Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Fehérváry, Toffoli, Palát, Islanders

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Capitals had multiple injury updates from Tuesday morning’s practice, per Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. Namely, winger T.J. Oshie skated for the first time since sustaining a non-contact upper-body injury on Feb. 22 against the Lightning. The 37-year-old has missed five games and remains week to week, but signs are pointing toward the 2018 Stanley Cup champ coming off injured reserve before the end of the regular season.

Depth center Nic Dowd, who’s likely to be in play at Friday’s trade deadline if the Caps drop a key matchup against the Penguins in their pursuit of a wild-card spot on Thursday, also took a step forward in his recovery from an upper-body injury. While still wearing a no-contact jersey, El-Bashir says he “looked full-go” and could return against Pittsburgh. The 33-year-old is regarded as one of the better fourth-line centers in the league, consistently boasting above-average possession impacts with the ability to add some tertiary scoring. He’s got eight goals and 16 points in 45 games on the season, being elevated in the lineup at times and averaging a career-high 15:27 per game.

Defenseman Martin Fehérváry also skated in a no-contact jersey but didn’t look close to returning, El-Bashir said. The 24-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury on Feb. 17 against the Canadiens and has now missed Washington’s last seven games. The 2018 second-round pick has again logged top-four usage this year, recording 12 points in 47 games with a -6 rating while averaging 18:45 per game. His absence has been a silver lining for the younger Rasmus Sandin, who’s regained some confidence in a top-pairing role alongside John Carlson and is now up to 20 points in 52 games while logging 21:19 per game.

Other updates from Metropolitan Division teams mired in the wild-card race:

  • The Devils made it known earlier this week they’d prefer to keep winger Tyler Toffoli past the trade deadline and continue working on an extension. Today, GM Tom Fitzgerald said the two sides are close on salary but still have a gap to bridge regarding contract length (via Amanda Stein of the Devils’ official site). It’s not clear which side prefers a longer-term deal than the other, however. Toffoli leads the Devils in goals with 26 in 60 games and is wrapping up a four-year, $17MM deal signed with Montreal in 2020.
  • New Jersey will also be without winger Ondřej Palát due to a lower-body injury as they aim to get back in the playoff race tonight against the conference-leading Panthers, interim head coach Travis Green said (via Stein). Palát has had a middling second year with the Devils, recording nine goals and 24 points in 51 games, but the two-time Cup champ with the Lightning has always been regarded for his playoff production rather than regular season point totals. Veteran center Chris Tierney, who’s averaged just 9:06 per game this year, will slide into a third-line role alongside Curtis Lazar and Dawson Mercer in Green’s debut leading the New Jersey bench.
  • Sticking in the Tri-State Area, Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello issued a handful of injury updates during his media availability Tuesday morning (via Arthur Staple of The Athletic). Depth blue-liner Robert Bortuzzo, who remains on LTIR with a lower-body injury, should return within a week. He put up a -3 rating in 11 games for the Isles after a mid-season trade from St. Louis before exiting the lineup in early January, now missing over two months with the ailment. He’ll give them a more experienced option to slot into the lineup as they stay in the race for a playoff spot and look to add some help before Friday’s deadline. Lamoriello added that veteran enforcer Matt Martin, who left Saturday’s win over the Bruins early, is cleared to play tonight against the Blues. The 34-year-old has three points and 31 PIMs in 38 games in what could be his final season with the team.

Avalanche Sign Ivan Ivan To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Avalanche have signed undrafted free agent center Ivan Ivan to a two-year entry-level contract, per a team announcement Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, although the deal will begin next season and make him an RFA in 2026.

Ivan, 21, was on an AHL contract with the Avalanche’s affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. He’s had a promising inaugural professional season, scoring 12 goals, 15 assists, and 27 points in 51 games with a +3 rating.

The 6-foot Czech pivot was impressive on an otherwise middling Cape Breton Eagles team over three years in the QMJHL, closing out his major junior career with a 33-goal, 90-point campaign in 64 games last year. He was named to Czechia’s 2022 World Junior Championship roster, where he notched one assist in seven games en route to a bronze-game loss.

Ivan’s transition to the pro game has created some buzz about his ceiling as a solid bottom-six playmaking center who can log some penalty-kill time. Size won’t be a hurdle in his NHL adjustment, weighing in at nearly 200 lbs, and he’s got plenty of experience playing on North American ice, joining Cape Breton in 2019 after playing out his youth career in Czechia.

Signing Ivan brings the Avs to 47 out of the maximum 50 contracts, so they’ll be cognizant of the limit as they navigate the trade waters this week. He’ll remain waiver-exempt throughout his ELC if he plays 80 NHL games or less.

Red Wings Have Shown Interest In Bryan Rust

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Red Wings “have shown the most interest” among multiple teams that have inquired about acquiring veteran Penguins winger Bryan Rust via trade, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports Tuesday. However, the 31-year-old is unlikely to be on the move ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, as Yohe says Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas has not asked Rust to waive his no-move clause.

A 4-5-1 stretch in their last 10 games has the Penguins slipping down the Eastern Conference standings and heading toward retool mode. They boast arguably the top pending UFA available on the trade market in Jake Guentzel, and the prospects they receive in return for the point-per-game winger could help inject some much-needed youth as they attempt to continue being playoff contenders in the twilight years of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Kris Letang core.

As Yohe points out, Guentzel’s likely trade in the next three days makes dealing Rust now a more aggressive short-term downgrade than Dubas is willing to execute. The team has no intentions of a complete rebuild with Crosby in the fold, especially with their captain nearing the end of his contract. Trading away both of his regular linemates would be counterintuitive.

That said, Rust is signed through 2028 at a reasonable $5.125MM cap hit, and his NMC expires on July 1, 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Red Wings keep tabs on the Michigan native as the Penguins continue to navigate tumultuous waters and make another run at acquiring him, either during this offseason or after his NMC expires.

While injuries have limited Rust to 42 games this year, he’s primarily bounced back from a disappointing 2022-23 season that saw him produce at his lowest clip in four years. He’s potted 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points with a career-high +15 rating, putting him on pace for 70 over an entire season – much closer to the realm of production he’s had throughout his prime.

A third-round pick of the Pens in 2010, Rust hoisted the Stanley Cup in his first two full seasons in the league in 2016 and 2017. If Detroit maintains their level of interest, he could be a logical veteran replacement for Patrick Kane in the top-six, who will be a UFA this summer after signing a one-year, $2.75MM deal to resume his NHL career in Hockeytown mid-season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders To Place Scott Mayfield On LTIR, Out 4-6 Weeks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

11:02 a.m.: The Islanders made Mayfield’s LTIR placement official in an announcement, activating winger Hudson Fasching off LTIR in a corresponding transaction. Fasching could suit up tonight against the Blues for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury at the end of January.

10:30 a.m.: The Islanders will move defenseman Scott Mayfield to long-term injured reserve, GM Lou Lamoriello said Tuesday (via Arthur Staple of The Athletic). Mayfield, who has already missed four games with a lower-body injury, will miss an additional four to six weeks.

The 31-year-old was previously listed as day-to-day. He has not played since Feb. 22 against the Blues and has been dealing with the lingering effects of an ankle injury he sustained in the first game of the season, as he confirmed to Ethan Sears of the New York Post last month.

A six-week recovery timeline from today puts him back in the lineup for Game 82 of the regular season, a potential but unlikely playoff-berth-deciding matchup against the Penguins. Given the chronic nature of the Missouri native’s injury, he could be done for the regular season, allowing the Isles to use his $3.5MM cap hit by next Friday’s trade deadline to make a playoff push. Sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference and six points out of a playoff spot, they won’t be aggressive buyers, but Lamoriello said Tuesday that he’s open to adding if the acquisition cost makes sense.

Suppose Mayfield is done for the regular season. In that case, the injury ends a challenging first year of the seven-year, $24.5MM deal with trade protection he signed to stay on Long Island after briefly reaching unrestricted free agency on July 1. His five assists in 41 games are disappointing. However, his decline in usage from 21:02 last season to 18:46 this year is downright concerning this early in the contract, especially considering his career-worst possession metrics (40.0 Corsi-for percentage at even strength, -8.7 expected rating).

His absence could influence the Isles to focus on blue-line insurance over the next 72 hours. Their top four, Noah Dobson, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Alexander Romanov, are passable for a playoff-bound team, especially considering Dobson’s resurgence, but a pair of fringe NHLers, Sebastian Aho and Mike Reilly, make up their bottom pairing with no better internal options. 23-year-old Samuel Bolduc remains on the roster after completing a recent conditioning stint in AHL Bridgeport. However, his possession metrics are among the worst on the team and trail Aho and Reilly’s decent even-strength play by a wide margin.

Assuming Mayfield’s LTIR placement is retroactive to his last appearance, he would be eligible to return on March 17 against the Rangers. However, his recovery timeline dictates he won’t play again until April at the earliest. He remains under contract with the Isles until 2030.

Rangers Reassign Alex Belzile

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Rangers have assigned forward Alex Belzile to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the team announced Tuesday.

By assigning Belzile’s $775K cap hit to the minors, the Rangers have created a second opening on the active roster and increased their cap space to $5.16MM. Doing so gives them increased roster flexibility ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.

Belzile, 32, has served as the Rangers’ 13th forward since Blake Wheeler sustained a season-ending lower-body injury in mid-February. However, he was scratched in all nine games during his recall. He remained on the roster for less than 30 days, so he can be returned to Hartford without waivers.

The 12-year minor-league veteran is in his first season with the Rangers organization after inking a two-year, $1.55MM contract when free agency opened last summer. He’d spent the previous four seasons under contract with the Canadiens, with whom he accumulated all of his 44 career regular-season and six career playoff appearances. Last season, Belzile notched a career-high six goals, eight assists, and 14 points in 31 games with the Habs, averaging 12:08 per game.

Twice a Kelly Cup champion in the ECHL in the mid-2010s, Belzile has since developed into a solid top-six presence in the AHL as he enters the twilight of his prime. He leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 14 goals, 23 assists, and 37 points in 43 games.

Senators Recall Rourke Chartier

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Senators recalled forward Rourke Chartier from AHL Belleville on Tuesday, according to a team announcement.

Chartier’s recall signals that either bottom-six grinder Zack MacEwen or captain Brady Tkachuk will be unavailable for tomorrow’s game in Anaheim. MacEwen sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of Saturday’s loss to the Flyers, while Tkachuk is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury and could miss his second game in a row.

Injuries continue to hamstring the Senators, who remain in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 25-31-3 record. Anton Forsberg’s lower-body injury and Joonas Korpisalo’s illness forced them to dress their third and fourth-string goalies, Mads Søgaard and Leevi Merilainen, against Philadelphia. Top-six center Joshua Norris remains on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He has no timeline for a return, while veteran depth blue liner Travis Hamonic is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and is listed as week to week.

With Norris’ $7.95MM cap hit on LTIR, the Senators could make an additional recall before tomorrow’s game if MacEwen and Tkachuk are ruled out. Even after recalling Chartier, both absences would leave Ottawa with 17 skaters available against the Ducks.

Chartier, 27, has appeared in a career-high 34 games with the Sens this season, scoring twice and adding an assist. Initially joining the organization on an AHL contract in 2021 and inking an NHL deal the following season, he signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775K NHL/$300K AHL) to stay in Ottawa after briefly reaching unrestricted free agency last summer.

The 2014 fifth-round pick of the Sharks has not suited up for the Sens since a 4-3 overtime win over the Predators on Jan. 29. The following day, he was placed on waivers and subsequently assigned to Belleville for the first time this season. He’s impressed in the minors since his demotion, scoring seven goals and adding three assists for 10 points in 12 games while posting a -1 rating and staying out of the penalty box entirely.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, he hasn’t shown that level of offensive competence in the majors. He averaged more ice time in the NHL than you’d expect from his production – nearly 11 minutes per game – and had a mediocre 46.7 Corsi-for percentage at even strength with a -0.2 expected rating. The Senators have struggled to staff their fourth line with impact players for multiple seasons, and Chartier hasn’t been an anomaly.

The Saskatchewan native will be a UFA this summer. He may remain on the Senators’ roster for up to 30 days or play in up to 10 games before he requires waivers to head back to Belleville.

Senators Receiving Strong Interest In Vladimir Tarasenko

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko is widely expected to be on the move in the next few days with Ottawa well out of playoff contention.  It appears there are several suitors for his services as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Panthers, Hurricanes, Bruins, Rangers, Golden Knights, and Oilers are among the teams who have inquired about him with Florida being high on Tarasenko’s preferred list of options.

The 32-year-old has had a solid season with Ottawa, his first with them after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency.  Tarasenko has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games so far, good for fifth on the team in scoring.  Notably, he’s putting up those numbers with a bit less playing time than usual; his 16:03 is his lowest ATOI since his sophomore campaign back in 2013-14.  Assuming Ottawa is willing to pay the contract down by the maximum of 50%, they’ll be well-positioned to land a quality return.

According to Garrioch, the return Sens GM Steve Staios is looking for a two-piece return in exchange for Tarasenko.  One is a second-round pick and the other is a prospect.

There are two things worth noting on Tarasenko’s side.  First is that he has full trade protection which means he has to sign off on wherever he’s going.  The second is that he recently switched agents for the second time in less than a year, leading to speculation that he might want a contract extension as part of any swap to avoid what happened back in July when teams didn’t meet his initial asking price which is how he landed with Ottawa on a one-year fall-back deal.

Some of the above potential suitors would be hard-pressed to fit an extension for Tarasenko onto their books with their cap flexibility being limited to the final six weeks of this season, not next.  If that’s the case, that could certainly whittle down the list of potential suitors in a hurry unless some of those teams decide to do that now and figure out how to make the fit work on the cap down the road.

A year ago, Tarasenko was viewed as one of the big fish heading into the deadline, resulting in the Rangers giving up a first-round pick to add him (and Niko Mikkola) for the stretch run.  He isn’t quite in that territory this time around but for a team looking to add some secondary scoring, Tarasenko, a veteran of 97 career playoff appearances, could certainly be an impactful addition for a postseason contender.

Hurricanes Sign Max Comtois

at CDT | by 11 Comments

With the trade deadline coming up, some teams will be converting players on AHL deals to NHL ones to make them eligible to play down the stretch.  The Hurricanes are the latest to do so as they announced that they’ve signed winger Max Comtois to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the signing:

Max is a physical forward with lots of NHL games under his belt. His experience at this level will add to our organizational depth at that position.

The 25-year-old played with Vegas in the preseason but didn’t lock down a spot with them.  Instead, he signed with AHL Chicago in mid-October, Carolina’s old farm team.  He has fared relatively well down there, notching 12 goals and 16 assists along with 97 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Wolves in his first taste of AHL action since the 2018-19 season.

Comtois has played in 210 career NHL games, all with Anaheim who drafted him 50th overall back in 2017.  He had 19 points in 64 games with them last season but was non-tendered as the team elected not to give him a $2.445MM qualifying offer.  Now, he’ll look to get an opportunity with Carolina down the stretch in the hopes of securing a full-time NHL agreement for next season.  That said, it won’t come right away as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Comtois will be on waivers on Tuesday to return to the Wolves for the time being.

Snapshots: Swayman, Bogosian, Irwin, Granlund

at CDT | by 4 Comments

After having to go through an arbitration hearing to get a contract done with goaltender Jeremy Swayman last summer, it appears the Bruins are trying to avoid that this time around.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they’ve started discussions on an extension with the netminder.  Swayman is playing on a $3.475MM award that basically split the submissions from last summer’s hearing and has a nearly identical save percentage this year (.919) as he did a year ago (.920) heading into tonight’s action.  With arbitration eligibility once again this summer, it’s quite possible that Swayman’s price tag pushes past the $5MM mark on a short-term deal and even higher if they could reach a long-term agreement.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • In his latest podcast (video link), Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Wild are trying to sign defenseman Zach Bogosian to a contract extension. Minnesota acquired the 33-year-old from Tampa Bay early in the season and he has held his own on their third pairing, logging over 17 minutes a night while recording nine points and 80 hits in 43 games.  If they can’t get a deal done, however, Johnston reports that the Maple Leafs are among the teams that have checked in on Bogosian’s availability.  They’ve already added on the back end with the reacquisition of Ilya Lyubushkin but if they can’t add an impact blueliner, shoring up their depth – perhaps with another second-timer with the team – isn’t necessarily a bad fall-back plan.
  • One day after recalling him, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Irwin was sent back to AHL Abbotsford. Aside from two short stints with Vancouver where he didn’t play, the 36-year-old has played exclusively in the minors where he has 10 points in 46 games so far.  Carson Soucy is believed to be nearing a return from his hand injury so this assignment could suggest that the blueliner is ready to suit up.
  • The Sharks are trying to be creative to make a Mikael Granlund trade work, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link). The 32-year-old has had a bounce-back year playing a much bigger role in San Jose as he has 36 points in 47 while averaging nearly 21 minutes a night.  However, Granlund has another year left on his deal at $5MM, a price tag that would be difficult for several buyers to afford.  San Jose only has one salary retention slot left so they might prefer to take a pricey contract back over using that final slot on Granlund through next season.

PHR Mailbag: Flyers, Trade Deadline, Capitals, Panthers, Rule Change

at CDT | by 1 Comment

In our final pre-deadline mailbag, topics include the upcoming trade deadline, Washington’s offensive struggles this season, and more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our last two editions focusing on the Central Division and the Eastern Conference.

Emoney123: Can Briere make a move that balances the playoff drive and rebuilding goals?

Anyone else besides Laughton, Walker, and Seeler likely or could be traded?

Save the draft picks and prospects and look forward to making a splash in the offseason with a signing such as RFA Elias Pettersson?

Such an approach is doable in theory but is often hard to thread the needle on.  To do it, they need to sell high on their rentals to get the future assets and then take on some high-priced players for a low cost (late-round pick or a lower-end unsigned prospect) that hopefully keeps them afloat for the final spot in the Metropolitan Division.  How many teams will be looking to dump pricey expiring deals for just the value of getting the remaining money off the books?  I’m sure there will be some players available but enough to offset the loss of their others who will be more impactful?  I’m less sure about that one.

Beyond Scott Laughton, Sean Walker, and Nick Seeler, I don’t see too many more trade options.  Someone might want Marc Staal for a late-round pick with the experience he has.  If they’re still open to moving Morgan Frost, maybe the right deal comes around there.  I’m not as sold on his potential availability as I was earlier in the season, however.  If they make a move for a goalie, I could see Felix Sandstrom being part of a return going the other way so I suppose he’s in the mix to move as well.

While Pettersson has clearly now signed, I want to address the general idea of the question.  If you wanted the Flyers to make an RFA signing of that level of significance, you’re talking about giving up four unprotected first-round picks for the right to pay someone a contract that will be well above market value.  That’s not justifiable for pretty much any team at that level of a contract and certainly not for a team like the Flyers with where they are in their rebuild, a process that is still closer to the beginning than the end.  This is still a longer-term process that they’re in so it’s not the right time for them to be moving picks and prospects for established pieces.

Schwa: Set of Deadline questions:

1) What teams do you expect to make a splash for bigger names versus teams who will focus on role players?

2) Who is the biggest name you expect to move?

3) Who is the biggest rumored name you suspect will stay put?

As always, thanks for your input!

1) I could see Vegas making a splash.  They’re certainly no stranger to swinging big and with Mark Stone out for the rest of the regular season (and quite possibly longer), they now have the LTIR flexibility to make an impact of some significance.  Florida and Colorado also come to mind as teams aiming high.  The Panthers very quietly have ample regular cap space although they’re lacking top picks to trade.  Colorado, meanwhile, doesn’t have the cap room but if they’re able to move out Ryan Johansen, I could see them making a big move as well.

At the other end of the spectrum, I could see Detroit shopping there.  Here’s a team that has done well this season but is still not near the level that they need to be to have a deep playoff run.  There’s value in giving their youngsters some playoff experience though so I could see them using their cap space to add.  I also have Los Angeles here, not because they only want to do something small but because that’s about all they can do; with Viktor Arvidsson and Adrian Kempe expected back by the end of the season, they don’t have longer-term LTIR flexibility which means they’re pretty much money in, money out.

2) Two names come to mind, neither of which are particularly surprising.  Since Noah Hanifin doesn’t appear to be interested in signing an extension with the Flames, they’re in a spot where they need to move him.  I expect he’ll be the top blueliner off the board.  I’m not of the belief that it’s going to be a big trade deadline with a bunch of notable names moved; it’ll be quieter than this year.  So up front, Jake Guentzel is the biggest one I think gets moved.  It certainly feels like the expectation around him has shifted from a maybe on the trade front to probable with Pittsburgh realizing that even if he stays, they’re aiming for a likely first-round exit.  If they can’t re-sign him (and it stands to reason that if they were close, we’d be hearing about it), then he should be moved.

3) We’ve seen plenty of speculation surrounding Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom to the point where he has been featured prominently on some ‘trade bait’ boards.  I’m not as bullish as they are on the idea of moving him right now.  The Flames more or less have a one-team market for his services, New Jersey.  While I acknowledge the Devils might be desperate for an impactful addition, how much can Calgary elicit from a one-team bidding war?  In the summer, the Devils could still very well be looking for a goalie and perhaps some others too.  If GM Craig Conroy thinks he can get a better deal then compared to now (and I suspect he will think that), then Markstrom likely stays put, at least for a few more months.

Dayvisferreras: Any chance the Caps change head coaches for next season? I can’t tell if it’s the roster underachieving on offense or Carbery’s coaching system.

I suppose it’s possible that GM Brian MacLellan feels a coaching change is needed but I wouldn’t be expecting it to happen.  This is a coach who was well-known for getting lots of his groups offensively and while yes, the Capitals are struggling considerably on that front, I don’t think a whole lot can be pinned on him.

For me, this is more of a roster composition issue.  They have plenty of high-priced talent but a lot of them are in the downswing of their careers.  Going into the season, their top three centers were someone coming off major hip surgery, a veteran who had made it known he wanted to be traded, and one who was non-tendered in 2022.  With due respect to those players who are all NHL talents, centers are play-drivers and going into this season with some big question marks in those spots is risky.  That’s the fault of the GM, not the coach.  Meanwhile, on the wing, it’s a pretty old group as well.  Eventually, some fall-off was reasonably expected.

On the back end, how much firepower do they have?  John Carlson isn’t a top-end point producer as he was before but he’s still above-average.  Rasmus Sandin has some upside offensively but is still developing.  That’s about it in terms of offensive ability; most of their other options are more defensive types.  It’s hard to get much going in transition when you don’t necessarily have the defense that can kickstart that or some consistent options down the middle to drive that attack.

With their aging roster, they need an influx of speed and creativity.  If they can get that, I think you’ll see a better offensive performance from the Capitals moving forward with Carbery still at the helm.

Sunshine swede: Any chance that Florida choose to trade Reinhart at the deadline if they get a good package in return and feel they can’t afford to extend him? Or Montour/Forsling?

From a long-term asset perspective, the idea of getting value for any of Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, or Gustav Forsling over losing them for nothing but the vacated cap space makes sense on paper.  However, it would be shocking to see any of them moved over the next few days.

First, at this point, I don’t think the Panthers are at the point where they know they can’t bring back any of the players under any circumstances.  Can they keep all three?  That seems iffy but which one can’t they keep?  That’s far from being determined.  If they put pen to paper on long-term extensions with two of the three, then the idea of moving the other becomes a little more plausible as you’d be reasonably certain that you wouldn’t be able to keep the third one.

But even having said that, Florida’s a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.  Can they justify taking a key player away from their group and weakening their chances in the name of asset management?  That’s a tough sell to make.  If they were a bubble team, even in the spot their state counterpart in Tampa Bay is, such a move is defensible.  But when you’re battling for the top spot in the league and have eyes on playing into June, GM Bill Zito will be solely focused on adding to his core group, not hedging his bets about free agency in July.

RipperMagoo: To keep the game moving, what do you think of icing and offside resulting in loss of possession by the offending team? The defending team then gets the puck behind their net and the offending team has to clear the offensive zone.

This feels like a creative solution to a problem that I’m not sure many would necessarily agree exists.  I don’t see too many complaints about pace of play or game lengths going wildly beyond the planned television block.  I also think there are a lot of coaches who wouldn’t be fond of this rule as on icings, they’d lose the advantages of line matching against a tired group and choosing what side to take the draw on.  We already see a good chunk of something like this on delayed offside calls and an increase in that isn’t necessarily the end of the world but if the defending team has to take the puck behind the net first, it might actually slow things down as they’ll want to regroup, maybe get a line change in, etc.

If you’re looking to shave a few minutes off the average game length, why not just bring back the old hurry-up faceoff rule?  Instituted in 2002, teams had eight seconds to make a change after a whistle and then five seconds to line up for the draw before the puck was dropped.  When actually followed, the amount of dead time between whistles went down while we even had the odd calamitous draw where one team wasn’t even at the dot when the puck was dropped.  Of course, it wasn’t enforced too strictly and quietly went away.  But even then, I could see broadcasters taking issue with that as it would reduce the opportunities for replays and between-whistle advertisements.

Maybe it’s just me but I find games are fairly fast-paced as it is with fairly frequent multi-minute stretches without a whistle.  A period from start to finish generally doesn’t take much more than 40 minutes to complete and often comes in quite lower than that.  Points for creativity but I can’t see this gaining a lot of traction.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top