East Notes: Grzelcyk, van Riemsdyk, Harvey-Pinard
Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been fined $5K for spearing Capitals winger Max Pacioretty late in the first period of Saturday’s game, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday. The fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and comes after Grzelcyk was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play, sidelining him for the last two periods of the game.
The incident occurring in the first period is likely why DoPS opted for a fine rather than a one-game suspension, given that Grzelcyk missed just over two full periods as part of the penalties assessed at the time. This is the first time Grzlecyk has received supplemental discipline of any kind in his eight-year, 420-game NHL career.
It’s been a trying season for Grzelcyk, whose 0.18 points-per-game pace is the lowest of his NHL career (excluding his two-game showing in 2016-17). The 30-year-old is still logging top-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Charlie McAvoy, controlling 55.3% of expected goals when on the ice together, per MoneyPuck. A lack of any notable special teams time has kept his average ice time below 19 minutes per game for the third straight season.
Other updates from the Eastern Conference:
- Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain sidelined due to illness Sunday against the Canucks, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network). The 32-year-old also missed yesterday’s win over Boston and has only appeared in four out of Washington’s last nine games due to illness and a handful of healthy scratches. Now in the first year of a hefty three-year, $9MM extension that makes him a UFA in 2026, van Riemsdyk has eight assists and a -11 rating in 40 games and has seen his possession metrics nosedive from last season’s strong two-way performance. His average ice time (18:30) is also down from last season’s 19:04, and although he should have a more regular role in the lineup if the Capitals move out Joel Edmundson by the deadline as rumored, this year hasn’t been a strong indication that van Riemsdyk will provide much value for his $3MM cap hit as he enters his mid-30s.
- The Canadiens moved winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to injured reserve Sunday, according to the NHL’s media portal. The 25-year-old left Saturday’s game against the Stars with a lower-body injury and will now miss a minimum of seven days, ruling him out of Montreal’s next four games. The diminutive winger has seen his ice time dip to exclusively bottom-six minutes since the middle of January and has missed a combined 27 games this season with previous lower-body injuries. A seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft, Harvey-Pinard has one goal and seven points in his 24 showings this season.
Wild Expected To Recall Adam Beckman
The Wild are expected to announce the recall of winger Adam Beckman from AHL Iowa on Sunday, The Athletic’s Michael Russo said. He joins the team in place of winger Marcus Foligno, who left Minnesota’s 3-2 win over the Penguins on Friday early in the third period with an undisclosed injury and did not practice Sunday morning, per Russo.
This is Beckman’s second recall in the last six days. The Wild summoned him on Monday to fill out their forward depth, but with Vinni Lettieri returning from a lower-body injury before Wednesday’s game against the Blackhawks, Beckman didn’t slot into the lineup and was returned to Iowa before Friday’s game.
The 22-year-old is in his third pro season since being selected in the third round, 75th overall, by the Wild in the 2019 draft. With 10 goals and 10 assists (20 points) in 39 games for Iowa, he’s on pace to fall short of last season’s 24 goals and 36 points, both of which were career-highs, set in 53 games.
Now an alternate captain at the minor-league level, Beckman’s high-end scoring during his time in junior hockey with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs hasn’t fully translated to the pro level. Projecting as more of a top-nine threat than a top-six one if he works his way onto the Minnesota roster full-time, the Saskatchewan-born winger has one assist in 12 NHL appearances over the last three years.
Beckman could make his season debut Monday against the Golden Knights if Foligno is unable to play. The Wild do not have another forward on the roster to draw into the lineup and would need to dress seven defensemen if they opt to sit Beckman again.
With an open roster spot and ample cap space, given captain Jared Spurgeon‘s long-term injured reserve placement, Minnesota will not need to execute a corresponding transaction to recall Beckman. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries an $894.2K cap hit, and will be an RFA this summer.
Foligno, 32, will miss his fifth game of the season due to illness or injury if he is not cleared to play. The 13-year veteran has again been a solid two-way force for Minnesota in a third-line role, recording 20 points in 47 games while posting an expected +3.8 rating, good enough for fifth on the team.
Rangers Recall Matt Rempe And Adam Edstrom
The New York Rangers made a series of moves late last night by recalling forwards Matt Rempe and Adam Edström from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. In addition to the recalls, New York also assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to Hartford.
If he can get into the lineup, the 21-year-old Rempe will be looking to make his NHL debut during his recall. He is in his second AHL season and has a career-high eight goals and four assists in 43 games this season. On the surface, his eight goals don’t seem like much, but they actually have him tied for the team lead in five-on-five goals.
Edström is in his first full AHL season and has eight goals and two assists in 25 games this year. He made his NHL debut earlier this season with the Rangers and made it a memorable one by notching his first career NHL goal. The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers back in 2019 and is an intimidating presence on the ice standing 6’8” tall and weighing 225 pounds.
Leschyshyn is being returned to Hartford after his latest NHL recall and hasn’t suited up for the Rangers since January 11th. The 24-year-old has spent the bulk of his season in Hartford suiting up in 19 games for the Wolf Pack. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina has four goals and six assists this season in the AHL as he continues to shuttle back and forth between the NHL and AHL for the third consecutive season.
Trade Deadline Primer: Florida Panthers
With the All-Star break in the rear-view, the trade deadline looms large and is now just 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 Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers have been an impressive team for a couple of seasons now and are once again having a terrific season. Many thought that they might take a step back this season after losing in the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, however, the club was able to overcome several injuries to key contributors early on and now have their full complement of impact players in the lineup. Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito hasn’t been afraid of pulling off blockbuster trades in recent seasons having made the move for Matthew Tkachuk and another move two years ago at the trade deadline for Claude Giroux. While the Giroux move didn’t work out, the Tkachuk trade has turned out great for the Panthers. All that being said, the Panthers don’t have the cap space or the assets to swing for the fences at this trade deadline, but that being said Zito will likely evaluate every option when it comes to improving his group. The Panthers will be a tough team to play in the playoffs as they are well-built and have finally figured out how to win in the playoffs. It will make for an interesting deadline in Florida.
Record
33-15-4, 2 in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$5.72MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: FLA 3rd, FLA 4th, FLA 5th, PHI 5th, FLA 6th, FLA 7th
2025: FLA 2nd, FLA 3rd, FLA 4th, CAL 4th*, FLA 5th, SJ 5, FLA 6th, FLA 7th
* If the 2025 1st RD pick that Florida sent to Calgary is a lottery pick resulting in Calgary receiving Florida’s 2026 1st RD pick instead, then the 2025 4th RD pick that Calgary sent to Florida also slides to 2026.
Trade Chips
Florida has ten players on their current roster who will be unrestricted free agents this offseason. Despite the amount of turnover that will happen this summer, Zito probably isn’t looking to move much off of the NHL roster in any trade deadline moves. However, they will likely need to shed some salary to acquire any high-priced talent. The Panthers’ big moves for Tkachuk and others have certainly paid off, but it also came with a high cost. They don’t have a first-round pick in either of the next two drafts and don’t have a second-round pick this year. While a lack of picks might keep them out of the running for some of the top available names at the deadline, they still possess all of their mid-round picks and should still be able to make some smaller moves.
The Panthers’ farm system also leaves a lot to be desired as they are ranked near the bottom third of the league in terms of prospect pipelines. The Panthers do have some decent draft picks from previous seasons that could entice teams to part with a bigger name.
Gracyn Sawchyn is an intriguing player for a number of reasons. He was drafted in the second round last summer and plays a very simple game that relies on speed and physicality. He could have been a higher pick but is undersized and doesn’t possess the offensive abilities of some of his peers chosen before him. That being said, he is 19 and has a lot of upside to his game that teams will covet.
Mackie Samoskevich is another name that the Panthers could float in a potential trade. He has dressed in seven NHL games this season and was the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2021. Samoskevich is in his first full season of professional hockey and has produced decent offensive numbers in the AHL with 12 goals and 17 assists in 37 games. Samoskevich has a high hockey IQ and should be able to translate that and his other skillset into a career in the NHL, it just remains to be seen if that will happen in Florida or if he will be dealt at the deadline.
Other Potential Trade Chips: D Ludvig Jansson, D Kasper Puutio, D Michael Benning
Team Needs
1) Top-9 Forward: The Panthers haven’t gotten what they need out of the third line and would probably like to add some scoring punch to it. They recently moved Evan Rodrigues there and elevated Nick Cousins to the top 6, but in a perfect world, they would acquire another forward and push Cousins onto the fourth line. The Panthers had this balance previously with Anthony Duclair but shipped him off to San Jose last summer. The Panthers likely won’t be able to make a Jake Guentzel-type addition, but a solid scorer with some speed might go a long way to helping them get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. A reunion with Duclair might be an option given how good of a fit he has been previously.
2) Depth Defenseman: Florida is the second-best defensive team this season and has done so without two of their top defensemen for a good portion of the season. That being said, their current alignment relies on two veteran defensemen in their bottom pairing group who could wear down during a long playoff drive. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is averaging almost 19 minutes a night and Dmitry Kulikov is playing 16:33 per game. Both veterans could stand to either play a little bit less or get some nights off leading into the playoffs. A depth defenseman could allow Florida to put their veterans in a spot where they are the likeliest to succeed and give them a chance to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Evening Notes: Schultz, Coyotes Arena, Chinakhov, Malinski
Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz has left the team for personal reasons, relays Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. However, head coach Dave Hakstol is hopeful that the veteran will be able to rejoin the team in the coming days on their four-game road trip. The 33-year-old is having a bit of a quieter year offensively with just 16 points in 42 games so far; he had 34 in 73 contests last season. Seattle is still trying to climb back into the playoff picture but if they wind up selling closer to the deadline, Schultz could be an interesting addition to the market as a right-shot blueliner on a $3MM expiring contract.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The long-running arena saga in Arizona could be taking another direction. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (video link) that a local government source suggested that a new arena deal in North Phoenix could be wrapped up in the next three months. Their situation was discussed in an executive session (not open to the public) at a council meeting earlier this week with the meeting believed to have gone well. While there’s a long way to go before shovels are in the ground, it’s possible that the Coyotes could wind up with a new arena plan in the near future which could delay any potential talk of relocation.
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that forward Yegor Chinakhov left tonight’s game versus Tampa Bay with an upper-body injury. After a slow start to his campaign following his early-November recall, the 23-year-old has become a capable contributor for Columbus, notching 14 goals and 10 assists in 39 games heading into tonight’s action.
- Following their loss to Florida, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado. The 25-year-old was recalled on Tuesday and played that night but was scratched for their past two games. Malinski has 10 points in 23 games with the Avs so far while logging a little over 14 minutes a night and will likely be brought back up again in the coming days.
Nikita Zadorov Receives Two-Game Suspension
After announcing a hearing just a few hours ago, the Department of Player Safety has made a quick ruling on Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The league announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Detroit forward Lucas Raymond.
The incident occurred early in the second period today with Zadorov receiving a match penalty on the play. As the league’s accompanying video notes, Zadorov’s hit satisfies both elements for an illegal check to the head with the head being the principal point of contact and the hit being avoidable; it was deemed that Zadorov’s hit was mistimed and that he needed to take a better angle to hit Raymond’s core.
With Vancouver being back in action on Sunday, the league needed to make a ruling fairly quickly. Zadorov will miss that contest against Washington as well as Tuesday’s game versus Chicago; he’ll be eligible to return on Thursday when they host Detroit in a rematch of today’s game. It’s the first suspension of Zadorov’s career and he will forfeit a little over $39K in salary, that money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Current Cap Hit: $84,629,281 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None on the active roster.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Jeff Carter ($3.125MM, UFA)
F Jake Guentzel ($6MM, UFA)
F Jansen Harkins ($850K, UFA)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph ($850K, RFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Chad Ruhwedel ($800K, UFA)
Guentzel’s situation is well-known at this point. There haven’t been any substantive discussions about a new deal but the 29-year-old is set to be one of the top forwards available in free agency this summer and will be eyeing a multi-million-dollar raise on a long-term agreement. That will still be the case whether it’s Pittsburgh or someone else giving it to him. Whoever has him on their roster after the trade deadline will be the only team that can offer the max-term eight-year deal; everyone else will be limited to seven.
Carter did well in his first year and a bit with the Penguins, earning this extension as a reward. But on this contract, he has struggled considerably, especially this season. Now 39, it’s fair to wonder if this will be his final year. If it’s not, he’ll be looking at a deal worth close to the league minimum with perhaps some small incentives. Harkins came over in October as a waiver claim before clearing waivers less than three weeks later. Despite that, he has spent most of the season in the NHL on the fourth line. That gives him a chance at securing another one-way contract but it’s also likely to be at or very close to the $775K minimum salary.
Joseph has battled injuries this season and hasn’t played a lot when he’s healthy. While his qualifying offer is for just under $900K, tendering it would give him arbitration eligibility. With over 100 NHL games under his belt, the potential award could be more than what Pittsburgh would want to pay him. If they can reach a deal beforehand, it should come in close to the $1MM mark. Ruhwedel has been a serviceable depth piece for several years now and being a right-shot player certainly helps his value. Another one-way contract close to this one should be doable.
After a particularly rough showing last season with Detroit, Nedeljkovic has bounced back quite nicely with his best performance since his breakout stretch in 2020-21. If teams feel this level of play is sustainable, then he could conceivably double this on the open market. But with the year-to-year volatility, something closer to the $2.75MM range may be more realistic.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Sidney Crosby ($8.7MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($2.45MM, UFA)
D John Ludvig ($775K, RFA)
F Matt Nieto ($900K, UFA)
F Drew O’Connor ($925K, UFA)
D Marcus Pettersson ($4.025MM, UFA)
F Jesse Puljujarvi ($800K, UFA)
F Reilly Smith ($5MM, UFA)
Crosby has been a Penguin for his entire 19-year NHL career and while some have openly speculated about him being traded, that doesn’t seem like a probable outcome at this point. He will have just turned 38 when the 2025-26 season gets underway so another multi-year agreement (between two and four years) isn’t entirely unrealistic. For Pittsburgh, the longer the term of the offer, the lower the cap hit would be, similar to some of the other deals their long-term veterans have received. Considering how he has performed this season, there’s a chance that his next contract could carry the same cap charge as this one and the one that preceded it.
Smith came over from Vegas in a cap-dumping move but he’s still a capable middle-six player. However, this price point is on the high side for someone in that role based on his usage with the Penguins. If he winds up being in the 40-point range (compared to the 56 he had in his final year with the Golden Knights), Smith may need to take a small pay cut heading into his age-34 campaign in 2025. Eller is still a serviceable third-line center for now but he’ll be 36 when his next contract starts. Assuming he slows down a bit more, he’ll likely have to go year-to-year with a price tag a bit below this one.
O’Connor had been more of a role player until this season where he’s averaging nearly 15 minutes a night while setting career highs offensively. If that usage and production hold next season, he could at least double his current price tag on his next deal. Nieto has battled injuries this year but, when healthy, has been a regular on the fourth line, a role he is used to holding. This has been his price range for the last two contracts and it’s unlikely that will change on his next one. Puljujarvi’s market was recently set with the winger finally signing earlier this month. Unless he can establish himself as a top-nine regular, he’ll continue to be on the fringes, keeping his price tag close to the minimum.
Pettersson had a couple of rough seasons but turned things around last year and has been even better in 2023-24, showing he can still be a top-half defender on a depth chart. However, his lack of offensive output most years will limit his earnings upside. Still, another long-term agreement and at least a small raise should be doable, an outcome that would have been surprising just a couple of years ago. Ludvig was a waiver claim but an early-season concussion has limited him thus far. If he can stick around as even a seventh defenseman, however, he could land at least a mild raise a couple of years from now.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Noel Acciari ($2MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin ($6.1MM, UFA)
Malkin has certainly slowed down this season but at 37, that’s to be expected. He’s still producing at a top-six rate so for now, they’re getting a good return. As he ages, however, the value of this contract will drop. Similar to the Crosby discussion, that’s the trade-off for getting an AAV that’s lower than what his market value would have been otherwise. Acciari has shown flashes of third-line production over the year (he even had a 20-goal campaign) but is best utilized as a fourth liner with some extra faceoff utility. This contract is a bit pricey for someone with that profile but it’s not a significant overpayment either.
East Notes: Forsling, Peeke, Iskhakov
Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling is one of Florida’s prominent pending unrestricted free agents. The 27-year-old has gone from being a waiver claim in 2021 to a top-three defender and his price tag is set to jump considerably from his current $2.667MM AAV. Keeping him, blueliner Brandon Montour, and forward Sam Reinhart will be difficult to do but Forsling told Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he has made it known that he wants to remain with Florida. However, discussions on a new deal have been minimal so far. Forsling has 22 points in 50 games so far this season while averaging over 22 minutes a night, putting him in a position to more than double his current cap hit.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli wonders if the Blue Jackets might look at buying out defenseman Andrew Peeke this summer. Columbus has been shopping a blueliner for most of the season (Peeke and Adam Boqvist have been the players believed to be available) but has yet to find a suitable trade, likely because both blueliners have cap hits at or above $2.6MM. Peeke struggled last season and has been a frequent healthy scratch this year (playing just 20 times), providing a weak return on a $2.75MM price so far. He has two years left on his deal and if Columbus was to buy him out, they’d eat a $917K dead cap charge for the next four seasons.
- Dan Milstein, the agent for Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov, told Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News that contrary to speculation from earlier this week that had him linked to the KHL, the forward has yet to engage in discussions for next season. The 23-year-old is in his second AHL season and has been quite productive, collecting 34 points in 44 games this season after putting up 51 points in his rookie campaign in 2022-23 but is still looking for his first NHL opportunity. Iskhakov is set to become a restricted agent with arbitration eligibility this summer.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy
The Montreal Canadiens have recalled forward Joshua Roy from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. This move comes in response to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard leaving Saturday’s game after awkwardly bending his leg in a collision with teammate Joel Armia. Harvey-Pinard previously missed seven weeks of the season with a lower-body injury, limiting him to just 23 games this year.
This is just the second recall of Roy’s career, with the first coming on January 12th. Roy was with the NHL club for 12 days before being reassigned to Laval. He played in his first six NHL games in that stretch, recording one goal, one assist, one penalty, and a -2. Roy has also managed 32 points across 40 AHL games, ranking second on Laval in scoring behind Brandon Gignac, who is also currently called up to the NHL lineup.
Harvey-Pinard’s injury adds to a list of absentees in Montreal, with the team also missing Christian Dvorak and Kirby Dach due to injury. Brendan Gallagher is also out of the lineup for three more games, serving the latter end of the first suspension of his career. That leaves Montreal with no extra forwards to fill in for Harvey-Pinard, meaning the 20-year-old Roy should slot immediately into the lineup.
Montreal drafted Roy in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s one of just two players to be selected after 2021’s Third Round to have already made his NHL debut; the other being Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, who has played in 12 games and scored two points this season. The Arizona Coyotes drafted Martinsen Lilleberg in the fourth round but left him unsigned, leaving him open to signing with Tampa this past summer.
Nikita Zadorov To Have Hearing For Illegal Hit To The Head
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing this evening for an illegal hit to the head on Detroit Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond. The hit came halfway through Vancouver’s Saturday loss to Detroit and earned Zadorov a match penalty. The 28-year-old hasn’t faced punishment from the Department of Player Safety in his career up to this point. He’s scored four points, all assists, through 27 games with the Canucks this season. He’s also played in 21 games and scored six points with the Calgary Flames
Zadorov is on pace to break his career-high in penalty minutes this season, now up to 83 penalty minutes – just 20 minutes short of the career-high he set in 2017-18 – with 30 games left on Vancouver’s schedule. His attendance in the box has become routine, with Zadorov’s 180 penalty minutes ranking higher than any other Flames player, including Milan Lucic and Andrew Mangiapane, over his three seasons with the team.
The Canucks traded for Zadorov in late November, sending Calgary a third and fifth pick. He’s stepped into a second-pairing role with his new club, playing primarily with Tyler Myers. Calgary and Vancouver have since swapped forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrei Kuzmenko, with Vancouver adding a first-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick, and two prospects. Lindholm has scored two goals in his first three games in Vancouver, playing on the team’s top line.