Nick Jensen

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

May 18, 2019 at 4:35 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 8 Comments

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.

Capitals Notes: Hagelin, Orpik, Niskanen, Smith-Pelly

April 26, 2019 at 6:53 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Carl Hagelin played an important role for Washington down the stretch, picking up 11 points in just 20 games after being acquired in a midseason trade from Los Angeles. He saw an uptick in playing time during the postseason as well, logging over 16 minutes a night in their first-round loss to Carolina. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the pending unrestricted free agent told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he’d like to remain with the team for next season.

For that to happen though, he’ll need to take a significant pay cut. Hagelin has received an average of $4MM per season over the past four years and that’s an amount that the Capitals simply cannot afford under their salary structure. Thanks to salary retention from the Kings and Penguins, Washington only paid Hagelin $1.875MM and the 30-year-old may need to sign for closer to that amount if he wants to stay with the Caps.

2019 Trade Deadline Day Recap

February 25, 2019 at 5:31 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The trade deadline for the 2018-19 season has come and gone, with teams all around the league loading up for a Stanley Cup run. This year saw a nearly unprecedented level of skill available, though things got started quite early. Before deadline day, names like Matt Duchene, Brandon Montour, Mats Zuccarello, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Dzingel, Gustav Nyquist and Nick Jensen all switched teams. However, the day was no disappointment; a slow pace early on ended in fireworks right before the deadline and as deal trickled in right after. Below is a complete list of the 21 trades featuring all but seven of the NHL’s teams made on February 25th alone (chronologically):

To Anaheim Ducks:
D Patrick Sieloff

To Ottawa Senators:
F Brian Gibbons

To New Jersey Devils:
2022 fifth-round pick

To Columbus Blue Jackets:
G Keith Kinkaid

To Winnipeg Jets:
F Kevin Hayes

To New York Rangers:
F Brendan Lemieux
2019 first-round pick (top-3 protected)
2022 conditional fourth-round pick (if Winnipeg wins Stanley Cup)

To Montreal Canadiens:
F Jordan Weal

To Arizona Coyotes:
F Michael Chaput

To Florida Panthers:
F Cliff Pu
Future Considerations

To Carolina Hurricanes:
F Tomas Jurco (AHL contract)
Future Considerations

To Colorado Avalanche:
F Derick Brassard
2020 conditional sixth-round pick (no pick if Brassard re-signs)

To Florida Panthers:
2020 third-round pick

To Columbus Blue Jackets:
D Adam McQuaid

To New York Rangers:
D Julius Bergman
2019 fourth-round pick
2019 seventh-round pick

Washington Capitals Acquire, Extend Nick Jensen

February 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 10 Comments

The Washington Capitals have found their defenseman, acquiring Nick Jensen and a 2019 fifth-round pick (BUF) from the Detroit Red Wings. In exchange, the Red Wings will receive Madison Bowey and a 2020 second-round draft pick (WSH). A few hours later the Capitals announced a four-year extension for Jensen worth $10MM. The deal will keep him from reaching free agency at the end of the year, and in Washington through the 2022-23 season. The full salary breakdown is as follows:

2019-20: $2.5MM salary + $500K signing bonus
2020-21: $2.0MM salary
2021-22: $2.5MM salary + $500K signing bonus
2022-23: $2.0MM salary

Jensen, 28, is in the midst of an excellent season after being given more responsibility in Detroit, but will now move to a much deeper defense corps in Washington. The team already had two right-handed horses in John Carlson and Matt Niskanen that log huge minutes every night, but there’s not reason to think that Jensen won’t enter the lineup immediately and be an upgrade for the team. Christian Djoos played just over eight minutes against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night and is the likely candidate to come out, though the Capitals now have plenty of options to mix and match through the end of the season.

That flexibility didn’t come at a low cost though, as the Capitals are giving up a relatively high draft pick and a 23-year old defenseman in Bowey who looked like he would be an NHL regular as recently as last season. Through 84 games in his short career Bowey has recorded 18 points despite averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night, and is an effective puck-moving option that could see an increased role in Detroit. The young defenseman’s contract runs through 2019-20 with just a $1MM average annual value.

While it’s not a market-shattering return, it is another solid package secured by Detroit GM Ken Holland as part of his rebuild. Jensen was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and was obviously looking for a substantial raise on his current $813K cap hit. The Red Wings did explore a contract extension, but this return will allow them to replace Jensen while adding a nice draft pick to their prospect cupboard.

This may be the last move that the Capitals do given that they already acquired Carl Hagelin yesterday, but it surely won’t be the last time the Red Wings are involved in a trade this season. The team still has several expiring assets that could bring back something of value, most notably Gustav Nyquist. With Matt Duchene coming off the board today the forward market is finally starting to move along, and the Red Wings will likely be watching closely.

Washington meanwhile would need to move out more money to do anything else, given how close they are to the salary cap ceiling. It was clear that GM Brian MacLellan wanted another defenseman, something he has done every year—Michal Kempny, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tim Gleason and Mike Weber all come to mind—but has managed to keep hold of his first-round pick once again.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to break the deal on Twitter.

Nick Jensen Still Drawing Trade Interest

February 19, 2019 at 12:31 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings are out of the playoff race for this season but they are still a team to watch over the next week. Several potential trade pieces reside on their team including Nick Jensen who continues to draw interest from around the league. Brian Lawton of NHL Network tweets that interest is increasing of late, with the Red Wings asking for a second-round pick or more in exchange for the defenseman. Teams are apparently only offering a third-round selection so far.

Jensen, 28, is experiencing a breakout season for the Red Wings and happens to be the kind of talented right-handed defenseman that almost everyone is looking for at the deadline. After two seasons of mostly third-pairing work, Jensen is logging nearly 21 minutes a night for Detroit and has 15 points in 59 games. Those numbers come with positive possession statistics and a supremely inexpensive $812.5K full season cap hit, making him a desirable asset for any playoff run.

The Red Wings already own ten selections in the upcoming draft, and could potentially add several more with trades of Jensen, Gustav Nyquist and Luke Glendening among others. The team is already well on their way to a rebuild with a young core surrounding franchise player Dylan Larkin, and could advance it even more with a strong trade deadline. Last year GM Ken Holland secured four draft picks in trade by sending out Tomas Tatar and Petr Mrazek, and several more at the 2017 deadline. If that trend continues, expect Detroit to be more than willing to sell off their expiring assets to continue stocking their prospect cupboards in the coming days.

Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

February 15, 2019 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

By every metric, the Detroit Red Wings should be total sellers at the deadline and they have a laundry list of notable UFA’s to move. Yet, the team claims they would prefer to re-sign starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, top-six forward Gustav Nyquist, and dependable defenseman Nick Jensen. There is also word that veterans Thomas Vanek and Niklas Kronwall are happy in Detroit and unwilling to waive their No-Trade Clauses. That doesn’t leave much on the table.

In most cases, these rumors could be dismissed as the team simply trying to up the offers on their available rentals. But not in Detroit. The fatal flaw of the current Red Wings franchise and GM Ken Holland is total, unapologetic loyalty to long-time players. If a team says they won’t move someone or will only do so for a first-round pick, this is the one team worth believing. It could be a quiet deadline in Detroit.

Record

23-28-7, seventh in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Moderate Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$5.06MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYI 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, BUF 5th, CLB 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

Of course, the aforementioned players are the top trade chips that the team has. Howard and Nyquist are having great years and are surely drawing plenty of attention. Will Detroit get the first-round pick they desire to move either? That remains to be seen. Jensen and Kronwall could both step in as a solid bottom-pair addition for a contender, while Vanek would fill his frequent role as a capable depth addition to any forward corps. The fact remains that if any of these players want to stay in Detroit beyond this season, the Red Wings are unlikely to move them, extension in place or not.

So looking elsewhere, Luke Witkowski is a UFA that the Red Wings don’t seem as attached to. The market may be limited for the versatile skater, but if a team wants to take a shot, Detroit will be willing to move on. Recently waived and demoted, Martin Frk is in need of a change of scenery. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and any number of teams might like to get a look at how he fits in their system down the stretch. The one-dimensional forward is more valuable now that he has cleared waivers and can be sent back and forth. Wade Megan, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff, and Harri Sateri are all free agents as well who could be targeted as deep depth additions.

The Jonathan Bernier signing looks like a mistake so far and the Red Wings seem eager to re-sign Howard rather than give Bernier the starting job. If another team is willing to take on the remaining two years of Bernier’s contract, Detroit would move him. Luke Glendening is another term player who could be on the move. He is still well-liked by the organization, but if the market is there they could move him. As always, if there was any way to move Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser, you would think Detroit would pull the trigger. Then again there’s that whole loyalty thing…

Five Players To Watch For: F Gustav Nyquist, D Nick Jensen, F Martin Frk, F Luke Glendening, G Harri Sateri

Team Needs

1) Cap Space: For several years now, the Red Wings have had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL, yet have been one of the league’s worst teams. That’s not a good mix. The flip side of wanting to re-sign top free agents, like Howard and Nyquist, is that you’re not opening up any more cap space. If Detroit wants to be players on the free agent market this summer, they need to try to move out some of their more cumbersome cap hits if possible.

2) Picks and Prospects: The Red Wings have a lot of good talent in the AHL and some others still at the junior and collegiate level. Adding picks, especially 2019 picks in a deep, talented draft class, is always helpful, though. However, there should room for some camp battles next season, particularly up front, so some pro-ready forward prospects would also be helpful.

Detroit Red Wings Trying To Extend Nick Jensen

February 5, 2019 at 6:17 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

Just a month ago, a report surfaced that the Detroit Red Wings had not started extension talks with pending free agent defenseman Nick Jensen. That news was notable because of Jensen’s breakout season, in which the 28-year old is playing more than 20 minutes per night for the first time in his career. Because of that, Jensen immediately represented a potential rental option for a team looking for right-handed help on the blue line. Now though, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet notes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Red Wings are in fact attempting to sign Jensen to an extension and suggests that the team wants to keep a few veterans around their wave of young players.

Jensen actually has always been a relatively effective defenseman. Though he has just 182 games under his belt at the NHL level, that’s not because of some journeyman career in the minor leagues bouncing around different organizations. In fact, Detroit is the only franchise that the fifth-round pick has ever known, signing with them in 2013 after three seasons at St. Cloud State. There’s not a lot of flash or headlines in Jensen’s game, and he doesn’t provide the measurables to stand out when watching him on the ice. But he has quietly registered solid possession numbers and this year has taken another step to carry more responsibility than every before.

That kind of under the radar improvement is likely why Detroit is interested in retaining him. Jensen has never made more than the $825K he is taking home this season, meaning he represents one of the best right-handed bargains available at the moment. If he’s not asking for a huge raise there is good reason to keep him around as a stabilizing option while the team brings along younger defensemen like Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek. Niklas Kronwall is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is now 38, though Friedman also notes the respect the organization has for their long-time blue liner.

Jensen’s low salary though might bring about quite a few buyers at deadline time. A team pushed to the edge of the salary cap could still likely afford to add him to the mix as a depth option, and his play this season has shown that he can handle increased responsibility if an injury were to happen. The Red Wings will have to make a decision quickly, as the deadline is fewer than three weeks away and teams will be making decisions on their blue line sooner rather than later.

Maple Leafs Still Seeking Right-Shot Defenseman

January 20, 2019 at 11:33 am CDT | by Zach Leach 12 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs are undoubtedly one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup this season, but many would agree that they face an uphill battle if they don’t improve their defense corps. For years, the right side of the defense has been an issue in Toronto and nothing has changed. Nikita Zaitsev and Igor Ozhiganov are the only right-shot defenders that play regularly for the Maple Leafs and the former has struggled all season long – to the point that the team is actively shopping him and his lengthy contract – and the latter is still adjusting to an NHL pace of play. The only other righty on the blue line is Justin Holl, who is scoreless in two games so far this season as a total non-factor. Toronto needs more production, better checking, and all around more cohesion among their defensemen and it all starts with fixing the right side.

It comes as no surprise then that Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that the team is still actively scouring the market for a solution on the right side, preferably a top-four caliber defender. Kypreos again mentions the St. Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo, a player that the Maple Leafs were linked to earlier this season, as a possibility, but questions his availability. Colleague Elliotte Friedman also mentions Los Angeles Kings’ off-side lefty Jake Muzzin and Philadelphia Flyers’ bruiser Radko Gudas as options. The problem, and one addressed by Kypreos, is that the prices are high on these top right-side defensemen with term remaining on their contracts and he believes that the Maple Leafs are unwilling to part with young roster forwards like Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson or top blue line prospect Rasmus Sandin to get a deal done. Kypreos lists the team’s first-round pick and AHL defensemen Timothy Liljegren and Calle Rosen as their top bargaining chips, but that likely will not be enough to land one of the top long-term defensemen on the market.

The prices will be lower on the rental market, but the options are also less appealing. The best right-handed defensemen who are impending free agents all belong to top contenders – Erik Karlsson, Anton Stralman, Dan Girardi, Tyler Myers – and even some of the more moderate options play for teams not looking to sell, such as the Golden Knights’ Deryk Engelland and the Bruins’ Steven Kampfer. If the Leafs feel adding a solid, stay-at-home righty would give them the boost they desire, the New Jersey Devils’ Ben Lovejoy or the New York Rangers’ Adam McQuaid would both be serviceable options. If they instead want a puck-mover, they could try to pry Nick Jensen from the Detroit Red Wings or Taylor Fedun from the Dallas Stars, but neither are guaranteed to be available. There simply isn’t a great market right now at right-shot defense, typical of the position that has become one of the most valuable in hockey due to scarcity. It may be the one piece that the Maple Leafs need to put them over the top, but making a deal is going to be easier said than done.

Atlantic Notes: Kronwall, Jensen, Zaitsev

January 18, 2019 at 5:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

While Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall has spent his entire 15-year career in Detroit, he’s willing to hear out GM Ken Holland if the team decides to approach him about a trade, notes Gregg Krupa of The Detroit News. The 38-year-old acknowledges that there’s a sense of pride about spending his entire career with one organization but that he’d feel obligated to hear out Holland if approached. Kronwall is in the final year of his contract with a $4.75MM cap hit and holds a no-trade clause that allows for ten teams he can be traded to. While he’s not the top pairing player he was in the prime of his career, he’s still logging nearly 20 minutes a night on Detroit’s back end and could certainly serve as a capable third pairing defender for some contending teams.

Elsewhere around the Atlantic Division:

Still with Detroit, the Red Wings would like to re-sign pending UFA blueliner Nick Jensen, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. The 28-year-old started the season as a healthy scratch but has since emerged as one of their more reliable defenders. Jensen is in the midst of a career year that has seen him average nearly 21 minutes a night of playing time. With a cap hit of just over $810K, he’d be an intriguing rental addition for a cap-strapped contender if the two sides can’t agree on an extension.
Although there has been some talk that the Maple Leafs will look to add a defenseman before the deadline, one of their current rearguards is also involved in trade discussions as well. In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Nikita Zaitsev’s name is out there as someone that teams believe they can acquire. The 27-year-old has five years remaining on his contract after this one with a $4.5MM cap hit so finding a way to shed that contract would give Toronto some extra salary cap flexibility. However, Johnston acknowledged that they may need to attach another asset in order to get someone to take the contract and a follow-up move to acquire a right-shot replacement would need to be in place before pulling the trigger on a Zaitsev deal.

Detroit Has Not Discussed Extension With Nick Jensen

January 4, 2019 at 3:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

If there’s one team to watch in the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline approaches, it may very well be the Detroit Red Wings. After losing six straight—some in heartbreaking fashion—they’ve now fallen to seventh in the Atlantic Division and are just two points out of last place in the entire NHL. With that streak it’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to climb back into the playoff race, meaning the focus will start to turn to the expiring assets on the roster. Of those, Detroit has many.

The Red Wings find themselves with six regular roster players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer, and one of them is reaching new heights in his career of late. In a deep feature on defenseman Nick Jensen, Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) examines how the Red Wings are giving him a bigger opportunity with several players on the shelf with injury. Notably though, the piece ends by Bultman reporting that Detroit has not discussed an extension with Jensen and notes that a trade is an obvious possibility.

In face, a trade might be the best option for a Detroit team that is obvious still in need of additional young assets to really open their competitive window. After a long history of success over the past few decades, the team now finds themselves leaderless without Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg to guide them towards the playoffs. Dylan Larkin looks like he’ll be the next great Red Wings player—even if he isn’t their All-Star representative this season—but needs help up all throughout the roster to do any real damage.

Jensen’s play this season has been encouraging, especially when given more minutes and responsibility. He also represents that always elusive right-handed defenseman that teams are searching for every year. We recently examined how the rental market is relatively thin on impact defensemen this season, making a player like Jensen even more attractive. If that wasn’t enough, the 28-year old comes with just an $812K cap hit this year.

There’s a very real chance that the Red Wings are limited at the deadline given the no-trade clauses they’ve handed out like candy over the years, but that’s not the case with Jensen. If the team doesn’t decide to make contact and discuss a possible extension over the next month, you can bet his name will be brought up regularly in trade speculation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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