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Marian Gaborik

Los Angeles Kings Trying To Trade Marian Gaborik

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According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports (who is the early MVP of trade deadline day), the Los Angeles Kings are trying to move Marian Gaborik out of town. Sending out the rapidly declining sniper would free up some space and ice time for other players as the Kings push hard for the playoffs this season.

Gaborik has seen his play diminish in the past couple of seasons as he heads into the second half of his thirties, but still has four more seasons at $4.875MM on his current deal. It’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone despite Gaborik’s elite goal-scoring history.

It’s been a long time since his last 40 goal season, but perhaps a team would be willing to take him at a reduced salary if the Kings retained some of the money. A former Stanley Cup champion, Gaborik has just seven goals and 15 points in 40 games this season even playing more than 16 minutes a night and skating mostly beside Anze Kopitar.

Trade Candidate: P.A. Parenteau

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Now that the New Jersey Devils are all but eliminated from playoff contention – they are part of a four-way tie for fewest points in the Eastern Conference but have played more games than the three other clubs – it’s likely they will begin to market veteran players on expiring contracts, or other assets that can help speed up their roster rebuild. One player that fits the former mold, P.A. Parenteau, may well be on the move again, set to possibly join the seventh different NHL team since debuting in the league 10 years ago if the Devils decide a trade is worthwhile.

Parenteau broke into the league during the 2006-07 campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks, appearing in five games. The winger was traded to the New York Rangers where he didn’t see any NHL action until the 2009-10 season, getting into 22 contests with the Blueshirts. He finally secured a full time role in the NHL in 2010-11 at the age of 27 as a member of the New York Islanders, for whom he would record his first 20-goal season. Parenteau has bounced around the last four seasons, spending time with Colorado, Montreal, Toronto and now the Devils, who acquired the nine-year vet via waivers just prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

Contract

On July 2nd, Parenteau inked a one-year, $1.25MM deal to return to the Islanders where it was expected he would have a chance to earn a spot playing on John Tavares’ wing following the departure of Kyle Okposo. Instead, Parenteau failed to make the team out of camp and was placed on waivers where he was claimed by New Jersey. He will again be an unrestricted free agent this summer upon the expiration of his current agreement.

2016-17

Parenteau has earned a top-six role with the Devils, seeing extensive action at both even strength and on the power play. He is averaging better than 15 1/2 minutes per game and has tallied 12 goals with 11 assists in 48 games this season. The 6-foot, 200-pound winger is tied for second on the team in man-advantage goals with four and his eight even strength markers rank third.

Potential Suitors

Any team looking for cheap secondary scoring might take a hard look at Parenteau. Most clubs in the league would easily be able to accommodate his minimal cap charge and his production this year has been solid. He’s probably not a top-six winger on a Stanley Cup contender but with everyone looking for scoring from all four forward lines, Parenteau should be able to slide in on a team’s bottom-six and produce.

Anaheim presently resides in third place in the Pacific and in possession of the guaranteed playoff spot that represents. However, just three forwards are currently on pace to net 20 or more goals this season and just six have registered at least 20 points. Granted, both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are not producing up to their lofty standards but the team could use an offensive boost.

Los Angeles ranks 22nd in goals scored this season while Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik each have just five goals on the season. Kings GM Dean Lombardi likely doesn’t want to deal prospects or draft picks for a quick fix but Parenteau likely wouldn’t cost an acquiring team much more than a mid-round choice.

Chicago is thought to be on the lookout for someone to ride shotgun on Jonathan Toews’ line and if they strike out on preferred options such as Thomas Vanek and Patrick Sharp, Parenteau could represent a nice low-risk investment for the team.

Likelihood of a Trade

Parenteau is almost a lock to be traded unless the Devils see value in extending the 33-year-old winger. He has a solid pedigree of success and his contract can be absorbed into any payroll situation. Additionally, the low acquisition cost would appeal to any team unwilling to mortgage a significant part of their future for a trade deadline move.

Pacific Notes: Sekera, Kings, Stoner, Vatanen, Montour

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After an up-and-down first season in Edmonton, Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera has played a significant role in their turnaround this year, suggests Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.  Signed to a six year, $33MM contract in the summer of 2015, he was asked to carry too much of the load last season but with the additions of Adam Larsson and Kris Russell this past offseason, their ‘by-committee’ approach to the back end is working a lot better.  While Sekera isn’t a prototypical number one defender, head coach Todd McLellan doesn’t hesitate to call him Edmonton’s best:

“He’s our No. 1. He’s playing his game in our system and when players do that they don’t over-extend themselves. He’s healthy and a year in and he understands what the organization is about. He has more experience with our team, not just experience in the league. He knows language and situations better. He’s playing to his strengths in our structure.”

On top of the extra familiarity with this being his second season with the team, Sekera’s offensive game has taken a step forward as of late.  He has 12 points in his last 13 games and is more than halfway towards besting his 2015-16 point total (30).

While most top teams have a franchise blueliner, the Oilers are trying to buck the trend and succeed with a group that’s greater than the sum of its parts.  With Edmonton sitting second in the division coming out of the holiday break, it’s safe to say that their blueline strategy is working so far.

More from the Pacific:

  • In an effort to try to spark their offense, the Kings are reuniting a veteran trio that played a key role in their Stanley Cup victory back in 2014, notes Helene Elliott of the LA Times. Head coach Darryl Sutter has put Marian Gaborik alongside Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown in what could be called a line of underachievers.  The trio has combined for just eight goals so far this season over 73 games, not the type of production Los Angeles was expecting from three players that cost over $20MM on the salary cap, accounting for more than half their total spending on forwards as their roster currently stands.
  • Anaheim defenseman Clayton Stoner underwent surgery on December 21st and will miss four to six weeks, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told reporters, including Elliott Teaford of the Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Curtis Zupke of the LA Times adds via Twitter that the procedure was performed around the abdominal area.  Stoner has been out of the lineup since mid-November and has played in just 14 games this season, recording three points (1-2-3) while adding 35 hits.  The 31 year old cleared waivers (in large part due to his $3.25MM cap hit) back in early October but remained with the big club.
  • The Ducks announced that they have recalled defenseman Brandon Montour from their AHL affiliate in San Diego. He has been added because fellow blueliner Sami Vatanen has the flu and did not travel with the team to Calgary today.  Montour has 21 points in 25 minor league games this season and leads the AHL in shots on goal with 113.

Pacific Notes: Fowler, Oilers/Coyotes, Kassian, Gaborik

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After being the subject of trade rumors for a big portion of the offseason, Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler used the motivation of those talks into honing his game even further and as a result, is easily off to the best start to a season of his career, writes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.  His 22 points leads all Ducks blueliners while sitting seventh among all NHL defendes.

During the summer, Fowler worked with former Washington winger Pat Peake who is now a skills coach.  Among the areas that they worked on was his shot and there have been immediate dividends as not only is his nine goals just one shy of his career high from his rookie season, it also ranks second overall among NHL defensemen only behind San Jose’s Brent Burns.  Fowler also gives a lot of credit for his success this year to head coach Randy Carlyle, who coached Fowler during his first stint behind the bench:

“It’s his approach to me. The way he handles me as a player. He knows that if I make a mistake, there’s nobody that understands it better than me. He knows maybe if it’s needed to kind of light a fire underneath me. Or he knows that I made a mistake (but) this game’s all about mistakes so I trust him. I’m going to use him in all situations.”

Although Fowler’s play has quieted the trade speculation for now, it’s almost certain to come back up in the offseason where he will be entering the final year of his contract before being eligible for unrestricted free agency.  As things stand, he’s playing himself into quite the handsome raise come the summer of 2018.

Other notes from the Pacific:

  • While a mid-December game between the Oilers and Coyotes wouldn’t be the most noteworthy on the surface, Edmonton’s 3-2 victory last night was their first regulation win against Phoenix/Arizona in 26 tries. As Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic notes, not only did this streak last nearly six calendar years, it was the sixth longest streak like that in NHL history and the longest in over 30 years (the Flyers had a 33 game streak against the Kings from 1974-1983).  Also from that game, Oilers right winger Zack Kassian will not face any disciplinary action from the league after being issued a match penalty in the final minute of the third period, a league spokesman confirmed to NBC Sports’ Mike Halford.
  • Kings left winger Marian Gaborik has long had the reputation of being a pure goal scorer after three seasons of more than 40 goals. The last of those came back in 2011-12 and at the age of 34, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll reach that mark again.  As a result, head coach Darryl Sutter is looking for Gaborik to bring a more defined role to the table than just being a natural goal scorer, he told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.  The Slovak winger has just one goal through 10 games this year after returning to the lineup from a broken foot sustained in the World Cup and was a healthy scratch last weekend for the first since joining Los Angeles back in 2014.

Pacific Division Notes: Brown, Gaborik, Bieksa

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Former Los Angeles Kings team captain Dustin Brown was scratched from this afternoon’s road contest in Boston. According to Jon Rosen of L.A. Kings Insider, Brown is battling an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Brown, who was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Anze Kopitar this last summer, has had a moderate bounce-back campaign after the worst season of his career in 2015-16. Through 30 games Brown has contributed 14 points to the Kings attack and he’s already halfway to his points total from last year when he tallied 28 in 82 games. He is a five-time 20-goal scorer and netted 18 in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

With the expansion lurking around the corner, it’s been wondered whether the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble and take Brown, who is almost assuredly going to be left exposed by the Kings. While he is still capable of playing a physical role on a team’s third-line and obviously would provide the new franchise with veteran leadship, Brown has another five seasons left on his pact with an AAV of $5.875MM. Some have suggested the price tag would simply be too high for Vegas but if the Kings were willing to retain salary then it’s at least feasible the two sides could work out a trade following the expansion draft.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division on this Sunday:

  • Rosen also pointed out that it appeared right wing Marian Gaborik would be a healthy scratch today for the Kings based on what he saw at this morning’s warm-ups. That premise was confirmed by Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Gaborik, who has been prone to injuries throughout his career, has missed all but nine games this season after hurting his foot while representing Team Europe in the recent World Cup of Hockey. He has potted just a single goal to go along with three helpers in those nine appearances and it could be that Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is growing impatient waiting for the Slovakian sniper to find his offensive game. Gaboriak is averaging just 14:28 of ice time per game, a rate that is 3 1/2 minutes below his career average. Like Brown, Gaborik is in the midst of an expensive, long-term contract that has four seasons remaining beyond 2016-17, and comes with a cap charge of $4.875MM.
  • Kevin Bieksa has spent the vast majority of his 11-year career as a reliable, two-way top-four blue liner. Now in his second season with Anaheim, the 35-year-old Bieksa is averaging less than 20 minutes of ice time per game for the first time since his 39-game debut campaign in 2005-06 while with Vancouver. As Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register writes, Bieksa is not only adjusting to a lesser role but he is adapting his playing style to mask the fact he is no longer a player in his prime. Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle has encouraged the veteran blue liner to embrace the adjustments: “I think every player has to become somewhat of a chameleon,” Carlyle said. “You have to change with the game and what’s going on with it. I coached Kevin Bieksa when he was in his first year pro out of college. He was not a player, I can tell you, that many people would have believed was going to be an NHL prospect. He worked and he committed. “His personality is one that he’s a striver. And he’s done that and he’s done very well. He’s had a great career. … There’s never ever been a doubt that this guy’s not going to try. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.” As Stephens noted, Bieksa has played less than 15 minutes in each of the team’s last two contests and is skating on the third-pair. Bieksa understands the situation he is in, and as always is willing to whatever it takes to help his team: “To be a good teammate, sometimes you have to take a role that maybe you don’t like,” he said. “But if that’s what they think is in the best interests of the team, you take it, accept it and you do the best that you can.” With a plethora of NHL-caliber defenders in the organization and little cap space available to upgrade the roster elsewhere at the deadline, there have been some suggestions the team could look to move Bieksa, who has one year left at $4MM, to create added flexibility. He does possess a NMC, which adds a further layer of complexity to making a deal beyond his salary and age, however.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Kings, Meier, Coyotes

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Like many teams in the league, the Los Angeles Kings have battled their fair share of injuries. Star sniper Marian Gaborik has appeared in just nine games this season and has posted just one goal and four points. Anze Kopitar, one of the league’s top, two-way centers has missed some time. And perhaps most importantly, Jonathan Quick has been out since season’s first game, forcing the team to rely on a combination of Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj to hold down the fort until he returns. It’s not an ideal situation but the Kings have hung tough in the standings, as Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes, and currently hold one of two wild card slots in the Western Conference.

Because of injuries to Zatkoff, it’s been Budaj that has seen most of the action between the pipes for L.A. Originally signed to be the team’s third goalie, Budaj has posted a career-best 2.17 GAA while winning 14 of his 26 starts. While he’s had his ups and downs, Budaj has been good enough most nights to keep the Kings in games.

As Elliott notes, the team has managed to stay afloat thanks in large part to their work ethic. Now, the Kings are close to full health, though Quick is still expected to be out until February, and are just five points behind the San Jose Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division with one game in hand. Assuming Budaj can continue to play adequately enough, or the team finds a better stopgap option, and Gaborik can rediscover his scoring touch, the Kings have a good chance to again qualify for the postseason. Once there, anything can happen.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Highly-touted rookie Timo Meier made his debut with the San Jose Sharks last season and by all accounts it was a huge success, as Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News recounts. Meier scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot last night and the Sharks erupted for three goals in the first period of their 4 – 2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Meier would finish with three shots on net in just more than 10 minutes of ice time. That’s exactly the type of spark the Sharks were hoping for when calling up the 2015 first-round draft pick. Meier’s insertion into the lineup pushed veteran forward Joel Ward to the press box last night and while it’s certain the first-year pro will remain in the San Jose lineup for the immediate future, it’s less clear how that fact will impact the rest of the Sharks forward group. As long as Meier produces, DeBoer will undoubtedly find a way to mix and match his forwards.
  • Desperate for help up the middle, the Arizona Coyotes recently acquired Peter Holland via trade from Toronto and added Josh Jooris off of waivers from the New York Rangers. Veteran center Brad Richardson is out indefinitely with multiple fractures in his right leg while rookie Dylan Strome failed to find consistency at the NHL level; two factors which created a need for Arizona. While it’s only a small sample, just two appearances for each player, the additions are already paying off for Arizona, writes Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. Holland tallied two helpers in his Coyotes debut and scored the shootout winner in his return to Toronto. Again, it’s only to games but Holland’s play has helped the team to their first winning streak since late November; a stretch which saw the Coyotes earn just five of a possible 16 standings points.

Custance’s Latest: Teams Hurt By Cap Recapture Rules

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In the salary cap era, there is nothing worse than a bloated contract, especially one susceptible to the cap recapture rules. ESPN’s Craig Custance listed a number of teams who suffer from such a fate, and explains as such:

For some teams, that pain has arrived. And it could be worse than originally projected because of cap recapture rules since put in place in the new CBA to punish teams if the player retires early or the contract is traded.

“Teams that did those contracts essentially embarrassed Gary [Bettman]. We found a way to circumvent the CBA legally,” said one executive. “He was incensed, and said ’I’m going to get you back.’ Which he did.”

Now because of decisions made years ago, in the name of winning it all or rewarding players who helped make it happen, there are a group of teams that have legacy costs built into their current salary cap structure.

Two teams who managed to stay in good shape contract wise–while contending– are the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, with the Pens not having any legacy costs. But the teams below, according to Custance, are the ones who suffered from the wrath of Bettman.

  • Los Angeles Kings

Dustin Brown, Marian Gaborik, and Matt Greene are the contracts that have the Kings on the hook for awhile. Along with Mike Richards’ cap recapture hit of $1.32MM, the Kings have a legacy cost of $8.545MM. Though they won two Stanley Cups since 2012, the cost may have hurt them in terms of losing Milan Lucic and Justin Williams due to a lack of cap room.

  • Chicago Blackhawks

Sure, they’ve won three Cups since 2010, but the Marian Hossa deal will eventually be a “real headache” since it still has four years left. Further, Custance writes that the Hawks could be in for real trouble by the 2019-20 season when the core of the Hawks, namely Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford are all into their 30’s and saddling the payroll with a combined $40MM.

  • Detroit Red Wings

General manager Ken Holland anchored the team with a number of long term, and expensive contracts. Custance’s list doesn’t include the new deals that include a 32-year-old Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader, and Darren Helm. Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard, and Johan Franzen combine for a legacy cost of $9.34MM. Custance believes the Wings could get out of the Howard contract by trade, but Kronwall and Zetterberg’s deals will cripple the Wings for years to come, especially as their play declines. The legacy cost for Detroit: $9.34MM.

  • Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have a few big contracts, namely the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Alexander Edler and Roberto Luongo ($800K retained). Custance notes that while he would take the Sedins on his team any day, their decline is certainly happening.

 

Kings Activate Marian Gaborik From IR

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The Los Angeles Kings have activated right wing Marian Gaborik from IR, according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Gaborik is expected to take the ice for warm-ups and head coach Darryl Sutter will make the decision of whether the Slovakian forward will make his 2016-17 season debut tonight. A broken foot suffered during the World Cup of Hockey kept sidelined Gaborik all season.

No announcement of a corresponding move has been made but the Kings don’t need to clear a roster spot to accommodate Gaborik. With the 34-year-old winger back in the lineup, the Kings have 21 skaters – 14 forwards and seven defensemen – and two goaltenders.

Currently tied for 15th in the NHL in scoring, the Kings could certainly use the infusion of skill Gaborik brings to the table. A seven-time 30-goal scorer, Gabroik’s production has tailed off in recent seasons, however. He tallied just 12 goals in 54 contests during the 2014-15 campaign but netted 27 in 69 the season before, suggesting he still has something left to offer.

Now entering his 16th NHL season, the 34-year-old Gaborik has scored 386 regular season goals in 933 games. He was originally drafted third overall in the 2000 entry draft by the Minnesota Wild and has also spent time with the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Injury Notes: Couturier, Gaborik, Cunningham

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The Philadelphia Flyers’ nightmare season continues. Today, the team will recall Scott Laughton from Lehigh Valley to replace Sean Couturier, who will be out for 4-6 weeks with a left knee injury. According to Sam Carchidi, Couturier will be examined this afternoon in Philadelphia but has already been placed on injured reserve.  The 23-year old centerman had eight points in twenty games this season.

For Laughton, this won’t be the first time he’s set foot on NHL ice, but it will be the first this season. The 22-year old former first-rounder played 71 games for the Flyers last season, recording 21 points but was injured early in training camp and had been playing in the AHL since his return. Eight points in eight games at the lower level as he shook off the rust, and proved that he’s ready for an NHL return. As Carchidi reports, he’ll be available to dress tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, though there has been no indication whether or not he’ll get into the lineup right away.

  • Marian Gaborik is back with the Los Angeles Kings and aiming for Saturday to make his season debut, according to Kings beat reporter Elliott Teaford. The 34-year old sniper has been out since suffering an injury at the World Cup in Toronto in September, breaking his right foot in a game against Sweden. The Kings will hope that he’ll come back fresh and looking to show that last year wasn’t what to expect going forward. The former 40-goal man only scored 12 goals and 22 points last season, the lowest point total of his career. He also played in only 54 games, a mark he’ll hope to eclipse this season (the Kings have 62 games remaining).
  • Sarah McLellan of AZ Central is reporting that Craig Cunningham is still in stable but critical condition after suffering a heart attack on the ice Saturday night. Cunningham was playing for the Tucson Roadrunners when he collapsed on the ice and needed to be taken to a local hospital.
  • Tyler Myers has officially been moved to the injured reserve, retroactive to November 11th, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. The defenseman suffered a lower-body injury just three days after he was last activated from the IR. The hulking blueliner has played in just 11 games this season, scoring five points.

Kings Notes: Gaborik, Andreoff, Kopitar, Lucic

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Kings winger Marian Gaborik is progressing well in his recovery from a broken foot and is hoping to get back into the lineup somewhat soon, he told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.  He has missed the entire regular season so far after suffering the injury while blocking a shot back in September at the World Cup of Hockey.

Gaborik has been skating lightly over the last week but pushed his workout a bit harder on Wednesday and was pleased with how it went:

“I think I’m right on track.  It’s just like I said, a matter of getting the strength back on the ice and skating. I haven’t skated for several weeks or something like that so it’s just a matter of getting those practices in so I can jump in to games ready to go.”

Despite the progress, there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.  When he does get back, he’ll be a welcome addition to a lineup that is scuffling in the goal scoring department as the Kings have just 39 goals in 17 games so far this season.

[Related: Kings Depth Chart]

More news from Los Angeles:

  • Left winger Andy Andreoff is nearing a return to the lineup after thumb surgery, Rosen notes in a separate piece.  He also appears to be well ahead of schedule as two weeks ago, head coach Darryl Sutter estimated that Andreoff would be out another four to seven weeks.  However, the 25 year old is targeting Wednesday’s game against the Islanders as his return date, using the practices between then to work on his conditioning.  Andreoff has played in nine games for Los Angeles this season, being held off the scoresheet but is averaging a career high in ice time at 10:02 per game.
  • Center Anze Kopitar skated on Wednesday but is not expected to play against the Oilers tonight, reports Curtis Zupke of the LA Times. The captain remains day-to-day with either a hand or arm injury.  Kopitar says progress is being made but not enough to return to the lineup: “It’s been feeling better and better but just not quite to where it needs to be and not quite good enough, obviously, to play.”  He is off to a bit of a slow start this season with just two goals and six assists in 15 games.
  • Milan Lucic is set to face his old Kings squad tonight for the first time since signing in Edmonton in free agency but reiterated to Elliott Teaford of the LA Daily News that he had intentions on re-signing there over the offseason: “I tried everything I could to make it work. I think both sides tried to do everything they could do to make it work. With a cap system, it just didn’t work out in the end.” Lucic spent just one year with the Kings and while he had a strong year (55 points in 81 games), the end result from the trade with Boston didn’t work out too well for LA when you consider that on top of Lucic essentially being a one year rental, one of the players they gave up for him – Martin Jones – is now the starting goalie for a division rival.

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