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Erik Karlsson

Eastern Notes: Karlsson, Nash, Lindblom, Rosen

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Did Erik Karlsson play his last game as a member of the Ottawa Senators?

Just a few weeks ago, there was no way Karlsson would be traded. Just a few days ago, there was nothing more than a rumor that general manager Pierre Dorion might consider a trade if he was blown away. Now suddenly, it seems like everyone is in on a potential trade and there is a good chance Karlsson will be dealt.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that while he believes there is a better chance than not that Karlsson will remain with the Senators after the trade deadline, it seems that teams are lining up to make offers. The scribe writes that three teams, in particular, have all been mentioned as trade partners for Karlsson, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators. Tampa Bay would love to add Karlsson to their stable of defensemen and have a 1-2 combination of Victor Hedman and Karlsson. Vegas wouldn’t mind acquiring the star and making him the face of their franchise and would be easily able to take the contract of Ryan off Ottawa’s hands as well.

The San Jose Sharks have also been mentioned as having checked in with Ottawa about Karlsson and also have the cap room to take on Ryan, but seem an unlikely option.

All three clubs would like to have Karlsson for the next two postseasons, but Garrioch writes that unless the Senators are blown away by an offer, the team should hold onto the star defenseman and move him before the draft. That’s the more likely time the team will see the best offers. The Senators have made it clear to anyone calling that they are looking for about five to six pieces to help the team both immediately and in the future.

  • Pierre LeBrun tweets that the New York Rangers that trade talks surrounding winger Rick Nash are progressing. While there is no mention of what teams are attempting to make a deal for the veteran, LeBrun writes the Rangers got an offer they are considering, but then adds that other teams remain in the mix. A deal within the next 24 hours is not out of the question. Elliotte Friedman just added that the Boston Bruins may be the leading candidate in the Nash sweepstakes.
  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that for Philadelphia Flyers prospect forward Oskar Lindblom to remain with the Flyers once Wayne Simmonds returns from injury, he would have to knock one player off one of the top three lines. Lindblom, who had 16 goals with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL this year has played in just two games since being recalled after Simmonds went down. While he hasn’t put up any points yet, O’Connor writes that Lindblom would need to show that he can produce at the NHL level better than either Michael Raffl or Jordan Weal. Both could easily move to the fourth line to make room for him. The question is whether he can produce.
  • Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that one asset the Toronto Maple Leafs have is their AHL franchise, the Toronto Marlies, which seems to have one of the deepest rosters in the league. While that is great, the team has too many players and once playoff time rolls around, the Marlies will have some real issues. If the Maple Leafs are eliminated from the playoffs before the Marlies are, the Maple Leafs will also likely send some players down, causing an even bigger roster jam. Wheeler writes the Maple Leafs should consider moving some of their AHL players such as defenseman Calle Rosen to lighten their load, but some of those pieces could also be used to acquire another piece for the Maple Leafs.

San Jose Sharks Have Looked Into Erik Karlsson

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This is not a match many would have seen coming, but TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the San Jose Sharks are among the teams that have had talks with the Ottawa Senators about all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson. The rumors are growing that Karlsson could be moved ahead of Monday’s trade deadline or, at least, this off-season. Could the Sharks be a dark horse destination?

In a way, it makes sense. Ever since it was revealed that Senators GM Pierre Dorion was seeking a team to take the contract of Bobby Ryan – $7.25MM over four more years – as part of any deal for Eriksson, it narrowed the field considerably of who could possibly even afford to acquire such players, without bringing in a third team. One such team that is a contender and could afford to bring in both Karlsson and Ryan are the Sharks, who will have over $18MM in salary cap space entering the off-season. LeBrun also notes that it is not out of the ordinary for Sharks GM Doug Wilson to inquire into every available player. LeBrun calls San Jose “big-game hunters”, citing their trades for Joe Thornton and Brent Burns over the years and their push to sign Steven Stamkos two years ago. The Sharks have also been mentioned as a possible destination for John Tavares, should he decide not to re-sign with the New York Islanders.

However, one has to wonder if this rumor is more fiction than fact. While the Sharks may have the cap space and the big splash history, the fit doesn’t make much sense. The reason the team has had interest in Stamkos and Tavares is because they need another major piece up front, especially with 38-year-old Thornton unlikely to return. There is no similar concern on the blue line. Burns is fresh off a Norris Trophy last season and right up there with Karlsson as one of the best defenseman in the league. He’s also signed for seven more years to the tune of $56MM. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is one of the league’s top defensive rearguards and begins his own eight-year, $56MM extension next season. Justin Braun and Brenden Dillon are both in their primes and signed for two more years at reasonable rates, while youngsters Dylan DeMelo and Joakim Ryan have taken a step forward this season. Even the system is well-stocked, with promising blue liners like Jeremy Roy, currently in the AHL, and Mario Ferraro of UMass. The Sharks are a top-ten team in goals against and shots against and arguably the best penalty kill unit in the NHL. Defense is the least of their worries, so why then would they sell off multiple high-value assets and take on a terrible contract to acquire, of all things, another defenseman? The answer is they wouldn’t. No one can blame Wilson for checking in, if he did, but more likely this is the Senators exaggerating interest to drive up the price on Karlsson. Don’t expect a top pairing of Norris Trophy winners in San Jose any time soon, unless Vlasic is ever rewarded for his stellar two-way play.

Potential Erik Karlsson Trade Could Need Three Teams

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Over the last few days, Bob McKenzie of TSN has been explaining the Erik Karlsson situation about as well as anyone could. The Ottawa Senators are considering a deal, they’d like to move Bobby Ryan as part of it, but they might not be able to make it happen before Monday’s deadline. Any trade including the superstar defenseman would have a lot of moving parts, and deals of that magnitude rarely happen in just a few days before the deadline. There are huge cap implications to taking on Karlsson and Ryan, and for any of the contenders it might just not be possible. That’s where a third team might join the fray, as Craig Custance of The Athletic notes.

Custance tweets that teams with cap space are getting involved as a sort of catalyst for the deal, perhaps to take Ryan’s contract out of the equation. Travis Yost of TSN has heard the same thing, even adding the idea of a “fourth-party.” For what it’s worth, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic doesn’t think that a deal involving Ryan will be done by the deadline, and still suggests that it would benefit Ottawa by waiting until June to trade their captain.

That Karlsson is even in the headlines this week shows how far the Senators have fallen since coming just a goal shy of making the Stanley Cup Finals less than a year ago. There could be a real fire sale in the Canadian capital over the next few months, with a rebuild of sorts on the horizon centered around some of the young talent in the system.

Trade Deadline Notes: Lightning, Predators, Bruins

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL this season and are looking to round out their roster ahead of Monday’s deadline. In fact, it has been rumored that the Bolts might be looking to do more than just add depth, as they’ve been connected to some of the bigger names on the market, such as star defensemen Erik Karlsson and Ryan McDonagh. However, in speaking to GM Steve Yzerman, the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith is not so sure they’re willing to pay the price for players of that caliber at this point in time. Smith indicates that it could be a much quieter deadline for Tampa, as Yzerman is not interested in dealing any of his young roster players, such as Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev. “We’re trying to keep this team together with the hope of improving it”, Yzerman said, though he also added that there have been very few “fits” in his trade discussions thus far. Smith suggests that the Lightning could still get their major blue line addition without losing top young talent if they target the Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Green. However, there are few who would argue that Tampa can’t win the Cup this year without making a move and Yzerman seems willing to test that hypothesis is the market doesn’t meet his expectations over these next few days.

  • Another contender that could be somewhat reluctant to make a move are the Nashville Predators. Predators staffer Thomas Willis spoke with GM David Poile today, and the long-time executive sounded less than thrilled about the prices on his trade targets. “Every team we talk to asks for Eeli Tolvanen“, Poile told Willis. Tolvanen, the Preds’ 2017 first-rounder unexpectedly fell in the draft last year and already has teams regretting that, as he has dominated the KHL, World Juniors, and now the Winter Olympics in an epic age-18 campaign. Of course, Tolvanen is untouchable and it was recently reported that he could even join Nashville this season, so Poile is understandably upset by that unreasonable trade request. Poile also said to Willis that he would prefer not to give up the Predators’ first-round pick this year in a trade, unless he absolutely had to. After watching Tolvanen slide right into their hands at #30 last year, no one can blame Poile for being protective of his top pick again, although it could handicap his ability to make a splash at the deadline.
  • After trading Frank Vatrano to the Florida Panthers and announcing that Anders Bjork would be out long-term following shoulder surgery in a matter of hours today, it’s clear that the Boston Bruins will be on the hunt for an addition or two to their forward corps. However, they may be able to do so without even making a trade. Though there has been nothing official as of yet, there is speculation that one of the Olympics’ top scorers, Ryan Donato, could sign with the Bruins in a matter of time. The Hobey Baker candidate is likely to stay with Harvard through the end of their season, WEEI’s Ty Anderson believes, but could then join the team for the playoffs much like Charlie McAvoy did last season. Another option right in their back yard could be old friend Jarome Iginla. Iginla skated again with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence today and told The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver that the Bruins were one of his preferred destinations for one last run at the Stanley Cup. Iginla added that he’s not sure that an offer will come, but it sound like if one did, he would accept it.

Morning Notes: Nash, Karlsson, Weber

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Trade deadline rumors are coming fast and furious these days, and NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton took to Twitter to express his thoughts on several topics this morning. Lawton contends that a deal for Rick Nash will definitely happen, and it’s just up to the New York Rangers at this point to decide which package is the best offer. There have been previous reports that linked Nash to Nashville, Dallas, Winnipeg, Columbus and Boston, though it’s not clear who has actually put forward an offer for the veteran winger.

Lawton also states that Ryan McDonagh is “closer to being moved then [sic] anyone realizes” which make earlier reports that the Boston Bruins are still in the mix for the New York captain that much more interesting. The Rangers are clearly one of this year’s biggest sellers, looking to give themselves something of a new slate to work with in 2018-19.

  • Erik Karlsson rumors have dominated the last few days, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) notes that even the Nashville Predators have checked in on the Ottawa Senators’ captain. One might assume that Nashville would have no interest given their glut of outstanding defensemen, but as LeBrun writes, GM David Poile “leaves no stone unturned.” Asking on the kind of return the Senators are expecting for Karlsson would be good information to have even if the Predators have no intention of acquiring him, which can often lead to speculation of interest where there is none (though, that can’t necessarily be said for this specific case).
  • LeBrun also notes on Twitter that interest is picking up on Michael Grabner, and that teams are “coming harder at NYR today it seems.” That increased interest could lead to an incredibly exciting weekend for Rangers fans looking to the future.
  • Unfortunately it looks like Shea Weber’s season may be over, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the team will update his status later today. Weber has consulted two specialists in recent days, and with Montreal clearly out of the playoffs could aim at the beginning of next season as a return date.

Speculation Continues To Increase Around Erik Karlsson

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“Erik Karlsson is in play.” That’s how Frank Seravalli starts his latest update to the Trade Bait board on TSN, after Bob McKenzie released a thorough examination of the market for the Ottawa Senators’ captain. Karlsson is still a long-shot to be traded by Monday’s deadline, but McKenzie writes that more than six teams are believed to have made contact (one way or another) with Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion.

Erik KarlssonThe return in any Karlsson trade would be astronomical, and could include getting Bobby Ryan’s contract off the Ottawa books. While McKenzie reports that isn’t absolutely necessary, it’s obviously something the Senators want to do in the coming days or months.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic chimes in on Twitter to add that a Western Conference GM believes the Senators might just be “laying down the framework” for an offseason move of Karlsson. That seems more likely, as a trade of this magnitude would take a considerable amount of work to pull off, something that teams are running out of as we approach the Monday deadline.

Still, the fact that the Senators are considering moving one of the best defensemen in the league will certainly change many team’s outlooks at the deadline. It could freeze the market until a real decision comes out of Ottawa, or could make deadline day one that drastically changes the playoff picture. Karlsson would immediately vault any playoff challenger to contender status, or cement a team like Tampa Bay as an absolute powerhouse.

Nothing that has come out over the last few days is definitive, and McKenzie himself states that a trade is still probably not going to happen. But it definitely makes rumor season a lot more interesting.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Karlsson, Raanta, Iginla

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Erik Karlsson’s name has come front and center once again as the last few days tick down before Monday’s trade deadline. There have been several reports that the Ottawa Senators intend to listen on offers for their superstar defenseman, but Darren Dreger of TSN has thrown some cold water on the speculation. Dreger tweets that the chance Karlsson is dealt by the deadline is low, even if GM Pierre Dorion is listening to offers.

Any team seriously interested in Karlsson at the deadline would need to put together a huge package, and perhaps even take Bobby Ryan’s contract back as well. Those obstacles are in addition to a 10-team no-trade list that Karlsson has submitted, making a deal increasingly difficult to pull off. Still, if there is movement on him in the next few days the acquiring team would be getting one of the best defensemen in the world for two playoff runs, something that would surely vault them into the Stanley Cup contender list.

  • Antti Raanta is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, and many wondered if the Arizona Coyotes would move him at the deadline for whatever asset they could. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, that isn’t the plan for GM John Chayka and the rest of the Coyotes front office. Instead, they plan on trying to re-sign the 28-year old goaltender and keep him in the crease for the foreseeable future. Raanta is having an excellent season when healthy, with a .924 save percentage that puts him fourth among goaltenders who have started at least 30 games this season.
  • Jarome Iginla is back skating after his latest injury, practicing with the Providence Bruins today. According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Iginla is just testing out his health and doesn’t have any contracts pending in the NHL. If Iginla does find a taker this season, he’d need to sign by the trade deadline on Monday to be eligible for the playoffs.

Snapshots: Karlsson, Tolvanen, Dotchin, Neuvirth, Greiss

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There was a lot of quiet hope that when Ottawa star defenseman Erik Karlsson bought a new home in Ottawa back in August, that might suggest he intends to agree to a long-term extension when he’s eligible this year.

Don’t count on that, writes the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan.

Despite purchasing a new, expensive home in the Glebe before the season started, Karlsson suggested that has no meaning on his future. The 27-year-old will be a free agent in the 2018-19 offseason and constant rumors of whether he intends to stay in Ottawa have been talked about for months.

“I live here, and I’m going to live here no matter what,” Karlsson told Postmedia Saturday. “If not all year round, I’m going to live here during the summer. My wife is from here and this is where we’re set.”

  • Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that while the Nashville Predators are open to signing top prospect and Finnish Olympian Eeli Tolvanen to an entry-level deal when his KHL season ends (anytime between early March and late April), don’t count on him making a major impact to the team. While Tolvanen, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, would be a cheaper alternative to making a major trade for a top-six forward, an 18-year-old likely will struggle initially, although a few players in similar situations fared well in the playoffs. He points out that Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy had three assists in six first-round playoff games last year and the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider did the same back in 2012 when he scored five goals in 18 postseason games.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have scratched defenseman Jake Dotchin five times in the last six games. The young 23-year-old defenseman has often found himself on the team’s top defensive pairing in the past, but suddenly can’t get on the ice. According to Tampa Bay Times Joe Smith, head coach Jon Cooper said he has been struggling on the ice of late. “He’s got some inconsistencies in his game,” said Cooper. Dotchin has played in 43 games this season and has three goals and 11 assists.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers may have just found themselves looking for a goaltender on the trade market after the team lost goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a lower-body injury during the first period in today’s game against the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. While its too early to know whether Neuvirth will miss an extended amount of time, the team already lost goaltender Brian Elliott for five weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery last week.
  • The New York Islanders also may have some goaltending problems as goaltender Thomas Greiss, who just came off his best game of the season Friday when he shutout the Carolina Hurricanes, did not practice today as he tweaked something. “He just tweaked something,” said head coach Doug Weight. “We’re going to have it looked at and make a final ruling here moving forward. We’re prepared for anything. Obviously Bridgeport is close so if we need to do something for tomorrow we’ll be fine.” If the injury is serious, the Islanders might also be looking for a goaltender at the trade deadline.

Senators Notes: Dorion, Anselmi, Karlsson

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Armed with a new three-year extension, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has a tough task ahead of him, but he has already said that change is coming. He has stated that he has been listening to offers for the entire team with the exception of captain Erik Karlsson, winger Mark Stone and defenseman Thomas Chabot after a tough season which sees them in seventh place in the Atlantic Division after a season in which they went to the Eastern Conference finals last season.

The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch writes the real question is how big of a change will Dorion want to make at the deadline or during the offseason. Names have surfaced range from Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Dzingel, Cody Ceci, Dion Phaneuf and Johnny Oduya.

“The phone is always busy,” Dorion said. “We’ve put ourselves in the position that we are and people know that last year we had a lot of players that were key components to us getting to the final four teams. I think other teams are looking at us. We have the assets, but we’re going to make good hockey deals and that’s very important for this organization.”

The Senators are looking for established young players, who have NHL experience already as well as high-end prospects and picks. Of course, the team is unlikely to trade their whole team away either.

“These next three weeks are very important for the team that we need to set in place for the following years,” Dorion said. “At the same time, branding something, telling people exactly what our plan is, isn’t the best course of action. There will be changes that will be made.”

  • Tom Brennan of The Ottawa Sun writes that the Ottawa Senators front office mayhem continued last week when they announced that president and CEO Tom Anselmi would be vacating his role. The scribe believes he resigned three weeks ago, because of what one source described as “craziness.” In 24 months, the Senators have gone through two presidents, three chief financial officers and three chief marketing officers. With the team struggling in attendance, hiring Dorion to an extension might have been one of the smartest moves owner Eugene Melnyk has done in quite a while and shows that he wants stability within the organization.
  • The Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren writes that with the news that the Senators are taking a step back and trying to rebuild the team will only hasten the departure of Karlsson. Why would Karlsson want to stay on a team with front office instability and has already admitted they intend to rebuild? On top of that, Warren believes the team likely doesn’t want to commit $80-$100MM. It looks more likely the team would be more likely to shed salary.
  • In the same article, Warren also points out that Dorion still has a lot to prove as general manager. While he’s drafted well, some of Dorion’s moves have been questionable, including trading prospect Jonathan Dahlen for fourth-liner Alexandre Burrows, whose contract is only holding the team back. Exposing defenseman Marc Methot in the expansion draft didn’t help as he was a great partner to Karlsson. The scribe also adds that he believes the team overpaid for both Pageau and Smith.

Snapshots: Blues, Thornton, Lewis, Lightning

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In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford writes (subscription required) that while the Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile teams such as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, it’s unlikely the team will make a big move for a big name forward with years on his contract like a Max Pacioretty or a Mike Hoffman despite recent rumors to the contrary.

Due to the high trade demands being made for these players, Rutherford believes that trading a top prospect for a player who has a large contract to fit into their salary cap space doesn’t make a lot of sense as the team wants to have as much flexibility when free agency arrives this summer. Instead, the scribe believes the team needs to go the rental route and acquire a player (for a much cheaper price) so the team can make their run.

The team already is without their 2018 first-round pick which they traded for Brayden Schenn, so moving a top prospect could set the team back long-term. The team should look into a player such as Rick Nash, Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon as options as they likely won’t cost them one of their top prospects in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas or Klim Kostin.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that alarms should sound after San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton refused to say that he will definitely be back this season. That’s a surprise considering he is a player who last year played through torn MCL and ACL injuries during the playoffs. Historically, he’s been a player who goes out on the ice no matter how hurt he is, so the idea that he might not be back this season suggests the injury is worse than people think. Could he have already played his last game as a San Jose Shark?
  • Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that the rumors of a potential Ottawa Senators-Tampa Bay Lightning deadline deal refuses to go away. He writes that there have been a number of rumors, including talk of Erik Karlsson, and points out that Ottawa’s chief scout is expected to be at the Tampa Bay game tonight.

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