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Elliotte Friedman

Ryan Ellis, Phillippe Myers, Nolan Patrick, Cody Glass Swapped In Three-Team Trade

July 17, 2021 at 2:37 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 39 Comments

Talk about going out with a bang. Just before the NHL entered a transaction freeze that lasts through Wednesday’s Expansion Draft, the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vegas Golden Knights completed a trade with a slew of big names. Nashville sent career Predator Ryan Ellis to Philadelphia in exchange for fellow defenseman Philippe Myers and center Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. The Predators then flipped Patrick to Vegas for another young center, Cody Glass, the No. 6 overall pick in 2017. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, this is a purely player-for-player trade with no picks or prospects changing hands.

At first glance, the biggest winner in this trade has to be the Flyers. While Nashville was exploring trading one of five defensemen that they would have liked to protect from expansion, Ellis was not considered to be a likely trade candidate. The 30-year-old right-hander has been an elite defenseman for the better part of the last decade with the Predators, playing big minutes and producing impressive point totals all while playing a sound defensive game. Admittedly, Ellis does carry some concerns, including an offensive drop-off this season, an injury history, and a contract with six years and $37.5MM remaining. However, at least in the short-term, he is an outstanding addition to the Flyers’ defense corps. Their core objective this off-season was to find a mate for Ivan Provorov on the top pair and that is now complete.

It is hard to take issue with the cost paid by the Flyers as well. Ellis, though much older and a very different style of player, is a tremendous upgrade to Myers on the Philly blue line. As a one-for-one swap, there is no question that Ellis is the better player right now and Myers will likely never reach that caliber of play either. As for Patrick, the young forward needed a change of scenery after his first few years as a pro player have been marked by injury and inconsistency. There was some discussion that Philadelphia could even leave Patrick exposed, given their vast number of valuable, expansion eligible forwards. By moving Patrick in this deal, the Flyers give up the upside of the former top pick, but gain protection flexibility in exchange. Leading scorer James van Riemsdyk or long-time standout Jakub Voracek, both previously expected to be exposed to the Seattle Kraken, could now step into Patrick’s vacancy.

As for Nashville, the deal solves some problems but all of them. The Predators have been looking to clear salary cap space this summer to improve their roster and do just that by getting out from under Ellis’ expensive long-term contract. However, by bringing in Myers they are still left with five defensemen that they would like to protect – Myers, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro, and Alexandre Carrier – but only eight total skaters they can protect. Fortunately, the forward portion of their protection scheme is made easier by flipping Patrick for Glass, who is exempt from the Expansion Draft. Glass was never given consistent opportunity in Vegas possesses ample ability and could find success for Nashville right away.

Vegas was clearly unhappy with Glass’ development, leading to his benching in the postseason and trade rumors early this off-season. However, the team has been too quick to trade away prospects and picks in their early seasons of existence and losing Glass would have hurt their pipeline if he had been dealt in a deal for yet another veteran. Instead, they replace him with Patrick, who is still just 22 and has three seasons of NHL experience under his belt. Perhaps most importantly, Patrick has experience with Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon, the former GM of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings when Patrick was a superstar for the team. If anyone can help Patrick get back on track and reach his potential, it could be McCrimmon. In regards to the Expansion Draft, Vegas is exempt and taking advantage of that special privilege with what could turn out to be a major move down the road.

This is a landscape-shifting move for the Seattle Kraken, who now could see players for both Philadelphia and Nashville that they expected to be exposed now protected. It is believed that the Predators were seeking a side deal with Seattle and there is no word as to whether one has been completed or not, though Nashville appears to have some sort of trick up their sleeve. As for Philly, the Kraken probably believed that they could see at least two of Patrick, van Riemsdyk, and Voracek exposed, but now will not. GM Ron Francis and company have their work cut out for them in reacting to a wild pre-roster freeze flurry.

Expansion| Nashville Predators| Newsstand| Philadelphia Flyers| Prospects| Vegas Golden Knights Cody Glass| Elliotte Friedman| Nolan Patrick| Philippe Myers| Ryan Ellis

39 comments

Vancouver Canucks Trade For Jason Dickinson

July 17, 2021 at 2:18 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

Before the Expansion Draft roster freeze went into effect at 2:00pm CT, it was confirmed that both the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars had a trade waiting in the queue at NHL Central Registry. As it turns out, the deal was with each other. As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Canucks have acquired center Jason Dickinson from the Stars. The return is a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Dickinson had been on the fringe of expansion protection consideration for Dallas and the team determined that he was not worth protecting, but was not worth the risk of losing for free either. Vancouver is now of course expected to protect Dickinson from the Seattle Kraken.

Dickinson’s value lies in his versatility, both positionally and on special teams. While it is hard to argue against him not being one of Dallas’ top seven forward to be protected from expansion, he was undoubtedly a top-nine forward for the team. Dickinson has been nothing if not consistent in his scoring over the past three seasons as well; with the opportunity to finally play 82 games this season, one can safely predict at least ten goals and 25 points out of Dickinson this season. Vancouver is a club that cherishes two-way ability and players who can move up and down the lineup. They could use more dependability in their scoring as well. Dickinson unequivocally fits that description and should mesh well with the team. Given the history of GM Jim Benning, it would not be a surprise to see the restricted free agent center sign a multi-year extension this summer before ever suiting up for the team.

The minute that Ben Bishop waived his No-Movement Clause for the Expansion Draft, allowing Dallas to protect veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin instead, Dickinson immediately became the odds-on favorite to be selected by the Kraken if left exposed. The Stars will miss the useful forward moving forward, but at least were able to recoup a small return rather than lose him for nothing. Dallas will likely look to replace Dickinson with a similar versatile, high-floor, bottom-six forward this summer.

Dallas Stars| Expansion| Seattle Kraken| Vancouver Canucks Elliotte Friedman| Jason Dickinson

3 comments

Florida Panthers Buy Out Keith Yandle

July 15, 2021 at 9:23 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

The Florida Panthers are cutting ties with a veteran defenseman, as the team has bought out Keith Yandle. Because Yandle has a no-movement clause, he will not require unconditional waivers, meaning the buyout process can move forward immediately. With two years left on his contract the Panthers will carry a cap penalty of the following:

  • 2021-22: $2,341,667
  • 2022-23: $5,391,667
  • 2023-24: $1,241,667
  • 2024-25: $1,241,667

In actual salary, Yandle will earn just over $1.24MM each year. The move gives the Panthers cap savings of just over $4MM this season as Yandle’s deal carried an average annual value of $6.35MM. That provides them with a good bit of room this year, but it’s a pretty hefty dead cap hit to deal with in 2022-23. GM Bill Zito released a statement:

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Keith for all that he’s contributed to the Florida Panthers organization and to the South Florida community over the past five seasons. While a decision of this kind is never an easy one to make, we believe that this shift is necessary as we look towards the 2021-22 season and our club’s future.

Yandle, 34, was on the edge of the lineup for the Panthers even though he played in all 56 games this season. There was talk in training camp that he would be scratched to start the year, which would have ended his ironman streak of not missing a game in over a decade. With a buyout, Yandle should be able to continue the streak, which is now sitting at 922 games, the second-longest streak of all time (Doug Jarvis, 964).

If postseason games were counted in that streak, it would have already ended, as Yandle played just three of the Panthers games against the Tampa Bay Lightning this year. Despite still being an effective powerplay quarterback and offense play-driving defenseman, his consistency in the defensive end has obviously not pleased the coaching staff or the front office. They’ll cut ties with him now in order to save a little money this year, but will be paying nearly $5.4MM for Yandle to not play for them in 2022-23.

That’s another veteran defenseman hitting the market after a buyout, following the news out of Minnesota earlier this week. Even though the Panthers didn’t believe he could help them anymore, Yandle should immediately have a market from teams looking for a third-pairing/powerplay option. With 600 points in 1,032 NHL games, there’s certainly no lack of experience in the veteran defenseman.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter that Yandle would be bought out.

Florida Panthers Elliotte Friedman| Keith Yandle

6 comments

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Duncan Keith From Chicago Blackhawks

July 12, 2021 at 6:02 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 65 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers have been working on a Duncan Keith trade for the past few weeks, and after a lengthy day of reports, the trade is final. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the deal is complete, with the Blackhawks receiving Caleb Jones and a third-round pick. No salary was retained by Chicago. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that at one point in the talks, the Oilers tried to include Mikko Koskinen in order to clear some cap space, but he is not involved in the final deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun finally reported that Blackhawks prospect Tim Soderlund is headed to Edmonton as well. He also notes that the third-round pick is in 2022 and that it could turn into a second-round pick if Edmonton wins three rounds in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Keith is top-four among Edmonton defensemen in terms of ice time.

The veteran defenseman told Chicago last month that he wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada in any deal to be closer to his home in British Columbia. Moving Keith before the expansion deadline would allow the Blackhawks to protect an extra defenseman, something that seems absolutely necessary given their situation at this point.

Keith, 37, has two years remaining on his contract and carries a $5.54MM cap hit. The legendary defenseman will go down as one of the best to ever play for the Blackhawks, helping them to three Stanley Cup championships and suiting up more than 1,300 times. Keith has played more regular-season games than any other defenseman in Blackhawks history and trails only Stan Mikita for the overall lead. His 625 points during that time trail only Doug Wilson among Blackhawks defensemen.

Of course, his play has deteriorated some over the past few seasons, meaning the Oilers won’t be getting the same player that enjoyed so much success in Chicago. Keith will turn 38 on Friday and recorded a career-low 15 points in 2020-21. There’s little doubt that he can still play at the NHL level, but it’s hard to know exactly what Edmonton will be getting from the veteran. With that uncertainty, it seems likely that they would have been asking for the Blackhawks to retain at least a portion of his salary, though it did not occur.

The Oilers actually do have a little bit of cap room to play with this offseason, but that’s mostly thanks to so many players hitting unrestricted free agency. Tyson Barrie and Adam Larsson are pending UFAs, while Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, and Kris Russell are only signed through the 2021-22 season. That would mean Keith is coming aboard with the longest term left on the back end, matching the injured Oscar Klefbom’s remaining two years. If it goes badly, the team is at least in a position to restructure their finances moving forward, though extensions for Larsson and Nurse could complicate those matters.

For Chicago, adding Jones is certainly an interesting factor, given their apparent interest in his brother Seth Jones who is also on the trade market. Even without a trade of that magnitude, moving Keith out will allow more opportunity for their other young defensemen and start the transition to the next wave of talent in the organization. Even at his age, Keith was still given more than 23 minutes a night, ice time that can be spread out among the team’s other options moving forward. Receiving some cap relief and a draft pick will also benefit the Blackhawks moving forward as they try to bridge the gap from their aging championship core to a new contending group.

Edmonton has struggled to find any playoff success during the Connor McDavid years, so bringing in Keith will certainly provide an experienced voice for the Oilers captain to lean on in the postseason. Whether that previous playoff success actually helps Edmonton find some in the future is certainly still to be seen, given Keith’s Blackhawks haven’t made it past the first round since 2015.

Remember, as with any trade in the coming days, there are expansion draft complications. While the Blackhawks will get an extra spot, Keith will now require protection by the Oilers thanks to a no-movement clause that will be carried over. Even with Jones going the other way and Larsson not yet signed, the team will likely now have to leave Klefbom exposed and hope the Kraken are scared off by his injury situation. Nurse and Ethan Bear would be the other two protection spots, unless a Larsson extension comes before the draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers| Newsstand Duncan Keith| Elliotte Friedman

65 comments

Flyers To Expose Jakub Voracek In NHL Expansion Draft

July 11, 2021 at 2:10 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 25 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers and longtime franchise standout Jakub Voracek are heading for an interesting off-season. The two sides are at a cross roads with the Flyers hoping to improve and get back to the playoffs, but with limited salary cap space to do so. The team currently has just 14 players signed to one-way contracts for next season, but at a sum of $64.78MM, leaving them with only $16.72MM to add nine more players to the roster, including re-signing several key restricted free agents and ideally adding a top-four defenseman and reliable goaltender. The math doesn’t quite add up and Voracek’s $8.25MM AAV over three more seasons does not help. Voracek’s production is still strong, but has been in decline since a career year in 2017-18 and is currently not at the level expected given his lofty salary. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the relationship between the club and the soon-to-be 32-year-old winger are “not acrimonious”, as the two sides agree that a change of scenery may be in the best interest of both.

In order to accomplish that separation, the Flyers are not above giving Voracek away. Friedman writes that the veteran has been informed that he will be exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, giving the Seattle Kraken the first shot at adding the former All-Star. This has been speculated by many given both the Flyers’ cap concerns but also their depth at forward. With at least forwards that deserve consideration for protection, including Voracek, and only a maximum of seven protection slots up front, Philadelphia will have to make some difficult calls. Exposing Voracek is confirmed to be one of them. While the cap commitment is an obstacle, Voracek has averaged close to 20 goals and 65 points at a full-season pace for the past dozen years and can still be a top-six forward for the right team. Losing an asset like that for nothing could be a difficult, but necessary move for the Flyers. The Kraken meanwhile have some incentive to take high-priced players, as they must hit a salary minimum in the Expansion Draft. While a number of expensive contracts will be available, Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol, the former head coach of the Flyers during some of Voracek’s best seasons, could be keen to bring in his former star.

[RELATED – Expansion Primer: Philadelphia Flyers]

Of course, the Kraken will have other options from Philadelphia as well, quite possibly even another high-priced but valuable scorer in James van Riemsdyk, as well as some young forwards and affordable defensemen. If they opt not to select Voracek, Friedman notes that the Flyers will move on and begin trade talks with other teams (if they haven’t already). While they won’t get fair market value for the accomplished scorer given their well-established cap issues, they will at least have a chance to get something back for Voracek in a trade as opposed to Expansion Draft selection.

If however, they can’t find a trade that they feel is fair, Friedman also notes that the two sides have an understanding that he may stay put and appear to be okay with that outcome, although it would leave the Flyers with a cap headache still to solve. With multiple potential outcomes, this summer could be a rollercoaster for Philadelphia and Voracek, but his old coach and the league’s newest team have the option of making it a short ride.

Dave Hakstol| Expansion| Philadelphia Flyers| Seattle Kraken Elliotte Friedman| Jakub Voracek| James van Riemsdyk| Salary Cap

25 comments

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Viktor Arvidsson

July 1, 2021 at 11:13 am CDT | by Zach Leach 30 Comments

The NHL trade market has been slow to this point, with many teams wary of making big moves that could upset their plans ahead of the Expansion Draft later this month.  However, a move was made today as Nashville announced that they have dealt scoring winger Viktor Arvidsson to Los Angeles. The Predators will receive L.A.’s 2021 second-round pick, No. 40 overall, and a 2022 third-round pick. Though the deal may lack excitement with none of the Kings’ high profile prospects going the other way, it is a solid return for Nashville, who need to restock their system. According to The Athletic’s draft pick value chart, the Kings’ second-rounder this year plus a presumptive top-half third-rounder next year is equivalent to a late first-round pick.

Arvidsson, 28, has cracked 30 goals and 60 points twice in his six-year NHL career, showing dangerous scoring ability. Even as his numbers have tailed off the past two seasons, he has maintained a half-point per-game scoring mark in all five of his full NHL seasons. It is also worth noting that his 6.6% shooting percentage this season was an extreme deviation from his career average. Positive regression likely means that more goals are on the way. Arvidsson is more than just his scoring totals, too. The undersized, but hard-working wing plays big minutes, contributes to both the power play and penalty kill, and is an excellent possession player.

[Related: Expansion Primers – Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators]

With all that said, Nashville was not wrong to be shopping Arvidsson. At times this past season, he seemed too passive and uninvolved. While he has still put up solid top-six numbers, the Predators have been relying on him as a top-line scorer and he has fallen short. It seems that both sides will benefit from this change of scenery. Nashville will certainly benefit from the expansion flexibility, cap space, and draft pick capital as they look to get back into Stanley Cup contender status after some up-and-down years.

As for the Kings, this is exactly what GM Rob Blake and company have promised their veteran core. The team plans to add established talent this year to help take their young team to the next level and to give their long-time centerpieces another chance to win. In a new place with and with a fresh group of teammates, Arvidsson could easily return to elite production. They had draft picks they could afford to move, the Expansion Draft slot to spare, and a desire to win and now they have a capable veteran in the fold as they look to get back into playoff contention.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the Kings were acquiring Arvidsson.

Expansion| Los Angeles Kings| Nashville Predators| Newsstand Elliotte Friedman| Viktor Arvidsson

30 comments

Chicago Blackhawks Working On Potential Duncan Keith Trade

June 30, 2021 at 4:10 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 20 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks are working on a potential trade for Duncan Keith, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team and player are working together, Friedman tweets, to send the veteran defenseman somewhere he wants to go in the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada.

Keith, 37, was born in Winnipeg but grew up in Penticton, British Columbia, where he played junior hockey before going to Michigan State. He has spent his entire NHL career to this point in Chicago, and has two years left on his current deal which carries a cap hit of $5.54MM. Notably, though the cap hit is hefty, he’s only actually owed $3.6MM in salary over the final two years. As Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch tweets, there had been reports in the past that Keith would only waive his no-trade clause to end up in Western Canada or “out in that direction.”

Of course, there is a new NHL team just about to start play in that area of the continent. The Seattle Kraken are arriving in the NHL next season and happen to be just about a six-hour drive from Penticton, though Friedman does not specifically state which teams are interested in the veteran defenseman.

If it is the end of the line for Keith in Chicago, it has been quite a run. Selected 54th overall in 2002, he had to work his way through college, the WHL, the AHL and a lockout before eventually making his debut in the 2005-06 season. He immediately became a regular for the Blackhawks and would quickly become a core piece for a franchise that would go on to win three Stanley Cup championships. He won the Norris Trophy twice as the league’s best defenseman, took home the Conn Smythe in 2015 as playoff MVP (after scoring the Cup-clinching goal) and won two Olympic gold medals for Team Canada.

There’s almost nothing left to accomplish in Chicago and with the Blackhawks transitioning to a younger group, his cap space could be used elsewhere. That’s not to say he’s irrelevant, however, as Keith still averaged over 23 minutes a night and could be a valuable addition, even if his best days are behind him. That kind of experience could be especially helpful for an expansion team like Seattle, who will be trying to get their feet wet with a group collected from around the league.

For the Blackhawks, who have been linked to Jack Eichel among other high-end targets this offseason, moving Keith would not only open up some cap space, but also minutes for their young defense corps. Players like Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist, and Nicolas Beaudin will all be vying for more playing time moving forward and without Keith there eating up 23 minutes a night, there will be plenty to go around. The other big benefit from moving him off the roster before the expansion draft is freeing up a protection slot, as currently the Blackhawks would be required to protect him because of his no-movement clause.

That doesn’t mean the team improves with him gone, but there was going to have to be a parting of ways at some point in the future–if Keith is on board, it might as well be now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago Blackhawks| Newsstand Duncan Keith| Elliotte Friedman

20 comments

Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Wayne Simmonds

June 29, 2021 at 9:00 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

June 29: The team has made the contract extension official, signing Simmonds for two years. The deal carries an average annual value of just $900K, a significant decrease from last year and a reasonable number for the veteran forward. The entire cap hit is low enough that it could be buried in the minor leagues if necessary, but Simmonds will likely play a key role in Toronto’s bottom-six for the next while.

June 28: The Toronto Maple Leafs had several veteran forwards scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, but not all of them will reach the open market. The team already signed Jason Spezza to another one-year extension, and now Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team is working on a deal with Wayne Simmonds.

Simmonds, 32, played on a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Maple Leafs this season, but ended up struggling to provide much excess value. Things started quite well, with five goals in his first 12 games, but then Simmonds suffered a fluke injury that resulted in a broken wrist. He would miss nearly six weeks before making his return, and managed just two goals and four points in the final 26 games. In Toronto’s seven-game playoff series against Montreal, Simmonds registered just a single assist.

Teammates throughout his career have raved about Simmonds’ leadership qualities and his ability to improve the dynamics of a locker room, but those things are extremely difficult to quantify (especially when you consider that the veteran forward has never been on a team with much playoff success). The Maple Leafs obviously believe in his ability to help them get over that hump though, and certainly, for a near-minimum salary, it would make some sense. Toronto continues to need to navigate the salary cap carefully thanks to their expensive forward talent, meaning low-risk deals for players like Spezza and Simmonds are likely to come every offseason.

Toronto Maple Leafs Elliotte Friedman| Wayne Simmonds

6 comments

Trade Rumors: Jones, Foegele, Tkachuk

June 28, 2021 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 8 Comments

A Seth Jones trade seems like a foregone conclusion this off-season. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman has stated that he will not sign an extension before his current contract expires after the 2021-22 and will test the free agent market, all but guaranteeing that he will not re-sign with the team. The retooling Blue Jackets are not going to watch another star player walk away as they get nothing in return and recognize that Jones’ value will be much higher this summer as opposed to dealing him in-season. Columbus’ leverage is damaged by Jones’ public statements, but the team will try to create a bidding war to drive up the price. There should be no shortage of interest and one team is already hot on the trail. In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are “definitely” in on Jones and that it isn’t exactly a secret either. Friedman states that there is a lot of chatter surrounding a potential Jones-to-Philly deal already. The Flyers have been open about their desire to add another top pair defenseman across from Ivan Provorov and have a number of talented young roster players and a deep pipeline to offer Columbus whatever they want. In need of top center, perhaps the Blue Jackets will buy low on 2017 second overall pick Nolan Patrick as part of a package for Jones, a top-five pick himself.

  • Another player on the trade block, though not as publicly as Jones, is Carolina Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele. Foegele is looking to play a bigger role and on a deep Hurricanes roster he has been limited to bottom-six responsibilities. At first it seemed like Carolina may be reluctant to move the underrated forward, but it seems the tides are turning. Friedman believes that the ’Canes are going to re-shape their bottom-six after falling short in the playoffs once again and that Foegele’s unofficial trade request may just be honored. He reports that trade talks are occurring between Carolina and Foegele suitors. Friedman adds that impending unrestricted free agent Jordan Martinook is another player unlikely to return to Raleigh next season.
  • One player that Friedman does not see moving: Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. While this may seem like common sense, the Flames are listening to all offers right now and could be making some major changes this summer. There were also whispers that Tkachuk himself may want to leave, however those rumors were met with swift and firm denials. As Friedman points out, that is a contrasting approach to how other teams have treated players who have recently asked to leave, such as Jones or Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson, implying that the rumors are in fact false. Friedman reports that Tkachuk’s name never came up in Calgary’s Pierre-Luc Dubois negotiations and the team has zero interest in trading him.

Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Columbus Blue Jackets| Philadelphia Flyers Elliotte Friedman| Ivan Provorov| Jordan Martinook| Matthew Tkachuk| Nolan Patrick| Oliver Ekman-Larsson| Trade Rumors

8 comments

Snapshots: Eichel, Devils, HHOF

June 28, 2021 at 3:58 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 10 Comments

When reports surfaced about Jack Eichel’s potential availability this summer, the first team that came to many minds was the New York Rangers. The Rangers have enough young assets to land the Buffalo Sabres center and are now focused on making the playoffs after a short rebuild. Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that the Rangers have had preliminary talks with the Sabres about Eichel and that the asking price is currently “four pieces that would be equivalent of first-rounders.” The Sabres have also, according to Brooks, not yet granted any medical record access to interested teams.

Obviously, an asking price isn’t necessarily indicative of what will eventually land a player in trade talks, but that report from Brooks shows just how high the Sabres are setting their sights in this negotiation. The team is dealing with a distressed asset, as Eichel has expressed frustration with the team over a difference in medical opinions, but will still not simply give him away. The biggest question mark surrounding the $10MM center is the health of his neck, which still may require surgery this offseason. Eventually, teams will have to get their hands on his medical records and determine how much risk is involved in an acquisition beyond just his recent on-ice struggles.

  • The New Jersey Devils are in the market for a young defenseman and would consider trading the fourth-overall pick, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Devils have selected in the top ten three times in the last few years, taking Nico Hischier (first overall, 2017), Jack Hughes (first, 2019), and Alexander Holtz (seventh, 2020) in the early part of the first round. Perhaps that makes this year’s pick a little more expendable, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the 2021 class. Any trade that happens in the next few weeks has expansion draft implications, but as we examined recently, the Devils have a real opportunity to add defensemen with no risk of losing them to the Seattle Kraken.
  • The Hockey Hall of Fame is preparing to move forward with its 2020-21 induction ceremony on November 15th, though the actual event will be moved to a new venue. Ken Holland, Jarome Iginla, Kim St-Pierre, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, and Doug Wilson were announced as the class of 2020 last year, but because of COVID-related closures, were never actually inducted. The HHOF decided not to induct a new class for 2021 but will return to its normal voting procedure for next year.

Buffalo Sabres| Doug Wilson| Ken Holland| New Jersey Devils| New York Rangers| Snapshots Elliotte Friedman| Hall of Fame| Jack Eichel| Jarome Iginla| Marian Hossa

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