals and 19 points, with two of those tallies coming last night in a win over the San Jose Sharks. That performance was apparently enough to interest the Rangers, who add a versatile scoring threat to a lineup that has at times been very inconsistent on offense. The price of a fourth-round pick is negligible for New York, who had two this season already and a pipeline filled with high-upside prospects, and there is very little risk in acquiring his cap given how much room they have this season.
Vatrano is in the final season of a three-year, $7.6MM contract he signed with Florida in 2019 and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. It appeared as though a return to the Panthers was unlikely because of how many other forwards they already had in place, meaning getting something at the deadline is a bonus.
Importantly though, the draft pick isn’t the thing to focus on here when it comes to what the Panthers received. Taking Vatrano’s $2.53MM cap hit entirely off the books at this point in the season will open up huge flexibility for Florida ahead of next week’s deadline, similar to how the Colorado Avalanche moved out Tyson Jost‘s deal yesterday. The Panthers have been linked to several top names including Claude Giroux and Jakob Chychrun as they make a run toward the Stanley Cup.
In terms of the player’s future, Vatrano could be an interesting option for the Rangers to re-sign even, should he find a fit in New York. Though they already have several options on the wing, his ability to play both sides and proven track record scoring even in limited minutes could give them a nice option for lower in the lineup. There’s even a chance that he finds immediate chemistry with some of the other talented Ranger forwards and finds his way into the top-six on a regular basis. As a pending UFA, a chance to play on a competitive team was all that Vatrano could ask for if he was going to leave Florida, and he’s found that chance in New York.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic first reported the trade on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mark Jankowski Clears Waivers
March 16: Jankowski has cleared and can now be re-assigned to the AHL.
March 15: The Buffalo Sabres have placed Mark Jankowski on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. The move suggests that Zemgus Girgensons is ready to return from injured reserve.
It seems like a decade ago that Jankowski broke out with 17 goals as a rookie, even though it was actually in 2017-18. The 27-year-old forward has fallen off a cliff since then, and has been a healthy scratch for the Sabres over the last few weeks. With just two goals and five points this season, his totals from the past three seasons combined reach just 11 and 23, coming as a part of three different teams.
Now on waivers for the first time in his career, there will be an easy way to tell what kind of value the rest of the league places on the 2012 first-round pick. Jankowski is signed to just a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL cap hit of just $750K, one that he didn’t even ink until partway through the season. If there was anyone looking for a depth addition who can play both center and wing, there’s no financial reason why they couldn’t claim him.
Still, given his play so far and the fact that he can’t get into the Buffalo lineup, it seems more likely that he’ll clear and be sent to the minor leagues. Before signing the NHL deal in November, he had 12 points in 13 games for the Rochester Americans.