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Trade Rumors: Eichel, Blackhawks, Kings

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Jack Eichel remains the biggest name on the trade market and will remain as such until he is dealt. Or not dealt? The Athletic’s John Vogl spoke to both sides and found that GM Kevyn Adams and Eichel’s agent had a long, productive meeting on Wednesday. Eichel’s camp believes that the situation is “heading toward a resolution.” Read into that what you will, but the language at least hints at a possible reconciliation between the two sides. This report comes on the heels of TSN’s Darren Dreger reporting that the Sabres’ asking price of “the equivalent of four first-round picks” has depressed the market. If the Sabres are not willing to drop the price of this franchise-altering trade, they could instead try to make amends with their superstar. Then again, Vogl also notes that the Sabres have not changed their opinion on Eichel’s proposed controversial neck surgery, a line in the sand that could still split the two sides. “Resolution” could still mean that the team and the player are working toward finding a trade.

  • One team in on Eichel are the Chicago Blackhawks. Don’t mistake their openness to trading iconic defenseman Duncan Keith as transitioning into a rebuild. Dreger notes that they are big game hunting this summer and have talked to Buffalo about the star center. However, Dreger does not believe that adding Eichel to a roster that already has two top-tier forward contracts in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews is feasible from a cap perspective, even if Keith is moved. Instead, he believes that Chicago has a far better chance of landing one of their other two rumored targets: defensemen Seth Jones and Dougie Hamilton.
  • The equivalent of four first-round picks is a mighty big ask, but it won’t slow down the Los Angeles Kings if they want to add Eichel. L.A. has long been a rumored landing spot for Eichel and it seems there is mutual interest in a trade. As Vogl notes, the Kings’ ability to part with the pieces needed to land Eichel hasn’t changed with today’s deal for Nashville forward Viktor Arvidsson. L.A. parted with two valuable draft picks, but not a first-round pick nor any of their top-flight first-round prospects like Quinton Byfield, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Turcotte, Rasmus Kupari, or Tobias Bjornfot. If Eichel remains on the market, the Kings will definitely be in play.

Patrick Kane Played Through Injury In 2020-21

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You wouldn’t know it by his 66 points in 56 games, but Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane played through a nagging injury all season. According to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis, Kane disclosed in his exit interview that he had been dealing with an “issue” since before the 2020 playoff bubble. He opted to persevere through the pain of the undisclosed injury and it seems that was the right choice. Kane remarked that he does not need off-season surgery, nor will he miss time in his summer training. Instead, Kane believes that he will merely focus on more off-ice work in the off-season.

Kane, 32, only showed the slightest hint of wear and tear, as Roumeliotis points out that Kane had several maintenance days down the stretch. Yet, Kane still managed to play in every game for the Blackhawks. He has now missed one game or less in five of his past six seasons, showing no signs of slowing down in his 14th season. Again, even while battling injury, Kane also posted his third consecutive season of scoring at a point-per-game pace or better. It was the tenth time that he has achieved this mark.

Of course, Kane’s nagging injury begs the question of what he may have been able to do at full strength this year. Even without career running mate Jonathan Toews, Kane was still Chicago’s leading scorer by a wide margin and even adjusted his game to be more play-maker than scorer. The Blackhawks were in the playoff mix for a good portion of the season, so with a healthy Kane (and Toews) next season, the team could be a threat to return to the postseason next year.

Snapshots: Bowman, Kiersted, OHL

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As expected, accomplished Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman will be the next leader of Team USA. Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli reports that USA Hockey has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday where they will officially name Bowman as the GM for the U.S. entry into the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Given the NHL’s absence at the most recent Olympics paired with the quality of American players who have blossomed into superstars over the past eight years, expectations are high for Team USA. A two-time Stanley Cup winning GM, whose current rebuild seems to be moving along nicely as well, Bowman has found great success in his career and appears ready for the challenge. With a familiar face in Chicago icon Patrick Kane leading the way, Bowman’s Team USA could be legitimate contenders for gold. He won’t be alone in the decision-making, either; Seravalli notes that Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin will be named an assistant of Bowman’s as well. Nashville’s David Poile and Carolina’s Don Waddell are also likely to be considered for the brain trust, among others.

  • North Dakota defenseman Matt Kiersted, considered by many to be the top college free agent available this year, is already having to chip away at his list of suitors. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that 20+ NHL clubs have already shown interest in the dependable puck-mover, and he has begun to whittle that down to a “workable” number. What criteria Kiersted is using to choose between what are virtually identical entry-level offers is unknown and there has been few whispers of which teams might remain in the running. However, Russo notes that the Elk River, Minnesota native will definitely keep his hometown Minnesota Wild in consideration. Russo adds that the impending Expansion Draft could strip the Wild of one of their starting defensemen and there could be NHL opportunity right away for the local product. Among other likely landing spots, it is hard to ignore the immense North Dakota presence in the Ottawa Senators’ pipeline, which could link the team to Kiersted and fellow premiere UFA Jordan Kawaguchi.
  • The OHL’s shortened season is expected to begin soon and teams would prefer that their players return as soon as possible. However, the league has yet to set a firm date, seemingly dragging its feet with actually opening up play as opposed to merely discussing it. This is posing quite a conundrum for some top prospects, writes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Many top junior-age draft picks in recent years have been playing in the AHL this season with the OHL out of commission. This includes Washington’s Connor McMichael, Los Angeles’s Quinton Byfield, Montreal’s Jan Mysak and Carolina’s Ryan Suzuki, while Anaheim’s Jamie Drysdale would have to stay put with the Ducks. Per the CHL Transfer Agreement, these players must return to the OHL once the season begins if they are not on NHL rosters. However, without a solid start date and facing a quarantine period, it is a difficult ask to suggest that these talented young players leave their AHL clubs and head for the unknown. McMichael has been outspoken on the subject, stating “I honestly want to stay here and just play pro hockey. I think it would be best for my development” and Friedman feels the others likely share in that sentiment. Will there be an exception made to allow this group to stay put to close out the season? Or will they be forced to take yet another break from hockey to quarantine only to return to a junior game that they have outgrown?

Snapshots: Trade Board, Joshua, Three Stars

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It’s March now and the NHL trade deadline is just over a month away. Names like Mattias Ekholm have already been thrown around as potential difference-making acquisitions, but making deals won’t be easy. Still, that won’t stop people from speculating on who will switch teams later this season.

Today, The Athletic released its “Big Board” curated by Craig Custance and Eric Duhatschek, including 26 players that could be dealt by the deadline. The list includes Ekholm, but also Jack Eichel, despite the piece still suggesting that a deal for the Buffalo Sabres captain would be much more likely in the offseason if it happens at all. The rest of the list is good reading and includes some names that may surprise.

  • The St. Louis Blues are expected to have Dakota Joshua in the lineup tonight centering the fourth line between Kyle Clifford and Mackenzie MacEachern. Joshua was acquired for future considerations from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 following four years at Ohio State University, and quickly signed his entry-level deal. Now, less than two years later and after a stint in the ECHL, the 24-year-old is about to make it to the NHL. Jacob de La Rose, who previously skated in that fourth line spot, is out with a lower-body injury that head coach Craig Berube says will keep him out for a “significant time.”
  • Andrei Vasilevskiy is the NHL’s First Star for last week after stopping 79 of 81 shots he faced. The 2019 Vezina Trophy winner is looking like he might take home another one as he currently leads the league in wins with 12 and is second in save percentage at .938 (Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury leads the way at .941). Patrick Kane and Mats Zuccarello are last week’s second and third stars. Kane scored the 400th goal of his career yesterday, becoming the 100th player in league history to hit that milestone.

Morning Notes: Skills Competition Results, Barzal, Ryan

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The NHL kicked off its All-Star festivities on Friday night with the Skills Competition as well as a three-on-three women’s game to showcase some of their talents as well.  Here are the results:

The All-Star Game festivities run tonight with NHL games resuming on Monday.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Mathew Barzal’s pending restricted free agency is going to be one of the more interesting ones to follow this summer. He has led the Islanders in points in each of his first two NHL seasons and currently leads them in scoring this season.  Despite that, Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post suggests that the likeliest scenario is that he winds up with a short-term bridge contract.  GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t seem like the type of manager to be willing to approach the contract that Toronto winger Mitch Marner received before the start of this season (a $10.893MM AAV) so the safer move would be to go with the short-term deal for now and go for the long-term deal down the road.
  • Kings defenseman Joakim Ryan is expected to be available for their first game after the All-Star break, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The 26-year-old has been out since late-December with a lower-body injury.  A pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of just $725K, Ryan could draw a little bit of trade interest over the next month from teams that are looking to add defensive depth but have limited cap space.  While he has just three points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging a career-high 18:48 in ice time per night.

NHL Announces All-Decade Teams

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The 2010’s are in the books and the NHL has used this weekend’s All-Star festivities to announce the selections to the All-Decade First and Second Teams. The games best players of the past ten years, as decided by a panel of general managers, hockey operations executives, NHL.com writers, and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports, are listed below:

All-Decade First Team

F Sidney Crosby
F Patrick Kane
F Alex Ovechkin
D Drew Doughty
D Duncan Keith
G Marc-Andre Fleury

All-Decade Second Team

F Patrice Bergeron
F Evgeni Malkin
F Steven Stamkos
D Zdeno Chara
D Erik Karlsson
G Henrik Lundqvist

The one obvious thing that many of these players have in common are Stanley Cups. The Chicago Blackhawks won three titles this decade, more than any other team, and first-team stars Kane and Keith played key roles in each. The Pittsburgh Penguins took home two Stanley Cups while making the playoffs every year in the 2010’s and franchise icons Crosby and Malkin continue to lead their team. Meanwhile, Fleury appeared in three straight championships, leaving the Penguins to carry the Vegas Golden Knights to the Cup final in their inaugural season. The Los Angeles Kings also won a pair of titles in the decade, just one year apart, with dominant defenseman Doughty leading the way. In fact, much of the 2010’s were taken up by a six-year span from 2012 to 2017 wherein only Chicago, Pittsburgh, and L.A. took home the Cup. Yet, few would discount Boston’s prevalence during these past ten years as well, as they won a Stanley Cup title and made three final appearances overall, with the ageless Chara and Bergeron playing key roles in runs on either end of the decade. Ovechkin finally got his Cup in 2018 after a decade of consistency unlike any other player in the league.

While few would argue that the likes of Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, and Bergeron are some of the best NHLers of all time, it speaks measures that Stamkos, Karlsson, and Lundqvist were elected to the all-decade team with just two Stanley Cup Final appearances between them and no Cup wins. All three have played on teams that were both true contenders and bottom dwellers at times during the decade, but have continued to maintain a constant level of elite play.

Each of these dozen players have plenty of accolades to warrant their selection as an All-Decade team member. That’s not to say that many other players don’t also have strong cases. Who were the biggest snubs from the All-Decade roster? Let your opinion be known in the comments below.

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

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Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

Minor Transactions: 01/20/20

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After a flurry of activity yesterday with half of the NHL’s teams entering their bye weeks, things should slow down today with those teams now officially on bye. In fact, there are only two games on the docket tonight and eight games total scheduled this week before the All-Star break begins on Thursday. Yet, those teams remaining in action may still be active with roster tweaks over the coming days. Keep up with all of those moves here:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks witnessed Patrick Kane’s 1000th NHL point last night, and Dennis Gilbert and Brandon Hagel got as good a view as anyone, watching from the press box. The two have now been returned to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, the Blackhawks announced. Gilbert has been a frequent call-up of the ‘Hawks this season, skating in 20 games with Chicago versus just 11 with Rockford. Hagel has been in the opposite position, spending his time almost exclusively with the Ice Hogs, where he leads the team in goals, except for a few games spent watching – but not playing with – the Blackhawks. However, that could change for the first-year pro if he continues to produce in the minors. (UPDATE: Both players have been recalled again, meaning it was just a paper transaction)
  • German Rubtsov is on his way to Philadelphia, the Flyers announced this morning. The 2016 first-round pick made his NHL debut earlier this season, skating in three games with the Flyers. However, he has was held scoreless. Rubtsov has just 12 points in 28 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as well, so Philly could be looking for the young forward to re-discover his scoring tough with a call-up to the big leagues.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have reassigned Zack MacEwen to the AHL’s Utica Comets, but that might mean very little. MacEwen has been back-and-forth between the two clubs all season, including several paper transactions, so expect the forward to be back in Vancouver before too long.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been recalled once again by the Pittsburgh Penguins, a normal occurrence for the minor league forward this season. This will be the seventh time he has been recalled, and he has actually played more games in the NHL than the AHL.

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

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Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Chicago Blackhawks

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Chicago Blackhawks.

What are the Blackhawks most thankful for?

Goaltending.

After several years of watching and waiting for Corey Crawford to return to full health after a slew of concussion issues, the team splurged and signed Masterson and Jennings Trophy winner Robin Lehner as an insurance policy. The team hoped Crawford could bounce back, but after two years of unreliable backup options, the team felt that Lehner was the perfect addition for one season.

Instead, Lehner has been sensations (minus his struggles with shootouts), but the 28-year-old has a 2.71 GAA, but an even more impressive .929 save percentage in 15 appearances. However, Crawford has bounced back as well with a 2.89 GAA and a .912 save percentage, giving the team an impressive one-two combination.

Who are the Blackhawks most thankful for?

Patrick Kane

The Blackhawks leader continues to post impressive numbers as the 31-year-old leads the team in scoring, showing that he remains an elite scorer. The winger is ranked eighth in the NHL with 35 points and is also ranked 12th in the league with 14 goals. He’s also tied for seventh in the league with 109 shots on goal and the veteran is ranked fifth in the league, among forwards, in TOI as he averages 21:28 on the ice.

With other players struggling to produce offense, the team at least knows it can count on Kane to provide his usual amount of offense as he continues to carry the team on his back.

 

What would the Blackhawks be even more thankful for?

More offense.

While Kane is among the top in the league in points, the rest of the Blackhawks squad is quite a bit back. Even Alex DeBrincat isn’t putting up points at the same level he did a year ago as the 21-year-old has just 21 points through 29 games after a 78-point season last season. Fellow star Jonathan Toews has seen his offense plummet even more. Toews has just 15 points this season after an 81-point campaign last year.

Even the defense is struggling to produce points. Erik Gustafsson, who tallied 60 points last season, has just 10 points more than a third into the season.

What should be on the Blackhawks’ Holiday Wish List?

An improvement on defense.

The Blackhawks and their general manager Stan Bowman made changes in hopes of improving their defense this summer. The team traded for Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta to add to their depth in hopes that Duncan Keith and Gustafsson as well as Connor Murphy and Brent Seabrook would be able to take their struggling defense to another level.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. The Blackhawks are ranked 30th in shots allowed as the team has allowed 35.7 shots per game, forcing their goaltending tandem to work harder.

The team has to hope that youngster Adam Boqvist can make the transition to the NHL as quick as possible. The team played him for six games earlier in the season, but he has since been returned, but you have to figure the team will give him another chance. Another late-season possibility might be if the Blackhawks can convince University of Denver’s Ian Mitchell to turn pro after his season, but it might be too late for that this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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