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Trade Rumors: Coyotes, Canadiens, Jets, Islanders

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In all likelihood, the recent three-way trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators will be the biggest deal made this season. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the whispers of an bustling trade market, especially this early in the season. At the quarter pole of the 2017-18 campaign, it’s been an unpredictable season, prompting an unexpectedly active market. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch has had his ear to the ground and has plenty of input on who the buyers and sellers are right now:

  • To no one’s surprise, Garrioch states that the floundering Arizona Coyotes are “willing to talk about pretty much every player on their roster”. That of course doesn’t include Calder-hopeful Clayton Keller or many of their other 21-and-under starters, but the rest of the roster may as well be up for grabs. The big off-season acquisitions of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Jason Demers have done nothing to change this team’s ability to win hockey games. At some point, GM John Chayka is going to go from “up-and-coming” to “up-and-went” and that pressure could force him to make some major moves as he rethinks his rebuild. While impending UFA’s like Raanta, Brad Richardson, and Luke Schenn would be the easiest pieces to move, the stakes are high for a Coyotes team whose core has done next to nothing for years and key pieces like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Tobias Rieder could soon be on their way out.
  • Perhaps the only team more disappointing than Arizona in 2017-18 is the farthest team from them across North America: the Montreal Canadiens. Under new head coach Claude Julien, the Habs have fallen apart. However, the newly-signed coach isn’t going anywhere, putting GM Marc Bergevin, who Garrioch calls ” the NHL’s most active GM”, on the hot seat. Bergevin may be willing to make a big move to save his job, and of course the first name that comes to mind is young forward Alex Galchenyuk, who has predictably struggled under the defense-first Julien. Galchenyuk seems lost in Montreal, without an identifiable position, role, or spot in the lineup, and could use a change of scenery. However, he is not wholly to blame for the Canadiens’ struggles. Tomas Plekanec has long been on the block and if the team truly commits to a rebuild, big names like Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, and (if anyone is willing to take on his monstrous new contract) even Carey Price could soon join the list.
  • Garrioch mentions both the Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders as possible sellers, but given the surprising success of both clubs thus far, neither is likely rushing to trade pieces away unless they can make their teams better this season. Impending Jets UFA’s Shawn Matthias and Matt Hendricks may draw interest, but if Winnipeg is in playoff position come deadline time, they would want veteran depth for themselves. It seems more likely that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could use his overflow of young forwards like Marko Dano, Joel Armia, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, or Brandon Tanev as trade bait to bring in another top-six forward for a team that doesn’t shoot the puck nearly enough. As for the Islanders, Garrioch singles out first-time UFA Calvin de Haan as the player to watch. Yet, de Haan is one of, if not the best shot-blocker in the NHL, can play major minutes, and is reliable in both ends. If the Isles can resign him, wouldn’t they? Obviously, John Tavares is the main focus and the team thinks highly of younger options like Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, but the loss of a player like de Haan, especially with Travis Hamonic now in Calgary, could cripple a playoff-bound Islanders squad. Odds are de Haan sticks around, at least as long as New York remains playoff-bound.
  • So who’s looking? Garrioch mentions the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins as suitors for forward help, with the Dallas Stars potentially looking to make another big blue line trade to turn their season around. With that many buyers and several disappointed sellers, the trade NHL trade market may not wait until 2018 to heat up.

Jordan Martinook Re-Signs With Arizona

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The Arizona Coyotes and two-way forward Jordan Martinook have avoided arbitration, coming to terms on a new deal today. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Martinook has signed a two-year, $3.6MM deal to remain in the desert. The two sides have reportedly been close on contract terms for a while, but there was also speculation that Martinook would wait for his arbitration hearing this Wednesday, July 26th, before making a decision. Instead, the big forward has signed on for two more years with the promising young Coyotes, where he could soon take on a larger role for the team.

Martinook, in just his second full NHL season, has already shown that he is a model of consistency and effort. Capable of playing both center and left wing, Martinook is the perfect versatile bottom-six forward. He plays a smart two-way game, including leading the Coyotes’ penalty kill unit, and brings a physical edge and swift defensive style. He can also put up some offense, with 24 and 25 points respectively in his first two full seasons, including 11 goals in 2016-17.

The 24-year-old Martinook is just beginning to show his NHL upside, and should take on a much larger role for Arizona going forward. Amazingly, with Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata now gone, Martinook is second only to Tobias Rieder in games played with Arizona among forwards on the team with just 166 contests. The absence of those veterans will naturally allow for more ice time and scoring opportunity for Martinook, but as full-effort player and one of the longest-tenured forwards on a young term, Martinook could also be in line for a leadership position in the locker room. At just $1.8MM per year for a well-rounded player about to take the next step in his development, GM John Chayka and the Coyotes may have a bargain on their hands with Martinook’s new contract.

Arizona’s Rieder Has Ankle Surgery

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According to NBC Sports, Arizona Coyotes forward Tobias Rieder has undergone successful surgery on his ankle which will leave him sidelined likely until September. He is hopeful to recover in time for training camp, although with longer recoveries there are never total guarantees. Rieder took a modest step back in overall play this past season, even if his production did see a slight hop to 18 goals and 34 points. Mainly his defensive play took a hit along with the rest of the team, as Mike Smith was the only thing keeping the team in contention most nights.

The 24 year-old is hoping to be a key piece of the Arizona franchise going forward, and still has untapped potential. Only a third rounder in 2011, he has proven to be a dynamic force when his team has actually found offensive zone pressure. His third full season will start on a rocky note, as he will be rehabbing all summer. Rieder was playing for the German national team in the IIHF World Championships when he suffered the injury, and the Coyotes cannot be pleased with this outcome. Experience on the international stage is always useful, and Rieder was playing inspired hockey – unfortunately the injury risk was realized in his case.

Rieder is a borderline top six player who could easily solidify himself next season. He undeniably has the requisite talent and the Coyotes are strapped for offensive flair. But at 5’11” he has struggled with success in high traffic areas. He will need to add a bit of strength to his game and continue to develop his two-way game. One of Rieder’s major selling points as a prospect was his ability to also defend. But this past season saw that ability slip to a degree, with a Corsi For % of only 45.5%, admittedly against tougher competition. If he could turn into a 25 goal – 25 assist player with a balanced 200-foot game in this final deal of his contract, Arizona would be delighted to lock him up long term.

Snapshots: MacArthur, Rieder, Patrick

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Ottawa Senators veteran wing Clarke MacArthur, who has only played in 27 games in the past two years due to concussion issues, said he will take a couple weeks to re-evaluate himself for next season, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. The veteran winger, who has been dealing with post-concussions symptoms for 18 months before finally returning Apr. 4 for four regular season games and 19 playoff games, said he is excited about playing hockey again, but wants time to talk with doctors again.

MacArthur finished the playoffs with three goals and six assists, but says his neck doesn’t feel right and wants to get it checked out before committing to next season. The veteran still has three years remaining at 4.65MM and the Senators will be keeping a close eye on the results before they must submit their protection rosters for the upcoming expansion draft.

MacArthur, when healthy, is a solid third-line scorer and his presence proved useful throughout the playoffs, but the team needs him to return to his old self next year to keep the Senators success going. MacArthur had 24 goals in 2013-14 and 16 goals in the 2014-15 season.

  • Arizona Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder underwent successful surgery on the ankle injury he sustained at the IIHF World Championships, tweets Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. He is expected to be out of action for 8-12 weeks, but should be ready for training camp. The 24-year-old finished up his third season for the Coyotes, finishing with 16 goals and 18 assists.
  • Currently ranked as the top prospect by many organizations in the upcoming NHL draft, center Nolan Patrick has agreed to do all the physical tests at next week’s draft combine in Buffalo, tweets The Hockey News Ryan Kennedy. Patrick, who was injured for much of the 2016-17 season in which he played in only 33 games for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings (although he scored 20 goals in that span) is being considered for the No. 1 overall pick by the New Jersey Devils along with center Nico Hischier.

Injury Updates: Klefbom, Ducks, Blues, Barrie, Rieder, Schmaltz

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Edmonton will get back a key player on their blueline tonight as they get set for their Game Seven matchup against Anaheim as Oscar Klefbom has declared himself “100 percent ready to go tonight”, writes Marc Ciampa of the Oilers’ team site.  He missed the last game due to an upper body issue.

On the other side, Ciampa notes the Ducks will have center Nate Thompson in their lineup.  His status was in question after the team recalled Sam Carrick from AHL San Diego on Tuesday.  Defenseman Kevin Bieksa’s situation isn’t as clear though, as head coach Randy Carlyle is listing him as a game-time decision.  Bieksa suffered a lower body in the series opener against the Oilers and has been out of the lineup since then.

Other injury notes from around the hockey world:

  • Although there was speculation that Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko needed surgery, that isn’t the case, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While the forward noted that he has been playing through an undisclosed injury, he expects it to heal over the coming weeks with rest.  On a similar note, Alex Steen’s broken toe that he played through also won’t require going under the knife.
  • Colorado blueliner Tyson Barrie will miss the rest of the World Championships with a lower body, Team Canada announced via Twitter.  The exact nature of the injury is unknown but the Avalanche added (Twitter link) that he is expected to fully recover for his offseason workouts.  The defenseman was off to a torrid start on the scoresheet, leading all defenders in scoring with seven points through four games.  Although the Canadians won’t be able to replace him on the roster, they will certainly benefit from the late addition of Colton Parayko, who was added into a vacant roster slot yesterday.
  • Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder also will miss the remainder of the Worlds after sustaining a lower body injury against Russia on Monday. Fortunately for Arizona, the injury isn’t believed to be too serious, reports ArizonaSports’ Craig Morgan.  Rieder is expected to undergo further testing in the coming days.  It’s the second straight year that a lower body injury has ended his tournament early as back in 2016, he suffered a knee injury against Canada in the preliminary round.
  • Still with the Worlds, USA (and Chicago) forward Nick Schmaltz may be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against Latvia, notes NHL.com’s Brian Hedger (Twitter link). He was also injured on Monday on a hit from Sweden’s Gabriel Landeskog and was held out of their game against Italy today, which they won 3-0.

Snapshots: Miller, Chayka, Dorion

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Ryan Miller was the topic on the mind of Pierre LeBrun of ESPN yesterday, when he discussed the possibility of the goaltender waiving his no-trade clause to move at the deadline. Today, Rick Dhaliwal of 1130 News in Vancouver reports that Miller’s agent Mike Liut will talk to his client about the possibilities this week, but that nothing is decided as of yet.

Miller has just five teams that he can be traded to without his permission, and with the news that the Los Angeles Kings will be soon getting Jonathan Quick back, the three we know of—Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim—don’t seem to need a goaltender. If he is acquired at the deadline it will likely be because he’s waived his clause to pursue another chance at the Stanley Cup.

  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News writes that John Chayka isn’t even close to finished after dealing Michael Stone earlier this week. He has so many assets that he could move at the deadline—like Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan—that he’ll likely be one of the busiest GMs this week. Indeed, Chayka himself admitted today on Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports) that he’d had discussions on some big deals. The trio of rentals mentioned above are likely to move, but the Arizona GM could also move Anthony Duclair, Jamie McGinn or Tobias Rieder if he chooses to.
  • We learned today that Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been getting calls on Curtis Lazar, but what did those deals look like? He joined TSN today (video link) and said that other teams have been trying to “fleece” him. Obviously teams are looking at his single point this season and thinking that they could get a former first-round pick at an all-time low value. Dorion for his part still believes he will be a very good NHL player, and it’s just an unfortunate set of circumstances this season.

Snapshots: Rieder, Bartkowski, Gaudreau, Pederson, Waivers

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Despite signing his two year, $4.45MM bridge deal more than a week ago, Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder was only able to join the team to practice on Wednesday, reports AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan.  The reason for the delay was that Rieder needed to a new his work visa, a process that took longer to complete than anticipated.

Although he joined the team so late, head coach Dave Tippett expects Rieder to be in the lineup on Saturday night for their season opener.  The team isn’t worried about there being much rust either as Rieder played in six games for Team Europe at the recent World Cup of Hockey (recording one assist).  He’s expected to start the season alongside rookie center Dylan Strome and third year winger Anthony Duclair.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have inked UFA defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a minor league PTO, Providence GM John Ferguson Jr. told Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). Bartkowski was in training camp with Ottawa this preseason but failed to secure a contract.  He spent last year with Vancouver but before that, he played 131 games over five seasons with the Bruins.
  • Calgary left winger Johnny Gaudreau has a five team trade-allowed list in the final year of his contract. Among the five teams he would accept a trade to is the Philadelphia Flyers.  As Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Gaudreau has already expressed an interest in joining the Flyers at some point in his career though it remains to be seen if Calgary would even entertain the idea of trading him there at some point in this contract.
  • The Coyotes announced that they have signed undrafted center Lane Pederson to a three year entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Pederson attended Arizona’s rookie camp and is off to a strong start this season with Swift Current of the WHL, picking up nine points in his first seven games.
  • Anaheim has placed center Joseph Cramarossa on waivers, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 23 year old made the team out of training camp but a roster spot needed to be freed up to accommodate the acquisition of Emerson Etem off the waiver wire.  Cramarossa had 11 goals and six assists in 61 games with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego last season.
  • Edmonton defenseman Eric Gryba cleared waivers today but will remain with the team as they have placed fellow blueliner Brandon Davidson on IR, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal (Twitter link).  The Oilers inked Gryba to a one year, two-way deal worth $950K at the NHL level on Wednesday.

Week In Review: 10/3/16 – 10/9/16

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It’s officially the last week of the offseason with the first games of the new regular season slated for Wednesday. Obviously roster pare downs dominated the headlines this week but there were a few other transactions of note as well as a handful of injuries that might prompt teams to see what’s available on the open market. Without further ado, here is the roundup of this week’s top hockey stories.

Key Free Agent Signings:

  • Kris Russell – Edmonton (one year, $3.1MM): It’s probably not the lucrative deal Russell was looking for at the outset of free agency but the veteran shot-blocker finally did secure a contract for 2016-17. Perhaps with a solid performance for the Oil, Russell will be in better position to pursue a multi-year pact next summer.
  • Tobias Rieder – Arizona (two years, $4.45MM): It looks like the Coyotes got the player at the price they wanted. It had been reported that Rieder was looking for $5MM over two years while the club was offering $4.4MM. Clearly the 23-year-old forward gave more than he got, presumably because he wanted to get back on the ice.
  • Jakub Nakladal – Carolina (one year, $600K): It will be interesting to see how the 28-year-old Nakladal fits with the Hurricanes current crop of talented blue liners. Not including Nakladal, Carolina has seven NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster, only one of whom is older than 24.

Added on Waivers:

  • Martin Frk – Carolina: Carolina wasn’t the only team that put a claim in on Frk but the Hurricanes were awarded the young Czech RW. He potted 27 goals for Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids in 2015-16 and it was mildly surprising to see the Wings risk losing him by placing him on waivers but clearly they felt the roster spot was best committed elsewhere.

Trades: 

Injury Report:

  • Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to miss 3 – 4 months with what is being called a lower-body-injury. It will be interesting to see if Panthers management looks outside the organization in an attempt to fill the void as Huberdeau was the team’s top scorer on the LW. The team does have around $10MM in cap space if they did choose to go that route.
  • Nick Bjugstad will be out for four weeks due to a broken hand. The Panthers third-line pivot tallied 34 points in 67 games last season.
  • Michael Del Zotto is set to miss the next 4 – 5 weeks with the dreaded lower-body-injury.
  • Again with the lower-body-injury, the Flyers will also be without C Scott Laughton for three to our weeks.
  • Devils defenseman Jon Merrill is out four weeks with a broken index finger.
  • Penalty-killing specialist Matt Hendricks will miss significant time, once more due to a lower-body-injury. Oilers head coach Todd McLellan indicated it would be “weeks” before Hendricks would be able to return.

Retirements:

  • Defenseman Barret Jackman called it quits after a solid, 14-year NHL career. Jackman was originally chosen in the first-round by St. Louis back in 1999 and played all but one season with the Blues before finishing up in Nashville. He wraps up his career with 186 points more than 1,100 penalty minutes in 876 regular season contests.
  • Dan Boyle announced his retirement following 17 seasons in the NHL. Boyle, one of the league’s top offensive blue liners throughout much of his career, recorded at least 39 points eight out of nine seasons from 2002-03 through 2011-12. He would score more than 600 regular season points in nearly 1,100 NHL games. Boyle was a member of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Lightning and also spent time with Florida and San Jose before wrapping up his career playing two seasons with the New York Rangers.

 

 

Tobias Rieder Agrees To Terms With Arizona

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One down, six to go.

The Arizona Coyotes and restricted free agent Tobias Rieder have agreed on a two-year, $4.45MM contract, according to Elliotte Friedman. The contract will pay Rieder $2MM this season and $2.45MM in 2017-18.

Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season. He’s developed nicely for a fourth round pick, growing into a dependable two-way top-nine forward with upside.

We reported earlier today that Friedman believed Rieder was close to publicly asking for a trade after several months of tough negotiations. Rieder’s agent had also recently stated he believed a trade would be in both sides’s best interest.

The Coyotes acquired Rieder from the Edmonton Oilers back in 2013 for fellow 2011-fourth round pick Kale Kessy. The Oilers did not qualify Kessy this summer; he’ll suit up for the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers this season.

There are now six high-profile RFAs remaining on the market: Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell in Anaheim, Rasmus Ristolainen in Buffalo, Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, and Jacob Trouba in Winnipeg.

Snapshots: RFA Updates, Oilers Injuries, Boyle

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Good news, Calgary Flames fans: Johnny Gaudreau isn’t interested in a trade to solve his contract impasse.

The star forward’s agent, Lewis Gross told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that they are not interested in taking the Jacob Trouba route. When asked if there’s a point where that could change, Gross reiterated that Gaudreau has “no intention of asking for a trade at this time.”

Friedman appeared on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary on Monday morning, and said while “at this time” may feel like a red flag, he “really felt” that Gaudreau has no desire to leave Calgary.

It’s not clear what both sides are looking for on a long-term deal, with the Flames likely wanting the contract to start with a six and Gaudreau wanting it to start with a seven or eight. However, Friedman believes “both sides move and this gets done.”

Friedman pointed to another high-profile RFA winger, Nikita Kucherov, as having no interest in being traded from Tampa Bay. However, the Lightning will likely have to make a trade to accommodate Kucherov’s demands.

Meanwhile, Friedman believes Arizona Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder is close to publicly requesting a trade, like Trouba did late last month. We reported last week that Rieder’s agent thinks a trade would be best for both sides.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • The Oilers thin blue-line may be a little thinner for the near future, with Brandon Davidson being classified as day-to-day after being hit in the head by Los Angeles Kings’ winger Tanner Pearson. Pearson received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for targeting Davidson’s head. The NHL will likely be taking a look at this one.
  • Edmonton will also be without the services of winger Iiro Pakarinen for at least a month after an ugly leg injury in Sunday night’s game. Pakarinen was battling in the corner with Kings defenseman Matt Greene when it appeared his skate caught a rut in the ice as he fell. The Finnish winger was expected to be a fourth line or extra forward in the NHL. He played 63 games with the Oilers last season, scoring 5 goals and 13 points.
  • With the news of Barret Jackman’s retirement coming on Monday, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects another veteran defenseman in Dan Boyle to announce his retirement sometime this week with the help of the San Jose Sharks.

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