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Deadline Primer: Calgary Flames

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we begin to examine the Pacific Division, here is a look at the Calgary Flames.

The Calgary Flames are the kings of the Western Conference so far. With 71 points in 51 games, the Flames hold a commanding six-point lead with a game in hand over the San Jose Sharks in the division and are three points up on the Winnipeg Jets overall. In fact, the Flames trail only the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL standings right now. The team has been rolling on all cylinders this season, finding success on both offense – No. 2 in goals per game – and defense – No. 7 in goals against per game. However, Calgary is not without fault and will be looking to add in several areas at the deadline.

However, GM Brad Treliving and company must be methodical in their approach. The Flames have just over $7MM in cap space to work with and need to be sure of their priorities when it comes to the market. The team also needs to avoid trading one of their most valuable trade assets, this year’s first-round pick. With only five selections scheduled for this June, losing their first-rounder could see Calgary make their draft debut in the late third round. As such, the Flames need to do what they can to capitalize on the strong regular season and improve before the postseason, but will be forced to be more strategic than a typical all-out buyer.

Record

33-13-5, first in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$7.09MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: CGY 1st, CGY 3rd, NYI 4th, CGY 5th, CAR 7th
2020: CGY 1st, CGY 2nd, CGY 3rd, CGY 4th, CGY 5th, CGY 6th, CGY 7th

Trade Chips

If the Flames indeed take this year’s first-round pick off the table, it will have repercussions in their dealings with sellers. Depending on the team and target, some may be happy with next year’s first-rounder or, in a buyer’s market, a later pick. Others could look for a pro-ready piece to substitute the immediate boost of a first-round talent in the system. If that’s the case, Calgary has to be prepared to listen to offers including Sam Bennett. Bennett, the 2014 fourth overall pick, is struggling through another disappointing season. Now in his fourth year with the Flames, Bennett has yet to crack 20 goals or 40 points in a single season and looks likely to fall short yet again. It is far from the output that Calgary expected, but they have stuck with the frustrating forward thus far. Bennett’s ability is apparent and he’s shown flashes of brilliance from time to time, but he has been unable to put together a complete game. Even as the 22-year-old has tried to embrace a more physical, high-energy style over the past season plus, he has again missed his mark and has become a penalty liability far too frequently, especially for a team with a poor penalty kill. Bennett may reach his potential one day, but it seems unlikely to be with Calgary. In a season where the Flames have a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup, they need to finally give up on Bennett if that’s the price of a much-needed addition. Another castoff who has yet to meet expectations is Curtis Lazar, who could still have some intrigue for sellers.

One of the Flames’ current young defenseman could also be a trade deadline target. With five capable veterans on the back end signed through at least next season and three promising young defenders itching for more NHL responsibility, someone is going to be the odd man out next year. Juuso Valimaki, the team’s top defensive prospect, seems like a safe bet to stay put. However, the current bottom pair of Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington may not stay together much longer. Both have more than proven themselves as capable pros this season, but if the Flames want to land a big fish at the deadline, they may have to give up one or the other. Losing Kylington would hurt slightly less than Andersson.

Among other prospects, first-year pro forwards Matthew Phillips and Glenn Gawdin are sure to draw interest, but the Flames may be hesitant to move either. However, with Dillon Dube out of the question, the pair could be next up among Calgary’s top minor league pieces. The Flames could try to capitalize on the breakout season of USHL star Martin Pospisil to sell high on the recent fourth-rounder.

Finally, with Jon Gillies officially losing out to David Rittich in the battle of young goaltenders in Calgary, the Flames would likely be open to moving the struggling 25-year-old. Especially if they are in pursuit of a replacement goalie of their own, the seller may like the idea of taking a waiver on another young goalie and Gillies fits the bill. So too may Tyler Parsons. 

Five Players To Watch For: F Sam Bennett, F Curtis Lazar, D Oliver Kylington, F Martin Pospisil, G Jon Gillies

Team Needs

1) Starting Goaltender: Most contenders don’t get to that point if they have a need at starting goaltender. This year’s Flames are a rare exception. Incumbent starter Mike Smith has struggled all year long and has a sub-.900 save percentage and a goals against average up over 3.00 in 25 appearances. Young David Rittich has take over as the go-to option and has performed admirably in 30 appearances, but has faded since his hot start to the season. Most likely, Calgary’s Cup hopes live and die by what they do in net. Doing nothing at all will likely cost them their chance barring a heroic return to form from Smith. Adding a third goalie to at least compete for starts will let them continue their current trajectory. Carolina Hurricanes’ keepers Petr Mrazek or Curtis McElhinney could fall into this group, as could Cam Talbot from the rival Edmonton Oilers or old friend Brian Elliott, if healthy. If the Flames instead opt to upgrade the position with one of the three main goalies on the market – Sergei Bobrovksy, Jimmy Howard, and Semyon Varlamov – one would have to think that their title chances would improve significantly. The trick will be adding one of these three at a reasonable price while also keeping enough cap space open to add in other areas. Moving Smith in another deal could be an option.

2) Top-Nine Winger: Michael Frolik, Sam Bennett, James Neal, and Austin Czarnik simply haven’t panned out as expected this season. As dominant as the Flames’ top line and two-thirds of their second line has been, they have needed help on the wing in the middle six for much of the year. If they can add a forward that can also help out their 21st-ranked penalty kill, that would be even better. If they can add two such capable two-way wingers? That would be ideal. Again, the Flames lack of cap space and bigger need in net make this a likely result, but Calgary has a serious need for depth on the wing and it could be exposed in the postseason if not addressed. Some of the more cap-friendly outside options are likely to be targets, such as Jakob Silfverberg, Richard Panik, Ryan Dzingel, or Patrick Maroon. However, the possibility of a return to Calgary for Micheal Ferland remains one of the most intriguing possibilities at the deadline. Ferland seemingly would be a great fix for what ails the Flames.

3) Veteran Depth Defenseman: Even though depth on defense has been identified as a strength for the Flames moving forward, there are some concerns at present. Michael Stone is currently sidelined with a blood clot issue and there is no definitive timeline for his return. Meanwhile, rookies Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, and Juuso Valimaki have played a little over 100 career NHL games combined and the other young options in the AHL aren’t instilling any confidence. Calgary has an impressive top four that they will no doubt lean on in the playoffs, but just one injury could leave Dalton Prout as the team’s top replacement option and that is a problem. The Flames need to add another experienced veteran to the blue line and, even if the right-handed Stone returns to health, could use an extra body on the left side preferably. Treliving would have to get creative, but Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall would be a great fit. More affordable options include Jordie Benn and Brandon Davidson among others.

Blackhawks Continue Making Roster Room On Defense

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With seven healthy defenseman finally on their roster, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they have assigned defenseman Brandon Davidson to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, freeing up a roster spot for Gustav Forsling, who has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

The 27-year-old Davidson has had trouble finding a full-time role with any team as he is already on his fourth organization in his fifth season in the league. Due to injuries and multiple healthy scratches, Davidson has appeared in just 10 games for Chicago this year. He has been traded twice, claimed on waivers once and this year opted to sign a one-year deal with a Chicago in the offseason worth $650K. He hasn’t played a game in the AHL since the 2014-15 season when he played for the Oklahoma City Barons, no longer an affiliate with the AHL.

For the Blackhawks, it’s just another move to rebuild their blueline that has gotten younger throughout the season, starting with Henri Jokiharju making the team out of camp, to the promotion of Carl Dahlstrom on Dec. 12, to the recent acquisition of Slater Koekkoek from Tampa Bay. The team has also moved out some veterans, including dealing Brandon Manning and his two-year deal to Edmonton in exchange for winger Drake Caggiula and veteran defenseman Jason Garrison, who the team immediately placed on unconditional waivers and released. The team then moved Jan Rutta to the Lightning to acquire Koekkoek.

These moves should only continue into next season as well as the Blackhawks have a number of young blueliners who could be ready for Chicago next year, including 2018 first-round picks Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, as well as University of Denver standout Ian Mitchell (although the team would still have to sign him).

 

Chicago Blackhawks Place Brandon Davidson, Jason Garrison On Waivers

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Thursday: All four players have cleared waivers. Garrison will see his contract terminated and will pursue other opportunities, while Davidson has been activated from injured reserve.

Wednesday: Despite clearing regular waivers earlier this week, Jason Garrison now finds himself back on the wire. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Garrison on unconditional waivers, presumably in order to terminate his contract. The Blackhawks have also placed Brandon Davidson on waivers, while Wade Megan (Detroit Red Wings) and Ben Street (Anaheim Ducks) find themselves there as well.

Garrison, 34, did not report to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after clearing waivers, leading to his placement on unconditional waivers today. Though the team has not confirmed it yet, it likely means Garrison has agreed to a mutual contract termination after not reporting, and will see the remainder of his one-year deal disappear. The veteran defenseman earned the contract after signing a professional tryout in Edmonton, but was limited to just 17 games before being included in the recent trade for Brandon Manning.

Davidson meanwhile is hitting waivers once again in his career, something that he experienced last season as well. The defenseman 27-year old was waived by the Montreal Canadiens in December 2017 only to find himself on two more teams before the end of the year. Dealing with injury for much of this year, he has suited up just seven times for the Blackhawks. Despite all that, there’s reason to believe that Davidson will be claimed by a defense-needy team given his league-minimum salary of $650K.

Central Notes: Hartman, Crawford, Davidson, Dickinson

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The Department of Player Safety announced they have fined Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman $1,000 for spearing Boston Bruins’ Chris Wagner Saturday with less than a minute left in the second period.

Hartman has been in trouble with the Department of Safety before as he was suspended for one game on Apr. 19 for an illegal check to the head against Colorado’s Carl Soderberg and then was fined for $2,320 for slashing Brayden McNabb in Oct. of 2017 against Vegas.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks may get a better idea today of where starting goaltender Corey Crawford is at after he sustained another concussion on Dec. 16. According to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeloitis, head coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed this morning that Crawford was in the building, but still hadn’t talked to the coach. “As far as I know he’s still in the protocol. He is here, so that’s a positive,” Colliton said. Crawford missed quite a bit of time when he suffered a concussion last year in December as he still wasn’t ready to return at the start of this season. The team hopes Crawford can return much earlier this time.
  • John Dietz of the Daily Herald reports that defenseman Brandon Davidson says that he should be ready to return to the Blackhawks lineup in 7-10 days. The blueliner underwent surgery on Nov. 27 on his right knee and was expected to be out for six to eight weeks, which suggests he could be ready at the six-week mark. The 27-year-old has only appeared in seven games for Chicago this year.
  • The Dallas Stars may have lost one of their own Saturday when forward Jason Dickinson was forced out of the second period of Dallas’ game against Minnesota with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. Head coach Jim Montgomery said that Dickinson was doubtful for their game today against the Islanders. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay for Dallas on the bottom-six as he has five goals and 11 points in 34 games.

 

Brandon Davidson Undergoes Surgery, Out 6-8 Weeks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have just three wins in their past 15 games and sport the league’s fifth-worse goals against per game. Those struggles make today’s news that much more difficult for the team. Chicago announced this evening that defenseman Brandon Davidson underwent right knee surgery today and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks. The team will have to make do without the blue liner for the remainder of the calendar year at the very least.

Davidson, 27, has missed the Blackhawks’ past seven games with the lower-body ailment and was placed on injured reserve last week after the injury proved to be more than what was initially considered minor. A successful training camp tryout earned Davidson a one-year, minimum deal with Chicago, but given his track record of being a solid contributor in the NHL, Davidson entered the year with expectations greater than that of just a last-minute addition. In seven games so far this year, the two-way defender has only managed one point and has been relatively ineffective, but with the rest of the defensive corps struggling Davidson’s presence remained important.

With Davidson sidelined long-term, the return of Connor Murphy becomes much more important. Murphy has been out all season long with a back injury, but recently began practicing with the team and is expected back in the lineup sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the team will look to Gustav Forsling to play a starting role. Forsling has recorded four points in just six games already, including a multi-point game in his last appearance and season high in ice time the game prior. The Blackhawks need Forsling, Murphy, and company to do more than just make up for Davidson’s absence to fix the team’s overall defensive woes, but if they can, the team will be in good shape with defensive depth when Davidson returns in a month or two.

Western Notes: Davidson, Puljujarvi, Honka, Hanzal

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The Chicago Blackhawks placed veteran Brandon Davidson on injured reserve on Nov. 16 with little description other than a lower-body injury. Today, more than a week later, the Blackhawks announced that Davidson will undergo surgery on Tuesday for his right knee. No timetable will be announced until after the procedure.

Davidson signed a one-year, $650K deal with Chicago on Sept. 27, but has appeared in only seven games this year. With the development of some of their younger players such as Henri Jokiharju and Gustav Forsling finding their way into the lineup, Davidson has had trouble cracking the lineup. He had similar trouble last year, but still managed to appear in 51 games, albeit with three different teams. That included raising his stock while in Edmonton that allowed them to trade him to the New York Islanders for a 2019 third-rounder.

  • There was some surprise earlier today when the Edmonton Oilers recalled struggling forward Jesse Puljujarvi from Bakersfield of the AHL after just four games. However, the Oilers’ new head coach Ken Hitchcock accepted responsibility as he wants to further Puljujarvi’s development himself. “I wanted responsibility for his development,” Hitchcock said (via Oilers’ Jack Michaels). “I didn’t just want to be watching him play in AHL. I feel this is type of player we need to win in the Western Confernce. I asked (general manager Peter Chiarelli) if he’d bring him up for practice today.”
  • The Dallas Stars hoped this would be the year that defenseman Julius Honka might break out and develop into that top-four defenseman they’ve been waiting for. That didn’t happen. Then when John Klingberg went down, the team hoped that Honka would take that next step in replacing him. So far that doesn’t look to be happening either after sitting out as a healthy scratch Friday and seems to have been a healthy scratch often for AHL callups. So far Honka has just three assists in 18 games and isn’t the offensive force many felt that he would become, writes The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required). “We’d like to see more consistency,” head coach Jim Montgomery said Friday. “Reading rushes defensively, puck pressure down low, gets caught watching, and he’s not the only one.”
  • SportsDay’s Mike Heika reports that injured forward Martin Hanzal intends to travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, but the veteran is still a couple weeks away from returning. The 31-year-old, who signed a three-year, $14.25MM deal last summer has played in just 38 games so far and hasn’t played at all this year after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in June.

Blackhawks Sign Brandon Davidson To A One-Year Contract

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Brandon Davidson’s tryout with Chicago has proven to be successful as the Blackhawks announced (Twitter link) that they have signed the defenseman to a one-year $650K contract.

2017-18 was a whirlwind for the 27-year-old.  After starting the season with Montreal, he dropped down the depth chart and was ultimately placed on waivers at the beginning of December.  Edmonton placed a claim, bringing him back to his original organization but he didn’t stay there for too long as just before the trade deadline, the Islanders dealt a 2019 third-round pick to secure Davidson’s rights to give them some extra depth for their postseason push that ultimately fell short.

On the season, he wound up playing in 51 games between the three teams, collecting just four goals and three assists while averaging 16:49 per night in ice time.  That output wasn’t enough to justify the Islanders tendering him a $1.55MM qualifying offer back in June which made him an unrestricted free agent.

Davidson should have a chance to make an immediate impact in Chicago as their back end is already banged up.  Connor Murphy is dealing with a back injury and won’t be back until either November or December while Gustav Forsling is still recovering from offseason wrist surgery.  Brent Seabrook is also nursing an abdomen injury although he could play in the season opener.  That should allow Davidson to start the season in a third-pairing role and once the team is fully healthy, he’ll serve as an experienced extra player making the league minimum salary which is a nice bargain for the Blackhawks to have.

Central Notes: Blackhawks, Fabbri, Nichushkin, Greenway, Johnson

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With a significant amount of cap space remaining to them, the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in an unusual position. The team has been very quiet this offseason, not including the trade that sent Marian Hossa to Arizona or signing Cam Ward to be the backup goaltender. However, with almost $5.5MM in cap space available to them, the Blackhawks have a number of options in front of them, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required).

The scribe writes that one option is to spend some of that money on current free agents, but aside from Rick Nash, there are few options there. With Brandon Davidson agreeing to a PTO, the team could look to add a couple more of those to bolster their roster as they do have a number of youngsters expected to make the team. If one should struggle, the team could lean on those free agents. The team could also make a deal for a player a team is looking to unload before the season starts.

Powers also adds one of the better possibilities would be to wait for the trade deadline and acquire a player then. The only issue there is that there is no guarantee that Chicago will be heading back to the playoffs. Another down season could send them back to the lottery, which means they wouldn’t want to spend that money on deadline acquisitions. Of course, the final option would be to do nothing, but regardless, the team is better off with cap room than in past years. It’s now just how they intend to spend it.

  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) profiles the recovery of St. Louis Blues’ winger Robby Fabbri, who missed the entire 2017-18 season after enduring a setback in his recovery during training camp last season from ACL surgery that he had after suffering a knee injury on Feb. 4, 2016. Now after two surgeries and a full year to recover, Powers shows what the 22-year-old has gone through and how he is finally ready to compete for a top-six role for the Blues this year.
  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) studies the film of Valeri Nichushkin, who had a impressive rookie season back in the 2013-14 season, then missed most of the following season. After just an average showing the next year, Nichuskin left the NHL for the KHL, but now is returning after a pair of average seasons there. Now back, Shapiro suggests that his more developed 6-foot-4 frame should be a major factor in front of the net, but that a 30-point season would be a realistic expectation for the 23-year-old as he isn’t considered to be a great finisher in front of the net.
  • The Minnesota Wild may have been quiet all offseason, but the team may make multiple lineup changes this season. One person who is likely to benefit will be Jordan Greenway. The 21-year-old signed with the Wild after a three-year stint with Boston University and is expected to jump right into the lineup, according to the StarTribune’s Sarah MacLellan. “I think he’s ready,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “ … It’s his job to lose.” Greenway appeared in 11 games for Minnesota last year, posting an assist in six regular season games, and a goal and an assist in five playoff games.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that considering the strength of the team’s defense, new backup goaltender Chad Johnson should thrive in the Blues system and be able to put up solid numbers. Johnson, who struggled immensely in Buffalo last year, posting a .891 save percentage in 36 games, is likely to have a bounce back season. In fact, Thomas writes that Johnson’s career numbers are actually quite a bit better than former backup Carter Hutton, who is now in Buffalo.

Brandon Davidson To Attend Chicago Blackhawks Camp

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Brandon Davidson had ten different professional tryout options including one with the Edmonton Oilers, but according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal will sign and attend Chicago Blackhawks training camp. Matheson reports that there is a one-year one-way contract offer waiting for Davidson with the Blackhawks if they “like what they see” in camp.

Davidson, 27, split last season between the Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders playing in 51 games and recording seven points. The defenseman hasn’t found much success since an impressive run during the 2015-16 season, but still could be a depth option for the Blackhawks if they want to add to the blue line. Chicago currently has just six defensemen on one-way contracts for this season, though younger options like Gustav Forsling and Henri Jokiharju should push for spots in camp.

It’s tough to project the Chicago defense as anything more than average this season though, which could give Davidson a chance to impress. After a down year from Duncan Keith in 2017-18, the team will need him to bounce back to his All-Star form or else could be looking at a group of underwhelming options on the blue line. The team does have quite a bit of cap space available after moving Marian Hossa’s contract out, and could easily afford to sign Davidson to a one-way deal. Whether that comes to pass will be decided during training camp, like it was for Cody Franson last season.

Pacific Notes: Davidson, Canucks, Bernhardt

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After inking Jakub Jerabek yesterday to a one-year contract, the Oilers don’t appear to be finished shopping for defensive help in free agency.  Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports (Twitter link) that Edmonton has offered a tryout deal to Brandon Davidson, who is also currently sitting on multiple two-way offers.  At this point, it’s likely that Davidson is still hoping to land a one-way pact before committing to something else.

The 27-year-old has had two separate stints with the Oilers previously.  After dealing him to Montreal in February of 2017, they claimed him off waivers from the Canadiens last December.  Three months later, they flipped him to the Islanders in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick.  Given how he has bounced around though, Davidson may be hard-pressed to get a one-way contract but if he has to go the PTO route, going back to a place where he’s had success in Edmonton would be a good move.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Canucks are a team that has used PTO deals in training camp in recent years but Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma reports that this will not be the case, at least as things currently stand. Vancouver shored up their depth up front this summer with a trio of bottom-six signings while they have eight returning defensemen so the vacancies just aren’t there.  While some teams will bring in tryouts simply to help fill out the roster through the early goings of the preseason, it doesn’t appear that Vancouver will be among those.
  • The Coyotes have parted ways with director of amateur scouting Tim Bernhardt as well as veteran scout Rob Pulford, GM John Chayka confirmed to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. Bernhardt has been at the helm for the last five drafts where the team has landed regulars such as center Christian Dvorak, defenseman Jakob Chychrun, and winger Clayton Keller.  Arizona brought in Lindsay Hofford as an assistant GM earlier this summer, tasking him with reshaping the scouting department as one of his tasks.  Bernhardt told Morgan that working with the new direction was not something he wanted to do.

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