Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:
Deadline Day
Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny
St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar
Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick
Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick
San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane
Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic
Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow
Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick
Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore
Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick
San Jose Sharks Acquire Evander Kane From Buffalo Sabres
The San Jose Sharks have acquired Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN in exchange for a conditional 2019 first-round pick, conditional 2020 fourth-round pick and Daniel O’Regan. Kane has not signed an extension with the Sharks, and is still scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports that the bidding was down to San Jose, Anaheim and Calgary today.
The first-round pick is tied to the re-signing of Kane. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports, if the Sharks don’t re-sign the 26-year old forward before July 1st, it becomes a second-round pick in 2019 instead—unless the Sharks also win the 2018 Stanley Cup. It’s unclear what the conditions are on the fourth-round pick.
O’Regan, 24, is a former teammate of Sabres’ forwards Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues at Boston University and has played 19 games for the Sharks this season. Though he has just four points on the season, O’Regan does have some offensive upside and could jump right into the Buffalo lineup. He has 25 points in 31 games in the AHL, and though he’s a bit undersized could give them another option down the middle for the next few years. He’s a restricted free agent in the summer, but should be relatively cheap to sign for the Sabres.
The package Buffalo received for Kane may seem a little light at first glance, especially when compared directly to Rick Nash from this week. That’s likely because of the struggles he’s gone through of late, and his lack of playoff experience. Kane has just six points in 23 games in 2018, and hasn’t played a single postseason game in his nine-year career.
There is also obviously the case of Kane’s perceived attitude, which could have influenced the market that Buffalo was able to create. Kane has had off-ice trouble in the past, and though there hasn’t been much lately on any turmoil in the Buffalo dressing room, playoff teams often don’t want to risk their team chemistry on a player with a reputation. San Jose does have a strong leadership group, and decided that this package was more than acceptable for a player capable of scoring 30 goals in a season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Deadline Notes: Kane, Pacioretty, Glendening
This morning has brought some of the more surprising deals of this trade season, but there are still plenty of other names expected to be moved. One of those is Evander Kane, Buffalo’s pending UFA that has been on the market all season. Kane has had teams in and out on him, but John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that four teams are currently talking to the Sabres about the forward.
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t among those teams according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required), who wrote earlier today that they weren’t involved. The Penguins were seen as a potential fit for Kane, but after acquiring Derick Brassard might not have enough trade capital to really have any interest.
- Max Pacioretty is another one of the top names remaining, and John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that there is still interest from both the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers. With the Montreal Canadiens facing the end of a disappointing season, Pacioretty has been rumored on the block for the last while. The return would likely be massive for Montreal, as their captain comes with another year on his contract at a reasonable cap hit.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs were connected to Luke Glendening of the Detroit Red Wings, but after acquiring Tomas Plekanec yesterday are likely now out of the running. Instead, Craig Custance of The Athleitc tweets that the Tampa Bay Lightning have shown interest in the defensive center, who is a faceoff specialist and penalty killer.
Deadline Notes: Plekanec, Green, Gionta, Kane, Lindberg
While it’s still to early to know, Winnipeg Free Press’ Jeff Hamilton feels that there is a strong indication that the Winnipeg Jets are pushing to acquire Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec tonight. The 34-year-old veteran was also scratched for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, although that may just be to ensure he doesn’t get hurt right before the deadline. While there are no details on how close the two teams are, the plan, according to Hamilton, is for the Jets to use Plekanec on the team’s third line alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, which would give the team a deep lineup. Andrew Copp would move to the team’s fourth line and would join Joel Armia and Adam Lowry.
The Jets were supposedly working hard to acquire Derrick Brassard Friday, but lost out to the Pittsburgh Penguins and were forced to look for another center to fill their needs. While Plekanec is a step down from Brassard, the veteran may get some new life with the Jets, especially if he gets to play with Laine and Ehlers.
- With the trade deadline less than two days away, the Detroit Red Wings still have their top trade chip remaining on their roster, but the problem is that he’s still hurt. In fact, the top rental defenseman on the market hasn’t played in five games and could miss Sunday’s game as well. While Green as practiced with the team twice now, including Friday, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that while there is little doubt that Green will be moved by Monday, the timing of the injury could easily diminish the team’s returns for him. He writes teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning might pause first if they feel he could re-injure himself the moment they acquire him.
- As mentioned earlier today, there has been some interest in Team USA captain Brian Gionta. However, Pierre LeBrun adds that a couple of East teams have expressed interest in Gionta, including the Boston Bruins. While nothing in imminent, a deal could be made at some point this weekend.
- The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the Buffalo Sabres are holding forward Evander Kane out of the lineup tonight. Kane, one of the most anticipated trade candidates join a group of players who have been held out in the last day or two as the team doesn’t want to risk losing a player to injury just before the deadline. “Management thought it was the best decision moving forward and the best decision for Evander,” coach Phil Housley said in his pregame media briefing two hours before faceoff. “… That’s the situation for right now.” No other pending trade candidates were scratched.
- Tobias Lindberg, who the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights Friday in the Derrick Brassard trade, has been assigned to the AHL, but not to their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but back to the Chicago Wolves, the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, according to Chicago Wolves broadcaster Jason Shaver. The Penguins didn’t want to move him at this point of the season to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but can still recall him at any point during the season.
Trade Deadline Notes: Ward, McDonagh, Oduya, Plekanec
The San Jose Sharks are playing both buyer and seller at this year’s trade deadline. The Sharks are currently second in the Pacific Division, looking to hold off the Ducks, Kings, and Flames, and are known to be looking for scoring help up front. They have been attached to names like Evander Kane, Rick Nash, and really most high-profile forwards on the market. At the same time, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the team has requested a no-trade list from veteran forward Joel Ward. Ward, 37, is an impending free agent who has fallen out of favor in the San Jose lineup. He has a six-team no-trade list that he can use to slightly reduce the number of possible destinations, should he be traded. Ward has played in only 46 games this season, with just 11 points to show for it, but more importantly, has seen his once-valued penalty kill role diminished, along with his even strength ice time. Ward can still be an asset for many teams as both an experienced locker room presence and reliable two-way depth option, but he’s worth much more to another contender than the defense-conscious Sharks. A trade is far from a certainty, but is a definite possibility now that a list has been officially requested.
- An unexpected suitor has entered the bidding for New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Sportsnet’s John Shannon believes that the Florida Panthers have interest in the top-pairing defenseman. Going up against divisional foes like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, as well as many others, the Panthers will try make the top offer for McDonagh, as the Rangers continue their fire sale. The Panthers are still fighting for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference this season, and McDonagh would be a major help with that, but more likely the motivation for the Cats is to bring in McDonagh for next season and with the intent of extending him. PHR recently identified a top-four defenseman as a need for the Panthers going forward, and McDonagh would round out quite the top four in Florida with Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, and Michael Matheson.
- Count both Johnny Oduya and Tomas Plekanec as the latest big-name players being held out of lineups tonight prior to the deadline. Dreger says that Oduya’s benching is just precautionary, but that the Ottawa Senators are working on trading the veteran defenseman as part of their own fire sale. The news of Plekanec, from TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, comes after a report yesterday that the Montreal Canadiens have received an influx of interest in the veteran center over the last 24 hours. Both players are expected to be moved in the coming days.
Deadline Notes: Kane, Grabner, Nash
The latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN was enlightening, as panel members Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie discussed several of the top trade deadline names. In addition to the “king’s ransom” for Erik Karlsson that we wrote about earlier today, Evander Kane was one of the topics for the first time in a while.
Dreger believes that the Buffalo Sabres already have a few offers for Kane, but that those include roster players and the team is more interested in picks and prospects. Kane is mired in a terrible scoring slump just at the wrong time for Buffalo, who will hope that the fact he has just four points in his last 20 games won’t hurt their return too much when he’s eventually moved.
- LeBrun was very clear when speaking about Rick Nash, saying that he “will get moved before Monday.” Nash is alongside Kane as the top rental options on the market, and LeBrun lists Nashville, Dallas, Columbus, Winnipeg and Boston as teams that have shown some interest in the veteran winger. The Jets might not be on Nash’s approved trade list, meaning the two sides would need to agree to waive his no-trade for any move to Winnipeg.
- Nash’s teammate Michael Grabner has many more suitors according to McKenzie, who says there could be as more than 10-12 teams interested in the speedster. Grabner has 25 goals on the season and can play up and down a lineup, but doesn’t create much for those around him. McKenzie reports that a second-round pick and “something” is believed to be the asking price, which could be more palatable to contenders than the prices for Nash or Kane.
Trade Candidate: Evander Kane
As the trade deadline continues to creep closer and closer, we continue our profiles of players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
Sabres winger Evander Kane is no stranger to the spotlight both on and off the ice. He also has certainly become accustomed to being the focal point of trade speculation as his name has been in the rumor mill all season long. At some point over the next week, it’s highly expected that he will be dealt.
Contract
Kane is in the final season of a six-year, $31.5MM contract he signed back with Winnipeg in 2012. He is receiving a $6MM salary with his $5.25MM cap charge and he will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
2017-18
Even though the Sabres struggled out of the gate, Kane got off to a fantastic start offensively and was hovering around the point-per-game mark through the first 35 games of the season (33 points). Accordingly, GM Jason Botterill set a very high asking price, one that involved a first-round pick, a conditional selection, plus a top prospect. Based on how he was playing, it was certainly a justifiable ask as well.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Kane hasn’t been able to sustain that level of play over the past two months. In fact, he hasn’t even come close. In the 25 games since then, he has just six points (4-2-6) despite still averaging over 18 minutes per night of ice time. Now, instead of being a player providing top-line production, he has produced as a bottom-six winger despite still seeing top-line minutes. That certainly has hurt Botterill’s leverage and has undoubtedly played a role in Kane sticking with the Sabres to this point in time.
Season Stats
60 GP, 19 goals, 20 assists, 39 points, -14 rating, 57 PIMS, 224 shots, 19:22 ATOI, 50.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
In the East, Pittsburgh has expressed an interest previously but their salary cap constraints would require them to free up a considerable amount of space before they could make a deal even if Buffalo retains on his cap hit. In terms of a fit though, he would fit in well in a secondary role which may be the best role for him to play. The Bruins are known to be looking for help on the wing although the acquisition cost for Kane may be higher than they’re willing to pay. The Islanders make some sense in terms of where he could fit in but GM Garth Snow has ruled out trading top picks and prospects for rentals which takes them out of the equation. Columbus is looking for scoring help and while he’s not a center – the position they’d prefer to add to, they’ll take help putting the puck in the net where they could get it.
Out West, his former team in Winnipeg is looking for a scoring winger but there’s no way a reunion is happening with Kane. Nashville is also on the lookout for help on the wing but Rick Nash is believed to be their preferred target at the moment. If a deal can’t be reached there, they could get involved in talks for Kane. The Blues could benefit from another top-six winger but like Pittsburgh, salary cap constraints would make a deal particularly challenging as things currently stand. If Anaheim decides to be buyers at the deadline, they would be an intriguing fit for Kane and have some prospect capital to deal from on the back end, a position that Buffalo needs help with. However, the Ducks could turn around and be sellers depending on how these next few games go.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Considering there have been no talks about a contract extension, the odds here have to be quite high that Kane will eventually be moved. Botterill has indicated previously that Buffalo will be willing to retain to help facilitate a trade but they may have to drop their asking price before a deal actually happens. That’s something that the Sabres won’t want to do until they have to so this is a case that could drag out right until deadline day on the 26th.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Interest In Rick Nash From Several Teams
TSN’s Frank Seravalli released an update to his Trade Bait board, and Rick Nash has taken over the top spot. Evander Kane had been there for the entire season, but with the New York Rangers obvious position as sellers, Nash has become the prize of the trade deadline. Seravalli reports that more than ten teams have spoken to the Rangers about Nash since they published their letter to fans about a rebuild, including Nashville, Dallas, Winnipeg, Boston and San Jose. While obviously a passing interest doesn’t mean a deal is incoming, it’s important to note that Nash’s market doesn’t seem limited as we stand just over a week until the deadline.
The Rangers have other rental options in Michael Grabner, Nick Holden and David Desharnais, but Nash remains the jewel of their pending free agents. Even with his declining offensive numbers, teams likely still see him as a valuable addition to their middle-six that can help on both the powerplay and penalty kill. Nashville has been reported as the leaders in the pursuit, though it is still yet to be seen whether they’ll meet the Rangers high asking price. If the acquiring cost drops in the coming days to a point where the Predators are comfortable, you can bet other teams will jump into the fray with their own offers.
At 33 years old, Nash isn’t the 40-goal man of his youth. With just 27 points on the season he is currently putting up the lowest per-game offensive output of his career, but still has 17 goals and is a positive possession player. Though his cap hit is hefty, the Rangers are likely willing to retain some of it to facilitate a trade, and maximize their return. Seravalli reports that no team he’s talked to is willing to include a first-round pick in a package for Kane, which could greatly reduce the market for Nash. The two players’ future could be tied together over the next few weeks, as teams try to match acquisitions made by their rivals.
Poll: Who Is The Most Valuable Trade Chip Available?
The NHL trade deadline is now just over a month away. On February 26th, teams from around the league will definitively lay forth their plan for the rest of the season. Sellers, will send expiring or aging assets off to contenders while trying to build for the future while buyers will happily snatch up players and give them a taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
So, who is the most valuable asset out there?
There is obviously a lot of debate over who really is on the market, so if we’re to answer the question above we’ll have to choose from some sort of list. Luckily Frank Seravalli of TSN maintains such a list on his Trade Bait board, a ranking of the top assets based on skill and availability. Right now that list is headed by Evander Kane, as it seems nearly guaranteed that he’ll be moved to a contender before next month’s deadline. After all, the Sabres haven’t even approached him about a potential contract extension.
It also includes some players who haven’t heard there names in the news much, but seem like logical assets that might be available for the right price. Below we’ve listed the top-10 options from TSN’s board, but feel free to add an option in the comments. If you feel as though Erik Karlsson or John Tavares are truly on the market, vote for the “other” option and make sure you explain why. You can also leave a comment if you don’t think one of the players listed is actually available.
[Mobile users click here to vote!]
Latest On Buffalo Trade Rumors
It’s clear that Evander Kane will be traded by the Buffalo Sabres before the February 26th deadline, but where exactly he will end up and how much he will cost are still very much up in the air. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that interest is “heating up” but that the team still could wait, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic chimed in calling it a “good ol’ poker game” and explaining that the current asking price is too much for teams to give up.
While all eyes are stuck to Kane to see where he’ll end up, it’s the second half of Dreger’s tweet that may be more interesting. The idea that Sam Reinhart won’t be dealt in the next two months isn’t particularly newsworthy, but the fact that the insider needed to include it is. Reinhart is in the midst of his worst season as a professional, with just 15 points through 45 games and lacking the confidence he showed early in his career. But at just 22-years old you’d think he would be a building block, not a piece of trade bait for the rebuilding Sabres.
Selected second-overall in 2014, Reinhart hasn’t made the same immediate impact that Leon Draisaitl (3rd), William Nylander (8th) or Nikolaj Ehlers (9th) have, but still has plenty of time to grow into the formidable two-way center many believed he would be. It’s interesting then that he’d be thought of as anything other than an untouchable for Buffalo, as they try to find a path to success under new GM Jason Botterill.
Some of that might come from the fact that Reinhart is now entering his restricted free agent years, and will need a new contract this summer. While it’s not clear where exactly negotiations lie between the two sides, if he is available after the season there won’t be a shortage of teams willing to take the risk. Remember, Reinhart did score 23 goals and 42 points as a rookie in 2015-16, numbers that would be excellent for any 20-year old that didn’t come with top draft status heaped upon them. If the Sabres believe a change of scenery is best, or don’t feel the two sides can come to an amiable contract solution, you can bet Botterill will be looking for another huge package of assets in return.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images