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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.

Lane Pederson Clears Waivers

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Feb 22: Not only did the Sharks grab Dzingel, but Pederson has also cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of TSN, meaning they’ll keep him in the organization. Pederson can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 21: Toronto is apparently on the way to San Jose. The San Jose Sharks have claimed Ryan Dzingel off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, just days after the team acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. To open a roster spot, the Sharks have waived Lane Pederson according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

When the Maple Leafs acquired Dzingel, they quickly explained that the plan was to put him on waivers and try to keep him in the organization as a depth option. His entire $1.1MM cap hit could be buried in the minor leagues, giving them an experienced NHL option to replace the outgoing Nick Ritchie. Instead, he’ll get a chance to jump into the lineup with the Sharks, where he’ll have to be kept on the active roster.

It’s certainly not like Dzingel deserves to be in the minor leagues. Though his offensive production has dropped off in recent years, he still is an excellent skater with strong defensive capabilities. In 26 games for the Coyotes this year he scored four goals and seven points, but perhaps could get a bigger opportunity with the reeling Sharks. The team has won one game over the last month, often scoring two or fewer goals in the process.

The last time an underused forward came to San Jose from Toronto, it certainly worked out for the new club. Alexander Barabanov ended up with the Sharks after 22 largely underwhelming games with the Maple Leafs and now is a regular in the team’s top-six. While Dzingel may not be able to recreate the 26 points in 41 games Barabanov has this season, he has performed to that level in the past and potentially could still be a nice addition.

The player he’s replacing in Pederson, meanwhile, has just not been able to create any offense at all this year. In 26 games, Pederson is still without a single goal and has recorded just two assists. The fact that he’s in the first season of a two-year deal that will be one-way in 2022-23, likely keeps him from being claimed on waivers.

For Toronto, the overall effect of the trade is Ritchie (and a draft pick) out, Ilya Lybushkin in, for roughly the same cap hit. The difference is that the defenseman will actually stay on the Maple Leafs roster, meaning as a net transaction, they’ve actually created a bit of cap space.

Snapshots: Islanders, Blackhawks, Korpisalo

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The New York Islanders are starting to catch up in terms of games played but that doesn’t mean they’re any closer to a playoff spot, as they keep losing and now sit 17-20-6 on the season. With that, rumors of them as deadline sellers are starting to emerge, with James Nichols of The Fourth Period suggesting that long-time Islander Cal Clutterbuck could be on the move.

Clutterbuck, 34, is in the final season of a five-year, $17.5MM contract extension he signed in 2016 and has more than 900 games of NHL experience. The bang-and-crash forward isn’t a particularly effective offensive player but is a fearless, physical forward that could add a playoff-style option for many contenders around the league.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks continue to interview candidates from outside of the hockey world for their vacant general manager position. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet connects the Blackhawks to Teresa Resch, currently the Toronto Raptors vice president of basketball operations & player development. The Blackhawks already interviewed Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg, along with several more traditional hockey candidates.
  • When the Columbus Blue Jackets recalled Jean-Francois Berube under emergency conditions, alarm bells went up for some fans as it wasn’t clear what had happened to their normal goaltenders. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Joonas Korpisalo is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. That’s something to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches given Korpisalo’s status as a potential rental, though his play this season has obviously had a bigger impact on his value than any minor injury. In 18 appearances, Korpisalo has an .887 save percentage and hasn’t seen game action since January.

Calgary Flames Acquire Tyler Toffoli

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The Calgary Flames have been interested in Montreal Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli for some time, and they’ve finally landed their man. The team has sent a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round pick, prospect Emil Heinemann and forward Tyler Pitlick to the Canadiens in exchange for Toffoli. The first-round selection is top-10 protected, though with Calgary’s current position that seems unlikely to occur anyway. If they do end up with a top-10 pick, Calgary would instead send their 2023 first-round selection and an extra fourth-round pick in 2024. Chris Johnston of TSN adds that no salary has been retained in the deal.

Toffoli, 29, has been an excellent offensive piece since arriving in Montreal, recording 37 goals and 70 points in 89 games with the Canadiens. While only nine of those goals have come this season, almost all of the Canadiens’ forwards have seen a dip in production due to the weak overall play of the team. If there’s anyone in the league that knows exactly what Toffoli can bring to the ice it is Flames head coach Darryl Sutter, who coached the forward to a Stanley Cup championship in 2014 when both were with the Los Angeles Kings.

The fact that Calgary has an obvious hole on the right side in the top-nine also makes Toffoli a perfect addition, though he can sometimes be a tough player to fit in with certain linemates. A powerful skater, he’s not a particularly graceful or efficient one, and his offensive chances usually come from his top-notch hockey IQ and anticipation instead of raw tools. Should he join Calgary, Sutter and company would need to find a mix that maximizes those abilities.

Notably, Toffoli also doesn’t represent a deadline rental. Signed to a four-year, $17MM contract in the fall of 2020, he is signed through 2023-24 at a $4.25MM cap hit. That’s certainly a reasonable amount given his offensive upside and the Flames have more than enough money coming off the books at the end of the year to go shopping for players with term. Even if they can get a deal done with Johnny Gaudreau to keep him in Calgary, names like Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson are all pending unrestricted free agent who could be shed to create some additional flexibility.

That also could be a pointed look at how Montreal GM Kent Hughes is planning on moving forward with the current roster. He has hinted already that there would be substantial changes to the roster–not just rental sell-offs like Chiarot–as he looks to turn around the franchise. With this trade they’ve made the first major incision into the core group, carving out a key player for a package of futures.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that the Canadiens were especially interested in Heineman, who they will still need to sign. The 20-year-old prospect arrived in the Calgary organization from the Florida Panthers in last year’s Sam Bennett trade after being selected in the second round in 2020. A forward that plays for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League, he has 16 points in 36 games. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked Heineman as the seventh-best prospect in Calgary’s system.

Adding another first-round pick is also notable because this year’s draft is in Montreal. The team already had 11 picks and will likely add even more before the March 21 deadline, with players like Ben Chiarot still garnering interest. If you wanted to rebuild the entire system, that kind of a draft is the best way to start.

For Calgary though, a move like this shows just how invested they are in a long playoff run this season. The team could potentially lose Gaudreau to free agency, will have to work out a new deal with Matthew Tkachuk, and will no longer have luxuries like Oliver Kylington on a league-minimum contract after this season. They have all the pieces to contend for the Stanley Cup and Toffoli’s addition should only strengthen their lineup with some added secondary scoring.

By moving Pitlick out at the same time, the Flames also created enough room to avoid any cap issues. The biggest concern for most contenders–and enticing prospect for most sellers–is how difficult the flat cap has made it to add at the deadline. Calgary avoids having to pay a premium for salary retention, even if they are still handing out a fairly substantial package for the veteran forward. Pitlick happens to be joining his cousin Rem Pitlick with the Canadiens, who was claimed off waivers last month, but the newcomer could also be flipped if healthy at the deadline. Since he is a pending UFA, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Canadiens to keep him–Pitlick netted the Seattle Kraken a fourth-round pick last summer.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first tweeted that talks were picking up steam between the two clubs. 

Brad Malone, Justin Dowling Clear Waivers

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Feb 11: Malone and Dowling have both cleared, according to Friedman. They can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 10: The waiver wire has two players on it today, as Brad Malone of the Edmonton Oilers and Justin Dowling of the Vancouver Canucks are both available for claim according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If Malone’s name surprises you, it should; the veteran forward had been playing on an AHL contract but has now signed a one-year, two-way, NHL deal with the Oilers. In order to return to Bakersfield for the time being, he needs to clear waivers after signing the new deal.

Malone, 32, is the captain of the Condors, meaning he likely has a close relationship with Jay Woodcroft, who is now taking over as head coach of the Oilers after Dave Tippett was let go earlier today. That isn’t necessarily the reason for this contract though, as reports had surfaced much earlier in the year that Edmonton wanted to sign Malone to an NHL deal but couldn’t for salary cap reasons. Still, Woodcroft’s promotion could certainly mean that there is a bit of NHL playing time in Malone’s future, depending on what happens with the rest of the roster.

If he does come back up at some point, it certainly wouldn’t be a new experience. Malone has more than 200 NHL games under his belt to this point, including some playoff contests back when he was with the Colorado Avalanche organization. He played 16 games with the Oilers in 2018-19, his last appearance in the NHL.

Dowling meanwhile has played in 22 games with the Canucks this season, including last night’s loss against the New York Islanders. He has just two goals and four points in those matches, while usually seeing less than ten minutes of ice time. Because he’s in just the first season of a two-year, one-way contract, it seems unlikely that another team would claim him unless they feel he can make an immediate impact in the lineup. The 31-year-old has just 18 points in 98 career regular season games.

Christian Dvorak Drawing Trade Interest

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When the Montreal Canadiens lost Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in quick succession, the decision they made on how to fill the hole at center came with some controversy. Despite some questions about how well the team would play in 2021-22 without the likes of Danault, Shea Weber, and Carey Price, the team used a first and second-round pick to acquire Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. While this season’s complete collapse wasn’t expected, spending futures was certainly a risk with the Canadiens’ recent regular season struggles.

Now, less than a full season into his time in Montreal and Dvorak is in the rumor mill once again. Elliotte Friedman writes that some Western Conference teams are considering Dvorak, and the Sportsnet insider then explained further on the recent 32 Thoughts podcast:

Look he’s had a nightmare of a year. It’s just been a horrible nightmare of a year for him. But I think everybody recognizes that he’s a better player than he gets credit for this year. I think there are some teams in the west in particular that have looked at him and are interested in him and are kind of going up and down. On their list of people to acquire, he’s on it. I don’t have specifics yet but I think he’s definitely got some teams out there looking at him. 

It was always going to be a tough task to replace Danault’s elite defensive ability but the hope was that Dvorak could represent a more well-rounded player in Montreal and reach a level of offensive production that he had yet to experience with the Arizona Coyotes. In five years in the desert, he had career-highs of 18 goals and 38 points, not exactly first-line-center kind of numbers. Instead, Dvorak has scored at just about the same rate as he always has, recording seven goals and 16 points in 34 games for an 82-game pace of 17 goals and 38 points. Certainly, some of that can be attributed to injury and the depressing state of the Canadiens offense around him, but it’s not clear what kind of drop his value has experienced this season.

Notably, Dvorak isn’t one of those players on an expiring contract that is shipped to a contender at the deadline in order to provide some depth for the playoffs. He is signed through 2024-25 at a $4.45MM cap hit, a contract he signed in 2018 right out of his entry-level deal. That term means the Canadiens obviously don’t have to move him, though new general manager Kent Hughes has hinted that big changes will be coming to the Montreal roster in the coming weeks and months.

The Canadiens don’t really have any centers that are banging down the door to be installed behind Nick Suzuki in the top-six. Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans have been inconsistent through the early parts of their professional careers, while Jonathan Drouin has been used exclusively on the wing for quite some time. Among the team’s top five prospects–ranked by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic–only Jan Mysak of the Hamilton Bulldogs has much real experience in the middle.

There is of course the upcoming draft, which has a pair of centers at the top. Shane Wright and Logan Cooley lead the way as the top two prospects on most lists, a position the Canadiens have a good chance at drafting given their current place in the standings. But Dvorak’s future doesn’t necessarily need to be tied to those two at all, given the fact that even if they step directly into the NHL they would be on entry-level contracts.

Instead, the decision whether to trade Dvorak at the deadline or not would signal more how the new administration views this current group of Canadiens. If it’s just a short retool in order, his contract is still long enough and reasonable enough to keep around. If it’s a full rebuild, trading a 26-year-old with three years left on his deal–and before his value drops any lower–might be a prudent decision.

Vancouver Canucks Hires Cammi Granato As Assistant GM

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Feb 10: The Canucks have made it official, adding Granato to the front office as AGM. Rutherford released a lengthy statement explaining the hire:

Cammi is a tremendous leader and has earned the respect of the hockey world. She has a great mind for the game and experience and influence at all levels. In her role, Cammi will oversee our player development department and our amateur and pro scouting department. Cammi’s input will also be included in all areas of hockey operations as we leverage the diverse opinions and experience of our new leadership group to build a winning team.

Feb 9: Jim Rutherford and the Vancouver Canucks are about to make another game-changing addition to the front office. After naming Patrik Allvin as GM, making him the first Swedish-born GM in the NHL and just the second European GM in the league, and adding Emilie Castonguay as the first female Assistant GM in league history, the Canucks are adding the second female AGM and a Hockey Hall of Famer to boot. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Cammi Granato is expected to be named Assistant GM in Vancouver with an announcement anticipated in the coming days.

Granato, 50, is no stranger to NHL hockey operations. She is currently a scout for the nearby Seattle Kraken and has been since the team was announced back in 2019. Granato’s husband, Ray Ferraro, played 18 years and over 1,200 games in the league, while brother Tony Granato played and coached in the league and brother Don Granato is the current head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

Of course, Granato has plenty of playing experience of her own to draw upon as well. The decorated American forward appeared in two Olympics and nine World Championships, taking home two gold medals and nine silver medals. Granato also starred for Providence College and played two seasons of professional women’s hockey. A talented skater and scorer, Granato’s knowledge of the game will be put to good use in the new-look Vancouver front office.

Seattle Kraken Claim Austin Czarnik

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The Seattle Kraken have nabbed a depth forward off waivers, selecting Austin Czarnik from the New York Islanders according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran minor leaguer will join Seattle’s active roster.

Czarnik, 29, will actually be an interesting player to follow with the Kraken, given his obvious offensive upside. The 5’9″ forward has lit up the minor leagues over the years, routinely putting up point-per-game seasons. Even in the NHL he’s been relatively productive with 43 points in 136 career games, including five this year in 11 with the Islanders. If he’s given a more offensive role with the expansion club, perhaps some of that production can make its way to the Kraken scoresheet.

The fact that he carries a cap hit of just $725K also makes him a potential deadline trade piece, should a contender be dealing with any injury issues. Not that he’d bring much back in any deal, but a waiver claim from the Kraken does nothing but add an asset to the organization while they continue to try and find their way forward. It also could represent some insurance for a different trade, with players like Calle Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson in the rumor mill as pending unrestricted free agents.

In any case, the move from New York to Seattle will probably be a good one for Czarnik, who should see some playing time when he arrives and gets acclimated. The Kraken are in action tomorrow night and have nine games left in February alone.

Dennis Cholowski Placed On Waivers

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The Washington Capitals have placed Dennis Cholowski on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the second time he’s found himself there this season. The Capitals claimed Cholowski from the Seattle Kraken at the beginning of the season and now he could be on his way to another team.

The 23-year-old played just seven games for the Capitals during his stint in Washington, averaging fewer than 14 minutes of ice time whenever he did get into the lineup. It’s been a dramatic fall-off for a player that was selected 20th overall in 2016 and quickly made his way to the NHL. In 2018-19, Cholowski played 52 games as a rookie for the Detroit Red Wings, but has just 59 in the three years since.

It would certainly make sense for the Kraken to put in a claim, adding him back to their depth chart. That said, as a pending restricted free agent that very well may go unqualified, the team may decide to just move on. Cholowski was Seattle’s choice in the expansion draft but already it seems as though that was likely a mistake, given some of the other names available to them at the time.

Perhaps there is still more to come from the 6’2″ defenseman, but given he’ll turn 24 in a few days and has struggled to provide any level of consistency at the NHL level, the minor leagues appear to be in his immediate future.

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