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Snapshots: Gilbert, Schmaltz, Vrbata

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When Tom Gilbert was traded from Los Angeles to the Washington Capitals just over a week ago, it was a step in the right direction for the veteran defenseman. Gilbert had played just 18 games for the Kings and was clearly not in their plans after sending him through waivers to the AHL. He told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post as much and admitted that coming to Washington was very exciting for him. The Capitals acquired him mostly as injury depth, as he is still playing at the AHL level. But perhaps his coming East will pay off already.

Matt Niskanen was taken out of last night’s game with a lower-body injury, and though it doesn’t seem to be serious it is a sign of how close Gilbert is to having to play a vital role on the best team in the NHL. The Capitals already have just two right-handed defensemen—Niskanen and John Carlson—and use Nate Schmidt on his off-side with Brooks Orpik. If either of Niskanen or Carlson went down it would open a gaping hole on the Caps back end, one that Gilbert would gladly step into. Remember that though it was a long time ago, Gilbert was once a 45 point defenseman, capable of moving the puck with the best of them. It’s nice to have depth.

  • It’s a dream come true for Chicago Blackhawks winger Nick Schmaltz as he plays alongside Jonathan Toews. Schmaltz had three points last night and looks to be finding a nice groove on the wing of the resurgent Toews. In his rookie season Schmaltz has just 14 points in 41 games, but six of those have come in the last five as he’s gotten a nice icetime bump. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times writes in his latest column that the Blackhawks may have found an answer long-term on the captain’s wing. It doesn’t hurt that both are from the University of North Dakota and have taken a very similar path to the NHL.
  • If you consider Schmaltz a long-term piece on the top line, then how do you fill the other side? Is Richard Panik really the answer beside Toews? Craig Morgan of FanRag Sports has his doubts, and suggests a former Hawk should make his way back to the Windy City. Radim Vrbata is available at the deadline, and with his ridiculously low cap-hit of just $1MM, Chicago could likely afford him for the final part of the season. The veteran winger has 41 points this season and has rebounded well from the worst year of his career.

Evening Snapshots: Callahan, Conacher, Kerdiles

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without Ryan Callahan indefinitely, reports Bryan Burns of TampaBayLightning.com. Callahan suffered a hip injury in January but was expected to return last week. There is now no new date for his return as Callahan gets ready for a second procedure to try and fix the issue. GM Steve Yzerman intimated that Callahan will miss the remainder of the season and some of the playoffs, should the Lightning go on a run. The veteran winger has 2G and 2A in 18 games so far. The Lightning—should they put Callahan on LTIR—would be able to exceed the cap by Callahan’s $5.8MM cap hit if they want to load up on trade deadline rentals. They are only 4 points out of a wild card spot with 22 games left to play.
  • Continuing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team called up forward Cory Conacher, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Conacher is currently 9th overall in AHL scoring, and fresh off a two-goal performance last night with the Syracuse Crunch. So far Conacher hasn’t had a proper chance to translate his AHL success to the NHL, but has 1G and 1A in seven games with the big club. Joe Smith speculates that Conacher was recalled just in case Jonathan Drouin cannot play tonight. Lightning Insider Erik Erlendsson reported that Drouin did not practice with the team today.
  • Anaheim Ducks forward Nicolas Kerdiles is set to make his NHL debut tonight against the Boston Bruins, reports Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. The Ducks drafted Kerdiles 36th overall in 2012, but the Texas native placed in the NCAA for the next two years. He’s played only ten games with the AHL San Diego Gulls this season after suffering his second concussion, but he’s managed to record 4G and 5A those ten games. Early reports have him skating with Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry.

Snapshots: Miller, Chayka, Dorion

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

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

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

Snapshots: Vegas, Expansion Draft, Theodore

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While it has been widely expected that the Vegas Golden Knights would be ready to start doing business with teams around the league on March 1st, it sounds now like they’ll miss the opportunity to be in calls on the trade deadline. The team could have never participated in deals involving active NHL or AHL players, but could have swapped picks or starting hammering out deals for the expansion draft. Now according to owner Bill Foley on KXNT, the team will only be able to have informal discussions because their paperwork won’t be filed in time.

In practice, this doesn’t stop George McPhee and the rest of the front office from being involved on deadline day, but nothing they do can officially be signed off or sanctioned by the NHL. That leaves room for doubt, and on a day where so much is at stake may scare off potential teams. Teams around the league are having a tough time deciding what to do because they run the risk of exposing a new asset in the expansion draft, and making hard deals with the Golden Knights might help to assuage those fears.

  • While it’s been a slow lead up so far, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN spoke to one GM that wondered if the 48 hours before the expansion draft would be a little more hectic than the 48 before the March 1st deadline. With the Stanley Cup perhaps being awarded as late as June 15th, the protection lists being due June 17th, and the draft occurring on June 20th it is sure to be a hectic few days for teams to get their ducks in a row. As CapFriendly notes, the buyout window will (likely) open on the 15th giving those few days an extra wrinkle.
  • The venerable Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated profiled the struggles of being a waiver-exempt young player with his latest piece on Anaheim Ducks defender Shea Theodore, who has been shuffled back and forth all season. Theodore has been involved in 13 transactions this year heading one way or the other between the NHL and AHL, and at this point doesn’t even remember most of them. “When you’re up and down so often, you don’t realize how many it’s actually been,” he tells Prewitt, before going into detail on his packing routine (or lack thereof). Theodore will actually be exempt for another two seasons, or 105 games depending on what comes first. While the Ducks—and Theodore himself—hope that he will be firmly entrenched in the lineup by then, it does show the value of having a player able to bounce back and forth. The San Jose Sharks do a similar thing with Mirco Mueller, who has played just four games for the NHL club despite being called up almost a dozen times.

Evening Snapshots: Ducks, Miller, Red Wings

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Anaheim Ducks reassigned forward Corey Tropp back down to the AHL San Diego Gulls today. The Gulls leader in both points and assists (37P and 25A) failed to make an impact in his only game with the Ducks, going pointless while playing under ten minutes last night against the Arizona Coyotes. The Ducks did not specify why Tropp was reassigned, but his AHL scoring touch should have him back up with the big club at some point in the future.
  • ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported (video link) that Vancouver Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller has a modified No-Trade Clause that restricts trades to all but five NHL teams. Three of those teams are the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and the Anaheim Ducks. It’s clear that Miller wants to stay out west, but players have been known to waive NTCs for the right situation. Miller was last traded at the deadline by the Buffalo Sabres to the St. Louis Blues in 2014 for a planned playoff run. Those plans were cut short when the Blues fell in the first round to the then-defending Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks. Miller is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
  • TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported today (video link) that interest in Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith is heating up. McKenzie said that the Red Wings “are getting lots of calls” on the young defenseman. He noted that the interest doesn’t necessarily parley into a surefire trade. The Red Wings will have to weigh the cost of a possible extension against any trade offer. Smith becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season, and has 2G and 3A in 32 games so far. He’s a likely trade deadline candidate if the Red Wings cannot come to terms with him in the next week.

Snapshots: Laich, Vermette, Bye Weeks

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Brooks Laich isn’t happy. He’s making more than $4MM, playing in Toronto on a young team that has had a lot of recent success.  The only problem is that it isn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s the Marlies. He’s been stuck in the AHL all season, and after telling The Athletic yesterday that he would like to be sent somewhere else if he wasn’t in their plans, he was placed on waivers today by the club. James Mirtle, the Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic penned a piece today that contained quotes from Laich’s agent, explaining that his client still believes he can contribute at the NHL level and deserves to have that chance.

Well he’s under contract. He’s not going to break the contract. He’s committed. [But] he’d like to be moved to a team that can use him and help that team make a run for it. Obviously Toronto is trying to fulfill that request.

It’s a tricky situation as Mirtle points out, because if Toronto were to trade him and retain half his salary, it would actually be a bigger cap-hit than leaving him buried in the minors. That’s not something a team does just to be nice, regardless of how much space they might have. It’s unfortunate that it has come to this for the former Washington Capitals forward, after he made such an excellent impression on the team and fan base last spring when he arrived .

  • John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the appeal of Antoine Vermette’s 10-game suspension will happen on Thursday at 2pm in New York. The Ducks will be on their mandated bye-week following Saturday’s upcoming game against the Los Angeles Kings, which will encompass the trade deadline. The team because of Vermette, needs help up front as we outlined yesterday in the Ducks’ deadline primer. If the suspension is reduced, the Ducks will welcome Vermette back with open arms and could move Rickard Rakell back to the wing.
  • Speaking of bye-weeks, it seems like the NHL isn’t happy with the much-publicized struggles of team’s coming back from them. Bill Daly was on TSN 1040 this afternoon discussing the possibility of having just two periods and splitting the teams in half instead of having them throughout the season. Daly said there have been concerns over this season’s schedule from pretty much every important group involved in the NHL, from the owners to the players. If the tweak goes through, teams will play each other coming off the bye-weeks, instead of going up against a squad that doesn’t have any rust. The 4-12-4 record for teams’ first game back off the bye—which includes one win from the Maple Leafs over the Rangers after they both ended their time off—is a clear sign that there was a competitive imbalance to the way things were scheduled this year.

Snapshots: Oilers, Eberle, Kaprizov

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The Edmonton Oilers are in a position to buy for the first time in several deadlines, but that doesn’t mean they should. Their core is still incredibly young, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl along with a handful of defenders 25 and under. Spending prospect or draft pick capital on a high-priced rental isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you’re looking to build long-term success it’s not usually prudent. That’s what Peter Chiarelli thinks at least, in the latest piece from David Staples of the Edmonton Journal. Chiarelli admitted that the group that is winning for the first time in a while deserves some additions, but doesn’t think his front office will be busy on deadline day.

When Chiarelli mentions his offseason moves that are “coming around” he certainly is referring to Adam Larsson, who after a shaky start to the season is starting to turn into the minute-muncher that they’d hoped for. While plus-minus isn’t a perfect stat by any means, Larsson was a -3 through the end of 2016 and has been a +17 since. While a lot of that is dependent on linemates and situations, Larsson has by all accounts started to turn the corner into the excellent puck possession defender they had hoped for. Chiarelli doesn’t think rentals are on the table for his squad, and he might be right. A turned corner by Milan Lucic, another offseason acquisition, would give the Oilers everything they need to make a deep run in these playoffs.

  • Darren Dreger of TSN was on the radio this morning and mentioned that a while back teams were kicking the tires on Jordan Eberle, though discussions didn’t go very far. It will be interesting to see whether the Oilers shop him this summer, as they have to pay Draisaitl this summer and McDavid the year after. After moving Taylor Hall last summer, Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are likely targets this time ’round.
  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov will move to CSKA Moscow in the KHL after this season, when his contract is up. Currently playing with Salavat Yulayev, Kaprizov has 42 points in 49 games. The 19-year old winger was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and would be a big addition if the team eventually convinces him to come to North America. For now, he’ll reportedly go to one of the KHL’s best teams and look to continue his development.

Evening Snapshots: Kings, Maple Leafs, Avalanche

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Los Angeles Kings seem content to go with goaltender Peter Budaj during the playoff run stretch, reports LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. Kings head coach Darryl Sutter articulated that the upcoming deadline had no effect on injured goaltender Jonathan Quick’s recovery timeline—the organization will not start Quick earlier than planned just to see if they need to add something at the deadline. This implies that the Kings will not seek additional goaltending help. Overall, the Kings have to be satisfies with Budaj’s performance so far. He’s gone 26-19-3 with a .916 SV% and a 2.14 GAA, and a league-leading 7 shutouts. Budaj, however, has lost 5 of his last six, though peeled off five straight wins—with three shutouts—before that.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brooks Laich indicated to media today that he would like to go to a playoff contender if the Maple Leafs do not plan to use him this season. Laich has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, and has seen other forwards—Josh Leivo and Frederik Gauthier—receive callups to the big league. Part of the reason that Laich remains in the AHL is that the Leafs have been relatively injury-free this year. The organization has had little need for AHL replacements, and as a result veteran players like Laich get left behind. While one cannot blame an organization for wanting to test out its younger prospects, Laich’s feelings are sure to gather sympathy with the front office. The Maple Leafs have already traded away rarely-used forward Peter Holland, and could do the same to Brooks Laich.
  • Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov is out for the remainder of the season, the team announced today. Zadorov hurt his ankle today in practice after tangling up with forward Mikko Rantanen. The 21 year-old defensive prospect has 0G and 10A for the Avalanche while averaging just over 19 minutes a night. With Colorado mired in last place—the next worst team is 12 points ahead of them—there is no reason to rush Zadorov back.

Snapshots: Vegas, Howard, Flyers

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As the March 1st trade deadline approaches, so does the start of the Vegas Golden Knights capacity to make deals around the league. While he won’t be able to make any moves for active players, he can start shaping the future of the Golden Knights in just over a week. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune caught up with Vegas GM George McPhee and talked to him about the kind of team he’d like to build.

I’ve built high-flying teams in the past, offensive, entertaining teams and would like to do the same thing. What we do with the expansion draft hasn’t been settled yet because until we see the entire universe of what teams want to do, who they want to protect and expose, we don’t know which way we’re going to go.

Indeed, McPhee did build the high-flying Washington Capitals that featured some of the highest goal totals in recent memory. If he constructs the Vegas team the same way, it will be fun to watch at the very least as it likely struggles through its first few seasons. If McPhee wants speed, perhaps a certain Colorado Avalanche centerman who is on the block would be of interest this summer.

  • Jimmy Howard, out since before Christmas with a sprained MCL was seen taking shots today before practice by Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Howard—who turns 33 on March 26th—carries a hefty cap hit and two more years on his contract. While the Red Wings would love to move him for some cap relief, he’ll have to get back onto the ice and prove the start of his season wasn’t a fluke.
  • Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tells us that Hall of Fame winger and current Kings’ President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille has taken over as chairman of the board for Eisbären Berlin, a German hockey team that plays in the DEL. While under Robitaille’s leadership, the Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin back in 2011 when the NHL was testing out different markets with regular season games.
  • Sam Cardichi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Flyers and their quickly sinking ship going into the deadline. After benching Andrew MacDonald in a Sunday night win over the Vancouver Canucks, the team is looking to get Michael Del Zotto more ice-time and are still considering their options for the trade deadline. Cardichi includes he thinks the team will be in sell mode come March 1st.

Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Rozsival, Brodin

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The Maple Leafs announced the four additions to their Legends Row tonight before the start of their game against the Ottawa Senators. Charlie Conacher, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich and Wendel Clark will all have statues revealed in the fall alongside the other 10 players.

Brendan Shanahan (via James Mirtle of The Athletic) spoke at the ceremony, saying “it is our sincere hope that we will soon have reason to expand this bench to recognize future Leafs heroes.” One player Leaf fans are hoping will be in that group one day, Mitch Marner, is out tonight and tomorrow with a shoulder injury, forcing the Maple Leafs to shake up their lines. William Nylander is back skating with Auston Matthews, while Connor Brown has been dropped into Marner’s spot.

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tells us that the 2018 Memorial Cup will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan. The CHL tournament is a huge stage for young players to showcase their skills, and the host city is entered automatically. Hopefully for the Regina Pats, Sam Steel will still be with them next season. The 30th-overall pick by Anaheim at the most recent draft has 103 points in 50 games and is still only 18 years old.
  • According to Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago will be getting a little veteran depth back on the blueline as early as tomorrow. Michal Rozsival, who hasn’t played since January 15th due to a foot injury is set to return to the lineup Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. The veteran of 955 games gives the Hawks an extra body that can be trusted in a limited role. With the team on their way back to the playoffs, they’ll need all the health they can get.
  • Just before their game started, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune told us the Minnesota Wild activated Jonas Brodin from injured reserve. Brodin hasn’t played since January 17th, and will be a big addition to the Wild as they look to continue their dominance in the Western Conference. The team has 82 points already, easily pacing the west and seven points ahead of the Blackhawks for first in the Central Division.
  • Lou Korac of NHL.com adds that the St. Louis Blues have sent Kenny Agostino back down to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, despite playing well in his short stint. The Blues have Paul Stastny returning and had a roster crunch up front. Agostino will head back to the AHL where he was the league’s top scorer at the time of his call up—and still is. 60 points in 48 games for the former fifth-round pick, who has turned into an excellent playmaker at the age of 24.

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