Injury Updates: Klingberg, Henrique, Blackwood, Ekman-Larsson, Armia, Mantha
The Anaheim Ducks have announced that defenseman John Klingberg is out with a lower-body injury. There was no word on whether his status was considered day-to-day or something longer, though the team noted that Nathan Beaulieu would be drawing into the lineup in Klingberg’s place. While this development won’t have any impact on the Ducks’ long-gone playoff hopes, it could have an impact on the trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that this is not an instance of a team holding a player out of the lineup for trade-related reasons, as we have seen teams do with other blueliners such as Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov.
While Klingberg, 30, has had a nightmarish season in Anaheim (22 points in 48 games, down in scoring pace from 47 in 74 last season) he’s still a well-regarded offensive defenseman. Just last summer he earned a $7MM one-year deal, and it’s likely that there would be teams interested in acquiring him at the deadline. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta links Klingberg with the Edmonton Oilers’ search for defensive help at the deadline, and it’s likely that there would be more than just Edmonton looking to add him to their team. Assuming that’s the case, interested teams will likely want to monitor his health status closely due to this news. In addition to Klingberg, the Ducks also announced that Adam Henrique would be leaving the game with an injury, which could be another injury development with trade deadline implications.
- New Jersey Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. Starter Vitek Vanecek will retain the lion’s share of Devils starts in Blackwood’s absence. Blackwood will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer and will hope to get this injury behind him and improve on his current .900 save percentage in order to put himself in the best position possible for summer contract negotiations.
- The Vancouver Canucks have announced that defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been placed on injured reserve. It was previously reported that Ekman-Larsson would miss several weeks with an ankle injury, and now the Canucks have made that reality official on their roster, as they’ve placed Ekman-Larsson on the injured list. With him out, the Canucks are turning to Riley Stillman and Christian Wolanin on the left side of their defense, and will now have an extra spot on the 23-man roster to work with.
- The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Joel Armia has left tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. He left the bench relatively early in the first period, and at the moment it’s unclear the exact nature of what knocked him out of the game. Armia has had a difficult season, with just eleven points in 31 games. He’s had games where he’s looked quite good, but those games have been met with far longer stretches where he’s faded into the background of games. With the Canadiens already ravaged by injuries, they’ll have to hope that this new injury is a relatively minor one.
- The Washington Capitals have announced that forward Anthony Mantha has an upper-body injury, and will not return to tonight’s game. It’s been a rough season for Mantha and a difficult adjustment in Washington overall. Mantha has scored nine goals and 24 points in 53 games this season and is being outscored by two of the team’s bargain-bin veteran signings, Erik Gustafsson and Marcus Johansson. Hopefully, this injury proves to be just a minor setback so Matha can quickly return to the ice and work towards ending his season on the right foot.
Snapshots: Archibald, Reimer, Mantha
Josh Archibald has not played a single game at any level this season but is in Edmonton skating after dealing with myocarditis. Mark Spector of Sportsnet sent out a string of tweets today updating the depth forward’s status, including confirming that Archibald is still unvaccinated.
Because of how difficult that makes it for him to play with the Oilers or go on a conditioning loan to the Bakersfield Condors due to cross-border travel, Spector expects Archibald to be traded to a U.S.-based team at some point and suggests his time as an Oiler is effectively over. The 29-year-old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent in the second season of a two-year contract that carries a $1.5MM cap hit. He scored seven goals and 13 points in 52 games last season.
- James Reimer is considered out week-to-week according to head coach Bob Boughner, who spoke with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Reimer’s injury further explains why the San Jose Sharks traded for–and subsequently recalled from the AHL–Alex Stalock. Adin Hill is still out with an injury, though Boughner explained that the goaltender “felt good” this morning. Losing Reimer is a pretty hefty blow to the Sharks’ fortunes, as the veteran netminder was having a nice bounce-back season and has a .916 save percentage in 34 appearances.
- Peter Laviolette wouldn’t confirm whether the Washington Capitals would have Anthony Mantha back in the lineup tonight, but he has been activated from injured reserve. Should he play, it would be his first game since leaving a match against the Florida Panthers on November 4 and just his 11th of the season. The 6’5″ forward had six points in his first ten games before going down and could be a trade deadline-like addition for the scuffling Capitals.
Snapshots: Capitals, Penguins, King
Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan gave a variety of updates in a midseason presser today, recapped in this article by The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. First and most concerning is the health status of winger Carl Hagelin, who was hit in the eye with a stick during yesterday’s practice. MacLellan called the injury “serious,” and Hagelin has had surgery within the past day. MacLellan says the examination went in a positive direction, but that the next steps for Hagelin are “still to be determined.” However, it’s possible that winger Anthony Mantha could return to the lineup this week in Hagelin’s absence. Mantha had six points in 10 games this season before going down with a shoulder injury.
More notes on this Wednesday evening:
- As the Pittsburgh Penguins embark on a tough schedule ahead with a long string of games against playoff teams, they could be getting two reinforcements back in the lineup. Head coach Mike Sullivan says center Teddy Blueger is now taking full-contact practices but will need a few practices more before he’s ready to return the lineup. Winger Jason Zucker “isn’t as close” as Blueger, but will likely return to practice soon. Blueger has been out since late January with a broken jaw, while Zucker has been out with an upper-body injury since around the same time.
- Newly-named Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson called interim head coach Derek King “definitely a viable candidate” to be the team’s next permanent head coach today. While Blackhawks fans may be frustrated that their management crew won’t see fresh faces, the rebuilding team has kept up a .500 points percentage under King, an impressive feat considering a weak roster and some tough injuries. It would be King’s first NHL head coaching role.
Anthony Mantha Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
When Anthony Mantha left last night’s game with an upper-body injury it wasn’t clear exactly what the issue was. Today, the Washington Capitals have announced that Mantha underwent shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely. The team has moved him to injured reserve and recalled Aliaksei Protas from the AHL.
It’s a huge blow for a team that is already operating without Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, each dealing with their own serious injuries. Mantha played just over seven minutes before departing in his final game, but before that had been averaging close to 15 minutes a night for the Capitals. The big winger has six points in ten games.
While the Capitals have been able to rely on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov to lead the way offensively so far, the club now has four overtime losses through ten games and have a busy period of the schedule coming up. The team plays five games in seven days between November 11-17 with only one of them coming at home. If the two Russian forces slip even a bit, the team will be hard-pressed to find much offense with the rest of the healthy group.
With that in mind, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including JJ Regan of NBC Sports Washington that rookie Hendrix Lapierre will be back in for tomorrow’s game. Lapierre has played in five games so far this season and will burn the first year of his entry-level deal if he plays in five more. Lapierre has just one goal in five games but possesses offensive upside that some of the other depth options do not.
Two Players Fined By Department Of Player Safety
After levying an eight-game suspension to Colorado’s Nazem Kadri on Friday night, the Department of Player Safety was busy on Saturday morning, announcing (Twitter links) a pair of fines as Hurricanes center Jordan Staal and Capitals winger Anthony Mantha are both $5K lighter in the wallet. As always, the money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Staal was fined for a trip on Nashville winger Luke Kunin during the second period where his right leg caught the back of Kunin’s left leg, causing him to fall backwards onto the ice. A minor penalty was assessed on the play. Meanwhile, Mantha was fined for goaltender interference on Boston’s Tuukka Rask. The incident occurred in the third period when he skated unimpeded into the crease, colliding with the netminder. Again, a minor penalty was called.
There was one other incident of note from the Boston-Washington game when a high hit from Dmitry Orlov injured Boston’s Kevan Miller, sending him to the hospital. NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin reports (Twitter link) that Miller spent the night in the hospital but has since been charged while Samantha Post of the Washington Post tweets that there will be no supplementary discipline forthcoming for Orlov.
Poll: Grading The Red Wings-Capitals Trade
While trade deadline day itself was largely quiet with most of the big moves being made the night before, one of the final moves on Monday was a significant one with the Capitals acquiring winger Anthony Mantha from the Red Wings for wingers Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick.
The move came as somewhat of a surprise considering Detroit wasn’t in a position to sell high on Mantha, who had been a healthy scratch recently. Meanwhile, the same could be said for Vrana while Panik had recently cleared waivers. On the surface, none of these players seemed like potential change of scenery candidates and yet combined for the biggest deal of the deadline.
From Washington’s standpoint, while Mantha is the bigger name, the numbers between him and Vrana are relatively similar in recent years. Going back to 2018-19, Mantha has averaged 0.70 points per game and Vrana 0.65 despite Mantha logging nearly four minutes more per game in ice time. Mantha has battled multiple injuries over that span and has played in 38 fewer games. So why do they do the deal? Finances would seem to have a lot to do with it.
Vrana is a restricted free agent this summer and is in line for a raise on his $3.35MM AAV; it’s not entirely implausible to think he could look at Mantha’s $5.7MM price tag through 2023-24 as the ballpark range for a target. At that price, he’d be more difficult for the Capitals to move and they’d have had a hard time fitting him in with Panik’s $2.75MM for two more years on the books as well. Now they have Mantha in that spot for three years at a fixed price tag with an underperforming contract gone as well.
As for Detroit, their motivation is a bit clearer. They get a similarly productive player in Vrana who they hope can be more productive with more ice time. With plenty of cap space, they can easily afford the raise he’ll get this offseason and it’s worth noting that the 25-year-old does have arbitration eligibility. It also allowed them to absorb Panik’s deal without any concerns and the veteran should be able to contribute as well. Getting those two assets plus first- and second-round picks gives them the potential for comparable production now and future pieces of the puzzle down the road.
How do you feel both teams made out in this swap? Vote in the polls below to award your grades.
Grade The Trade For The Red Wings
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A 79% (1,425)
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B 16% (296)
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C 3% (61)
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D 1% (16)
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F 1% (11)
Total votes: 1,809
Grade The Trade For The Capitals
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C 35% (619)
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B 31% (544)
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D 16% (280)
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A 11% (201)
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F 6% (109)
Total votes: 1,753
Trade Deadline Summary: Central Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the Central Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
Status: Buyer
In – F Cedric Paquette, D Jani Hakanpaa, D David Warsofsky, F Yegor Korshkov, 2022 sixth-round pick (ANA), 2022 seventh-round pick (CLB)
Out – F Ryan Dzingel, D Haydn Fleury, F Gregory Hofmann
Chicago Blackhawks
Status: Neutral
In – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, F Adam Gaudette, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Josh Dickinson, F Ryder Rolston, 2021 second-round pick (VGK), 2022 third-round pick (VGK), 2021 fourth-round pick (MTL), 2021 seventh-round pick (FLA)
Out – F Mattias Janmark, F Carl Soderberg, F Matthew Highmore, F Lucas Wallmark, D Madison Bowey, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2021 fifth-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets
Status: Seller
In – D Mikko Lehtonen, F Gregory Hofmann, 2021 first-round pick (TOR), 2021 first-round pick (TBL), 2022 third-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (TOR), conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (TOR)
Out – F Nick Foligno, D David Savard, F Riley Nash, G Veini Vehvilainen, 2022 seventh-round pick
Dallas Stars
Status: Neutral
In – None
Out – None
Detroit Red Wings
Status: Seller
In – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, F Hayden Verbeek, 2021 first-round pick (WAS), 2022 second-round pick (WAS), 2021 fourth-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (COL), 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT via MTL)
Out – F Anthony Mantha, D Patrik Nemeth, D Jon Merrill, D Brian Lashoff
Florida Panthers
Status: Buyer
In – F Sam Bennett, D Brandon Montour, F Lucas Wallmark, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2022 sixth-round pick (CGY)
Out – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Emil Heineman, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 third-round pick, 2021 seventh-round pick
Nashville Predators
Status: Neutral
In – D Erik Gudbranson
Out – D Brandon Fortunato, 2023 seventh-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Status: Buyer
In – D David Savard, D Fredrik Claesson, D Brian Lashoff, F Antoine Morand, conditional 2023 seventh-round pick
Out – F Alexander Volkov, G Magnus Chrona, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick
Trade Deadline Summary: East Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the East Division.
Boston Bruins
Status: Buyer
In – F Taylor Hall, F Curtis Lazar, D Mike Reilly
Out – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick
Buffalo Sabres
Status: Seller
In – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick (BOS), 2021 third-round pick (FLA), 2021 third-round pick (MTL), 2021 fifth-round pick (MTL), 2021 sixth-round pick (COL)
Out – F Taylor Hall, F Eric Staal, D Brandon Montour, F Curtis Lazar, G Jonas Johansson
New Jersey Devils
Status: Seller
In – D Jonas Siegenthaler, F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick (NYI), conditional 2021 fourth-round pick (NYI), conditional 2022 fourth-round pick (EDM)
Out – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2021 third-round pick
New York Islanders
Status: Buyer
In – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Braydon Coburn
Out – F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick, conditional 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick
New York Rangers
Status: Neutral
In – 2021 fourth-round pick (LAK)
Out – F Brendan Lemieux
Philadelphia Flyers
Status: Neutral
In – 2021 fifth-round pick (VGK via WAS), 2022 seventh-round pick (STL via MTL)
Out – F Michael Raffl, D Erik Gustafsson
Pittsburgh Penguins
Status: Buyer
In – F Jeff Carter
Out – conditional 2022 third-round pick, conditional 2023 fourth-round pick
Washington Capitals
Status: Buyer
In – F Anthony Mantha, F Michael Raffl, conditional 2021 third-round pick (ARI/NJ)
Out – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, D Jonas Siegenthaler, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick
Capitals, Red Wings Make Mantha-Vrana Trade
The Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings have made the biggest trade of deadline day. The Capitals have acquired Anthony Mantha in exchange for Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick.
The Red Wings had been rumored for the last few weeks to be listening on players like Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, but no one was expected such a huge package to be coming back. In Vrana, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has landed a player that has produced more offense (on a per-game basis) than Mantha so far in his career, with 76 goals and 157 points in 284 games.
Lately, Vrana found himself in the coach’s doghouse, even being made a healthy scratch at times. His game is inconsistent, but he still has 11 goals and 25 points in the 39 games he has played this season. That’s still more than Mantha’s 21 points in 42 games, though obviously, the Capitals believe the big winger will fit their lineup better.
If you’re thinking “but the Capitals also gave up a lot more,” you’re not wrong. Part of the draft capital the team gave up is because of Panik though, who Washington wanted to get off the books. Panik is signed through the 2022-23 season at a $2.75MM cap hit but had played himself right out of the lineup and cleared waivers recently. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic points out, that likely accounts for one of the picks in the deal.
Of course, Panik isn’t likely to be just a taxi squad player for the Red Wings, who are still deep in a rebuild. It wasn’t so long ago that Panik was a 14-goal scorer for the Arizona Coyotes, and if he can find some production with an increased role in Detroit perhaps they can flip him too down the line. Even if they don’t, Vrana and two high picks is a huge haul.
Mantha, 26, is a tantalizing package of size and skill, but there’s no guarantee he ever puts it all together. The Capitals obviously believe in the 6’5″ forward, and perhaps for good reason. Even in Detroit where he has been surrounded by poor talent, Mantha has still averaged 25 goals over every 82 games and puts up very strong possession numbers relative to his teammates. Perhaps when he gets into a system with All-Stars and Stanley Cup champions those offensive numbers will explode.
It’s important to also remember that the Capitals believe their picks will be near the end of each round, but right now they aren’t running away with the East Division. In fact, Washington is tied with the New York Islanders for first place and just two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While they are pretty much locked into a playoff spot, there’s certainly no guarantee they make a deep run.
Kevin Weekes of NHL Network was first to break the deal.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Penguins Notes: Trade Wishes, Zucker, Injuries, Crosby
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.