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Maple Leafs Showing Interest In Several Bottom-Six Forwards

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With their cap space relatively limited (though likely to grow once Ryan Reaves is off the roster either via waivers or AHL assignment), the Maple Leafs appear to be looking at some lower-cost options up front.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that among the bottom-six players Toronto is looking at are Kraken winger Brandon Tanev and Sharks forward Luke Kunin.  Meanwhile, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that they’re also in the mix for Flyers center Scott Laughton.

Tanev is in the final season of a six-year, $21MM contract carrying a $3.5MM AAV.  The 33-year-old had a breakout offensive year in 2022-23, a campaign that saw him set new personal bests in goals (16), assists (19), and points (35).  However, he hasn’t been able to reach that point total in the last two seasons combined as he has reverted to his more typical level of production.

This season, Tanev has nine goals and eight assists through 61 games.  Of course, physicality is his main calling card and he’s once again averaging over two hits per contest.  He’s also Seattle’s most-used forward on the penalty kill which will make him more appealing to Toronto and other playoff contenders.  He has a 10-team no-trade list which could come into play depending on where he’s moved, assuming the Kraken find a swap to their liking.

Kunin, meanwhile, is the most versatile player out of this group as he can be deployed at all three forward positions.  The 27-year-old has only reached the 30-point mark once in his career, that being back in 2019-20 when he had 31 points in 63 games.  He has equaled his line from last year, tallying 11 goals and seven assists in 63 contests while chipping in with 163 hits.  Like Tanev, Kunin is also heavily used on the penalty kill.

He’s in the last year of his contract, one that carries a $2.75MM AAV.  Notably, San Jose does not have any remaining retention slots while Toronto doesn’t quite have enough money to bring him in, even if Reaves is off the roster.  So if the Maple Leafs are to land Kunin, they’ll either have to open up some more cap space or a third team will need to get involved to retain a chunk of the contract.

As for Laughton, he’s more of a higher-end bottom-six piece.  Through 59 games this season, he has 11 goals and 16 assists, his second straight season of a decline in per-game production.  Of course, the 30-year-old is known for his sound defensive game and brings the size, physicality, and penalty killing acumen that many teams are known to be coveting.

Notably, Laughton has another year left on his contract on a deal that carries a $3MM AAV.  Between that and the dearth of centers available, Philadelphia is believed to have set a high asking price for Laughton’s services, a package that includes a first-round pick.  If Toronto GM Brad Treliving wants to make a longer-term splash over going for a rental, he’ll have to pay a pretty hefty price to do so.

Kraken Holding Out Brandon Tanev For Trade Purposes

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The Seattle Kraken are planning to hold winger Brandon Tanev out of the lineup in Thursday night’s game against the Nashville Predators per Sporstnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This will be Seattle’s way of protecting their assets with Friday’s Trade Deadline looming. Tanev has been a frequent mention in trade rumors leading into deadline season.

Tanev has played for three different clubs in his 10-year career, but the heat of trade rumors is a new feeling. He’s never been traded before, instead making his moves through free agency and NHL expansion drafts. Tanev broke into the pros after scoring 28 points in 38 games of his senior season at Providence College. That convinced Winnipeg to sign Tanev to a one-year, undrafted free agent contract out of college and promote him directly to the NHL. He received a handful of games across the next three seasons, each time performing well enough in a bottom-six role to convince the Jets to re-up his contract. But he struggled to muster much production, with just 22 points and 44 penalty minutes in the first 116 games and three seasons of his NHL career. But continued trust from the Jets organization paid off in the 2018-19 season. Tanev lapped his previous totals that year, posting 14 goals, 29 points, and 41 penalty minutes in 80 games.

With a burgeoning bottom-six, Winnipeg opted to let Tanev walk to free agency after his breakout year. After four years of one-year contracts and with one substantial performance under his belt, Tanev landed a six-year, $21MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the open market. He held up his performances in his first year with Pittsburgh, netting 11 goals and 25 points in 68 games – but routine absences quickly became troublesome. Tanev would play in just 62 games of the next two seasons. He scored an encouraging 16 goals and 31 points in those appearances – and seem well set up for a breakout year whenever he found his way back to full health.

That’s exactly what happened in Seattle after the Kraken chose the hard-nosed winger with their expansion draft selection from Pittsburgh. Tanev managed a career-high 16 goals, 35 points, and 44 penalty minutes in 82 games of Seattle’s 2022-23 season. It was another breakout for the hard-hitting wing, though he’s failed to live up to it in the two years since – with 33 points and 61 penalty minutes in his last 126 games. Tanev is still a hard-working, physical, and strong bottom-six winger with a flash of goal-scoring upside. He’s in the final year of his multi-year extension originally signed in Pittsburgh, and could offer a cheap and physical rental option on a market now without former Bruins center Trent Frederic.

Kraken Recall Tye Kartye, Cale Fleury

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The Kraken announced they’ve reinstated winger Tye Kartye from his conditioning loan to AHL Coachella Valley, which managed to avoid us when it was announced on Feb. 27. They’ve also summoned defenseman Cale Fleury from the minors, filling the roster spot they opened in yesterday’s trade with the Lightning.

Kartye, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by Seattle in 2022 and has quickly climbed up their depth chart. He burst onto the scene with a 57-point rookie season in AHL Coachella Valley that got him called up for the Kraken’s first-ever playoff appearance in 2023, making his NHL debut in the postseason and performing well with 3-2–5 in 10 games.

The center/winger has been a fixture on Seattle’s roster since. The 5’11”, 202-lb lefty was solid in a fourth-line role last year, contributing 11-9–20 in 77 games with a team-leading 229 hits. He shot with aplomb for his limited minutes too, ranking 10th on the team with 109 shots on goal with a good 10.1% finishing rate. This season has been far less successful. Kartye has just 3-4–7 through 49 games with a team-worst -16 rating and has been averaging fewer than 10 minutes per game. He was a healthy scratch in three games coming out of the 4 Nations break before his conditioning loan last week.

Kartye did well in his return to AHL play, posting 2-2–4 and a plus-one rating in three games for Coachella Valley. The Kraken hopes that bodes well for his confidence ahead of his expected return to the lineup down the stretch. They’re widely expected to deal pending UFA Brandon Tanev before tomorrow’s deadline, creating a spot for Kartye as their fourth-line right wing.

Fleury, meanwhile, continues his season-long shuffle between leagues. It’s his first recall since Feb. 24, and he’ll likely be sent back to the AHL tomorrow to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs. He’ll give Seattle injury insurance for their road game against the Predators tonight, although he’s not currently expected to draw into the lineup. The 26-year-old has an assist and a plus-two rating in seven showings with the Kraken this year, seeing brief NHL action in all four years of the team’s existence. He has 6-18–24 through 36 minor-league appearances this year.

Seattle Kraken Recall Ben Meyers, Jacob Melanson

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After trading Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier today, the Seattle Kraken opened up a pair of roster spots. Newly acquired Michael Eyssimont will take one of those spots, and the Kraken announced they’re recalling Ben Meyers and Jacob Melanson for additional depth.

Meyers has been an infrequent depth option for the Kraken this season. Despite longer-term injuries to Gourde and captain Jordan Eberle throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Seattle hasn’t called upon Meyers too much. He signed a one-year, $775K contract last summer and has gone scoreless in seven games for the Kraken, averaging 8:10 of ice time per game.

He’s a completely different player in the AHL. He’s second on the Firebirds in scoring with 19 goals and 40 points in 45 AHL contests and continues to show the offensive potential he flashed during his last year at the University of Minnesota in 2021-22. At the time of writing, his production this season brings his career totals to 36 goals and 89 points in 107 AHL games.

Meanwhile, today’s roster move is the first call-up of Melanson’s career. Unfortunately, a lower-body injury cost him approximately the first 30 games of the season. Still, he’s performed adequately upon his return, scoring seven goals and 10 points in 27 contests for AHL Coachella Valley.

Should Melanson draw into the Kraken’s lineup tomorrow night, the former 131st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft will join James Malatesta (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Joshua Roy (Montreal Canadiens) as the only fifth-round picks from that draft to make their NHL debuts.

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced a whopping trade a few days before the deadline. The full trade details are as follows:

  • Tampa Bay acquires F Yanni Gourde (50% retained by Seattle, 25% retained by Detroit), F Oliver Bjorkstrand, the signing rights to D Kyle Aucoin, and Seattle’s 2025 fifth-round pick
  • Seattle acquires F Michael Eyssimont, Tampa Bay’s 2026 first-round pick, Tampa Bay’s 2027 first-round pick, and Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick
  • Detroit acquires a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick (the highest selection between Tampa Bay or Edmonton’s 2025 fourth-round pick)

As a final note on the two first-round picks headed to Seattle, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that both are top-10 protected. If either of the picks are in the top-10, they slide back one year, theoretically meaning they could slide back to the 2028 or 2029 NHL Draft. If that happens to either draft selection, the Lightning will send a third-round pick to the Kraken for any year that it happens.

Tampa opened up some roster flexibility today after waiving forwards Cam Atkinson and Logan Brown on Tuesday, but the moves will only open $900K in cap space. We now know that the Lightning brought in the Detroit Red Wings as a third party for the deal, as they’ll help bring Gourde’s cap hit down to $1.29MM after retention.

Given the package returning to Seattle, this deal will inevitably have a downstream effect on the market. Although Bjorkstrand himself isn’t a rental, it’s a massive price to pay for two players projected to play in the Lightning’s middle-six. It’s a heavy price, but Tampa Bay is gambling that Gourde and Bjorkstrand will be more valuable than two draft picks later in the first round.

Still, aside from the price, it’s not easy to hypothesize better additions for the Lightning. Gourde returns to the organization where he won two Stanley Cup rings in 2020 and 2021 after a four-year hiatus in Washington state.

At the time of writing, Tampa Bay is 10th in the NHL with an 81.05% penalty kill and 18th with a team faceoff percentage of 50.32%. Furthermore, aside from the topical statistics, they are 16th in the NHL with a 50.5% CorsiFor% at even strength. Gourde is expected to help in all three areas.

He’ll carry a 50.8% faceoff rate and a 52.2% CorsiFor% at even strength into his first game back with the Lightning. The move will also allow Tampa Bay to move Nick Paul to the second line and give Gourde third-line minutes next to a combination of different wingers. Given the firepower at the top of Tampa Bay’s forward core, Gourde won’t be counted upon as much for offense, which could even help improve his play on the defensive side of the puck.

The deal’s benefits don’t end there for Tampa. If the Lightning believe Paul is better suited on the third line, Bjorkstrand can immediately step into the second line. Dating back to his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstand can generally be relied upon for 20 goals and 30 to 40 assists a year. Bjorkstrand is only one year removed from the best offensive production of his career, scoring 20 goals and 59 points for the Kraken in 82 contests.

Similarly to Gourde, Bjorkstrand is a solid possession player, evidenced by his career CorsiFor% of 52.0% at even strength. Given that Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli have scored 30 and 20 goals already this season, respectively, Bjorkstrand will be an effective playmaker to put alongside them.

The only roster player headed to Seattle is Eyssimont. He’s spent the last three years as a bottom-six forward for the Lightning and is only one year removed from a career campaign himself. Eyssimont scored 11 goals and 25 points in 81 games for Tampa Bay last season, averaging 11:51 of ice time per game. Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to those standards this year, scoring five goals and 10 points in 51 contests, averaging 10:41 of ice time per game.

Meanwhile, the Kraken are on the horizon of complementing an already deep prospect pool. Seattle will have nine picks in the top 64 of the next three NHL Drafts alone. Should the Lightning continue winning, those first-round picks won’t fall till later. Still, it’s always better to have two picks in the first round rather than one.

The impact of this deal on the trade market cannot be overstated. Many have perceived that this year’s deadline has become a seller’s market, and this trade solidifies that notion. Clear-cut buyers such as the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets may have more difficulty improving their roster after this trade. Additionally, teams on the playoff bubble may have an easier time buying and selling before Friday’s deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images. 

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Tampa Bay was working on acquiring Gourde and Bjorkstrand from Seattle. 

Friedman was the first to report that Seattle was acquiring two first-round picks in the deal. 

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report a majority of the trade details.

LeBrun was the first to report salary retention details and Detroit’s involvement.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Seattle Kraken Activate Yanni Gourde, Reassign Ben Meyers

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The Seattle Kraken have a healthy roster for the first time since the beginning of the season. Ahead of tonight’s contest against the Minnesota Wild, the Kraken announced they’ve activated Yanni Gourde from the long-term injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, Seattle reassigned Ben Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

After undergoing surgery to repair a hernia on the last day of January, Gourde’s projected recovery timeline was approximately five to seven weeks. On the shorter end of the spectrum, it was believed Gourde would return on March 7th at the earliest possible time, but he’ll beat that projection by a few days.

Gourde has been an oft-mentioned trade candidate throughout deadline season, even through his surgery recovery. He’s on the last season of a six-year, $31MM contract and may come a lot cheaper should the Kraken retain 50% of his remaining salary in a hypothetical trade. Given that anything can change during this time of the NHL calendar, it’s also unsurprising that TSN’s Pierre LeBrun mentioned a few days ago that Seattle hasn’t shut the door on an extension for Gourde.

Unfortunately, Gourde will return to one of the worst offensive seasons of his career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has six goals and 16 points in 35 games with the Kraken this year. The one-month absence won’t help him much in expanding those totals, but he still has plenty of value on the defensive side of the puck.

Since becoming a full-time player for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017-18 campaign, Gourde has maintained a 48.9% success rate in the faceott dot. He’s mildly beating that performance this year with a 49.9% rate. Additionally, Gourde is again averaging approximately one blocked shot and two hits per game. His metrics are solid, too, with a 51.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and an impressive 97.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength. If any contending team is looking for a consistent bottom-six center — Gourde should be their target.

Meanwhile, Meyers returns to Coachella Valley after a brief call-up. He’s gone scoreless over seven games with the Kraken this season, averaging 8:10 of ice time per game. He’s been understandably better at the AHL level, scoring 19 goals and 40 points in 45 games for the Firebirds.

Kraken Willing To Retain Half Of Brandon Tanev's Salary

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  • According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Seattle Kraken have indicated they’re willing to retain 50% of Brandon Tanev’s $3.5MM cap hit. If Tanev’s market wasn’t already robust, the news should open up his market to most, if not all, of the contending teams this season. The 10-year veteran would instantly improve any team’s bottom six and should command a second-round pick in a strong seller’s market.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Kraken Recall Philipp Grubauer, Assign Niklas Kokko To AHL

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Late in January, the Kraken decided to place Philipp Grubauer on waivers to allow him to get some extended time with AHL Coachella Valley to try to get him back on track.  It appears they’re content with how he performed as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the veteran from the Firebirds.  In a corresponding move, Niklas Kokko was assigned to Coachella Valley.

Grubauer struggled in his first three seasons with Seattle, failing to record a save percentage of .900.  But this year, things went much worse.  Prior to his demotion, the 33-year-old put up a 3.83 GAA and a .866 SV% in 21 outings, numbers that are dead last among netminders with at least 20 appearances.  That’s hardly the type of performance they’re expecting from someone carrying a cap charge of $5.9MM through the 2026-27 season.

With the Firebirds, Grubauer was better but his numbers were still relatively pedestrian for a long-time NHL veteran.  In seven appearances with them, he posted a 2.87 GAA with a .893 SV%.  Now that he’s back with Seattle, his likely goal over the next seven weeks will be to try to play well enough to not be considered for a contract buyout this summer.

As for Kokko, he made his first career NHL appearance on Tuesday, making four saves on six shots in half a game against St. Louis.  The 20-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level deal and has fared well in the minors, putting up a 2.44 GAA and a .909 SV% in 21 games with the Firebirds.  With Coachella Valley in a three-way battle for the top spot in the Pacific Division, Kokko will now get into some meaningful action down the stretch.

Central Notes: Jets, Maroon, Bichsel, Carcone

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The Winnipeg Jets are entering the Trade Deadline with little bargaining pieces but plenty of cap space. That’s the set up for some low-cost lineup tinkering, with left-defense the most glaring issue on the roster. That hole could draw the Jets towards open market options like Boston’s Brandon Carlo or Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak, per Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Both players carry a cap hit below $5MM. Oleksiak’s deal expires at the end of next season, while Carlo has two years left and a modified no-trade clause.

The added security and movement protection could make Carlo a tough fish to catch. Oleksiak will likely be much more expendable for the right price. The 32-year-old defensive-defenseman has been a focal point of the Kraken blue-line over the last four seasons. He’s averaging 19 minutes of ice time through 60 games this year, while posting 13 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a minus-eight. That stat line is largely in-line with what Oleksiak has managed in three prior years in Seattle – routinely floating between 15 and 20 points and negative plus-minuses, all while serving from a carved out role on the second pair. Oleksiak is six-foot-seven, 250-pounds and patrols the defensive end with a long reach and heavy physical presence. Winnipeg has tried to net the same impact from players like Logan Stanley – one of the only NHLers as tall as Oleksiak – but to little avail. Stanley has just nine points, 72 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 in 47 games on Winnipeg’s bottom-pair. Any upgrade they make will be solely focused on improving that third-pair’s standing as the Jets plan for a very late season.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have kicked the door to the Trade Deadline wide open by swapping defender Seth Jones for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick. All signs point towards the Hawks continuing to sell as the deadline draws closer – with pieces like Ryan Donato, Alec Martinez, and Petr Mrazek all on the block. But of their aged veterans, winger Pat Maroon doesn’t seem likely to join in on the relocation. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d prefer to stay with Chicago rather than experience yet another deadline trade. Maroon has been moved in February or March three different times in his career, including at last year’s deadline. He signed his first open market contract since 2020 this summer – choosing the Windy City as his landing spot. 54 games later, Maroon must clearly be enjoying the role of veteran leader and Stanley Cup expert in front of Chicago’s young core. He has 14 points, 71 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 on the year, while serving a minimal role in Chicago’s bottom-six. While opening up that spot would certainly open minutes for more top prospects, it’d be tough to see Chicago go against Maroon’s wishes for anything less than a golden offer.
  • Top rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel is progressing in his return from an upper-body injury. He is doubtful for the Dallas Stars’ game against St. Louis on Sunday, but could return when they face New Jersey on Tuesday, per Dallas News’ Lia Assimakopoulos. Bichsel was injured on a high hit from New York Islanders grinder Casey Cizikas on February 23rd. He’s missed two games since. Bichsel has played the first 18 games of his NHL career this season. He has five points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in that span – and has looked the part of a projectable first-round pick. News of his return on Tuesday will also suggest that Bichsel will continue to hold a role on the NHL roster, though it will be shaky ground as Dallas looks to buy improvements at the deadline. In an aforementioned fun fact, Bichsel is one of the few other six-foot-seven defenders.
  •  The Utah Hockey Club were without depth forward Michael Carcone on Saturday evening. He was listed as a game-time decision due to a lower-body injury, per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. Carcone has filled a minimal lineup role in Utah, with 13 points, 29 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 41 games this year. Utah turned towards Kevin Stenlund to fill-in during the losing effort. Stenlund recorded one assist in 11 minutes of ice time. It was his 14th point of the year through 61 appearances. Jack McBain also saw a boost in Carcone’s absence, stepping onto the second-unit power-play. He did not manage any scoring in the fill-in role.

Kraken Could Try To Sign Yanni Gourde To Contract Extension

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The Nashville Predators are reportedly listening to trade offers on veteran center Ryan O’Reilly (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). The Predators aren’t in a hurry to move the 34-year-old as he still has two years left on his current contract at $4.5MM per season and continues to provide strong two-way play, despite his offensive production dipping this season. O’Reilly is just a year removed from posting 69 points in 82 games and has put up points at a reasonable rate this year with 14 goals and 22 assists in 56 games.

The Predators aren’t actively trying to trade the Clinton, Ontario native, but it does sound as though they are open to doing so if they receive a trade offer that is to their liking. They currently sit 16 points out of a playoff spot but have many veterans inked to long term deals and are unlikely to initiate a rebuild anytime soon.

In other morning notes:

  • The Seattle Kraken have not closed the door on re-signing pending free agent center Yanni Gourde (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Gourde is out of the lineup at the moment recovering from successful sports hernia surgery and has not played since January 2nd. He is expected to return before the NHL Trade Deadline and could be moved if Seattle can’t sign him to an extension. The situation is not unlike that of Jordan Eberle last year, who lingered on trade boards up until he signed a two-year extension to remain in Seattle.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are reportedly open to keeping forward Jake Evans and won’t just move him for the sake of trading him (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Montreal remains in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, sitting just three points back of Detroit for the final Wild Card spot and has plenty of draft picks at their disposal. The Canadiens have reportedly communicated their willingness to hang onto the 28-year-old Evans, who is set to become a UFA on July 1st.  LeBrun believes that Winnipeg, New Jersey, Minnesota, Toronto and Edmonton are among the teams that have inquired about Evans.

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