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Rask, Bunnaman Clear Waivers

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Saturday: While Smith was claimed by Tampa Bay, Johnston reports that Rask and Bunnaman both cleared waivers.

Friday: The waiver wire is busy today as three teams have exposed players to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Gemel Smith of the Detroit Red Wings, Victor Rask of the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Bunnaman of the Philadelphia Flyers have all been placed on waivers.

Smith is on waivers for the second time this season after being claimed by the Red Wings from the Tampa Bay Lightning last month. He ended up playing three games for the club and registered one assist, while playing three more for the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning loan. While he’s now available to the rest of the league once again, the 27-year-old did finally get a chance to play with his brother Giavani Smith for the first time in their hockey careers. Signed for two years and carrying a $750K cap hit, it seems unlikely that anyone other than the Lightning would put in a claim. If they do and are the only team to do so, he could be assigned to the minor leagues.

Bunnaman also was on waivers earlier, clearing just before the season started. He’s been up and down (and up and down) since, but now with 15 games under his belt this season needed waivers again in order to be assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 23-year-old forward doesn’t have a single point in those 15 contests and now sits at just three points in 54 career games (plus four scoreless postseason appearances). Also signed through 2022-23 with a $750K cap hit, he too seems like an unlikely candidate for claim.

Then there is Rask, who will certainly generate most of the headlines among this trio. The 28-year-old center is in the final season of a six-year, $24MM contract he signed in 2016 with the Carolina Hurricanes and already cleared waivers in January. There isn’t any team in the league who will touch that contract, given how poorly Rask’s time in Minnesota has gone. Acquired in 2019 in a one-for-one deal that saw Nino Niederreiter go the other way, Rask has recorded 22 goals and 52 points in 149 games with the Wild. His ice time has continued to drop, to the point where even when he does get into the lineup it’s for just a handful of shifts. In each of his last five appearances, he’s logged fewer than 10 minutes.

Notably, even when the Wild assign him to the minor leagues they will receive just $1.125MM of cap relief. What they do gain is a roster spot, one that perhaps could go to a prospect like Marco Rossi, who continues to light up the AHL. Rossi has points in all but eight of his 35 games with the Iowa Wild this season, including six in his past four outings.

Flyers Assign Connor Bunnaman To Lehigh Valley

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  • After clearing waivers, the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor Bunnaman has been assigned to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.  The 23-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in 15 NHL appearances this season while chipping in with 17 hits.
  • After Victor Rask cleared waivers, the Wild wasted little time sending him down along with defenseman Dakota Mermis to Iowa, per a team release.  Blueliner Calen Addison was recalled in a corresponding move.  Rask has 13 points in 29 games with Minnesota this season but his $4MM cap hit made it a guarantee he wouldn’t be claimed.  Addison has 17 points in 23 games with Iowa while collecting three in nine NHL contests while Mermis has played just twice with Minnesota this season and has suited up in 30 minor league contests.

Rasmus Ristolainen Targets Monday For Return

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  • Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is targeting Monday as his return from his upper-body injury, notes Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has had a tough first season with Philadelphia with just 11 points in 42 games while logging just over 21 minutes a game.  Nevertheless, he remains one of the more notable pending unrestricted free agent blueliners that should be on the move between now and the March 21st trade deadline as the Flyers will likely want to recoup at least some of what they paid to get him at the draft (blueliner Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-rounder) if they can’t extend him before then.

Maple Leafs, Others Showing Interest In Justin Braun

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The market for defensively sound depth defensemen is always a hot one, especially around the Trade Deadline as teams assess their deficiencies as they prepare for playoff runs. While Ben Chiarot discourse has been steamrolling its way through the public lately, he won’t be the only defensive specialist with playoff experience available at the Deadline. He’s not the biggest piece the Philadelphia Flyers may have for sale, but it looks like veteran defenseman Justin Braun could be a rental for a team looking to win this Spring.

On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun suggests that multiple teams are interested in Braun’s services, but specifically lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as one of those teams.

Braun, now 35 years old, has exactly 100 games of playoff experience under his belt, 84 of which came with the San Jose Sharks. Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2019, even as his offense began to decline with age, he’s maintained his status as a stellar defensive specialist in a bottom-four role.

The price to acquire Braun shouldn’t be nearly as astronomical as the rumored first-round pick for Chiarot, as recency bias tends to reign supreme on Deadline day. It could be a very solid value acquisition for any team, though, as a mid-round pick spent on Braun seems like a much smarter move than a high-round pick or prospect spent on Chiarot.

Specifically for Toronto, Braun seems like an extremely logical replacement in the lineup for Justin Holl, who’s also a right-shot defenseman. Holl has struggled mightily this season, getting consistently outshined by Toronto’s young pair of D-men in Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren. Adding Braun to the mix would create incredible depth and injury insurance at defense for Toronto in the playoffs, as defensive depth issues caused by injury have exposed them in recent years.

Trade Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over 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 Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s been an incredibly disappointing season for general manager Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers, who pushed in their chips during the offseason to acquire names like Cam Atkinson, Ryan Ellis, and Rasmus Ristolainen, only to be hit with sweeping injuries, inconsistent play, and fewer wins than anyone in the Metropolitan Division to this point. Fletcher has all but admitted that the playoffs are completely out of the question at this point, meaning the focus now turns to trade talks and more offseason changes. The captain is at the center of it all, though he controls his fate.

Record

15-24-9, 7th in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

No base cap room, $2.89MM in full-season space with LTIR, 0/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: PHI 1st, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2023: PHI 1st, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

Trade Chips

It all starts with Claude Giroux, who has been in the rumor mill for weeks (if not months or years) at this point. The 34-year-old is on the last season of his eight-year, $66.2MM contract and carries a full-season cap hit of $8.275MM. He also holds a full no-movement clause though, meaning if he’s going somewhere other than Philadelphia for the first time in his career, he’s the one that’s going to approve it. A somber Giroux spoke to the media today about his future:

To be honest I haven’t talked to Chuck yet about any of this. I’m sure we will at one point but right now I’m committed to this team.

The organization here has been great to me for the last 14 years. They’ve treated me the right way. I’ve had a chance to play with a lot of great players, had great coaches. I feel it is an honor to have been a Flyer this long. 

Giroux is just 12 games away from reaching 1,000 regular season contests in his career, a number that has been accomplished entirely with Philadelphia. He sits second all-time in games played for the Flyers, only trailing Bobby Clarke, and will reach 900 points with five more. As currently scheduled, Giroux would play his 1,000th game on March 17, just a few days before the trade deadline.

Beyond the captain though, there are some other interesting trade chips. Ristolainen and Keith Yandle both represent defensemen with offensive upside, though the former is injured at the moment and comes with a much higher cap hit. The Flyers have indicated they hoped to re-sign Ristolainen when they acquired him from Buffalo last summer, though obviously if that can’t get done before the deadline he becomes a prime rental candidate.

Other veterans like Derick Brassard, Kevin Connauton, Martin Jones, or Justin Braun could also be on the move, if the team decides to sell everyone on expiring deals. There’s also someone like James van Riemsdyk who has just one year left on his deal and could possibly bring back an asset if the Flyers decided to eat some money. In all, there are plenty of options for contenders to go shopping in Philadelphia, even if Giroux’s price ends up being too high.

Team Needs

1) NHL-ready prospects: Despite it being a brutal season and the Flyers being obvious sellers, this isn’t a roster that will suddenly enter a rebuild unless Fletcher completely strips it back in the summer. Atkinson, Ellis, Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Joel Farabee are all signed to long-term, big-money contracts and are all still good enough (when healthy) to be difference-makers at the NHL level. It feels as though the team will try to reload in the offseason more than rebuild, meaning adding talent that is close to breaking through should be the first option. The fact that they have several young prospects on the brink (pun intended) of already making an impact means any addition in that age group could lead to a wave of success in the years to come.

2) Draft picks: And yet, draft picks could still be of a lot of use to the Flyers for a few reasons. Their prospect system doesn’t need to be flooded with 18-year-olds but Fletcher and company could use some picks in the offseason to either a) get rid of a bigger contract or b) bring in NHL talent. When team chairman Dave Scott said he was handing the front office a “blank check” to fix things in the offseason, it suggested that they’re not looking at a long rebuild. If you want to add, you need assets to do it. Those can be collected in the coming weeks, only to go back out the door in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Philadelphia Flyers Place Rasmus Ristolainen On IR

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced Tuesday night that they’ve placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Ristolainen had struggled mightily offensively this season up to this point, his first in Philadelphia. He’s played just 11 points in 42 games, averaging 21:05 per game with a -12 rating. His +/- is second-worst among Flyers defensemen, exceeded only by power-play specialist Keith Yandle. His point production trails all of Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, and Yandle among Flyers defensemen.

One can’t just look at the points production for Ristolainen, though. Some better teammates have led to an improvement in his overall play-driving ability from his days in Buffalo, and his low point production is likely somewhat a result of bad luck, as it has been for much of the team. The same improvement can’t be said for his defensive game, however, as he continues to have one of the worst even-strength defensive impacts in the league.

It’s also tough news for the Flyers off the ice. Ristolainen is a pending unrestricted free agent, and potentially a solid piece of trade bait at the upcoming trade deadline. While Ristolainen was listed as day-to-day earlier this week, the injured reserve placement now is somewhat concerning. The team offered no further update on the severity of Ristolainen’s injury.

Latest On Claude Giroux

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With the trade deadline approaching and the Philadelphia Flyers all but eliminated from playoff contention, trade rumours have spiked in recent weeks and days surrounding captain Claude Giroux.

Today, TSN’s latest edition of Insider Trading had plenty to do with the Flyers captain. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic had much to say on the topic, with the most important note being that there haven’t been any serious trade talks yet between the Flyers and other teams.

While the deadline is over a month away, teams are evidently looking to make moves early. Yesterday’s Tyler Toffoli trade began the cycle, and other names on the block (like Ben Chiarot) are rumoured to have already been involved in serious trade discussions.

It also appears as though the Flyers and general manager Chuck Fletcher have given Giroux and his agent some more leeway to seek out trade options themselves. They have clearance from the team to talk to potential fits and report back to the team with a shortlist of options, a solid courtesy. It’s also required, as Giroux has a full no-movement clause in his contract and has to approve any potential trade.

However, it likely won’t be just one team that Giroux approves a trade to. While the frontrunner (in the public sphere, at least) at the moment appears to be the Colorado Avalanche, there are a host of other teams in great contending positions who would likely be interested in a Giroux trade.

 

Flyers Taking Precautions With Derick Brassard

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  • Flyers center Derick Brassard missed today’s game due to soreness, relays Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has dealt with lingering hip issues all season long that has caused him to miss time on three separate occasions.  Head coach Mike Yeo indicated that the decision to give him the game off was so that he wouldn’t have to “go through all that” again so it appears they’re taking some precautions to avoid another extended absence.  When healthy, Brassard has done well this season with 11 points in 20 games.

Colorado Has Shown Interest In Marc-Andre Fleury And Claude Giroux

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With several key veterans heading towards unrestricted free agency and a strong roster that’s already one of the top offensive teams in the league, expectations are high in Colorado with the belief that they will look to make a big splash to cement their contender status.  As part of his trade bait list released earlier today, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported in a separate segment (video link) that they’ve shown interest in a pair of prominent veterans in Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Flyers center Claude Giroux.

Fleury has had a quiet year with Chicago compared to his Vezina-winning campaign last season but has still managed a respectable .910 SV% and a 2.88 GAA in 34 starts.  For context, starter Darcy Kuemper’s numbers are only a little better at a .916 SV% and a 2.54 GAA.  Pavel Francouz has been even better in limited action but missed all of last season and most of this one due to injury so some quality insurance between the pipes would make some sense.

As for Giroux, he has continually made it clear that he has not yet decided whether or not he’ll waive his trade protection to facilitate a trade.  It’s a decision that seems likely to come close to the March 21st trade deadline but it’s easy to see why the Avs would be interested.  He’s on pace for close to 30 goals and 70 points and would make a strong attack much deeper.  He’d also be a big boost for them at the faceoff dot as Colorado’s team success rate is only 47.3% while Giroux is one of the league leaders at 60.6% and with greater emphasis placed on situational draws in the postseason, that’s an element that will be of interest to many contenders, not just the Avs.

However, while Colorado may want these players, finding a way to fit them in on the cap will be tricky.  They project to have less than $1MM in cap space at the deadline, per CapFriendly while Fleury carries a $7MM AAV and Giroux checks in at $8.25MM.  Clearly, the Avalanche would need at least 50% retention on either player if they were to get one of them and would either need to send some sort of salary offset the other way or involve a third team to hold back another 25% of their contract to make the money work.  The fact GM Joe Sakic is showing interest in some of the top talents suggests that this is their year to go all-in and if there’s a way to get another top veteran, they’ll find a way to make the money work.

Sean Couturier Out Rest Of Season Following Back Surgery

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The Philadelphia Flyers will be without alternate captain Sean Couturier for the remainder of the season after he underwent successful back surgery this morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Jon Yoon at Pennsylvania Hospital. General manager Chuck Fletcher explained that the recovery period is approximately three months and the medical staff is confident Couturier will be back to full strength in time for training camp.

Fletcher explained that surgery is also potentially on the table for Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes, giving the latter a “50-50” chance to return this season.

The tenor of Fletcher’s press conference today was clearly one of defeat as he looks forward to next season. The 2021-22 campaign is basically already over for the Flyers despite them having played just 46 games. With a 15-23-8 record, major injuries to several key players, and a Metropolitan Division that contains several difficult opponents, the playoffs are off the table for the eighth-place Flyers.

Once again these announcements will lead to plenty of speculation about the future of Claude Giroux, who remains one of the top trade candidates in the league. The veteran forward is on an expiring contract and is now on a team that not only is losing games but also top players seemingly every few days.

For Couturier, his season is ending after 29 games and just 17 points. That’s the lowest total since his difficult sophomore campaign and will rob him of the chance of hitting 500 career points this year. A Selke winner in 2020, Couturier’s injury and absence have been some of the biggest factors in Philadelphia’s demise this year.

A back surgery, whether the staff expects a full recovery or not, is also a concern given the fact that Couturier signed a new eight-year, $62MM contract extension in the offseason. This was the last year of his discount deal and next year he’ll suddenly carry a cap hit of $7.75MM. Even with Giroux and others like Rasmus Ristolainen coming off the books, the team has more than $68MM committed to just ten players for 2022-23.

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