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Devon Toews

Morning Notes: Penguins, Toews, Blackhawks

October 26, 2021 at 10:47 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins will still be without several top players as they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening. Sidney Crosby has been ruled out once again, despite joining the optional morning skate today. Jeff Carter remains asymptomatic and should join the group at the end of the week, but Kris Letang is experiencing symptoms, meaning he’ll be out a little longer. Vaccinated players must remain out for at least ten days if they have tested positive and are experiencing symptoms. Letang’s positive test result was confirmed yesterday, meaning he’s still out indefinitely.

Those absences–along with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, who are also dealing with injury–certainly haven’t slowed down the Penguins. Their early-season success shouldn’t really be much of a surprise, as Mike Sullivan has routinely found a way to win even with his best players on the sideline. Luckily, the Penguins are also in the midst of an eight-game homestand, and won’t have to hit the road until November 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

  • Devon Toews was cleared for controlled contact yesterday, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, and the defenseman is on the ice today at the Colorado Avalanche morning skate. His return is not imminent, but it’s a good sign to see Toews back on the ice with the rest of the team, even at an optional skate. The Avalanche aren’t off to the start they hoped for at 2-3 and with Samuel Girard now expected to miss a little bit of time, they could certainly use Toews back in the lineup. The team will welcome the rival Vegas Golden Knights this evening who are going through a slow start of their own.
  • Caleb Jones and Wyatt Kalynuk, both currently on injured reserve, were on the ice before the Chicago Blackhawks started practice today, according to Tracey Myers of NHL.com. The young defensemen would certainly be a welcome sight for the Blackhawks, who have allowed 27 goals through six games and incredibly not held a lead for a single second this season. Neither player is expected to return in the coming days, with Jones not even eligible for activation until he’s missed ten games given his LTIR designation. Still, it’s good to see both on the road to recovery after unfortunate preseason injuries.

Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews| Injury| Jeff Carter| Kris Letang| Pittsburgh Penguins

1 comment

Central Notes: Bowness, Toews, Perron

October 16, 2021 at 9:34 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

Going into the final year of a contract as a coach is a scenario that a lot of teams like to try to avoid but that’s not the case with the Stars and bench boss Rick Bowness.  Speaking with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News regarding his expiring deal, Bowness stated  “That doesn’t bother me one bit. Shouldn’t bother the players”.  The 66-year-old also admitted to turning down three deals with more money and term before originally committing to Dallas so clearly, there is some comfort in going with short-term agreements.  After a disappointing and injury-riddled season, many expect the Stars to bounce back this season which would bode well for his future behind the bench.

More from the Central Division:

  • Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews is expected to travel with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip and could be cleared to play at some point in that stretch, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The 27-year-old was a significant addition to Colorado’s back end last season as he logged nearly 25 minutes a night while chipping in with 31 points, the most in his career.  For the time being, Colorado is carrying a minimum-sized roster (though that could change by next week) so no roster move would be needed to activated Toews.
  • In a recent reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested that he thinks Blues winger David Perron could take another team-friendly deal around the $4MM mark if he has a similar showing to last season. While he could likely garner more on the open market, the 33-year-old hasn’t hidden his desire to be in St. Louis, signing back there each time he has reached free agency.  In order for him to remain there, Perron will need to take a below-market deal with St. Louis having over $72MM in commitments to just 14 players for next season, per CapFriendly, not leaving much wiggle room to fill out the rest of the roster.

Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| David Perron| Devon Toews| Rick Bowness| St. Louis Blues

6 comments

Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

October 15, 2021 at 2:07 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche are being hit with the injury bug early this season, as The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that forward Valeri Nichushkin is sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

With the team already missing Devon Toews and Pavel Francouz from their lineup prior to the season’s start, the team’s forward core has now lost three members in the past three days. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is suspended for the next two games, Nathan MacKinnon’s season debut is on hold as he remains on COVID protocol, and it’s now apparent the Avs have lost a third top-nine forward for the time being.

The 26-year-old Nichushkin has had somewhat of a career renaissance with Colorado after a rough start with the Dallas Stars, the team that drafted him 10th overall in 2013. He’s received Selke votes in back-to-back seasons, scoring 23 goals and 48 points in 120 games from 2019 to 2021 in an Avalanche uniform. Nichushkin had one assist in 15:03 of ice time on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.

The team will now turn to Mikko Rantanen to carry the offensive load in the absence of MacKinnon and Landeskog. They’ll look towards forwards like Andre Burakovsky, Tyson Jost, and a pair or rookies in Alex Newhook and Sampo Ranta to increase production in depth roles to compensate for the loss of Nichushkin.

Alex Newhook| Andre Burakovsky| Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| Devon Toews| Gabriel Landeskog| Injury| Mikko Rantanen| Nathan MacKinnon| Pavel Francouz| Rookies| Tyson Jost| Valeri Nichushkin

0 comments

Devon Toews To Miss Start Of Season Following Surgery

September 22, 2021 at 3:33 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche won’t have Devon Toews in the lineup on opening night, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the defenseman had shoulder surgery this offseason and has not yet been cleared for contact.

Toews, 27, had a brilliant first season in Colorado after the team acquired him from the New York Islanders last October. The trade, which cost the Avalanche two second-round picks, was followed quickly by a four-year, $16.4MM contract that showed just how much Toews’ new team believed in him. That belief paid off, as Toews became the regular partner of either Cale Makar or Samuel Girard and set new career-highs in goals and points despite playing just 53 games in the shortened season.

Locked in as a top-four option when healthy, Toews’ absence can only mean more minutes for young Bowen Byram and newcomer Ryan Murray as they piece together a group in the early part of the season. Bednar also explained that Kurtis MacDermid, acquired from the Seattle Kraken for a fourth-round pick, will start at defense but could end up playing some wing later on in the year.

The Avalanche still have a deep group on the back end, especially if Erik Johnson proves healthy again after playing in just four games during the 2020-21 campaign. The veteran is expected to be back, though it’s unclear what kind of role he’ll have now at age-33. The team also has Jack Johnson in training camp on a professional tryout, who could perhaps earn a spot if Colorado suffers any further injuries.

Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews

3 comments

Nathan MacKinnon Out Week-To-Week

February 2, 2021 at 11:12 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche are off to a relatively good start to the season, sitting at 6-3-1 through their first ten games and second in goal differential at +13. A big part of that success has been because of the play of Nathan MacKinnon, who scored 14 points in those ten games and generated 41 shots on goal. Unfortunately, MacKinnon suffered an injury against the Minnesota Wild, one that will now keep him out on a week-to-week basis, according to Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post.

While he’s clearly the biggest blow, MacKinnon won’t be the only player out for the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz, Erik Johnson, Devon Toews, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Matt Calvert are also all out “week-to-week,” according to head coach Jared Bednar. It’s no wonder the team tweeted “depth is the name of the game tonight.”

The Avalanche have plenty of other star power, but that’s a long list of important players to be sidelined all at once. The team takes on the Wild again tonight and Thursday before a two-game series against the division-leading St. Louis Blues on the weekend.

Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews| Erik Johnson| Injury| Jared Bednar| Matt Calvert| Nathan MacKinnon| Pavel Francouz

3 comments

Bowen Byram To Remain In NHL This Season

January 30, 2021 at 3:21 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

It should not come as much of a surprise that Bowen Byram isn’t going anywhere. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman will be in the lineup on Saturday for his sixth NHL game. In this shortened season, that means any further action will result in the first year of his entry-level contract tolling. His play tonight will not change the team’s mind, though. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that the decision has already been made that Byram will remain with the Avalanche for the rest of the season (and likely for much longer than that.)

If it wasn’t clear enough when the Avalanche traded away Ian Cole or when they subsequently risked the return, Greg Pateryn, on waivers, Byram’s role was never really in doubt. The 2019 No. 4 overall pick is an exceptional young defenseman and, as a player that Colorado hopes will be a core piece for years to come, they wanted to get him to the NHL as soon as possible. Through five games, he has given them no reason to doubt their decision. Byram recorded his first NHL point in his second game and topped 20 minutes of ice time in his fourth. He’s logged ten shots on goal, a few blocked shots, and a very impressive 59.1 Corsi For percentage. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about the rookie defenseman early on is that he actually hasn’t been that noticeable. The 19-year-old has stepped directly into a starting NHL job and has played relatively sound, mistake-free hockey thus far.

Now that his NHL job is secure, especially since he is still too young to play in the AHL, the next step for Byram is to take on even more responsibility. That may be coming sooner than later, too. The news on injured defenseman Devon Toews is not optimistic, with head coach Jared Bednar telling The Athletic’s Peter Baugh that it could be a long-term absence. Byram is among those who will be asked to step up in Toews’ place. So far, he has been somewhat sheltered in terms of minutes, match-ups, and defensive zone starts, but the two-way wunderkind will need to be ready to play a larger role moving forward. Fortunately for the Avalanche, there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to meet expectations.

Bowen Byram| Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews| Greg Pateryn| Ian Cole| Jared Bednar

5 comments

West Notes: Dunn, Avalanche, Balcers, Talbot

January 29, 2021 at 7:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The report earlier this week that the Blues are engaging in trade discussions around defenseman Vince Dunn came as a surprise to some but a slow start and eventual cap challenges once Vladimir Tarasenko is cleared to return is certainly among the reasons his name is out there.  In a reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posits another idea in that there is potentially a wide divide between what the team feels he’s worth versus what Dunn believes he’s worth.  Timmermann draws some parallels to former Blue Joel Edmundson who went year-to-year on his deal as the two sides were just too far apart to find common ground on a long-term agreement.  If that is indeed the case, moving Dunn now with three years of team control left after this one would make more sense than what happened with Edmundson who was moved to Carolina last year as salary ballast in the Justin Faulk trade.

More from the West Division:

  • The injuries continue to pile up for the Avalanche as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is expected to miss an extended amount of time, joining winger Matt Calvert and goalie Pavel Francouz in that particular category. Bellemare sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday’s game against San Jose.  Meanwhile, defenseman Devon Toews, who also briefly left yesterday’s contest, is also banged up with head coach Jared Bednar indicating that he’s unsure regarding the blueliner’s status.
  • Sharks winger Rudolfs Balcers has been cleared to play and will head to the minors for a conditioning stint, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links). The 23-year-old was claimed off waivers back on January 12th and received a non-roster designation the next day that lasted through today.  Balcers will be able to skate with AHL San Jose for up to two weeks before he must be recalled.
  • Minnesota is hoping to have goalie Cam Talbot available for their next game against Colorado on Saturday, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury with Kaapo Kahkonen making all three starts in his absence.  The team has sent Andrew Hammond back to the taxi squad while Dereck Baribeau has gone from the taxi squad to the minors, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links), suggesting that Talbot is indeed ready to return.

Andrew Hammond| Cam Talbot| Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews| Injury| Minnesota Wild| Rudolfs Balcers| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Taxi Squad| Vince Dunn

4 comments

Sammy Blais To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

January 14, 2021 at 11:35 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The season is exactly one day old and the Department of Player Safety already has some work to do. The department announced today that Sammy Blais of the St. Louis Blues will have a hearing today for an illegal check to the head on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews. Blais was given a two-minute minor penalty for elbowing during the match.

Toews was forced to leave the game but did return to log more than 22 minutes for the Avalanche.

This would be the first suspension in the new season and it seems as though any punishment would be even more punitive than normal. The schedule only has 55 more games on it for the Blues and every one of them is against a divisional opponent. The versatile Blais is an important part of head coach Craig Berube’s physical system, though he doesn’t drive offense or play a ton. His 155 hits last season led the Blues despite playing only 40 of the team’s 71 games.

Like every other team this season, St. Louis doesn’t have much time to sit around and wait for a ruling. The team is back in action against the Avalanche tomorrow night.

Colorado Avalanche| Devon Toews| St. Louis Blues

0 comments

Trade Review Poll: Which Off-Season Acquisition Will Have Greatest Impact?

November 8, 2020 at 12:08 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 14 Comments

As NHL teams have been forced to shuffle their rosters this off-season in response to the flat salary cap, this off-season has quietly been filled with meaningful trades. While free agent deals always seem to dominate the headlines, there have been at least 20 different trades that sent a notable player to a new locale. This started way back in August, even as the postseason was in full swing, as teams had to look ahead to next season as early as possible to get a jump on cap management. When 2020-21 kicks off, who will make the biggest impact on their new team?

August 25: In a trade that actually contained six players, the only name of immediate note was Kasperi Kapanen making his return to the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs had initially acquired Kapanen from Pittsburgh in the Phil Kessel trade, but clearly the Penguins maintained interest in the player. Back with the team that drafted him, Kapanen will very likely slot in on the Penguins’ top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel after scoring at a 40+ point full season pace in each of the last two seasons.

September 2: After many years, the Montreal Canadiens finally landed a reliable backup to Carey Price. In what amounted to a salary cap dump for the St. Louis Blues, the Habs acquired former starter Jake Allen. Although Allen played second fiddle to Jordan Binnington again this past season, he returned to form and outplayed the starter with an impressive .927 save percentage and 2.15 GAA. After signing an extension, Allen also has some job security in Montreal and may even have the added incentive of playing well in order to land the starting job for the Seattle Kraken.

September 11: After acquiring Kapanen, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew they needed to shed salary. They turned to former front office exec Bill Guerin, now the GM of the Minnesota Wild. The Wild landed forward Nick Bjugstad at next to no cost and Pittsburgh retained some salary as well. Back in the state where he made his name as a high school and college star, Bjugstad looks ready for a fresh start. In a forward group that is week down the middle and lacking in size, the big center is almost guaranteed a meaningful role. Bjugstad has been streaky and injury prone in his NHL career, but has also shown on multiple occasions that he has 50+ point upside playing a full season on a scoring line.

September 16: The Wild were right back at it a few days later, adding another new face to the forward corps. This time it cost them though. Minnesota acquired Marcus Johansson from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Eric Staal. Johansson provides great versatility as a player who can effectively play any forward position and in any situation. He has also scored at a half-point per-game pace or better for nine straight years with four different teams. Johansson should be able to step in and make an immediate impact. On the flip side, Staal provides the Sabres with a bona fide second line center and veteran leader that they have been sorely lacking. The experienced pivot may not have the positional versatility of Johansson, but is still a superior scoring threat at 36 and knows how to grind out wins in the regular season and postseason.

September 24: The Penguins make their third different deal in less than a month, sending veteran forward Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Michael Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour. While Matheson and Hornqvist are both overpaid, they each still bring value to their new team. Matheson, likely to play a bottom-pair role for Pittsburgh, is a huge upgrade to the players the Penguins rolled out on their final pairing last season. A perennial 20+ point producer and sound defensive player, Matheson will not be asked to play the same minutes as he did in Florida, but will still make the same impact in the minutes he does get from Pittsburgh. Hornqvist meanwhile has not played in more than 70 games in over four years, but is quietly still the same 50-point player that he always has been, just on a per-game basis. An expert net front presence and power play asset, Hornqvist will likely play a major role for a Panthers team that lost two of its top scorers to free agency.

September 26: In what was one of the more obvious salary cap dumps in recent memory, the New York Rangers traded away veteran defenseman Marc Staal and a second-round pick in exchange for “future considerations”. The lucky team on the other side was the Detroit Red Wings, who made out like bandits with a nice draft selection and a new veteran leader for their blue line. A young, rebuilding team who has seen countless veterans leave, many of whom just this off-season, Detroit adds a new face with years of experience and leadership in Staal. While he is definitely in decline at 33, Staal is still a strong defensive presence, a plus player, and a penalty kill asset. Even without much offensive upside, Staal seems locked in for at least a top-four role in Detroit.

October 5: It wasn’t the strategy that anyone expected, but the San Jose Sharks decided to try to solve their issues in net by bringing in another struggling veteran to compete with their current struggling veteran. Devan Dubnyk, who comes over from the Minnesota Wild, is just a few years removed from being one of the top keepers in the game. However, this past season he was not even close to that level of play, recording an .890 save percentage and 3.35 GAA, albeit in limited showings. He was one of the few goalies who performed worse was San Jose’s existing starter, Martin Jones. Dubnyk has more experience and his peaks are much higher than Jones’, but he is also four years older and may have less of an ability to return to form. Perhaps the goal is simply to elevate Jones’ game by giving him an established backup to compete with, but there is always the possibility that Dubnyk emerges the victor.

October 6: Two teams on the fringes of being contenders, each with specific needs up front, made a big swap that will have ramification far beyond this next season. The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets exchanged restricted free agent forwards Max Domi and Josh Anderson, each of whom will look to rebound and play a major role for their new teams. Domi fills a need at center for Columbus and hopes to use his new two-year extension to finally earn a long-term home after bouncing around early in his NHL career. A player who has shown immense scoring potential, including a 72-point season in 2018-19, Domi could be a major difference-maker on the second line for the Blue Jackets, who desperately need scoring depth. Anderson was not able to provide that this past season, missing most of the year due to injury and underperforming when healthy. However, he too had a breakout 2018-19 campaign, recording 27 goals and 47 points. The Canadiens believe that this is his long-term yearly value, as they did not hesitate to sign Anderson to a seven-year deal. Montreal needs size up front and they hope the 6’3″, 220-lb. Anderson can be an impact power forward for years to come.

October 7: The Ottawa Senators have a deep pipeline of goaltenders, but did not have anyone ready to be a starter this coming season and perhaps for a couple seasons after that. As a result, they ignored that depth and landed a starter for the present who doubles as a starter of the future in young Matt Murray. A streaky, but accomplished keeper, Murray came over from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the price of a second-round pick and a prospect, but will be well worth it if he can solidify the net for the Senators. They certainly seem to think he will, signing him to a long-term deal. At just 26, Murray already has just under 200 regular season appearances and over 50 postseason appearances, with a pair of Stanley Cups backed up by stellar stats.

The same day, the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild swapped forwards, as the Wild continued to address the center position while the Predators got younger and faster. Minnesota acquired veteran center Nick Bonino to anchor the team’s third line, as he has for so many other teams. A two-way pivot who is good for 30-40 points and solid defensive play, Bonino is a useful addition for the Wild. Going the other way was 22-year-old Luke Kunin, who recorded 31 points in 63 games in just his third pro season this year. The 2016 first-round pick has found success at every level and on every team he has played for. Aiming for a top-six role in Nashville, Kunin could be an impact player right away and for years to come.

October 8: The Ottawa Senators continued to add via trade when they swung a deal for physical defenseman Erik Gudbranson from the Anaheim Ducks. A player who has now been traded three times in two years, Gudbranson is either in demand or expendable. He could be both for the Sens, who will give him a top-four role and let him be the defensively responsible counter to their other younger, more offensively-inclined defenseman, then could look to trade him away before his contract expires at year’s end.

Another defenseman was sold off for a late pick the same day and that was Ryan Murray. Though Murray has had immense struggles with health over the years, he had been a good player for the Columbus Blue Jackets when active. However, the team’s depth forced them to deal him away and the New Jersey Devils were the lucky recipients. While Murray is still remembered for his puck-moving pedigree as the No. 2 overall pick in 2012, he has taken on more of a two-way, defensive prowess in the pros and is very solid (again, when healthy). The Devils will almost certainly give Murray top-four and perhaps even top-pair opportunities and if they are fortunate enough to have him for a full season, they could be looking at one of the best value additions of the off-season.

October 9: As the Vegas Golden Knights cleared space for the off-season’s biggest free agent signing, it meant letting go of a proven veteran asset. The Knights traded center Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets, letting go of a valuable two-way forward. While Stastny had an off year this past season, he is just one year removed from recording 42 points in 50 games, a 69-point full season pace. And he finished the season prior to that with none other than the Jets, with an incredible performance of 13 points in 19 regular season games followed by 15 points in 17 postseason games. Stastny has already shown that he can be an elite producer with Winnipeg’s talented forward group and has tremendous upside in the coming season. Even at 34, don’t be surprised to see the all-around forward return to form and potentially even rival the 70-point seasons of his early playing days.

October 10: If Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman knows one thing, it’s how to make a trade involving Brandon Saad. Saad was traded away to the Colorado Avalanche in a four-player deal, marking the third time in five years that has been traded away or to the Blackhawks. The key return for Chicago was young defenseman Nikita Zadorov. In Saad, the Avalanche add a legitimate top-six forward who will help their depth, especially in light of the injuries suffered by some of their top players last season. Saad has recorded 47+ points four times in seven full NHL seasons and would have hit 47 on the nose again this past season based on an 82-game pace. A consistent scorer with great finish and possession ability, Saad is a nice get for the Avs. Meanwhile, as Chicago begins a rebuild they have new cornerstone piece on defense in the 6’6″, 235-lb. Zadorov. A big, physical defenseman, Zadorov can sit back and be a reliable defensive presence, freeing up other members of the Blackhawks’ budding new defense corps, like Ian Mitchell and Adam Boqvist, to play their offensive game.

The same day, the New Jersey Devils made another buy-low addition, landing Andreas Johnsson from the Toronto Maple Leafs. A young player who has already shown signs of 50+ point upside, Johnsson will now find consistent top-six time and power play opportunity in New Jersey, which should get him closer to that mark. In need of impact wingers for Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes but not willing to derail the rebuild with high-priced trades or contracts, the Devils land a young player at next to no trade cost who is signed for several more years at an affordable price. It is the perfect fit and should pan out.

October 12: The Colorado Avalanche were back in the headlines a couple of days later when they dealt two second-round picks to the New York Islanders for RFA defenseman Devon Toews. The Islanders needed cap space and dealt from a position of immense depth and talent on defense. Yet, Toews was critically underrated in New York and the team gave up a very talented player. The rich get richer in Colorado, as Toews joins another strong blue line, but this time will be locked in for a top-four role and will get his due attention on one of the league’s top contenders. Even with only two NHL seasons under his belt, Toews has proven to be productive, defensively sound, an asset in puck possession, and overall capable of big minutes and an every-situation role. Toews may not be the biggest name traded this off-season, but could wind up as one of the best acquisitions.

Amazingly, the very last trade made in the NHL so far this season came nearly a month ago. In the final push needed for the Vegas Golden Knights to sign Alex Pietrangelo, the team dealt top pair defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks in order to clear the necessary space. It was quite a sacrifice and one the Canucks are happy about. At the cost of a third-round pick, a team who had had a disastrous off-season that point landed a bona fide top pair defenseman who is signed long-term. Schmidt did it all for Vegas: team-leading minutes, 30+ points, defensive awareness, shot blocking,  possession, power play and penalty kill roles, and even locker room leadership. A player with a strong all-around game who is respected by teammates and opponents alike, Schmidt is a rare player to come across. Vancouver essentially lucked into him and it might just be the best trade of the off-season.

What do you think? Which trade acquisition will have the greatest impact in 2020-21 and beyond?

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Adam Boqvist| Alex Pietrangelo| Anaheim Ducks| Andreas Johnsson| Brandon Saad| Buffalo Sabres| Carey Price| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Colton Sceviour| Columbus Blue Jackets| Detroit Red Wings| Devan Dubnyk| Devon Toews| Eric Staal| Erik Gudbranson| Florida Panthers| Free Agency| Ian Mitchell| Injury| Jack Hughes| Jake Allen| Jake Guentzel| Jordan Binnington| Josh Anderson| Kasperi Kapanen| Luke Kunin| Marc Staal| Marcus Johansson| Martin Jones| Matt Murray| Max Domi| Michael Matheson| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| Nashville Predators| Nate Schmidt| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| NHL| Nick Bjugstad| Nick Bonino| Nico Hischier| Nikita Zadorov| Ottawa Senators| Patric Hornqvist| Paul Stastny| Phil Kessel| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Polls| RFA| Salary Cap| San Jose Sharks| Seattle| Seattle Kraken| St. Louis Blues| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights| Winnipeg Jets

14 comments

2020 Arbitration Tracker

November 6, 2020 at 9:35 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

Originally published on Oct 13

The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first three being held on October 20. Hearings will continue through November 8. It is important to remember that this offseason, once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question while the arbitrator deliberates.

The full schedule is:

October 20

Andrew Mangiapane – Settled, 2 years $2.43MM AAV
Anthony DeAngelo – Settled, 2 years $4.8MM AAV
Matt Grzelcyk – Settled, 4 years, $3.69MM AAV

October 21

Ilya Mikheyev – Settled, 2 years $1.65MM AAV

October 22

Connor Brown – Settled, 3 years, $3.6MM AAV

October 25

Tyler Bertuzzi – Player filing: $4.25MM – Team filing: $3.15MM – Awarded: $3.5MM

October 26

Linus Ullmark – Settled, 1 year, $2.6MM AAV

October 27

Sam Reinhart – Settled, 1 year, $5.2MM AAV

October 28

Jake Virtanen* – Settled, 2 years, $2.55MM AAV

October 30

Joshua Ho-Sang – Settled, 1 year, $700K AAV (two-way)

October 31

Devon Toews – Settled, 4 years, $4.1MM AAV
Alexandar Georgiev – Settled, 2 years, $2.43MM AAV

November 1

Nick Paul – Settled, 2 years, $1.35MM AAV

November 2

Gustav Forsling  – Settled, 1 year, $700K AAV (two-way)

November 4

Victor Olofsson – Settled, 2 years, $3.05MM AAV
Warren Foegele – Settled, 1 year, $2.14MM AAV

November 5

Ryan Strome – Player filing: $5.7MM, Team Filing: 3.6MM – Settled: 2 years, $4.5MM AAV

November 6

Brendan Lemieux – Player filing: $2MM, Team Filing: 2 years, $1.0125MM AAV – Settled: 2 years, $1.55MM AAV
Ryan Pulock – Settled, 2 years, $5.0MM AAV

November 7

Christian Jaros – Settled, 1 year, $750K (two-way)

November 8

Chris Tierney – Settled, 2 years, $3.5MM AAV
MacKenzie Weegar – Settled, 3 years $3.25MM AAV
Haydn Fleury – Settled, 2 years, $1.3MM AAV

*Virtanen was not included in the NHLPA’s announcement, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports he will have a hearing on the 28th. 

Alexandar Georgiev| Andrew Mangiapane| Anthony DeAngelo| Arbitration| Brendan Lemieux| Chris Tierney| Christian Jaros| Connor Brown| Devon Toews| Gustav Forsling| Haydn Fleury| Ilya Mikheyev| Linus Ullmark| MacKenzie Weegar| Ryan Pulock| Ryan Strome| Sam Reinhart| Schedule| Tyler Bertuzzi| Victor Olofsson

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