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Avalanche Acquire Ryan Lindgren And Jimmy Vesey From Rangers

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With less than a week left before the trade deadline, the Avalanche have added some extra depth on the back end and up front.  In a deal that has been announced by both teams, Colorado is acquiring defenseman Ryan Lindgren, winger Jimmy Vesey, and the rights to unsigned prospect Hank Kempf from the Rangers in exchange for forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Calvin de Haan, and two draft picks.  The picks are the better of Carolina’s or New York’s (previously-acquired) second-round pick this year and the better of Colorado’s or Vancouver’s fourth-round selection this season.

Lindgren has been a mainstay on New York’s back end for the last six seasons.  However, his tenure with them has always seemed to be on uncertain footing.  He wound up taking a three-year bridge deal back in 2021 with the expectation that he’d sign a longer-term pact after that.  Instead, he found himself in trade speculation at times during that contract and the two sides were only able to work out a one-year, $4.5MM contract last summer, one that avoided salary arbitration but also set Lindgren up to reach unrestricted free agency this summer.  Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that the Rangers will retain half of that contract as part of the swap.

The 27-year-old has never been a big point producer in the NHL as he has yet to reach the 20-point mark in a single season although with 19 points in 54 games this season, he’s likely to do just that in the coming days.  However, Lindgren has been a steady and reliable defensive defender for most of his career, logging heavy minutes on the penalty kill and consistently being among the Rangers’ leaders in blocked shots.  This season, he’s second on New York in blocked shots with 102 while leading the team in shorthanded TOI at 2:42 per game.

That penalty killing prowess will fit in well on a Colorado shorthanded unit that’s barely above the league average in success rate at 79.8% while also giving them a solid replacement for the injured Josh Manson.  Lindgren should slot in as the fourth defender on the Avs’ depth chart for the time being while when Manson returns, one of the two should help anchor the third pairing which would be a nice boost to that pairing heading into the playoffs.

As for Vesey, the 31-year-old was in the third season of his second go-round in New York.  The first two seasons of that second stint were successful as he notched 24 goals and 51 points over the two years, giving the Rangers some solid, low-cost secondary scoring.  But things haven’t gone as well this season.  He has been frequently scratched and has just six points in 31 games when he has suited up.  Nonetheless, Colorado has been looking for some stability on the fourth line pretty much all season long and Vesey should be able to lock down a regular role on that trio while giving it some experience as he’s suited up in over 600 games at the NHL level.  He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, carrying a $800K cap charge.

Kempf, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick by the Rangers back in 2021, going 208th overall.  The blueliner is in his senior year at Cornell University and has two goals and five assists in 28 games this season.  Colorado will need to sign him to an entry-level deal by mid-August or lose his rights.

Parssinen is the more notable player heading to the Rangers in this swap.  It will be the third team for him this season as Colorado only acquired him from Nashville back in late December.  But while the 24-year-old was able to hold down a regular role with the Avs (after being scratched at times with the Predators), he wasn’t overly productive with just six points in 22 games while logging less than 10 minutes a night of ice time.  When added to his numbers with the Preds, Parssinen has four goals and seven assists in 37 appearances this season.

Parssinen made an immediate strong impression when he first debuted in the NHL back in 2022-23, notching an impressive 25 points in 45 games in Nashville but he hasn’t been able to get back to that level of performance since then.  He’ll now get another fresh start in New York who can control him through the 2027-28 season through restricted free agency with salary arbitration rights.  Parssinen is making the league minimum of $775K this season and will be owed a qualifying offer of nearly $814K in late June.

As for de Haan, the 33-year-old was in his first season with Colorado after signing a one-year, $800K contract with them early in free agency last summer.  He has largely played on the third pairing this year, logging just under 15 minutes a night of playing time while chipping in with seven assists, 58 blocks, and 59 hits in 44 appearances.  A pending UFA, the 676-game veteran is likely to have a similar role in New York but also could be a candidate to be flipped again if there’s a team looking for extra defensive depth before Friday’s trade deadline.

The Rangers enter play today four points out of the final Wild Card spot.  While that’s hardly an insurmountable gap, they’re also not in a spot to potentially lose rental players for no return.  With this move, they pick up a pair of draft picks and will get a look to see if Parssinen can return to his form from a couple of years ago which could make him a piece worth keeping around for a while.  Meanwhile, Lindgren is a nice pickup for the Avs even with his struggles this season as he should be able to help stabilize the back half of their back end which should only help their fortunes heading into the playoffs.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report (Twitter links) the four players in the deal while Peter Baugh of The Athletic was first with the draft pick details.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Ottawa Senators Assign Angus Crookshank To AHL

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11:45 AM: Crookshank’s recall was short-lived as the team announced that he has already been returned to Belleville.

9:29 AM: The Ottawa Senators may have to wait another game for the complete trio of Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, and Shane Pinto to return. The Senators announced they’ve recalled forward Angus Crookshank from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, indicating they’ll use him as a replacement again tonight.

It’s a quick turnaround for Crookshank after being recalled and reassigned a few days ago. He skated in 14:04 of action in Ottawa’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets on February 26, putting three shots on net and adding one hit and one blocked shot.

That is the only NHL contest of the year for the North Vancouver native. Crookshank has spent the entire season in Belleville, scoring 18 goals and 33 points in 45 games. His offensive production is good for fourth on the AHL Senators in scoring, although it’s a slight decline from his 24-goal, 22-assist output from a year ago.

Crookshank’s status for tonight’s contest against the San Jose Sharks may ultimately be decided in warm-ups. There’s a strong expectation that Tkachuk will return tonight, with the latter being game-time decisions. Travis Green and the rest of Ottawa’s coaching staff will likely have all four players skate before the game and announce the completed lineup shortly before puck drop.

Predators Recall Jake Lucchini And Spencer Stastney, Place Roman Josi On IR

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On top of scratching pending UFA winger Gustav Nyquist for today’s game with a potential trade on the way, the Predators have made three other roster moves as well.  Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has recalled winger Jake Lucchini and defenseman Spencer Stastney from AHL Milwaukee.  To make room on the roster, blueliner Roman Josi was placed on injured reserve.

Lucchini is in his first season with the Preds after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them last summer.  While he got into 40 NHL games with Minnesota last season during various recalls, this is his first promotion of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp.  The 29-year-old has 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games with the Admirals thus far, a drop in his per-game output after recording 23 points in 30 minor league outings in 2023-24.

Stastney, meanwhile, started the season on the non-roster list while taking a leave of absence and has split time between Nashville and Milwaukee since then.  The 25-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in seven appearances with the Preds this season while logging a little over 16 minutes a night.  He has been productive with the Admirals, however, notching 13 points in 23 outings at the minor league level.

As for Josi, he exited Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and his placement on IR means he’ll be out for both games this weekend at the very least although he’ll be out longer than that with the team revealing (Twitter link) he’s out week-to-week.  The captain hasn’t been able to duplicate the offensive performance he had last year when he notched 85 points but he still has 39 points in 55 games, good for a tie for 15th among all NHL blueliners.  Of course, Josi also logs heavy minutes, averaging more than 25 minutes a night so Nashville’s back end will have its work cut out for them to cover his absence.

Maple Leafs Sign Borya Valis To Entry-Level Deal

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March 1st is an important day on the NHL calendar as it’s the first day that players can sign future contracts that begin the following season.  The Maple Leafs have wasted little time getting one of those done as they’ve signed forward Borya Valis to a three-year, entry-level deal as announced by his agent Dan Milstein (Twitter link).  The team subsequently confirmed the move.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a $872.5K cap charge and a $975K AAV including signing and games-played bonuses.

The 20-year-old is playing his final season at the major junior level.  He started his WHL career with Regina in 2021, spending parts of three seasons with the team.  The second of those was his draft-eligible year and while he secured a ranking of 152nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, he went undrafted in 2023 and 2024.

Last season, Valis was traded midseason, going from Regina to Prince George.  Between the two teams, he picked up 26 goals and 44 assists in 67 regular season games before adding 13 points in 15 postseason contests.  He’s producing at a better clip this year, tallying 29 goals and 44 helpers through 57 contests with the Cougars, one of four Western Conference teams to already clinch a playoff spot.

As the contract begins next season, Valis won’t count against Toronto’s 50-contract limit until the summer.  In the meantime, should the Cougars be eliminated while the AHL Marlies are still playing in their postseason, he will be eligible to join and play for them on an ATO agreement, giving him some time with the team he’s likely to play for when the contract begins in 2025-26.

Gustav Nyquist Scratched For Trade-Related Reasons

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10:20 AM: The Wild are among the most aggressive teams showing interest in Nyquist, Friedman reports.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds that while the two sides are discussing a deal, the trade isn’t done yet.

9:57 AM: The trade-related scratches for deadline sellers have officially begun. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Nashville Predators will scratch pending unrestricted free agent Gustav Nyquist for this afternoon’s game against the New York Islanders for “health protection”.

Nyquist is one of the more obvious trade pieces for this year’s deadline. He’s on the final season of a two-year, $6.37MM contract signed with Nashville in 2023. Since the Predators have seemingly committed to punting on this season, he’s likely their easiest tradeable asset.

He should also receive an abundance of interest. The Halmstad, Sweden native is only a year removed from a career-year, scoring 23 goals and 75 points in 81 games during his first year with the club. Despite the impressive scoring numbers, Nyquist also produced the highest CorsiFor% and on-ice save percentage at even strength since his time with the Detroit Red Wings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Like many of his peers in Nashville, Nyquist’s scoring output has dissipated this year. He’s scored nine goals and 21 points in 51 games, heading toward the lowest production of his career since his injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Still, his shooting percentage is fairly close to his career average, and he remains a possession wizard with a 56.4% CorsiFor% at even strength.

The flexibility he provides by being a top or middle-six winger who can play on both sides of the ice should benefit the Predators’ eventual return. Nyquist’s former teams, such as the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Wild, all make sense, with the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning likely also having some interest.

Morning Notes: Greenway, Gavrikov, Bear

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Although the Buffalo Sabres occupy last place in the Eastern Conference standings and are on pace to miss the postseason for a 14th consecutive season, there is at least one pending unrestricted free-agent forward they’ll look to keep rather than dangle at the deadline. In his recently written edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Sabres have indicated they’re trying to extend Jordan Greenway.

Due to several injuries throughout his two-year tenure in Buffalo, Greenway likely won’t match or exceed his current $3MM salary on a new contract. It’s likely a driving factor behind the Sabres’ motivation to extend rather than trade him at the deadline. He’s an extremely physical winger, but Greenway’s three-goal, eight-point performance in 23 games this year likely wouldn’t command much return, especially as a rental.

Buffalo and Greenway’s best path forward may be for an internal ’prove it’ deal to see if he can recapture the scoring touch he provided recently as last season. The Canton, NY native scored 10 goals and 28 points in 67 games for the Sabres in the 2023-24 season, which would command a higher return should Buffalo become a seller in a year.

Other notes:

  • Friedman also shared that Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has left the Gold Star Sports Management Group to join CAA Sports LLC. It’s typically not terrific news for a player’s current team if he switches agencies, but Friedman doesn’t believe it’s time to ring any alarm bells in Los Angeles. Mutual interest remains between Gavrikov and the Kings on an extension, although it likely won’t get done before the trade deadline. CAA Sports LCC has recently negotiated several extensions, including David Pastrňák’s, Mathew Barzal’s, Dougie Hamilton’s, Filip Forsberg’s, and Lucas Raymond’s.
  • Despite being the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals are expected to sell one player from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In a short clip from TSN’s Insider Trading, insider Chris Johnston reported the Capitals are looking to accommodate Ethan Bear’s desire to play in the NHL and move him to a team with openings on the blue line. Washington may have a better idea of what that looks like closer to deadline day, but Bear should garner some interest, scoring eight goals and 33 points in 46 AHL contests. He’s in the final season of a two-year, $4.13MM contract and hasn’t suited up in an NHL game since March 13, 2024.

Trade Deadline Notes: Boeser, Sharks, Schenn

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Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser has reportedly turned down a five-year, $40MM contract extension per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, who adds that Boeser is looking for more term on his next deal. The $8MM cap hit on the rumored offer would be a $1.35MM bump from Boeser’s price tag this season.

Boeser is certainly due for a raise on his next deal, after posting the first 40-goal season of his career last year. His statement performance came after four straight seasons of failing to even reach 25 goals. It was largely helped along by a career-high 19.6 shooting percentage, over seven percent higher than his average of 12.7 percent in six seasons prior. And while Boeser has struggled to reach that same success rate this year, his 18 goals and 17.3 shooting percentage in 52 games suggest he may have really found a new gear to his scoring.

Boeser will be a top name leading into the Trade Deadline if Vancouver isn’t willing to commit to him for a longer term. His spike in scoring and inflated shooting percentage are certainly warning flags, but he could offer the experience of a 500-game pro for the cheap cost of a deadline rental. A short-sighted trade would leave Boeser open to pick his next team in unrestricted free agency, though if he’d get another $8MM offer could hinge on how well he scores through the end of the year.

Other Trade Deadline notes from out West:

  • An NHL executive pointed out the potential chemistry between the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports. The 23-year-old Byram has been loosely circulated around trade rumors and could be a perfect addition to San Jose’s rebuild. The Sharks also have plenty to give up for the top-pair defender. Peng shares that there’s a sense Buffalo could use more size and grit. That motivation could make Sharks prospects like Quentin Musty or Kasper Halttunen enticing options. Both top prospects are performing well in the OHL this season. Musty has 43 points in just 26 games and Halttunen has 29 points in 27 games and 13 in his last 10. With the right mix of draft capital, either name could be enough to swing Byram away from Buffalo – though Peng notes he still doesn’t sense San Jose would pay such a price. He shares that the team could instead try and leverage some of their first-round draft picks to land big additions.
  • The St. Louis Blues could be asking for as much as two first-round draft picks for captain Brayden Schenn, per Seravalli in his latest trade board. That’s notably the same price St. Louis asked for Pavel Buchnevich, who has five more points than Schenn this season, at last year’s Trade Deadline. The Blues couldn’t find a suitor, and it’s hard to envision they’ll make a match for Schenn at this price either. With Schenn boasting a full no-trade clause, it may take a silver tongue to convince veteran Blues GM Doug Armstrong to trade his captain… once again.

Latest On Utah’s Trade Deadline Plans

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The Trade Deadline is less than a week away and the bubble surrounding it appears ready to burst. There’s plenty of trade buzz circulating in the league, headlined by the Utah Hockey Club’s continued efforts to try to figure out their deadline approach. The Hockey Club was split between buyer and seller status during the 4-Nations Face-Off break, but general manager Bill Armstrong has now shared that the team won’t sell if they stay in playoff contention per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Utah has been on a heater since returning from break, posting a 3-1-0 record and outscoring opponents 13-to-eight. They’re also outshooting opponents 128-to-80, or an average of 32-to-20 per game.

Utah’s surge forward seemed inevitable. They’ve faced injuries to many of their key contributors and notable summer additions this season. That includes burly defender Sean Durzi, who missed four months with a shoulder injury sustained in Utah’s fourth game of the season. Durzi averaged a team-high 25:34 in ice time and recorded two assists through the year’s first three games. That includes a 29-minute performance in his last full game before getting injured. He’s scored two points in four games since returning on February 22nd – though he’s not yet back to his October ice time. In getting Durzi back, Utah effectively added a free top-four defender to a lineup that was already in contention for the Western Conference’s second wild card.

Utah has inched closer to that wild card with their recent hot streak. But Armstrong claiming the team won’t be sellers at the deadline doesn’t mean they’ll be free of action. The divide between winger Matias Maccelli and a routine lineup spot is growing wider over Utah’s last few games. He hasn’t played since February 8th, as pointed out by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest 32 Thoughts. Friedman adds that the undersized Maccelli could find his spark with a trade away from the team – a claim that’d certainly have teams around the league excited.

Maccelli has just 18 points in 52 games this season, but he broke out as a strong, young playmaker over the last two years. Maccelli recorded 38 assists and 49 points in 64 games of the 2022-23 season – his first full year in the NHL – and followed it up with 40 assists and 57 points in 82 games last year. He’s still just 24 years old, and would likely be an exciting upside buy should a team convince Armstrong that he’s expendable.

While they might not look thrilling on paper, Utah has found a lineup that works this month. They are glaringly shallow at center, where Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain fill the middle-six roles – but it’s hard to point out a weakness anywhere else. Utah’s wingers have performed up to par and the return of Durzi brings some much-needed weight behind Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on defense. With a gust of wind behind their sails, any of Utah’s moves would likely focus solely on beefing up their bottom three forward lines. They’ll have the money to pursue whoever they’d like on the open market – with a projected $28.52MM in deadline cap space, per PuckPedia.

That much cap space is bound to weigh down a wallet, and Armstrong’s indication that the team won’t sell assets could be a subtle indication that they’re looking to lean heavily into the post-break success.

Blues Sign Tyler Tucker To Two-Year Extension

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The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Tyler Tucker to a two-year, $1.85MM contract extension. The deal will carry a $900K salary in year one and a $950K salary in year two. Tucker was set to be a restricted free agent this summer.

The Blues drafted Tucker with the 200th-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He followed his draft selection with 59 points and 105 penalty minutes in 68 games during his age-19 OHL season. The performance stamped Tucker as a bruising enforcer – a role he embraced in full when he moved to the pros two years later. Tucker played his rookie AHL season during the shortened 2020-21 campaign and posted a quaint seven points and 34 penalty minutes in 27 games as a result. But he came to life in 2021-22, leading the Springfield Thunderbirds with 114 penalty minutes in 72 games – over 40 more than anyone else on the team.

Tucker made his NHL debut in the following year and very quickly found his role as St. Louis’ bruiser in reserve. He split the 2022-23 season between recording four points and 31 PIMs in 26 NHL games; and posting 21 points and 79 PIMs in 41 AHL games. He returned to the role of seventh-defender last season, posting two points and 42 PIMs in another 26 games – though routine injury held him to just six AHL games. Tucker has found a better balance between scoring and penalties this season, with four points and 30 PIMs in 20 NHL games and 10 points and 39 PIMs in 19 AHL games.

Tucker’s 72 career NHL games are more than anyone else drafted in 2018’s seventh round. His impact has proven fairly minimal, and is often limited to the defensive zone, but the Blues have clearly taken to the physical presence he brings to the lineup. Tucker is still only 24 years old. With a lineup spot carved out, this two-year deal will represent a chance for him to truly hone his style and push for routine minutes before he hits his prime years.

Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, Shane Pinto Nearing Return

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Friday’s practice brought plenty of positive injury updates to the Ottawa Senators, captured by the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Captain Brady Tkachuk has confirmed he’ll return on Saturday after missing Ottawa’s last two games with a lower-body injury sustained at the 4-Nations Face-Off. Centers Joshua Norris and Shane Pinto were also full participants at Friday’s practice and seem close to a return of their own, though they haven’t been confirmed just yet. Both centermen are recovering from upper-body injuries. Pinto has been out for Ottawa’s last four games, while Norris has missed the last six.

The Senators are in desperate need for this wave of replacement. They’ve dropped their last five games, dating back to before the 4-Nations break, while getting outscored eight-to-23. That imbalance is largely thanks to the absence of Tkachuk and Norris, the team’s top two goal scorers. Tkachuk has 21 goals and 44 points through 56 games, while Norris has 19 goals and 31 points in 50 games. They’re closely followed by Shane Pinto, who has managed 11 goals and 22 points in 46 games and grown to a second-line role. Tkachuk leads the Senators in shots-per-game, while Pinto and Norris rank third and sixth among the team’s forwards. Their return should instantly spur a Senators team that’s managed just 26.8 shots-per-game over their losing streak.

The wave of returnees will force the Senators to shake up their lineup once again. Forwards Angus Crookshank and Jan Jenik are likely the first on the chopping block, after making their first and second NHL appearances of the season in Ottawa’s last game. Neither has managed any scoring.

Ottawa will also need to shelve a defender after icing seven in their last effort – but deciding who could be a challenge. Top-four defender Nick Jensen left Ottawa’s Friday practice early nursing a limp, per Garrioch. No update on Jensen’s pain was provided, but Garrioch adds the defender was already playing through an injury. Tyler Kleven was also absent from practice with what head coach Travis Green referred to as a “strain”. Green did not rule out Kleven for Saturday’s matchup. Both defenders have found a routine groove on Ottawa’s right-side. Jensen has 18 points in 53 games this season. He also ranks second on the team with a plus-11. Kleven hasn’t been as lucky, with just four points and a minus-five in 58 games.

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