Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Radko Gudas

Snapshots: Ducks, Bortuzzo, Larkin

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Prior to their game tonight against Winnipeg, the Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Radko Gudas was out with an upper-body injury while center Mason McTavish was out with a lower-body issue.  Gudas was injured early in Thursday’s contest against Minnesota while McTavish made it through the game.  Gudas is averaging 19:24 per night in his first year on Anaheim’s back end, his highest ATOI since the 2015-16 season, his first in Philadelphia.  McTavish, meanwhile, has had a strong sophomore year with 40 points in 56 games so far, good for fourth on team scoring.  There’s word for how long either player will be out for.  Notably, Anaheim could only dress 11 forwards so if McTavish is to miss any time beyond tonight’s action, a recall will likely be coming from AHL San Diego.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Islanders have activated defenseman Robert Bortuzzo off LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 34-year-old was acquired from St. Louis back in December but then suffered a lower-body injury in early January, one that has kept him out for the last ten weeks.  Bortuzzo has been limited to third-pairing duty in his 15 appearances so far this season as he’s averaging just 13:40 per night while chipping in with 20 hits and 21 blocked shots.  Bortuzzo is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • Red Wings center Dylan Larkin briefly took part in practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan. However, he has already been ruled out for their two games this weekend and head coach Derek Lalonde expressed some hesitance about his captain returning on Tuesday as well.  Detroit has lost five straight without Larkin, who is still tied for the team lead in scoring with 26 goals and 28 assists in 55 games so far.

Leo Carlsson Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Ducks standout rookie center Leo Carlsson is expected to miss four to six weeks with a Grade I right MCL sprain sustained Thursday against the Flames, per a team release. In more minor news, the team also announced defenseman Radko Gudas will be out for tonight’s game against the Kraken with a lower-body injury also sustained Thursday. He will be evaluated when the team returns from their holiday break.

This is positive news for the Ducks and Carlsson, who avoids what most expected to be a much more prolonged absence after Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar fell awkwardly on his leg in the third period of Thursday’s matchup. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported earlier Saturday that Carlsson’s injury was not season-ending.

Carlsson, who will turn 19 in three days, has had a promising start to his NHL career. The 6-foot-3 Swedish pivot has eight goals, seven assists and 15 points through 23 games this season, averaging over 18 minutes per game. While some criticized the Ducks for selecting Carlsson over center Adam Fantilli with the second overall pick earlier this year, they’ve put up similar stat lines to begin their NHL career and look to be in the same tier of the league’s under-20 talent.

The Ducks have taken an interesting approach to Carlsson’s development this season, scratching him on multiple occasions to avoid playing the rookie in more than two games per week, regardless of his performance. Few expected Carlsson to be NHL-ready at the beginning of the season, so after he forced his way onto the roster with a strong training camp, it makes sense the team would want to be cautious of overusing the youngster who’s used to the more abbreviated and spaced-out schedule of the Swedish Hockey League.

Carlsson frequently centered their first line with Alex Killorn and Troy Terry when in the lineup. He will be replaced in that role by Trevor Zegras, who’s returning to the lineup tonight after missing 20 games with a lower-body injury. After a drawn-out contract negotiation process last summer, Zegras was off to a sluggish start pre-injury, posting just two points in 12 games. He’ll look to hit the ground running in his return to play as the team’s de facto number-one center.

Despite the better-than-expected news on his recovery timeline, it’s still an unfortunate bump in the road for Carlsson. Many had the sense Anaheim’s load management plan for him was beginning to ease, especially given his solid possession play. He’s posted a strong 52.4% Corsi share at even strength and a +0.3 expected plus-minus rating per Hockey Reference, exceeded only by Max Jones among Ducks forwards. His eight goals are tied for fourth on the team behind Frank Vatrano (14), Mason McTavish (10) and Adam Henrique (10).

Unfortunately for Anaheim, they’re losing two of their best defensive players this season at once. It’s unclear how severe the injury Gudas suffered is, but an absence of any length is a significant blow to their new-look defense. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers last season and promptly signing a three-year, $12MM contract in Anaheim, the 33-year-old has been their best shutdown player.

Gudas has scored five goals and nine points through 31 games, although he’s relied upon more for his defensive acumen and physicality. He’s knocked it out of the park in both regards, posting a team-high +7 rating and 65 penalty minutes while playing second-pairing minutes.

Snapshots: Ducks, Schwartz, Maple Leafs

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Without a definitive commitment on their availability for the team’s game tonight, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports that the Anaheim Ducks are nearing the return of defensemen Radko Gudas and Ilya Lyubushkin. Gudas had previously missed the entirety of the team’s last game against the Vancouver Canucks, while Lyubushkin left during the game and did not return to action.

Anaheim could certainly use the reinforcements on the blue line, as they are currently riding a seven-game losing streak, being outscored by a margin of 21 goals in that time. Providing mild offense in their own right, Gudas and Lyubushkin’s defensive capabilities would help the Ducks considerably in keeping the pucks out of their net.

In regards to Gudas specifically, even though he was an integral defensive cog in the Florida Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer, he has arguably become even more important to the Ducks organization. Over the last several seasons, Anaheim has had a difficult time in the defensive zone, but with Gudas’ arrival, he has aided the team with a 91.3% oiSV% through the first 21 games of the season, a higher mark than even his solid career averages in that department.

Other snapshots:

  • Earlier today, it was reported that after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury, the Seattle Kraken would be placing forward Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve. In speaking about that directly with reporters today, the head coach of the Kraken, Dave Hakstol, stated that Schwartz’s placement on the IR would be longer than a ’day-to-day’ injury, indicating that Schwartz could be out of Seattle’s lineup for at least the next handful of games (X Link).
  • Although being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks a little while ago, there was another team extremely interested in adding Nikita Zadorov to their blue line. Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were interested in acquiring both Zadorov and Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames in one trade, giving the indication that the Maple Leafs will be adding a notable defenseman in some form or another by the trade deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs Had Interest In Milan Lucic, Radko Gudas

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs were active this summer in trying to add some toughness to their roster in the form of enforcers and multi-dimensional players, eventually settling on Max Domi, Ryan Reaves and Tyler Bertuzzi. Those weren’t the only players they contacted of that ilk, however. Both forward Milan Lucic (YouTube link) and defenseman Radko Gudas (link to iSport.cz) revealed in separate interviews that Toronto general manager Brad Treliving had pursued them in unrestricted free agency.

Lucic hadn’t been previously connected to the Leafs throughout this summer’s rumor cycle, but it makes sense they’d have interest given their pursuit and acquisition of Reaves to play a similar role. He told Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast yesterday, though, that he’d turned down interest from Treliving because of his previous stint with the rival Boston Bruins. The 35-year-old would end up returning to Boston after an eight-year absence, inking a one-year, $1MM contract with the Bruins on July 1.

In terms of offense, Lucic would’ve been a higher-upside (and potentially cheaper) addition to the Leafs’ roster than Reaves. In fact, the only advantage Reaves arguably has between the two players is fighting skill – something the Leafs would end up paying a premium for with a three-year, $4.05MM commitment. Of course, Toronto would end up getting some higher-octane offensive players with the gritty element they were looking for in Bertuzzi and Domi.

Gudas, on the other hand, is pretty much the antithesis of the right-shot defender Toronto did end up signing, John Klingberg. A hulking, physical defensive specialist, Gudas told an outlet in his home country that he’d turned down offers from three teams (Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton) to avoid playing in front of a Canadian media market. While he did sacrifice playing on a competitive team in his twilight years, Gudas did get compensated nicely by the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks with a three-year, $12MM deal carrying trade protection.

The 33-year-old Czech was a large reason why his former team, the Florida Panthers, advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time in franchise history. He quickly immortalized himself in Leafs lore in the process, going semi-viral for an image that showed him screaming at Toronto goalie Joseph Woll after the Panthers knocked the Leafs out of the playoffs in the Second Round thanks to a Game 5 overtime win.

While Toronto ended up paying slightly more in terms of cap hit for Klingberg ($4.15MM compared to Gudas’ $4MM in Anaheim), they were able to get him at just a one-year commitment, absolving themselves of any long-term consequences should the signing not pan out.

Gudas has topped 100 penalty minutes three times throughout his career and has consistently posted standout advanced defensive metrics over the past number of seasons. He recorded 17 points in 72 games for the Panthers last season while averaging 17:22 of ice time per game.

Free Agent Profile: Caleb Jones

at CDT | by 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe it, but the NHL season starts in just over two months. For some NHLers they will soon be making plans to return to their respective cities to begin the upcoming season, for others like defenseman Caleb Jones, his plan is to try to find an NHL job in the next nine weeks.

It was surprising to see Jones go unqualified, as the Chicago Blackhawks elected to let him become a free agent rather than offer him a qualifying offer. Chicago needed to tender the 26-year-old at $1.35MM, but he was made a free agent when Chicago didn’t make the offer. Now, almost a month into free agency Jones remains unsigned, a somewhat surprising development for a player who has shown promise in his young career.

Jones, the younger brother of Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones, was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round back in 2015 and played 93 games over parts of three seasons with the club before he was traded to Chicago in July 2021 as part of the Duncan Keith trade. Jones then dressed in 124 games over the past two years with the Blackhawks, putting up 9 goals and 22 assists.

Last year was a career year for Jones, as he had four goals and 12 assists in 73 games while playing over 19 minutes a night. Jones was tasked with playing second-pairing minutes on a very bad Chicago team and faired well despite not contributing much offensively. Jones led the defense core in many analytical categories and did a decent job controlling the play when he was on the ice.

Jones has typically demonstrated a good ability to move the puck well, utilizing his skating to push the puck up the ice and can keep himself mobile in the defensive zone to be a disruptive force on both the penalty kill and at even strength. However, he is not his older brother and doesn’t possess nearly the offensive acumen that Seth has displayed throughout his career.

The issue that Jones may face when trying to lock down an NHL job is that there is a bit of a surplus of left-shot depth defensemen in the NHL. Pittsburgh has Ty Smith and Pierre-Olivier Joseph competing for one spot on their third pairing, as do the Calgary Flames, with Oliver Kylington now returning after a one-year absence. The Ottawa Senators have several solid left-shot options throughout their NHL lineup, as do many other teams. For Jones, he could offer a solid third-pairing option, but there are very few teams who need that right now.

Stats

2022-23: 73 GP, 4-14-16, -19 rating, 40 PIMS, 86 shots, 48.9% CF, 19:13 ATOI
Career: 217 GP, 14-36-50, -39 rating, 80 PIMS, 225 shots, 48.1% CF, 16:49 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Jones would have teams lining up for his services if he was a right-shot defenseman, but he shoots left and typically plays the left side. While his market will be small, there are sure to be teams that could find a role for the younger Jones brother.

In the East, the Buffalo Sabres have Ilya Lyubushkin slated to play as a third bottom-pair left-side defenseman, and while he offers a physical element and does a good job suppressing scoring chances, he is not a good puck mover and isn’t particularly adept at much else. Jones could push Lyubushkin and create healthy competition for playing time in the Sabres defense core. The one barrier for Jones to Buffalo could be that the Sabres have already brought in Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton in free agency, and management may feel that they’ve already brought in enough competition on their back end.

In the West, The Anaheim Ducks have brought in a few NHL veterans to try and give guidance to their young stars. While Radko Gudas will bring some leadership and physicality on the back end, the Ducks could use a few more veterans who can teach their young players to become good pros. Jones could be a solid fit for the role as he has already played on a young, bad, rebuilding team and knows the challenges and tribulations that come with the growing pains of a rebuild.

Sticking with the West, another rebuilding club that could use some help on the backend is the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks aren’t pushing to make the playoffs this year, but that doesn’t mean they should stop looking for improvements. At the moment, the Sharks have 30-year-old journeyman Jacob MacDonald penciled in as their third pairing left side defenseman and Marc-Édouard Vlasic on their second pair. Vlasic was a terrific shutdown defender for a long time, but he has seen notable declines in his game for the past five years or so. Jones would likely offer an upgrade on both men while not costing San Jose much in the way of assets.

Projected Contract

Unfortunately for Jones, he is most likely going to be taking a pay cut from the $1.35MM he made last season. There should be a small market for his services as the season nears, but the native of Arlington, Texas, might have to sign a professional try-out to get teams interested in his services. Matt Dumba and Ethan Bear are both still unrestricted and might attract more interest as they are right-shot defensemen and have better track records. Jones should ultimately be able to find an NHL deal, but when he does, it will likely come in around the league minimum or a tick above it. There were many NHL defensemen who found deals late in the summer last year, and it seems that could happen again this summer with Jones.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Radko Gudas, Trevor Carrick

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks have signed bruising defender Radko Gudas to a three-year, $12MM contract worth $4MM per season, says Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Additionally, Trevor Carrick has signed a one-year, $775K,  two-way deal with the team as well.

A ferocious, at times chaotic defenseman, Gudas enhanced his value significantly during the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. His brand of highly physical, often agitating play from the blueline looked even better under the bright lights of the postseason, and it’s likely that his play there drove his price tag up quite a bit.

Now 33 years old, it’s fair to question whether Gudas will play up to a $4MM valuation as he gets deeper into his thirties. But in the immediate term, Gudas is a massive upgrade for the Ducks’ defense and with their slate of young talent developing on their roster could still be on this contract by the time the Ducks push to make the playoffs.

While there isn’t much of an offensive game to speak of with Gudas, he’ll be a penalty-killing anchor for the Ducks and potentially serve as a valuable mentor for young blueliner Jamie Drysdale.

With lots of offensively-focused up-and-coming young left-shot blueliners in their pipeline, such as Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Jackson LaCombe, the addition of Gudas gives the Ducks a veteran partner for one of those players.

Gudas’ defensive abilities will free up one of those players to take more risks offensively and more aggressively develop his offensive game in the NHL, and in the end his impact on the Ducks’ younger blueliners could be the most positive aspect of this free-agent signing.

Carrick will rejoin his brother in the Ducks organization, making his return to the team after spending last season playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. Carrick was quite good for the Crunch last year, scoring 15 goals and 31 assists in 60 regular-season games.

Atlantic Notes: Andersen, Kerfoot, Panthers UFAs

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Goaltender Frederik Andersen’s future with the Carolina Hurricanes remains uncertain, as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests the Danish netminder is likely to test the UFA market today. While the door isn’t entirely closed on a return to the Hurricanes, speculations have surfaced about potential landing spots for the experienced netminder, including the Ottawa Senators, who Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch says will be calling when the market opens at 11 am CT.

As Garrioch notes, Andersen played under Senators head coach D.J. Smith when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Smith was an assistant for part of Andersen’s tenure. The team is looking for a veteran to supplement Anton Forsberg in the crease after deciding not to re-sign Cam Talbot, as well as providing insurance for young third-string netminder Mads Sogaard – another Dane to whom Andersen would provide invaluable mentorship.

Per LeBrun, the Pittsburgh Penguins could also attempt to sign Andersen if re-signing Tristan Jarry falls through. The Senators, on the other hand, are also still holding discussions with Travis Hamonic, but Garrioch says it’s unclear in which direction negotiations are headed.

More from the Atlantic Division this morning:

  • After a four-season stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, forward Alexander Kerfoot is set to hit the open market, per Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. While there is a possibility of a potential return to Toronto, it hinges on the financial demands that Kerfoot’s new contract may entail – they’re not willing to overpay on market value to retain him and would rather keep their salary cap flexibility open to get some new names on the UFA market. After being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 Nazem Kadri trade, Kerfoot totaled 40 goals, 94 assists, and 134 points in 285 games for Toronto in a middle-six role.
  • The Florida Panthers are gearing up for free agency, with their main focus on strengthening their defense corps, which is set to be hit with significant injuries to start 2023-24 in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. While the team aims to secure players on shorter-term contracts, two of their UFAs, Radko Gudas and Lucas Carlsson, could still receive offers to return to the Panthers, general manager Bill Zito told reporters, including The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Gudas has been an invaluable shutdown defender since joining the Panthers in 2020, also compiling over 200 penalty minutes during his time in Florida whilst in a bottom-pairing role. Carlsson, on the other hand, is likely to receive a lot of NHL interest after an impressive season with the Charlotte Checkers, leading all AHL defensemen in goals. He could vie for an everyday role out of camp, with injuries opening up roster spots.

Snapshots: Panthers Injuries, Johansson, Dadonov

at CDT | by 1 Comment

It appears the Florida Panthers won’t be without Radko Gudas in their lineup for too long. After leaving Game 2 (which he was already doubtful for with a separate injury) of the Stanley Cup Final after a hard hit from Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice expects Gudas to be ready for Game 3 tomorrow night.

Both Gudas and winger Eetu Luostarinen, who hasn’t played at all in this series, were absent from Panthers practice this morning. Luostarinen isn’t expected to return for Game 3 but remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Box stats say Gudas has only played a marginal role in Florida’s storybook run, playing just 17 minutes a game and registering three assists, but his physical style and game-changing hits have propelled the Panthers to some key moments in this postseason. That’s not to discount his actual defensive play — which has been, along with his partner Josh Mahura, the best of Florida’s three usual pairings.

More from around the NHL today:

  • Earlier in the offseason, SHL club Färjestad BK announced they had signed pending Colorado Avalanche UFA netminder Jonas Johansson, bringing him back to his home country. Less than a month later, however, they’ve already terminated the deal, citing Johansson’s belief he could get another NHL opportunity before 2023-24 begins. While the road has been rocky for the 27-year-old Swede, Johansson had his best pro season to date in 2022-23, playing a career-high 26 AHL games after bouncing up and down between leagues and recording a .920 save percentage.
  • The Anaheim Ducks attempted to acquire Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2022 trade deadline but failed due to Vegas not properly handling Dadonov’s no-trade clause — which listed Anaheim as a team he could not be dealt to. The deal was nullified by the league as a result, and now the Ducks are requesting a compensatory draft pick from the league, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He says the league is considering granting the Ducks’ request, which could likely see them gain an additional pick in this year’s draft, bringing their total number of picks to 10.

Radko Gudas Won’t Return To Game 2

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Score is reporting that Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas won’t be returning to game 2 tonight after taking a reverse hit in the first period from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. There was no penalty on the play and Gudas immediately went down the tunnel after leaving the ice.

Florida had elected to dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for the game tonight as Gudas was nursing a lingering issue and wasn’t 100%. Casey Fitzgerald drew into the lineup to supplant Gudas even before the hit in the first period. It’s no wonder Gudas is hurting as he leads the playoffs with 79 hits thus far to go along with his three assists in 17 games.

Gudas celebrated his 33rd birthday today and given the current score of tonight’s game and his current injury status, it couldn’t have been the birthday the Czech native was hoping for when he woke up this morning. Florida has made little known about Gudas at this time, but given the way these injuries have been dealt with in these playoffs it is likely that Gudas will be re-evaluated tomorrow before any new news is released.

Snapshots: Hughes, Gustafsson, Gudas

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Even though the trade deadline has now passed, the New Jersey Devils still have a reinforcement on the horizon to add to their roster. Devils team reporter Amanda Stein relays word from Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald that 2021 fourth-overall pick Luke Hughes will sign with New Jersey whenever his current season with the University of Michigan concludes. Hughes’ timeline depends on the level of postseason success Michigan has, so at this point it’s currently unclear when exactly he’ll be able to turn pro.

But whenever Hughes does decide to pull the trigger and sign his entry-level deal, he’ll be a high-upside addition to an already talent-rich Devils blueline. Hughes is among the top prospects currently playing outside of the NHL, and at six-foot-two is an extremely good skater for someone his size. He currently has 36 points in 32 games and has the potential to become a star number-one defenseman in New Jersey. While he has no professional experience and isn’t quite there yet, he could provide some pop to the Devils’ bottom pairing in the role Kevin Bahl currently occupies.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have activated forward David Gustafsson off of injured reserve. Gustafsson hasn’t played since a January 10th loss to the Detroit Red Wings, a contest where he skated in just under nine minutes of ice time and registered an assist. The 22-year-old 2018 second-round pick has five points in 38 games this season and should be able to help patch up a Jets forward corps that has been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks.
  • After some rumors today of Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas garnering trade interest, it seems the team is actually more interested in keeping the veteran defenseman in South Florida. Via WPLG Local 10 News’ David Dwork, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said the team would “like to keep Gudas” if possible, and that early discussions on a possible contract extension for Gudas have been held. The physical 32-year-old blueliner has an expiring $2.5MM cap hit and has blossomed into a crucial defensive force for the Panthers, averaging over two and a half minutes per game on their penalty kill.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top