Snapshots: Barabanov, Kladno, Nash
Usually, when a pending free agent moves at the trade deadline, it’s away from a struggling team to chase the Stanley Cup with a contender. In Alexander Barabanov‘s case, it was the exact opposite, going from the division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs to the sub-.500 San Jose Sharks. That move has proven to be a great one for the 26-year-old forward though as he is finally getting a chance in the NHL and has two points in two games to show for it.
When Barabanov’s entry-level deal expires at the end of this season he will be an unrestricted free agent, but perhaps he has found his next home already. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic examined Barabanov’s start with the Sharks and spoke to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, who explained that “if there was a decent offer for one year, big-boy contract [from the Sharks], I would be for it.”
- Jaromir Jagr has helped Kladno climb back to the top tier in the Czech Republic again after being relegated for last season. The ageless wonder is not only the majority owner of the team but also played for them again this season, scoring nine points in 15 playoff games. Jagr, 49, was helped by some NHL friends including Tomas Plekanec, who led the postseason in scoring and is expected to return for Kladno next year. Even Jagr hinted that his playing career isn’t done just yet.
- Riley Nash was spotted by reporters including Mark Masters of TSN today, skating for the first time since being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline. The checking center could potentially return from his knee sprain in time for the playoffs, which Toronto clinched last night with a win over the Montreal Canadiens. Nash is currently on long-term injured reserve but with no salary cap issues in the postseason, could be inserted into the playoff lineup whenever healthy.
Snapshots: NWHL, Kekalainen, Boqvist
The NWHL has officially announced a salary cap increase to $300,000 for each team, doubling the cap that it had previously used. Commissioner Tyler Tumminia released the following statement on the increase:
The NWHL is committed to its vision of providing opportunities for elite women’s hockey players to earn a living playing the game they love. This increased investment by ownership, especially following a challenging and shortened season, is a significant step forward and exemplifies the strength of our league and our developing business model as we continue to advance professional women’s hockey and inspire the next generation of female athletes.
The league is coming off a successful conclusion to its shortened 2020-21 campaign, which dealt with continual delays and cancellations that threatened to keep the Isobel Cup off the ice. In late March, the playoffs were broadcast on NBCSN for the first time, with hundreds of thousands watching the Boston Pride take home the championship. Just a few days ago, it was announced that the 2021 NWHL Draft will be held virtually on June 29, broadcast live on Twitch, the league’s streaming partner.
- Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has a tall order of building his NHL team back to relevance, but some of his time will also be spent representing his country. The veteran executive has been named assistant general manager of Team Finland for next year’s Winter Olympics, helping former NHL forward and Finland GM Jere Lehtinen in the selection of players. Of course, there are a few names on the Columbus roster currently that could be considered for the team, most notably sniper Patrik Laine. The 23-year-old Laine has had the worst season of his career so far this year, scoring just 12 goals and 21 points in 42 games, 18 of which came with the Blue Jackets after an early-season trade. Newcomer Mikko Lehtonen could be in the running after dominating in the KHL, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo could make it depending on what happens with aging netminders like Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have not yet announced a recovery timeline, but don’t expect to see Adam Boqvist back on the ice this season. Head coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters including those at The Athletic that the young defenseman suffered a broken wrist in last night’s game. It is unclear yet how long he’ll be out, but Colliton explained this morning that he does not believe Boqvist will need surgery.
Snapshots: Rossi, Draft Odds, All-Star Game, Nosek
In late January, the Wild announced that Marco Rossi wouldn’t play this season due to “complications from COVID”. In a harrowing interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), the 19-year-old revealed that he was diagnosed with myocarditis (a heart inflammation) and that his life could have been in serious danger had Austria moved on to the medal round at the World Juniors. The great news is that Rossi is doing well and the plan is for him to start ramping up to on-ice training in the coming weeks as he looks to try to return for next season.
More from around the hockey world:
- With the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting their first-round pick this season as a result of last year’s fitness testing violation and the fact they’re not in a playoff spot at the moment, it had the potential to affect the June 2nd draft lottery. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the league will not do a redistribution of odds if Arizona’s pick winds up in the lottery. Instead, they’ll keep them as they normally are and simply redraw if Arizona’s number combination is drawn. As a reminder, Seattle will have the third-highest odds for those proceedings.
- Seravalli also relays that the NHL intends to hold an All-Star Game next season. While that alone isn’t notable, the league typically shied away from doing so in years that they intend to participate in the Olympics with the last time both events happened being back in 2002. Seravalli notes that the plan is for them to find a way to squeeze it in even with the extended break so this shouldn’t be construed as a sign that they won’t be participating. As things stand, the NHL and NHLPA are believed to be pushing to finalize things with the IOC within the next month or so.
- While Tomas Nosek won’t be returning right away from the injury he suffered over the weekend, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects to have the veteran available by the time the playoffs start next month. The veteran has 18 points in 38 games this season while averaging 13:00 per night.
Snapshots: Schwartz, Gostisbehere, Glass
The St. Louis Blues and Jaden Schwartz are interested in getting together for an extension as the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent nears free agency. However, after failing to come to an agreement before the trade deadline. However, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford and Shayna Goldman (subscription required) note that Schwartz might have a hard time earning a big contract this offseason considering the flat cap as well as Schwartz’s inconsistent year.
The 29-year-old Schwartz will be seeking a big contract this offseason, but after a 22-goal season in 2019-20, he has just six goals in 30 games this year. Despite that, the Blues remain interested in bringing back Schwartz.
“I don’t want to get into specifics,” general manager Doug Armstrong said after the trade deadline. “But Jaden is a player who we talked about earlier that is a primary player for us that we’d like to keep here. Nothing has changed since then, or until the day that we hopefully get him signed.”
Schwartz, who is currently wrapping up a five-year, $26.7MM contract ($5.35MM AAV) is still considered a top-six player and should still be for some time and his dip in production is nothing new as he has always been an inconsistent player who is capable of getting red-hot at any time. However, with the flat cap and the number of teams offering much less term than usual years, it’s possible that Schwartz will have to accept a slight raise for fewer years if he wants to stay in St. Louis.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they will be without defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for seven to 10 days with an MCL sprain. He was injured Friday against the New York Rangers, but played 20:17 and finished the game. Samuel Morin replaced him in the lineup Sunday, but head coach Alain Vigneault said the team is considering recalling defensemen Cam York or Egor Zamula from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL with the idea to see one or both in action with nine games remaining in the regular season. Gostisbehere has eight goals and 16 points in 37 games for the Flyers.
- SinBin Vegas’ Steve Carp writes that while watching Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Glass while he plays with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL, that the 22-year-old is struggling with confidence. Carp writes that the center is playing well with two goals and five points in seven games, but the former sixth-overall pick in 2017 should be a dominant presence and isn’t. Of course, with injuries mounting in Vegas, the team likely will have to recall Glass after recent injuries to Tomas Nosek and Nicolas Roy.
Snapshots: Cole, Benns, Marlies, Stuart
Wild defenseman Ian Cole has fit in relatively well since he was acquired early in the season from Colorado, providing a veteran physical presence on their third pairing. The pending free agent told Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he’d like to stick around beyond this season and McLellan notes that his agent and GM Bill Guerin have talked about the possibility of a new deal for the 32-year-old. Cole has a $4.25MM AAV (Minnesota is only responsible for just over 81% of that with Colorado carrying the rest) and while he has held down a regular spot in their lineup, he will likely be facing a pay cut on the open market this summer.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Benn brothers have changed representation, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Jamie Benn (Stars) and Jordie Benn (Jets) will now be represented by CAA’s J.P. Barry and Bayne Pettinger. They had previously been represented by Points West Sports and Entertainment’s Rich Evans. Jamie won’t have to worry about a new contract anytime soon as he has four years left on his current deal that carries a $9.5MM AAV but Jordie is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and has a $2MM price tag this season.
- Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), that things are progressing with regard to the Marlies’ COVID-19 situation. Their AHL affiliate last played on April 10th before the team was shut down due to protocols. Keefe also mentioned that there’s no timeline for them to resume playing; their next scheduled game is May 2nd.
- Former NHL defenseman Mark Stuart is set to be named as an assistant coach at Colorado coach, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports (Twitter link). Stuart last played in 2016-17 and has briefly spent time with AHL Manitoba as a team manager and the University of Vermont as a volunteer coach since retiring.
Snapshots: Newhook, Smith, Hardman
With Avalanche top prospect Alex Newhook turning pro late last month, it looked as if he’d become an interesting late-season recall option if for no other reason than to get his feet wet in the NHL before the playoffs. However, head coach Jared Bednar told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post that the plan for the 20-year-old is to remain in the AHL for the rest of the season. Newhook, the 16th pick in 2019, had 16 points in just a dozen games with Boston College this season while picking up six more in six contests at the World Juniors. As Colorado will need to inject some cheaper players into their lineup for next season, he should have an opportunity to push for a roster spot in training camp but it appears that will be his first crack at an NHL opportunity.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith left this afternoon’s game against Anaheim in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Following the game, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the forward is day-to-day. Smith has had a quieter year offensively with nine goals and seven assists in 44 games after putting up at least 53 points in each of his first three seasons with Vegas.
- Blackhawks winger Mike Hardman is expected to see some game action with Chicago before the end of the season, notes Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 22-year-old signed late last month with a commitment to play this season and was able to get that offer with several other teams showing interest. Hardman had 22 goals over his two seasons at Boston College.
Snapshots: Calgary Event Centre, Marlies, Canucks
The new arena development in Calgary has hit a snag, as Tom Ross of 660 News reports. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation released a statement about budget issues:
At this early stage in the project, there is a difference in the current budget estimate and the program requirements for the facility. Given the significance and importance of the project, the parties have jointly agreed to pause the project team to allow time to resolve these challenges. The decision to take this pause is the responsible and prudent approach to ensure we find the best solutions to move the project forward successfully, without incurring any additional costs on the project while these discussions progress.
Construction on the new arena development was expected to begin in August after the city of Calgary and the Flames agreed to split the cost in 2019. Ross reports it was due to open in 2024, but does not speculate on what kind of delay this pause will cause. Eric Francis of Sportsnet offers some clarification from a source who says “the arena isn’t in jeopardy.” The Flames have been playing in the Saddledome (currently the Scotiabank Saddledome) since 1983.
- The Toronto Marlies have shut down their operations for the time being and three games have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Matches on April 15, 18 and 21 have been postponed, though no make-up dates have been determined at this point. The Marlies are 10-11-1 through the first 22 games of the season and have lost their last three. It is not yet clear if the entire minor league roster will be unavailable for call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs—as was the case during other AHL outbreaks this season—or if the protocol is just affecting a select few.
- The Vancouver Canucks are operating as though their season will resume later this week and today recalled two players from the AHL. Guillaume Brisebois and Arturs Silovs have been recalled to the taxi squad. The Canucks had 16 players still on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, though that number is expected to continue to decrease as players finish their mandated quarantine and test negative. The team is scheduled to play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Snapshots: Dzingel, Lindholm, Pettersson, Stars
While some had expected Senators winger Ryan Dzingel to be on the move by yesterday’s trade deadline, he ultimately stuck around in Ottawa. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there wasn’t much interest in the 29-year-old despite having six goals in 17 games since being acquired. Now, Garrioch notes, GM Pierre Dorion’s plan is to discuss a new deal with Dzingel in the offseason. He’s currently carrying a $3.375MM AAV and with how the market for wingers went last year, it’s quite unlikely that the veteran will be able to get that amount on his next deal, with Ottawa or someone else.
More from around the NHL:
- While the initial plan for Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm was that he’d miss six weeks and be back in the middle of April, that no longer is the case. GM Bob Murray told Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register that the blueliner probably is going to be out for the rest of the season. He’s expected to be re-evaluated next week and while there is a chance that he could be fully recovered with a week left in the season, Murray said they wouldn’t ask him to play in that scenario.
- Canucks center Elias Pettersson may be ready to return as Vancouver resumes their schedule this week, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. He had been placed on LTIR due to a wrist injury before their COVID-19 outbreak and will now see a specialist on Wednesday with the hopes of getting the final clearance to suit up.
- Dallas is hoping to have both Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop back in their lineup in two weeks, notes Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website. Both veterans have missed the entire season so far due to hip and knee injuries respectively and are likely to skate with the taxi squad soon. While they’re six points out of the last playoff spot in the West Division, getting those two back for the end of the stretch run would be a big boost to their chances.
Snapshots: Ullmark, Beaulieu, Reaves, DeAngelo
While the Sabres aren’t expected to get a contract extension in place with Linus Ullmark today, they don’t intend to move him by today’s trade deadline, reports John Wawrow of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Instead, the team remains hopeful that they’ll be able to work out a new deal with the netminder before free agency opens up this summer. Ullmark has had a pretty successful year with Buffalo despite all of their struggles, posting a 2.64 GAA along with a .917 SV% in 19 starts this season. That has him positioned to land a nice increase on his current $2.6MM salary either from the Sabres or elsewhere this summer.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Jets have transferred Nathan Beaulieu to LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The defenseman had been ruled out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this month so it was a move that could have been done at any time. The placement adds another $1.15MM to Winnipeg’s LTIR pool, giving them just under $4.8MM in full-season cap hit that can be brought in. That said, that number could drop a bit if they recall Kristian Vesalainen back up from the taxi squad later today; that would push Winnipeg’s spending room to a little under $4MM.
- Golden Knights winger Ryan Reaves won’t face any supplementary discipline for his hit on Coyotes defenseman Jordan Gross yesterday, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The ruling appears to be that while there was definitely contact to the head, it was not the principal point of contact.
- The Rangers aren’t expected to find a late trade partner for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, tweets Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The blueliner hasn’t played since clearing waivers and being dismissed from the team in early February. With another year left on his deal with a $4.8MM AAV (and a $5.3MM salary), he’s pretty much a lock to be bought out this summer.
Snapshots: Hall, Zadorov, Kulikov, Blueger, Tanev
Taylor Hall has been sitting for just over a week now while waiting to see where he’ll be traded to. It appears his new team may soon be known as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter links) that the Sabres have made progress on the trade front today and there are believed to just be three teams left in the mix for his services. Buffalo will undoubtedly need to retain a sizable chunk of his $8MM cap hit (they can hold up to half) and as we’ve seen with recent notable moves, a third-party facilitator could also be in play. While the 29-year-old is having quite a rough season with just two goals in 37 games, he could be an intriguing wild card for whoever gets him down the stretch.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Blackhawks and Nikita Zadorov have held talks on a new deal, report Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription link). Chicago is interested in keeping the defenseman in the fold but with Zadorov holding arbitration rights, there is some risk to tendering him a $3.2MM qualifying offer. Chicago’s initial offer is believed to be around $3.5MM while Zadorov’s camp is looking for something starting with a four so there is a bit of ground to be made up. As Zadorov’s not a pending UFA, this isn’t a situation that necessarily has to be resolved by tomorrow’s trade deadline.
- Devils defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was held out of tonight’s lineup as a precaution heading into the trade deadline, Corey Masisak of The Athletic was among those to note (Twitter link). The 30-year-old has two assists in 38 games this season while logging 19:33 per night. With a $1.15MM cap hit, Kulikov is an affordable depth option that is quite likely to move by Monday.
- The Penguins welcomed back Teddy Blueger to the lineup against New Jersey as the team announced that he was activated off injured reserve. The 26-year-old has been quietly effective this season with 15 points in 28 games. Meanwhile, the Pens also transferred winger Brandon Tanev to LTIR retroactive to April 3rd. For the time being, that gives them another $3.5MM in cap room to work with and if they believe that he’ll miss the rest of the season, that could give them some more flexibility to try to make a splash at the deadline.