Jeff Zatkoff Placed On Waivers, Brooks Laich Clears
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Kings have decided to put Jeff Zatkoff on waivers today, perhaps signalling a callup of Jack Campbell from the AHL or the return of Jonathan Quick a little earlier than expected. Zatkoff hadn’t performed as the Kings had hoped this season, and never seemed to fully recover from an early injury. His .879 save percentage is just simply not good enough for a team trying to make the playoffs.
Campbell on the other hand is playing well at the AHL, finally putting together what was supposed to be a promising career. Drafted 11th overall in 2010, he has spent time in the ECHL as recently as last season. His .913 save percentage for the Ontario Reign isn’t all-star worthy, but it is at least consistent for a player who has often lacked it.
Quick has been out since opening night but has been practicing with the team lately. It wasn’t clear that he was ready to return to game action, but perhaps the club is just waiving Zatkoff in preparation for his return. Quick would be quite a boost to the Kings, who find themselves just out of the playoff picture at the moment.
Brooks Laich has also cleared waivers after being placed on them yesterday. He is currently playing in a game for the Toronto Marlies, and continues to honor his contract there. Laich spoke out about how he wanted to play for another team if the Leafs weren’t going to bring him up, and it seems as though GM Lou Lamoriello was trying to see if someone would take him.
As we wrote about yesterday, retaining 50% of Laich’s salary in any trade for the veteran would actually cause a larger cap-hit on the Maple Leafs than just keeping him buried in the minors, thus he stays down. It seems the biggest chance for Laich would be a rash of injuries to the Maple Leafs down the stretch, forcing them to bring up experience instead of youth from their AHL team. He, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening are all a built in security blanket for the young Maple Leafs.
Snapshots: Laich, Vermette, Bye Weeks
Brooks Laich isn’t happy. He’s making more than $4MM, playing in Toronto on a young team that has had a lot of recent success. The only problem is that it isn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s the Marlies. He’s been stuck in the AHL all season, and after telling The Athletic yesterday that he would like to be sent somewhere else if he wasn’t in their plans, he was placed on waivers today by the club. James Mirtle, the Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic penned a piece today that contained quotes from Laich’s agent, explaining that his client still believes he can contribute at the NHL level and deserves to have that chance.
Well he’s under contract. He’s not going to break the contract. He’s committed. [But] he’d like to be moved to a team that can use him and help that team make a run for it. Obviously Toronto is trying to fulfill that request.
It’s a tricky situation as Mirtle points out, because if Toronto were to trade him and retain half his salary, it would actually be a bigger cap-hit than leaving him buried in the minors. That’s not something a team does just to be nice, regardless of how much space they might have. It’s unfortunate that it has come to this for the former Washington Capitals forward, after he made such an excellent impression on the team and fan base last spring when he arrived .
- John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the appeal of Antoine Vermette‘s 10-game suspension will happen on Thursday at 2pm in New York. The Ducks will be on their mandated bye-week following Saturday’s upcoming game against the Los Angeles Kings, which will encompass the trade deadline. The team because of Vermette, needs help up front as we outlined yesterday in the Ducks’ deadline primer. If the suspension is reduced, the Ducks will welcome Vermette back with open arms and could move Rickard Rakell back to the wing.
- Speaking of bye-weeks, it seems like the NHL isn’t happy with the much-publicized struggles of team’s coming back from them. Bill Daly was on TSN 1040 this afternoon discussing the possibility of having just two periods and splitting the teams in half instead of having them throughout the season. Daly said there have been concerns over this season’s schedule from pretty much every important group involved in the NHL, from the owners to the players. If the tweak goes through, teams will play each other coming off the bye-weeks, instead of going up against a squad that doesn’t have any rust. The 4-12-4 record for teams’ first game back off the bye—which includes one win from the Maple Leafs over the Rangers after they both ended their time off—is a clear sign that there was a competitive imbalance to the way things were scheduled this year.
Brooks Laich Placed On Waivers By Maple Leafs
After asking yesterday to be sent somewhere that he could pursue a Stanley Cup, the Maple Leafs have placed Brooks Laich on waivers today, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. We wrote just yesterday about how the Leafs had some built in deadline depth in a trio of veterans stashed in the minors. Laich, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening all have extensive NHL experience and could help a team that hits injury trouble down the stretch. McKenzie adds that these are not unconditional waivers to terminate his contract. That means this is likely just a testing of the waters so to speak, to gauge interest prior to the deadline.
Laich has played 764 games in his NHL career, scoring 20+ goals three times during his run with the Washington Capitals. The 33-year old was acquired by the Maple Leafs as a salary dump along with Connor Carrick and a second round pick last season for Daniel Winnik. Though Laich spent the remainder of the 2015-16 season with the big club, he hasn’t played a game with them this season, instead buried in the AHL playing sparingly there too.
For a player who thinks he can still contribute to a team’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup, wasting away the last few years of your career in the minors mostly because of your cap hit must be extremely frustrating. Though Laich seemed happy to take on a leadership role earlier this season, that playoff itch seems to have surfaced once again. For what it’s worth, Laich does have 32 career playoff points in 65 games and one year averaged almost 22 minutes a night for the Capitals in the postseason. If playoff experience is what you’re after, he’s got it.
Evening Snapshots: Kings, Maple Leafs, Avalanche
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Los Angeles Kings seem content to go with goaltender Peter Budaj during the playoff run stretch, reports LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. Kings head coach Darryl Sutter articulated that the upcoming deadline had no effect on injured goaltender Jonathan Quick‘s recovery timeline—the organization will not start Quick earlier than planned just to see if they need to add something at the deadline. This implies that the Kings will not seek additional goaltending help. Overall, the Kings have to be satisfies with Budaj’s performance so far. He’s gone 26-19-3 with a .916 SV% and a 2.14 GAA, and a league-leading 7 shutouts. Budaj, however, has lost 5 of his last six, though peeled off five straight wins—with three shutouts—before that.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brooks Laich indicated to media today that he would like to go to a playoff contender if the Maple Leafs do not plan to use him this season. Laich has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, and has seen other forwards—Josh Leivo and Frederik Gauthier—receive callups to the big league. Part of the reason that Laich remains in the AHL is that the Leafs have been relatively injury-free this year. The organization has had little need for AHL replacements, and as a result veteran players like Laich get left behind. While one cannot blame an organization for wanting to test out its younger prospects, Laich’s feelings are sure to gather sympathy with the front office. The Maple Leafs have already traded away rarely-used forward Peter Holland, and could do the same to Brooks Laich.
- Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov is out for the remainder of the season, the team announced today. Zadorov hurt his ankle today in practice after tangling up with forward Mikko Rantanen. The 21 year-old defensive prospect has 0G and 10A for the Avalanche while averaging just over 19 minutes a night. With Colorado mired in last place—the next worst team is 12 points ahead of them—there is no reason to rush Zadorov back.
Deadline Depth May Already Be In Toronto
For teams around the league looking at depth additions down the stretch, big bodies, playoff experience and penalty killing ability are often in high demand. The Maple Leafs, who find themselves in the thick of a playoff race much earlier than expected in their rebuild, may have to look no further than their AHL squad to find some bottom-six depth if injuries should come into play.
The team has recently lost Mitch Marner for an indefinite period, and have had an almost clean bill of health all season. If they find themselves in a position to add some of that NHL experience, their Marlies team in the AHL already has a few names that might be familiar. Brooks Laich, Colin Greening and Milan Michalek have been with the minor league squad for almost the entire season, and though their goal-scoring days might be behind them, they could still provide a boost in a bottom-six role.
Laich was acquired from the Washington Capitals last season in a salary dump, and has six points in 21 games for the Marlies this season. He’s taken on a leadership role among the young team, understanding that the development of prospects is more important to the club than his ice time. He has lost a step from his 50+ point days in Washington, but has the work-ethic and defensive responsibility to help a fourth line somewhere. His versatility at center and wing is important to consider, as is the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. In a recent piece from Joshua Kloke of The Athletic (subscription required), he quotes Laich as wanting to “pursue a Stanley Cup somewhere else” if he’s not in the Leafs NHL plans.
Michalek is a former 30-goal scorer that actually waived his no-trade clause to come to Toronto in last season’s Dion Phaneuf trade. He started the year with the NHL club, but was waived and sent down early on because of his cap-hit and the surplus of wingers on the Leafs. He’s been injured for much of the AHL season, but if he could get back to full health it’s an interesting depth option should a team need a bottom-six winger. Michalek has had a lot of penalty killing success in his career, even scoring nine short handed goals in his career.
Greening is the youngest of the trio at only 30 years old, but also has the least playoff experience. He’s also been the biggest physical presence in the past, recording over 200 hits for the Senators back in 2013-14. Another expiring contract, Greening wouldn’t cost the Leafs or an acquiring team very much for the last couple of months but would give them a big body to put on the fourth line should they need it.
Obviously none of these players are game-changers or even excellent options for an NHL squad. But with teams using draft pick and prospect currency to add role players at the deadline each year, the Maple Leafs might be in an enviable position down the stretch. As we’ve seen recently with the Senators, who have lost Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan and Tommy Wingels in the past two days, depth is an important asset.
With their glut of young wing prospects to step into a scoring role should they lose any other top forwards, they have built some solid depth in the bottom six by just accepting bad contracts in their previous deals. While the salary cap has evened out the playing field somewhat between the rich and poor teams, the Maple Leafs have smartly used their financial muscle over the past few years in the few places that are still possible.
Expansion Draft Issues At The Trade Deadline: Forwards
This trade season is one like never before. The addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and the Expansion Draft that goes along with it add a whole other layer to trade-making this year. With each and every transaction, the expansion draft protection formula can change. Even in 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets were welcomed into the league, the expansion rules were not a strict and general managers did not have to be as paranoid about their moves. This time around, everything is different. What does it all mean? For fans, there is a real possibility that this could be the quietest Trade Deadline in recent memory. Buyers interested in impending free agent rentals may not have to worry about the draft implications, but the sellers potentially taking back roster players with term certainly do. Trading is hard enough, especially in a season with very few teams significantly out of the playoff race, and expansion will only increase those barriers. Luckily, there are several teams that need to make moves prior to the deadline or they could risk being in very sticky situations when the Knights get ready to make their selections. With teams like the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Anaheim Ducks, who have so much talented, veteran depth at multiple positions, there is really not much that they can do; they’re going to lose a good player. For others, a sensible contract extension can solve all of their problems. However, for these teams, making a trade before it’s too late may be exactly what they need. We’ve looked at the defense conundrums of the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and the goaltending scenario of the Philadelphia Flyers, but there a quite a few more teams with problems up front that need solving:
Chicago Blackhawks
Luckily for the Blackhawks, it’s hard to remember a deadline where GM Stan Bowman didn’t add a veteran forward. This year they may really need one though, regardless of their Cup run condition, to protect young scorer Ryan Hartman. The 22-year-old winger has 13 goals and 10 assists in his first full season with Chicago, and if nothing changes it would likely be his last season in Chicago. In setting their protected list for the Expansion Draft, the Blackhawks must protect Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, and Artem Anisimov due to their no-movement clauses. They would, of course, have protected those four anyway, but other than that group, the team has only two other players that meet the draft criteria of having two unprotected forwards that have played in 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and have term remaining on their contract: Marcus Kruger and Hartman. Kruger is not a great loss, but retaining Hartman is a major priority as the deadline approaches. The ‘Hawks could simply re-sign 30-year-old Andrew Desjardins or 34-year-old Jordin Tootoo, who both hit the 40/70 benchmark, but are impending free agents. However, the pair have combined for one point in 63 man-games this season and may not strike Bowman as players worth keeping, since they are nearly guaranteed to not be selected by Vegas. Richard Panik and Dennis Rasmussen are both restricted free agents who would also qualify if given an extension, but the team might think twice about exposing either player when they don’t have to. If push comes to shove, Chicago would surely rather lose Rasmussen or have to re-sign Desjardins if it means that Hartman is safe, but acquiring an affordable, serviceable forward with years remaining on his contract prior to the deadline may be the easier move for Bowman and company.
Dallas Stars
Despite their performance this season, the Stars are very much built like a team trying to make one last run at a Stanley Cup. Only five players on Dallas and on the AHL’s Texas Stars have both two years of professional play under their belt and term remaining on those contracts. The rest of the team is composed of impending unrestricted free agents and the AHL squad is mostly restricted free agents. Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza have no-movement clauses and are obviously safe, as is All-Star Tyler Seguin. However, without any further moves, Dallas would have to leave 25-year-old center Cody Eakin and team enforcer Antoine Roussel exposed in the draft. With the likes of Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie and (probably) Valeri Nichushkin needing to be protected as well, the Star’s may have to leave one or the other on the table, but certainly not both. Roussel is having a career year, on pace to beat his career-high 29 points while also skating a career-best 15 minutes per game. Eakin, who missed time earlier this year and has been held to just six points in 33 games, is regardless coming off of three straight seasons of 35+ points and is just entering his prime. If they want to protect one or both, moves need to be made. Dallas is not short on extension options, with UFA’s Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Lauri Korpikoski, Adam Cracknell and even the injured Ales Hemsky meeting the 40/70 criterion. However, if the Stars want to make up for their disappointing season, trading several of those players for picks and prospects at the deadline seems likely may eliminate some choices. In the process of moving out that trade capital, it may simply be easier for GM Jim Nill to add one or two qualifying forwards along the way.
The Brooks Laich Situation
The 2016-17 season is now a week old and Brooks Laich has yet to play a game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has yet to play a game with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. He has yet to play… at all. Laich is healthy, he’s willing, and he’s able. So what’s going on?
When the Maple Leafs acquired Laich from the Washington Capitals at the NHL Trade Deadline last season, it was more of a salary dump for Washington than a strategic addition for Toronto. However, Laich is an experienced veteran player who plays a smart, rugged style of hockey. If it wasn’t for his steep salary, many would have been shocked when Laich was put on waivers last week prior to the NHL roster deadline. However, he unsurprisingly cleared waivers. Yet, the team delayed sending him down to the Marlies. Since, he has been reassigned though.
According to Maple Leafs beat reporter Kristen Shilton who spoke with Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe, apparently the hold-up is simply that the organization does not know where they want Laich to play. Conversations have been ongoing between both coaching staffs, management, and even Laich himself. A healthy veteran with the ability to contribute, it seems as if there is confusion over whether he would benefit the young Leafs squad as an NHL player or the even younger Marlies team as more of a mentor. Since Laich put up only 14 points and was a -13 in 81 games between the Caps and Leafs last season, it seems more likely that he’ll stay with the Marlies until he is needed by the big-league team. The situation is strange and somewhat unprecedented, but a solution is expected soon.