Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Logan Brown

Blues Acquire Logan Brown

at CDT | by 12 Comments

Logan Brown’s desire for a fresh start is well-known and he has gotten his wish.  The Senators have sent the center along with a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022 to St. Louis in exchange for winger Zach Sanford.  The draft pick will not transfer if Brown plays in 30 regular season games with the Blues this season.  Both teams have confirmed the deal.

Brown was a first-round pick of Ottawa (11th overall) in 2016 but despite showing flashes of upside in the minors, he has yet to establish himself in the NHL.  He had nine points in 13 AHL contests with Belleville last season but only got into one game with the Senators in 2020-21 and has just 30 career NHL appearances over his three professional campaigns.  The 23-year-old recently re-signed a one-year, two-way contract worth the league minimum of $750K and will be a restricted free agent against next summer.

As for Sanford, he has been a capable depth scorer for the Blues over the last few seasons, notching at least eight goals in each of his three full seasons in St. Louis.  Injuries to other forwards allowed him to play a bigger role in 2020-21 as he logged nearly 15 minutes per game in ice time (a career high) while collecting ten goals and six assists in 52 contests.  The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract that carries a $2MM AAV and Sanford will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The key to the trade from St. Louis’ perspective is the cap space.  The move allows them to get back into salary cap compliance as they were projected to be over the $81.5MM Upper Limit before the swap.  If Brown pans out, he will be a cheap roster piece for the Blues and if he can’t crack the roster, they’ll get the fourth-rounder for Sanford’s services.  As for the Sens, Sanford should be a nice addition to their bottom six forward group.  As they look to get back into the playoff picture this season, he’ll be a useful veteran on a young team and if they’re out of the mix by the trade deadline, Sanford is someone that could be flipped to a playoff contender.

Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch was the first to report that the two teams were finalizing a trade for Brown.

Senators Re-Sign Logan Brown

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Senators have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents, announcing the signing of center Logan Brown to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract pays the league minimum of $750K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL.  GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement about the move:

Logan is among the most talented prospects in our organization. He possesses many of the tools that could ultimately help him find success in the NHL. We’re hopeful that a productive summer translates into a good training camp for him here beginning next week.

The 23-year-old has shown flashes of upside since being the 11th-overall pick in 2016 but it hasn’t translated to any consistent success in the NHL.  While he has been productive in the minors (including nine points in 13 games in 2020-21), he has just a goal and eight assists in 30 career NHL contests; just one of those NHL appearances came last season.  Brown’s camp hasn’t hidden a desire for a trade and Ottawa has made him available but clearly, the right return hasn’t come around yet which has led to this deal.

Brown is eligible for waivers this season which makes the fact that he took less than his $874K qualifying offer a bit interesting.  While it guaranteed him a bit more money if he cleared and was sent to the minors but at the league minimum price tag, he will be easier for other teams to fit in should a trade or waiver placement materialize.  In the meantime, Brown should get a long look at camp where he’ll battle for a spot at the end of the roster.  Knowing the waiver eligibility is there now, he’ll be one to keep an eye on in the preseason.

Snapshots: Canucks, Brown, Warner

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canucks remain a team to watch for with training camp fast approaching with their two prominent unsigned players in defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Elias Pettersson.  Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, GM Jim Benning indicated that “there’s no angry sides” as they continue to talk either every day or every second day.  Vancouver has enough cap room to potentially sign one of the two to a long-term contract and the other a bridge deal but MacIntyre reports that at this point, short-term contracts for both are the current focus.  With both being represented by CAA, the discussions are basically intertwined.  Benning expressed a desire to have both stars signed before training camp starts so agreements will need to be in place soon for that to happen.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Senators Logan Brown is one of 11 remaining restricted free agents in the NHL but that shouldn’t be the case much longer. While both sides wouldn’t mind a change of scenery, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the expectation is that Brown will soon accept his qualifying offer and be at the start of training camp.  The offer, which technically has expired although players can still sign for that amount, is a two-way deal worth just over $874K.  Brown will require waivers to be sent back to the AHL this season and if he doesn’t make Ottawa’s roster in training camp, a waiver claim could wind up being how he goes elsewhere.
  • Former Wild defensive prospect Hunter Warner retired late last month at the age of 25 but as it turns out, he’s not leaving sports entirely. Instead, he has taken up boxing, notes Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press.  Warner was undrafted but signed with Minnesota in 2014 and played in parts of six professional seasons with AHL Iowa before hanging up his skates.

Canadian Notes: Tkachuk, Brown, Tullio

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Training camps are mere days away for all 32 teams in the NHL now as we enter the second week of September. The upcoming season comes with an added sense of anticipation for Canadian teams, some of which will have fans in the stands for the first time since March of 2020. One team with signs of promise this year is the Ottawa Senators, who seemed to catch lightning in a bottle at the end of last season and went on an unexpected run to finish 23rd in the league. A huge reason for that success was Brady Tkachuk, who remains without a contract heading into the 2021-22 campaign. TSN’s Shawn Simpson now reports that Tkachuk won’t travel back to Ottawa until a contract is done and that no progress has been made since it was reported that the team and player were at a deadlock. The 21-year-old American has been the epitome of consistency since breaking into the league with Ottawa, making himself an integral part of the team and a potential candidate for the captaincy. His importance on and off the ice can’t be understated, and this situation dragging out into the camp and the season will surely negatively affect the team’s performance.

More from around Canada:

  • An additional report from Shawn Simpson regards the future of prospect Logan Brown. While he’s been involved in many trade discussions recently, he won’t be returning to Ottawa this season no matter what. If a deal can’t be reached, it’s likely the 23-year-old will play the season in Sweden and continue his development there. Drafted 11th overall in 2016, Brown’s only received limited looks at the NHL level, scoring nine points in 30 career games (only played in one game this season). More ice time in a professional setting could do wonders to spark his career moving forward.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced this morning that they’ve signed forward Tyler Tullio to his entry-level contract. Tullio, a fifth-round selection of the team in 2020, was one of many players affected by the OHL’s shutdown last season due to COVID-19. He’ll be returning to the Oshawa Generals this season in all likelihood, looking to build on his 66 points in 62 games that he scored during his draft year. He did show immense promise on loan overseas this season, scoring 13 points in 19 games with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas in the Slovakian Extraliga. Per PuckPedia, the three-year entry-level deal has a cap hit of $843,000.

Morning Notes: Kotkaniemi, Tkachuk, Brown

at CDT | by 16 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes shot back at the Montreal Canadiens yesterday by submitting an offer sheet for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but even if they hadn’t there was some concern over the young center’s future in Montreal. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that earlier this summer, some close to Kotkaniemi predicted that he had already played his last game with the Canadiens. The interesting part, however, is that now he has signed an offer sheet, Montreal can’t trade him for a year even if they decide to match it.

As CapFriendly explains, it would basically mean that the young forward would get a no-trade clause for a year, meaning he’d be earning that entire $6.1MM contract in Montreal. The Hurricanes apparently tried to trade for Kotkaniemi before tendering the offer sheet, but have now tied the Canadiens’ hands in more ways than one.

  • The Ottawa Senators have a restricted free agent of their own still to sign, as Brady Tkachuk still doesn’t have a deal for this season. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia writes that though things are quiet on that front, it is believed that the Senators are trying for an eight-year contract for their young winger. There’s a brand new comparable to bring up in those talks after Andrei Svechnikov signed his eight-year, $62MM extension in Carolina. Svechnikov was selected just two picks ahead of Tkachuk in 2018 and the two forwards have very similar career stats to this point. Garrioch suggests that if Tkachuk does sign an eight-year deal, it very well may come with the captain’s “C.”
  • At the very end of his piece on Tkachuk, Garrioch includes another short note about RFA forward Logan Brown. The scribe suggests that Brown “could be dealt before camp” and remains unsigned at the moment. Now 23, the 11th overall pick from 2016 has just 30 games of NHL experience under his belt, something he and his agents have expressed frustration about in the past. The 6’6″ forward has played very well at the AHL level, racking up 79 points in 94 games, but has never received a lengthy chance in the NHL. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in now that the Senators have so many other young forwards and Brown is now eligible for waivers. A fresh start makes sense, though obviously, it remains to be seen if GM Pierre Dorion feels the same.

Senators Notes: RFAs, Brannstrom, Strome

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While many teams have been active in re-signing their restricted free agents, the Senators still have a lot of work to do on that front.  They have a total of six RFAs in need of new deals, headlined by winger Brady Tkachuk.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that Ottawa has exchanged several different term and salary ideas with Tkachuk’s camp which suggests they’re not necessarily fixated on working out only a short-term or long-term deal.  Matthew Tkachuk’s three-year, $21MM pact has long been speculated as a possible price tag for a bridge deal while one that buys out some UFA eligibility would be more expensive than that.

Another RFA still needing a new deal is center Logan Brown.  Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion is still trying to move the 23-year-old who was limited to just 14 games last season (only one of which was in Ottawa) due to injury.  The 2016 first-rounder could certainly benefit from a change of scenery but Garrioch adds that the Sens are looking to make a hockey deal and not just give him away.  In that context, it would appear as if they’re looking for a similar prospect that could benefit from a fresh start with another organization.

More from Garrioch’s column on the Sens:

  • The team would like to add an impact forward still, likely a winger and with the free agent market pretty much bereft of those now once the Islanders make their expected signings official, Garrioch suggests that defenseman Erik Brannstrom could be dangled in trade talks. The 21-year-old was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 after being the 15th overall pick by Vegas two years earlier but has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.  Last season, he played in 30 games with Ottawa, recording two goals and 11 assists.
  • The Senators are believed to be among the teams that have inquired about Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome. The 24-year-old has been a speculative trade candidate for the better part of a year now and is coming off a tough year that saw him put up 17 points in 40 games while spending time between center and the wing.  Strome is young enough to still fit in as part of Ottawa’s core and his $3MM cap hit ($3.6MM salary) should keep the acquisition cost low.

North Notes: Canadiens, Foligno, Pettersson, Brown

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While Canadiens winger Tomas Tatar was expected to be a healthy scratch to make room for winger Cole Caufield’s playoff debut, that won’t be the case after all.  Instead, the team announced (Twitter link) that center Eric Staal will be scratched due to an undisclosed injury.  The veteran missed the final game of the regular season when it was revealed he had been playing through something but Staal did suit up in the first two playoff games, recording an assist.  With Jake Evans remaining unavailable due to his upper-body injury, Montreal will only have three natural centers in the lineup against Toronto tonight.

Elsewhere in the North:

  • While Maple Leafs forward Nick Foligno wasn’t at their morning skate today, he will play tonight relays Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press (Twitter link). Pressed into playing down the middle following John Tavares’ concussion and knee injury, he was seen walking gingerly after Saturday’s game two against Montreal.  Riley Nash took his spot at the morning skate and would have been Foligno’s replacement had he not been available.
  • Although he missed the final two months of the season with a lingering wrist injury, Canucks center Elias Pettersson won’t need to undergo surgery to repair the issue, notes Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. While surgery was discussed at one point with team doctors, they decided that simply rehabbing it would be the better way to go.  He enters restricted free agency this summer coming off a bit of a disappointing campaign that saw him miss 30 games although he still managed to pick up 10 goals and 11 assists in the 26 contests he was able to suit up for.
  • Despite a disappointing and injury-marred season, the Senators will tender a qualifying offer to center Logan Brown, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 11th-overall pick in 2016, Brown has just 26 career NHL games under his belt, only one of which came this season while injuries limited him to just 13 more with AHL Belleville.  A change of scenery has been speculated as something that might be beneficial for Brown and with him unlikely to be protected in expansion, he could be an intriguing project for Seattle to take a look at.

Injury Notes: Bertuzzi, Brown, Sundqvist

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The prognosis is not good for Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi and a potential return this season. Bertuzzi, who got off to a hot start early this season and looked like he could be in for a breakout campaign, was instead injured before January was even over and has not played since. According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Bertuzzi has not been making consistent progress toward a return in the past six weeks either. Head coach Jeff Blashill has stated that Bertuzzi’s rehab of his undisclosed upper-body injury has been “back-and-forth” and at the current time he is not skating. Blashill believes that Bertuzzi is not “close at all” to a return. The coach says that they are taking the situation day-by-day and that all options are on the table, including season-ending surgery. While the Red Wings are not playing for a playoff spot this season, there is still reason to avoid sending Bertuzzi under the knife if he is able to get back to full strength without it. Blashill did acknowledge that they will not rush Bertuzzi back before he is ready and that they need to see him skating over a longer period of time before they will even consider a return this year. Everything seems to be pointing toward Bertuzzi likely being done for the year in this shortened season.

  • Another player who has not yet returned to skating is young Ottawa Senators forward Logan Brown. Brown, whose usage (or lack thereof) by the Senators has been a hot topic in Ottawa, suffered an undisclosed injury in practice earlier this month. Though not initially believed to be a long-term absence, Brown’s injury still lingers. AHL Belleville head coach Troy Mann tells The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch that Brown has yet to return to the ice since his injury occurred and “isn’t close”. Mann does not expect the prospect center to be back in action any time soon. This was intended to be a make-or-break year for Brown; the No. 11 overall pick from 2016 had been used sparingly through his first two pro seasons, playing in just 29 total NHL games, but this year was supposed to see him earn a regular role. Instead, he has yet to suit up for Ottawa at all in 2020-21. Prior to his injury, GM Pierre Dorion shared that there were plans to give Brown his shot later this season, but that is now in doubt given the apparent severity of his injury and a possible prolonged absence. Brown will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, with little to show for his entry-level contract.
  • The St. Louis Blues continue to have tough luck with injuries this season. Whenever a player returns to the lineup, it seems another is forced out. This time, Oskar Sundqvist is the victim. The veteran forward suffered an injury on Friday night in a collision with teammate Kyle Clifford and had to leave the game. The team has announced that the lower-body injury will sideline Sundqvist indefinitely, but that more information will be known following an MRI next week. Sundqvist is one of eleven Blues currently out with an injury or ailment.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators

at CDT | by 3 Comments

As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Ottawa Senators.

What are the Senators most thankful for?

Before the season even started, almost everyone throughout hockey predicated that the Ottawa Senators would finish dead last and have yet another embarrassing season after they finished in 31st place last year with just 64 points, not even close to 30th place.

However, with new head coach D.J. Smith, the team has not been a last place team. Granted the young, rebuilding squad is hardly in a playoff position, but the team has proven that they aren’t a laughing stock anymore as the team is starting to regain respectability and is proving that they are no longer they easy victory they have been in the past. The team is currently in a tie for 26th place in the league with a 16-18-4 overall record and their 36 points is a far cry from the last-place Red Wings, who have just 21 points.

Who are the Senators most thankful for?

The team has gotten a large chunk of their offense from two players who they weren’t expecting to get it from. Anthony Duclair, who was playing for his fifth team already at the young age of 24 and was written off just a season ago by Columbus head coach John Tortorella as someone who can’t play hockey, has been a surprise as the forward looks to have figured things out, having scored 21 goals and 30 points in 38 games. Duclair always had potential as a third-round pick back in 2013 and had a 20-goal season with Arizona during his second NHL season, but fell out of favor and failed to re-establish himself the last few years until now.

The team also has seen center Jean-Gabriel Pageau take another step in his development. Used mainly as a third-line center the last few years, the 27-year-old Pageau has taken on a bigger role this year, having already potted 18 goals and 28 points. He is just one goal away from tying his career high.

What would the Senators be even more thankful for?

The team is loaded with prospects and young talent, but the team has gotten little production so far from them. Several top prospects have played with Ottawa, but few have made any impact. Erik Brannstrom, who was the key piece in the Mark Stone trade, has struggled in 28 games and currently is working on his game in Belleville. Several others, including Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik, J.C. Beaudin, Jonathan Davidsson, Vitaly Abramov, Maxime Lajoie, Max Veronneau and Drake Batherson, have been given opportunities, but none has been able to cement a spot into the team’s permanent rotation yet. The team also has a number of young players thriving in Belleville, including Josh Norris, Rudolfs Balcers and Alex Formenton. If the team can get one or two of those players to step up and establish themselves as top-line players, they would be in a much better state.

What should be on the Senators’ Holiday Wish List?

Goaltending.

While many have been pleased with the play of Anders Nilsson in net for Ottawa, his numbers still haven’t been that impressive for a starting goaltender. The netminder has a 9-9-2 record with a 3.18 GAA and a .908 save percentage, which might work for a backup, but what the Senators really need is to find a starting netminder who can help take the team to that next level. Whether the team could find a trade partner soon or wait to try to pry a goaltender off the free-agent market, the team must find an answer to this problem sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Athanasiou, Hajek, Brown

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Andreas Athanasiou has been wildly inconsistent throughout his NHL career.  After scoring 30 goals last season though, it looked like he was emerging as a key piece of the puzzle for the Red Wings.  However, he has struggled considerably this season with just five goals in 28 games along with a league-worst -31 rating.  To that end, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that GM Steve Yzerman could be reaching the point where he believes it’s time to move on from the winger.  Athanasiou is one of several wingers that are slated to become restricted free agents and it’s likely that they’ll be seeking long-term pacts with Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.  Given Athanasiou’s struggles though, it’s harder to envision them pursuing a long-term deal with him at this time.  Of course, the timing for a trade isn’t ideal as they’d be selling low so if Yzerman does decide to move on, the offseason may be the better time to pull the trigger on a deal.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek will miss the next three to four weeks due to a knee sprain, the team announced (Twitter link). The injury occurred early in Thursday’s game against Columbus.  The second-year pro has held down a regular spot on New York’s back end this season, playing in 27 games while averaging just over 16 minutes a night in playing time.  The injury means that Marc Staal, who came off IR for Friday’s game, should have a regular spot in the lineup for at least the next few weeks.
  • After sending down defenseman Erik Brannstrom earlier this week in an effort to get him more playing time, Senators head coach D.J. Smith acknowledged to Postmedia’s Ken Warren that center Logan Brown could be in a similar situation before too long. Brown played just 5:28 on Wednesday and was a healthy scratch a week ago and is poised to be on the fourth line for today’s game in Philadelphia.  That low of ice time isn’t ideal from a development perspective so if it continues much longer, he’ll likely be heading back to AHL Belleville.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top