Vladimir Tarasenko

Senators Notes: Tarasenko, Pinto, Joseph

January 6, 2024 at 1:40 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

With the Senators underachieving considerably this season, they’ll likely be selling leading up to the March 8th trade deadline barring some kind of significant turnaround in the standings. To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is expected to approach veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko about waiving his no-trade clause before the deadline. The 32-year-old inked a one-year, $5MM deal in late July after longer-term agreements that were more to his liking failed to materialize on the open market even after changing agents just days into free agency. Tarasenko hasn’t lit it up with Ottawa but does have 24 points in 32 games and would add some secondary scoring to a contending squad. The Sens would likely need to retain up to 50% in order to maximize the return when the time comes to move him.

Injury Notes: Penguins, Wild, Tarasenko, Lyon, Sherwood

December 18, 2023 at 6:55 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

After previous reporting indicated that the Pittsburgh Penguins could be welcoming back the trio of Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, and Chad Ruhwedel tonight, the team would later confirm all three would be in the lineup tonight, per a team announcement. Included in the same announcement, the team completed a corresponding move, sending forwards Jonathan Gruden and Marc Johnstone to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins could certainly use the reinforcements, as the team is suffering through a 4-3-3 record in their last 10 games, falling to fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and are currently five points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference as we approach the New Year. In their current stretch, besides their most recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs two nights ago, each game’s goal differential has been between one and two goals, showing that with improved depth moving forward, Pittsburgh could turn things around rather quickly.

Rakell being the most important player back in this move, has been going through a bit of a down season, only scoring four points on the year, and failing to score any goals up to this point. Nevertheless, he has been a valuable addition to the Penguins forward core since coming over in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 32 goals and 77 points in 118 regular season games for Pittsburgh.

Other notes:

On the opposite side of the ice in Pittsburgh this evening, the Minnesota Wild will be without two of their better players. Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports reports that captain Jared Spurgeon did not end up traveling with the team due to a lower-body injury. Furthermore, shortly before warmups began for the game tonight, the team announced that forward Mats Zuccarello would not be in the lineup due to an upper-body injury.
After missing the last two games due to personal reasons, the Ottawa Senators should be welcoming back forward Vladimir Tarasenko tomorrow night as they take on the Arizona Coyotes (X Link). With some massive changes taking place in Ottawa over the last 24 hours, Tarasenko will look to improve on his already impressive start with the Senators, now in front of interim head coach, Jacques Martin.
In the Detroit Red Wings’ most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers, goaltender Alex Lyon left the game in the second period, after going down awkwardly after making a save. Now, Ansar Khan of MLive is reporting that if he has not shown signs of recovery by Wednesday, Detroit will likely place Lyon on the injured reserve, leaving the net to Ville Husso and James Reimer.
Sustaining relatively good health as an organization throughout much of the year, the Nashville Predators will be welcoming back forward Kiefer Sherwood tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks (X Link). Amid a breakout season as far as his career standards say, Sherwood has provided solid depth scoring to the Nashville lineup this season, scoring five goals and 11 points in 29 games.

Senators Recall Angus Crookshank From AHL’s Belleville

December 16, 2023 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators have recalled winger Angus Crookshank from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Crookshank has appeared in 24 games for the minor league club this season, scoring a team-high 10 goals and 21 points. This performance comes after Crookshank managed 26 goals and 47 points in 71 AHL games last season, good for fourth on Belleville in scoring.

This is the first call-up of the 23-year-old Crookshank’s career, which began after Ottawa drafted the forward in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Crookshank went on to play in three seasons with the University of New Hampshire, totaling 90 games and 63 points with the school. He turned pro following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s 2020-21 season, finishing the year with 16 points in 19 AHL games. But despite the hot start to his professional career, Crookshank was forced out of the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery on his knee. He’s returned strong for the Belleville Senators, though, and earned his first shot at an NHL debut as a result.

Ottawa is currently facing a string of forward injuries, missing both Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier for their Sunday game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is also uncertain when Vladimir Tarasenko will return, with the top scorer questionable for Sunday.

The Senators also recalled forward Jiri Smejkal in response to their list of injuries. Smejkal recently appeared in his first two career NHL games, going without a point in either contest. The 27-year-old is in his first NHL season after seven years in various top leagues across Europe. Ottawa will need to turn to an extra forward – likely Smejkal – with Rourke and Chartier out. But if Tarasenko also misses Sunday’s matchup, Crookshank could find himself primed for his first NHL game.

Vladimir Tarasenko Had Offers From Hurricanes, Sharks

July 28, 2023 at 2:40 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

2:40 p.m.: Strickland has modified his initial report, now claiming the Hurricanes’ highest offer to Tarasenko was under $4MM on a one-year deal. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford also reported late last night that the Florida Panthers had submitted an offer for Tarasenko, which Strickland mentioned likely wasn’t a “competitive offer.”

1:50 p.m.: While star sniper Vladimir Tarasenko did find a home in free agency, it was far from a smooth process. Before signing a one-year, $5MM contract with the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion changed his representation early in July after not landing a deal when the UFA market opened on July 1. Shortly before that, multiple reports suggested Tarasenko was close to reaching a pact with the Carolina Hurricanes. Evidently, it didn’t come to fruition.

Despite his goal-scoring pedigree, the lack of widespread interest in Tarasenko made sense. He’s still incredibly skilled, but his ability to drive play is diminishing as he enters his 30s. He’s also had two major shoulder injuries in the past four years. His goal-scoring production also trailed off significantly last season, failing to score 20 goals in a full season for the first time in his career. It appears the Hurricanes, Sens, and San Jose Sharks all made firm contract offers to Tarasenko during his free agency period, though, as Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports today.

The Hurricanes and Sharks both made one-year pitches to Tarasenko at $5.25MM and $6MM respectively, Strickland said. Ottawa had also pitched a longer-term offer to Tarasenko at the beginning of free agency, coming in at four years and $22MM (a $5.5MM average annual value). With over $60MM in estimated career earnings to date, per CapFriendly, it’s understandable why Tarasenko would hesitate to commit long-term to a team that’s failed to exit their rebuild stage in earnest.

However, it appears Tarasenko also lost money on a short-term agreement by waiting to sign with the Sens. He’s at a stage in his career where winning is the highest priority, so the basement-dwelling Sharks were likely never in consideration unless they made a truly extravagant offer. He did lose out on $250K by not signing with the Canes, though, a mistake likely caused by waiting out for a better deal. It’s fair to assume Carolina’s offer to Tarasenko was made before they signed defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1.675MM contract, using up most of their remaining cap space in the process.

In not signing with Carolina, Tarasenko arguably lost out on the best marriage of finances and team competitiveness. There are still many moving parts, including trade rumors surrounding their pending UFA defenseman Brett Pesce and San Jose Sharks star defender Erik Karlsson. Still, the team remains among the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2024, thanks to a strong returning core and a pair of major UFA pickups in Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting.

That’s not to say Ottawa is a bad final fit for the Russian winger. The team does still have playoff aspirations for next season, and a strong rebound campaign from Tarasenko could certainly help lift them to their first postseason appearance since 2017. Even if the injury bug strikes the Sens again or they fall out of playoff contention, a strong individual campaign from Tarasenko alongside a star-studded top-six that includes Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Joshua Norris, and Claude Giroux could earn him a more lucrative contract next offseason on a contending team. It’s an option made more palatable for Tarasenko by a relatively sharp expected rise in the salary cap’s Upper Limit compared to recent seasons.

Senators Sign Vladimir Tarasenko

July 27, 2023 at 6:01 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 18 Comments

The Senators have brought in some help up front, announcing the signing of winger Vladimir Tarasenko. The veteran receives a one-year, $5MM contract. Tarasenko also receives a full no-trade clause. GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement about the signing:

Vladimir’s a natural goal scorer. He’s a dynamic player who can score from anywhere in the offensive zone, as well as an underrated playmaker who’s made a career out of driving offence for he and his linemates. An established performer in the regular season and in the playoffs, we’re thrilled to add a player of his calibre to our lineup.

The 31-year-old was the top free agent forward left on the open market despite coming off what would be considered a down year by his standards. Tarasenko started the season with St. Louis, picking up 10 goals and 19 assists in 38 games before the Blues moved him to the Rangers a little before the trade deadline. He wasn’t able to maintain that level of production, however, notching eight goals with 13 helpers in 31 regular season contests while adding three goals and an assist in their first-round loss to New Jersey.

However, despite the quieter year, Tarasenko is still viewed as a strong scoring threat as Dorion alluded to. He has surpassed the 30-goal mark six times since 2013-14 while dealing with considerable injury trouble in two of the years that he didn’t get to that level. That helped slot him in third in our annual Top 50 UFA list.

While Tarasenko might not be a full-time top-liner anymore, the Senators don’t necessarily need him to fill that role as they’ll count on Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Josh Norris to carry the bulk of the scoring load. Instead, they’ll be turning to him to help replace Alex DeBrincat, who was moved to Detroit earlier this month. Tarasenko and veteran Claude Giroux will likely fill in some of the gaps in the top six, giving the Sens a group that looks relatively deep on paper as they look to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.

However, it’s also a group that is fairly expensive on paper as this basically puts Ottawa at the $83.5MM Upper Limit of the salary cap based on CapFriendly’s projections. That’s particularly notable as the team still needs to re-sign center Shane Pinto this summer. It also seems likely that they’d prefer to carry 13 forwards on the active roster so they’ll need to create some cap room in the coming weeks to do so while their preference now might be to do a one-year deal to help keep his cap hit as low as possible. While Toronto will be able to get cap relief from placing Matt Murray on LTIR when the season begins, the Senators will not receive any cap relief for the portion of Murray’s contract that they’re carrying on their books from trading him last summer.

Meanwhile, it’s an interesting end to a contract saga that has been a bit odd for Tarasenko. He had strong interest early in free agency but wasn’t able to come to terms on a new deal and less than a week into the open market, he dismissed Paul Theofanous, hiring Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry instead. At the time, the speculation was that he had multiple multi-year deals worth a little more than he ultimately wound up signing for. That’s good news for Ottawa as they’ve now landed a capable scoring threat who will be motivated for a big year with the hopes of cashing in on what’s projected to be a more favorable free agent market next summer, making it a possible win-win contract for both sides.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

UFA Notes: Rangers, Panthers, Oilers

July 23, 2023 at 10:43 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

Late July and early August have traditionally meant bargain bin shopping for NHL teams as unrestricted free agency drags on, and this season is no different – especially with a tight salary cap situation for most clubs. With roughly $2.25MM in projected cap space to spare and a new contract still needed for winger Alexis Lafreniere, Larry Brooks of the New York Post wonders about the Rangers dipping into the professional tryout market as training camps draw closer to round out the bottom of their lineup. With the team’s fourth line (and projected scratches) made up mainly of defensive specialists, Brooks surmises the likes of Max Comtois or Colin White as being fit for a tryout or a league-minimum deal. If the team is still looking to add grit and replace the fourth-line presence of Ryan Reaves, Zack Kassian is still on the market after getting bought out by the Arizona Coyotes, as well as former Ottawa Senator Austin Watson.

Some other potential offseason moves bandied about this morning:

Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards thinks the Florida Panthers may not be done after a busy free agency period and believes they could be in the conversation for top UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko if he’s willing to take a short-term deal in the $4MM range. It’s been a disappointing offseason for the 31-year-old, who failed to secure a long-term commitment when free agency opened on July 1 and changed his representation less than a week later. Per CapFriendly, the Panthers still have nearly $10MM of LTIR relief from Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour to dip into. However, they’ll need to figure out how to maintain cap compliance once the pair of defenders get healthy throughout next season.
Another cap-strapped team looking to add depth is the Edmonton Oilers, and The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell thinks Tomas Tatar or Paul Stastny could be potential fits at the bottom of their forward lineup. Adding to the roster will be incredibly tough for the Oilers, though, who will likely dry up their remaining $6MM in cap space on new deals for forward Ryan McLeod and defenseman Evan Bouchard and will only be able to carry one (or potentially zero) healthy scratch(es) when the season starts. Stastny, 37, would be the likelier option out of the two to take a sub-$1MM deal after taking a $1.5MM contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last season and recording 22 points in 73 games.

Free Agent Profile: Vladimir Tarasenko

July 16, 2023 at 11:00 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 19 Comments

This year’s free agent market was a tough one to gauge for teams and players alike. Another year of a tight salary cap situation for most teams, along with a relatively weak class of UFAs, made for some interesting decisions. Take gritty winger, Tyler Bertuzzi, for example. He didn’t get far into extension discussions with the cap-strapped Boston Bruins because he wanted a long-term deal but signed a one-year pact with the Toronto Maple Leafs just a few days into free agency.

But perhaps no player misread the market more than Vladimir Tarasenko, leading to the two-time All-Star being available on the market over two weeks into free agency. While he was reportedly close to a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the month, he changed his representation less than a week after July 1, restarting the clock on all pending negotiations. After a bit of a down season, scoring just 18 goals in 69 games split between the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, the 31-year-old likely didn’t get any offers reflecting the level of commitment he was expecting.

Why teams wouldn’t want to take a longer-term gamble on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is understandable. Shoulder injuries limited him to 34 games combined in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. While a return to form in 2021-22 (34 goals and 82 points in 75 games) revitalized his stock, a tough season for him (and the Blues) last year lowered it again, and his post-deadline stint with the Rangers wasn’t at his previous elite goal-scoring level, either.

Still, he is a six-time 30-goal scorer and brings a winning pedigree. He’s worth a spot in almost any team’s top six, although slightly sheltered minutes wouldn’t hurt. With Patrick Kane, the other marquee winger still on the market, not expected to sign until closer to the start of next season, Tarasenko is the best player available for teams looking to add a forward.

Stats

2022-23: 69 GP, 18-32-50, -14 rating, 8 PIMs, 169 shots on goal, 45.7% CF, 16:48 ATOI
Career: 675 GP, 270-304-574, +61 rating, 185 PIMs, 2,124 shots on goal, 52.5% CF, 17:27 ATOI

Potential Suitors

At his age, the likelihood of Tarasenko earning a long-term pact after betting on himself this season is small. Knowing he isn’t getting the compensation he initially set out to receive this summer, signing somewhere that gives him a chance to win a second Stanley Cup will likely be at the top of his mind.

The Hurricanes still give him the best shot of doing just that. Whether it can financially come to fruition, though, is another question. Carolina’s already backed out of one widely-reported transaction this summer, forcing the Philadelphia Flyers to go the buyout route with defenseman Anthony DeAngelo instead of re-acquiring him at half-price. The team is reportedly in discussions with the San Jose Sharks about acquiring reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, and top-four shutdown defender Brett Pesce remains without a contract extension. There are many moving parts still to come with Carolina, leaving a lot of uncertainty about their ability to fit in another UFA signing under the salary cap after signing Michael Bunting and Dmitry Orlov earlier in the month. Still, Tarasenko would add to what’s already one of the most terrifyingly deep forward groups in the league and, if healthy, could provide the sniper element sorely missing from their recent string of playoff runs.

Another team connected to Tarasenko is the Ottawa Senators, who have an Alex DeBrincat-sized hole in their top six after trading the young winger to the Detroit Red Wings. There are similar financial holdups there, though, as CapFriendly lists them with roughly $5MM in projected space for next season while still needing a new contract for center Shane Pinto. Receiving Dominik Kubalik in return from Detroit gives Ottawa a solid secondary scoring option. Still, he’s been quite streaky throughout his brief NHL career, and Tarasenko provides a high-end, veteran backup option if Kubalik doesn’t pan out in Canada’s capital. Ottawa is a team hungry to make their postseason appearance in six years, and adding Tarasenko could push them right back into the conversation of playoff hopefuls in the Atlantic Division.

The New York Rangers would also love to have Tarasenko back in the fold as a more experienced, higher-ceiling scoring option than some of their other depth names, but they’re in a more dire financial situation than both Carolina and Ottawa. Finding a way to move out or reduce Barclay Goodrow’s cap hit ($3.64MM through 2026-27) could open up some options for them, though.

Projected Contract

Unfortunately for Tarasenko, playing the waiting game has likely cost him a lot of cash in a tight market. Don’t expect him to sign a deal much longer than three seasons when he does sign, and it could very well come in under the $5MM mark per season, given the lack of financial flexibility available among contenders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Notes: Tarasenko, RFAs, Mann

July 11, 2023 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

Speaking with TSN 1200 today (audio link), Senators GM Pierre Dorion confirmed that he has been in contact with the new agent for free agent winger Vladimir Tarasenko. The 31-year-old had been a speculative target for Ottawa depending on what they received in the Alex DeBrincat deal. While Ottawa did pick up winger Dominik Kubalik in that swap, adding Tarasenko would certainly go a longer way toward replacing DeBrincat’s production. However, with around just $5MM in cap room per CapFriendly, it might be difficult to fit Tarasenko onto their roster without clearing out another player first, something Dorion alluded to. He also mentioned that if they look to add a forward, they’ll want one with some term on his contract which suggests that they wouldn’t necessarily be looking to add Tarasenko on a one-year pact.

2023 Free Agency Update

July 9, 2023 at 2:29 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

Now that a full week has passed since the free agent market opened up on July 1st, there are still quite a few quality players left on the market. Unfortunately for most of these players, the fact that the salary cap only went up to $83.5MM for the 2023-24 season, has severely limited teams from adding more talent to their roster.

There are a few teams, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vegas Golden Knights that are currently too close to the cap to make any more significant additions; however, there are a number of teams that still have some financial wiggle room. In this list, we will go through some of the top remaining names left on the market organized by position.

Forwards

Patrick Kane – His long-time teammate, Jonathan Toews, is most likely headed towards retirement, but thus far, there has been no indication to suggest that Kane will join him down that path. During the 2021-22 season, Kane continued displaying incredible offensive talent, which has spanned over the last decade, evidenced by his 92 points in 78 games. Unfortunately for Kane, a nagging hip injury seemed to follow him around, as he was only able to muster a total of 35 points in 50 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, only nine of those being goals. As the league grew closer to the trade deadline, speculation grew that Kane may not be moved at all.

To prove the doubters wrong, in his last five games wearing a Blackhawks uniform, Kane scored three goals and seven assists in five games and was promptly moved to the New York Rangers. Needing some time to adjust to a new environment, Kane put up a respectable 12 points in 19 games for the Rangers during the regular season. Even more importantly, Kane did continue his impressive career-long playoff success, scoring six points in seven games for New York.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Now one of Kane’s former teammates with the Rangers, Tarasenko is also suffering from a depressed year according to his standards. Just a season ago, Tarasenko finished with 82 points in 75 games, looking to be setting himself nicely to hit the market this offseason. Much like Kane, Tarasenko’s offensive numbers took a dive, only scoring 10 goals in 38 games for the St.Louis Blues, before he was also traded to New York before the deadline.

In 31 games for the Rangers, Tarasenko did see a slight offensive output improvement, but not by much. In 31 games in New York, he scored eight goals and 13 assists, adding another four points in seven playoff games. Tarasenko had been heavily linked to the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes towards the opening of the market, but was so underwhelmed by his offers, that he switched his representation to CAA Hockey.

Tomas Tatar – One of the more interesting names still available in the free agency market, Tatar has made it difficult for teams to gauge exactly what kind of player they are going to get. In the regular season, he is typically good for 20 goals, and anywhere from 25-35 assists. Last season playing for the New Jersey Devils, Tatar scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games, impressively carrying a rating of +41 at season’s end.

Not only does he carry above-average offensive output for the majority of his career, his possession numbers are solid too, evidenced by his career marks of 60.6 CF%. The major problem for Tatar is the completely different player that seems to come out during the playoffs. In 52 career playoff games, Tatar carries a horrid seven goals and six assists, and an even worse -14 rating. This fact about Tatar has likely driven playoff teams away from his camp, and even rebuilding teams as well, as they likely wouldn’t receive much interest for his services at the trade deadline.

Defensemen

Mathew Dumba – One of the focal points to the Minnesota Wild’s defense over the last decade, Dumba has seemingly become a different player after his impressive 2017-18 season. The offensive numbers have taken the biggest hit, only scoring 94 points in the last 209 games wearing a Wild jersey. Things are not all bad though for Dumba, as he regularly played over 20 minutes a game in Minnesota, saw ice time on the penalty kill, and still carries an oiSV% of 90.5.

Because of their cap situation, it is more than likely that Dumba has played his last game for the Wild, and the two most interested teams find themselves well out of the playoff picture for the next couple of seasons. The Arizona Coyotes have reportedly been linked to Dumba, giving him better access to power-play time; and the San Jose Sharks have considered adding him as well, citing Dumba as a possible replacement for Erik Karlsson.

Goaltenders

Martin Jones – The 2023 free agency class was always considered thin, and the goalie market may have been the thinnest of all positions. Most quality names have already signed up to this point, making Jones one of the better options still available.

During the 2022-23 season, Jones had a back-and-forth season. During a stretch in early January for Seattle, Jones produced a record of 7-0-0, carrying a .926 SV% during that stretch. The win streaks that the Kraken were able to achieve with Jones in the net ultimately put the team in the playoffs, but the overall picture of Jones’ year doesn’t look promising. Although finishing with a great record of 27-13-3, Jones finished the year with a .886 SV% and a 2.99 GAA. The underlying numbers don’t bode well for Jones either, as his GSAA finished at -21.4.

Latest On The Carolina Hurricanes, Vladimir Tarasenko

July 5, 2023 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

In some rather jaw-dropping timing, UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his representation just four days into this year’s free agency period. Per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is now represented by J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson of CAA. Because of this, any negotiations Tarasenko had with NHL teams have now been reset, confirming he has no deal in place to join any team with most of his peers already off the market.

One of the best players available (and No. 3 on our list of this year’s UFAs), Tarasenko seemed to be off the market a few days ago. The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman had reported things were close between Tarasenko and the Carolina Hurricanes, which a few other insiders later echoed – although no major developments were later confirmed.

Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post said Tarasenko had “multiple” offers on the table from NHL teams, including Carolina, ranging between $5.5MM and $6MM per season with various lengths. Tarasenko (and his previous representation, Paul Theofanous) rejected them all, potentially misreading the market after countryman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year deal with Carolina paying him $7.75MM per season.

However, all signs indicate Carolina is still the likely destination for Tarasenko once negotiations re-start and a deal gets hammered out. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta speculates it’ll be a one-year deal at this stage, with Tarasenko likely looking to get more money in a less rigid cap environment a year from now, although he will be 32 years old by then.

With Carolina down to $4.5MM in cap space (per CapFriendly), plus the impending Tony DeAngelo acquisition on Saturday, Pagnotta notes defenseman Brett Pesce is still on the trade market without an extension past this season. He names the Nashville Predators as a team involved in Pesce trade talks, although the 28-year-old could block a trade if he leaves Nashville off his 15-team “yes”-trade list.

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