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Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Jeff Carter

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6:55 am: Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic provides details on the conditional third-rounder.  It can be upgraded to a second-round selection if the Penguins made the Stanley Cup Final and Carter plays in at least half of their games.

12:45 am: The trade has been made official. The Kings will receive a conditional 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 fourth-round pick, while retaining 50% of Carter’s remaining contract. The conditions on the draft picks have not yet been announced.

While two draft picks are nice to get, part of the win here for the Kings is getting out from at least part of Carter’s contract. The team desperately wants to get younger and provide roster spots for some of their up-and-coming talent, so clearing Carter off the books—even if it doesn’t scrub his contract completely and comes with some recapture risk—was something of a necessity. The veteran forward’s career in Los Angeles comes to an end after 580 games and two Stanley Cup championships.

9:35 pm: The Penguins and Kings have held discussions regarding a trade that would send center Jeff Carter to Pittsburgh, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie (Twitter link).  In follow-up tweets, McKenzie reported that Los Angeles players were saying their goodbyes to the veteran with the Kings expected to receive a couple of conditional draft picks from Pittsburgh while retaining some salary.

When the trade call goes through as planned, the Penguins will be receiving a player that new GM Ron Hextall is very familiar with. Not only was Hextall the Philadelphia Flyers’ director of player personnel when Carter was selected in 2003 and made his NHL debut during the 2005-06 season, but Hextall was the assistant general manager of the Kings when they traded for the center in 2012.

The player the Kings acquired back then was a big-bodied center that could routinely put up 25-30 goals while playing strong defense. The one they’re getting today isn’t quite at that level, but certainly adds a lot of experience to the position. Now 36, Carter has over 1,000 regular season games played in the NHL, 120 more in the postseason, two Stanley Cup championships, and an Olympic gold medal. He just so happened to be teammates with Sidney Crosby on that gold medal-winning 2014 Olympic squad, an international duo that goes back to the 2005 World Junior squad that is considered one of the best of all time.

Now, Carter will get to slide in behind Crosby on the depth chart and give the Penguins another talented forward to challenge for the Stanley Cup once again. After winning again tonight, the Penguins are now 27-13-2 on the season and sit just two points behind the tied Washington Capitals and New York Islanders for the division lead. An 8-2 run in their last two has proven that the Penguins deserved a little boost at the trade deadline, and the veteran Carter is just that.

Still, it’s important to remember that Carter has just nine goals and 19 points this season and is still under contract through 2021-22. His current cap hit is $5.27MM, but depending on how much the Kings have retained, that number could come down to something much more palatable. In actual salary, Carter is owed just $2MM this season and next.

That discrepancy between salary and cap hit is exactly why trading Carter has been so tricky in the past. As PuckPedia points out, if the veteran forward decided to retire after this season, both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Kings would be hit with a recapture penalty. If Los Angeles retained 50% in this trade and Carter decides to hang up his skates after this season, the Kings would face a $3.1MM recapture penalty in 2021-22 (the Blue Jackets would have a $551K penalty regardless of the retention in this deal).

Interestingly, that route would actually give the Penguins a cap bonus for next season ($381K if 50% retained), meaning they have no risk in that regard. The idea behind recapture is that in the early years of the 11- year contract (which is no longer allowed under the new CBA), Carter was earning much more salary than his cap hit represented. In the case of early retirement, the recapture process is meant to even out that early reward by penalizing the team(s) that received it.

More to follow.

Penguins Activate Teddy Blueger, Transfer Brandon Tanev To LTIR

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  • The Penguins welcomed back Teddy Blueger to the lineup against New Jersey as the team announced that he was activated off injured reserve. The 26-year-old has been quietly effective this season with 15 points in 28 games.  Meanwhile, the Pens also transferred winger Brandon Tanev to LTIR retroactive to April 3rd.  For the time being, that gives them another $3.5MM in cap room to work with and if they believe that he’ll miss the rest of the season, that could give them some more flexibility to try to make a splash at the deadline.

Pittsburgh Penguins Discussing Nicolas Deslauriers With Anaheim

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3:48 p.m.: Friedman has backed off his original tweet, now reporting that the two sides are still in discussion about Deslauriers. Nothing is done.

3:24 p.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins have been rumored to be interested in adding some size to their lineup and it looks like they’ve done just that as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Penguins have acquired winger Nicolas Deslauriers from the Anaheim Ducks. Terms or the trade have not been revealed.

It should be noted that the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins removed prospect defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph today from their AHL lineup. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is part of the trade, it certainly is a possibility.

The 30-year-old Deslauriers would give the team the needed physicality it is looking for. Well known for his fights against top enforcers, the bruising forward should give the Penguins much-needed grit on the ice. Deslauriers can even put the puck in the net at times as well, posting four goals and eight points in 35 games. He has also racked up 38 penalty minutes, 102 hits and four fights this year.

It’s likely Deslauriers will be useful against players such as Washington’s Tom Wilson, who he has a history with as well as other impact players with the New York Islanders.

Penguins’ Colton Sceviour And Juuso Riikola Clear Waivers

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Sunday: Both Sceviour and Riikola have cleared, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Saturday: The Penguins are trying to give themselves a bit of roster flexibility heading into Monday’s trade deadline as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that forward Colton Sceviour and defenseman Juuso Riikola have been placed on waivers.

Sceviour was acquired from Florida back in September as part of the Mike Matheson-Patric Hornqvist deal but while he had been a capable secondary scorer during his time with the Panthers and Stars, that hasn’t materialized with the Pens.  Instead, the 31-year-old has just three goals and three assists in 31 games this season while averaging a career-low 9:30 per night of playing time.  This led to him clearing waivers back in early March and he has played in 14 games since then, requiring him to pass through waivers before he can be loaned back to the taxi squad.  Sceviour is in the final year of his contract which carries a $1.2MM AAV, meaning all but $125K can be buried on the taxi squad.  He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

As for Riikola, the defenseman has had a limited role with Pittsburgh since signing with them back in 2018.  While he played in at least 36 NHL games in each of his first two seasons in North America, he has been limited to just two this season.  Part of that is due to an upper-body injury that cost him 22 games but as a result of the moves the Penguins made to add defensive depth when they were hit hard with injuries, he has yet to play since being cleared to return.  The 27-year-old has another year left on his deal after this one with a $1.15MM AAV and if a team is willing to absorb a low seven-figure cost next season to add some free defensive depth, there’s a chance he could be claimed.  If not, all but $75K of his cap hit can be wiped out by a taxi squad assignment.

Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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We are now just over a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline and talks are heating up. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It has been an eventful year for the Penguins, to put it lightly.  They’ve been hit hard by injuries, have had inconsistent goaltending at times, and had to deal with a sudden GM resignation as well when Jim Rutherford abruptly left.  In spite of all of that, they are comfortably in a top-three spot in the East Division and are within striking distance of the number one seed.  GM Ron Hextall will undoubtedly be looking to buy but he doesn’t appear to have the trade chips to be overly active.

Record

24-12-2, 3rd in East Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$833K in full-season space ($1.12MM at the trade deadline), 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Pittsburgh also currently has some LTIR spending room with Evgeni Malkin on there at the moment.  However, he is expected to return before the end of the season so that space can’t be used to trade for an impact replacement and thus is not factored into the above numbers.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: PIT 2nd, PIT 5th, ANA 7th, PIT 7th, WSH 7th
2022: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th

Trade Chips

When you don’t have a surplus of picks or prospects to deal from nor the cap space to take on a pricey contract, it’s tricky to find possible fits to intrigue other teams.  One possible option is defenseman Juuso Riikola.  He has been limited to just two games this season but has been a sixth or seventh option for a couple of years now.  Their long list of injuries on defense (which included him for roughly six weeks) forced them to bring some other players in and as a result, the 27-year-old hasn’t played since being activated off LTIR nearly a month ago.  With another year left on his deal at $1.15MM, Riikola’s salary is one that could be thrown into a move to try to match money for cap purposes.

Prospect winger Radim Zohorna has impressed in the minors and even chipped in with a goal in two games with Pittsburgh.  At 6’6, his size will be intriguing to quite a few teams and if the Pens don’t want to part with a draft pick and instead want to move a prospect under contract instead, the 24-year-old pending restricted free agent will be asked about fairly quickly.

If Hextall wants to shake things up more drastically, Jason Zucker stands out as a longshot candidate to move.  They paid a fairly high price to get him and with how he has performed, they’d be hard-pressed to recoup that now.  However, with a $5.5MM price tag for two more years after this, moving him would allow them to potentially free up some wiggle room to make an impact addition now and depending on the term of the contract, possibly give them some extra space over the next two years when they’ll still be tight to the cap.  Zucker may make more sense as an offseason trade candidate if they could find the right fit (there is a 10-team no-trade clause to contend with) but without many viable options to move now, he’s worth a mention here.

Others to Watch For: F Sam Miletic ($700K, RFA), F Valtteri Puustinen (prospect whose rights expire June 1st), Colton Sceviour ($1.2MM, UFA)

Team Needs

1) Center Depth – The long-term injuries to Malkin and Jared McCann (even Teddy Blueger has missed time) has emphasized how thin they are up the middle.  Sam Lafferty and now Frederick Gaudreau have held their own but someone that’s an upgrade on those two that can serve a purpose on the fourth line but move up to anchor the third line if injuries strike would be nice.  They were able to add some defensive depth when the injuries hit but that didn’t happen with their middlemen.

2) Goaltending Insurance – Casey DeSmith is having a fine season but only has 65 career games under his belt.  Tristan Jarry has been up and down but has been okay overall.  He too hasn’t played in 100 career NHL contests, sitting at 87.  Their taxi squad option is Maxime Lagace who has a GAA near 4.00 in his limited NHL action.  A more proven third option in case the injury bug bites yet again or one of the two netminders struggle would be a low-cost acquisition that could wind up being useful later on.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brandon Tanev And Teddy Blueger Return To Practice

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  • Penguins forwards Brandon Tanev and Teddy Blueger returned to practice today, reports Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tanev has missed nearly two weeks due to an upper-body injury while Blueger has missed just over two weeks with an upper-body issue of his own.  It’s not all good news on the injury front for Pittsburgh, however, as goalie Tristan Jarry didn’t skate with the team.  He left Monday’s game after the first period with an upper-body injury and is currently listed as day-to-day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/30/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • Late Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights made a number of roster moves, according to CapFriendly, which includes recalling forward Cody Glass and defenseman Dylan Coughlan, while also calling up goaltender Oskar Dansk on an emergency loan. Dansk was just filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury who got the day off. The team also called up forward Dylan Sikura, defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and goaltender Logan Thompson to the taxi squad.
  • Vegas also announced it has assigned center Cody Glass to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL, which is somewhat surprising after the forward put up an impressive performance Monday against Los Angeles. Of course, that doesn’t mean he will play a game for Henderson, but something to keep an eye on as Vegas works the salary cap before the trade deadline.

North Division

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have reassigned three players to the taxi squad, including forwards Adam Brooks and Scott Sabourin as well as defenseman Timothy Liljegren. All three played in the Toronto Marlies victory over Stockton Monday with Brooks and Liljegren each picking up goals, while Sabourin picked up a five-minute major. The team also assigned forward Nicholas Robertson and defenseman Calle Rosen to the Marlies.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have recalled three players from the taxi squad to the NHL club, including forwards Zac Dalpe and Liam Foudy as well as recalling goaltender Cam Johnson on emergency conditions. That likely means that goaltender Joonas Korpisalo may not be ready to step into backup duties. After clearing waivers, the team has also assigned defenseman Scott Harrington to the taxi squad.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled forwards Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov and Frans Nielson from the taxi squad, their standard roster moves before a game.
  • With a need of defensive help, the Florida Panthers announced the recall of veteran Anton Stralman to the NHL squad. The 34-year-old has three goals and nine points in 29 games this season.
  • Another day, another shuffle of forwards in Dallas. The team announced that Ty Dellandrea, Justin Dowling, and Tanner Kero have all been activated from the taxi squad, while Joel L’Esperance has been reassigned to the taxi squad. All four have been transaction fixtures this season.

East Division

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have recalled goaltender Maxime Lagace to the taxi squad from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. After an undisclosed injury to Tristan Jarry, the team may need Lagace closer to home. To make room on the taxi squad, the team has send forward Jonathan Gruden to the WBS Penguins.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Injury Notes: Zucker, Malkin, Hischier, Andersen

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially activated Jason Zucker from injured reserve and have listed him as a game-time decision for their contest tonight against the New York Islanders. Zucker is returning much quicker than many had anticipated when he went down with a lower-body injury in late-February but will be a welcome addition to the Penguins lineup.

Now 29, Zucker has just seven points in 17 games for Pittsburgh this season but is coming back at the perfect time. The team has moved Evgeni Malkin to long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 16 meaning he will miss at least six more games. Drew O’Connor and Jonathan Gruden have also been moved to the taxi squad.

  • Another East Division team got some good injury news, as Nico Hischier has resumed workouts and cardio activity after his recent sinus fracture. There is still no timetable for Hischier’s return, but Devils head coach Lindy Ruff expressed some optimism for the young forward, saying he is “progressing” in his recovery. Hischier underwent surgery to repair the fracture on March 15 and was given a three-week timeline, meaning he is still expected back early next month.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will have Michael Hutchinson in net tonight as they try to limit the workload for Jack Campbell, who has taken over starting duties in Frederik Andersen’s absence. Toronto has been very tight-lipped when it comes to Andersen’s injury, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that the team does not currently believe that it is season-ending. Of course, if it were to keep Andersen out the rest of the regular season, the Maple Leafs would have some added cap flexibility through long-term injured reserve. Friedman suspects the front office has “a move or two in his back pocket” for when the cap numbers work. Andersen hasn’t played since March 19.

Penguins Notes: Trade Wishes, Zucker, Injuries, Crosby

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are faring quite well so far in a competitive East Division with Pittsburgh currently two points back of first place. The Penguins are enjoying a solid season and new President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall are expected to bolster their roster as the trade deadline nears.

Interesting enough, NBC Sports Adam Gretz reports that the two new executives are both well known for their appreciation of size on their teams and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Penguins were seeking help in that direction as the trade deadline approaches. While the team doesn’t have the firepower to trade for any big names on the market, the scribe believes that a realistic target may be Detroit’s Anthony Mantha.

The 26-year-old Mantha could be a good find as the winger has struggled in the last couple of seasons with injuries being the main culprit. This year, Mantha has just nine goals and 16 points in 34 games and might prove to be a good trade chip if general manager Steve Yzerman chooses. However, for the Penguins to add Mantha, they would have to unload a significant amount with few assets but a handful of prospects and almost no picks as the Penguins have already traded away their  first, third, fourth and sixth-round picks for 2021.

  • Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan reports that winger Jason Zucker practiced fully Sunday and is close to returning to the Pittsburgh lineup at some point this week, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. Zucker skated in a non-contact sweater Saturday, so Sunday was a step up. The 29-year-old has four goals and seven points in 17 games, but will have to be activated from long-term injured reserve before he can play.
  • Crosby also notes that forwards Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev were on the ice Sunday with skills and development coach Ty Hennes. Tanev reportedly cleared the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Sunday, but didn’t practice with the team as he is still rehabbing from an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day, but is also close. Blueger was placed on injured reserve on March 18 with an upper-body injury and was listed as week-to-week.
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) suggests Sidney Crosby, while a longshot, as a potential candidate for the Hart Trophy. The scribe writes that despite a number of significant candidates for the award like Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews, Crosby could be an outside candidate. The 33-year-old center has 14 goals and 39 points in 34 games and has been a key leader for an impressive Penguins team that has been without Evgeni Malkin for much of the season.

Snapshots: Johnson, Holloway, Becker

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Any team looking to add some ability and NHL experience to their minor league depth ahead of the trade deadline now has a new option on the market that won’t cost any trade capital. Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson has unexpectedly left the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks and returned to North America, the team announced. The remainder of Johnson’s contract was terminated, allowing him to sign in the NHL immediately, but judging by the club’s press release the decision hardly seemed “mutual”. Johnson signed with Malmo in December and with 12 points in 21 games, he has been one of their most productive per-game scorers alongside the SHL’s own version of the Sedin twins, brothers Pathrik and Ponthus Westerholm. Now, with the Redhawks battling for a playoff spot in the stretch run, they have lost one of their best forwards. GM Patrik Sylvegard stated that Johnson no longer wanted to be in Malmo and he felt the team deserved to only have those committed to the playoff hunt on the roster, leading to the split despite the negative impact it may have on their on-ice results. This kind of sudden departure could imply that Johnson has interest waiting for him back in North America, but that remains to be seen. As for his viability as an actual asset to an NHL contender this season, Johnson is a big played in 13 games with the Penguins over the past two seasons, recording four points despite very limited minutes, and has been a force in the AHL with 108 points in 185 games in three seasons. Johnson initially signed with Pittsburgh after just two years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a highly sought-after college free agent and could still have supporters in front offices across the league. His hometown Minnesota Wild could be a candidate to keep an eye on; the team has a recent history of using local products in depth roles.

  • While the impact of Wisconsin’s early exit from the NCAA Tournament has already been felt at the NHL level with the Montreal Canadiens’ speedy signing of top prospect Cole Caufield, it means that the Edmonton Oilers have their own top prospect to make a decision on. However, it may not be so straightforward for 2020 first-rounder Dylan Holloway and his pro club. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Holloway suffered a broken thumb back in the semifinals of the Big Ten conference tournament and played through the injury for two more games before the Badgers were upset by Bemidji State. Now, the team and the prospect are awaiting the results of  X-rays scheduled for Monday before making their next move. If Holloway is unlikely to be able to play again this season, then he will not be signed to an entry-level contract, at least not one that begins with the 2020-21 season. Holloway could still turn pro and begin his career next year, but if he does not sign now and burn his first season then he could be tempted to return for his junior year at Wisconsin. Holloway missed some time out of his NCAA season this year due to his participation with Team Canada at the World Juniors and the preceding training camp, but still managed to produce one of the better stat lines in college hockey with 35 points in 24 games. Edmonton would surely like to have the dynamic winger in their lineup as soon as possible, but Holloway may opt to return to Wisconsin for one last run with a roster that will return much of its talent from this year and will add some elite recruits as well. Of course, if it is determined that Holloway can continue to play this season then he is far more likely to follow Caufield to the NHL as soon as possible.
  • Boston Bruins prospect Jack Becker might be heading toward the record amount of time between being drafted and making his pro debut. The 2015 seventh-round pick is leaning towards returning for a fifth NCAA season as a graduate student, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. Becker, who is already 23, has played four full seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, but has been granted a fifth season of eligibility due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 policy. It’s worth wondering what Becker has left to gain from the college game. After being drafted in 2015, the two-way forward spent two more seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede before joining Michigan. He was nothing if not consistent as a bottom-six forward who contributed decent offense and strong defensive play over four seasons, eventually taking over the captainship of the program this past year and leading a decorated Wolverines team. Becker may not have tremendous NHL upside, but has developed a mature, two-way game and leadership abilities and could be a nice minor league asset with the possibility of a fourth-line role in the NHL. Becker is unlikely to magically develop the scoring ability to be a top offensive weapon for Michigan or even if he were to transfer to a program with less NHL talent, so a fifth season seemingly serves no purpose. If Becker returns for another college season, he will be 25 before his potential first full pro season in 2022-23. At that point will Boston – or anyone – really care to commit to an entry-level contract? Should Becker reverse course, the Bruins can offer him the chance to join one of the AHL’s best rosters in Providence, a team that has turned more than its fair share of unheralded prospects into capable NHL depth players over the years.

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