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Trade Rumors: Trade Bait, Panarin, Condon

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For everyone but the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues, the off-season is already in full swing and with the NHL Draft less than three weeks away, the rumor mill is starting to heat back up. TSN’s Frank Seravalli has updated his Trade Bait list and it features a whopping ten new names out of 25 total players. Leading the way among the newcomers is talented, young Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere has emerged as a candidate to move if the Flyers can land a top-six forward in exchange, as they look to be aggressive this off-season. Also new to the list are names included in the overturned Phil Kessel-to-Minnesota trade, Jack Johnson and Victor Rask, with Jason Zucker and Kessel now long-time fixtures. Another player tied to recent rumors making his trade bait debut is the Vancouver Canucks’ Loui Eriksson, who has been linked to former teammate Milan Lucic, also on the list, and the Edmonton Oilers, but could move in any number of possible deals. As the Florida Panthers look to shake up their roster in free agency, James Reimer and Mike Hoffman have made the list as possible cap space casualties. So too have Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Nazem Kadri and Mitch Marner, even though Seravalli himself agrees that a Marner trade is a long shot. With plenty of talent filling the early off-season trade bait board, it could be a busy summer for high-profile trades, some of which could begin even before the draft kicks off on June 21st.

  • A seemingly curious continued presence on the trade bait list is that of Artemi Panarin. It was one thing for Panarin to be atop the list as the trade deadline approached and the Columbus Blue Jackets were unsure whether or not they would sell the all-world forward. However, after keeping Panarin, an impending unrestricted free agent, it may seem that his trade value has now disappeared, since he is weeks away from hitting the open market. However, as a 27-year-old premiere free agent, both Panarin and his suitors will be interested in that eighth year of contract term that is only available to the incumbent team. As such, the Blue Jackets could look to squeeze the very last drops of value out of Panarin by trading his rights before the league year ends, allowing a new team to sign him to an eight-year extension rather than a seven-year free agent contract. While possible, and often valuable, acquiring UFA signing rights is not as frequent a move as one might expect. The last team to do so was the Florida Panthers in 2016, adding an expiring Keith Yandle for a a sixth-round pick and conditional fourth-round pick. That same year, the Arizona Coyotes did the same, bringing in Alex Goligoski on the tail end of his contract with the Dallas Stars for a fifth-round pick. Not since Ilya Bryzgalov in 2011 has a player’s UFA rights drawn more than a fourth-round pick at best, but Panarin is a unique player and Columbus could land a third-round pick or more in exchange for the opportunity to sign him to that one extra year – and to keep him from testing the market.
  • Unsurprisingly, the extension of goaltender Anders Nilsson in Ottawa has prompted speculation that the Senators will try to move overpaid third-string option Mike Condon. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Condon’s “days are numbered” with the team, as there’s no room for him in Ottawa behind Nilsson and Craig Anderson and he’s not wanted in Belleville with Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord, and possibly Marcus Hogberg in the mix. Cap space is not a problem for the Senators, but Garrioch still believes they would prefer to trade Condon and all or part of his $2.4MM salary next season rather than buy him out at the cost of $400K next year and $1MM the year after. Garrioch can only make a case that perhaps some team with weak goalie depth would be interested in Condon as a strong AHL option next season, as the 29-year-old is unlikely to be considered a regular NHL option. Perhaps after the free agent goalie market shakes out in early July, the Senators will be able to find a partner who missed out on their targets and could use Condon’s services. Otherwise, a buyout does seem to be the more likely route.

Eastern Notes: Canadiens, Armia, Capitals’ Defense, Kadri

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After a couple of down years, the Montreal Canadiens had a much more respectable season last year and with things looking up, general manager Marc Bergevin is going to want to add to his team. With close to $10MM to spend this year, the team could consider going after big-name free agents.

However, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette writes that a second option would be for the Canadiens to go after Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner. While offer sheets in the NHL are quite rare, that could change this offseason with so many intriguing restricted free agents out there. The team could conceivably sign Marner to an offer sheet and if the Canadiens offer a deal between $8.54MM to $10.56MM, and successfully pry him away from Toronto, the compensation would be reasonable in two first-round picks, a second-rounder and a third-rounder.

Even if Toronto matches any offer sheet, the Canadiens will have still accomplished quite a bit as the rival franchise is currently struggling with salary cap issues and a big offer would only hamper general manager Kyle Dubas’ long-term plans.

  • Sticking with the Canadiens, while one of the main reasons that the Montreal Canadiens took Joel Armia in the Steve Mason deal was that Armia was from the same hometown in Finland as last year’s top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Armia has been significant in helping Kotkaniemi to transition to North America. However, while Armia’s numbers have been solid when playing next to Kotkaniemi on the ice, his numbers when playing without him haven’t been that good. The Athletic’s Marc Dupont (subscription required) writes the team needs to be cautious about signing Armia, who hits restricted free agency this summer, to a long-term contract. Armia, who tallied 13 goals as a third-liner, and probably should be signed to a short-term deal to assess for now.
  • The Washington Capitals didn’t get back to the Stanley Cup Finals liked they hoped and with continuous salary cap issues to deal with, there is a good chance the Capitals’ blueline will have to be reconstructed, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. The scribe writes that the team might be ready to move on from veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen, after the team acquired Nick Jensen at the trade deadline. Jensen is four years younger than Niskanen and has the same skillset. The team is also expected to move on from Brooks Orpik, giving more opportunity to the team’s young defensive prospects it has been amassing over the last couple of years, including Jonas Siegenthaler, Lucas Johansen, Alex Alexeyev, Connor Hobbs, Colby Williams and Tyler Lewington.
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to want to make some type of splash to add a big-name player either through free agency or via trade. While throwing out names like Matt Duchene and Kevin Hayes are one option, the scribe suggests that the Flyers should consider trading for Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri, who is coming off a career-low 16 goals. With Toronto management down on him somewhat, the Flyers could get a steal of a deal as the center has three years on his deal at a reasonable $4.5MM AAV. Kadri would make an excellent second-line center, who could slide back to the third line once Nolan Patrick is ready to move up.

Maple Leafs’ Off-Season On Hold Until Mitch Marner Decision

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With over $74MM tied up in 17 players heading into next season, none of whom are young star winger Mitch Marner, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in for a tough summer. It is clear that signing Marner is “priority one”, but what Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston points out is that in terms of not just importance, but also time. Speaking with Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, there was an understanding that Toronto cannot do much this off-season prior to signing Marner (or else moving him):

Without an answer on Mitch, we’re going to kind of be in a stalemate, right? It is a top priority because we’re not going to jump around and chew up our cap space that we may need for Mitch with fringe signings, either. It’s important. We’ve just got to get to work on it and get it done… It’s a tough process. It’s long, and just don’t expect anything to get done nice and smoothly. It’s always a battle.

Dubas has been adamant that the team will need to resolve the Marner situation by July 1st, one way or another, and for good reason. Following another early playoff exit, the team is hoping to improve this off-season and the free agent market, which opens on that date, will be one of their main opportunities. However, as Dubas notes, the team cannot make even fringe additions until Marner is signed and their salary cap status is clear. The team is expected to lose defenseman Jake Gardiner, but more affordable extensions with the likes of Ron Hainsey, Tyler Ennis, and Michael Hutchinson remain possible, yet harder to get done once those players hit the open market.

One other way to solve the cap crisis is via trade, but even that route is risky without clarity on Marner. While fans may prefer to see the likes of Nikita Zaitsev, Nazem Kadri, or Connor Brown dealt away, it is Marner’s RFA brethren Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson who will carry more value on the trade market. Just like their UFA counterparts in Toronto, Dubas and company cannot re-sign Kapanen and Johnsson – who are due substantial raises of their own – without first knowing the details on Marner. The team would also be taking a major risk by trading either one in hopes of creating the space needed for Marner, as failure to get the star forward signed regardless would leave them down two young scoring assets.

Johnston writes that offer sheets – often an over-hyped false reality anyway – are the least of the Leafs’ worries. Not only would the team have the right to match any offer made to Marner, but a deal large enough to lure him away from his hometown team would likely net Toronto four first-round picks. That price could be worth giving Marner up, if any team actually had the audacity to make such a move.

There seems to be mutual benefit between Marner and the Maple Leafs in getting a new deal done. However, only Toronto has a time crunch to manage, while Marner can hold out for his best possible deal, as he has every right to do. It seems like the Leafs won’t possibly be able to sign Marner without first moving out some salary, so if any move can occur before a Marner extension, expect it to be a cap dump by Dubas. Otherwise, prepare for a quiet couple of months in Toronto until this situation can be resolved.

Nazem Kadri Suspended For Rest Of First Round

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without one of their most physical players for the rest of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. The Department of Player Safety announced today that forward Nazem Kadri has been given a suspension of up to five games for his cross-check on Jake DeBrusk in Saturday night’s game. Kadri was responding to a hit on Patrick Marleau, and hit DeBrusk right in the face with his stick. Instead of giving the Maple Leafs forward a determined number of games, the league decided it was best to keep him out for the remainder of the series instead. As the accompanying video explains:

This is not a hockey play. Instead, this is a player retaliating against an opponent by using his stick as a weapon to make forceful and direct head contact. While we understand that Kadri took offense to DeBrusk’s hit against Marleau, players are simply not permitted to flagrantly violate league playing rules because they feel that retribution is justified. It is also important to note that Kadri has an extensive disciplinary track record that must be considered when issuing supplemental discipline.

This will be Kadri’s fifth suspension and one that is eerily similar to his last. Almost exactly a year ago the Maple Leafs center was suspended for a check on Boston’s Tommy Wingels in their first round series and was given a three-game ban. Toronto would eventually lose that series in seven games and many consider Kadri’s absence a contributing—if not ultimately determining—factor.

Though the league has not handed out many suspensions that can vary in length before, this is not entirely without precedent. In 2013, San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres was suspended for the rest of his series against the Los Angeles Kings after a hit to the head of Jarret Stoll. Torres similarly had a long history of discipline, which included at that point a 21-game suspension (reduced from the original 25) for another head shot. Torres would eventually receive an even longer suspension in 2015 when he was banned for half a season.

While Kadri doesn’t have quite the reputation that Torres built over his playing career, that is the kind of discipline he’ll have to be wary of in the future. The Department of Player Safety has been clear that they will not tolerate repeat offenders especially when incidents are similar in nature. In fact, the Kadri video today brought up a similar cross-checking incident from his past when he struck Luke Glendening in the face with his stick in retaliation. His discipline will only increase unless he finds a way to stop these retaliatory incidents from occurring.

Snapshots: Kane, Bruins, Thornton

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USA Hockey has announced their captain for the upcoming IIHF World Championship and it will once again be Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane. Kane served as captain of the team last year when they took home a bronze, and has competed several times internationally.

The club is expected to release their preliminary roster later this week, but it appears as though they will be one of the favorites again. The American squad will also feature Kane’s teammate Alex DeBrincat, along with others like James van Riemsdyk and Quinn Hughes. The group will be led by Jeff Blashill behind the bench, and play their first official game on May 10th against Slovakia.

  • When the dust settled on game two between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, it appeared as though both teams would lose players for their next matchup. Nazem Kadri is expected to be given a long suspension for his cross-check to the face of Jake Debrusk, but the Bruins forward was back on the ice today at practice and is expected to play tonight. The same can be said about Torey Krug, who will take part in the game despite looking severely injured after taking a big hit from Jake Muzzin. Kadri meanwhile is having his in-person hearing in New York with the league.
  • After Kadri’s hearing the league will also be looking at Joe Thornton’s hit from the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights game according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thornton made considerable contact with Tomas Nosek’s head, and received a two minute minor penalty for it. It’s not clear if the hit will rise to the level of supplemental discipline, as the Department of Player Safety has not yet announced a hearing for Thornton. UPDATE 1:15pm: The league has announced a hearing for Thornton. It will happen today.

Nazem Kadri Scheduled For In-Person Disciplinary Hearing

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1:18: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kadri’s hearing is scheduled for Monday.

8:31: It’s not a question of if Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri will be suspended, but rather for how many games. The aggressive forward will undoubtedly miss time for his second straight postseason after cross-checking Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk in the face in last night’s chippy Game Two loss. Kadri received a major penalty and game misconduct, but the NHL Department of Player Safety was quick to announce that Kadri’s hit would be reviewed further and not via a phone hearing, but instead an in-person hearing. The date and time have yet to be revealed, but it will certainly be before the two teams square off again in Game Three on Monday night.

An in-person hearing allows for Kadri to be suspended for longer than five games, which seems like a very likely outcome in this case. In fact, the initial reaction to the hit from NBC analysts Eddie Olczyk and Keith Jones after the game was that Kadri could face upwards of ten games in this suspension. The hit in question was unquestionably egregious, after Kadri took issue with a hard but clean hit by DeBrusk on Patrick Marleau along the boards in the third period. Deep in the Bruins zone, Kadri cornered DeBrusk and delivered a cross-check right to the head area, taking DeBrusk down. It was nearly the exact same area in which Kadri intentionally boarded Bruins forward Tommy Wingels in the playoffs last year, which earned him a three-game suspension. At the time, that was Kadri’s fourth career suspension, for a total of 14 games, and his seventh punishment from Player Safety. After his eighth interaction with the Department in this upcoming hearing, it is safe to assume that the suspended games total will go up significantly. A repeat offender who has clearly not learned his lesson, Kadri seems likely to feel the full force of the Department. It is expected that they will take full advantage of the in-person hearing rule, banning Kadri for more than five games. He is unlikely to see the Bruins again this postseason and may have even played his final game already. His absence will be a big loss for the Maple Leafs.

As for DeBrusk, the response from many – especially in Toronto – has been that the Bruins forward deserves a second look of his own. Not only did DeBrusk check Marleau dangerously close to the curved-glass stanchion, but he also caught Kadri with a knee-to-knee hit earlier in the game. However, neither check was considered a penalty by the officials nor did they appear to have an intent to injure, and the expectation is that Player Safety does not have interest in further discipline for DeBrusk. In fact, the escalating aggression between Kadri and DeBrusk, which began in Game One and re-started early in Game Two, may only be used to justify keeping Kadri from a Round One return. DeBrusk’s health will also be taken into account, as the young forward did not return to the game after Kadri’s cross-check and his status is unknown for Game Three. All signs point to the tough youngster avoiding serious injury and being ready come Monday night, but his absence from the rest of the third period will be a factor in Player Safety’s decision.

Atlantic Notes: Hedman, Johansson, Debrusk, Krug

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning in a “must-win” sitatuion being down 2-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets and already without their best forward in Nikita Kucherov, the status of their top defenseman Victor Hedman is also up in the air. In fact, Tampa Bay Times reporter Bryan Burns reports that Hedman will be a game-time decision for Game 3 Sunday in Columbus, according to head coach Jon Cooper.

Hedman, who suffered an undisclosed injury at the end of the regular season and was again banged up after Game 2, did not take the ice this morning for the team’s optional skate. While he did play in the first two playoff games, Cooper said that Hedman hasn’t been able to play his usual physical style of game, which could be the reason why he’s questionable, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith.

  • The Boston Bruins won Saturday despite not having forward Marcus Johansson on hand. The trade-deadline acquisition was out with the flu. However, the team might be without him even longer as The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports that Johansson is still sick and will not be traveling with the team on their road trip to Toronto. That doesn’t mean he won’t eventually travel on his own and be present for Game 3 on Monday, but this illness has knocked out Johansson harder than the team initially thought.
  • Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy also announced that forward Jake Debrusk and defenseman Torey Krug are both “doing better” and are day-to-day. Debrusk was cross-checked in the head by Nazem Kadri late in the game, which is being looked at by the Department of Player Safety. Krug suffered a head injury (possible concussion) in Game 2 after taking a hit on the boards from Toronto’s Jake Muzzin. Connor Clifton is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury after a hit in Game 2.

Atlantic Notes: Senators, Kadri, Howard, Rosen

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With Guy Boucher out as head coach in Ottawa Friday, and 18 games left in the season, the young Ottawa Senators must make a quick decision on their head coaching job this summer. The team gave the interim tag to Marc Crawford, but unless he can turn around the franchise in those 18 games, the Sporting News’ Murray Pam writes that general manager Pierre Dorion may opt to look for a new voice to coach the franchise.

Among the top potential candidates that could take over this summer, Pam suggests that 66-year-old Jacques Martin could be an interesting candidate that can give the team a fresh voice. The veteran coach, who was raised in Saint-Pascal, Ont., not far from Ottawa, has been an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last six years, 31 years of NHL experience and has two Stanley Cup rings.

One obvious candidate could also come from within as the Belleville Senators’ head coach, Troy Mann, who has done an impressive job in his first year as head coach of the AHL franchise and already knows many of the players on the team’s roster. His recent track record is the most interesting as he has led the team to a 16-game unbeaten streak as the team has gone 11-0-5 and is on the cusp of the AHL playoffs. He’s in his fifth year as an AHL head coach. The scribe throws in several other candidates, including Montreal Canadiens’ assistant Luke Richardson and Columbus Blue Jackets’ assistant Brad Shaw.

  • Despite missing his sixth straight game Saturday, Toronto Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri, who has been out with a concussion, seems to be improving. According to The Star’s Kevin McGran, Kadri skated this morning, which is a good sign for his recovery. “Obviously, our medical staff has to do a good job with those guys and keep them out as long as they’re supposed to be out,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I think it’s obviously good for him to be out there, just morale-wise. It looks like he’s going in the right direction. I didn’t talk to the coaches since he’s been out, just to see what kind of skate they were able to give him and what he was able to handle. (We’ll) still monitor that and see, and then we’ll see how hard we can push him. I don’t know when he’s ready.”
  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has struggled immensely in the month of February, posting a 3.97 GAA and a .866 save percentage in nine games. On top of that, he has been pulled from his last three games, not exactly what you’d expect from a goaltender who represented the Atlantic Division at the All-Star Game. However, don’t expect the veteran to give up. Howard has spent countless hours studying video of his play, trying to figure out what’s gone wrong, according to Dana Gauruder of the Detroit Free Press. “To be honest, going through the video, it’s just being off by a fraction,” he said. “Not having the correct angle. When you don’t have that as a goalie, guys can put the puck in tight areas and that’s what’s happened.”
  • With recent injuries to Toronto Maple Leafs’ defensemen Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner, many fans have wondered why Toronto hasn’t turned to promising young defenseman Calle Rosen. The 25-year-old has been tearing up the AHL with the Toronto Marlies this year and signed a two-year extension with the team back in December. However, Rosen can’t be recalled yet, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby, because he took a puck off his foot a few days ago and isn’t ready to return to the ice just yet. Regardless, Rosen, who has seven goals and 44 points in 52 games with the Marlies, could be called up soon.

Nazem Kadri Remains Out With Concussion

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The Toronto Maple Leafs stole a point from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night when they forced overtime, but lost a key member of their forward group in the process. Nazem Kadri left the game and was later diagnosed with a concussion, and remained off the ice today at Maple Leafs practice. William Nylander took his place as the team’s third line center, meaning Kadri is not expected to play tonight against the Washington Capitals.

Kadri, 28, is having a down year offensively after recording consecutive 30-goal seasons and will now likely miss some time with this head injury. In 59 games he has just 15 goals and 35 points, but is still doing a capable job down the middle behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. The long-time Maple Leaf has turned his game into a more defensive-minded effort and worked to improve his faceoff skills dramatically in recent seasons.

The Maple Leafs have experienced relatively good health again this season, but still sit behind the red hot Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division playoff race. Those two teams are on a first-round collision course once again, and will need all hands on deck in what should be another war. With a five-point lead on the Montreal Canadiens and a game in hand, Toronto can afford to play it slow with Kadri and make sure he is fully recovered before inserting him back into the lineup.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews Suffers Shoulder Injury

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Sunday: Head coach Mike Babcock said that Matthews will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. However, Babcock did admit that Matthews will not practice Sunday or play in Monday’s game against Calgary.

“He’s not ready right away for sure,” Babcock said.

Saturday: The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news as star Auston Matthews suffered a shoulder injury during the second period of their game against the Winnipeg Jets Saturday. The center took a big hit (video here) from Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba and skated off in pain, immediately exiting the game. It didn’t take long before the team announced that he will not return to the game. This marks the third shoulder injury in his career.

Any significant injury would be devastating for both Matthews and the team. The 21-year-old Matthews is having the best start of his career, posting 10 goals and 16 points in the team’s first 10 games (not including this one), but he missed 20 games due to injury last year (including a second-degree shoulder separation injury) and the Maple Leafs would like to avoid another long stretch of games without their star center. Matthews also suffered a significant shoulder injury in juniors. Any injury would likely push John Tavares into an even bigger role for the team as well as promote Nazem Kadri to the team’s second line.

If Matthews does miss time, it could be a way for restricted free agent William Nylander to get that extra leverage and force the team to hand him a contract closer to the $8MM pricetag that he’s asking for. The two sides have been far apart in contract negotiations as time is starting to run out. A significant injury could force Toronto to add some money to the deal to get him into their lineup as quick as possible to keep their offense rolling.

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