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Flames Waive, Reassign Tyson Barrie

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Feb. 21, 1:43 p.m.: Barrie cleared waivers Friday, per PuckPedia. The AHL’s transaction log reflects he’d been loaned to the Wranglers.

Feb. 20, 1:04 p.m.: Barrie has indeed hit waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Feb. 20, 11:52 a.m.: The Flames will place defenseman Tyson Barrie on waivers today, per Frank Seravalli of Sportsnet. If no team issues a claim, he’ll head to AHL Calgary.

Saying Barrie has barely played this season would be an understatement. After catching on in Calgary on a camp tryout and subsequently landing a one-year, $1.25MM deal, the 33-year-old has failed to mesh. He’s made just 13 appearances despite remaining healthy for the entirety of the campaign, recording a goal and two assists with a minus-seven rating while averaging 15:48 per game, the lowest deployment of his 14-year career.

Between mid-November and mid-January, Barrie went more than two months without playing, eventually seeing two games of AHL ice on a conditioning stint that didn’t require waivers. He posted another goal and two assists in those contests and was back in the NHL less than a week later. He’s skated in four games since that conditioning stint wrapped up but, despite recording an assist in his return against the Capitals on Jan. 28, posted a negative rating in all of those appearances. He was again scratched for three of Calgary’s final four contests before the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Thus, the Barrie experiment with the Flames is all but over. They recalled youngsters Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov from the minors yesterday, so they’ll be the ones responsible for taking over the veteran’s limited NHL minutes.

Whether anyone wants to take a flyer on the former top-four option, who had 55 points as recently as two years ago with the Oilers and Predators, remains to be seen. The 2009 third-round pick has a 110-398–508 scoring line in 822 career appearances with Colorado, Edmonton, Nashville, Toronto, and Calgary, ranking ninth in scoring among defensemen since he debuted in the 2011-12 campaign. His career -83 rating is also the 10th-worst among D-men during that span, though, and power-play points have accounted for 42% of his career total.

Waiving Barrie gives the Flames the roster spot they’ll need to activate Connor Zary from injured reserve ahead of their return to play this weekend against the Sharks. Zary’s missed 15 games with a lower-body injury but has practiced with Calgary this week, so he may be an option.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Flames Recall Adam Klapka

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The Flames summoned forward Adam Klapka from AHL Calgary on Friday, per a team announcement. Defenseman Yan Kuznetsov is headed back to the minors after being summoned earlier this week to practice with the club in a corresponding transaction. They have 22 players on the active roster but will have 21 after Tyson Barrie clears waivers or is claimed.

Klapka, 24, had been up with the Flames for a couple of weeks prior to the 4 Nations break. The massive 6’8″, 235-lb right-winger made the opening night roster but has been shuttled between leagues on a few occasions since, only suiting up in 12 NHL contests this season. He’s got a goal, a plus-one rating, 15 PIMs, and 16 shots in those appearances while averaging a paltry 8:12 per game. His career NHL games played tally is now at 18 after suiting up six times for the Flames last year.

An undrafted free agent signing out of the Czech Extraliga in 2022, Klapka is now in his third season in the Flames organization. Most of that time has been spent with the AHL’s Wranglers, where he’s emerged as a strong scoring threat with 47-49–96 in 156 career games. The power forward has upped his game this year, recording 25 points and 50 PIMs through 31 minor-league appearances. His 13 goals are tied for fourth on the club despite spending a good chunk of time on the NHL roster.

He should continue getting some looks in a fourth-line role, although playing time will be harder to come by with Connor Zary widely expected to come off injured reserve before Sunday’s game against the Sharks. If that’s the case, he projects to serve as the 13th forward for that contest while Martin Pospisil skates with Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney on the fourth line.

Kuznetsov heads back after being recalled along with Ilya Solovyov earlier in the week. The latter remains on the roster, but his inclusion in the lineup this weekend is dependent on the health of Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl. Andersson may join the list of players returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off who are getting rest this weekend, while Bahl remains on injured reserve for the time being with the upper-body injury he sustained late last month.

Blue Jackets Activate Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko Off IR

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The Blue Jackets lineup will get a considerable boost from the 4 Nations break. Captain Boone Jenner and team goals leader Kirill Marchenko have been activated off injured reserve and will play against the Blackhawks tomorrow, the team announced. In a corresponding transaction, depth winger Kevin Labanc is headed to IR after shoulder surgery on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season.

Jenner, 31, will be making his season debut. The 11-year veteran needed shoulder surgery after taking a nasty spill into the boards during a practice late in training camp, keeping him out of the lineup for over four and a half months. Coming off the heels of his first career All-Star Game appearance, the Jackets lifer has now averaged over 20 minutes per game for three consecutive seasons while scoring north of 20 goals each time.

Injuries have become standard for Jenner, who hasn’t touched the 70-game mark since before the pandemic. But he’s produced at a 31-goal, 55-point clip per 82 games since the 2021-22 campaign, providing strong possession metrics despite what his -51 rating over that time may indicate. While overtaxed in a first-line role, he’s a strong middle-six center with a well-rounded game. He’s served as Columbus’ captain since the 2021-22 season, succeeding Nick Foligno, and has worn a letter for them since 2015-16.

Outside of his off-ice impact, his return is a needle-mover for a Blue Jackets forward group that remains without top center Sean Monahan, who had 41 points in 41 games before a wrist sprain paused his season in early January. He’s not expected back until after the trade deadline. Columbus also has emerging winger Yegor Chinakhov on IR, who had 14 points through his first 21 games but hasn’t played since late November due to an upper-body injury and doesn’t have a timeline for a return.

Notably, Jenner may not be returning to his natural center position. PuckPedia projects him as the Jackets’ second-line left wing alongside youngsters Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson, while sophomore Adam Fantilli continues in a first-line role in Monahan’s absence. Fantilli, the 2023 third-overall pick, has 6-7–13 in 15 games without Monahan.

He spent a few of those games without Marchenko, now a top-line fixture, on his wing. The 24-year-old winger took a puck to the jaw against the Stars on Feb. 2 and required surgery, keeping him out of the lineup for three games. He’ll undoubtedly be wearing a full shield upon his return, but his raucous 21 goals and 55 points in 53 games are a must-have as the Blue Jackets look to continue their improbable push up the standings and unseat the Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the East. They’re one point back of Detroit but have played one more game than the Wings, making next weekend’s outdoor game at Ohio State between the two a must-watch.

Yet Columbus can’t have good news on the injury front this season without a small step back. Labanc’s role in the lineup leading into the break had been minimal, serving as a healthy scratch in nine of the Jackets’ last 10. However, undergoing surgery indicates he wasn’t fully healthy unless he sustained an off-ice injury over the break. While his deployment has been limited, he’s been an effective depth scorer when in the lineup. The ex-Sharks forward had 2-10–12 through 34 appearances, averaging 10:30 per game, and actually sported the third-best Corsi share among Columbus skaters at even strength at 52.6%. While not the fringe top-six piece he was years ago in San Jose, the 29-year-old had been playing solid hockey after signing a one-year, league-minimum deal in early October.

The Jackets have 12 forwards on the active roster following today’s moves, indicating Joseph Labate will make his Columbus debut this weekend after being recalled from AHL Cleveland yesterday. Luca Del Bel Belluz and Mikael Pyyhtia, who had played regularly for the Jackets leading into the break, remain on AHL assignments for now.

Predators Recall Kieffer Bellows, Jake Livingstone

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The Predators have recalled forward Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Jake Livingstone from AHL Milwaukee, per an announcement from the club. Nashville’s active roster is now full ahead of their return to play against the Avalanche tomorrow.

Bellows, 27, skated in four NHL seasons with the Islanders and Flyers from 2019-20 to 2022-23. The 2016 19th overall pick was once one of the top prospects on Long Island but never elevated above a bottom-six role, posting a 14-14–28 scoring line in 95 career top-level appearances.

He’s since settled in as an AHL fixture, even spending last year on a minor-league contract in the Maple Leafs’ system. He broke out for 27-22–49 in 52 games with the AHL’s Marlies, landing some renewed NHL interest, and landed a two-way deal from Nashville last summer. He’s been recalled once this season, spending a couple of weeks on the roster in January, but was a healthy scratch in seven straight contests before being returned to Milwaukee.

Bellows’ offense has taken a step back from last season’s nearly point-per-game showing in Toronto. He ranks third on Milwaukee in scoring with 14-15–29 in 41 games but is tied with Jake Lucchini for the club lead in goals. The 6’1″ winger has also added 54 PIMs and an even rating. He’ll return to the NHL ranks for now to serve as an extra forward amid some injury concerns. Winger Zachary L’Heureux missed the final game before the break with an upper-body injury, while Luke Evangelista was absent for the last three with a lower-body issue. There’s been no update yet on their status for Saturday’s game. Mark Jankowski also remains on injured reserve with the upper-body issue that’s kept him out since Jan. 18, and he still carries a week-to-week designation.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Livingstone lands his first NHL recall in nearly two years to give Nashville eight defensemen on the roster while Adam Wilsby deals with an upper-body issue. He signed as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State near the end of the 2022-23 campaign but hasn’t seen NHL ice since skating in five games with the Preds to end that season. The 6’3″, 205-lb righty has 7-19–26 with a sparkling +27 rating in 108 appearances for Milwaukee over the past two years, failing to provide the offense they’d hoped for after a 35-in-39 junior year in Mankato but still serving as a good two-way option. He recorded an assist and a minus-two rating in his first NHL stint, taking three shots on goal and averaging 15:27 per game with 11 blocks and six hits.

Canucks Sign Kevin Lankinen To Five-Year Extension

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The Canucks announced they’ve agreed to terms with pending UFA goalie Kevin Lankinen on a five-year, $22.5MM extension. It’ll keep him in Vancouver through the 2029-30 season with a cap hit of $4.5MM. $8.5MM of his total compensation will be paid via signing bonuses, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports. The full breakdown of the deal is as follows, per PuckPedia:

2025-26: $2.5MM base salary, $2.5MM signing bonus, no-move clause
2026-27: $4MM base salary, no-move clause
2027-28: $3MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause
2028-29: $2.5MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause
2029-30: $2MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause

Lankinen, 30 in April, was set to be one of the top options on the open market among goaltenders this summer after the Capitals retained Logan Thompson on a six-year deal. He’s seen a massive jump in market value since his spin on the UFA market last summer when he had to wait until after training camp started to land a one-year, $875K deal in Vancouver.

It’s a testament to the success Lankinen has enjoyed this season with the Canucks, who likely aren’t in postseason position without him. The Finland native had been an above-average backup to Juuse Saros with the Predators for the past two seasons. He was an inconsistent 1B option with the Blackhawks before that, hovering right around league average for his career with a .905 SV% in 112 appearances for Chicago and Nashville from 2020-21 to 2023-24.

Lankinen hasn’t been world-beating in his third NHL stop in Vancouver, but he has shown the ability to keep up solid numbers in extended usage. He’s started 32 of the Canucks’ 55 games amid continued injury woes for 2024 Vezina runner-up Thatcher Demko, on pace to shatter his career-high of 37 set in his rookie season with Chicago. He’s logged a .905 SV% and 2.53 GAA, numbers that look more impressive than in years past, thanks to dwindling league averages, but they’ve also come behind decent team defense. Factoring in his playing environment amid netminders with similar workloads, his performance looks more pedestrian. His 2.58 expected goals against average is the sixth-lowest out of the 48 goalies to play at least 20 games this season, per MoneyPuck. Considering that comparatively easy workload, his 1.6 goals saved above expected only rank 28th out of that 48-player group.

That makes a $4.5MM annual commitment for the rest of the decade look like fair compensation at best and a risky bet at worst. Thanks to a quickly rising salary cap, it should age far better than similarly-priced deals over the past few seasons. Still, Lankinen’s age and broadly consistent play over the past few years means he is what he is – a decent, but not great, option between the pipes who can sniff 40 starts. Considering his AAV is only $500K less than what emerging Kraken starter Joey Daccord landed on his recent extension, there’s undoubtedly a bit of sticker shock when combined with the five-year commitment and extensive trade protection.

He is an acceptable insurance option if Demko’s health continues to pose long-term concerns as he enters the final year of his contract in 2025-26. The two-time All-Star missed the first 24 games of the season with the popliteus muscle injury he sustained in Game 1 of Vancouver’s 2024 postseason run, another two in January with a back injury, and is now listed as week-to-week with a lower-body issue coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Understandably, his numbers haven’t been great when healthy this season. He’s got a .891 SV% and 2.87 GAA with a 6-6-3 record in 17 appearances, but he’s faced far worse defense than Lankinen and has still managed to save a goal above expected, according to MoneyPuck. On a per-hour basis, Demko has fared slightly better with a 0.064 GSAx/60 compared to Lankinen’s 0.048. However, it’s still a far cry from last year’s elite .918 SV% and 22.0 GSAx.

While it’s a significant commitment to keep Lankinen in British Columbia, it’s a necessary one without many other options in the pipeline as a potential Demko successor. No. 3 option Arturs Silovs was expected to compete for the backup job this year after a strong playoff showing for the Canucks in 2024 but has been borderline unplayable when given the chance, logging a 4.11 GAA and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season. They don’t have any blue-chip prospects in the system between the pipes either, so getting at least some long-term security at the position was understandably a top priority for general manager Patrik Allvin.

Lankinen will be 35 years old when his contract expires, so this will easily be the biggest payday of his career. He’ll be able to test unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2030.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Hurricanes Could Explore Trading Mikko Rantanen

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Elliotte Friedman speculated on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Carolina Hurricanes could look to explore a Mikko Rantanen trade if they can’t get the forward signed to a contract extension. The talk is very speculative, and Friedman is not the first to float the idea of another Rantanen trade as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has mentioned it before and even Friedman discussed it as a possibility back on February 7th.

Carolina is reportedly okay with paying Rantanen an annual salary in the $14MM range (as per Pagnotta) but the talk around the league is that his decision will come down to fit and whether or not he would be comfortable in the setting he signs a long term deal in.

Carolina just traded for Rantanen back on January 25th, and if they were to move him to another deal, they would have the ability to retain his salary, which could push his cap hit down to just $2.3MM. That would open up the door for many contenders to pursue him, which might start a bidding war for the 28-year-old. Most of the top teams in the NHL are pressed up against the salary cap, but for a true star at the price point, the suitors would be many.

Friedman points out that even teams who normally couldn’t pursue Rantanen, or wouldn’t pursue him may be inclined to, simply because the cap hit would be so minimal, and it might stop one of their potential playoff opponents from trading for him.

Either way, the development will be fascinating to watch. If Carolina can’t get Rantanen signed long-term, they might see the opportunity to extract more value than they traded away as a bigger priority than holding onto Rantanen as a rental this season. Any team looking to acquire Rantanen would likely view a trade for him as a pure rental, which will suit some teams just fine if they feel their competitive window is closing and they can get him at a discount.

Trade Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off now complete, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the St. Louis Blues.

The St. Louis Blues find themselves in a similar position to the last two seasons. They aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, but they are too good to bottom out and collect a top draft pick. It’s a position not unlike the one the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in. Both teams are recent Stanley Cup Champions that haven’t moved into a full rebuild yet. St. Louis is currently eight points out of a playoff spot and would need to leapfrog three teams to land the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Given their position in the West, it’s fair to assume that they will be looking toward the future at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Record

25-26-5, 6th in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$6.025MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention spots used, 45/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: STL 1st, STL 5th, STL 6th
2026: STL 1st, STL 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, PIT 5th, NYI 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th

Trade Chips

St. Louis doesn’t have many pending unrestricted free agents of note but will try to move the handful they do have.

Veteran defenseman Ryan Suter could be traded to a team looking for a depth defenseman, but wouldn’t fetch much of a return at this point. The 40-year-old is a shell of the player he once was, but for a team looking for a veteran presence on the backend, they could do worse. Suter has remained healthy for almost all of his late 30s, and while he isn’t the minute eater he used to be, he could certainly fill the role of a seventh defenseman.

Forward Radek Faksa is another name the Blues could look to ship out. The 31-year-old would bring a strong defensive presence to any acquiring team but wouldn’t provide much in the way of offense. He does have a modified five-team no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see that being an issue at this point. Faksa is a free agent on July 1st and with a $3.25MM cap hit, he should be moveable if St. Louis is willing to retain. Trading Faksa won’t recoup all the draft pick capital St. Louis has moved away this year, but it should allow them to bring in a mid-round pick. Faksa has just three goals and seven assists in 44 games this season, but he has garnered Selke Trophy consideration in four of the last seven seasons.

Outside of Suter and Faksa, the Blues don’t have any remaining UFAs but do have some veterans with term left on their contracts who could be moved. Brayden Schenn’s name has popped up in trade rumors for weeks now, and given his resume it’s no surprise that there has been interest in the 33-year-old forward. There is no doubt that there has been a regression in Schenn’s game the past two seasons and with three more years at $6.5MM per season his market at the deadline will be limited. There is also the concern that Schenn’s defensive game has fallen off, which could scare off some teams who view him as more of a third-line option. St. Louis might wait until the summer to move Schenn if they don’t find an offer to their liking but given that it is a seller’s market right now, they could be able to convince a desperate team to overpay in the next two weeks.

St. Louis has some other veterans on expensive long-term deals who have underperformed the past few seasons, which could make significant moves difficult. Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou have both had their names mentioned as potential trade candidates and the Blues would probably be more than happy to move on from some of their veteran defensemen as well but will likely be handcuffed by varying trade protections. Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler all make north of $4MM per season and have at least one year left on their current contracts. Couple that with the no-trade clauses and the Blues are in tough to make substantial changes if that is the direction they want to go.

Team Needs

1) Offensive Forwards – St. Louis has top forwards who can score (Kyrou, Buchnevich, and Robert Thomas). However, their depth scoring has been a huge issue this season (25th in the NHL in goals). If the Blues elect to retool this summer, getting offensive depth forwards should be at the top of their shopping list. St. Louis has not received much offense from their bottom six forwards, and it has allowed teams to focus more attention on the top six and prohibit them from scoring at their usual rates. Buchnevich, Kyrou and Thomas are all having down years and insulating them with more depth might force teams to divide their attention more when defending the Blues’ best forwards. At the very least, more offensive options should provide some help to the top six by taking the pressure off of them to chase the game when the Blues find themselves behind on the scoreboard.

2) Young Defensemen– The Blues backend is one of the oldest in the NHL, with just two defensemen under the age of 31. Philip Broberg looks like he should be a top-four defenseman for St. Louis, but outside of him, their top prospects Adam Jiricek, Theo Lindstein and Lukas Fischer are still probably two or more years away from making an NHL impact. The direction the Blues decide to go in will ultimately determine the urgency with which they will try to find young defensemen, but it is very clear at this stage that the team needs to get younger. The Blues aren’t a bad defensive team (20th in the NHL), but having a more mobile unit will help the forwards get the puck in more advantageous positions and open them up to focus more on the offensive side of the game.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley

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The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.  Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

Trade Deadline Primer: Seattle Kraken

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Seattle Kraken.

The Seattle Kraken season has been far from ideal. They find themselves near the bottom of the division with little time to fix it. With an average age above 28 years old and menial draft capital, Seattle seems perfectly set up for a fire sale of their aging veterans. They offer value from the top to the bottom of the lineup, with a wide variety of roles and price tags attached. A strategic Trade Deadline could help the Kraken lean into their burgeoning top prospects and build a lineup that can be competitive for years to come.

Record

24-29-4, 7th in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$4.65MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention spots used, 46/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 4th, DAL 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 7th
2026: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 3rd, ANA 4th, SEA 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th

Trade Chips

They have an absolute wealth of forward talent rumored to be on their chopping block, headlined by leading scorer Jared McCann. McCann has posted 14 goals and 42 points in 57 games this year, putting him on pace for 20 goals and 60 points through a full 82 games. That’d be a small step down from the 29 goals and 62 points he scored last year, but McCann’s role with the Kraken has only increased. His average ice time is up to 17:28 this season, the highest its been in his four years in Seattle. That includes the mere 16:20 he averaged while posting 40 goals and 70 points, both career-highs, in 79 games of the 2022-23 campaign. McCann has come into his own since Seattle selected him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He’s averaged 28 goals and 56 points a season in four years with the Kraken – a 17-goal and 30-point improvement over what he averaged in his first six NHL seasons.

Prying that caliber of player away from a low-scoring Kraken offense will take some convincing, especially given McCann’s incredibly affordable $5MM cap hit and 10-team no-trade clause. He could be a high-upside bet for a team with a role in mind, though McCann’s mere three points in eight games of Seattle’s 2023 playoff run might make a high price too rich for playoff hopefuls.

Should that be the case, the Kraken will have plenty of middling forwards to offer instead. Yanni Gourde has been at the top of trade rumors for much of his time in Seattle. He offers diligent, two-way reliability – backed by 16 points and 36 penalty minutes in just 35 games this season. Gourde also won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 21. He contributed 21 points in 48 games from Tampa Bay’s middle-six over the two postseason runs. Gourde was also an expansion draft pick and he stayed consistent through his first two years in Seattle – netting 48 points both seasons. Those numbers have fallen a bit since – with 33 points last year and a 38-point pace this year – but Gourde has nonetheless stayed a popular depth option.

But for all of his hard-nosed drive, Gourde’s five-foot-nine frame may not be as physical as a playoff team would like. Luckily, Seattle parallels their feisty, undersized center with bulky and gritty winger Brandon Tanev. Tanev is one of just three Kraken forwards with over 100 hits this season – with 114 hits in 55 games. He’s added 17 points, a poised eight penalty minutes, and a minus-11 to his stat-line – holding true to his role of third-line bruiser. Tanev is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, carrying a modest $3.5MM cap hit until then. That could make him a cheap rental option for playoff teams looking for more heft, with little detriment to the Seattle lineup.

Seattle’s ability to match the buyer’s need drags on. Fast-paced left-winger Jaden Schwartz and scoring right-winger Oliver Bjorkstrand are both past their prime, and likely wouldn’t carry a tremendous acquisition cost. Among the defense, Josh Mahura seems the most expendable. He’s the cheapest of the bunch with a league-minimum, $775K cap hit – and has just six assists in 45 games this season. But Mahura has added a plus-six and 58 hits – creating a moldable style for teams in need of more depth. For those looking for a more true lineup piece, the Kraken could also expend 32-year-old Jamie Oleksiak, who plays hard minutes on Seattle’s second pair but has 13 points and a minus-seven on the year. Moving either defender would give Seattle more room to lean on promising youngster Ryker Evans on the left-side, or recall hefty, right-shot prospect Ty Nelson from the minor leagues.

Team Needs

1) Young Defensemen – The Kraken have build a prospect pool worth admiring on offense. They’re led by Shane Wright, Jagger Firkus, Jani Nyman, and Logan Morrison – who all look capable of contributing to the top flight for years to come. But their defensive depth isn’t nearly as fleshed out. Nelson leads the bunch, and has managed an encouraging 21 points in 50 AHL games. But the trio of Caden Price, Lukas Dragicevic, and Ville Ottovainen haven’t inspired much behind Nelson – leaving questions as to how Seattle can build around Evans. Bringing in another top, young, left-handed defender would be a great start. The Kraken certainly have the assets to shoot for the moon by acquiring top Buffalo Sabres defender Bowen Byram, who’s managed 29 points and a plus-nine in 54 games next to Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin. Byram has had his lulls, but he’s also 23-years-old with five years of partial NHL experience and one Stanley Cup to his name – rare esteem to find on the open market.

Should a proven NHLer be too rich of a price to pay, Seattle could try to convince a fringe playoff team to part with a top defense prospect in exchange for their solidifying lineup piece. The Columbus Blue Jackets are well within grasp of the second Eastern Conference wild card, and could part with the well-rounded Stanislav Svozil without jeporadizing the future of their blue-line. Svozil has 24 points in 43 AHL games this season – his second pro season.

2) Young, Middle-Six Forwards – The Kraken are in a great Deadline position because of their overabundance of forward talent – but many of their options are in or past their prime. With a dismal record on the year, it’s clear Seattle’s positives lie in the future. Top prospects will soon be coming up, and finding the right role players to support them could go far in returning the Kraken to the postseason sooner rather than later. They may be able to sway the New York Rangers to part with an effective youngster like William Cuylle in the name of a playoff upgrade. Or perhaps expendable Toronto Maple Leafs winger Nicholas Robertson could find his scoring groove in the same slow, shoot-first style that’s supported Bjorkstrand. Both options likely wouldn’t come at a major price, especially for a Kraken team with the roster spots and draft picks to make an addition.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Igor Shesterkin Expected To Return, Rangers Assign Two To AHL

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New York Rangers will be returning from the 4-Nations Face-Off break with good news. Starter Igor Shesterkin has shared he expects to be healthy before Saturday’s game against Buffalo per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The Rangers made the move to back his claim by reassigning temporary backup goaltender Dylan Garand. New York has also assigned defenseman Zachary Jones to the minors on a conditioning loan. Matthew Robertson has been recalled in his place.

Shesterkin will return from an upper-body injury sustained in New York’s February 7th loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played through the entirety of that matchup but received a designation of out one-to-two weeks before the Rangers visited Columbus the next day – in what was their last game before the break. Shesterkin was in the midst of a cold spell leading up to his injury, posting a 1-4 record and .835 save percentage in his last five games. The performance spurred what was otherwise a great January for the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner. He recorded a 6-0-1 record and .948 save percentage in his first seven games of the month, helping the Rangers find solid footing in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. The Rangers are still three points outside of playoff standing, putting the pressure on Shesterkin to bounce back to form after an extended break.

Garand filled in as the backup in Shesterkin’s lone absence. The 22-year-old has been one of the AHL’s best young netminders this year – ranked second in save percentage (.914) and third in wins (13) among U23 goalies with at least 20 games. It’s been a big step up for Garand – who claimed the AHL starting role two seasons ago but hasn’t yet posted a year-long save percentage above .900.

Jones will join Garand in the move to the AHL looking to get back to match shape. He spent 18 games out of the lineup through December and January, with a pair of scoreless spot starts in February marking his first games since the holiday break. Jones has served as New York’s seventh defenseman for the entire season – a role that’s led him to eight points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 28 games. New York will turn towards Robertson to fill that during Jones’ temporary assignment. Robertson has 18 points and 47 penalty minutes in 47 AHL games this season and would make his NHL debut should he find a way into the Rangers lineup.

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