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Matt Nieto

Frank Seravalli On Canadian Trade Deadlines

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In his latest column, Frank Seravalli of TSN takes a look at the upcoming trade deadlines for each of the seven Canadian clubs. The entire piece is worth a read as he goes into detail on each team, but here are some highlights.

  • The Montreal Canadiens are looking to acquire a center with size, and Arizona’s Martin Hanzal fits the bill perfectly. Even when injured #1 center Alex Galchenyuk comes back, Seravalli points to the decline of Tomas Plekanec as a concern and says the team must add size down the middle. He also mentions Matt Duchene as a different possibility, though doesn’t expect that to happen during the season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have been beaten on at least two waiver claims over the past few weeks (and possibly a third just yesterday) for Matt Nieto and Ty Rattie, and are still looking for a right-shooting winger (though Nieto is a lefty) to plug into their third line. A right-hand shot defenseman for the powerplay would be a bonus.
  • The Maple Leafs could dangle either James van Riemsdyk or Kasperi Kapanen in trade, but are more likely to stay the course with both players at least during the season. JVR could still end up with the team long-term, and with Kapanen tearing up the AHL (and being best friends with William Nylander) he looks like a future core piece.
  • Calgary may be in a pretty solid position now that Chad Johnson has taken the reins in net, but they need to shore up their blueline a bit for a real playoff run. A second-pairing player is all they need, but may have trouble parting with what he would cost.
  • In Winnipeg, the team is likely to make minor deals if any at the deadline as they’re content with the development of their club. Seravalli points to Mathieu Perreault as a possible trade chip, as he thinks the team could be at risk of losing him this summer in the expansion draft. Drew Stafford is another name that could be moved out to make room for prospect Kyle Connor.
  • The Ottawa Senators need scoring, and they need it bad. If the Maple Leafs weren’t in the same division, van Riemsdyk would be a likely target but they’ll have to look elsewhere for a new top line left winger. Unless of course Clarke MacArthur can come back close to 100% and add depth to their wings.
  • The Vancouver Canucks remain a mystery to media and fans alike, and Seravalli isn’t sure what to expect from them. A scoring winger is an option to help now and down the road, but an improvement in draft picks is what the team really needs. Even though they may miss the playoffs again, they only own five picks at this summer’s entry draft (rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 7).

5 Key Stories: 1/2/16 – 1/8/16

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Let’s recap the five biggest stories from the week of 1/2/2016 through 1/8/2016:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the top spot in the league due in large part to their recent 16-game winning streak. The team had a chance to tie a record set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins – a team led by “Super” Mario Lemieux and the ageless Jaromir Jagr – but the Blue Jackets came up short, falling to the Washington Capitals by the score of 5 – 0. Nonetheless, it’s an incredible feat accomplished by the Blue Jackets and an announcement to the rest of the league that they are indeed a team to be taken seriously.
  • It’s been an up-and-down year in Winnipeg, but Jets rookie phenom Patrik Laine has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. The 18-year-old Finn is currently tied for third in the league in goal scoring with 21 and has already established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young stars. Unfortunately, Laine is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion in Winnipeg’s 4 – 3 loss to Buffalo on Saturday.
  • Colorado has certainly been one of the league’s biggest disappointments in 2016-17. An offseason coaching change was expected to spark a talented roster back into playoff contention but instead the Avalanche have been the worst team in the league and at this point are one of the few clubs who can safely be called “seller” in advance of the trade deadline. This of course has led to all kinds of rumors, with the most recent involving Boston. The Bruins reportedly inquired as to the availability Gabriel Landeskog with Colorado asking for rookie blue liner Brandon Carlo in return. While there appears to be no traction in trade discussions between the two teams, that could change closer to the March 1st deadline.
  • It was a busy week on the waiver wire with several players switching teams by virtue of waiver claims. Reid Boucher changed clubs twice going from Nashville to New Jersey and finally on to Vancouver all via waivers. Ty Rattie went from St. Louis to Carolina and San Jose lost Matt Nieto to Colorado.
  • Montreal winger Brendan Gallagher is slated to miss the next eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hand. Gallagher was injured when a shot from teammate Shea Weber struck his hand during a recent game.

Colorado Claims Matt Nieto Off Waivers From San Jose

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The Colorado Avalanche have added to their forward depth, announcing (via Twitter) that they have claimed left winger Matt Nieto off waivers from San Jose.

The 24 year old Nieto is in his fourth NHL season, all with the Sharks before today.  After being a regular for most of the last three years, he has found himself in a reserve role much more frequently this season, seeing action in just 16 games, recording just two assists in that time.

Coming into this season though, Nieto had been a decent bottom six contributor, scoring 28 goals while adding 40 assists in 205 games while averaging over 14 minutes a night in ice time.  He has a cap hit of $735K this year and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season with salary arbitration rights.

With Colorado being at the bottom of the NHL standings, they had top waiver priority to add Nieto to their roster.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston suggests (Twitter link) that other teams also submitted a claim though there’s no word on who those other teams were.  Nieto will likely push for a bottom six role in Denver, battling with the likes of Cody McLeod and Andreas Martinsen for ice time.

As for the other player waived on Wednesday, Boston goaltender Anton Khudobin went unclaimed, notes The Athletic’s James Mirtle on Twitter.  The Bruins have not yet assigned him to their farm team and may not do so until youngster Zane MacIntyre is set to get a start.  That way, MacIntyre can play regularly at the AHL level instead of sitting most nights on the bench as Tuukka Rask’s backup.

TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie was first to report Nieto’s claim (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Horvat, Nieto, Thornton

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In Vancouver, a recent surge has many fans thinking playoffs once again. The team is just three points out of a wildcard spot, after winning their last four games and going 6-3-1 in their last ten. Pierre LeBrun thinks that adding a rental doesn’t make sense for the team. It’s true, that adding a veteran likely won’t improve the Canucks chances of winning a Stanley Cup, but as Vancouver attendance and revenues have fallen over the past few years it may be a mandate from ownership to try and earn some playoff income.

Ben Kuzma of The Province says that the focus from the front office remains on Bo Horvat and locking him up long term. It’s much more important to their future to get Horvat under a reasonable contract, and the longer they wait the more he’ll likely demand. Horvat is already deep into a career season and on pace to blow last year’s 16 goals and 40 points out of the water. Kuzma compares Horvat to Florida’s Vincent Trocheck, who received a six year, $28.5MM deal this summer. Trocheck was coming off a similar season to Horvat but was older and didn’t have nearly the pedigree that the former ninth-overall pick does.

As Horvat turns just 22 this April, he’s already set to take a crack at a similar deal that escalates through the years. If the Canucks want to lock him up even further into his free agent seasons, it will likely cost them upwards of $5MM.

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal suggests that the Edmonton Oilers should take a swing at the recently waived Matt Nieto. Staples thinks that since Jesse Puljujarvi isn’t getting regular minutes or linemates, the team should send him down to the AHL to play on their top line, and fill his spot (or that of Benoit Pouliot) with the 24-year old Nieto. Even though he only has two points this season, and 17 last, he did score 24 and 27 points in his first two seasons in the NHL. Perhaps he could find a new home in Edmonton and add to their young core.
  • LeBrun went on to talk about Joe Thornton and his upcoming free agency. Thornton will turn 38 a day after free agency opens, and is apparently looking for a three-year deal. While that seems ridiculous in a vacuum, a closer look at his numbers may lend credence to the idea. Thornton scored 82 points last season, his highest mark since 2009-10 and is on pace for another 50+ season despite an unsustainably-low shooting percentage. He remains an elite set-up man and is still among the league leaders in assists. As Darren Dreger adds on Twitter, he hasn’t heard much chatter from either side on a Thornton extension.

Wednesday’s Waiver Wire Roundup

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Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston provides the latest updates on what has proven to be a busy day on the NHL’s waiver wire.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Reid Boucher off of waivers from New Jersey. Boucher recently returned to the Devils organization, albeit for only a short time, after they reclaimed the winger off of waivers from Nashville over the weekend. The Predators had earlier acquired the 23-year-old via waivers from New Jersey. All told, Boucher has one goal and three points in 12 appearances this season. It’s clear there is still much interest around the league in the former fourth-round draft pick and based on last season’s eight-goal, 19-point output in 39 games, it’s easy to see why. Vancouver currently ranks 23rd in the NHL in scoring and has been in the market for a scoring-line winger since this past summer. Boucher represents a low-cost, low-risk option to fill that need.
  • Ty Rattie is headed to Carolina after the Hurricanes were awarded their claim on the 23-year-old winger. Rattie was placed on waivers yesterday by St. Louis, the team that drafted the 6-foot, 195-pound forward in the second-round of the 2001 entry draft. Carolina ranks 19th in scoring this season and has just two players who have scored more than eight goals. The skilled Rattie has an excellent track record of offensive production at both the junior and minor league levels. He netted 105 goals over his final two junior campaigns in 131 games and has registered 69 goals and 137 points in 196 AHL games in the Blues organization. After appearing in just four NHL games with St. Louis this season, Rattie should be given a better opportunity in Carolina to show what he can do.
  • Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins have placed veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin on waivers this afternoon. Khudobin has struggled between the pipes in his second stint with the organization, winning just one of seven starts and posting a GAA above three. The net minder, now in his eighth NHL season, is in the first season of a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.2MM. If he clears waivers and is sent down to Providence of the AHL, Khudobin would still account for $250K against the Bruins cap. It’s possible another team in need of goaltending depth takes a chance on the 30-year-old back-up and if he is claimed the Bruins will be in need of a goalie with enough NHL playing experience to expose in next June’s expansion draft. Likewise, other club’s could have interest in Khudobin for the same reason if they don’t currently have a second goalie that meets that requirement under contract for next season. Should Khudobin be claimed or assigned to the minors after clearing waivers, the Bruins will likely recall Zane McIntyre to serve as the team’s back-up behind Tuukka Rask.
  • Joining Khudobin on waivers is four-year veteran left wing Matt Nieto. The 24-year-old has struggled to put up points this season, posting just two assists in 16 games this season for San Jose. However, Nieto scored 10 goals in each of his first two NHL campaigns and could provide another team with solid production in a bottom-six role should he be claimed. He will be a RFA next summer after earning $735K on a one-year deal and might represent a low-cost, low-risk acquisition for a club looking to add forward depth.

Garrioch’s Latest: De Haan, Johnson, Sharks Goalies

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Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun posted his latest Insider Trading column over the weekend.  Here are some of the highlights that pertain to trade rumblings from around the NHL:

  • Not only are the Islanders shopping goaltender Jaroslav Halak, they’re also looking to deal defenseman Calvin de Haan. The 25 year old has become a quality second pairing stay-at-home defender for the Isles while logging at least 19 minutes per game over each of the last three seasons.  One potential reason for him hitting the block is his back-loaded contract.  De Haan is in the final year of a three year deal that has a cap hit just under $2MM but a salary of $2.9MM.  As a result, his qualifying offer in June must be $2.9MM which may be more than the team is willing to pay.
  • The Blue Jackets are looking to clear some salary and while they haven’t been able to find a taker for Scott Hartnell, it’s also believed that they would be interested in dealing blueliner Jack Johnson. The 29 year old is in his sixth season with the team after being acquired from Los Angeles as part of the Jeff Carter trade.  While he has put up a 40 point season in Columbus, his scoring has tailed off since then while his ice time is also down this year.  He carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM for this season and next which could limit his suitors unless the Jackets are willing to take a comparable contract back.
  • The Sharks have been looking around the league for a backup goaltender but have not had any luck so far. San Jose is currently running with 27 year old rookie Aaron Dell but have given him just one start so far this season.  Starting netminder Martin Jones only has 110 career regular season games under his belt so on the surface, a veteran backup would appear to be something that the Sharks could certainly benefit from.  However, they have less than $11K in cap space at the moment so any deal would have to send some salary out the other way.  Garrioch suggests that forwards Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto could both be had.

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