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Pacific Division Notes: Brown, Gaborik, Bieksa

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Former Los Angeles Kings team captain Dustin Brown was scratched from this afternoon’s road contest in Boston. According to Jon Rosen of L.A. Kings Insider, Brown is battling an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Brown, who was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Anze Kopitar this last summer, has had a moderate bounce-back campaign after the worst season of his career in 2015-16. Through 30 games Brown has contributed 14 points to the Kings attack and he’s already halfway to his points total from last year when he tallied 28 in 82 games. He is a five-time 20-goal scorer and netted 18 in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

With the expansion lurking around the corner, it’s been wondered whether the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble and take Brown, who is almost assuredly going to be left exposed by the Kings. While he is still capable of playing a physical role on a team’s third-line and obviously would provide the new franchise with veteran leadship, Brown has another five seasons left on his pact with an AAV of $5.875MM. Some have suggested the price tag would simply be too high for Vegas but if the Kings were willing to retain salary then it’s at least feasible the two sides could work out a trade following the expansion draft.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division on this Sunday:

  • Rosen also pointed out that it appeared right wing Marian Gaborik would be a healthy scratch today for the Kings based on what he saw at this morning’s warm-ups. That premise was confirmed by Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Gaborik, who has been prone to injuries throughout his career, has missed all but nine games this season after hurting his foot while representing Team Europe in the recent World Cup of Hockey. He has potted just a single goal to go along with three helpers in those nine appearances and it could be that Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is growing impatient waiting for the Slovakian sniper to find his offensive game. Gaboriak is averaging just 14:28 of ice time per game, a rate that is 3 1/2 minutes below his career average. Like Brown, Gaborik is in the midst of an expensive, long-term contract that has four seasons remaining beyond 2016-17, and comes with a cap charge of $4.875MM.
  • Kevin Bieksa has spent the vast majority of his 11-year career as a reliable, two-way top-four blue liner. Now in his second season with Anaheim, the 35-year-old Bieksa is averaging less than 20 minutes of ice time per game for the first time since his 39-game debut campaign in 2005-06 while with Vancouver. As Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register writes, Bieksa is not only adjusting to a lesser role but he is adapting his playing style to mask the fact he is no longer a player in his prime. Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle has encouraged the veteran blue liner to embrace the adjustments: “I think every player has to become somewhat of a chameleon,” Carlyle said. “You have to change with the game and what’s going on with it. I coached Kevin Bieksa when he was in his first year pro out of college. He was not a player, I can tell you, that many people would have believed was going to be an NHL prospect. He worked and he committed. “His personality is one that he’s a striver. And he’s done that and he’s done very well. He’s had a great career. … There’s never ever been a doubt that this guy’s not going to try. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.” As Stephens noted, Bieksa has played less than 15 minutes in each of the team’s last two contests and is skating on the third-pair. Bieksa understands the situation he is in, and as always is willing to whatever it takes to help his team: “To be a good teammate, sometimes you have to take a role that maybe you don’t like,” he said. “But if that’s what they think is in the best interests of the team, you take it, accept it and you do the best that you can.” With a plethora of NHL-caliber defenders in the organization and little cap space available to upgrade the roster elsewhere at the deadline, there have been some suggestions the team could look to move Bieksa, who has one year left at $4MM, to create added flexibility. He does possess a NMC, which adds a further layer of complexity to making a deal beyond his salary and age, however.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Kings, Meier, Coyotes

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Like many teams in the league, the Los Angeles Kings have battled their fair share of injuries. Star sniper Marian Gaborik has appeared in just nine games this season and has posted just one goal and four points. Anze Kopitar, one of the league’s top, two-way centers has missed some time. And perhaps most importantly, Jonathan Quick has been out since season’s first game, forcing the team to rely on a combination of Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj to hold down the fort until he returns. It’s not an ideal situation but the Kings have hung tough in the standings, as Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes, and currently hold one of two wild card slots in the Western Conference.

Because of injuries to Zatkoff, it’s been Budaj that has seen most of the action between the pipes for L.A. Originally signed to be the team’s third goalie, Budaj has posted a career-best 2.17 GAA while winning 14 of his 26 starts. While he’s had his ups and downs, Budaj has been good enough most nights to keep the Kings in games.

As Elliott notes, the team has managed to stay afloat thanks in large part to their work ethic. Now, the Kings are close to full health, though Quick is still expected to be out until February, and are just five points behind the San Jose Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division with one game in hand. Assuming Budaj can continue to play adequately enough, or the team finds a better stopgap option, and Gaborik can rediscover his scoring touch, the Kings have a good chance to again qualify for the postseason. Once there, anything can happen.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Highly-touted rookie Timo Meier made his debut with the San Jose Sharks last season and by all accounts it was a huge success, as Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News recounts. Meier scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot last night and the Sharks erupted for three goals in the first period of their 4 – 2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Meier would finish with three shots on net in just more than 10 minutes of ice time. That’s exactly the type of spark the Sharks were hoping for when calling up the 2015 first-round draft pick. Meier’s insertion into the lineup pushed veteran forward Joel Ward to the press box last night and while it’s certain the first-year pro will remain in the San Jose lineup for the immediate future, it’s less clear how that fact will impact the rest of the Sharks forward group. As long as Meier produces, DeBoer will undoubtedly find a way to mix and match his forwards.
  • Desperate for help up the middle, the Arizona Coyotes recently acquired Peter Holland via trade from Toronto and added Josh Jooris off of waivers from the New York Rangers. Veteran center Brad Richardson is out indefinitely with multiple fractures in his right leg while rookie Dylan Strome failed to find consistency at the NHL level; two factors which created a need for Arizona. While it’s only a small sample, just two appearances for each player, the additions are already paying off for Arizona, writes Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. Holland tallied two helpers in his Coyotes debut and scored the shootout winner in his return to Toronto. Again, it’s only to games but Holland’s play has helped the team to their first winning streak since late November; a stretch which saw the Coyotes earn just five of a possible 16 standings points.

Alex Galchenyuk Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

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With the Montreal Canadiens leading the Atlantic Division by four points, everything seemed to be going well for the club. Not so fast, as the team announced today that Alex Galchenyuk will be out indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury last night in Los Angeles. While the young forward traveled with the club to St. Louis, he underwent various tests today that have ruled him out for the immediate future.

The injury occurred on a collision with Anze Kopitar in the 5-4 win over the Kings last night, with Galchenyuk leaving the game immediately. Renaud Lavoie of TVA reports that it’s his right leg and he obviously won’t play on Tuesday.

Galchenyuk played all 82 games for the Habs last season, registering his first 30-goal season of his career and establishing himself as a legitimate star in the league. Off to an even better start this year, the 22-year old has 23 points in 25 games and is in the mix among league leaders. A huge part of the Canadiens’ offense, Galchenyuk has been moved back to his natural center position this year and though his play has improved, he has been a dreadful 39.5% on draws.

The third-overall pick in 2012 (behind Nail Yakupov and Ryan Murray), Galchenyuk is another young US-born center thriving in the league. While this injury could obviously be only a few days, if it stretches far into the season the Canadiens will have to look elsewhere for their offense both 5-on-5 and with a man advantage.

West Notes: Little, Avalanche, Domingue, Kopitar

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Winnipeg center Bryan Little is making progress as he continues to recover from his lower body injury sustained in the first period of the season opener.  He told Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press that he’s hoping to get back into the lineup soon, potentially some time next week:

“I feel good. It’s gotten a lot better in the last couple weeks. A lot stronger. There’s not much more that I can do besides getting into a full-contact practice and then I think I’m ready to come back. It’s just a matter of the doc taking a look at it in Winnipeg and trying to get through a practice with some bumps… hopefully not much longer.”

Dating back to last year, Little hasn’t had much luck with injuries recently. Last season, he missed the final 25 games due to a neck injury so in the last nine months, he has played just 2:48 of regular season action.

Little’s eventual return will give the Jets some much-needed good news from the infirmary as they have been hit hard with injuries this season.  Winnipeg is currently without centers Mathieu Perreault and Shawn Matthias, right winger Joel Armia, plus defenseman Tyler Myers while fellow blueliner Toby Enstrom is currently on a personal leave of absence.

[Related: Jets Depth Chart]

More news and notes from the West:

  • Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov is dealing with an upper body and won’t play on Saturday, writes Terry Frei of The Denver Post. He adds that the team is likely to recall prospect Spencer Martin to serve as the backup goalie against Vancouver.  Frei also reports that left winger Gabriel Landeskog skated in a non-contact sweater but isn’t expected to play tomorrow night.
  • Arizona has recalled goaltender Justin Peters on an emergency basis, notes Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. Backup netminder Louis Domingue is dealing with a lower body injury so Peters will back up Mike Smith tonight against the Oilers.  Head coach Dave Tippett doesn’t believe the injury is serious but they will re-evaluate Domingue on Saturday.
  • The Kings are experimenting with playing center Anze Kopitar on the left wing, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider writes. The captain will be playing in his second game since coming back from an upper body injury tomorrow and was only able to take faceoffs on one side on Wednesday.  By placing him on the wing, they can ease him back in and make sure the upper body issue is completely healed before asking him to shoulder the extra load down the middle.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Brown, Strome, Russell

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Dustin Brown spent eight seasons as the captain of the Los Angeles Kings, helping the team to two Stanley Cup championships during that time. He scored 54 points in 2011-12, the fifth consecutive campaign of at least 22 goals and 53 points, but since has seen his performance decline. Brown did tally 18 goals during the strike-shortened 2012-13 season but in the three full seasons since he’s averaged just 0.35 points-per-game. That performance regression in part prompted the Kings to remove the “C” from Brown’s sweater in order to give it to Anze Kopitar.

The Kings did look to move Brown this summer but with six seasons remaining on a contract that calls for an AAV of just shy of $6MM, there wasn’t much interest. Brown was critical of the decision, particularly in how the situation was handled, but the 13-year veteran has handled his business like a pro this season. In fact, as Josh Cooper of Yahoo writes, not having the responsibilities of the position any longer allows Brown to focus on playing hockey and his play has improved this season as a result.

“I’m not taking the game home with me, which in years past was a difficult thing not to do, partly because I … just as a competitor you want to take everything personally. Now I’m kind of detached a little bit from it, which is a good thing. So I get to come to work every day and do my job. It has been much easier to leave it here, which has been much healthier.”

Brown has six points in 20 games, a per-game average of 0.45. That prorates to a full, 82-game total of about 37 points. Brown has been part of an effective third line with Devin Setoguchi and Nic Dowd and for the first time in a long while he says he is enjoying the game:

“This is probably the first time I’ve had fun playing hockey in a couple of years. I know in saying that we play a game for a living. But I always say no matter if you’re playing a game or whatever you’re doing in life if you’re not having fun it’s tough to do.”

Even with the uptick in production it’s unlikely Brown will ever again be worth his cap charge. But the Kings must nonetheless be pleased to see even a moderate improvement from their former captain.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Dylan Strome has tons of skill and plenty of hockey instincts. But Arizona GM John Chayka and team bench boss Dave Tippett believe the one thing holding him back at this point in his young career is a lack of physical maturity, as Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports writes. Strome was recently returned to the Erie Otters of the OHL after a seven game spin at the NHL level. He tallied just a single assist and was a minus-5 while averaging 13:41 of ice time per game. Strome’s struggles represent one of the issues regarding Canadian junior players. His development won’t be helped by returning to the OHL as he’s simply too good for that level. But as we’ve seen, he isn’t physically ready for the challenges of the NHL and he can’t be sent to the AHL to play against other professionals due to the rules in place. However, as Morgan notes, Strome will be eligible to represent Canada at the upcoming Word Juniors, which as Chayka points out, will allow him to serve as a leader on the Canadian squad: “I think that’s important to be in Canada for him,” Chayka said. “He should be a big part of that team; a big part of that leadership group.”
  • Kris Russell has his critics as a player, particularly among the analytical community. Yet the Edmonton Oilers, who signed the veteran defender late in the offseason, are pleased with what he has brought to the table, as Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal writes. The numbers that matter most to the Oilers is the team’s won-loss record when he is in the lineup versus when he is out. Edmonton is 9 – 3 – 1 with Russell playing and just 2 – 5 – 0 when he does not play. While he isn’t putting up big counting numbers, in the opinion of bench boss Todd McLellan, Russell has helped add stability to a unit that has been below-average over the last several seasons: “I don’t think it’s coincidence. I think he does bring enough stability back there that he has an impact on the outcome of games.” Russell had to wait through the summer before landing a deal with Edmonton but if he continues to impress Oilers management, the team could look to lock up the 10-year vet before he hits the free agency next July.

Full List Of Mandatory-Protection Players In Expansion Draft

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Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston has published the full list of players who, due to no-movement clauses in their current contracts, must be protected in the upcoming expansion draft for the new Vegas Golden Knights. These are players who will count against the protection limits should they choose not to waive their NMC rights prior to the draft.

Each team has the right to protect either:

A) Seven forwards, three defenders, one goaltender

or

B) Eight skaters, one goaltender

These players will count against those numbers, and as Johnston points out, there are some notable inclusions and omissions from this group. Players like Jordan Staal, Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan all had incorrect information spread about their contracts. The former two will now need protection, while the latter will not, due to his deal only having a no-movement to the minors clause.

The Chicago Blackhawks, with eight players listed, will have little flexibility at the draft, with only four forward spots (or one defenseman) left to use. Many others, according to Johnston, including Toronto’s Nathan Horton, are likely to be made exempt if they are still on LTIR as the draft approaches.

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Kings Notes: Gaborik, Andreoff, Kopitar, Lucic

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Kings winger Marian Gaborik is progressing well in his recovery from a broken foot and is hoping to get back into the lineup somewhat soon, he told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.  He has missed the entire regular season so far after suffering the injury while blocking a shot back in September at the World Cup of Hockey.

Gaborik has been skating lightly over the last week but pushed his workout a bit harder on Wednesday and was pleased with how it went:

“I think I’m right on track.  It’s just like I said, a matter of getting the strength back on the ice and skating. I haven’t skated for several weeks or something like that so it’s just a matter of getting those practices in so I can jump in to games ready to go.”

Despite the progress, there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.  When he does get back, he’ll be a welcome addition to a lineup that is scuffling in the goal scoring department as the Kings have just 39 goals in 17 games so far this season.

[Related: Kings Depth Chart]

More news from Los Angeles:

  • Left winger Andy Andreoff is nearing a return to the lineup after thumb surgery, Rosen notes in a separate piece.  He also appears to be well ahead of schedule as two weeks ago, head coach Darryl Sutter estimated that Andreoff would be out another four to seven weeks.  However, the 25 year old is targeting Wednesday’s game against the Islanders as his return date, using the practices between then to work on his conditioning.  Andreoff has played in nine games for Los Angeles this season, being held off the scoresheet but is averaging a career high in ice time at 10:02 per game.
  • Center Anze Kopitar skated on Wednesday but is not expected to play against the Oilers tonight, reports Curtis Zupke of the LA Times. The captain remains day-to-day with either a hand or arm injury.  Kopitar says progress is being made but not enough to return to the lineup: “It’s been feeling better and better but just not quite to where it needs to be and not quite good enough, obviously, to play.”  He is off to a bit of a slow start this season with just two goals and six assists in 15 games.
  • Milan Lucic is set to face his old Kings squad tonight for the first time since signing in Edmonton in free agency but reiterated to Elliott Teaford of the LA Daily News that he had intentions on re-signing there over the offseason: “I tried everything I could to make it work. I think both sides tried to do everything they could do to make it work. With a cap system, it just didn’t work out in the end.” Lucic spent just one year with the Kings and while he had a strong year (55 points in 81 games), the end result from the trade with Boston didn’t work out too well for LA when you consider that on top of Lucic essentially being a one year rental, one of the players they gave up for him – Martin Jones – is now the starting goalie for a division rival.

Pacific Division Notes: Burns, Kopitar, Virtanen

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Assuming he resists overtures from the Sharks to sign a massive extension first, Brent Burns will hit free agency next July as one of, if not the top player on the market. In fact, as Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes, his situation closely mirrors that which confronted Steven Stamkos last season.

Like Stamkos, Burns will be a much-desired commodity if he reaches the open market. And just like Tampa Bay, the Sharks surely want to retain their star player. Though again, like Tampa Bay, San Jose will want to do so at a price less than that which Burns will be able find in free agency.

Of course the situation has already generated a lot media attention and will continue to do so until a resolution is reached. For many players, his pending free agency can prove to be a distraction and perhaps even impact his performance on the ice. That doesn’t seem to be the case to date for Burns as the 31-year-old blue liner has already tallied six goals and 14 points through 15 contests. But should Burns struggle with the attention and seek advice on how to handle things, he has a good resource in his friend Stamkos.

As Pashelka notes, the two players have known each other for more than two decades and spent some time together this summer. But according to Stamkos, Burns didn’t broach the subject of his free agency:

“Can’t say we’ve had a lot of discussions about it. I’m definitely open to a conversation if it comes a point where he needs somebody to talk to. But I know Burnzie. He knows what he’s doing.”

Burns certainly enjoys playing in San Jose and likely will give the Sharks every opportunity to extend his contract. Surely the Sharks will hope that Burns, like Stamkos, decided to forsake the probability of more money to remain somewhere he is happy.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • It looks like the Kings may have dodged a bullet as the upper-body-injury suffered by team captain Anze Kopitar is considered day-to-day, reports Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times. Kopitar appeared to injure his wrist/upper arm area when taking a spill along the boards in the third period of the team’s tilt with Ottawa. Kopitar, one of the NHL’s best centers, did miss this afternoon’s game against Winnipeg but the fact he’s been listed as day-to-day is good news for a team that dropped to 7 – 8 – 1 after today’s shootout loss to the Jets. The 29-year-old native of Slovenia is off to a slow start production-wise, with just eight points in 15 games.
  • Earlier this week the Vancouver Canucks assigned 20-year-old winger Jake Virtanen to their AHL affiliate in Utica. However, as reported, the team recalled Virtanen today after he saw action in two games this weekend for the Comets. Virtanen is off to a tough start to the campaign with just one point, an assist, in 10 games with Vancouver. He was also held off the scoresheet this weekend while suiting up for Utica. Virtanen did not play today in the Canucks 5 – 4 win OT win over Dallas.

 

Injury Updates: Oilers, Tkachuk, Hammond, Kings, Avalanche, Perreault

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The Edmonton Oilers haven’t had much good news on the injury front.  Although Zack Kassian may be ready to return on Sunday, they won’t be getting any more help from the infirmary for the next little while, reports Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.

Defenseman Brandon Davidson and Matt Hendricks, who both have missed over a month with lower body injuries, skated yesterday but head coach Todd McLellan noted neither are close to returning.

As for Kris Russell, who was supposed to just miss a bit of time with a lower body injury, is now weeks away from returning, Tychkowski notes.  The veteran has logged significant minutes for the Oilers so far this season (over 21 minutes per game) while blocking nearly three shots per night.

Center Drake Caggiula, who had a strong preseason and was making a push for a roster spot, suffered a setback during the recovery from his lower body issue.  McLellan expects the 22 year old to casually start skating in the next 7-10 days.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • The Calgary Flames will be without left winger Matthew Tkachuk for tonight’s game against the Rangers due to a wrist injury, the team announced via Twitter. The sixth overall pick back in June has spent most of the season in a bottom six role but still has scored three goals and three assists in 12 games so far.  In a related move, the team announced that they have recalled right winger Garnet Hathaway from their AHL affiliate in Stockton; Hathaway is not expected to play tonight, however.
  • Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is nearly 100% recovered from his lower body injury, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun notes (Twitter link). When he returns, that would give Ottawa three goaltenders but based on Mike Condon’s start so far and Craig Anderson taking leaves of absence to be with his wife as she battles cancer, it would seem likely that the Sens will carry three netminders for the foreseeable future.
  • Despite pulling himself after the second period of yesterday’s game with a lower body issue, Kings goaltender Jeff Zatkoff did travel with the team to Winnipeg, reports Lindsay Czarnecki of LA Kings Insider. Zatkoff was making his first appearance since October 18th after suffering a groin injury in practice but Fox Sports West’ Patrick O’Neal adds on Twitter that this was a groin spasm but the two injuries are not related.  The team is likely to recall goaltender Jack Campbell from the minors.  Still with Los Angeles, captain Anze Kopitar (upper body) also was injured on Friday night.  O’Neal reports that Kopitar is day-to-day.
  • On top of Avalanche forward Matt Duchene getting pulled from Friday’s game by a concussion spotter, defenseman Fedor Tyutin suffered an arm injury and is out day-to-day, the team reported on Twitter. Blake Comeau skated on Saturday and is nearly ready to return to the lineup, the team added in a separate tweet.  Comeau has missed the last three games with a groin injury.
  • The Jets announced that they have placed center Mathieu Perreault on injured reserve retroactive to November 4th with an upper body injury.  The 28 year old has already missed enough time to be activated at any time moving forward but the placement allowed them to bring up a replacement player in Quinton Howden.

Potential Short-Term Replacements For Quick

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With Jonathan Quick set to possibly miss 3 – 4 months due to a groin injury, the Kings are for the time being expected to ride it out with internal options Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj manning the net. But the Kings are well within their window of Stanley Cup competition and with several of their key players – Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik and Alec Martinez – already or nearing 30, and the team may not want to let the season get away should the Zatkoff/Budaj combo struggle between the pipes. In that case L.A. could visit the trade market to look for a short-term solution.

The Kings have little in the way of cap space, according to Cap Friendly, with just around $1.5MM available. They could add $5.8MM if they place Quick on LTIR, should they choose. But with Quick under contract for six seasons beyond this one, it’s likely the club elects to stick with less expensive options or, at the very least, limit their search to goaltenders in the final year of their deals. Within these parameters, here are a few goaltenders who could be made available by their current team and who might prove to be of interest at some point to the Kings.

Ondrej Pavelec – He was waived by Winnipeg at the end of the regular season and after going unclaimed, was assigned to the Jets’ Manitoba AHL affiliate. Pavelec’s only above-average NHL season came during the 2014-15 campaign when he posted a Save % of 92.0% and allowed a GAA of 2.28. That’s the only season in the last five Pavelec has posted a Save % above 90.6% or a GAA lower than 2.78. He is in the final year of his contract and set to earn $2.95MM; a figure the Kings could find reasonable enough for a stop-gap solution. NHL reporter Brennan Klak agrees with the premise the Kings don’t want to commit much in the terms of money or term, and mentions Pavelec as a hypothetical option.

Ryan Miller – Miller is expensive, $6MM cap charge, but has a solid track record of success at the NHL level and like Pavelec, is in the final season of his deal. It’s possible, if the Kings can tread water in the interim,  their interest increases as the trade deadline approaches and the team can better afford that cap hit. If the Canucks find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoffs, they could field offers for the veteran netminder. This would likely represent a worst-case scenario in that it assumes Quick wouldn’t be ready to return at the end of four months.

Thomas Greiss – Greiss had a good year with the Islanders in 2015-16 and when Jaroslav Halak went down with an injury late in the season, the German goalie guided New York into the second round of the playoffs. Greiss is in the final year of a deal that comes with a cap hit of just $1.5MM, and would represent a low-cost option on an expiring contract. The Islanders chose to keep three netminders on the roster to begin the season, likely out of fear that Jean-Francois Berube would have been claimed on waivers. It’s feasible they could take a reasonable offer for Greiss and commit to Berube and Halak for the rest of 2016-17.

Scott Wedgewood – The Kings could have had Wedgewood for just the cost of assuming the remaining season and $587.5K left on his contract but of course Quick was healthy when Wedgewood was available on waivers. It seems apparent the Devils still value Wedgewood’s potential but with Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid holding down the top two spots in New Jersey, it’s conceivable they could entertain offers for the 24-year-old goalie. Wedgewood has little NHL experience – four starts – but would represent a low-cost, low-risk flier for the Kings.

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