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Breaking Down Potential Landing Spots For Kevin Shattenkirk

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The trade deadline is just over a month away, and there will be a lot of names brought up as potentially on the move. Expiring contracts are the easiest to move, as teams go for a Stanley Cup run while others rebuild. The most talked about name all year and likely for the next month is Kevin Shattenkirk.  The defensemen topped our mid-season list of 2017 UFAs and is having another excellent season.

It was recently reported by Darren Dreger that Shattenkirk would have interest in signing a long-term deal with Anaheim, Boston, Colorado, Detroit, New York (Rangers), San Jose, and Toronto this summer and many have suggested that one of these teams would be willing to be the top bidder at the deadline if they were able to work out an extension with him prior to the deal.

It doesn’t really make sense for some of these teams to make the deal, though the way the Eastern Conference is so tightly packed, everyone might think adding an elite right-handed defenseman would push them into a playoff spot.

A similar deal was made two years ago, when Keith Yandle was dealt to the Rangers. Though Yandle had one more year on his deal, he was a similarly productive offensive defensemen who logged huge minutes. The Rangers had to give up a young sniper in 19-year old Anthony Duclair, a (conditional) first-round pick and a second-round pick. The Rangers would go all the way to the Conference Finals that year, but get bounced out the next in the first round. Recouping some of their lost assets, they dealt Yandle’s rights to Florida where he signed long-term.

For Shattenkirk, imagine a slightly reduced package (unless an extension is reached) but still with substantial assets. Here are some Eastern Conference options for the Blues’ alternate captain.

New York Rangers

Would the Rangers go after another big-named defenseman at the deadline? Shattenkirk is from the area and many people believe they’re the early front-runners for his services this summer. The Rangers haven’t selected a player in the first-round since 2012, and if they go after the Blues’ defenseman they likely won’t this year either. Shattenkirk would look nice skating alongside captain Ryan McDonagh, but the team may not want to part with any young talent or high draft picks again this year.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are slumping hard, losing again today 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Acquiring Shattenkirk may be a fun idea, but it likely wouldn’t be enough to fix everything that’s going wrong right now. It’s unclear who they’d even waive as bait, with Brandon Carlo being their best trade chip. Moving out a young right-handed defenseman for a rental doesn’t sound like the best managing.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs surprised everyone this year by being in the playoff hunt through the first half. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have played better than anyone expected in their rookie seasons, and their secondary scoring has been consistent. They do have a huge hole on the right side of their defense, but all signs point to Brendan Shanahan and company sticking to the rebuild and not giving up young assets. They may be a player in the summer for his services, but it would be shocking to see them move a pick or prospect for him in-season.

Philadelphia Flyers

If Philly wants to make the playoffs this year, they have to do something with their defense corps. After a scorching hot start, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the league the last month or so and can’t seem to keep the puck out of their own net. Shattenkirk would perhaps help them more than any other team, as currently Radko Gudas is their only right-handed defenseman.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Yes, the Penguins already have a stud who plays on the right side, but Kris Letang has been injured for much of the year. A team who often makes a big splash at the deadline for the playoffs, they currently have Justin Schultz, Chad Ruhwedel and Steve Oleksy playing the right side. Though Schultz is having a career season, the playoffs are a different story. The Penguins shouldn’t be considered anything more than a dark horse in the Shattenkirk sweepstakes, but it would be an interesting fit to be sure.

Red Wings Notes: Travel Issues, Power Play Woes, Vanek, Shattenkirk

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It appears it’s not only the Detroit Red Wings’ power play that’s been grounded. Due to fog in Detroit, the Red Wings plane was grounded in Buffalo and practice was cancelled writes the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. It’s problematic, St. James writes, because the Red Wings have a 12:30CST game with the New York Rangers Sunday afternoon in Detroit. Such a break in the schedule hurts the Wings because the earlier time for the game negates a morning skate.

In other Wings news:

  • The power play continues to be a sore spot for Detroit after a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Friday night. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that captain Henrik Zetterberg bemoaned Detroit’s inability to convert on a power play in overtime. Calling four-on-three chances “automatic” for goal scoring, the Red Wings watched as Buffalo cashed in on its overtime power play chance, albeit on a controversial no-call that led to the winning goal.
  • Khan’s colleague, Brendan Savage, wonders what decision the Red Wings will make on Thomas Vanek when the trade deadline approaches. While general manager Ken Holland has stated that he’ll wait until closer to the deadline to decide on selling off assets, Savage sees a potentially difficult decision no matter what the Red Wings do between now and then. Vanek has been one of Holland’s best signings after being bought out by the Wild. Vanek leads the Red Wings with 31 points (12-19), and Savage believes Detroit could re-sign him at the right price. However, he concedes that with only a 5.8% chance of making the playoffs, the Red Wings may want to go after a draft pick or more that Vanek could yield at the deadline.
  • Darren Dreger writes that St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk would “love” to play in Detroit. Speaking on Buffalo’s WGR 550 (transcribed via Fan Rag), Dreger believes that Holland could still try to pry the defenseman away from the Blues in an effort to not only keep the playoff streak alive, but to also solidify a blue line lacking marquee talent since the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom.

Central Notes: Darling, Subban, Tarasenko, Maurice

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The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 1-0 Friday night thanks to another stellar game from Scott Darling. Darling has been superb this season, and as it usually goes for the Blackhawks, is due a pay raise when his contract expires after this season. Mark Lazerus writes that even with all the success, Darling is quick to credit his teammates for any one of his performances while also counting Corey Crawford as “one of the best goalies in the world.” In Darling’s mind, Lazerus reports, there is no goalie controversy, no matter how strong Darling continues to play.

In other Central Division news:

  • The return of P.K. Subban will continue to be a  delicate process writes the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. Subban was supposed to play less in last night’s game but ended up logging 23 minutes of ice time. Vingan also reports that just having Subban’s presence in the lineup proves to be an immediate boon for the Predators’ possession game. With the Preds winning five of their last six, Vingan adds that there’s no rush for Subban to return to pre-injury form.
  • Stuck on 20 goals for a half dozen games, Jeremy Rutherford reports that Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock will move Vladimir Tarasenko in an effort to generate scoring. Tarasenko will move to a line with Patrik Berglund and Robby Fabbri since Berglund has notched 10 goals in his last 16 games. Rutherford adds that Berglund cannot recall ever being on the same line with Tarasenko in his five years with the Blues.
  • The Winnipeg Sun’s Paul Friesen doesn’t envy  Jets bench boss Paul Maurice in having to deal with all of the different personalities on the team. But he is “puzzled” by Maurice’s approach. Friesen compares Maurice’s handling of 20-year-old Nik Ehlers with that of 31-year-old Dustin Byfuglien, and just how different it is working with a veteran and a rookie. Friesen reports that while Maurice was quick to explain Ehler’s shortcomings, he’s unsure as to why a veteran like Byfuglien is immune to the same critiques. He just wonders how Maurice will get a more consistent effort out of both players.

Eric Nystrom Making A Comeback

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The last word out of Eric Nystrom was that his NHL opportunities had dried up and he was considering retirement. The ten-year NHL veteran had been bought out by the Nashville Predators and cut from his preseason tryout deal with the St. Louis Blues, and could not find a contract – NHL, AHL, PTO or otherwise – in North America. He was considering joining his father, former NHLer Bobby Nystrom, in the insurance business. That was in early November; fast-forward to now and there has been no noise out of the Nystrom camp as no NHL teams have come calling due to injury and no foreign teams have lined up for his services. That is, until now.

Nystrom officially signed with the Oilers today (spoiler: link in Norwegian). No, not the Edmonton Oilers, but the Stavanger Oilers in Norway. Nystrom played with the team in 2012, prior to the resolution of the NHL lockout, and is now set to return. When Nystrom was there five years ago, the fans fell in love with him as he scored 14 points in just six games and dazzled the home crowd. The team is very excited to bring back not just a great talent, but also a “solid character” (translated from Norwegian).  The Oilers currently sit atop the Norwegian Elite League, or “Get Ligaen” with 77 points, eight points ahead of their closest competitor. They also boast two of the league’s top three scorers in fellow Americans Mark Van Guilder and Dan Kissell, teammates at Notre Dame University in the mid-2000’s whose NCAA success didn’t translate to the pro game. However, Nystrom should step in and become the best player on the team and in the entire league right away, as the Stavanger Oilers appear poised to roll to a league championship.

Should Nystrom really impress in Norway, which in terms of international leagues is likely outside the top five in competition level, he might be able to get another shot at the NHL. He will have to really light it up, though. The tenth overall pick by the Calgary Flames in 2002, Nystrom had a long, successful career, but nowhere near the one expected of him with that selection. Nystrom made a living off of being a reliable bottom-six forward, capable of scoring 10-15 goals a year, but not much more. A hard-working, gritty player who excelled on the penalty kill and could hit and block shots, Nystrom’s value came in his two-way ability. He certainly is a “solid character” as well. However, aging defensive forwards are not at the top of NHL wish lists, and Nystrom is fresh off being bought out by Nashville after seeing his ice time cut and scoring just seven goals in 46 games last season. Unless Nystrom can change everyone’s minds with a strong offensive and defensive stint in Norway, his comeback may be limited to just the Stavanger Oilers. However, a great veteran leader with strong work ethic can often find a way.

Blue Notes: Shattenkirk, Copley, Allen, Coaching

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Much digital ink has already been spilled on the St. Louis Blues and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

As our Brian La Rose wrote yesterday, most hockey insiders believe Shattenkirk is committed to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, the Blues are not looking like a serious contender, having lost six of their last 10 games. Goaltender Jake Allen is sporting an ugly 0.897 SV% in his first year as the Blues’ starter.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie appeared on TSN Edmonton radio on Friday morning and suggested the Blues could raise their asking price for Shattenkirk by talking to him and his agent to find out his ideal landing spot. The Blues could facilitate contract talks before completing the rare sign and trade, meaning the new team could get Shattenkirk on an eight-year contract and the Blues can get a higher price for the offensive defenseman compared to trading him as a rental.

The Blues may not be opposed to that option, as they did something similar at last year’s NHL Draft. The Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers were both granted permission to speak with Shattenkirk. The Coyotes reportedly made some progress, but the Oilers were told Shattenkirk wasn’t interested in signing long-term. Had he expressed interest in signing in Edmonton, it’s entirely possible that Taylor Hall could have been a St. Louis Blue instead of a New Jersey Devil.

According to Darren Dreger, Shattenkirk could have interest in signing long-term with Anaheim, Boston, Colorado, Detroit, New York (Rangers), San Jose, and Toronto. The Rangers are believed to be the front-runners at this time.

  • The Blues have recalled Pheonix Copley from the Chicago Wolves. Copley is 11-4-1 with a 0.920 SV% with the Wolves. Neither of the Blues’ current goaltenders are injured, but Allen and Carter Hutton have the worst combined SV% in the NHL at 0.895.
  • On their morning roundtable, ESPN insiders discussed the pros and cons of the Blues’ two-coach system. Ken Hitchcock is in his final year while Mike Yeo was brought in to eventually replace him; both men are behind the bench this season, however. While they agree that neither the coaches nor the system are to blame for the Blues’ struggles, Pierre LeBrun wonders “whether [Hitchcock] will last the rest of the season if the Blues keep producing uneven results,” especially considering his replacement is already in place.

The Latest On Kevin Shattenkirk

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St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is starting to pop up in a lot of trade talk again and it appears that the Blues are open to moving him despite the fact that they’re currently in a playoff spot.  In an appearance on NBCSN (video link), TSN’s Bob McKenzie noted that GM Doug Armstrong may be approaching the trade deadline from a different mindset (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“The thought process might be different this year than last year. For the very simple reason that last year the St. Louis Blues were very much a contending team. So when Troy Brouwer and David Backes’ contracts were up and they were perceived as rentals at the deadline, St. Louis says, ‘No way. We could win the Stanley Cup with those guys. We’ll let them go to unrestricted free agency. We’ll take our run at it.’”

As we saw back in the summer, both Brouwer and Backes departed via free agency to the Flames and Bruins respectively.  With the expectation that Shattenkirk won’t be back, do the Blues want to lose another core player for nothing in return, short of what they get out of him as an ‘internal rental’ between the deadline and the end of the playoffs?

Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mused about whether or not Shattenkirk might look more favorably on a trade, even to a place like Edmonton where he indicated he didn’t want to play back in the offseason.  While a place like that may not be a long-term destination for him, it would give him a chance to showcase himself in a different environment in the hopes of boosting his value on the open market this summer.

It’s worth noting that Shattenkirk, who carries a cap hit this season of $4.25MM, does not have any no-trade protection but if St. Louis was to move him to a team where he’d be willing to sign an extension, they may be able to get a better return for the 27 year old.  However, speaking with TSN 1260 in Edmonton, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests that Shattenkirk is intent on going to the open market:

“The sense has been that Shattenkirk, because of his pending unrestricted free agency, wanted to make sure that he held on to that flexibility. And the sense is, or was, that he wants to play somewhere on the Eastern seaboard. That limits his options, but he must feel confident enough in his game and marketability that as a free agent he’s going to command a seven-year term and probably 7, 7 and change per year. So why would you give that up.”

Shattenkirk recently was ranked first overall in our midseason UFA power rankings and is primed to land a significant raise this summer.  With 30 points in 45 games this season, he’d be an instant key addition if Armstrong does decide to move him between now and the beginning of March at the trade deadline, making him a player to keep a close eye on in the weeks ahead.

Friedman’s Latest: Strome, Shattenkirk, Sharp, Filppula

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet published this week’s “30 Thoughts” column this morning and like always, it’s worth the read in its entirety. Of course the scribe touches on several trade-related topics as the calendar closes to within six weeks of the deadline. Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights from the column.

  • An NHL executive evidently felt the Islanders were recently nearing a trade of Ryan Strome but the firing of Jack Capuano may have postponed the move. In the opinion of Friedman, Isles GM Garth Snow may elect to see how Strome responds to the coaching change before moving on from their 2011 first-round draft choice. Strome, who has only 14 points in 39 games this season, has struggled in each of the last two campaigns but did tally 50 points in 2014-15 as a 21-year-old sophomore. Prior to the season, Strome inked a two-year bridge deal with an AAV of $2.5MM. Given his potential and the additional year on his contract at an affordable rate, there would likely be a number of teams in the league with genuine interest in the 23-year-old forward, should the Islanders put him on the market.
  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is in the final year of his pact with the team, has frequently been mentioned in trade rumors going back to the 2016 draft. It’s thought the native of New Rochelle, New York, who grew up a New York Rangers fan, would ultimately choose to sign with a club on the east coast this summer as a free agent, with the Blue Shirts emerging as early favorites in that scenario. Also, it’s been reported that Shattenkirk derailed a potential offseason trade to Edmonton due to his reluctance to sign an extension with the Oilers, but Friedman wonders if he would consider a deadline deal to a playoff team in which he would see his role, and therefore potentially his free agent value, increase. Friedman mentions the Oilers and perhaps the Maple Leafs as teams who might pursue a player of Shattenkirk’s ilk as a rental to boost their postseason chances. The suggestion makes sense for the Blues as well, since the organization has fellow right-handed blue liners Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo on hand to pick up the slack. St. Louis was also stung losing veterans David Backes and Troy Brouwer for nothing as free agents this past summer and may be unwilling to do the same in the case of Shattenkirk. Trading the skilled defender would allow them to add some young talent to the system while opening up additional salary cap space in the event they wish to chase forward reinforcements at the deadline.
  • With Chicago reportedly searching for a top-six winger to slot next to star center Jonathan Toews, Friedman wonders whether the club will seek a reunion with Patrick Sharp. Sharp spent nine-plus seasons with the Hawks and was part of three Stanley Cup championship teams. His familiarity with the organization would seem to appeal to Chicago GM Stan Bowman as he searches the market for scoring depth. Additionally, Sharp is in the last year of his contract and qualifies as a pure rental; something the Blackhawks would likely value given their tight salary cap situation. Of course Sharp’s $5.9MM cap charge complicates matters for Chicago, as the club is currently slated to only have roughly $3.3MM in space at the deadline. It’s conceivable, however, that Dallas would be willing to retain enough salary to make the finances work, assuming the Blackhawks made it worthwhile to do so. Sharp’s season has been marred by concussion problems and he has just four goals on the season, though two came last night in Dallas’ wild 7 – 6 win over the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks could also entertain other rental options, such as Thomas Vanek of Detroit, who has 30 points in 33 games for Detroit and carries a cap charge of just $2.6MM.
  • One unfortunate consequence of team success in the NHL is having to navigate through the resulting salary cap challenges as an organization’s younger contributors advance into free agency. Tampa Bay, who has appeared in the Eastern Conference Final in each of the past two seasons, is set to encounter that very problem this summer. Projected to have only about $12MM in cap space and with only 14 players under contract for next season, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is going to have his work cut out for him as he attempts to find common ground on new arrangements with pending RFA’s Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. If the team has any hope of extending the trio, they will inevitably have to trade a high-salaried veteran to create the necessary salary cap flexibility. Friedman believes the Lightning might be best served by moving veteran forward Valtteri Filppula and his $5MM cap charge. Filppula, who has a partial NTC, might be appealing to other teams given his ability to slot in on the wing or at center. The veteran Finn has 29 points in 44 games for Tampa Bay and could provide versatility to any number of teams with the requisite cap space to add the 6-foot, 196-pound forward. Unless Tampa Bay is well out of the playoff chase by the deadline, it’s likely the team will hang onto Filppula through the end of the season and look to move him this summer when there may be more interested suitors.

Predators Claim Brad Hunt

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It’s a new team, but the same division for veteran defenseman Brad Hunt. After being placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues yesterday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie now reports that Hunt is headed to the Central rival Nashville Predators. The small, puck-moving defenseman has scored five points in nine games with the Blues this season, his first with the team, and has 29 points in 23 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

The St. Louis Blues continue to have bad luck with waivers, as just last week they lost Ty Rattie to the Carolina Hurricanes when they tried to move the young forward to the minors. This time they’ve lost some valuable blue line depth, as the 28-year-old Hunt had finally showed signs of breaking through at the NHL level this season. Prior to 2016-17, Hunt had toiled in the AHL for years, unable to make much of a difference when called up to the NHL by the Edmonton Oilers. His numbers in the minors have been impeccable, a total of 204 points over the past four-plus seasons, and as a defenseman no less, but he had just three points in 21 games over three seasons with the Oilers. However, Hunt signed on with the Blues this summer and in nine games with the team has already surpassed his previous NHL career total.

He’ll now get a chance to replicate that production on a Nashville team that runs its offense through its defense. With stars Roman Josi and P.K. Subban injured and Anthony Bitetto banged up for much of the season, the Preds were in need of some depth with the likes of Matt Irwin and Petter Granberg (who is also headed to IR) currently playing major minutes. They get a similar size and skill set to Ryan Ellis in Hunt, who is likely to fit in well in Nashville. It appears to be another shrewd pick-up by Predators GM David Poile, one of the NHL’s best. This is the Predators’ third waiver claim this season, having already gained and lost Reid Boucher and recently added Derek Grant.

Blues Waive Brad Hunt

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The St. Louis Blues have placed defenseman Brad Hunt on waivers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie on Twitter this morning.

Hunt has an excellent track record of scoring at the AHL level, which has translated to the NHL level for the first time in his career. The 5’9 offensive defenseman has scored five points in nine games with the Blues this season, and has 29 points in 23 games with the Chicago Wolves.

The Blues signed Hunt to a one-year contract on July 2, 2016. He had spent the previous three seasons in the Edmonton Oilers’ system, scoring three points in 21 games with the big club and 142 points in 185 games with their farm club.

In other waiver-related moves, Marek Hrivík has cleared waivers. The Rangers have assigned the winger to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. Hrivík had two assists in 16 NHL games this season.

Saturday Night Game Notes: Raanta Hurt, Shaw Ejected

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In yet another injury to a key player, Rangers backup goalie Antti Raanta left tonight’s game with a lower body injury. Henrik Lundqvist came in for relief, but it leaves the Blueshirts without a backup goaltender for the remainder of the contest. Lunqvist was rudely welcomed with a goal on his first shot faced,  Joey Alfieri speculates that it was either a wrist shot or a collision with Andrew Shaw that triggered the injury.

But that wasn’t the one that got him ejected.

Shaw was given a game misconduct for his hit on Jesper Fast and received 22 minutes in penalties, with only 5:06 played. TSN’s Amanda Stein tweets that Shaw received five for interference, fighting, and the game misconduct. Shaw just returned from a concussion that sidelined him for just over a month.

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