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Detroit Red Wings Owner Mike Ilitch Passes Away

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Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch has passed away at the age of 87. Like our MLBTR brothers, everyone here at PHR would like to extend our condolences to the Ilitch family and the entire Red Wings organization.

In a statement released by Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner puts it best:

With the passing of Mike Ilitch, the Red Wings have lost the consummate owner, the NHL has lost a cherished friend and passionate builder, Detroit sports has lost a legend and the city of Detroit has lost not only a devoted native son but a visionary and driving force in the rebirth of downtown. 

Ilitch bought the Red Wings in 1982, ten years before he would buy the Detroit Tigers. Under his leadership, the Red Wings would become one of the finest organizations in the NHL, grooming executives and coaches alike. Their current playoff streak of 25 straight seasons is thanks in no small part to the vision and ownership of Ilitch.

Teams, players and media members around the league are pouring out condolences with one common trait; Ilitch never did hold his success over anyone, and was willing to talk to just about everyone that wanted a moment. His dedication to the city of Detroit will likely never be duplicated or matched, though his family will try to continue his legacy.

His son Christopher, the current CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc said in a press release that he’s “honored to have had the opportunity to work with him to nurture and grow our businesses” and that he would do everything in his power to continue in his footsteps.

With the team leaving Joe Louis Arena this season, and now the passing of their legendary owner it has been a year of change for the Red Wings. The fact that they may miss the playoffs for the first time in a quarter of a century seems almost secondary in light of these recent events. Ilitch will go down as one of the greatest owners in sports history, and is deservedly already in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Trade Candidate: Gabriel Landeskog

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

The Colorado Avalanche are one of only two teams – Arizona being the other – that currently identify as certain deadline sellers and in the midst of a disappointing campaign it’s believed the team is willing to consider dealing anyone not named Nathan Mackinnon as they try to find the right blend. Colorado may consider moving winger Gabriel Landeskog and he represents the type of player you don’t often see come available. Landeskog is a four-time 20-goal scorer and at just 24, the Swedish winger is still comfortably within his prime. He also has four more seasons left of team control at a price that’s quite fair for a solid, two-way top-six winger. Sure, Landeskog isn’t having a particularly strong season but there would still likely be plenty of interest in acquiring his services if he was truly available.

Contract

As noted above, Landeskog has four years left on a deal that comes with an AAV of $5.57MM. His deal contains neither a NMC nor a NTC, putting the Avalanche in the driver’s seat in terms of trade talks.

2016-17

Landeskog has tallied just nine goals and 20 points in 40 games this season, a scoring rate well below his career average of 0.67 points-per-game. Part of that is likely a function of Colorado icing the league’s lowest scoring attack, averaging just 2.06 goals-per-game. He’s generating shots at a rate not much below that of his career norm and his conversion rate of 10% is right in line with his career average. His 95.5 PDO is indicative of bad puck luck and a regression could be in order.

Season Stats

40 GP, 9 G, 11 A, 20 Pts, -13 plus/minus rating, 44 PIM, 19:12 ATOI

Suitors

The Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins have both previously been rumored as potential landing spots for Landeskog. Both make a ton of sense as they tend to favor bigger forwards who can play a physical forechecking style. At 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds, Landeskog certainly brings good size. Colorado reportedly asked Boston for a package headlined by rookie blue liner Brandon Carlo but the Bruins balked at the asking price. The Kings will have nearly $7MM in deadline cap space meaning they can afford to add the winger without moving salary, however such a transaction would complicate their salary cap situation in seasons ahead. Anaheim, with their blue line depth would seem to make for a natural match for the Avalanche, and the Ducks also appreciate size and physicality in their forwards. Considering the term remaining on his deal, any team in the league could show interest in Landeskog should they be willing to meet Colorado’s understandably high asking price.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Blockbuster trades involving multiple pieces are complicated and are rarely able to be completed during the season. Prior to the 2012 trade deadline, the New York Rangers worked feverishly to acquire winger Rick Nash from Columbus and even though Nash’s market was severely limited due to his willingness to go to only a few teams, a deal wasn’t completed until after the season. The Rangers ultimately sacrificed a package of talent similar to what they offered at the deadline, but then Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson still held out, hoping the market would improve.

It’s likely the Landeskog negotiations will play out similarly. Considering their ask of a young, top-four blue liner, a prospect and a first-round pick, a deal of this nature is easier to make in the offseason when the salary cap plays less of a role in the proceedings.

Minor Transactions: 2/9/2017

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For the third consecutive day no players were placed on waivers, as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet noted this afternoon. However, that doesn’t mean teams aren’t busy calling players up from or sending players to the minor leagues. In this post we’ll track the day’s minor transactions and update as needed.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled forwards Evan Rodrigues and Derek Grant from Rochester. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald added that Zemgus Girgensons wasn’t on the ice for the team’s morning skate and while Evander Kane was, he didn’t take line rushes. The implication being both players might be unavailable tonight thus necessitating the call-ups. Rodrigues has appeared in two games this season, going scoreless while averaging 11:28 of ice time. Grant, who was recently reacquired via waivers from Nashville, has registered four points, all assists, in 41 games. He is still searching for his first NHL goal after seeing action in 81 games over parts of five seasons with Ottawa, Calgary, Buffalo and Nashville.
  • Winger Alex Tuch has been reassigned by the Minnesota Wild to their AHL affiliate in Iowa, the team announced this morning. Tuch, the club’s first-round pick, 18th overall, in the 2014 draft, has appeared in three games this season without netting a point. He’s registered 11 goals and 22 points in 34 AHL contests. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune tweeted that unless the team recalls another forward from the minor then it appears as if Charlie Coyle will move back to the wing with Erik Haula and Tyler Graovac assuming the third and fourth line center slots, respectively.
  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times brings word that the Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned forwards Michael Bournival and Joel Vermin to Syracuse. Smith adds that this could be good news for Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn, as the reassignments leave the team with just 12 healthy forwards – Ryan Callahan is currently on IR. Palat has missed the last two games while Killorn didn’t play in Tampa’s 5 – 0 shutout win over the L.A. Kings.

Western Conference Snapshots: Russell, Davidson, Coyotes, Stars

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Like many teams, the Edmonton Oilers will face some difficult choices when choosing whom to protect in the expansion draft. The recent emergence of Brandon Davidson and the team’s reported desire to re-sign Kris Russell beyond the current campaign has created a surprising logjam on the blue line. Assuming the team elects to protect seven forwards and three defensemen, it’s a near certainty that the Oil will keep Adam Larsson, Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera, which means the team will have to expose Davidson. But David Staples of the Edmonton Journal offers up a solution for Edmonton: protect four defenders, including Davidson, and make Jordan Eberle available to Vegas to select.

While acknowledging that Russell has been a solid, if unspectacular addition to the team’s defense corps and probably would be worth a modest extension, Staples argues that Davidson, four years the former’s junior, is a better long-term option due to his cost and similar on-ice performance. As a pending free agent, Russell won’t have to be protected from the expansion draft unless he inks an extension prior, but Davidson will or the club risks losing him for nothing. One way to make the numbers work would be to leave Eberle unprotected. Eberle, who has two more years on a deal with a $6MM annual cap charge, has underachieved this season, registering just 11 goals in 55 games. If Vegas took a chance on the gifted offensive winger, it would solve two problems for Edmonton: one, it allows the team to keep Davidson and two, the team would save a sizable chunk of cap space which can then be allocated to long-term extensions for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who will reach restriced free agency following the 2017-18 and 2016-17 seasons, respectively.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • The Arizona Coyotes are one of only a small handful of teams known to consider themselves sellers ahead of the trade deadline and they have several marketable assets that will draw interest in the coming weeks. Sarah McLellan of AZ Central lists the players she believes could be moved at the deadline. Martin Hanzal headlines the list as she notes his size and two-way acumen would appeal to practically any playoff contender. Right-shot defender Michael Stone, in the final year of his contract, could be an attractive piece since most teams are looking for blue line depth, particularly on the right side, at this time of year. McLellan includes Shane Doan but writes that it may be next to impossible to find the right fit; a serious Stanley Cup contender in need of a player of his ilk. Perhaps the most interesting name to make the cut was that of Anthony Duclair. The 21-year-old winger was considered a foundation building block coming into the season but with just nine points in 41 games earning him a demotion to the minors, it’s clear he has fallen out of favor in the desert.
  • Mike Heika recently fielded questions from readers in a mailbag feature on SportsDayDFW.com and offered insight into a wide array of Stars-related topics. The biggest concern readers seem to share is the club’s struggles in the goal-prevention department. Heika points out that goaltending is a huge problem, with the team’s netminders registering a Save % of 0.904 compared to the Washington Capitals league-leading rate of 0.928. The Stars have committed more than $10MM of cap space to Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, a figure more than any other team has allocated toward their top two goalies. If the Stars want to salvage their season they may need to strongly consider an upgrade between the pipes and as we learned yesterday, the team has apparently shown interest in Marc-Andre Fleury already. While the Penguins are likely going to deal Fleury before the upcoming expansion draft, it’s unclear how much they would get in return.

Western Conference Snapshots: DeBoer, Canucks, Spezza

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Player development is instrumental to a team’s success in today’s NHL. The salary cap forces teams to waive goodbye to key veterans every year and integrating young players on ELC’s is the most effective way to replace the talent lost. Having a coaching staff that can mold young talent into quality NHL players simplifies that process and speeds up the player’s development. Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area writes that Sharks bench boss Pete DeBoer has done an exemplary job of doing just that in San Jose, despite a reputation from his previous job that suggested otherwise.

One of the reasons DeBoer was fired in New Jersey was his apparent unwillingness to utilize the team’s younger players. However, as Kurz points out, Stefan Matteau, Mattias Tedenby and Eric Gelinas, prospects DeBoer was criticized for not developing while with the Devils, have managed little in the way of NHL success since the coach was let go by New Jersey. On the flip side, the way DeBoer has handled players like Tomas Hertl, Dylan DeMelo and Kevin Lebanc has demonstrated he knows which buttons to push and when to push them in order to further a prospect’s development. And as Kurz notes, when DeBoer recognizes a player is simply not ready for big league action, he has no problem shipping that player back to the minors even if the decision doesn’t sit well with fans.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • In a highly entertaining piece for The Province, Jason Botchford touches on a number of Canuck-related topics. Chief among them is his assertion that veteran defenseman Alex Edler would be a valuable addition to any contending team’s blue line. It’s an interesting notion as Edler certainly would add loads of experience and is still an effective second-pair defender at this stage of his career. He has been a top-pair blue liner for Vancouver this season, averaging better than 24 minutes a contest while registering 10 points in 39 games, but would certainly be better off with less ice time on a playoff contender. Teams may also be hesitant to absorb the remaining two years on his deal, which come with an AAV of $5MM each. Edler also owns a NTC as part of his contract but might be willing to waive that for the right situation. It’s not inconceivable that a contender desperate for a boost on the back end would give the Canucks a call to see what it would take to pry the veteran Swede away from Vancouver.
  • The Dallas Stars announced this afternoon that they have placed veteran center Jason Spezza on IR retroactive to February 2nd. The team has been ravaged by injuries to key contributors all season and Spezza is just the latest example of the Stars bad luck with health. Spezza has just eight goals on the season but is fifth on the team in points with 31. He will be eligible to be activated off of IR tomorrow. Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News adds that the move might be procedural to allow the team to recall a player from the minors, either to practice with the club or for tomorrow’s game. The team was at the 23-man roster limit but now have an open spot should they decide to take that course of action.

Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

After earning a berth in the 2015-16 Western Conference Final, the St. Louis Blues were again expected to be among the top teams in the conference and to perhaps make it as far as the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately the Blues have underachieved on the season, ultimatley leading management to dismiss veteran bench boss Ken Hitchcock. More changes could be on the horizon as the team currently finds itself fighting for their playoff lives.

Record

27-22-5, 54 points, fourth in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer and perhaps seller

Draft Picks

2017: STL 1st, STL 2nd, STL 4th, BUF 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th

2018: STL 1st, STL 2nd, STL 3rd, CGY 3rd*, STL 4th, STL 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th

*Pick is conditional on whether Brian Elliot re-signs with Calgary

Trade Chips

It would be understandable if Blues GM Doug Armstrong doesn’t view this year’s edition of the team as a viable Stanley Cup contender and was therefore reluctant to part with either prospect or draft pick capital for rental players at the deadline. St. Louis boasts a shallow prospect pool after years of earning draft selections outside of the top-10. The team does possess their own first and second-round picks in each of the next two seasons and perhaps in the right deal they would be willing to include those assets but it would have to be a trade the brought back a young, controllable top-six forward.

Kevin Shattenkirk might represent both the team’s most valuable asset as well as the one most likely to be dealt. Stung by losing veterans David Backes and Troy Brouwer for nothing as free agents last summer, Armstrong might be motivated to cash in the puck-moving defenseman in order to avoid a similar fate in July. As a skilled, right-shot defenseman, Shattenkirk is a tremendously valuable commodity on the open market, especially if he agrees to an extension with an interested club prior to the deal being made, and could return multiple pieces to improve the team moving forward.

Team Needs

  1. A Starting Goaltender – The Blues took a risk in the offseason by splitting up the effective netminding duo of Brian Elliot and Jake Allen, moving the former to Calgary at the draft in exchange for picks. Allen was viewed as the goalie of the future but has struggled to stop the puck with any consistency this season. His backup, Carter Hutton, simply isn’t a starting-caliber backstop in this league. If the Blues decide to go for it this year, it would behoove them to look at the starting goalie market where one of Marc-Andre Fleury or Ben Bishop would easily solve their need.
  2. A Top-Line Center – Paul Stastny is a nice, #2 pivot but he’s miscast in St. Louis as their top option due to the absence of any other competent scoring line options. Patrik Berglund (20 points in 54 games) and Jori Lehtera (16 points in 49 games) simply haven’t gotten the job done. The team chose to let Backes go in free agency and it’s looking more and more like a mistake that they didn’t either bite the bullet and re-sign him or replace him in the offseason. If the Blues could find a top-line center under long-term control, they’d have to take a look at it.

 

Latest From Insider Trading: Coaches, Jets, Canucks

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The all-star reporter panel at TSN comprised of Darren Dreger, Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun took to the air again today with their latest segment of Insider Trading. They touched on both Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock, two of the big coaching names that have been fired recently, saying both will likely wait until the summer to take another job. McKenzie said that Hitchcock would consider a move to a long-term situation if he finds a fit, but wouldn’t “come out of the bullpen” so to speak.

It will be interesting to see what this means for the Vegas club, which now has a very established list of coaches to try to bring in if they choose to go that way. It’s been said before that Vegas likely wants a big presence for their first coach to try and make a splash in the market, and it’s not clear if Julien, Hitchcock or even Gerard Gallant would fit that mold.

  • LeBrun insisted again that the Chicago Blackhawks sound like they’ll be very quiet at the deadline this year because of their cap issues. As much as Stan Bowman keeps saying that the Hawks won’t make another bold move at the deadline, it’s hard to believe that they won’t try to make at least a slight upgrade for another run. They still need help on the wing and remember that they do have three extra (albeit late round) draft picks for this season in hand.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are falling out of the picture after a successful middle stretch of the season, and will now start to field questions for their top players. McKenzie relates that even though GM Jim Benning said prior to the season that he would not ask any players to waive their no-trade clauses, he now admits that he would got to them with options if teams were calling on them. Goaltender Ryan Miller and forward Alex Burrows were mentioned specifically, but remember that Alex Edler and Brandon Sutter also have NTCs and would bring back solid returns in trade should the Canucks decide to completely tear it down.
  • After the Jets got some terrible news on the defensive front with Tyler Myers undergoing another surgery, Dreger says they’ll be hard pressed to find a replacement. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff had already been looking around for some depth on the blueline, and now has even more problems to try and fix. It will be interesting to see where the Jets are in another two weeks and whether they need to add to try and make a deep playoff push or sell off some expiring assets.
  • LeBrun does also mention the past reports that the Ottawa Senators kicked the tires on both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, but says that it didn’t get very far. Ottawa isn’t willing to part with the kind of package that the Avalanche are currently asking for, though would be open to negotiation should it fall. Both Avalanche forwards seem like tough bets to move in-season, but if the team is committed to shaking up the core, Ottawa could come back to the table in the summer.

Bryan Bickell Nearing Return For Carolina

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Carolina Hurricanes winger Bryan Bickell, out since late October with what was later revealed to be Multiple Sclerosis, plans to be ready to return following the team’s bye week, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The ’Canes begin a five-game homestand on February 17th and barring a setback, Bickell could be in the lineup for Carolina when they host the Colorado Avalanche.

As Gulitti writes, Bickell has made tremendous progress since starting treatments of Tysarbi, a drug given monthly to “limit the debilitating effects of MS.” He began taking the medication in December and has been skating since early January.

“I feel good,” Bickell said after a conditioning skate at Verizon Center, where the Hurricanes face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET: CSN-DC, FS-CR, NHL.TV). “I obviously don’t feel good right now, I just got skated pretty hard, but it’s going to help me down the long run. I think we’re getting there and getting close to getting back in the rotation. We’re shooting for probably after the bye week and then kind of day by day from there.”

Of course just because Bickell may be cleared for action doesn’t mean the Hurricanes will insert the veteran winger into the lineup. As the player himself notes, much of the decision will have to do with how other players are performing.

“It all depends too on what other guys are doing if they’re going on a huge streak,” Bickell said. “I like to see them win. If they need me, I’m sure an extra week of me skating is not going to hurt me. We’re just going to wait until after the next treatment and after the bye week and go from there.”

It’s also possible the team will seek to send Bickell down to Charlotte of the AHL on a conditioning assignment to help prepare him to return to the lineup.

Bickell was acquired last summer in a trade with Chicago that also brought winger Teuvo Teravainen to Raleigh in exchange for draft picks. The Blackhawks were forced to part with the talented, young Teravainen as a means to extricate themselves from the final year of Bickell’s $4MM cap charge.

With 58 points, the Hurricanes are currently on the outside looking in at a playoff berth but are just four points behind Philadelphia for the second wild card spot and have three games in hand on the Flyers. Carolina will likely hold onto their prospects but if the right opportunity arises, they could find themselves buying at the deadline. However, if Bickell returns and is effective, it reduces the team’s need to add.

Man On Wire: Checking In On The Waiver Claims

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In the new NHL where trades between cap-strapped clubs are so difficult, many teams look to the waiver wire to make small but potentially valuable additions to their club. That bottom pairing defenseman or fourth line center you just can’t seem to find may be available when another team has a roster crunch due to injury or poor play.

Since October 8th when teams made their final cuts before the season opener, there have been 26 players claimed on waivers. Many of these are duplicates as teams claim, then waive a player hoping to slip him through and down into the minors. Here we’ll check in on how they’ve done with their new clubs.

Martin Frk:
CAR from DET – 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A (returned to Detroit and sent to minors)

Mike Condon:
PIT from MTL –  1 GP, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV% (traded to Ottawa for a 5th round pick)

Seth Griffith:
TOR from BOS – 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A
FLA from TOR – 21 GP, 0 G, 5 A (returned to Toronto and sent to minors)

Read more

Injury Updates: Malkin, Savard, Jets

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Evgeni Malkin has been out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup since January 24th, when he suffered a knee injury just before the All-Star break. He would miss the festivities (and the Top-100 list) and every game since, but he’s getting closer to a return. Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that he was back at practice today though he still is not taking any contact. Without Malkin, the Penguins have gone 3-1 but would welcome back one of the top players in the NHL.

There is no timetable still for Malkin’s return, but he took “a step forward” according to head coach Mike Sullivan. He will definitely not play on Tuesday when the Penguins welcome the Calgary Flames to town, but a return Thursday in Colorado hasn’t been ruled out.

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