East Notes: Granlund, Matthews, Leafs Assistant Vacancy
The NHL’s first buyout window opens today, and teams have until 4 p.m. CT on June 30 to use them to create space ahead of free agency. If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to pursue one, keep your eye on forward Mikael Granlund, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi said this morning.
Rossi notes that buyouts weren’t encouraged by previous ownership, but now, under Fenway Sports Group, interim general manager Kyle Dubas will have the freedom to pursue one if he so chooses. Pittsburgh acquired Granlund in a March 1 trade with the Nashville Predators and would essentially be throwing the 46th overall pick they gave up for him (and the cap hit of his buyout) down the drain. Granlund, who has two seasons remaining at $5MM per season, had just one goal and four assists in 21 games with Pittsburgh after the trade, as they missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. Per CapFriendly, a buyout would provide $4.17MM in savings next season and $3.17MM in 2024-25. Pittsburgh would then be hit with a $1.83MM penalty in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Heading further north in the Eastern Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ preference with Auston Matthews is to get him locked into a max-term extension rather than a short-term payday. While Friedman couldn’t comment on the likelihood of that happening, he did say there’s been a heightened sense of urgency from both Matthews and the Leafs to get an extension done so the team can move on to other offseason business. Friedman said that after Matthews had a successful meeting with new general manager Brad Treliving in Arizona last week, he’s “even more confident” a deal will get done this summer.
- Staying in Toronto, Treliving and head coach Sheldon Keefe are deep in the process of interviewing candidates to replace former assistant Spencer Carbery, TSN’s Darren Dreger said today. Carbery had spent the past two seasons on Toronto’s bench before the Washington Capitals named him their next head coach earlier this spring. Dreger also mentioned that although Treliving and Keefe have spent time getting to know each other since the former’s hiring, no extension talks have begun yet for Keefe, who’s entering the final season of his contract.
Nashville Predators Extend Affiliation Agreement With Milwaukee Admirals
The Nashville Predators announced this afternoon that they have extended their affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals through the 2024-25 season. President of Hockey Operations David Poile spoke with the media today after the club had extended their pact with the only AHL affiliate they have ever known. The Admirals have been Nashville’s affiliate since the Predators inaugural season in 1998-99
Milwaukee has been competitive through most of their run with Nashville and have made the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. They’ve reached the Calder Cup final twice during the affiliation and even won the league title in 2004. While the club has been able to cultivate a winning culture, they’ve also been able to develop an incredible number of players for the Predators. Over 200 players have dressed in games for both the Admirals and Predators including 15 players just last year.
On top of developing on ice talent, Milwaukee has produced a lot of behind the bench talent as well. The Admirals have seen eight of their head coaches or assistant coaches move onto NHL jobs after their time in Milwaukee.
The Admirals might have an infusion of young talent in the upcoming couple of years as the Predators have 13 draft picks in the upcoming NHL entry draft including seven picks in the first three rounds. Nashville also holds three second round picks in 2024 and could be on the verge of re-tooling after making a flurry of trades at this year’s trade deadline including the lopsided deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins where they shipped off Mikael Granlund for a second round pick.
East Injury Notes: Penguins, Pageau, Sabres
According to a team release, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without a couple of key wingers. The good news is both absences are likely to be short term. Newly acquired Mikael Granlund, as well as Bryan Rust, will not play tonight when the Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Granlund was ruled out due to an illness, while Rust is missing the game for personal reasons. Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports added that Rust and his wife are expecting their second child any day now, which could explain his unexpected absence.
The Penguins are facing the league’s worst team in Columbus, but can’t afford to give up any points right now. They are holding on to the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, but have four teams within three points of them. Alex Nylander was called up from the AHL to fill in the void for tonight’s contest.
- New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of the lineup according to a team release. The Islanders announced the veteran is still day-to-day and will not play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Pageau has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since he last played on February 11th against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com added some clarity to the Buffalo Sabres injury situation. The team called up Lawrence Pilut earlier today and LaBarber reported it was because Riley Stillman and Mattias Samuelsson remain out of the lineup with injury. Both are listed as day-to-day and will miss a second straight game after sitting out the team’s 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. In good news, LaBarber also mentioned Tyson Jost returns to the lineup tonight after missing last night’s game to nurse an undisclosed injury.
Evening Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Leonard, Marchand, Motte
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Philadelphia Flyers intend to move pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk. On today’s TSN Insider Trading, Johnston reported that two interested teams appear to be the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has been busy the last few days, swinging a trade today for goaltender Jonathan Quick and yesterday acquiring center Teddy Blueger. Cap space could be an issue as Vegas has just $3MM left and van Riemsdyk is currently playing under a $7MM cap hit. Winnipeg, on the other hand, have been very quiet since acquiring winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has over $4.5MM in cap space for the deadline, so he could easily fit van Riemsdyk under budget, should the Flyers be willing to retain 50% to facilitate a move.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Nashville Predators have been one of the busier sellers in recent days, having shipped out Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund, and Tanner Jeannot with an eye toward building for the future. With all the pieces moving out, the Predators have begun the process of calling up some of their younger players. Luke Evangelista received the first call-up of his career earlier this week, and now Nashville has announced that John Leonard has been recalled to the big club. Leonard,24, is a former 2018 sixth-round pick who is currently tied for third in scoring on Milwaukee this season with 32 points. Leonard does have NHL experience on his resume, having dressed in 58 games with the San Jose Sharks, where he tallied 15 points.
- Brad Marchand left tonight’s Boston Bruins contest against the Buffalo Sabres with an apparent lower-body injury. Marchand was hit awkwardly into the boards from behind and the Bruins announced that he would not return. Losing Marchand for any length of time would be a big blow to a Bruins team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. Marchand is having another fine season with 53 points in 52 games and has heated up recently after going pointless in five straight games. Boston is nearly a lock to win the President’s Trophy, so they likely won’t rush Marchand back, but should his injury keep him out long-term, it could become problematic.
- NHL.com’s Dan Rosen has reported that New York Rangers forward Tyler Motte would not be returning to tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Motte was just dealt by the Senators to the Rangers on February 19th and was injured after taking a headshot from former teammate Austin Watson. Watson was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. Motte was beginning his second run with the Rangers after being dealt there last trade deadline from Vancouver. He has dealt with concussion issues in the past, having missed 31 games in 2020-21 while with the Canucks. Hopefully, Motte can make a speedy recovery after the very scary injury tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Mikael Granlund
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made another trade. The team has acquired forward Mikael Granlund from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick.
Penguins GM Ron Hextall had the following to say about this trade:
Mikael is a versatile forward, able to play either wing or center, and contribute offensively. He has experience on both the power play and penalty kill and can add options to our lineup.
By acquiring Granlund, Pittsburgh has not only added an experienced top-six player to their lineup, but they have also signaled their intention to invest in this season’s Penguins team with the hope of going on a playoff run. While the Penguins remain in playoff position, the team has (recent three-game winning streak aside) stumbled as the calendar shifted to 2023.
Their struggles led to calls from fans and local media members alike for the organization to fire Hextall, but this trade indicates that the organization believes that the team’s underperformance is a bug, not a feature.
This season, Granlund has scored 36 points in 58 games, and averaged over 18 and a half minutes of ice time with some sporadic penalty-killing time. While his offensive production is down from last season, he scored 64 points last season and is under team control for another two seasons after this one at a $5MM cap hit that’s reasonable given his resume.
He’s not the ascending young player anymore that he was on the Minnesota Wild, and some underlying numbers have soured on him this year, it’s easy to see why the Penguins are optimistic about what he could bring to their lineup.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has quite a few options for how to approach adding Granlund to his lineup and has to be thrilled to have a new, highly capable forward to work with. The 31-year-old Finn can play both at center and as a winger, and his well-respected two-way game gives him added on-ice versatility.
The Penguins could opt to have him replace Jeff Carter as the team’s third-line center, letting the 38-year-old vacate an everyday role in the midst of what has been a nightmare season. They could also shift Carter down to the fourth line in Blueger’s vacated spot, although one would think that offseason trade acquisition Ryan Poehling would be preferable there.
Sullivan could also keep Carter entrenched as the third-line center and use Granlund to shuffle the team’s top six. Since Evgeni Malkin has had his fair share of injury issues in recent years, Granlund’s ability to play center will be of significant value should Malkin find himself knocked out of the lineup.
At the price of a second-round pick, the Penguins have added a player who figures to make their team better for this season and for a few years to come. Is it the wisest move for a team to make when they’re widely seen as being a cut below the heavyweights of the Eastern Conference? Maybe not, especially seeing as Granlund hasn’t been as productive this season, and at 31 years old that could be a signal of an age-related decline.
But with Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang all inching deeper into their thirties, the Penguins are looking to maximize whatever time they have left with their franchise icons. Every passing year could conceivably be the last of that trio as elite players, and this trade shows that the Penguins are serious about trying to make noise this spring.
For Nashville, this deal continues their decision to pivot towards building for the future. With Barry Trotz now back in the fold and set to fully take the reins from GM David Poile in the Summer, the team is charting a new direction in its search for a contender. Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, and Nino Niederreiter have all been dealt already, and Granlund adds another draft pick to their growing stockpile.
The Predators give up a player who figured to be a top-six staple for the next few years, but since they don’t seem as intent on short-term Stanley Cup contention, it’s easy to see why the pick is more valuable.
Additionally, in today’s flat-cap environment, it’s extremely difficult to move money without taking dollars back. The value of the Predators clearing Granlund’s $5MM off their books without having to retain or take any contracts back is definitely an important element of this trade.
Nashville now has five second-round picks over the next two drafts and could add more if they choose to trade any more veteran players. While the Predators’ coaching staff can’t be thrilled to lose such a capable veteran, Predators fans that have long hoped the team would pivot towards a more rebuild-like direction seem to be finally getting their wish.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report on Granlund being traded to Pittsburgh.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mikael Granlund Joins Finland At World Championships
The Finnish contingent at the 2022 IIHF World Championships just got notably stronger. The IIHF announced today that Finland added Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund to their roster.
The news comes after Granlund’s Predators were swept out of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. Granlund had three assists in four playoff games, capping off what was a great 2021-22 campaign for him with 64 points in 80 regular-season games.
It’s Granlund’s first time representing Finland at this tournament since 2018 when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild. That year, he served as Finland’s captain, potting two goals and seven assists in eight games as the team lost in the quarterfinals.
This time around, he’ll serve as an alternate captain alongside former NHL defenseman Sami Vatanen and national team veteran Marko Anttila. They sit behind captain Valtteri Filppula as the NHL veteran attempts to join the Triple Gold club with a gold medal in this tournament. Finland got off to a 1-0 start yesterday, defeating Norway 5-0 in their opening game of the Worlds.
Predators Place Three In COVID Protocol, Activate Eight
There was plenty of COVID-related activity for the Predators on Monday. The team announced that defenseman Roman Josi, center Tommy Novak, and winger Colton Sissons have all been placed in COVID protocol. However, they also got several players back from protocol in wingers Nick Cousins and Philip Tomasino, center Mikael Granlund and Ryan Johansen, and defensemen Mark Borowiecki and Ben Harpur. Josi, Novak, and Sissons will be out for at least the next ten days as a result; today’s announcement from the CDC that cuts the quarantine period from ten days to five doesn’t automatically apply to the NHL.
Josi is easily the biggest loss of the three for the Predators as he’s their leading scorer with 29 points in 30 games while averaging just shy of 25 minutes per game. Sissons isn’t a minor loss either as he’s logging nearly 16 minutes a night on the wing while chipping in with 13 points in 29 contests.
The returns of Granlund and Johansen should certainly help Nashville’s offense. Granlund is averaging just shy of a point per game with 27 in 28 games, sitting second behind Josi in team scoring. As for Johansen, he is having a nice bounce-back campaign with 24 points in 27 contests.
On top of these moves, the Predators assigned wingers Matt Luff and Michael McCarron to the taxi squad. Both players had been up in recent weeks to cover for injuries and absences before hitting COVID protocol themselves but with more players returning than leaving today, there wasn’t room on the NHL roster for them to be placed back there.
Predators, Red Wings Announce COVID Protocol Absences
The sweeping outbreaks of COVID-19 continue, this time with the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. The Predators have announced that six players and six staff members have been placed in the COVID protocol. Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Matt Luff, Michael McCarron, Philip Tomasino, and Ben Harpur are now unavailable for the team, along with head coach John Hynes, assistants Dan Lambert and Todd Richards, and goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok.
For now, Nashville is still scheduled to take on the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that the team is preparing to make the necessary recalls from the AHL (including coaches) to play.
Not to be outdone, the Red Wings have announced that Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen have entered the protocol. Both players were in the lineup last night against the New York Islanders.
The Red Wings are scheduled to take on the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow, a game that was in doubt after yesterday’s postponement. That doubt has been cleared up, at least for now, as the Hurricanes did not have any further positive tests today. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the plan is for Carolina to play short two skaters, given how tight they are to the cap ceiling.
The NHL appears ready to push through these outbreaks as best they can, hoping to not disrupt the schedule for the entire league.
Mikael Granlund Signs Extension With Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are signing forward Mikael Granlund to an extension, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports. It’s a four-year contract worth $5MM per season.
Granlund will return to Nashville despite a couple of rough seasons. After multiple 60-point seasons with the Minnesota Wild, he’s yet to reach that level of offense in the Nashville organization after being traded for Kevin Fiala. In fact, he’s scored just 62 points across 130 games with Nashville. There have been many instances of the Predators looking to trade him as well, but for now, Granlund will indeed stay put in the Music City. Granlund’s production jumped slightly this season along with an elevation in minutes, as Granlund could potentially serve as the team’s first-line center in lieu of Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene. A dip in Granlund’s defensive game this season carries some significant cause for concern, though, as if that pace keeps up, he could become yet another expensive liability in Nashville’s top-six despite them embarking on a rebuild.
However, if Nashville opts to give Johansen or Duchene those first-line minutes, Granlund could still rebound to some good numbers in 2021-22 with some slightly restricted minutes. He still tracks as a capable offensive forward with some finishing ability, despite having some consistency issues over the past few seasons. The $5MM hit could make some fans nervous, but if Granlund is used effectively, it could be a gamble worth making.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Granlund, Jones
Off-season chatter around the NHL has been heating up in recent days. The league and its fans are operating on a tight schedule, with the protection lists for the Seattle expansion draft due just a week from today. Teams all over the league are looking to shift their roster makeup under a flat salary cap, posing decisions on player prioritization. Along those lines, The Fourth Period reports that the Montreal Canadiens are likely to focus on re-signing their pending free agents before dipping their toes into the market. That’s especially interesting coming on the heels of winger Corey Perry saying that he’s got more hockey left in the tank. Re-signing him seems rather inevitable at this point. With this rumor, it’s also reasonable to speculate that Montreal will do whatever they can to make deals work for Phillip Danault and Joel Armia, the former of which will demand a serious investment from Habs management.
- As the Vancouver Canucks look to return to playoff contention, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal lists Mikael Granlund as an option for a third-line center in British Columbia. It might be a logical fit, considering Vancouver’s need a more offensively-inclined piece to revitalize their depth in the bottom-six. Granlund could also be swayed by the opinion of his younger brother, Markus Granlund, who played 215 games over four seasons for the Canucks organization. Having Granlund serve as an impact player against lesser competition could help him improve on his point totals and return to his 40-plus-point seasons of years past.
- The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are getting some assistance surrounding a Seth Jones trade. According to the source, Jones’ agent is doing double duty and speaking with other teams directly in order to help expedite the process of a trade. Dealing Jones before the July 17th protection list deadline could prove advantageous to Columbus, allowing them to protect depth defender Dean Kukan who’s impressed in a limited role. It would also give Columbus more clarity about their organizational needs ahead of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, where the team holds three first-round picks.