East Notes: Lindholm, Lehner, Johnson
The Flames have expressed interest in Hurricanes center Elias Lindholm, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (video link). He notes that the talks took place a couple of weeks ago and may not be on the front burner for the time being, however. The 23-year-old has been a consistent secondary producer over the past four years for Carolina, notching between 39 and 45 points each season. While he has mostly played down the middle, he has spent some time on the wing as well and Calgary head coach Bill Peters is certainly familiar with Lindholm’s game having coached him in Carolina until he resigned earlier this offseason.
In the meantime, LeBrun notes that the Hurricanes plan to resume contract talks with Lindholm’s agent in the coming days as he is slated to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1st.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Sabres may be considering non-tendering goaltender Robin Lehner next week, suggests Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 26-year-old is owed a $4MM qualifying offer which may be deemed too pricey for a player who posted a 3.01 GAA and a .908 SV% in 53 appearances this past season. Instead, Buffalo appears to be ready to hand prospect Linus Ullmark a much bigger workload and Hoppe believes that GM Jason Botterill may look to trade for a second goaltender rather than pursue a replacement for Lehner in what is a relatively weak free agent market.
- The Penguins have discussed the idea of pursuing pending Blue Jackets UFA defenseman Jack Johnson, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 31-year-old played with center Sidney Crosby back at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and remain close to this day. GM Jim Rutherford is also familiar with Johnson having drafted him third overall back in 2005. However, with the idea that he could get upwards of $6MM per year on his next contract, the team would certainly need to clear out a player or two to free up that type of money to bring Johnson into the fold.
Jack Johnson’s Value Still High Despite Down Year
Earlier this season Jack Johnson asked the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade him. It didn’t have anything to do with a distaste for the team, city or coaching staff, but instead because he was looking ahead and trying to secure a healthy payday for himself. Johnson had been embroiled in a long, public legal battle with his parents who had racked up debt in his name, and was using a big portion of his Blue Jackets contract to pay it off. When his minutes and role started to slip in Columbus due to the emergence of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones, Johnson started to worry about the fact that he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Blue Jackets would decide not to trade Johnson, instead using him more frequently and keeping him as an integral part of their playoff squad. Now, as he heads towards free agency he may have nothing to worry about in terms of finances. Bob McKenzie was on TSN radio recently and spoke about Johnson, speculating that the defenseman could earn in the “neighborhood of $6MM.” While some may bristle at that number for a 31-year old who registered just 11 points this season, remember that Johnson had logged an average of more than 20 minutes a night for ten straight seasons before finishing at 19:33 this year. Many could still believe that he could play a big role on their blue line, and on a short-term deal pay up to get him.
McKenzie qualified the amount by saying “give or take a million,” and that seems more likely where Johnson will fit in. The biggest thing in his favor though might be the relative lack of quality options on the free agent market behind John Carlson. Calvin de Haan looked like he was on a path for a big payday before he was injured this season, while Mike Green and others present their own risks.
Though there are reports of Johnson being linked to the Montreal Canadiens, most notably by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet who claimed they could be a “stealth destination” for the free agent defenseman, McKenzie wouldn’t go so far as to say he knows anything about that. He did however say that they could be interested since they are looking to upgrade their defense corps, after a disappointing 2017-18 season.
For whoever signs Johnson, it’s clear that his market is still healthy enough to demand a high-priced deal. It’s not clear how long a team is willing to commit to the two-way defenseman, but we’ll find out in just a few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Johnson, Dubinsky, Blackhawks, Pettersson, Mittelstadt
Two long-time veterans seem to be on the outside looking in this offseason as the Columbus Blue Jackets as both defenseman Jack Johnson and center Brandon Dubinsky struggled last season and saw little to no playing time in the playoff. Johnson didn’t play in any of the Blue Jackets playoff games against Washington, even though they lost four in a row. Dubinsky ranked 10th among forwards in average ice time and only played 4:09 in the final playoff game.
While the team is highly unlikely to bring back Johnson as he is an unrestricted free agent and Columbus is overloaded in solid blueliners, Dubinsky is another situation, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). The 32-year-old still has three years remaining on the six-year deal he signed in 2014 at $5.85MM AAV. He is the third-highest paid player on the team behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Artemi Panerin. Portzline writes that with his drop in production this year (16 points compared to 41 in 2016-17), the veteran has no trade value and a buyout at this stage isn’t worth it. That means the team is stuck with him and only a renewed effort by Dubinsky could regain him his old role.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes the Chicago Blackhawks, who will pick eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, the highest they’ve drafted since they chose Patrick Kane with the first overall pick in 2007, might be looking for the most NHL ready player when they pick. “You never know,” head coach Joel Quenneville said after the season ended. “You can’t discount that. They say that there’s a lot of good players in this year’s draft. Getting a player at the number is going to be a good opportunity for our scouts, there’s some excitement in that area.”
- Previously rumored, but Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson and backup goaltender Anders Nilsson have each made the preliminary roster for Sweden for the World Championships this summer in Denmark. Pettersson, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, who had the best season ever for a 18-year-old rookie in the SHL, is expected to compete for a roster spot with the Canucks in training camp.
- There were a few surprises Saturday when the U.S. released their preliminary roster for the World Championships this summer when Buffalo Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt wasn’t on the roster. The Buffalo News’ John Vogl reports that Mittelstadt didn’t make the roster due to the fact that he’s battling a groin injury, although general manager Jason Botterill said it wasn’t serious. “It’s a groin, but it shouldn’t be anything more than a couple weeks,” Botterill said. “But obviously with the tournament starting next week, it just didn’t make any sense for him to go over there.”
Eastern Notes: Flyers Defense, Malkin, Korshkov, Primeau
While the Philadelphia Flyers took a major step this year by reaching the playoffs and showing some success in their playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was also quite obvious the team must continue to improve their roster if they want to compete for an Eastern Conference title at some point in the near future. While the team’s stable of forwards looks solid, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that the team’s defense might be the most important issue on the team.
While the team got some good play from many of their defenders, the team’s lack of depth was critical as players like Brandon Manning and Radko Gudas were exposed as weak links on their defense. Even Shayne Gostisbehere struggled in his playoff series with the Penguins. With Manning not expected back and a reduced role for Gudas likely, finding replacements is critical if it wants to take that next step. The team does expect Samuel Morin to earn a full-time role with the defense, but the team needs more.
With approximately $25MM in cap space, free agency might be the most logical way of filling that need, despite general manager Ron Hextall‘s struggles at signing free agents. However, with players like John Carlsson, Toby Enstrom, Thomas Hickey, Jack Johnson and Ian Cole out there this summer, the team might find what it needs there.
- Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, who missed the first game of their playoff series and is listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game, had a successful practice Saturday and will decide tomorrow on whether he’s ready to play with his team up one game against the Washington Capitals. “I feel so much better,” said Malkin (via the Penguins). “We’ll see how I feel overnight. If I play, I’m ready to play. If I play, I need to go 100%. The team won two games without me, great team. They played so hard. If I’m in I’ll try to do my best and make us stronger.”
- Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Yegor Korshkov will not come over to North America this summer like some people originally thought. The 21-year-old wing has signed a one-year extension to remain with his KHL team, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. “The Leafs were OK with my decision but obviously weren’t glad,” said Korshkov (via Igor Eronko). “My position is I should have a leading role in Lokomotiv to leave the KHL. Who knows, maybe in a year I will reach my goal.” Korshkov did improve his goal and points production this year with Lokomotiv, putting up eight goals and 18 assists, but also played 18 more games this season.
- The Athletic’s Mitch Brown (subscription required) breaks down the Montreal Canadiens prospects and how they fared with 2017 seventh-round pick Cayden Primeau leapfrogging to one of the top of the team’s prospect pick. Taken late in the draft last year after possessing the third-worst save percentage in the USHL, the 18-year-old goaltender rebounded with Northeastern University, putting up the best save percentage by an 18-year-old in NCAA history.
Columbus Has Key Defensive Decisions To Make This Offseason
The Columbus Blue Jackets are enjoying some of their best defensive depth in team history as they currently have 10 blueliners on their current roster. Not even including the impressive play of their top line of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, the team has a quality top-six with trade deadline acquisition Ian Cole to pair with David Savard on the second line. The recently extended Markus Nutivaara also makes a quality third pairing with Ryan Murray. Their depth is so great that veteran Jack Johnson finds himself as a healthy scratch lately and can’t seem to break into Columbus lineup on most days.
However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Blue Jackets’ blueline should look quite different next season and much of those changes will revolve around what the team does with three players in particular, including Johnson, Cole and Murray.
Johnson has had a tough year and is wrapping up a seven-year, $30.5MM contract. The 31-year-old asked for a trade midway through the season as his playing time had dropped this year, but the Blue Jackets found no takers and seems unlikely to return to Columbus considering how little he has been playing of late and now has been a healthy scratch for four straight games.
Cole, who many believed Columbus added as only a trade rental, has made quite a mark on the team’s defense and seems to be a good fit next to the physical Savard and the team is considering bringing him back next season. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen had a hand in drafting him back in 2007 when he was with the St. Louis Blues. According to Portzline, there have been rumors the team has already discussed a contract extension with Cole, but there are questions whether the team can afford him.
As for Murray, the team must make a decision on whether they want to retain the restricted free agent. Murray, who is currently making $2.825MM this year, is an excellent skater and puck mover, but has struggled his entire career with injuries. He’s only played out a full 82-game season once and has never come close after that as 66 games is his next highest. He’s played in just 41 games this year.
If the team signs two of those three players, Columbus should continue to have a strong defensive core in the future.
Metropolitan Notes: Flyers, Johnson, Anderson, Penguins
The Flyers were quiet yesterday in terms of activity with their lone move of the day being the waiver claim of Johnny Oduya from Ottawa. GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, that their position in the standings wasn’t going to dictate how aggressive they were going to be:
“Because we’re a point out of the division lead, we’re not going to make a deal that makes us a little better right now but we give up two young assets, a good young player, a draft pick. We’re not going to make deals to go essentially all-in for one year.”
Hextall also stated that they were looking into a couple of things but that he wasn’t prepared to overpay for a rental upgrade. Instead, Philly will look inwards for their post-deadline upgrades. Winger Wayne Simmonds is out for another seven-to-ten days while netminder Brian Elliott is expected to return at some point before the postseason as well which should only be a boost for the currently-surging Flyers.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Considering his trade request earlier in the year and the fact that Columbus acquired Ian Cole early on Monday, it came as somewhat of a surprise that the Blue Jackets didn’t deal defenseman Jack Johnson by the trade deadline. Despite that, both Johnson and GM Jarmo Kekalainen acknowledged to George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch that there could still be a chance that the rearguard chooses to stick around after the season. Johnson’s ice time has gone up since his request to be moved and at one point last week, talks were held regarding a possible contract extension although talks didn’t progress particularly far.
- Still with the Blue Jackets, the verdict is in regarding Josh Anderson’s injury and the news isn’t great. The team announced (Twitter link) that the winger will miss approximately the next four weeks as a result of a knee sprain sustained on Monday against Washington. That should immediately free up a spot for the recently-acquired Thomas Vanek without disrupting the rest of the lineup.
- The Penguins made a strong push to acquire Wild center Matt Cullen, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, Minnesota set a considerable asking price, one that GM Jim Rutherford wasn’t willing to pay for a player who would have been more of a luxury instead of filling a need. Mackey adds that Pittsburgh had also set a very high asking price on top prospect Daniel Sprong, who could see time with the Pens down the stretch.
Ducks Interested In Acquiring Jack Johnson
With their acquisition of Ian Cole, the Blue Jackets have a potential replacement for blueliner Jack Johnson if they decide to move him. To that end, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks are making a push to acquire the 31-year-old from Columbus.
Johnson’s situation has been well-documented. With his ice time decreasing, he asked for a trade earlier in the season but in recent weeks, his playing time has increased and for a short time, discussions about a potential extension took place although those have since broken off. The pending unrestricted free agent has three goals and five assists in 62 games this season, his lowest points-per-game pace since his first full season in the NHL back in 2007-08.
Anaheim has a fully-healthy back end at the moment but rookie Marcus Pettersson has only played a limited role while Francois Beauchemin has been in and out of the lineup as of late. Johnson would represent an upgrade to their third pairing while giving them some insurance in case one of their top-four defenders goes down with an injury. The pending UFA carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM but the Ducks have the ability to add nearly $14MM in full-season salary today.
Jack Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets Recently Discussed Extension
There has been a persistent thought that Jack Johnson was likely the first man out the door for the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline since his trade request became public earlier this season, but now Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team has reached out to re-open negotiations on a possible extension. Though neither side would comment, it’s an interesting turn in what was an expected breakup over the next few days.
Portzline adds that the Blue Jackets offered Johnson a seven-year extension last offseason worth more than $22MM, which he turned down.
Johnson’s ice time has gone back up since the report of a trade request broke, topping 20 minutes in nine of his last 14 games. As Columbus continues to try and solidify their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Johnson’s name has come up as a possibility for many teams around the league. His experience and ability in various situations was quite sought after, with a late first-round pick even expected as a potential return.
Portzline is quick to point out that if extension talks don’t progress, Johnson still could be traded by Monday’s deadline, but this at least opens the door to a possible return. The 31-year old is a valuable piece for the Blue Jackets, but is scheduled to be one of the top defensive options on the open market should he hold out until unrestricted free agency this summer.
Columbus Assigns Ryan Murray To AHL For Conditioning Stint
The Columbus Blue Jackets will soon get a boost to their blue line, but they’ll have to wait just a little bit longer. The team announced today that they have activated Ryan Murray from the injured reserve, but have assigned him to the AHL for a conditioning stint. Murray will play at least a game or two for the Cleveland Monsters before returning to the Columbus lineup.
Murray, 24, suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury back in November and has missed the team’s past 34 games. Murray’s early NHL career has been marred by injury, as he missed 22 games last season and all but 12 games in 2014-15 due to various maladies. Even when healthy, Murray has lacked the offensive impact he showed in juniors an in his 24-point rookie season. In the 24 games he has suited up for in 2017-18, Murray has only five points. The 2012 second-overall pick came with, understandably, high expectations that he has yet to reach due to his lack of play time.
Yet, there is still much potential for the smooth-skating defenseman to realize. Although he has been passed up by the likes of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones in Columbus, the Blue Jackets remain committed to Murray and he will surely fill an important role once for the team once he returns. Especially if the Jackets are entertaining ideas of trading away Jack Johnson before the NHL Trade Deadline while still trying to make the playoffs, Murray will be looked upon for solid play and big minutes. The conditioning stint in the AHL will be Murray’s first ever AHL action, after jumping right to the NHL from the WHL, and will hopefully both give him confidence and get him back in game shape and ready to help Columbus down the stretch – they need him.
Snapshots: Johnson, Nash, Green
The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking for a landing spot for Jack Johnson, after he requested a trade earlier this season and wants a chance to play a bigger role somewhere before hitting free agency. In tonight’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN with panel members Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie, they discuss where Johnson could land.
LeBrun even reports that Columbus is “comfortable they can go out and get a low first-round draft pick,” but that they’d still rather get a forward back for a playoff run of their own. That at least seems to increase the likelihood of Johnson being dealt by the deadline, as even a late first is very valuable for clubs on draft day.
- Rick Nash is clearly on the market, now that the New York Rangers have effectively signaled a rebuild and asked for his no-trade list. Dreger lists the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars as the top two contenders for Nash, but that as many as ten teams have been in contact with his representatives. Nash is likely going to be one of the top prizes on deadline day, if he even lasts the next few weeks.
- McKenzie chimes in with some news on Mike Green of the Detroit Red Wings, once again linking him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are after a defenseman for their Stanley Cup run, but McKenzie reports that the Red Wings are after a return somewhere between the one they received for Brendan Smith last season (2018 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick) and the one St. Louis received for Kevin Shattenkirk (effectively 2017 first-round pick, prospect Zach Sanford). Whether Tampa Bay wants to pay that much is unclear, but they do have quite the prospect pipeline already built up if they do start to sacrifice futures.