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Sami Vatanen

Snapshots: Hurricanes’ Roster Decisions, Avalanche’s Rantanen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are going to be deeper and healthier than they’ve been all season for the Stanley Cup Qualifier matchup with the New York Rangers, assuming the NHL reboot kicks off on time. In particular, the Canes should be well-positioned to defend the goal. Coach Rod Brind’Amour, however, isn’t sure which particular bodies he’ll position in front of the net, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Petr Mrazek will most likely be in goal, but Brind’Amour needs eyes-on before he can set the lineups. Per Rosen, Brind’Amour said of starting Mrazek, “He may be in rough shape. I don’t know until I get to see them and see what they’re like.” 

  • The Hurricanes will also get the benefit of a beefed-up defensive unit. Dougie Hamilton was expected to be out for the year, prompting the acquisitions of Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen. Thanks to the extended layoff, Hamilton will have the chance to play alongside his replacements. Rosen notes that Brett Pesce, who was also out for the season, is also expected to be ready for camp. Carolina has upwards of nine viable blueliners to deploy across three lines, per Rosen. Vatanen has yet to appear with the Hurricanes, and given their depth, it may be late to break him into the rotation. That said, the entire process will be an exercise in on-ice chemistry in fast-forward, so roster decisions could very well come down to who looks game-ready when the time comes. As our own Brian La Rose wrote recently, “When you add them to a back end that also features veterans Jaccob Slavin, Joel Edmundson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Jake Gardiner, you get a very deep back end. “
  • Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche took to the ice today with teammates for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury on February 17th against the Tampa Bay Lightning, per NHL.com. Rantanen, 23, was well on his way to another 30-goal season when he was placed on IR. The Finish winger ended the year with 19 goals and 22 assists across 42 games. The Avalanche will return to the ice via a round-robin tournament to determine playoff seeding with other Western Conference stalwarts the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.

NHL Rules On Conditional Draft Picks

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With both the regular season and playoffs up in the air for quite some time, there had been many questions about conditional draft picks and how they might be conveyed. However, now with the establishment of a 24-team playoff format, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) reports that the league has also clarified how conditional picks will change hands, meaning teams will have to reach the round of 16 in order to be considered a ’playoff team.’ The NHL doesn’t view the qualifying round as playoff hockey.

“More specifically, for Trade condition purposes, a Club will not be deemed to have qualified for the Playoffs unless or until they have progressed into the Round of 16, and ‘Playoff Games/Rounds’ will only include the games/rounds played in the Round of 16 or later. We believe this interpretation will best reflect the intentions of the parties at the time of the Trade,” the league stipulated.

There are several trades that fall into this category with the Vancouver Canucks pick being at the heart of the issue. The Canucks traded their 2020 first-round pick to Tampa Bay for J.T. Miller, conditional on the Canucks making the playoffs. That pick, in the meantime, was traded to New Jersey for Blake Coleman. With Vancouver in the 24-team playoff format, many believed that the Devils already had the Canucks’ first-round pick. However, this ruling indicates that the Canucks would have to win their play-in game against the Minnesota Wild first and reach the round of 16 before that picks transfers. If Vancouver loses in the first round, then they keep the lottery pick and will send a unconditional first-rounder in 2021 to New Jersey.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild are in a similar situation with the first-round pick that was sent from Pittsburgh to Minnesota for Jason Zucker (assuming the Penguins got into the playoffs). However, while that pick looked to be a lock, a play-in loss to the Montreal Canadiens would allow the Penguins to keep the pick and send an unconditional one in 2021, which Pittsburgh would be likely to do if they can get a lottery pick in a strong draft.

There are still a few conditional trades that the NHL will have to look deeper into, including the Edmonton/Calgary swap of Milan Lucic and James Neal as well as the New Jersey-Carolina swap of Sami Vatanen, which deals with a conditional fourth-round pick if Vatanen played in five regular season games for Carolina, which he didn’t do. However, the play-in games could constitute regular season games, depending on how the league rules on it.

Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Sami Vatanen, Brady Skjei

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It’s a busy last few minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they are set to acquire both Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that the Devils will receive Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson and a conditional fourth-round pick for Vatanen, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Skjei will be had for a first-round pick.

These two defensemen will come into an organization that already acquired Vincent Trocheck earlier in the day, making the Hurricanes one of the obvious winners from today’s festivities. Adding two potential top-four options and a second-line center in the matter of a few hours will change the look of the team as they head into a playoff chase.

Vatanen, 28, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is actually currently injured, but will rejoin the lineup soon in Carolina and offers a right-handed puck-mover to help replace the losses of Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce. Vatanen has played both sides of the ice and can do a little bit of everything, including help on the powerplay and penalty kill.

Skjei meanwhile represents a more long-term addition for the Hurricanes. The 25-year old defenseman is signed through the 2023-24 season at a $5.25MM cap hit, but has also been quite inconsistent this year for the Rangers. Perhaps asked to fill a smaller role in Carolina will allow him to flourish once again, given how deep the team is on the blue line.

When all is said and done the Hurricanes will sit with a group including Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, Joel Edmundson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Haydn Fleury, Vatanen and Skjei, with Pesce and Hamilton working their way back at some point (though when that will be still isn’t clear). That’s just about the deepest defense corps in the entire league, not to mention the fact that Carolina still has Gustav Forsling, Jake Beane, Joey Keane and Roland McKeown in the minor leagues.

Kuokkanen becomes one of the most interesting prospects for the Devils immediately, after posting strong results in the minor leagues but getting little opportunity in Carolina. He’ll surely get a bigger chance on the Devils as they rebuild, and when added to a mid-round pick is nice work by interim GM Tom Fitzgerald.

For the Rangers, clearing Skjei’s contract was the clear goal, even though the defenseman still obviously has value. The team has work to do on their cap moving forward, and nabbing a first-round pick will only help fill their prospect cupboards even more.

Sami Vatanen Placed On Injured Reserve, Nick Merkley Recalled

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The New Jersey Devils have made a few interesting transactions today, moving Sami Vatanen to injured reserve while recalling Nick Merkley. Vatanen of course is the subject of many trade rumors at the moment, but remains out with a bruised leg. His IR stint is retroactive to February 1st, meaning he can be activated at any point.

Merkley, 22, was acquired as part of the Taylor Hall trade earlier this year and has played exceptionally well for the Binghamton Devils. In 21 games with the AHL team he has seven goals and 18 points, earning a call-up to the NHL. The 30th overall pick in 2015, Merkley has just a single NHL game under his belt and has a lot to prove still.

Vatanen’s injury still doesn’t seem extremely serious, making his absence from the lineup a potential bonus for any acquiring team. The Devils also scratched Hall for several games before eventually trading him, though that was to prevent injury not avoid further complications.

While Kevin Bahl may have been discussed with more hope after the deal with the Arizona Coyotes was made, Merkley still represents a potential impact player for the Devils. If he’s given the opportunity to play an offensive role at the NHL level perhaps he can fulfill some of that promise he showed as a junior player. If he does, it will make for an interesting negotiation in the summer. Merkley is currently scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season after his entry-level deal expires.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Wild, Rangers, Hurricanes

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After spending the first few months of the season obsessing over him, few want to see Taylor Hall’s name back in the rumor mill. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be likely. Even though the Arizona Coyotes have failed to improve since acquiring the star forward from the New Jersey Devils in December and are far from a lock for the playoffs this season, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed on tonight’s segment of “Insider Trading” that the Coyotes have no intention of flipping Hall before the deadline. Although holding on to the high-profile impending free agent is a risk, the team remains intent on re-signing Hall, with the full backing of new owner Alex Meruello. In fact, LeBrun reports that Meruello, GM John Chayka, and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, all recently met and are on the same page that Hall will not be dealt this season and that extension talks will begin once the Coyotes’ season has come to an end, whenever that is. LeBrun believes that Arizona’s ability and willingness to offer Hall and eight-year term on his next contract could tip the scales toward the former Hart Trophy winner staying in the desert.

  • TSN colleague Darren Dreger reports that even after trading away long-time forward Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday, new Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin may not be done dealing. Dreger states that the team is still listening to offers for young defenseman Matt Dumba, who has popped up in rumors over the last few weeks, as well as fellow rearguard Jonas Brodin. With that said, a trade of either skilled defender seems more likely to occur in the off-season, as Dreger believes the asking price for both would be a top-line center or a second-line center plus a pick or prospect. No contender will be in position to make a deal of that magnitude ahead of the trade deadline, but suitors could circle back this summer, perhaps even before free agency opens and the Wild have to make a decision on captain Mikko Koivu.
  • Another deal that could take place this summer is a resolution in the crowded net of the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev was the name suggested by many as being available for trade, but TSN’s Bob McKenzie does not see a deal happening this season. He reports that the Rangers continue to listen on Georgiev but are not actively shopping him and head coach David Quinn is content to carry three goalies and ride the hot hand. However, the best keeper of late has been Igor Shesterkin, not future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist. McKenzie wonders if Lundqvist will be content in New York moving forward if he is playing more of a backup role to Shesterkin or if he could ask for a trade this summer or perhaps even at the deadline.
  • The insiders wrapped up with LeBrun relaying word from sources around the league that the Carolina Hurricanes are openly offering a first-round pick in exchange for a top-four defenseman with term. The Hurricanes are owners of two top picks, their own and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ from the Patrick Marleau trade, and GM Don Waddell clearly feels that he could part with one of the two if it means landing long-term help. Even after trading Justin Faulk before the season, the Hurricanes are still considered one of the deeper blue line units in the NHL. Yet, they have been on the hunt for a Faulk replacement much of the year and that search was amplified by the injury to Dougie Hamilton. In that vein, LeBrun adds that the team has had talks on rentals Sami Vatanen of the Devils and Brenden Dillon of the Sharks as a short-term fix with Hamilton out, but owner Tom Dundon has encouraged Waddell to avoid rentals and target term if he is going to trade a first-rounder.

Sami Vatanen Drawing Plenty Of Interest

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The New Jersey Devils are out of the race at this point in the season, so contending teams (and the fans of said teams) have undoubtedly been picking through their roster to find anything of use. One of the names that sticks out is Sami Vatanen, given his history of success, position and expiring contract. It’s no surprise then when Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) includes Vatanen on his deadline “Big Board” and writes that six or seven teams are “in” on the New Jersey defenseman.

Vatanen, 28, is a coveted right-handed defenseman who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and brings plenty of appealing attributes. Not only has he shown throughout his career that he can help on the powerplay—10 of his 23 points this season have come with the man advantage—but he is also trusted enough in his own end to be used on the penalty kill.

While not an overbearing physical presence, Vatanen is willing to throw his weight around when he needs to and has now logged more than 21 minutes a night in six consecutive seasons. Though he hasn’t been there since 2018, the playoffs are also not foreign territory; Vatanen has suited up 44 times in the postseason (mostly with the Anaheim Ducks), recording 23 points in the process.

Six or seven teams makes for quite the bidding war, but it’s not clear exactly what Vatanen will be able to bring back for the Devils at this point. There is much debate over how the rental market will be dealt with this season, given the ever-increasing importance placed on draft and development. As it sits he may be the best rental defenseman available, but if there is no chance of an extension on the four-year, $19.5MM deal he is about to finish, teams may be hesitant to give up a top tier asset. We profiled Vatanen’s situation earlier this month and looked at some of the potential suitors that might be after him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Candidate: Sami Vatanen

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

Sami Vatanen is a defenseman that has seemingly been on the verge of becoming a core player for several years now.  He looked well on his way to becoming one before Anaheim traded him to New Jersey back in 2017 and since then, he has been a serviceable player for them but hasn’t really emerged as that top piece.

At the time of his acquisition, it seemed likely that Vatanen could become a part of their long-term plans for a revamped back end.  Instead, with the Devils out of contention, it appears likely that he will be on the move over the next few weeks.

Contract

Vatanen is in the final season of a four-year, $19.5MM deal that he signed back in 2016 while still with Anaheim.  His $4.5MM salary is slightly lower than the $4.875MM AAV of the deal.  The initial contract contained a 12-team no-trade clause once he turned 27 but as he was dealt before then, it was nullified and likely not assumed by New Jersey.  Vatanen is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.

2019-20

While things haven’t gone too well for the Devils this season, Vatanen is having a decent year.  For starters, he has managed to stay in the lineup (aside from a brief upper-body issue).  After playing in just 50 games last year, he’s almost at that total already which bodes well both for New Jersey in terms of trade value but also for Vatanen in terms of bolstering his free agency case this summer.

Offensively, the 28-year-old is at his best point per game pace since the 2015-16 season with Anaheim.  He leads all New Jersey blueliners in points while sitting third in ATOI; his 21:45 mark is just above his career average.  Many Devils have underachieved but Vatanen hasn’t been one of them.

Season Stats

47 GP, 5 goals, 18 assists, 23 points, -12 rating, 22 PIMS, 95 shots, 21:45 TOI, 48.1 CF%

Potential Suitors

Impact defensemen are hard to find at this time of year and while Vatanen isn’t a top pairing option, he’s a quality player that can boost a second pairing or be an anchor on a third pair.  With that in mind, pretty much any contender that’s looking to add more than simple defensive depth should be calling Devils interim GM Tom Fitzgerald.

In the East, Carolina recently lost Dougie Hamilton, a skilled right-shot defender, with a long-term injury.  They were already somewhat surprisingly sniffing around a defensive upgrade but Vatanen would be a strong stylistic replacement for him.  They also should have the cap room to bring him in without LTIR assistance closer to the deadline and have extra picks in the top three rounds this year at their disposal.  Toronto is another team that has been looking for defensive help all season.  Vatanen’s puck-moving ability would fit in well with their up-tempo structure but fitting his contract in will be difficult and would require moving some money out.  Washington’s in a similar situation – finding an upgrade for their second pairing which Vatanen would represent would be ideal but they’d need New Jersey to retain half and perhaps still move a bit of money out to leave themselves with some flexibility.

Out West, Vegas is seeking defensive improvements but their preference has been to look for players either signed beyond the season or willing to sign an extension.  Vatanen would be an interesting fit for them but they would likely need to clear out Cody Eakin’s expiring contract as part of the deal.  With Dustin Byfuglien now not likely coming back this season, Winnipeg can now get into the trade market and Vatanen would serve as a reasonable upgrade on their right side.  Dallas is the top defensive team in the league but their depth on the right side of their back end isn’t the strongest.  If they can’t land a forward upgrade, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look this way and try to upgrade a team strength instead.

Likelihood Of A Trade

In a perfect world, New Jersey probably wants to keep Vatanen around as he’s still young enough to be a part of their next core group.  However, there’s little incentive for him to take himself off the open market early and with Fitzgerald serving as interim GM, there’s no guarantee that he’d have the ability to offer the type of extension it would take to get something done.  As a result, it’s quite likely that Vatanen will have a new home when the clock strikes on the trade deadline later this month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 11/15/19

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It was the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl show again last night as the pair combined for 11 points against rookie goaltender Adam Werner and the Colorado Avalanche. The Edmonton Oilers sit in first place in the Pacific Division and seem unstoppable when their big line is on the ice. As teams try to figure out a way to slow them down, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Rasmus Asplund from the minor leagues (yes, another Rasmus), giving him his first opportunity in the NHL. The 21-year old forward has eight points in 13 games for the Rochester Americans and could be the answer the team is looking for as a top-nine addition.
  • Colton White has been recalled by the New Jersey Devils, after they placed Sami Vatanen on injured reserve (retroactive to November 8th). White, 22, played in three games for the Devils last season but is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • Tyler Lewington has been recalled once again by the Washington Capitals, given his extremely low cap hit. The Capitals don’t have a lot of breathing room at the moment and Lewington’s $675K cap hit is what they can afford, even if it means they’ll have to play with just 11 forwards tonight.
  • The Detroit Red Wings are close to getting Luke Glendening back into the lineup, so Givani Smith has been returned to the AHL. Smith has played in five games, but is still without his first point.

New Jersey Devils Sign Joe Morrow

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26-year-old Joe Morrow is set to join his sixth different NHL franchise. Or seventh if you count his recent training camp stint with the New York Rangers. The New Jersey Devils must have seen something they liked while he was in camp with their cross-town rivals, as the team has announced a one-year, two-way contract with Morrow. The deal is worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. He has been placed on waivers today for the purpose of reassignment to AHL Binghamton.

Morrow has quietly established himself as a capable puck-moving depth option on the blue line, despite a career in which teams have been willing to move on from him quickly. Morrow was traded twice before even making his NHL debut; first from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who current Devils GM Ray Shero selected in the first round in 2011, to the Dallas Stars, then from the Stars to the Boston Bruins. Morrow played in 65 games with Boston in his first four pro seasons, but failed to impress and the team opted not to qualify him in 2017, making him a free agent. Morrow signed with the Montreal Canadiens and finally looked like his ability had caught up to his draft billing, but the Habs dealt him to the Winnipeg Jets before the end of the season. After continuing his career-best campaign with Winnipeg, even contributing in the playoffs, the Jets held on to him last year. However, he failed to capitalize in 41 games, the most NHL action he had seen with one team in a season, and the Jets also decided not to extend a qualifying offer. Morrow received little attention in the off-season and his PTO with the Rangers didn’t pan out.

However, the Devils see a smooth skating defenseman with 162 games of NHL experience and strong AHL production and are clearly willing to take a chance. It’s likely not a coincidence that Morrow’s signing comes after New Jersey surrendered 12 goals in it’s first two games of the new season. Despite adding P.K. Subban this summer to a defense corps that also features other highly-mobile rearguards like Sami Vatanen, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher, it’s apparent that Shero is not happy with the early results and is looking to add depth. Morrow’s career production is very similar to that of Connor Carrick and superior to the likes of Mirco Mueller and Matt Tennyson, plus he brings the most playoff experience of the group. One could argue that he has a better defensive track record than the rest as well. If Morrow can find his groove in the AHL, he could easily challenge for a higher spot on the depth chart and perhaps even a regular role in New Jersey.

Metropolitan Notes: Gardiner, Vatanen, Sbisa, Friedman

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There were quite a few surprised on Friday when the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they had signed former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner to a four-year, $16.2MM contract. After all, the team already had a significant amount of depth on their blueline to begin with. While many believe it’s the first piece of another potential trade, there is another major reason for signing Gardiner.

The Hurricanes’ biggest weakness last year was its power play, which ranked 20th in the league with a 17.8 percent success rate during the regular season. Despite that, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Had they possessed even a competent power-play attack, who knows whether they could have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Adding Gardiner, according to The Athletic’s Sara Civian (subscription required), could solve some of those problems. The veteran has seen quite a bit of time over the years as a quarterback of a power play and should be able to bring those talents to the Hurricanes along with the additions of Erik Haula and rookie Martin Necas, all of whom the team hopes will turn around that power play.

  • NJ.com’s Chris Ryan writes that the New Jersey Devils are still trying to figure out who will partner next to newly acquired star defenseman P.K. Subban this season. With New Jersey being overloaded with right-handed shot defensemen, including Subban, Sami Vatanen and Damon Severson, the team might have to move one of their top-four blue liners over to the left side. The most likely scenario is to move Vatanen over to the left side and then pair him with Subban on the team’s first defensive pair. One reason for that is that Vatanen has spent some time on the left side while with the Anaheim Ducks. “I played (left side) in Anaheim for a bit, and last year I played here sometimes,” Vatanen said, “It takes a little time to get used to it, but it’s a long season, so I’m ready to play wherever. I’ll start to be a goalie if they want me.” Vatanen claims to be 100 percent after missing all but four games over the final two months of the season due to concussion and an illness.
  • In a notebook column, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that unrestricted free agent Luca Sbisa is still skating with veterans of the New York Islanders. Sbisa agreed to a PTO last year and eventually signed a one-year deal, but only appeared in nine games over the course of the season, serving most of the time as a healthy scratch. Staple writes that Sbisa could return to Islanders camp once again on a PTO, but his chances of making the team would be much slimmer with a number of young defenseman who are ready to step into the lineup. Sbisa’s best chance is to impress another team for a potential job elsewhere.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Friedman will miss rookie camp after undergoing offseason abdominal surgery over the summer. Already a longshot to make the Flyers team, his chances aren’t likely to improve by missing this camp. The 23-year-old is expected, however, to be at training camp next week with the veterans. Friedman had a solid season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, his second season in the AHL, but will have to impress to have any shot at a NHL job.

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