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Martin Hanzal

Latest From Garrioch: Hanzal, Bishop, Shattenkirk, Defensemen

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There remain five or six teams in the hunt for Arizona center Martin Hanzal, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.  Among the teams that are still interested are Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, and San Jose.  Because there are still this many suitors for him, GM John Chayka’s asking price remains quite high with a package that still includes a first round pick, a prospect, and potentially a third piece as well.  Unless someone blinks in the next day or two, this situation could be one that goes right down to the wire.

As always, Garrioch has plenty of other tidbits for trade talk around the league.  The full column is worth a look but here are a few other highlights:

  • Although Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop is believed to be in play, several league executives believe he won’t be dealt by the deadline as they would prefer to just go after him in the summer in free agency and not have to give up any assets that way. Something that will also likely present a challenge is his $5.95MM cap hit which is something that many teams aren’t able to absorb in its entirety.  If the Lightning have to retain to get a deal done, they could conceivably hold on to him and hope for a late season run; Tampa Bay is six points out of the last Wild Card spot with a game in hand on Boston.
  • A pair of top teams in the East have expressed an interest in St. Louis blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk as the Penguins and Capitals have both held talks with Blues GM Doug Armstrong. It’s not likely that either team would view him as more than a rental player but given the report earlier this week that three teams have had deals fall through after being unable to come to terms on a contract extension, it’s looking more and more likely that Shattenkirk will be moved as a rental.  He’ll be a big help offensively wherever he goes as he sits fourth in the league in points by a defenseman.
  • Still on the blueline, the Sabres have moved into sell mode despite also being six points out of the final playoff spot. As a result, a pair of blueliners are likely to garner considerable interest in Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson.  There’s also a belief that Dallas defender Johnny Oduya, who is slated to return to the lineup, could wind up going back to Chicago although Garrioch notes that Montreal could also be a possibility.  Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is quite familiar with Oduya from his days with the Blackhawks and the team continues to look for defensive help.

Western Conference Snapshots: Berglund, Hanzal, Johnson, Bourque

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One potential option for clubs looking for center help ahead of the deadline was removed with the St. Louis Blues locking up Patrik Berglund to a five-year, $19.25MM deal. On the surface that might appear to be a hefty commitment for a player who hasn’t quite lived up to his advanced billing as a former first-round pick. Berglund is a skilled player with great size at 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds but has failed to register more than 38 points in any of his five previous campaigns and likely won’t reach that mark this year either. Yet Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch argues the Blues and Berglund settled on a fair agreement for both sides.

Hochman references a point made by fellow hockey scribe Greg Wyshynski in his “Puck Daddy” blog; Berglund’s new deal is identical to that which was signed last summer by Darren Helm. The Red Wings forward has six goals and 11 points in 32 games this season. Berglund, conversely, has 17 goals in 60 games. Ultimately Hochman’s argument boils down to his view that Berglund is at worst a solid third-line center capable of playing in all situations and contributing 20 goals a year. Based on the likely cost to replace that production on the free agent market, $3.85MM is a good deal.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • With Arizona one of the few declared sellers and the team yet to approach soon-to-be free agent center Martin Hanzal about a new contract, the big pivot knows his days with the only NHL organization are nearing an end. As Sarah McLellan of AZ Central writes, in the nearly 10 years Hanzal has spent with the Coyotes organization, he has developed from a young player who as longtime teammate Radim Vrbata observed, “I don’t think he understood what it meant to be an NHL player,” into one who routinely matches up against the opposition’s best night in and night out. Of course that’s exactly why Hanzal is being targeted by so many clubs looking for forward help going into the playoffs. The 6-foot-6 center can play in any situation and is also a threat as a net-front presence on the man-advantage. Reports indicate that Coyotes GM John Chayka has placed a high price tag on Hanzal and it’s easy to see why.
  • Colorado, in the midst of an agonizingly bad season, received some good news with word that top defenseman Erik Johnson and veteran forward Rene Bourque have both pronounced themselves healthy and fit for duty, reports Terry Frei of The Denver Post. The absence of Johnson, out since early December with a broken fibula, has been an especially difficult one for the Avalanche. At the time of his injury, Colorado had a record of 9-13-1. In the 36 games the veteran blue liner has missed, the Avalanche have amassed a paltry 16 points. Obviously Johnson’s return comes far too late to impact the team’s on-ice fortunes much but a stretch of solid play might enhance his value as an offseason trade asset should the Avalanche embrace a full rebuild this summer. Johnson is in the first year of a seven-year, $42MM pact and at 28-years-old, the contract is expected to cover the downward slope of the defenseman’s career and certainly complicates the notion of a trade. Bourque meanwhile, is one a cheap, one-year deal and has contributed nine goals in 43 games with Colorado. If he can get back in the lineup and play well for a couple of games, it’s conceivable a team looking for bottom-six depth might take a flier on him at the deadline.

St. Louis Blues Sign Patrik Berglund To Five-Year Extension

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Well there goes that option at the trade deadline. Patrik Berglund has signed a five-year extension with the St. Louis Blues for an AAV of $3.85MM. Thought to be on the market over the past few weeks, rumbling began the last few days that the two sides were trying to reach an agreement. For the Blues, they’ve locked up a key player at a very reasonable cap hit for the next few years, while Berglund gets some stability and stays with the organization that gave him his first opportunity. The deal will also include a partial no-trade clause, the details of which are yet to be revealed. Patrik Berglund

The 28-year old center has gotten back to his goal-scoring self this season with 17 markers so far, and looks like he may set a career high this season. A consistent 20-goal threat, $3.85MM is only a small increase on his current salary of $3.7MM. The Blues were likely trying to get this done before the deadline forced their hand. Berglund signing will now turn all the attention to Martin Hanzal and Brian Boyle in the coming days as the already small group of free agent centers becomes even smaller.

Berglund was a first-round pick back in 2006 for the Blues, who viewed him as a potential dominant center with his combination of size—6’3″, 220 lbs—and skill. While he hasn’t quite turned into a top-line presence, he has scored 145 goals in his 615 games and been a dependable player at both ends of the rink. He’s physical, can play on both special teams and doesn’t kill you in the faceoff dot (though he isn’t great there either). Most teams would have been interested in adding him at this number, and after losing David Backes and Troy Brouwer to free agency last season, it’s a nice signing for the Blues.

A comparable contract is that of Darren Helm, signed just this offseason by the Detroit Red Wings. Helm will earn the same amount for the same length, but received a full no-trade clause in the deal. Helm doesn’t have the scoring ability of Berglund and is a year older, but does have quite the reputation for his defensive game. At that number, the Blues can afford to install Berglund in the #3 center role for the duration of his contract and pay a little bit more to the two players ahead of him.

Pierre LeBrun provided details on the no-movement clause, while the actual deal was released by the team itself.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Shattenkirk “More And More Likely” To Be Dealt As A Rental

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We’ve now seen four trades made in the past week as the trade market picks up before next Wednesday’s trade deadline. On the latest edition of Insider Trading, TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, and Pierre LeBrun dropped some tidbits about potential trade activity.

The main topic of discussion was the consensus best player available in St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. McKenzie believes that the likelihood of Shattenkirk being dealt as a rental is becoming “more and more likely” as the days pass. Beginning with the Edmonton Oilers last June, three teams have had trades fall through because Shattenkirk wasn’t willing to sign long-term. The most recent team to have a deal in place was offering a seven-year, $42MM contract, according to McKenzie.

That’s a hefty price to pay for Shattenkirk, taking into account the acquisition cost. Blues GM Doug Armstrong is not wavering on his asking price of a first round pick, a top prospect, plus “something else.” While some teams may balk at that cost, Dreger reports that teams will continue to kick tires until the deadline. Dreger believes the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning have already been in touch but have concerns about the price.

While Shattenkirk may view himself as a rental, that’s not to say a team couldn’t acquire Shattenkirk with the intention of pitching him on staying beyond this year. As we reported earlier today, TSN’s Frank Seravalli believes that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli should be confident in his ability to pitch his team to Shattenkirk, as they appear poised to be a top-ten team in the NHL for the next decade.

In other notes from the TSN insiders, the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Chicago Blackhawks are all interested in bolstering their forward cores before the trade deadline. Minnesota and Chicago are likely pretty happy with their rosters as they sit atop the Western Conference. While neither team will be looking at making a big splash, both would like to add a depth forward. Specifically, the Blackhawks would like a player with a low cap hit who could be acquired with just a draft pick. That’s not likely to be a high draft pick, however, as Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman wants to keep picks for the upcoming draft, which will be held in Chicago. The suddenly hot Panthers aren’t necessarily buyers, despite winning eight of their last 10 games. If they do make a move, LeBrun believe they would be interested in adding a top nine forward in a rental capacity.

Those three teams will likely have interest in Dallas Stars winger Patrick Eaves. With 21 goals in 59 games and a $1MM cap hit, Eaves is drawing plenty of interest from around the NHL. There are as many as 10-12 teams inquiring about the gritty winger according to Dreger.

[Related: PHR’s profile of Patrick Eaves]

Another forward likely on the move is Martin Hanzal; LeBrun reports that most of the teams inquiring about the 6’6 center are from the Western Conference, but Montreal is one of the most interested clubs. Despite missing nine games this season, Hanzal already has 15 goals, which is one off his career-high from 2010-11. The Coyotes would like to move Hanzal by the end of the weekend, according to LeBrun. Of course, that’s depending of the offers available to rookie GM John Chayka.

[Related: PHR’s profile of Martin Hanzal]

The Vancouver Canucks are among the growing group of sellers, but the player drawing the most interest from rival teams is not a rental. Jannik Hansen has one year left at $2.5MM and has lots of teams interested in acquiring him. However, the Canucks aren’t looking for a draft pick in return; GM Jim Benning is asking for a top prospect or young NHLer in return for the long-time Canuck. That’s a steep price for a middle-six player who’s never scored more than 39 points in a season.

Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the trade deadline now just a week away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

After slipping into the playoffs last year with less than 90 points and the final wildcard position, only to get punched in the mouth by the Dallas Stars and go home early, the Minnesota Wild needed a change. They’d fired their coach halfway through the season, and were relying on an aging (but excellent) core of Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter too much to succeed.

Enter Bruce Boudreau and the kids. After good solid seasons from the young guns a year ago, many of them have exploded to the forefront of the team this season, with Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Jason Zucker all already setting career-highs in points through 59 games. They’re leading the Western Conference by five points and look poised for a deep playoff run.

Record

39-14-6, 1st in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.20MM – full-season cap hit, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: MIN 1st, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th
2018: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

Trade Chips

Minnesota will almost surely avoid trading anything off the roster that has put them in prime position for a Stanley Cup run, meaning they’ll have to use draft picks and prospects as bait if they want to add anything next week. It’s a shame they don’t have their second-round pick from this season—which they traded to Buffalo for Chris Stewart back in 2015—since they are used so often in rental deals. Jason Pominville

The Wild do however have a fairly stocked cupboard of prospects that could be waived in front of a team looking to get younger. Their drafting the last decade (or longer) though not perfect in the first round has unearthed plenty of talent in later selections. They’ve picked players like Cal Clutterbuck (3rd), Justin Falk (4th), Marco Scandella (2nd), Erik Haula (7th), Darcy Kuemper (6th), Zucker (2nd) and Johan Larsson (2nd) all outside of the first round and found excellent value in each.

If a team really wants to go after youth, they could ask for prospects like Jordan Greenway, who showed off his skills at the most recent World Juniors. Kirill Kaprisov is tearing up the KHL as a 19-year old, and it was recently reported that he’ll play for CSKA next season. Alex Tuch is showing his ability at the AHL level after a dominating NCAA career, and Luke Kunin continues to captain the University of Wisconsin up the college hockey rankings. It would be crazy to trade any of these names for a rental, but if the Wild want to enter the ring of possible long-term upgrades, they have the pieces to do it.

One Player To Watch: F Jason Pominville, who has a big cap-hit and is playing much less due to the emergence of the young guns is a contract that the Wild may look to move out if they’re to make any improvements.

Team Needs

1) Wing Depth – The Wild would like to move Coyle back to center ice if possible, but they’d need a winger who can jump into their top-six to do it. Jannik Hansen has been rumored to be on their radar, but a player like Patrick Eaves seems a better fit. It’s not guaranteed that they’ll do anything, though GM Chuck Fletcher has said that they have some “unproven depth” at forward.

2) Center – The nice thing about having Coyle is that if you can’t find the upgrade at the wing you could always acquire a center instead and leave him out there. Arizona’s Martin Hanzal was quoted today by Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune as saying he wants to stay in the middle even if traded, which would still be possible for the Wild.

Snapshots: Miller, Chayka, Dorion

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Ryan Miller was the topic on the mind of Pierre LeBrun of ESPN yesterday, when he discussed the possibility of the goaltender waiving his no-trade clause to move at the deadline. Today, Rick Dhaliwal of 1130 News in Vancouver reports that Miller’s agent Mike Liut will talk to his client about the possibilities this week, but that nothing is decided as of yet.

Miller has just five teams that he can be traded to without his permission, and with the news that the Los Angeles Kings will be soon getting Jonathan Quick back, the three we know of—Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim—don’t seem to need a goaltender. If he is acquired at the deadline it will likely be because he’s waived his clause to pursue another chance at the Stanley Cup.

  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News writes that John Chayka isn’t even close to finished after dealing Michael Stone earlier this week. He has so many assets that he could move at the deadline—like Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan—that he’ll likely be one of the busiest GMs this week. Indeed, Chayka himself admitted today on Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports) that he’d had discussions on some big deals. The trio of rentals mentioned above are likely to move, but the Arizona GM could also move Anthony Duclair, Jamie McGinn or Tobias Rieder if he chooses to.
  • We learned today that Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been getting calls on Curtis Lazar, but what did those deals look like? He joined TSN today (video link) and said that other teams have been trying to “fleece” him. Obviously teams are looking at his single point this season and thinking that they could get a former first-round pick at an all-time low value. Dorion for his part still believes he will be a very good NHL player, and it’s just an unfortunate set of circumstances this season.

Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

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With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

For the first time in years, the Edmonton Oilers are legitimate buyers at the trade deadline. NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot have lead the way thus far, and have the Oilers comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division. Despite the fact that the Oilers are a top-ten team in the NHL, GM Peter Chiarelli is on record as saying he isn’t “heavily interested” in the rental market, but did say the team deserves some tinkering because they’re “in the conversation.”

Record

32-19-8, 2nd in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Cautious buyer

Deadline Cap Space

Current cap space: $17.811MM
Deadline cap space: $21.375MM
48/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: EDM 1st, STL 3rd*, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, VAN 5th**, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2018: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

A carryover from the now defunct compensation rule, the Oilers will need to surrender their 2nd round pick to Boston for hiring Chiarelli as GM back in April of 2015.

* The Oilers will receive either St. Louis’ third in 2017 or their second in 2018 in exchange for Nail Yakupov. The conditional pick becomes the second if Yakupov scores 15 goals this season; because Yakupov has just three goals so far this season, it’s likely to be a third.
**The Oilers will receive either a fourth or fifth round pick from Vancouver for defenseman Philip Larsen. It’s not known what the performance conditions are, but with Larsen sitting at one goal and six points in just 20 games, it’s safe to assume he won’t hit the required production thresholds.

Trade Chips

While the Oilers don’t have many forward prospects, they’re fully-stocked with blue-liners. When healthy, the Oilers have 10 or 11 legitimate NHL options. They could move one of Brandon Davidson or Kris Russell for help up front. Davidson is a likely candidate to be claimed in the expansion draft and is the Oilers most notable trade chip. with the emergence of Matt Benning, there’s an outside chance that pending-UFA Russell could be traded once the Oilers get Darnell Nurse back.

The Oilers don’t have much in the forward prospect cupboard, with just Jesse Puljujärvi and Tyler Benson showing promise as legitimate NHL scoring forwards. On the back-end, Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones are dominant in the WHL, and Markus Niemeläinen is a bright spot on a bad Saginaw Spirit team in the OHL. Over in Russia, potential seventh-round steal Ziyat Paigin has played well above his draft slot.

While some teams could be willing to move first-round picks in a somewhat-weaker draft class, the Oilers are without a second round pick and therefore won’t be likely to deal their first. Despite their successful season, they’re still a building team and will look to stock up on forwards. Don’t expect the Oilers to deal prospects or high picks for rentals; if a notable asset is moved then the return will likely be a long-term solution.

Player To Watch

D Brandon Davidson

Team Needs

1) Right-handed scorer – The Oilers’ biggest need is a right-handed top-nine forward who can shoot the puck. Center Leon Draisaitl has had success playing on the right side with McDavid, but both men produce at the same level when separated. That gives Chiarelli the option of acquiring either a center or right-winger. A center would allow Draisaitl to play on the wing, while a right-winger would allow McLellan to keep his two leading scorers on separate lines. Some players who could be of interest include Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Thomas Vanek, Brian Boyle, and Tyler Johnson. The initial asking price for lefty centers Hanzal and Boyle is out of Chiarelli’s stated price range, while the others are simply players who fit the Oilers’ needs and are on the market.

2) Backup goaltender — The signing of Jonas Gustavsson has not worked out for Chiarelli. The veteran backup is buried in the AHL after a horrific start to the year, and prospect Laurent Brossoit is currently serving as backup to the busiest starter in the NHL in Talbot. As of this writing, Brossoit is playing for Edmonton as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on the first night of a back-t0-back. If Brossoit can show his worth, then perhaps Chiarelli holds off on spending an asset on a backup. However, an injury to Talbot would be catastrophic to the Oilers. Two players of interest could be Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth; both men have struggled in the NHL this season, but have histories as solid options in the NHL and could be had for cheap. Halak is dominating in the AHL, but makes $4.5MM this season and next. If the Islanders are willing to take back Benoit Pouliot or Mark Fayne to make the salaries work, then Halak could be an option. Neuvirth has struggled in a tandem with Steve Mason, and could be acquired as a rental for a low cost, perhaps one of the Oilers’ third rounders.

New York Islanders May Be Buyers At Deadline

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If Garth Snow had told the New York Islanders fans a couple of months ago that they might be buyers at the deadline, he’d likely be laughed out of the building. The early season struggles of the Islanders had people talking about their decisions to let Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo walk in the offseason, only to give a huge contract to Andrew Ladd. Through December 18th, the $38.5MM man had just seven points and looked like one of the biggest busts of the 2016 free agent class. The team was floundering near the bottom of the conference, and it looked like a lost season for the Islanders. Garth Snow

In the 20 games since, Ladd has 10 goals and 13 points, looking more like the consistent goal-scoring threat he has been throughout his career. The team has turned it around as well, and climbed right back into the East playoff race. At 62 points they’ve hopped over the Philadelphia Flyers and are just one behind the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot.

That’s what has new head coach Doug Weight and Snow looking at possibly adding at the deadline instead of selling, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Weight—who is still an assistant GM after moving from the front office to the bench when the Isles fired Jack Capuano—especially seems to think they can do something, telling Staple “we’re in a position where we can really do something.”

Staple lists Patrick Sharp, Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal as rentals that could help the Islanders over the last third of the season and all three would be solid additions. Lacking secondary scoring after John Tavares and whoever he ends up playing with on a nightly basis, Sharp and Vrbata would add some ability on the wings. Hanzal, a much discussed target heading into the deadline, would solidify the center ice position and allow Casey Cizikas to move back down into a more familiar role.

Whether the Islanders decide to buy will likely depend on the next five games (one of which they’re losing 2-0 at the time of this writing) and where they sit when they shut down between February 26-March 1. If they can keep pace with the rest of the conference, they will likely decide that the window is now with Tavares and end up adding for the short or mid term. It seems unlikely that they would get into the Matt Duchene sweepstakes, but it is definitely a possibility. They do have a solid group of young defenders, the thing the Avalanche seem to covet most.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Hanzal, Capitals, Gallant, Vanek

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While the Coyotes and center Martin Hanzal had engaged in contract extension discussions earlier this season (and remains open to re-signing), he has yet to receive an offer from the team, he told Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.

“When I get an offer, I’ll see.  I haven’t got an offer yet from the Coyotes. We haven’t talked.”

“Obviously, we’re getting closer and closer (to the trade deadline).  So it’s going to be interesting, and I don’t know if they want to move me or not. I have no expectations. I’ll focus on the hockey games and see what happens.”

Hanzal is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July and with Arizona well out of the playoff picture, they’re likely to either sign him or trade him by the March 1st deadline.  GM John Chayka’s asking price is known to be quite high with a first round pick plus a quality NHL-ready younger among the elements he’s seeking in a trade.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • One team that is likely to be quiet at the deadline is the Washington Capitals, suggests Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. The offseason additions of Lars Eller and Brett Connolly have deepened their forward group so there’s no pressing need to add some depth there like they did last season with Daniel Winnik.  Khurshudyan notes that the team could add some more depth on the back end, which we also identified as their top need heading into March in our Deadline Primer.
  • The Panthers are granting teams permission to speak with former bench boss Gerard Gallant, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). Gallant has two years left on his contract with the team after being surprisingly let go back in late November.  With Claude Julien now off the market, it will be interesting to see if interest picks up in Gallant.  If another team does hire him, they won’t owe Florida any compensation as the rule that permitted draft pick compensation was scrapped back in January of 2016.
  • After missing Sunday’s game against Minnesota with an ankle injury, Detroit winger Thomas Vanek returned to practice today and is hopeful he’ll be ready to play tomorrow night against St. Louis, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Vanek is having a solid bounce back season after being bought out by the Wild in the summer with 14 goals and 22 assists in 43 games and is widely expected to be one of the more sought after rental players in the coming weeks.  However, he suggested that he’s open to sticking around as well: “Could I see myself staying here? Yeah, that would be great but again, it’s a business.”

Injury Notes: Burakovsky, Ericsson, Hanzal

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Injury updates around the NHL during tonight’s busy slate of games:

  • Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky will miss the rest of tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, reports the NHL’s Tom Gulitti. The Capitals’ young forward went down with an upper body injury after blocking a Detroit slapshot around the midsection that may have injured his hand. Burakovsky has 11G and 18A in 51 games this season, and is on pace for a career-high in points.
  • Tom Gulitti also reports that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will also miss the rest of that Washington-Detroit game. Ericsson suffered an upper body injury during a hit by Washington’s Niklas Backstrom. Ericsson has 1G and 8A in 50 games this season and averages 19:29 minutes a night on Detroit’s second defensive pairing.
  • AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan reports that pending unrestricted free agent Martin Hanzal did not participate in the Arizona Coyotes’ pregame skate this evening, meaning that Hanzal will miss tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Scouts attending the game will surely be disappointed as Hanzal is a hot commodity for teams looking for a playoff-run rental. Hanzal has 10G and 9A in 43 games so far this season.

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