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Elliotte Friedman

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Nick Paul

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The Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t done after acquiring Brandon Hagel on Friday. Instead, they are continuing to bolster their forward corps. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the Bolts have traded for the Ottawa Senators’ Nick Paul. Going the other way is Tampa forward Mathieu Joseph and a 2024 fourth-round pick, per The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. The Senators are retaining 44.5% of Paul’s $1.35MM cap hit, approximately $601K. Both teams have confirmed the deal.

Even though the Bolts seemed to be out of options after adding Hagel, they manage to flip Joseph for Paul with a negligible impact on their difficult cap situation. With the salary retention, Paul will only cost about $749K, while Joseph was making $737.5K. It leaves under $5K in LTIR space for Tampa, but space all the same. That retention is likely what cost the Lightning their draft pick, which leaves them with just seven picks in the first four rounds over the next three years.

In many ways it may seem like swapping Joseph, a 25-year-old impending RFA with 18 points, for Paul, a 27-year-old impending UFA with 18 points, seems like a downgrade. However, Joseph is arbitration eligible this offseason and was unlikely to return to Tampa Bay anyway. He also has managed just 18 points with the high-flying Lightning, while Paul has done the same with the lowly Senators. Paul also brings a superior defensive game and more experience. His two-way ability garnered attention from around the league, but the Lightning were the lucky ones to land him and Paul will be equally excited to chase a championship and boost his numbers before hitting the open market.

 

Anaheim Ducks Claim Gerry Mayhew

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The Anaheim Ducks have decided to claim minor league star Gerry Mayhew off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Mayhew, 29, has been a top goal scorer in the AHL for several years, including a 39-goal season in 2019-20 with the Iowa Wild. Unfortunately, that minor league success hasn’t translated to much playing time in the NHL, with Mayhew suiting up just 42 times in his career so far. Twenty-five of those have come this season with the Flyers, resulting in six goals (and no assists).

The undrafted forward will now take his talents to the west coast, where the Ducks have sold off several pieces over the last few days. Among the outgoing names was Nicolas Deslauriers, meaning they have some minutes available up front. While Mayhew is certainly not a Deslauriers replacement in style, he at least can give them a bit more depth down the stretch and perhaps even add a few more of those goals.

Signed to a one-year, two-way contract that comes with an NHL cap hit of $800K, Mayhew cannot be assigned to the minor leagues and will stay on Anaheim’s NHL roster for the time being. Importantly, that also means that he won’t be eligible to play in the AHL down the stretch or into the playoffs, as he won’t be there at tomorrow’s roster deadline.

Extension Notes: Severson, Forsberg, Paul

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After seeing the packages that fellow defensemen Ben Chiarot and Hampus Lindholm were traded for, Damon Severson’s name began circulating as a potential trade chip for the New Jersey Devils. When asked about the possibility of Severson being moved, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman put the brakes on the idea, indicating that he believed Severson wanted to stay and was interested in discussing a contract extension (link). Severson is currently in the second-to-last year of a six-year, $25MM contract he signed with the Devils prior to the 2017-18 season, which carries a cap hit just below $4.2MM.

If Severson was to discuss an extension with the Devils, the two sides could not begin those discussions until at least July 1st of this year, and any extension with Severson would not begin until his age 29 season, starting in 2023-24. It’s a fair point to wonder if Severson should be dangled at this year’s trade deadline, as the talented defenseman is not a rental, having an additional year of term at a reasonable cap-hit, is on pace to have a career year, currently sitting on 33 points in 60 games, and the Devils well out of playoff position. Also, comparing the packages the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks received for Chiarot and Lindholm, respectively, it’s plausible to think Severson could fetch New Jersey a strong return.

  • Last night on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman touched on Filip Forsberg’s contract-extension status and potential trade market. He says that the two sides are not close and that talks have not gone well, and that he believes Nashville Predators’ GM David Poile haas tested the market on Forsberg. Despite this, Friedman says he does not believe that Forsberg is going to be traded at the deadline. While nobody knows for certain where the two sides are in their negotiation, the general expectation is that the Predators do not want to go beyond Roman Josi’s $9.059MM cap hit, however Forsberg may believe he can get at least $10MM per year on the open market. Even without an extension in place, it makes sense that Nashville would hold onto Forsberg. With the team in playoff position, Forsberg could act as a sort-of rental for the Predators.
  • Friedman also touched on the Ottawa Senators’ Nick Paul and his extension talks with the team. He believes that while both sides want Paul to remain in Ottawa, they have both dug in in their negotiation. As a result, Paul could be dealt by Monday if an extension is not reached. Although the Senators would prefer to keep Paul, the gritty, well-rounded forward should develop a strong market from contending teams.

New York Rangers Have Shown Interest In Alexander Radulov

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In most trade speculation about the Dallas Stars, the big names being thrown around are John Klingberg and Braden Holtby. Both players are unlikely to be moved by Monday’s deadline according to general manager Jim Nill, but there is another name on an expiring contract that has drawn at least some interest. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the New York Rangers have shown interest in Alexander Radulov.

Whether that interest remains after the Rangers acquired Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers this week is unclear, though Radulov’s name is an interesting one that hasn’t been brought up much. The 35-year-old forward is on the final season of a five-year, $31.25MM contract he signed in 2017 and holds a 15-team no-trade clause. He’s also been almost entirely irrelevant this season for the Stars, registering just three goals and 18 points in 52 games.

As team reporter Mike Heika tweets, Radulov is once again expected to play on the fourth line when the Stars take on his old team the Montreal Canadiens this evening. The veteran forward has been seeing less and less ice time as the season progresses, averaging just over 11 min since the start of February (16 games). That’s a far cry from the player who was over 20 minutes a night in his first year with Dallas, one of the two consecutive 72-point campaigns he put up after arriving in Texas. Since that 2018-19 season though, he’s appeared to be in a steep decline, and has just 22 goals and 64 points in the 123 games since.

Of course, what kind of return could Radulov even bring, given his steep cap hit? The Stars could retain up to 50 percent, though even at that number an acquiring team would likely need him to play more than fourth-line minutes. New York in particular does have a bit of an imbalance when it comes to wingers, with more talent on the left side than Radulov’s natural right, but it’s extremely unclear where he would fit into the regular lineup after Vatrano’s addition.

Still, it’s another name to be cognizant of as the deadline approaches and teams look to try to find any underutilized talent around the league. If Radulov could even bring a few weeks of his former self, he could help a playoff team add some punch to the bottom of their lineup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ryan Dzingel Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Dzingel has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  He’s now eligible to be sent to the Barracuda of the AHL.

Friday: After finding himself a healthy scratch again recently, Ryan Dzingel is now on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Because he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks themselves, the Toronto Maple Leafs now have an opportunity to potentially claim him and send him directly to the minor leagues. They’ll only be able to do that if they are the only team that puts in a claim though, so his future isn’t yet clear.

It’s been an odd year for Dzingel, who signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Arizona Coyotes in the offseason. After playing in 26 games and not really finding his footing with the Coyotes, he was included in a trade that saw Ilya Lyubushkin head to Toronto. Before even getting on a plane, the 30-year-old forward was put on waivers, where the Sharks claimed him as they dealt with some forward injuries. Now, after just six games with the Sharks, he’s available to the whole league once again.

In this case, that $1.1MM cap hit actually works against him, as teams won’t want to carry the extra money if he’s not a regular in the lineup. If he’s claimed tomorrow he’ll have to stay on the active roster, at least for anyone but the Maple Leafs. For Toronto, who were open about the fact that they hoped to slip him through waivers and stash him in the minor leagues after the trade, he could be a valuable injury replacement option.

Still, it’s a far fall for a player who scored 49 goals over a two-season stretch just a few years ago and was traded for Anthony Duclair and two second-round picks in 2019. Dzingel has struggled ever since, and has just five goals and eight points in 32 total games this season.

Philadelphia Flyers Extend Rasmus Ristolainen

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The Philadelphia Flyers may be sellers, but that doesn’t mean they are going to send all of their deadline assets packing. Instead of shipping out pending free agent Rasmus Ristolainen, the team has signed him to a five-year extension that carries an average annual value of $5.1MM. PuckPedia has the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $4.0MM
  • 2023-24: $5.5MM
  • 2024-25: $6.5MM
  • 2025-26: $5.5MM
  • 2026-27: $4.0MM

From the moment they acquired him last offseason, sending Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round pick (14th overall) and a 2023 second-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres, the Flyers have maintained that they brought in Ristolainen to keep him. An extension was always the preference, though after a nightmare season for the team, one in which Ristolainen once again put up terrible analytical metrics (and continued his notorious streak of negative performances), it wasn’t clear if the Flyers would move in a different direction and recoup some of the expended assets at the deadline.

Instead, they’ll be locking in the 27-year-old defenseman to a long-term deal that takes him well into his thirties. Ristolainen has 13 points in 49 games this season while averaging more than 21 minutes a night, almost all of those even-strength minutes coming beside Travis Sanheim. He hasn’t proven to be the offensive catalyst he was in Buffalo without the extensive powerplay time, but still does bring a high level of physicality and contributes to the penalty kill. General manager Chuck Fletcher explained:

Rasmus is an important part of our team and we are very happy to have him on our blue line for the next five years. He is committed to being a Flyer, and brings a consistent physical presence to our team.

It’s that size-skating combo that makes Ristolainen such an attractive defenseman in theory. The 6’4″ behemoth can move around the ice with ease, jump in on plays or catch attackers by surprise with a big open-ice hit. But his decision-making, rush, and in-zone defense have still left something to be desired after the move to Philadelphia, something that the team is obviously comfortable moving forward with.

When Flyers CEO Dave Scott explained that he was giving Fletcher a “blank check” to fix the Flyers, big free agent splashes were expected. The team is getting an early start on that market by locking up Ristolainen, though his new deal will actually come in a hair lower than the $5.4MM cap hit he currently carries. Claude Giroux, Derick Brassard, Justin Braun, Keith Yandle, Kevin Connauton, Nick Seeler, and others remain unsigned, meaning the team still has some trade deadline bullets to fire if they want to add some assets in the weeks to come.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report a deal was close.

Buddy Robinson Clears Waivers

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March 3: Robinson has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

March 2: The Anaheim Ducks have placed Buddy Robinson on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This is his second time on waivers in 2021-22, after clearing just before the start of the regular season.

Given that Robinson, 30, has played in 23 games for the Ducks this season, he needed to go on waivers again before heading to the minor leagues. The 6’6″ winger doesn’t play much, but you notice him when he’s out there for Anaheim, racking up hits and generally imposing his will on the opposition physically.

Robinson has even set a career-high with four points this season, taking his total to seven through 44 NHL games. He also has two fighting majors and 43 hits, while averaging fewer than ten minutes a night.

If a team is looking for some size, he can certainly fill that role, but with a limited amount of upside at the NHL level and a whopping $400K minor league guarantee, it seems unlikely that a team would want to nab Robinson at this point. He is much more valuable in the minor leagues, which any claiming team wouldn’t be able to send him until getting him through waivers themselves.

Brendan Perlini, Petteri Lindbohm Clear Waivers

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Mar 1: Johnston reports that both have cleared waivers. Either one can now be assigned to the minor leagues, though Lindbohm’s placement on waivers was simply to enter the NHL after playing overseas this season.

Feb 28: Two players have hit waivers today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Brendan Perlini of the Edmonton Oilers and Petteri Lindbohm of the Florida Panthers have both been waived and are available to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Lindbohm has signed through the end of this season, and PuckPedia reports that it is a one-year, one-way, $750K contract for the European free agent.

This is the second time that Perlini has hit waivers this season, after he cleared in December. The 12th-overall pick from 2014 has been his frustratingly inconsistent self again this season, showing flashes of brilliance too often followed by long stretches of invisibility. The 6’3″ forward has all the raw tools to be an impact power forward at the NHL level, but still has just four goals and five points in 23 games for the Oilers this season.

It’s not that the team needs Perlini to step into a top-six role, but it’s very clear that the Jay Woodcroft-led coaching staff doesn’t trust him to play regular minutes in any lineup spot. In the nine games since he took over behind the bench, Perlini has played just twice and has seen the ice for a total (not average) of 11 minutes and one second. In yesterday’s loss to Carolina, he was given just nine shifts even in a game when they had just 11 forwards dressed and logged the lowest ice time of any forward on the Oilers.

With a $750K cap hit on a one-year deal, perhaps someone else will take a chance and try to coax out the player that scored 17 goals and 30 points in 2017-18, or even the one who had 12 goals in 46 games down the stretch for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19. But more likely Perlini is headed back to the minor leagues, where he has played two games for the Bakersfield Condors this season.

In Lindbohm’s case, it’s a very different story. The 28-year-old defenseman must have signed a contract with the Panthers after his KHL season came to an end with Jokerit pulling out of the postseason this weekend. The former St. Louis Blues player hasn’t seen NHL action since 2016-17, and has spent the last four seasons playing overseas.

A big, mobile defenseman, Lindbohm just won gold at the Olympics with Finland and has been a strong contributor at both the Swiss and KHL levels over the last few years. He has just 40 games of NHL experience, but would provide Florida with another depth option as they trek toward the playoffs.

Dallas Stars Claim Marian Studenic; Waive Tanner Kero

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Feb 25: Kero has cleared waivers, and can now be assigned to the AHL’s Texas Stars per Chris Johnston of TSN. It is the second time this season that Kero has cleared waivers. Kero has two assists in three total games with the AHL’s Stars so far this season.

Feb 24: The Dallas Stars have made a forward swap, claiming Marian Studenic from the New Jersey Devils and placing Tanner Kero on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

The swap is one depth forward without a ton of offensive upside for another, as Studenic and Kero have combined for one goal and four points in 40 games this season. The difference for the Stars is the six-year age difference in Studenic’s favor, along with the fact that Kero will likely clear waivers and remain with the organization.

Now 29, Kero is in the first season of a two-year contract he signed last spring that comes with a huge minor league guarantee, and given his lack of success in the NHL, it seems likely that he’ll be reporting to the Texas Stars in the next few days.

For Studenic, he joins a team much closer to the playoffs and avoids returning to the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the last few seasons. If he can find a way into the Dallas lineup, he’ll also set himself up for a much better negotiation this offseason, when he’s an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

In addition to those two moves, the Stars have recalled Riley Tufte from the AHL and placed Andrej Sekera on long-term injured reserve due to a non-COVID-related viral infection, retroactive to January 28.

Chicago Blackhawks Down To Three Candidates In GM Search

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The Chicago Blackhawks have whittled their general manager search down to just three names, according to multiple reports including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Those three names are Kyle Davidson–who is currently serving as interim GM–Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche and Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg.

Greenberg’s name obviously stands out as someone that would be coming in from outside of the hockey world, though Friedman writes that he “knocked it onto Waveland Avenue” in his interview process. The Blackhawks are desperately trying to change the image of their organization and looked well outside the box in their search, though hiring Greenberg would certainly raise some eyebrows around the league given his lack of NHL experience.

Darche meanwhile is sort of the opposite, as someone who played in the league and has been interviewed for other jobs around the league. The 45-year-old has been with Tampa Bay since 2019 and is considered one of the most sought-after up-and-coming executives in the league, even if he too doesn’t have a ton of experience in an NHL front office at this point. A veteran of 250 NHL games, he also suited up more than 500 times in the minor leagues and has bounced all around the continent playing pro hockey.

Interestingly enough, Davidson appeared to be a surprising choice when he was named interim GM in the first place. He has been with the Blackhawks for a decade, working his way up from intern to assistant general manager, but was still relatively unknown when he took the reins. If he eventually is handed the full-time job it will be an incredible rise in a single organization.

It’s still not exactly clear when a decision will be made, though with the interview period over, one would assume it is coming quickly. Whoever does take over will have just a few weeks before the trade deadline to make some big decisions.

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