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Latest On Kris Letang Trade Rumors

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After Kris Letang’s name was brought up recently, trade speculation has run rampant. When Letang missed practice before Pittsburgh’s latest game, wild rumors were circulating about a potential deal. Turns out Letang is just out with an injury and is still part of the Penguins organization, but that might not be true in a few months. Matt Gajtka of DK Pittsburgh Sports cites an industry source that tells him Letang is “definitely” available in trade talks, though it’s not clear who those talks would be with.

Kris LetangElliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed a Letang trade and the potential hurdles that would come with it in his latest 31 Thoughts column, and it does still seem like a far-fetched scenario. Letang has been a huge part of the Penguins for quite some time, but perhaps more importantly carries a $7.25MM cap hit and has an extensive injury history that isn’t something any team would take on without a thorough look into his current health. It’s not as if he’s just dealt with broken bones—Letang has had concussion problems, neck injuries and even suffered a stroke in 2014 because of a congenital heart defect.

Still, the rumors persist as the Penguins continue their fight in the Metropolitan Division. Without Letang, they battled back to win an overtime game against the rival Columbus Blue Jackets last night, putting them three points ahead of Philadelphia for last in the division but just eight out of first. If there is any team that believes it can make a second half turnaround, why wouldn’t it be the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions.

GM Jim Rutherford has been candid in his belief that a “big splash” might be needed to turn things around, and any Letang deal would certainly qualify. If Gajtka’s source is correct, and the 30-year old defenseman’s name is being bandied about in negotiations, the entire pool might be emptied with the size of that cannonball.

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Anthony Duclair Could Be Given A “Fresh Start”

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Tucked away in the middle of Elliotte Friedman’s always interesting 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, is a nugget surrounding Arizona Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair. Friedman writes that it “sounds like Arizona is working to find Duclair a fresh start,” which would certainly be selling low on the youngster. Duclair was a 20-goal scorer two years ago, but has just 12 goals and 28 points over his last 86 games and spent time in the AHL last season.

Anthony DuclairDespite his struggles, Duclair is just 22 and makes just $1.2MM this season. Though he’s a restricted free agent, any acquiring team would be getting several years of team control and a player who has shown the talent to be an effective scoring threat in this league. His camp doesn’t have a ton of leverage going into contract negotiations unless he takes off in the second half of the season, and should come in at a reasonable cap hit on another bridge deal or arbitration ruling.

Duclair was part of the package Arizona received for Keith Yandle several years ago, and was originally drafted in the third round by the New York Rangers. You have to wonder if an Eastern Conference team would be a preferred destination for Arizona if they indeed move him, not wanting him to reach his potential an a rival club. Coyotes’ GM John Chayka has never showed much hesitation in trade talks, but has seen his offseason moves blow up in his face this season. None of the win-now moves have resulted in much success, and Duclair could be used to regain some of the future assets they spent on the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta.

Interestingly, even through his struggles Duclair has remained a positive possession player. His shooting percentage was one of the biggest factors in his unfortunate numbers last season, as he scored on just 6.6% of his shots. If he can continue to generate shot attempts at a similar rate while surrounded by better players that 20-goal, 45-point potential could show up quickly. Don’t think the Coyotes haven’t realized that with their analytical front offense, meaning they won’t be just giving him away.

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Snapshots: Tavares, Vegas, Gudbranson

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The New York Islanders announced their plan for a brand new arena at the Belmont Park location today, and front and center at the ceremony was none other than John Tavares. The team captain spoke very highly of the decision, something he’s supported since the beginning.

For us as players and our fan base to have somewhere you know it’s written in stone that we’re going to have a home built for the Islanders on Long Island is pretty special.

The Islanders are called the Islanders for a reason. This is really where the team belongs.

Still, Tavares isn’t willing to announce that he’s re-signing with the team now that it has a long-term future ahead of it. In speaking with Arthur Staple of Newsday at the event, he calmly said that while a positive outcome, it’s not “going to change or ultimately make my decision.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights are in an extremely interesting position as they continue their inaugural season, and one that GM George McPhee likely didn’t expect when he selected a team heavy on pending free agents. Though they’re one of the top teams in the league, they might still have to decide whether the long-term future of the club is more important as they head towards the trade deadline, something Gary Lawless of NHL.com discussed in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Lawless explained that though they obviously have assets that could be valuable at the deadline, he doesn’t expect management to break up the core while they’re experiencing so much success, instead pointing at the cap space that Vegas possesses as potential bait. That’s something we’ve discussed about at length in the past, and an obvious avenue for the Golden Knights to add to the future while maintaining the present.
  • In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he speaks about several players who might need a fresh start as we head toward the trade deadline. One of those, Erik Gudbranson, has been rumored available in the past and Friedman believes that he’ll price himself out of the Vancouver Canucks market when he hits free agency after this season. Though Gudbranson certainly doesn’t make the impact that some hoped he would when he went third-overall to the Florida Panthers, he can still be a helpful player for a team with defensive depth issues. The fact that he only makes $3.5MM will make him an affordable piece at the deadline, if a team believes they can get good shutdown minutes from him down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets Make Shawn Matthias Available In Trade

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Though it can’t happen until after the holiday roster freeze is over, the Winnipeg Jets have sent out a note to the rest of the league about the availaibility of forward Shawn Matthias according to Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet. As Friedman notes, Matthias has been a healthy scratch of late for the Jets, who are flying high without him.

Shawn MatthiasMatthias isn’t an elite offensive player, as evidenced by his career-high of 28 points last season, but has long been known as a capable bottom-six player with speed and size. That 28-point performance earned him a two-year $4.25MM contract with the Jets in the summer of 2016, which will expire at the end of this season.

Though he did play center at one point in his career, he’s been limited to the wing during his time in Winnipeg due to their depth down the middle. Whether the rest of the league would consider moving him back to the position is unclear, but the versatility there could be of interest. Despite having parts of eleven seasons under his belt, the forward is still only 29 and could provide some valuable depth to a contender.

“The Jets are that contender!” you might say, but Winnipeg has ample forward depth in the minor leagues should they face injury. Since Matthias hasn’t really been a fit since signing there, moving him to clear roster space and remove some salary from the books makes sense. Though the Jets aren’t in trouble with the salary cap, they operate on a budget and could use those funds for something else.

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Washington Capitals Claim Nathan Walker

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The Washington Capitals have reclaimed Nathan Walker off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers and will report to the NHL squad for now, since the roster freeze is in effect.

Walker was acquired by the Oilers for a short period after being waived by the Capitals earlier this season due to a roster crunch, but was never unwanted by his previous organization. The fact that he is now back with them is no surprise.

Interestingly though, Walker’s addition puts the Capitals right up against the salary cap for the moment according to CapFriendly. The team won’t get to bank cap space for the next week the way it has this season unless they assign Madison Bowey or Jakub Vrana to the minors. Both players were sent down for just a single day earlier this week, meaning (since it was after December 11th) they can still be loaned to the minor leagues until December 23rd.

The Capitals likely don’t want to send either young player down due to their recent success, so we’ll have to wait to see what their decision is or if there is another way to get around the cap issue. For now, we know that Australian Walker is with the Capitals and will be for at least a week.

Snapshots: Mrazek, Mete, Nylander

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Petr Mrazek has been in the news recently since we found out that the Edmonton Oilers had a passing interest in the Detroit Red Wings goaltender, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet now says it may have been more than just that. Friedman joined Sportsnet 960 radio out of Calgary this morning, and explained that one source told him it was even closer than he had originally thought.

I heard they were looking at Mrazek last week, and somebody told me after we mentioned it that it was a lot closer than I had kinda thought. I think they’d worked out that Detroit was going to keep about half the money, and they were trying to figure out the draft pick.

That would mesh with what we learned from Craig Custance of The Athletic recently, that a proposed asking price for Mrazek would be a second or third-round pick depending on whether Detroit was retaining salary. It might not matter anymore, as Edmonton seems to have cooled on Mrazek after watching him more closely and the team has just welcomed Cam Talbot back off injured reserve.

  • Victor Mete is busy trying to make the Canadian World Junior team after spending the early portion of the season with the Montreal Canadiens, but may have an even bigger international tournament in his future. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Mete is very much on the radar of the Canadian Olympic team, but still has some hurdles if he ever were to be invited. The Canadiens could bring Mete back to the NHL squad after the World Junior tournament, and the CHL still doesn’t have an agreement with Hockey Canada on if it will lend players to the Olympic squad. Those decisions won’t be made until after the World Juniors are over, which end on January 5th.
  • Speaking of World Junior decisions, the Buffalo Sabres still haven’t made a choice on Alexander Nylander according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Sabres GM Jason Botterill wants to see Nylander play more at the AHL level before making that decision, after an injury has taken away much of the young forward’s season so far. Nylander has been disappointing so far in his professional career, scoring just 32 points in 77 AHL games. The eighth-overall pick in 2016 has huge upside, but needs to get back on track this season.

Boston Bruins Place Matt Beleskey On Waivers

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Friday: Beleskey has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the AHL. As CapFriendly points out, since the team activated Ryan Spooner yesterday in Beleskey’s roster spot, and moved the waived forward to “Waiver Non-Roster” to clear space, he must immediately report to the Providence Bruins. That doesn’t mean he can’t be traded, much the opposite. Any acquiring team could put Beleskey in the minor leagues right away, without him having to clear again.

Thursday: The Boston Bruins have decided that they’ve waited long enough for Matt Beleskey to make an impact, and have placed the forward on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Beleskey has played just 14 games for the Bruins this season, but has been held without a single point.

"<strongBeleskey was signed to a five-year, $19MM contract in the summer of 2015 and has two more seasons after this one at a $3.8MM cap hit. His deal has become one of the very worst contracts in the entire league, as even last season saw him register just eight points in 49 games. Friedman reports that he’ll be heading to Providence to play in the AHL if he goes unclaimed.

By burying Beleskey in the minors, the Bruins would save a prorated $1.025MM in cap space. It seems very unlikely that he would be claimed by a team, meaning if the Bruins want to get rid of his contract they’ll have to find a trade partner or buy him out this summer. Beleskey does have a partial no-trade clause, but can be traded to 23 teams around the league. If the Bruins retained salary, perhaps there is someone who believes the 29-year old can still provide some value.

By winning again last night, the Bruins now hold a healthy four point lead over the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division, with three additional games in hand. It’s clear the team believes they are a playoff contender this season, and is making sure they can put the best team forward every night. By burying Beleskey, the team opens up some more cap flexibility and the ability to make an addition at some point.

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Vegas Golden Knights Claim Ryan Carpenter

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After hitting waivers yesterday, Ryan Carpenter has been claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The former San Jose Sharks forward played 16 games with the team this season, recording a single point. A corresponding move will have to happen for the Golden Knights, who currently have 23 players on their active roster.

This is a very interesting move by the Golden Knights, as they don’t seem to have any need for Carpenter at the moment. The team is full of forwards capable of centering the fourth line and penalty killing, the two things Carpenter did for the Sharks. Perhaps the team sees a higher potential in the 26-year old, since he has shown a high offensive profile in the minor leagues.

As Pierre LeBrun reports, the Golden Knights have scouting Carpenter since before the expansion draft but weren’t able to select him when the Sharks used a protection slot on him. They eventually did select David Schlemko, but immediately flipped him to the Montreal Canadiens for nothing more than a fifth-round pick.

Carpenter went undrafted, but after starring at Bowling Green University the Sharks signed him in the spring of 2014. He’s since earned two additional contracts, including the two-year deal he’s currently under that runs through the 2018-19 season. The contract is two-way in nature this season—meaning he earns different amounts depending on whether he’s in the AHL or NHL—but turns into a one-way minimum salary deal next season.

Interestingly, the Golden Knights only have two waiver-exempt players on the roster at the moment, and neither of them seem poised to be sent down. Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore started the year in the minor leagues to give the team some flexibility, but are key parts of the team now. Instead, Stefan Matteau is the likely candidate to go back down as though he’s not waiver-exempt, he did clear in late September and has yet to spend the 30 days on the active roster that would reset his clock.

Latest On Evander Kane’s Trade Potential

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Though much of Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column surrounded the potential trade availability of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, he also mentioned the Calgary Flames pursuit of more “edge.” Friedman has mentioned this a few times over the last few weeks on Sportsnet, and one can see where he’d get it from. The Flames are presided over by Brian Burke, famous for his love of “truculence” and the like.

Evander KaneFriedman mentions that he could see the Flames joining “growing group eyeing Buffalo’s Evander Kane,” which leads to some interesting questions. How many teams are in that group, and just how valuable is Kane on the open market? Friedman reports that teams have been told the Sabres want a return like what Winnipeg received for Andrew Ladd and Arizona pulled in for Martin Hanzal, but if the group of bidders continues to grow how high can it really get?

Kane has points in his last four games and is already at 27 for the year, a 74-point pace that would destroy his previous career-high of 57. He also sits third in the entire league in shots on goal, behind only Alex Ovechkin and Vladimir Tarasenko. Ladd and Hanzal are both very good players, but neither were an in-their-prime offensive weapon like Kane will be this February, when he’ll still be just 26-years old.

That’s not to say he doesn’t come with flaws. The first thing any acquiring team must realize is that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at that young age of 26 could be committed to getting himself a huge payday. As one of the younger players to ever hit the market, Kane would have his choice of several destinations and a long-term, big money deal.

Minnesota and Chicago both knew they wouldn’t be re-signing their respective rentals, but still bit the bullet and send packages including first-round picks. That’s where a problem may arise for Calgary if they decide to join the bidding. The Flames already dealt away their top two picks in 2018 to acquire Travis Hamonic this summer. They also could lose various 2019 picks depending on some trade conditions, meaning they likely want to hang onto the first-rounder from that year.

That means Calgary would likely have to go a prospect or young player route, which is always a dangerous game when trading for a rental. The Flames do have some excellent defensive prospects like Juuso Valimaki and Adam Fox, but moving either would be a serious decision.

The proverbial ball is in Buffalo’s court over the next few months, as they continue to try and up the bidding on any player on their roster not named Jack Eichel in order to turn their franchise around. Kane is the key to all of that, and could end up fetching quite the return. What exactly that return is, will be up to which teams are willing to spend on the pending UFA.

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Petr Mrazek & The Goaltending Conundrum

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In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, the venerable hockey insider reports that the Edmonton Oilers at one point had some interest in Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek. Friedman writes that Edmonton may have backed off after watching the 25-year old goaltender struggle recently, something that seems to be a common thread all around the league.

Peter MrazekSeveral other teams are looking for goaltending help—Friedman himself mentions Florida and Pittsburgh—but there isn’t a shining option on the market at the moment. Mrazek could have been that star, if the aforementioned struggles hadn’t crept up on him again. Though he was once heralded as the goaltender of the future for Detroit, Mrazek has clashed with the front office in contract negotiations, and been generally outplayed by a resurgent Jimmy Howard over the past two seasons.

This year, Howard has taken the lion’s share of the work in the Detroit net, starting 22 of the team’s 29 games. He’s recorded a .905 save percentage in those games which, while not even league-average, is quite a bit better than his counterpart. Mrazek’s .888 mark is tied for fourth-worst in the league among goaltenders who’ve made at least 10 appearances. Only Maxime Lagace, Laurent Brossoit, Chad Johnson have been worse, while James Reimer clocks in at the same number.

Mrazek is young enough to improve, but his contract status as a pending restricted free agent that is already making $4.15MM is likely off-putting to many teams. A qualifying offer is likely too expensive for any team as a backup, and there is no guarantee he’d accept a lower number on a longer-term deal.

So, where else can you look around the league for goaltending help? Michael Hutchinson has been in the rumor mill lately, as the Winnipeg Jets get Steve Mason back healthy tonight. Unfortunately, Hutchinson injured himself in a minor league game this weekend (though the injury seems minor) and has been underwhelming at best during his NHL career.

Jonathan Bernier was signed by the Colorado Avalanche as potential trade deadline bait, but has been nearly as bad as Mrazek so far this year. His .891 save percentage doesn’t inspire much confidence, as consistency continues to be Bernier’s downfall.

Even a goaltender like Philipp Grubauer, who has been a potential trade target for some time due to a combination of outstanding play and clear role as the backup to Braden Holtby, hasn’t played well enough to trust this season. He, like Scott Darling and Antti Raanta this offseason, was seen as a future starting goaltender in the league just waiting for the right opportunity.

There’s not an easy answer here to the goaltending problems around the league. For teams like Edmonton and Florida, who already find themselves struggling to stay relevant in the playoff race, dealing assets for anything but a sure thing isn’t very appealing.

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