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Eastern Notes: Flyers Defense, Malkin, Korshkov, Primeau

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Trade Candidate: Jack Johnson

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With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

After a public bankruptcy case and a diminishing role with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jack Johnson requested a trade. He felt backed into a corner, and needed to act to ensure financial stability for his family after his player career ends. Since news of the request broke, Johnson’s ice time has once again increased. Will the Blue Jackets move him somewhere else, or give him the important minutes he needs to showcase for his next contract?

Jack JohnsonContract

Johnson is in the final season of a seven-year, $30.5MM contract—$4.36MM cap hit, $5.0MM salary. He will be a UFA in July, and holds no trade protection.

2017-18

With the increased roles of young defensemen Zach Werenski, Seth Jones and Markus Nutivaara, Johnson has seen his impact on the Blue Jackets decrease in his final year under contract. Once a powerplay quarterback and perennial 30-40 point producer, the 31-year old has been limited to defensive specialist and penalty killer for nearly two seasons. His offensive production this season has been non-existent, with only seven points through 50 games.

Tough matchups and starting nearly 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone are part of the explanation for that lack of production, but so is a normal decline in mobility and explosiveness as he navigates his thirties. He’s turned into a solid penalty killing option for the Blue Jackets, and has astoundingly taken just four minor penalties all season. There is clearly still a role for Johnson in the NHL, but with other more dynamic offensive talents on the market like Mike Green, it will be hard for him to secure an opportunity better than the one he still enjoys in Columbus.

Season Stats

50 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, -7 rating, 8 PIM, 61 shots, 19:35 ATOI, 45.9 CF%

Potential Suitors

There is never a shortage of teams looking for experienced help on the blue line as the stretch run approaches, and Johnson’s name will certainly be among those that draw inquiries. Tampa Bay, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, Washington, and the New York Islanders could all fit Johnson in under the right circumstances, though it’s not clear if any have reached out at this point.

One fit that does seem to stick out is that of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been looking for defensive help for some time. Though Travis Dermott’s debut has gone well to this point, their depth at the position is still razor thin as showcased when Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev were both out of the lineup. If the Maple Leafs decide to acquire another veteran option, Johnson could stick out as a possibility. The defenseman’s handedness (left) doesn’t help him in this scenario, but with the ability of Rielly, Dermott and Ron Hainsey to play their off-side, Mike Babcock would still have plenty of options.

Likelihood Of A Trade

A few weeks ago a trade seemed like an inevitability in the case of Johnson, who was struggling on the ice and seeing the bench more than ever before. Now though, a move doesn’t seem quite as certain. Every team needs depth on defense, and Columbus are in an absolute dog fight for the playoffs in the Metropolitan Division. With Ryan Murray—a trade candidate himself—still fighting to get back from injury, Johnson is needed to soak up minutes on the PK and shelter some of the more offensive options the Blue Jackets have.

It wouldn’t at all be surprising to see him on another team come February 26th, but it is far from certain. If the Blue Jackets decide that they’re going for it this season, and can’t find a deal for the top-nine forward they desperately want, holding onto Johnson could be the best option. Though he doesn’t come with much playoff experience, he does come with incredible success. In 23 postseason contests, Johnson has 21 points and logged a whopping 26 minutes a night last playoffs for the Blue Jackets.

Including Pittsburgh as an example from last season, the playoffs can grind through a defense corps and put you on your seventh, eighth or ninth option quickly. If there isn’t a deal for a forward to be found, maybe Johnson will have to prove himself once again in Columbus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Rangers, Dahlin, Johnson

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The New York Rangers are currently just a single point out of a playoff spot, and two points out of second place in the Metropolitan Division, but according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post that won’t make them buyers at the deadline. In fact, Brooks writes that the Rangers are preparing to “blow it up” and are willing to deal Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello along with their rental options.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard McDonagh’s name mentioned, as he currently sits tenth on the TSN Trade Bait board, but is still might come as a surprise. The Rangers captain has logged 24 minutes a night again this season, and currently has 24 points through 45 games. While he may not match his career-high of 14 goals, he’s certainly a bargain at his $4.7MM cap hit this year and next.

  • Welcome to “the Rasmus Dahlin draft” writes TSN insider Bob McKenzie, who released his early rankings for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft today. Dahlin tops the board like everywhere else, but McKenzie’s rankings do differ from some of the other leading sources. Perhaps most notably is Ryan Merkley at #11, as the dynamic Guelph defenseman has slipped to the back half of the first round in most other rankings. McKenzie explains why, noting Merkley’s perceived attitude problem and temperament as potential reasons for his fall.
  • Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 radio today, and said that he’d be “shocked” if the Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Lou Lamoriello hadn’t called on Jack Johnson from the Columbus Blue Jackets. As noted in our most recent live chat, Johnson does seem like a pretty good fit for the Maple Leafs down the stretch as he tries to secure a long-term contract this summer. Johnson is looking for an opportunity to play a big role somewhere, and the Maple Leafs have had a revolving door in the back half of their defense corps. Still, with Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev returning from injury soon and Travis Dermott showing he’s ready for the NHL, the Maple Leafs aren’t guaranteed to be on the market any longer.

Snapshots: Johnson, Crawford, Murray

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Jack Johnson’s not hiding the fact that he asked for a trade in November, but he wanted to make it clear that he’s nowhere near quitting on the Columbus Blue Jackets. In an excellent piece by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), Johnson goes into detail on how he would love to stay with his current club, but is just trying to do what is best for his career and family:

This isn’t a situation that’s normal. Most people, when stuff like this happens, it’s because they don’t want to be where they’re at, or they’re not happy with the team, the city, the coaches, whatever. I’m not … this isn’t a case of any of that.

Johnson is perhaps more concerned with future paydays than the average NHL veteran because of the public bankruptcy he had to file in 2014 thanks to debt his parents created in his name. Still, Johnson only wants to show he’s capable of contributing to a winning lineup, and he’ll get that chance tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars when he’s reunited with David Savard on the team’s second defense pairing. Though he remains a possibility for trade, Portzline perhaps put it best on Twitter when asked if Johnson could play his way into a contract: “rule out nothing.”

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