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Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Sabres And Hurricanes Have Multiple Defensemen Available

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Teams that are looking to add defensive depth should be focusing on a pair of Eastern Conference squads.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports in the latest edition of Insider Trading (video link) that on top of veterans Zach Bogosian and Marco Scandella who were known to be available, the Sabres are also willing to part with Colin Miller.  Meanwhile, the Hurricanes aren’t just open to moving Trevor van Riemsdyk as recent acquisitions Jake Gardiner and Joel Edmundson are also believed to be trade options for them.

Bogosian ($5.143MM) and Scandella ($4MM) are on expiring contracts and have had limited roles when healthy over the last couple of years.  In Bogosian’s case, he recently asked to be dealt following the first of his healthy scratches earlier this month.  But Miller has another two years left after this one at a reasonable $3.875MM AAV.  While he hasn’t performed to expectations with Buffalo, the 27-year-old put up 70 points in his two seasons with Vegas and averaged over 19 minutes a night in both years.  That was enough for the Sabres to part with second and fifth-round picks for Miller back in June although they may not be able to recoup that now considering he has spent time as a healthy scratch recently.

As for Carolina, Gardiner just signed with them back in September, inking a slightly-backloaded four-year, $16.2MM deal to match his $4.05MM AAV from his previous contract.  He has struggled considerably with his new team though, recording just eight points along with an ugly -17 plus/minus rating; only four blueliners in the league have a lower rating.  With those struggles, his contract, and a seven-team no-trade clause, the market for him may be somewhat limited.

Edmundson ($3.1MM) and van Riemsdyk ($2.3MM) are both pending unrestricted free agents.  Edmundson was part of the Justin Faulk trade at the beginning of the season and has been a steady presence on their third pairing.  However, the team would like to give Haydn Fleury some more playing time so clearing out one of their left-shot defenders would help create that opportunity.  As for van Riemsdyk, he has been available for a while now but his value has taken a bit of a dip as he’s averaging less than 14 minutes a night, well below his career average which is up over the 17-minute mark.

McKenzie notes that both teams are looking for scoring help but at this stage, they may have to settle for future assets in return and then try to turn those around into the forward that they covet.  While we’re only hours away from the Holiday Roster Freeze coming into effect, these players will be ones to keep an eye on heading into 2020.

Hurricanes, Sabres Shopping Defensemen

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The Carolina Hurricanes were seeking a top-nine forward when they traded away long-time defenseman Justin Faulk this summer. However, the best return they could find was a prospect forward, Dominik Bokk, and another established defenseman in Joel Edmundson from the St. Louis Blues. Now, the Hurricanes are more or less back in the same situation, trying to deal from their blue line depth for help up front. Even after moving Faulk and Calvin de Haan in the off-season, the additions of Edmundson, Jake Gardiner, and Gustav Forsling has created yet another logjam on defense. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Carolina is calling around to other teams and shopping veteran Trevor van Riemsdyk, as well as 23-year-old Haydn Fleury, who is no longer waiver-exempt, in hopes of landing a scoring forward in return.

However, they aren’t alone. LeBrun’s colleague Darren Dreger reports that the Buffalo Sabres are also making calls to dangle defenders in anticipation of their team getting healthy. Dreger states that Zach Bogosian and Marco Scandella will make their returns “right around the corner”, but first Buffalo will need to clear space. The red-hot Sabres likely want to avoid a major shake-up, such as moving the now-content Rasmus Ristolainen, but also likely aren’t keen to move recent additions like Brandon Montour and Colin Miller. The team can demote Lawrence Pilut and even Henri Jokiharju, but will still need to make room on the blue line. Dreger states that Buffalo is hoping to land both a top-six and bottom-six forward, so trading away a John Gilmour won’t get the job done. Bogosian, Scandella, and Jake McCabe seem like the most likely to be dealt at this point.

So who could take advantage of a market flush with capable defenders? Top contenders like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks are all struggling defensively this season and have the depth of forwards to swing a deal. The Minnesota Wild are known to be open to moving several forward and could pursue a defenseman that they see as a long-term fit. The same could be said for other struggling teams, especially those with intriguing impending free agents, such as the Los Angeles Kings (Tyler Toffoli) and New York Rangers (Chris Kreider). The Hurricanes’ and Sabres’ competition to make a deal may even lower the acquisition costs for any interested teams. The trade market appears to be heating up early this season and the odds of a deal – or several – before the holiday trade freeze are high.

Minor Transactions: 10/12/19

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It was a relatively quiet night in the NHL on Friday, with just three games on the schedule. However, the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres made the most of spotlight by extending their season-opening point streaks. The ‘Canes are back in action again tonight, looking to stay perfect alongside a number of other unbeaten teams. At least one member of the elite group will fall, as the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers go head-to-head. It’s a busy night of action that could be preceded by a busy day of roster transactions. Keep up with all of the moves here:

  • Golden Knights authority SinBin Vegas reports that it will be Oscar Dansk getting the call from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to replace the injured Malcolm Subban as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury. It’s a somewhat surprising decision for a couple of reasons. First, Vegas acquired Garret Sparks from the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season with what many considered was the intention of making him a quality third-string option who could put pressure on the often unreliable Subban. In their first opportunity to recall Sparks, they passed. Second, in Dansk’s first appearance of the AHL season, he surrendered seven goals on just 25 shots – a .720 save percentage. Dansk looked out of sorts and surely not ready for an NHL promotion. It could be that the Knights are making a short-term move ahead of tonight’s game by recalling a fresh Dansk in case of emergency instead of Sparks, who got the start last night for the Wolves. However, if Dansk remains as the backup moving forward while Subban is sidelined, the team will have to hope he can replicate his stellar performance from a brief call-up in 2017-18 rather than his showing in his AHL season debut.
  • Casey Bailey is back in North America, inking a one-year deal with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. It’s been a somewhat precipitous decline for Bailey, who once seemed like a surefire NHLer. A standout at Penn State University, Bailey left school early in 2015 to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He even played in six games and recorded his first (and only to date) NHL point in that same season. In his first full pro campaign, Bailey put up good numbers in the AHL in a season split between the Toronto Marlies and Binghamton Senators after he joined Dion Phaneuf in the package sent from Toronto to Ottawa that year. The following season, Bailey again performed well in the AHL and skated in seven games with Ottawa, but it wasn’t enough to earn an extension or draw NHL interest as a free agent. After one more season in the minors, again with strong numbers, Bailey opted to head overseas last year, joining HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL. However, he failed to find his footing and recorded just five points in 45 games. With Bratislava leaving the KHL, on top of a tough first season with the team, Bailey had more than enough reason to return to North America. The question now is whether he can turn this opportunity with the Stingrays into something more, perhaps working his way back into relevance at the pro level.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have activated defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk from non-roster injured reserve. The 28-year-old missed training camp and the first few games of the season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Van Riemsdyk has been practicing with the team for a while already, so he may not require a conditioning stint. He has been a key piece to the Hurricanes’ defense as he has appeared in all but seven games in the past two years. With Carolina, however, loaded in defensive depth, the team hasn’t missed him too much, but could be eventually forced to make another roster move.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/01/19

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Even with the season starting tomorrow, teams still have some final cuts to make today. Rosters have to be cap compliant by the end of the day. though with so much talent on waivers there might still be some last-minute moves. We’ll keep track of those right here. Keep checking back throughout the day for updates.

Arizona Coyotes (per team release)

D Ilya Lyubushkin (to Tucson, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Remi Elie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Curtis Lazar (to Rochester, AHL)
F Scott Wilson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Nelson (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (per team release)

F Alan Quine (to Stockton, AHL)
F Zac Rinaldo (to Stockton, AHL)
F Dillon Dube (to Stockton, AHL)
D Andrew MacDonald (released from PTO)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

F Clark Bishop (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Julien Gauthier (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Brian Gibbons (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Gustav Forsling (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Anton Forsberg (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Max McCormick (placed on injured/non-roster)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk (placed on injured/non-roster)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Kirby Dach (placed on injured/non-roster)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Marko Dano (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Andrew Peeke (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Liam Foudy (placed on injured/non-roster)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F Jayson Megna (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Connauton (to Colorado, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Colorado, AHL)
D Ian Cole (placed on injured/non-roster)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Jared McIsaac (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Chase Pearson (placed on injured/non-roster)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Sam Gagner (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F J.T. Brown (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

F Ryan Poehling (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (per team release)

F Miikka Salomaki (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (per team release)

D Matt Tennyson (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Ty Smith (to Spokane, WHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

D John Marino (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Casey DeSmith (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

F Nicolas Roy (to Chicago, AHL)
D Nicolas Hague (to Chicago, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
D Christian Djoos (to Hershey, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (placed on injured/non-roster)

Winnipeg Jets (per team release)

D Sami Niku (to Manitoba, AHL)

Snapshots: Datsyuk, Faulk, Karlsson, Sutter

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Despite some initial speculation early this off-season, it seems an NHL comeback for Pavel Datsyuk is unlikely. Speaking to Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press, agent Dan Milstein stated that Datsyuk’s probable landing spot remains his home town of Yekaterinburg with the KHL’s Avtomobilist. A free agent after wrapping up a very successful three-year stint with SKA St. Petersburg, Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving SKA and was hoping to land somewhere more familiar to he and his family. The 40-year-old center’s NHL rights are currently owned by the Arizona Coyotes, but they expire on July 1st with the start of the new league year. As such, there was some thought that he could return to the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent all 14 years of his NHL career. Datsyuk would be joining a team now run by fellow Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and even in his advanced age, Datsyuk would have had the chance to return to a key role for Detroit. Although he recently visited the city and reportedly spoke to Yzerman and company, Milstein maintains that Datsyuk is more likely to settle into a cushy role in Yekaterinburg. “We are meeting in the coming days to discuss options and future plans,” Milstein said, but it seems that the decision is already close to being made. “It’s very likely Pavel will live up to his promise of playing for his hometown team in Russia.”

  • In an article offering up some trade suggestions over the waning days of the NHL postseason for those teams no longer in the running, USA Today’s Kevin Allen notes that teams may not want to waste their time trying to pry a defenseman out of Carolina. The Hurricanes succeeded this season largely because of their strength on the back end and GM Don Waddell appears more concerned with maintaining that depth rather than leveraging it. Allen reports that the team is engaged in extension talks with long-time stalwart Justin Faulk, whose current contract expires after next season. Allen adds that the team is not interested in dealing Faulk or any of their top-four defensemen at this time, which certainly includes Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce, but may also include their big free agent addition from last summer, Calvin de Haan. The one defenseman who might have been dangled as trade bait is Trevor van Riemsdyk who, like Faulk, has only one year remaining on his contract. However, a long-term injury that will see van Riemsdyk on the sidelines to begin the season will probably put a damper on any trade talks. van Riemsdyk’s early-season absence will also allow youngsters Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean to see some NHL ice time, keeping all blue line parties content through another season at least.
  • Offer sheets remain a rare occurrence in the NHL – the last came in 2013 – but that doesn’t stop talk from spreading every off-season that one of the top restricted free agents could finally land such an offer. One prominent RFA whose name has not been associated with an offer sheet thus far, perhaps should be, writes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Schoen believes that center William Karlsson is a prime candidate for an offer sheet this summer. The Vegas Golden Knights are already buried in payroll and the off-season has yet to begin. CapFriendly estimates that they are already over the projected $83MM ceiling for next season, yet still have Karlsson, Nikita Gusev, Malcolm Subban, and others to re-sign. The Knights will be forced to move out salary regardless, but a substantial offer sheet signed by Karlsson may be too much for Vegas to match. Specifically, Schoen names the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and Detroit Red Wings as potential suitors, citing cap space and need for all four teams.
  • While it is not a done deal, the Los Angeles Kings don’t appear worried about losing one of their key free agents. Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Kings are close to extending Brett Sutter, the captain of the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Sutter, 32, is a respected veteran who Rosen states is a “great conduit between the coaching staff and dressing room.” An experienced and productive minor league forward, Sutter is the type of dedicated player that all organizations like to have around and it seems he will be back with L.A. for at least one more year.

Trevor Van Riemsdyk Undergoes Surgery, Out Four To Six Months

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UPDATE: Carolina has confirmed the prognosis that van Riemsdyk did undergo surgery on his damaged shoulder on Thursday. However, the team lists his timeline for recovery as four to six months, meaning these is some doubt about whether van Riemsdyk will be healthy for the start of the 2019-20 season.

 

While the Hurricanes are hopeful that they will get goalie Petr Mrazek and winger Micheal Ferland back for their upcoming third-round series, they won’t be seeing defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk anytime soon. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the blue liner has undergone shoulder surgery and will miss the next four months.

The injury was sustained during the first shift of the second game of their series against the Islanders and while the full nature of it wasn’t known at the time, head coach Rod Brind’Amour expected that he’d be without van Riemsdyk for a while. It now turns out that they won’t have him available until next season.

The 27-year-old had been a regular on Carolina’s third pairing throughout the regular season and the early going of the playoffs.  Haydn Fleury had taken van Riemsdyk’s spot in the lineup after the injury although the team could also turn to rookie Jake Bean, who has been going back and forth between the NHL and AHL in recent days. With a week before the Conference Final gets underway, they’ll have plenty of time to make a decision.

Poll: Which Carolina Defenseman Is Most Likely To Be Traded?

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With more reporting today that the Carolina Hurricanes are willing to move one of their defenseman, a debate has emerged over who would be the best target among them. The group is incredibly talented all around, but each player has their strengths and weaknesses. That makes for interesting decisions for both the Hurricanes and any inquiring team over what to prioritize as they look for playoff success. Is offensive skill at a premium in today’s NHL, or is a minute-munching penalty killer more valuable when the games get tighter?

Despite most of the trade speculation surrounding Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, we’ll list the basic stats for each of the defensemen currently on the Hurricanes roster below. Cast your vote on who you think will be traded and make sure to explain why in the comments!

Dougie Hamilton:

25, right-handed
19:30 ATOI
48 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 P, -13 rating, 59% CF%
$5.75MM through 2020-21

Jaccob Slavin:

24, left-handed
23:04 ATOI
48 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, -13 rating, 55.2% CF%
$5.3MM through 2024-25

Justin Faulk:

26, right-handed
22:14 ATOI
48 GP, 3 G, 14 A, 17 P, -2 rating, 54.1% CF%
$4.83MM through 2019-20

Calvin de Haan:

27, left-handed
19:24 ATOI
48 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 P, +6 rating, 55.1% CF%
$4.55MM through 2021-22

Brett Pesce:

24, right-handed
19:38 ATOI
39 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, +14 rating, 54.2% CF%
$4.025MM through 2023-24

Trevor van Riemsdyk:

27, right-handed
15:16 ATOI
44 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P, -2 rating, 53.1% CF%
$2.3MM through 2019-20

Haydn Fleury:

22, left-handed
12:40 ATOI
11 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, +1 rating, 52.5% CF%
$863K through 2018-19 (RFA)

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Hurricanes Re-Sign Trevor Van Riemsdyk To A Two-Year Contract

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Although he filed for salary arbitration earlier today, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk has inked a two-year, $4.6MM contract with the Hurricanes, the team announced.  The contract pays $2.1MM in 2018-19 and $2.5MM in 2019-20.  GM Don Waddell had the following statement on the signing:

“Trevor was a steady presence on our blue line last season.  He’s shown progression each year of his NHL career, and is a well-liked player in our locker room.”

The 26-year-old is coming off of his first season in Carolina, one that saw him record a career-high 13 assists (along with three goals), a team-high +9 rating, and averaged 17:03 of playing time per night.  He also ranked second on the team in blocked shots with 113.

While it was looking like van Riemsdyk had a chance to move into the top four with the trade of Noah Hanifin back at the draft, the odds of that happening went down considerably with the addition of Calvin de Haan earlier this week.  Instead, it’s likely that he will play behind de Haan and Jaccob Slavin and be asked to anchor their third pairing once again.

TSN’s Frank Seravalli (via Twitter) was first to report the contract.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Calvin De Haan

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The Carolina Hurricanes, known for their depth and talent on defense, continue to surprisingly add top blue line names to the roster this off-season. After previously trading for right-handed scoring threat Dougie Hamilton, the team has reportedly agreed to a deal with arguably the top defender on the free agent market, left-landed shutdown defenseman Calvin de Haan. The Raleigh News & Observer’s Luck DeCock first reported that the team has signed de Haan to a four-year, $18.2MM contract – a $4.55MM AAV. The team confirmed the deal soon after.

De Haan, 27, was No. 9 on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents List. Although he missed the majority of last season due to injury, de Haan has shown a high-end defensive ability in his pro career. The 12th overall pick in 2009 by the New York Islanders, de Haan has proven to be one of the best shot blockers in the NHL and an extremely reliable presence on the back end. Yet has has also improved his offensive production with each year, including a career-best scoring rate prior to his injury last season. While many may have balked at a $4.55MM value for de Haan in a vacuum, he is clearly superior to nearly every other defenseman in this free agent market.

Carolina is a surprise landing spot for the defensive standout though. De Haan’s arrival in Raleigh will only add to a formidable corps of rearguards that includes Hamilton, Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk (an RFA), young pros Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown, and elite prospects Jake Bean, Luke Martin, and Adam Fox. De Haan’s signing very well could be a sign of more changes coming in Carolina under new ownership and new GM Don Waddell. 

Hurricanes Notes: Free Agents, Darling, Skinner, Tavares

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The Carolina Hurricanes have already made some noise this off-season, acquiring Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox from the Calgary Flames for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, but what else the team plans to do this summer remains a mystery. In speaking with Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicates that they may simply stick with the status quo for now. Waddell confirmed that the team is not pursuing contracts with pending unrestricted free agents Cam Ward, Derek Ryan, and Lee Stempniak and expect all three to hit the open market on July 1st. Ward, the Hurricane’s long-time goalie, is rumored to be headed to the Chicago Blackhawks, while Ryan is expected to re-join former Carolina coach Bill Peters and his recently-traded teammates in Calgary. Stempniak’s name has not drawn much attention so far this off-season, as the veteran struggled in 2017-18 with nine points in 37 games. Waddell did not discuss recently non-qualified free agent forward Joakim Nordstrom, likely implying that they are moving on from him as well. Waddell also did not offer any updates on negotiations with restricted free agents Trevor van Riemsdyk, Lucas Wallmark, and Valentin Zykov.

  • Waddell did state that the team has no plans to move goalie Scott Darling and are committed to having him on the roster moving forward. The 29-year-old struggled in his first year with Carolina after signing a long-term contract last summer, but the team hopes that his second season as a starter will go smoother. However, Carolina is looking to add a goalie in free agency and have spoken to upwards of six candidates already. The question remains what type of goalie they are looking to bring in. A starter to compete with Darling could look like Robin Lehner, Kari Lehtonen, or Jaroslav Halak, while a steady backup could be Ondrej Pavelec, Chad Johnson, or a reunion with Anton Khudobin.
  • As of now, there is no imminent trade involving forward Jeff Skinner. Skinner’s name has been one of the hottest on the rumor mill and many speculated that the Los Angeles Kings signing Ilya Kovalchuk could be the domino that would lead Skinner to being dealt to a team that missed out on the sharp-shooting veteran. Instead, Waddell says that talks with other teams have been ongoing and they have seen some good offers, but haven’t been “comfortable” with accepting any of them. One has to wonder that if they could pull off a trade as big as the one during draft weekend but aren’t comfortable with “good” offers for Skinner, if they are even looking to trade the talented winger at all.
  • For any ’Canes fans out there still holding out hope that Carolina was a secret seventh team in on the John Tavares sweepstakes, Waddell confirmed that he has had no contact whatsoever with Tavares’ camp. The Hurricanes do have more than enough cap space to add a Tavares though, so perhaps Waddell will be active in free agency after all, but focused on other big names.

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