Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ondrej Kase

Snapshots: Veleno, Kase, Dahlen, Blues

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, it was reported that Red Wings winger Filip Zadina was in talks to start next season with HC Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Extraliga.  It turns out he might not be the only Detroit youngster doing so as MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that center Joe Veleno is also a part of the discussions with Trinec.  The 20-year-old played his first professional season exclusively in the AHL but it’s worth noting that he was one of the youngest players in the league as he still had junior eligibility.  While Veleno got off to a slow start, he was able to rebound to put up a respectable 23 points (11-12-23) in 54 games before the pandemic hit while collecting six points (1-5-6) in as many games at the World Juniors.  A first-round pick (30th overall) in 2018, loaning Veleno over would allow him to get a couple of extra months of development before returning to North America when the 2020-21 season gets underway.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Bruins winger Ondrej Kase was expected to add some depth to their attack when they acquired him from Anaheim. However, the pandemic limited him to just six games with his new team.  Now, he hasn’t been able to participate in practice due to being ‘unfit to participate’ and head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, that he’s unsure if Kase will even be able to travel to the East’s hub in Toronto.  A decision on that front is expected on Sunday.  If he can’t participate, one of Anders Bjork or Karson Kuhlman could slot into a regular spot in the lineup.
  • When Jonathan Dahlen decided to stay in Sweden for another year, it wasn’t viewed as a big surprise considering the year he had. However, as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes, the Sharks were planning on bringing the 22-year-old over to contend for a spot with them for 2020-21.  Dahlen had 77 points in 51 games for Timra of the Swedish Allsvenskan, a second-tier league and while he had interest throughout the SHL which may have been better from a development perspective, he opted to re-sign at the lower level to try to help them earn a promotion to the SHL.  Their season ends early enough that it’s possible that Dahlen could wind up joining San Jose as a midseason addition.
  • There were no surprise cuts from the Blues’ roster. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Tyler Tucker and goalie Joel Hofer are the two that won’t be participating.  Tucker split the season between Barrie and Flint of the OHL but wasn’t eligible since his entry-level deal doesn’t start until 2020-21.  Hofer technically was eligible but he also is coming off a season strictly spent in junior with WHL Portland.  Louis is opting to carry three goalies on their roster which took Hofer out of the mix quickly.

Morning Notes: Romanov, UBS Arena, Bruins

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens have announced a change in plans for young prospect Alexander Romanov, who was previously on his way to Toronto to serve his quarantine. Instead, Romanov will serve it in Montreal before hopefully joining the Canadiens in the bubble city.

Though he will not be allowed to play in the playoffs, Romanov is expected to stay with the Canadiens to get accustomed to the team and organization before battling for a roster spot next season. The 20-year old defenseman has generated incredible hype thanks to his outstanding performances at the World Juniors and regular playing time in the KHL.

  • When the New York Islanders take the ice at their new arena in Belmont Park, it will be named UBS Arena. The $1.5 billion redevelopment is set to be ready for play in the 2021-22 season, giving the Islanders a permanent and exciting new home.
  • According to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely doesn’t expect David Pastrnak or Ondrej Kase to be with the team until they get to the bubble city, as they still deal with their individual quarantines. In Neely’s estimation that is especially disappointing for Kase, who didn’t have much of a chance to solidify a role on the team after arriving at the trade deadline. Kase played just six games with the Bruins before the season was put on pause, recording a single point.

David Pastrnak Held Out Of Bruins Practice Due To COVID Exposure

at CDT | by 7 Comments

League-leading goal-scorer David Pastrnak has missed his second straight day of practice with the Boston Bruins after missing the early part of the week due a league-mandated quarantine period for players returning from Europe. While Pastrnak himself has tested negative for COVID-19, as it turns out he is back in quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who had tested positive, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

Pastrnak, as well as fellow European returner Ondrej Kase, missed Monday and Tuesday while in quarantine but returned Wednesday to re-join the team. However, head  coach Bruce Cassidy announced on Thursday that the duo had been labeled “unfit to participate” and would be out for an indeterminate amount of time. It has since been clarified that Pastrnak was not permitted to practice with the team due to contact with a positive COVID-19 individual. It is unclear whether Kase has been missing for the same reason.

Meanwhile, the two worked out together privately at a local rink Friday. The team certainly hopes that the pair will be at full speed by the time they depart for Toronto to begin round robin play, whether they are able to resume group practice soon or  not. Pastrnak is obviously one of the more dangerous scoring forwards in the league and a crucial part of Boston’s offensive attack, while Kase was acquired from the Anaheim ahead of the trade deadline for a hefty price and is expected to be a key piece moving forward. Kase was quiet through six games with the Bruins before the league suspended play, but the hope is that he will be the fit at right wing alongside David Krejci that the team has been searching for.

Stretch Run Storylines: Boston Bruins

at CDT | by 7 Comments

As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We open up our look at the Atlantic Division with Boston.

Whereas many teams that fall just short of a Stanley Cup championship struggle maintaining their success the following season, that hasn’t been the case in Boston, where the Bruins have been dominant one of the most top-heavy divisions in the NHL. The Bruins have been clearly the best team in the NHL as they are the only team to have broken the 100-point mark before the NHL suspended their season. It’s clear that Boston’s only goal is return to the Stanley Cup Finals and this time win it.

Can Suspension Of Play Affect Bruins’ Succcess?

The Bruins have been rolling and looked like the top candidate to win a Stanley Cup. However, a break in play can’t be good for a team that was playing this well. The Bruins have won 16 of their last 20 games. A long break could definitely affect players in different ways — whether they are all staying to top shape, etc. as well as how they play with each other. It could take longer than usual for any team to regain their form.

With that the NHL could shorten or even cancel the remainder of the regular season in hopes of pushing the playoffs even closer, Boston, full of veteran players, could find themselves struggling to get out of the gate and an early playoff exit could be a real possibility.

Injured Players

The Boston Bruins accomplished all this despite struggling significantly with injuries on the back end. Over the season, the team has dealt with significant injuries to John Moore, Kevan Miller, Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug and Connor Clifton, but has been able to put together a patch work of players to fill out their rosters while their players recover on injured reserve. The forward lines have also been hit hard with numerous injuries as well.

While most of those players were back with the team before the season was suspended, the break could offer some positive points as well. It will offer a significant advantage to the team who has been ravaged by injuries this season. If all players have plenty of time to get over their injuries, they may have a full and complete roster to help them to their eventual goal.

Trade Deadline Acquisitions

The Boston Bruins picked up a couple of key forwards at the trade deadline when it acquired Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie from Anaheim in separate deals. The hope that Kase would provide the team a significant upgrade to the team’s top-six, while Ritchie could also add some key depth to Boston’s bottom six.

Kase, who was injured at the time of the trade, hasn’t accomplished that yet. He was activated a few days after the trade and immediately placed on the top line, but in seven games had registered only an assist. The team’s hope was that being surrounded with veteran talent would bring out Kase’s potential to score goals and turn him into the high-scoring player that many envisioned when he scored 20 goals in 2017-18. Ritchie had a goal and an assist in seven games, another player who the team felt had potential.

However, considering that it takes time to develop cohesiveness with new teammates on the ice, this break certainly won’t make it easier for either player to improve and adjust to a new team, especially if the regular season is cut short or cancelled.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Boston Bruins Acquire Ondrej Kase

at CDT | by 29 Comments

The Boston Bruins are set to make a move addressing their hole on right wing, acquiring Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the Ducks will receive David Backes, Axel Andersson and a 2020 first-round pick. The Bruins will retain 25% of Backes’ contract.

Though he may not have a huge level of name recognition, Kase is a substantial acquisition for the Bruins as they drive towards the playoffs and a Stanley Cup chase. The 24-year old has proven in the past that he can drive play at even-strength, but has had trouble staying healthy throughout his short NHL career.

In 198 career games, Kase has 43 goals and 96 points and is an absolute darling of the analytics community. His possession statistics are off the chart, and he’ll likely be tried in a spot the team has been desperate to fill for some time. The Bruins’ second line right wing spot beside David Krejci has had a revolving door of auditions, but no one has been a perfect fit. If Kase can become that full-time solution, it allows the team to move Charlie Coyle back to the middle lower in the lineup.

Getting out from under the Backes contract is also huge for the Bruins, given he was no longer even playing for the team. The veteran forward has another year left on his deal at $6MM, meaning the Ducks will be taking on a $4.5MM cap hit next year to make this deal work.

The fact that the Bruins actually gain cap space in this contract, given Kase’s $2.6MM hit this season and next, means they’re not necessarily prevented from making another trade in the coming days. Kase will still only be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, making this exactly the kind of move that GM Don Sweeney has started to turn to after acquiring rentals in the past. Last year the team used a young piece to bring back Coyle, who had term on his deal (and has since been extended) to help them longer than just one spring. That’s exactly what Kase will do, though he’ll have to stay healthy for it to work.

For Anaheim, this is exactly what it meant when they made it clear to reporters they would take on bad contracts for young assets. Kase’s name had been in trade rumors for some time, and they cashed in to add two interesting pieces to a rebuild.

Andersson isn’t one of the Bruins very top prospects, but he does come with plenty of upside. The 20-year old defenseman was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft and currently plays in the QMJHL. He has 22 points in 41 games, but still needs quite a bit of time to be ready for the NHL. That’s time the Ducks have but the Bruins don’t, as they are in very different competitive windows.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to break the deal on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Rumors: Ducks, Senators, DeMelo, Duclair

at CDT | by 5 Comments

When action resumes following the All-Star break, it is the unofficial start of NHL Trade Deadline season. In fact, with a relatively early deadline day of February 24th this year, things should pick up sooner rather than later. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch came prepared to handle the transition from All-Star exit to trade mania, reporting on a number of situations in his latest “Insider Trading” column. Garrioch begins with the further shift in the status quo of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim began the season hoping to return to being contenders with a talented mix of veterans and youngsters. However, it has not played out that way on the ice, as the Ducks hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Recently, a report came out that the team was willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts if it meant that they could add prospects and picks in return. Garrioch now reports that the team is taking it one step further, perhaps in response to winning just three of their past 15 games. He hears from multiple league sources that the Ducks are preparing for a full rebuild and are at least willing to listen on just about every player. For a team with so few valuable impending free agents – Michael Del Zotto and Derek Grant lead the way – this shift in the status quo could make for a much bigger deadline in Anaheim. Ondrej Kase, who has previously been rumored to have fallen out of favor with the team, could be one possible casualty, as could defenseman Josh Manson, who has recently been linked to a few other teams. What about Rickard Rakell, one of the best value contracts in the league and a player that any contender would like to get their hands on? Or long-term players like Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique, and Jakob Silfverberg? Franchise faces Ryan Getzlaf and John Gibson and top defender Hampus Lindholm are likely off the table, but nearly anyone else in Anaheim over the age of 24 appears to be a candidate to move at the right price.

  • Garrioch mentions a number of available players, many of whom won’t comes as much of a surprise, including L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon, and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider (if the team can’t re-sign him). However, he states definitively that the New Jersey Devils’ impending UFA’s are also up for grabs. This means Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, and Wayne Simmonds, three players who many were unsure the Devils would part with, could very well be on new teams in a month’s time. As for teams in the mix, Garrioch claims that the Islanders and Jets are leading the search for defense, while the Bruins, Blues, Flames, and Coyotes are the most eager to add forwards.
  • The Ottawa Senators have ten impending UFA’s on the roster, but not all of them will survive the trade deadline. Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion plans to sit down with each one before the deadline and discuss the possibility of an extension before putting them on the block. At this point in their rebuild, the Senators cannot afford to let valuable players walk away as free agents, meaning the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki, and Dylan DeMelo and more need to have made a decision on their commitment to Ottawa soon or they could be sent packing.
  • On the DeMelo front in particular, Garrioch reports that the Florid Panthers are the leading suitor for the 26-year-old defenseman, should Ottawa opt to move him. He mentions that that the Carolina Hurricanes are another team with definite interest. Garrioch adds that Florida is also looking for a backup goalie, which could potentially put former Panther Craig Anderson on their radar.
  • As for one player who has made up his mind on his future with Ottawa, All-Star Anthony Duclair tells Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he hopes to re-sign long-term with the Senators. The 24-year-old has excelled since arriving in Ottawa late last season and wants to continue to play a central role for the team through their rebuild:

I just want to focus and really end the season on a positive note like I did last year, and really make a statement to the management and the coaching staff that I want to be a big part of this rebuild. I’m still a young guy. When the change is gonna happen, when Ottawa’s gonna become a contender, I want to be part of that. So I’m working as hard as I can.

Trade Rumors: Calgary, Baertschi, Sandin

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Calgary Flames recently opened up significant salary cap space by trading away veteran forward Michael Frolik and his $4.3MM cap hit. The move occurred on Thursday and by Saturday the word was out that Calgary GM Brad Treliving was already on the hunt to fill that space. The Flames would like help up front and now have nearly $5MM to make and addition or perhaps even two. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Treliving and company are not interested in the rental market. The team’s preference is to add a player with term as opposed to using up their newfound cap space on a short-term commitment, especially as they continue to sit outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Friedman feels that, if the Flames are comfortable with Elias Lindholm remaining at center, their trade focus will be on adding a right wing. While it is often hard to predict which term players may be available, some top-six right wing options that Calgary can afford and may be available could include New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, Montreal’s Joel Armia, Anaheim’s Ondrej Kase, or the Rangers’ Pavel Buchnevich. Of course, the team could also look into negotiating an extension with an available rental prior to making a deal, which would open up options like L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli or Florida’s Mike Hoffman or Evgenii Dadonov.

  • While one might assume that the Montreal Canadiens, currently in 13th in the Eastern Conference, would be sellers this season, the team proved otherwise this week by acquiring defenseman Marco Scandella and signing forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Friedman reports that the team was also considering Vancouver Canucks forward Sven Baertschi before pulling the trigger on Kovalchuk, although continued interest cannot be completely ruled out. It’s easy to forget about Baertschi’s availability, as the Canucks have kept him buried in the AHL for all but six games this season and have performed fine without him, currently riding the league’s longest winning streak in fact. Baertschi, who recorded 106 points in 216 games with the Canucks over the past four seasons, has been slowed by injuries in his career but productive when healthy. He has shown as much this year, scoring at an elite pace in the AHL. The risk-reward winger cleared waivers earlier this season, but as he continues to stay healthy and score in the minors, the Canadiens will not be the only team with interest. If Vancouver is willing to retain part of Baerstschi’s $3.367 cap hit through next season, that will only increase the likelihood that another team opts to take a chance on him.
  • While there has been some speculation that the red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs could turn to the trade market to add depth on the blue line, especially in light of recent injuries, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston believes that the team may opt to fill the void internally instead. With Rasmus Sandin excelling overseas at the World Junior Championship, Johnston believes that Toronto’s opinion on playing the young defenseman this season has changed. Johnston does not believe that keeping Sandin under ten games of NHL action, so as to allow his entry-level contract to slide one more year, is a priority anymore for the team. He believes that when Sandin returns to Toronto, he will become a viable option for the remainder of the season. Sanin has already played in four games this season, so it would not take much time for him to burn the first year of his contract, but it may be worth it if the Leafs can solidify their back end.

Snapshots: Crosby, Avalanche, Kase

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing a number of youngsters from their AHL affiliate as multiple players sit on injured reserve. However, the team may get a big boost soon as center Sidney Crosby could be coming back soon, according to NHL.com’s Wes Crosby. Crosby practiced on Friday in a non-contact jersey.

The Penguins have been without their star center for the past 23 games after the veteran opted to have core muscle surgery on Nov. 14. Crosby is expected to skate on his own again this weekend. While Crosby is not expected to join the team for Sunday’s game against Montreal, the Penguins believe that the 32-year-old could join the team for their three-game road trip that starts on Tuesday, although he has yet to be cleared for contact, so nothing is definite.

“That’s a big step,” Crosby said. “Once you’re cleared for contact, you see how things respond from there. But I’m not ready for that yet. Until then, I think I’ll probably flip-flop between doing my own stuff and skating with the injured guys, and then going with the team depending on the practice.”

  • Although New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider has been predominantly in the news when it concerns trade rumors with the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater writes that he’s hearing more recent rumblings the team might be interested in acquiring Los Angeles Kings forward Tyler Toffoli. Dater adds that the Kings had a scout at Saturday’s Colorado game and the scribe believes the two squads will make a trade together before the deadline. The 27-year-old might be a good fit for the Avalanche, who could use a player with size and scoring ability and wouldn’t cost too much. It might cost Colorado a first-rounder to get Toffoli, but considering where they likely will be at in the standings, it might be a trade worth making.
  • The Anaheim Ducks could be without forward Ondrej Kase for a bit as head coach Dallas Eakins said the 24-year-old has a bone bruise somewhere on his lower body and wasn’t even able to put his equipment on today, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Kase has struggled with injuries throughout his career as he has never played more than 66 games in his short career. The forward gotten some top line minutes so far this year in 35 games, but only has three goals so far this season.

 

 

Pacific Notes: Vegas Defense, Kase, Hjalmarsson, Coyotes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Plenty of praise has been lauded out by Vegas Golden Knights’ players after the team changed their defensive format from a man-to-man concept to a zone defense. The belief was that teams were taking advantage of holes in their man-to-man concept, so head coach Gerard Gallant switched the team’s defense two games ago with the idea that a zone defense would give players more energy as it cuts down player movement.

“The way we’ve tweaked our D-zone (coverage), you have a little more energy,” Deryk Engelland said. “It’s less chasing around and more positional, so maybe that plays a little bit of a factor in it, and I think that’s a big part of why we wanted to change it.”

According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required), the Golden Knights were on target to give up the most goals in their short franchise history. The hope is that these changes should solve some of the team’s defensive issues.

  • There were some concerned faces Friday after Anaheim Ducks winger Ondrej Kase, who has a history of concussions, was hit hard by Winnipeg’s Anthony Bitetto, just two minutes into the game, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Kase got up slowly and immediately headed to the dressing room, most likely to undergo concussion protocol. Fortunately, Kase returned to the ice not long after and resumed action, which is good considering the amount of time he has missed (51 games so far since the start of the 2018-19 season). “A guy goes down and he comes off the ice and leaves the bench, you’re usually just waiting for word that he’s done something to his shoulder or his elbow or his knee or whatever it’s going to be,” head coach Dallas Eakins said. “For him, to go in and everything check out fine is great.”
  • Despite expecting to miss 10 to 12 weeks, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is ahead of schedule, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required). Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his fibula when blocking a shot, is already walking on his own and should be expected to start skating soon. The team still has no timetable for his return. “Nik is progressing well,” president of hockey operations John Chayka said. “No new timetable at this stage.”
  • Sticking with the Coyotes, Morgan also reports that forwards Carl Soderberg (lower-body injury) and Lawson Crouse (upper-body injury) are both game-time decisions for Saturday’s game against the Sharks. The team did recall Michael Chaput in case neither player can play today.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Kase, Archibald

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The St. Louis Blues will be without sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for at least their next two games, as he isn’t traveling with the team on their latest road trip. Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury last night and will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Here’s some more injury news from around the league:

  • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Erik Gudbranson today from the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps in part due to the fact that Josh Manson has been placed on injured reserve. He’ll be joined there by Ondrej Kase, with both players out for at least the next two games. The Ducks say a further update will be given next week, but those are two very important players to lose for a pair of weekend tilts against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated Will Butcher from injured reserve, though he is still not expected to play tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. In his place, Connor Carrick has been moved to IR with an upper-body injury suffered yesterday in practice.
  • Josh Archibald hasn’t scored a point yet for the Edmonton Oilers, and won’t get one anytime soon. That’s because he’s been placed on injured reserve with a right foot fracture and will miss two to four weeks.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top