Trade Rumors: Hurricanes, Oilers, Nylander
The Carolina Hurricanes struck arguably the biggest trade of the regular season so far when they acquired Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Victor Rask earlier today. However, GM Don Waddell is likely far from done. Not long after the deal was announced this afternoon, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun stated that the Hurricanes are still looking to add to their roster. LeBrun speculates that the team will add another top-six forward and will try to tap into their surplus of defensemen and defensive prospects to do so. The Hurricanes have the NHL’s longest playoff drought at nine seasons and would very much like to get back to the postseason this year and are well within striking distance of that goal past the midpoint of the season. While the team has succeeded in many areas this season, they continue to have struggles with scoring and, as LeBrun points out, could desperately use another talented forward. Yet, at the same time, the Hurricanes are also reportedly open to moving one of their most successful scoring forwards this season, Micheal Ferland. Ferland is on pace for a career season in his first year in Carolina, but the two sides had been unable to come to terms on an extension. Following the addition of a very similar player in Niederreiter, Ferland’s time in Carolina could soon be coming to an end. Between listening to offers on one highly-sought after rental forward and actively in pursuit of another top name on the market, the Hurricanes promise to remain in the rumor mill through the trade deadline next month and should have some more fireworks in store.
- Another team desperate to make the playoffs this season are the Edmonton Oilers. While the Oilers are reportedly willing to move a number of assets for long-term forward help, the hype surrounding a possible Jesse Puljujarvi trade appears to be cooling off and GM Peter Chiarelli may opt for adding an affordable rental rather than making another high-risk trade. In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman names the Oilers as a suitor for the New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello. The veteran winger has been hot lately and could certainly help with Edmonton’s scoring woes down the stretch. As Friedman points out, and the Oilers surely know as well, Zuccarello also should not be too expensive to acquire. The Rangers received a second-round pick and middling prospect from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline last season for Michael Grabner, who was in the midst of a season not dissimilar from Zuccarello’s this year and was also an impending free agent. Chiarelli and company would likely be happy to give up a package such as that to add much-needed help up front.
- William Nylander is finally under contract and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it’s been a slow start for the young forward in his return to action and an equally disappointing result for his team since his return. Making too much of that could be a mistake, but facing an impending salary cap crunch and mounting Stanley Cup expectations, GM Kyle Dubas and the Leafs brass have little room for error. Count former Toronto GM Brian Burke among those who would jettison Nylander as soon as possible if they were in Dubas’ shoes. Burke said on Sportsnet today that the front-loaded nature of Nylander’s contract should allow the team to move him and he expects that trade to occur this off-season. Burke acknowledges that Nylander is a talented player, but doesn’t agree with his nearly $7MM yearly cap hit and feels he is too similar to other players on the Leafs’ roster and considers him to be a costly “surplus player”. Whether Dubas and company agree with that assessment remains to be seen, but a Nylander trade this summer is certainly not out of the question.
Anaheim Ducks Trade Luke Schenn, Joseph Blandisi In Separate Moves
The Anaheim Ducks have continued to make minor moves to adjust the fringes of their roster, and were involved in two more trades in the early morning hours. First the team sent Luke Schenn and a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Del Zotto, before then acquiring Derek Grant from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Joseph Blandisi. The Ducks have been involved in four of the last five trades in the NHL as they try to find some sort of fix to their disastrous season.
Anaheim is mired in an incredible 12-game losing streak at the moment and has thrown away any of the success that they found in the first part of the season. While John Gibson was at one point enough to carry them through to wins, the team is now falling faster in the standings than any other NHL team and will soon find themselves closer to a draft lottery spot than the playoffs if they can’t turn things around. The team has now recently sent out Schenn, Blandisi, Pontus Aberg and Andrew Cogliano while bringing up young talent like Troy Terry and Max Jones.
None of those moves though really strike at the core of the Ducks, something that might end up coming closer to the trade deadline or in the summer. Both Del Zotto and Grant are short-term fixes given their status as pending unrestricted free agents, something that can’t really be said about many other players on their roster. Jakob Silfverberg and Ryan Miller are the only two impact UFAs that the Ducks really have to send packing at the deadline, and both are currently on injured reserve. If the team is looking to sell at the deadline they’ll have to find teams willing to take on some term.
For the Canucks, there was little chance that Del Zotto would be coming back. The high-risk defenseman had seen his role on the team diminished greatly and with the likes of Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi expected to challenge for full-time roles on the team next year there wasn’t any room left. Now 28, Del Zotto has had a roller coaster of a career, at times looking like a front line puck mover and at others struggling to stay in an NHL lineup. If he isn’t re-signed by the Ducks—or whoever they flip him to if that decision is made—there will likely be several teams interested in giving him another chance in the offseason.
As for the Penguins, acquiring Blandisi gives them another option down the middle if they decide to move on from Derick Brassard. While the acquisition doesn’t necessarily mean that a Brassard deal is imminent, several reports have come out recently that he will be sent somewhere else before the deadline. Blandisi has played only 74 games at the NHL level, but is a good offensive player and could perhaps fill a role in the Pittsburgh bottom-six.
Pittsburgh Penguins “Ready To Start Dealing”
Derick Brassard will be traded. That’s the news coming out of nearly every outlet in Pittsburgh as the Penguins prepare to shake up their roster for another Stanley Cup run. The latest to report on the Penguins is Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column, which includes a note saying that GM Jim Rutherford is “ready to start dealing.”
That notion comes just a day after the Penguins lost badly at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, their second consecutive defeat and one that has dropped them to fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. That’s a dangerous place to be in at the moment every team out of the playoff picture is gunning for the Penguins’ spot, including the Buffalo Sabres who are just four points back. Rutherford is never one to just wait around and hope things get better, and with the imperfect fit that is Brassard there’s work to be done.
Friedman notes that the Penguins have expressed interest in Carolina Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland, but also writes that the list of teams after the pending free agents is long and also includes the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Ferland would be a nice fit to provide some physicality and secondary scoring for the Penguins, but he doesn’t fill that third-line center role that Brassard has failed to run with.
If that’s the position most sought after, there are certainly several avenues to go down. Matt Duchene‘s representation is meeting with Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion today in California according to Darren Dreger of TSN, meaning there should be at least some feeling of where his contract negotiations are headed. If the Senators can’t get Duchene under an extension in the next few weeks, you have to expect them to see what they could get for him on the trade market. Kevin Hayes stands out as another center that could fit in behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though there will be plenty of competition for his services too.
Like other teams that are squarely in their competitive window, the Penguins aren’t worried about building for the future and will try to give themselves the best shot at a Stanley Cup this season. Brassard was that move a year ago as the team had to part with multiple pieces to multiple teams in order to get a cheaper version of the veteran center onto their team. That leaves Brassard as a fairly appetizing trade chip this time around, given that he carries just a $3MM cap hit this season. Moving that cap hit will be important to any moves that the Penguins do make, given their relative proximity to the salary cap ceiling.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Schedule For Upcoming NHL “Bye Weeks”
For the third year in a row, the NHL has scheduled a mandated multi-day break for each team in the middle part of the season. Meant to give each team a rest, much like the bye week in the National Football League, this break also includes limits on practice, including several days in which all team activities are prohibited. A seven-day break this season, on paper an increase from the original five-day break, the “bye week” is actually less intrusive this season than it has been in the past despite the longer length. All 31 teams will take their break either right before or right after the upcoming All-Star Weekend, with those two days counting toward the seven and simply extending what has always been a short break for non-participants. Below are the lists of teams who will take leave on one side of All-Star festivities or the other:
Before All-Star Weekend (January 20 – 24)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets
After All-Star Weekend (January 27 – 31)
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
How each team feels about taking an extended break in the middle of the season generally varies based on situational factors. While many players would enjoy getting to spend some time away with their families, others would rather keep the pedal to the metal mid-season. More specifically, a team that is playing well and stringing together wins would rather keep playing and not lose out on that momentum. Another team may be in a slump or struggling with injuries and desperately in need of a break. Either way, not every team will be in favor of the bye week each season.
There also remains some scheduling flaws with the mandated break, as most teams will only get the actual seven days or an eighth day off for travel, but others are set to go ten or eleven days without a contest. The “bye week” seems to be a move by the NHL that has enough support to continue in future seasons, but the league could work on sharpening the schedule so as to give teams as close to an even break as their competition as possible.
Pittsburgh Penguins Likely To Be Sellers On Defense
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been impressive over the past few weeks with a record of 12-2 and the team may get even better as The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) writes that defenseman Justin Schultz, who has missed all but four games this season with a broken leg, has been skating regularly with the team. While it’s too early for a specific timetable, the defenseman could conceivably be back in early to mid-February. However, Schultz’s return will only create more of a defensive logjam for Pittsburgh, which may be forced to make a move soon.
Yohe writes that once Schultz returns to the lineup, the team is likely to match Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang together, Schultz with Olli Maatta and Jack Johnson with Marcus Pettersson, leaving several players out of the lineup, including 6-foot-6, 256-pound Jamie Oleksiak, promising Juuso Riikola and depth defenseman Chad Ruhwedel — far too may players to keep on their roster which, barring injury, will likely prompt a trade.
Surprisingly, the team is solid in that top six as the scribe adds that the team is devoted to playing Pettersson, who has been incredibly reliable since they acquired the blueliner from Anaheim back on Dec. 3 for Daniel Sprong. In fact, the team has been 14-3-1 when he’s playing, and while Pettersson can’t take all the credit for that, he is a significant defensive presence for the team with many believing that he will make up the left side of the defense with Dumoulin and Maatta for the next few years. Pettersson is only averaging 14:54 of ATOI this season, yet he’s seen a recent spike since arriving in Pittsburgh, averaging 16:09 and continuing to increase. He played 18:05 on Friday against his old team, the Ducks. His offense is also starting to come around as he has a five-game point streak going as he has six assists in the last five games.
That might suggest the team’s best trade asset would likely be the 26-year-old Oleksiak, despite being the second biggest player in the league, next to Winnipeg’s Dustin Byfuglien. Oleksiak has developed into a solid player in Pittsburgh after several years of struggling to break into the Dallas Stars’ lineup. He just recently returned from injury after suffering a concussion in a fight with Washington’s Tom Wilson and may be best known for a collision with Byfuglien earlier this season. Byfuglien came away with the worst of the collision as he suffered a concussion himself. Regardless, a player with Oleksiak’s size could stir quite a bit of interest if Pittsburgh is ready to move on from him. Although he is returning from injury, he has seen a decrease in playing time since his return.
If the team does opt to move Oleksiak, that could leave Riikola as the team’s seventh defenseman and Ruhwedel as the team’s eighth defenseman if the team chooses to hold onto eight defensemen, although that could be at the cost of another forward.
Extensive Power Forward Trade Market Forming
If the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline is deep at any one type of player, it is power forward. As the February 25th deadline grows closer and teams begin to make tough decisions about who goes and who stays, it is becoming clear that many big, physical scoring forwards are about to be up for grabs before they hit free agency. Just this past week, it was reported that the Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds was likely to be moved and inferred that the Carolina Hurricanes and Micheal Ferland were unlikely to come to terms ahead of the deadline. And that’s just the beginning.
Outside of the 6’2″ Simmonds and 220-lb. Ferland, there are plenty of other names out there that fit the power forward mold. Since this summer, the New York Rangers’ Kevin Hayes has been earmarked for a deadline trade. If they cannot agree to an extension, the Ottawa Senators may be forced to move star Mark Stone. Should the New York Islanders or Colorado Avalanche fall out of the playoff race, Brock Nelson and Colin Wilson – neither of whom look like long-term fits on their respective teams – should be on the block. To some surprise, Patrick Maroon‘s time with his hometown St. Louis Blues appears to be already running out. Even role player power forwards like New Jersey’s Brian Boyle and Florida’s Troy Brouwer should draw interest.
Many of these players feature on the trade bait lists from both The Athletic and TSN, as well as some non-UFA power forwards like the Blues’ Brayden Schenn, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the Wild’s Nino Niederreiter, and even young Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers. While it may seem like too many names for too few teams – and it is a buyer’s market this year for sure – The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun mentioned a number of suitors for a power forward who could make a move for one or more of these trade candidates in the coming weeks. At the top, LeBrun sees some of the biggest contenders as likely landing spots, naming the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames as good fits for Simmonds, Ferland, and the like. He also adds the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights into that group. Of course, the Bruins and Jets also have needs down the middle and could be more ideal fits for Hayes or Nelson, while the wingers would appeal more to Tampa Bay and Nashville. While LeBrun casts doubt on the Toronto Maple Leafs being interested, if an arms race begins the team could feel pressured to add to their forward corps as well. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, both in need of secondary scoring, could also jump in on the action, while the Patric Hornqvist injury could prompt the Pittsburgh Penguins to make another move.
With so many power forwards potentially available and prices expected to be low, it could be that the majority of playoff-bound teams decide to add a hired gun up front this season. You can never have too much size and grit in the postseason, not to mention scoring touch, and the 2019 deadline could be defined by many players possessing those exact traits heading to new teams. With plenty of talent available, one of the aforementioned players might just end up being the x-factor for the eventual Stanley Cup champions this year.
Anaheim Ducks’ Randy Carlyle On The Hot Seat
Mired in a nine-game losing streak, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek wrote yesterday that this is a “critical time” for the Anaheim Ducks. While he notes that the Ducks have the unfortunate designation of leading the NHL in man-games lost this season, they were set to finally add top-pair defenseman Cam Fowler and first-line forward Rickard Rakell back into the lineup last night. The team hoped that the duo’s return would finally spark a win for a team that is as close to full health now as they have been all year.
It didn’t work out that way. Despite taking a 3-0 first period lead on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ducks ended up losing 7-4 behind four unanswered Penguins goals in the third period in one of the more disheartening defeats that any team has faced this year.
Despite the optimism that injuries were the cause of their slump and a return to health would right the ship, Anaheim lost again last night for their tenth straight game without a win. The team has plummeted down the standings, now a whopping 12 points back of the final Pacific Division seed, held by the surging Vegas Golden Knights, and a point behind Minnesota for the final wild card spot, with the Wild holding two games in hand. The Ducks are one more loss away from being a .500 team and have slipped to a -27 in goal differential, not quite the numbers of a playoff-bound team. Anaheim is second-to-last in goals for per game, fueled by the fewest shots per game in the league on average, have an anemic 14.3% power play, and – despite the best efforts of starter John Gibson playing behind a porous defense of late – are a middle of the road goals against team.
Nothing seems to be working out for the Ducks and the early indications are that injuries are not entirely to blame. With a roster that has ample talent on paper, the blame then rationally falls onto the head coach, Randy Carlyle. Carlyle, in his third year of his second stint with Anaheim, has been unable to find the cure for what ails them this season. The team has struggled to score goals as well as prevent them, has not had success on special teams, and allows far too many shots, especially in light of how few they take themselves. The Ducks have lost three games in overtime during this stretch, as well as several more one-goal and two-goal games, as Carlyle has been unable to turn any game situation in his favor. Given the talent available for Anaheim – even accounting for the absences of Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves – the fact that Carlyle has not been able to get more out of the likes of Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and more is alarming – and it may just cost him his job.
Duhatschek noted, even before last night’s embarrassing collapse, that change would be coming if the team could not get it together. He specifically refers to trades, as the team trends in the direction of “deadline seller” territory. Certainly, GM Bob Murray will need to consider moving impending free agent Silfverberg, as well as deal from his depth in goaltending and defense in the minors, but a roster move seems less likely to be the next big decision. Carlyle is absolutely on the hot seat and if he can’t find a way to motivate his players, solve his situational struggles, and string together some wins, he will likely be fired long before the Ducks begin making trades. As the team begins a five-game road trip, it begs the question whether Ducks fans will see Carlyle behind the home bench again this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Casey DeSmith To Three-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up one of their goaltenders for the next few years, signing Casey DeSmith to a three-year extension. The contract will carry an average annual value of just $1.25MM, making DeSmith quite the bargain in Pittsburgh. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford explained why he signed DeSmith:
Since joining the Penguins’ organization, Casey has excelled for us at every level, first in Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and now here in Pittsburgh. We’re pleased to have him signed with our organization for the next three-and-a-half seasons.
It’s important to note the mention of the Wheeling Nailers in Rutherford’s comments, because it didn’t always look like DeSmith was destined for the NHL. Undrafted out of the USHL, DeSmith first attended the University of New Hampshire where he dominated over three seasons, posting incredible save percentages and being named to the conference All-Rookie team as a freshman.
Unfortunately as UNH prepared for their 2014-15 season with DeSmith expected to start as a senior, he was arrested in a domestic violence incident and suspended by the team. DeSmith did not play a game during the 2014-15 season and didn’t have an NHL contract waiting for him anymore. Instead, he signed to play in the minor leagues with the Penguins and had to start his professional career in the ECHL with Wheeling. Obviously still a talented goaltender he found success there and eventually when he joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
DeSmith signed his first NHL contract in 2017, and is still on a two-way deal with the club. That contract is scheduled to expire at the end of this season, which would have put him on the free agent market. Obviously DeSmith wanted nothing to do with that, as he has now locked himself into the Penguins organization for the next three years at a price likely lower than he could have received on the open market. Through 26 games this season the 27-year old has a .924 save percentage and may have been seen as a potential starter for a goaltending-needy franchise. Instead, he’ll stay in Pittsburgh where he can be an excellent tandem option for Matt Murray as the team continues to pursue a Stanley Cup.
Patric Hornqvist Suffers Concussion
As if Patric Hornqvist hadn’t already had enough bad injury luck, he is now out with another concussion according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hornqvist was hit by a puck in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, a match that also forced Zach Aston-Reese out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. Mackey reports that Aston-Reese will be out “longer term.”
Hornqvist has already missed time earlier this season with a concussion, but has been extremely effective for the Penguins when in the lineup. The tenacious, physical forward has 15 goals and 26 points in 34 games, which would put him on pace for the best season of his career if he had been able to play in all 82 games. Unfortunately that isn’t going to happen, and it’s not clear how long he’ll now be out. Mackey notes on Twitter that this is Hornqvist’s fifth concussion since December 2014.
The Penguins do have some time off coming up later this month, when they’ll go eight full days between games thanks in part to the All-Star break. That time will hopefully help their forward group get healthy, and ready for a second half run to put them back in Stanley Cup contention. After starting the season slowly, the Penguins are 9-1 in their last ten and have climbed within just two points of the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s not only Hornqvist and Aston-Reese getting them there, but having those two healthy and in the lineup gives them a dimension that few others can.
Jim Rutherford Doesn't Feel The Same Urgency To Add Center Depth
While Derick Brassard’s tenure with the Penguins hasn’t gone as well as they’d hoped, it doesn’t appear as if GM Jim Rutherford is as eager to shake things up down the middle as he was a year ago. Speaking with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rutherford indicated that he’s not as determined as he was to upgrade that spot compared to this time last season:
Brassard is in the final year of his contract and considering that Vegas is paying 40% of his $5MM salary, he’s not looking like a strong candidate to stick around with the Penguins beyond this season. However, when he’s on his game, he’s a capable top-six player and having some of those on the third line (his current linemates are wingers Tanner Pearson and Phil Kessel) can only help their chances in the postseason.