Travis Hamonic Opts Out Of NHL’s Return
With the CBA now formally ratified, the narrow window for players to officially opt out of returning to play is now open. Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic is the first to do so, as he released a statement through his agency Titan Sports 365 (Twitter link) indicating that he will not be participating for family reasons. His daughter has had a significant battle with a life-threatening respiratory virus in the past while Hamonic has a new baby boy as well so he is erring on the side of caution.
Following the announcement, Flames GM Brad Treliving issued the following statement:
Earlier this evening Travis called me to inform us that he has decided to opt out of the NHL Return to Play Program. Travis explained that due to family considerations, he has made the difficult decision not to participate in the Stanley Cup Qualifier and Playoffs.
While we will miss Travis in our line-up, we understand and respect his decision. Our focus remains on preparation for training camp and our upcoming series in the NHL Qualifying Round.
Hamonic’s absence will be a notable one as, when healthy, he is one of Calgary’s most effective defensive blueliners. He logged more than 21 minutes a night this season including a team-high 3:06 per night on the penalty kill on a unit that was inside the NHL’s top ten. Their trade deadline additions of Derek Forbort and Erik Gustafsson will become that much more important now from a depth perspective, especially with the potential hesitance to bring back Juuso Valimaki.
As for Hamonic, the 29-year-old has now played his final game before being eligible to hit unrestricted free agency in October. Him opting out shouldn’t hurt his market at all as his reputation of being a strong stay-at-home defender is well-known and earned so he should still be among the second tier of rearguards that should garner considerable interest this offseason.
Snapshots: League Cancellations, Bjugstad, Hamonic
As the spread of COVID-19 continues around the world, professional sports leagues and organizations are starting to feel the effects. The San Jose Sharks are the first NHL team that is dealing with the consequences, as gatherings of more than 1,000 people have been banned in Santa Clara county. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) examined the situation in full, noting that the possibility exists that the Sharks will play in front of no fans later this month.
It’s not just individual teams feeling the changes though. Today, both the EBEL and DEL, leagues in Austria and Germany respectively, have cancelled the remainder of their seasons, including playoffs. The EBEL also includes teams from Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic.
- It has become routine among the Pittsburgh Penguins this season to expect injury, though one still has to feel for Nick Bjugstad. The forward has suffered another lower-body injury that is unrelated to any prior, and has been listed as “week-to-week” once again according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Bjugstad has played just 13 games this season, scoring two points.
- Travis Hamonic was back at practice in full for the Calgary Flames today, skating alongside T.J. Brodie on the second defense pairing. That suggests the veteran defenseman will return to the Flames’ lineup later this week for the first time in over a month. Calgary is barely holding onto their third place position in the Pacific Division, meaning Hamonic’s return will be a welcome one as they prepare for the stretch run.
Injury Updates: Murray, Carlo, Anisimov, Hamonic
Ryan Murray’s injury history is a lengthy one and the Blue Jackets defenseman finds himself on the shelf again. Columbus head coach John Tortorella told reporters, including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that Murray is “nicked” and that he doesn’t yet know if it’s going to be a day-to-day issue or something longer. The 26-year-old just returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing 34 games due to a lower-body injury and certainly made an immediate impact, picking up two assists in two games while logging over 20 minutes in each contest. Markus Nutivaara will be back in the lineup to replace Murray.
More injury news from around the NHL:
- The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Brandon Carlo will miss tonight’s game against Tampa Bay due to the upper-body injury he sustained on Thursday night against Florida. Head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that Carlo was at Boston’s practice facility today and was feeling better than he did after the hit but there is no timetable yet for how much more time – if any – he’ll miss.
- Senators center Artem Anisimov did not accompany the team on their West Coast road trip, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He missed Thursday’s game against the Islanders due to an upper-body injury and there is no timeline for his return. It has been an up-and-down first season in Ottawa for the veteran who has 15 goals but just five assists in 49 games this season.
- Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic participated in his first full practice since being injured early last month, reports Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). He still has to get the green light to take contact so he’s still not quite ready to return but the fact he’s now participating in practice means he’s close. He sits third on the team in ice time per game at over 21 minutes a night and will be a big addition to their back end when he’s cleared to return.
Calgary Flames Acquire Derek Forbort, Erik Gustafsson
You could bet when Mark Giordano and Travis Hamonic went down for the Calgary Flames that the team called around on every available defenseman. Well, even though Giordano is set to return soon after being a full participant in practice again today, they’ve added some depth on the blueline. The team has acquired Derek Forbort from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick, and Erik Gustafsson from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2020 third-round pick. The Kings also retained 25% of Forbort’s contract.
The Flames have made moves like this in the past. Last year they added Oscar Fantenberg at the deadline to give them a little more depth on defense, and in 2017 it was Michael Stone coming in. Forbort and Gustafsson may come with even more excitement than those two, given their recent history. Forbort has been a partner of Drew Doughty, logging more than 20 minutes a night for the Kings in each of the previous three seasons. Injury stole most of this year, but he can be a reliable addition to a third pairing while the Flames work through injury.
It’s Gustafsson that brings the real intrigue however. Quietly the Blackhawks defender put up 17 goals and 60 points a season ago, and has established himself as a legitimate offensive threat. While his defensive work leaves something to be desired, the 27-year old could add a new dimension to the Flames.
Both players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, explaining the relatively low costs. Some mid-round picks for the Kings and Blackhawks are just pieces to add to the cupboard as they both try to climb their way back to the top of the Western Conference.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Fenton, Hamonic
The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and to no one’s surprise Elvis Merzlikins has received the top honor. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender went nearly 180 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, posting two shutouts and a minuscule 0.67 goals against average. The 25-year old rookie now has a .930 save percentage on the season.
Second and third place go to more familiar faces, as Kyle Connor and Andrei Vasilevskiy take home the honors. The Winnipeg Jets forward had eight points last week and now is just two goals away from his third consecutive 30-goal season. Tampa Bay meanwhile has been on fire with the reigning Vezina Trophy winner showing exactly why he should never be counted out. Vasilevskiy now leads the league in wins with 29 after a slow start to the season and is all the way back up to a .918 save percentage.
- After being fired by the Minnesota Wild just 14 months into his tenure as general manager, Paul Fenton has found a new home. The long-time Nashville Predators assistant GM is working his way through the turn of the century expansion clubs, now taking a job with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ scouting department according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. Fenton has always been known as a strong judge of talent, but things quickly went south when he was put in charge of the Wild.
- Travis Hamonic has left the Flames and returned to Calgary for further testing according to Wes Gilberton of Postmedia. The defenseman left Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, complicating the upcoming trade deadline even further for the Flames’ front office. Hamonic was one of several defensemen that are on expiring contracts and could have been moved, but with captain Mark Giordano already out it will be hard to subtract from the Flames’ blue line at this point. The team has recalled Alexander Yelesin from the minor leagues.
Trade Rumors: Flames, Maple Leafs, Martinez, Simmonds
Trade deadline season is in full swing and TSN’s “Insider Trading” segment this evening with Darren Dreger and Piere LeBrun was chock full of hints as to what may happen over the next few weeks. The pair began with the most pressing story, which is in regards to the news earlier today that Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano is out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. The situation reportedly could have been worse and Giordano may have needed surgery that would have kept him out long term, so in a way Calgary got lucky. However, with the Flames fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, this major absence is bound to shift their plans at the deadline. The team has been focused on acquiring a right-shot forward, even allegedly dangling impending UFA defenseman T.J. Brodie to get a deal done, but LeBrun notes that Brodie is now much more unlikely to move. Not only are Brodie and fellow free agent-to-be Travis Hamonic likely safe, but LeBrun adds that the team will consider adding on defense as well if Giordano’s availability remains in question. As for what the Flames may use as their primary trade bait now, Dreger reports that Sam Bennett could finally be on the move. The disappointing young forward is not necessarily on the block, but Dreger hears from many around the league who feel Bennett needs a fresh start and Calgary may oblige him if it helps to land them another top-six forward.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs may have unofficially launched the trade deadline frenzy on Wednesday when they acquired goaltender Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings. Yet, even for a team currently on the outside of the playoff picture, Dreger reports that the Leafs are not done. He notes that the deal with L.A. did not address Toronto’s biggest need, which is a top-four defenseman. He says that the recent injury to Cody Ceci, expected to be out for at least a month, combined with the continued absence of Morgan Rielly will keep the Maple Leafs in the defense market if they want to contend for a postseason berth. Dreger mentions that the Kings’ willingness to retain salary should allow the Leafs to land a top-four defenseman if they can find the right deal, assuming one of Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, or Alex Kerfoot would be heading the other way.
- The Kings, of course, are also not done. They are having another fire sale this year and a number of valuable pieces may still move. Among them is veteran defenseman Alec Martinez. LeBrun believes that the Maple Leafs were not interested in Martinez, but other teams are. One such suitor is Toronto’s biggest competition for an Atlantic Division playoff bid, the Florida Panthers. According to LeBrun, the Panthers are “absolutely looking” at Martinez, who still has one year remaining on his contract. Another team looking to upgrade their blue line who have an eye on Martinez are the Winnipeg Jets. Whether Florida, Winnipeg, or another contender ends up landing the capable defenseman, the buyer will not be getting any sort of discount. LeBrun relays that the asking price is a second-round pick and either another good pick or a good prospect.
- In Vancouver, the season is going as well as anyone could have expected and the team is hoping to solidify their lineup before the postseason. While the team seems unlikely to spend immensely, they are hoping to plug some holes. One such gap has been created by the injury to Micheal Ferland. Ferland has been out for almost two months and the team is missing his physical play and goal scoring ability. Ferland signed with the Canucks this summer and was expected to play a major role, but has been unable to stay on the ice. As a result, LeBrun reports that the Canucks are revisiting a player that nearly chose over Ferland this off-season in Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds, who instead signed a one-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, again finds himself as a rental candidate and Vancouver remains interested. LeBrun believes that the team will wait to see what the long-term outlook on Ferland is for the remainder of this season, but bad news could trigger a trade to bring in Simmonds.
Snapshots: Trade Bait, Byfuglien, Landeskog
Frank Seravalli of TSN has released his first Trade Bait board of the season, and at the top is Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers. Both Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet have now suggested that Kreider could be a worthwhile option for the St. Louis Blues while they deal with the absence of Vladimir Tarasenko, though neither scribe does anything more than speculate on the situation.
More interesting perhaps is Travis Hamonic‘s appearance relatively high on the board, after recent news came out that he would not negotiate an extension in-season with the Calgary Flames. Hamonic has all the makings of a top trade deadline acquisition—a 29-year old right-handed defenseman with an expiring contract that carries a reasonable $3.86MM cap hit—but he’s also still an important part of a Flames team that had big expectations this season. It’s still early, but as the calendar turns to November trade speculation is about to heat up.
- Dustin Byfuglien‘s representatives are in discussions with the NHLPA about his injury situation according to Darren Dreger of TSN, who suggests things “could get complicated” if it is determined that the ankle injury that recently needed surgery did occur playing hockey. Things are already complicated when it comes to Byfuglien, whose status as suspended by the team has not changed according to Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who declined to provide much of an update today.
- While the Colorado Avalanche have still not confirmed what Gabriel Landeskog‘s injury is aside from it being “lower-body,” A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver saw the forward in a walking boot last night and had heard rumors of a broken foot. The team listed Landeskog as out indefinitely, but head coach Jared Bednar had explained his captain will miss significant time.
Calgary Flames, Matthew Tkachuk Taking Time To Get Deal Done
The Calgary Flames have many offseason tasks they must deal with this summer, but the No. 1 priority of the team is locking up their top restricted free agent, Matthew Tkachuk. However, with a number of big-name restricted free agents cashing in on mega contracts in the last couple of years, the negotiations are expected to take a while. In fact, The Fourth Period reports that the two sides are in no rush to get a deal done quickly.
Both Calgary and Tkachuk have already had initial discussions, but negotiations aren’t expected to pick up again until later this month, most likely after the NHL Entry Draft. Much of the initial discussions likely dealt with the type of deal that Tkachuk is looking for as he could either sign a short-term bridge deal or a long-term deal. If the team isn’t ready to shell out an expensive long-term deal, they could offer a three-year bridge deal in hopes of seeing whether Tkachuk is worthy of such a deal that would take him to his final year of restricted free agency.
Several restricted free agents have cashed in recently, especially in Toronto as Auston Matthews signed a five-year, $58.2MM contract ($11.63MM AAV) in February, while William Nylander signed a six-year, $45MM deal ($6.96MM AAV) in December after holding out. There are quite a few key restricted free agents this offseason and Tkachuk might want to wait some of them out to see what the market sets at, including Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, San Jose’s Timo Meier and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor amongst others.
Tkachuk is coming off a breakout season in the final year of his entry-level deal as he potted 35 goals and picked up 77 points this season, something they were hoping for after they drafted him sixth overall in 2016. A physical, menace-type player, Tkachuk is critical to the team’s long-term plans, but with plenty of cap concerns approaching, the team could opt to give him a little less money if he accepts a shorter-term deal. However, a long-term deal might be the preferred outcome in case Tkachuk continues to take steps forward in his development, which is quite possible considering he’s still only 21 years old.
The Flames are projected to have more than $14MM in cap space this offseason, giving them the room to lock up Tkachuk to a long-term deal, although the team still has other key restricted free agents in Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane and goaltender David Rittich to sign. The team also must decide on whether to bring back unrestricted free agent Mike Smith in net to pair with Rittich. If not, the team will have to find a goaltender on the free agent market to replace him. That could take up a significant amount of cap room, although there have been rumors the team could move one of their veteran defenseman, either T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic, to open up some more cap space and free up a defensive roster spot for some of their upcoming defensive prospects. General manager Brad Treliving might also attempt to trade forward James Neal and his bloated $5.75MM AAV contract, although finding a taker might prove to be a challenge considering he has four more years remaining on his contract.
Flames Looking To Trade A Defenseman
Last June, the Flames moved out one of their key defensemen in Dougie Hamilton as part of a swap with Carolina at the draft. It appears that they will be looking to move out a key blueliner once again this offseason. In his latest edition of the Bobcast (audio link), TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that GM Brad Treliving is looking to move one of T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic.
The reason for wanting to do this is two-fold. Calgary has youngsters Juuso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson that appear to be ready to take on a bigger role for next season. They also have a very expensive pending contract with restricted free agent winger Matthew Tkachuk that will eat up a lot of their remaining cap space.
Brodie is in the final year of his contract with a $4.6504MM cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2020. While he’s a left-shot player, he has spent quite a bit of time playing on his off-side which would certainly bolster his trade value. He has also been a fairly consistent point producer, surpassing the 30-point mark in six straight seasons and his skating is certainly an asset as teams are asking their defense corps to be more mobile.
Hamonic, a draft day acquisition back in 2017, is a much different style of player. He’s more of a shut-down defender and has been quite an effective one over the years going back to his time with the Islanders. However, staying healthy for an entire season has been an issue for him throughout his career. He’s also in the final year of his contract with a cap hit that’s just over $3.857MM and will be UFA-eligible in 2020.
With the free agent class not being particularly deep in terms of capable top-four defenders, the Flames should garner plenty of interest in the blueliners in the weeks to come. Considering Treliving’s recent history of being active on the trade front at the draft, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see a deal happen when that gets underway on June 21st.
Minor Transactions: 04/01/19
Welcome to April and the end of the NHL regular season. There are just a handful of games remaining before the 2018-19 playoffs begin and teams have started locking up their first round opponents. Still, for teams battling on the edge of postseason contention the next week may be just as important as any other. Today eyes will be drawn to the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues’ game, which very well could decide the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Avalanche currently hold the spot with a one-point lead over Arizona, but have this game in hand on them. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Carolina Hurricanes are just one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in the East and have recalled Haydn Fleury under emergency conditions to help them stay there. The team was defeated last night and need to get back on track tomorrow night when they travel to Toronto, but will be without Calvin de Haan who is heading back to Carolina after suffering an upper-body injury.
- With Louis Domingue banged up the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Eddie Pasquale from the minor leagues. The team obviously wants their backup goaltender healthy, but all eyes are on Victor Hedman as he deals with an upper-body injury. Pasquale has played in one game for the Lightning this year but has a solid .916 save percentage through 43 appearances for the Syracuse Crunch.
- The Calgary Flames are set to rest several regulars after clinching a playoff spot, and Juuso Valimaki has been recalled to take their place. Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin will all be out of the lineup.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Hicketts from the minor league under emergency conditions, and CapFriendly believes they have moved Mike Green to long-term injured reserve in order to fit him in. Hicketts’ recall follows an injury to Danny DeKeyser, who looks like he may miss the last few games of the season.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled forward Miikka Salomaki from the minor leagues, bringing him back from a conditioning stint. Salomaki hasn’t played an NHL game since early January but could be an option for the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
- With Nico Sturm set to join the Minnesota Wild immediately, Matt Read has been sent back down to the AHL. The team is expected to put Sturm into the lineup as soon as possible, though since he hasn’t yet practiced with the team it is not clear when exactly that will be. Read meanwhile will be on call for the next opportunity as he has been all season.
- The Anaheim Ducks have returned Sam Carrick back to San Diego of the AHL. He had been recalled on Saturday and suited up that night, logging just over 12 minutes against Edmonton while picking up an assist.