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Atlantic Notes: Filppula, Coreau, DiDomenico

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When Valtteri Filppula’s name started to come up in trade talks between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, he received a phone call from Mike Babcock. That’s what Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes in his newest article, detailing everything that went on behind the scenes on deadline day surrounding Filppula. He ended up talking with Babcock for a while, before ultimately choosing not to waive his no-trade clause. It was “nothing against Toronto” as the veteran center turned down the chance to go play for his former coach; the two spent years together in Detroit, even winning the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Filppula ended up going to Philadelphia, for whom he will suit up against the Maple Leafs tonight. He just wanted to stick with the list he’d created before the season, and as Johnston notes, likely saw the treatment of other veteran players since heading to Toronto. Brooks Laich, Colin Greening and Milan Michalek have all been buried in the minors this season, with Eric Fehr not getting into a game since coming over from Pittsburgh.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have sent Jared Coreau back down to the AHL after activating Jimmy Howard yesterday. The young netminder was shelled last night against Boston, playing just 13:32 of the game before getting the hook. In 14 games for the Red Wings this season, Coreau has just an .887 save percentage. He does however have two shutouts during his time in the NHL, and will look to build off that next season should Howard be moved this summer.
  • Chris DiDomenico will make his NHL debut tonight for the Ottawa Senators after signing just over a week ago. The 28-year old forward that has dominated the Swiss leagues for the past few years is ready to make his mark on North American ice. A former sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he hasn’t played on this continent since 2012. The Senators had gone with seven defensemen last night, but with Mark Borowiecki injured, they’ll insert DiDomenico in his place.

Injury Notes: Stamkos, Borowiecki, Kinkaid

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Steven Stamkos was again skating with teammates this morning, as he inches his way back to the lineup. While there is a good chance the Tampa Bay Lightning captain will return to the ice this season he might not be as effective right away. That’s what Zach Parise told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times a few weeks ago, speaking from experience. Parise had the same surgery on his knee in November of 2010, and though he returned later that year as well, didn’t feel right until the following Christmas.

I’d say it took probably a year and a half to get back to feeling back to normal. That’s what my therapist said, six months to heal, a year you feel better. But to get back to that level for me, I feel like it was almost the following Christmas.

So Stamkos, who may get a chance to help his team in a playoff race—the Lightning are just four points out with 17 games left to play—likely won’t be the elite offensive presence he’s proven to be over the past eight years. Fear not Lightning fans, though Parise says he didn’t feel right until Christmas, he still scored 30 goals and 69 points the year following surgery. It wasn’t all bad.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Clague, Wagner To Three-Year Contracts

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The Los Angeles Kings have gotten into the entry-level contract fun. The team has signed both Kale Clague and Austin Wagner to three-year, entry-level deals. Both players are coming to the end of their CHL seasons, and will now start on their professional journey.

Clague was the Kings’ second-round pick in the 2016 draft, and is another in the growing trend of slightly-undersized but tremendously skilled defenders. Finally out of the shadow of Ivan Provorov for the Brandon Wheat Kings, he has become the team’s top defender and produced like it all season. 38 points in 43 games during what has been a shortened season due to injury and the World Juniors, Clague is one of the best skaters in his draft class and can move the puck efficiently and calmly under pressure.

For the Kings, he represents the next piece in the pipeline they’ve created for defenders. While he may not get to the NHL for a few more seasons, the future looks bright for the 18-year old. His development is made all that more important for the club since they dealt Eric Cernak away to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ben Bishop.

Wagner was a fourth-round selection in 2015, and has continued to put up solid point numbers for the Regina Pats. His 60 points in 58 games represent a career-high pace, but it’s his strong defensive work that stands out for scouts when watching him. Responsible in his own end and willing to use his size on the forecheck, his offensive upside may be limited at the next level. He’ll turn 20 this summer and will debut with the Ontario Reign of the AHL next season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Yanni Gourde

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In preparation for a three-game home-stand starting tonight against the New York Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Yanni Gourde from Syracuse of the AHL. It would seem as though this is not an emergency recall due to any injury, and thus will take one of Tampa Bay’s four remaining call ups.

Gourde has spent time with the Lightning earlier this season, getting into two games at the end of 2016. Playing less than 10 minutes in each contest, the 25-year old forward was held pointless. He’s been an excellent scoring threat in the AHL since working his way through the East Coast league and finding a relatively permanent home in the Lightning organization. With 46 points in 55 games, he’s close to the top of the Crunch roster in scoring and has been a big part of their North Division-leading 68 points.

With the Lightning suddenly finding themselves back in the playoff hunt, they needed some insurance in case anyone were to injure themselves in warmup or couldn’t participate for some reason. The team is just three points out of a playoff spot after winning five of their past seven games. The Rangers will be a tough test, but with New York reeling after a beat-down against Montreal, perhaps the Lightning can take advantage of their apparent need to insert toughness into the lineup. If they can keep pace, it’s only a matter of time until they get captain Steven Stamkos back, as he’s expected to re-join practice at some point this week.

Lightning Notes: Yzerman, Callahan, Stamkos

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It was a successful trade deadline for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who moved Valtteri Filppula, Brian Boyle and Ben Bishop out of town to create cap space for this season and beyond. The team finds themselves just three points back of a playoff spot after Nikita Kucherov’s disgusting shootout winner, and is right in the thick of the race as the season comes into its final stretch.

Just because the deadline is over though, doesn’t mean Steve Yzerman can relax. He still has quite a bit of work ahead of him to sort out the cap issues the Lightning will face this summer reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. With Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson all needing big raises (that are getting bigger as the playoffs get closer), the team will likely have to move out even more salary at some point. Smith points to the Nashville Predators as a natural trading partner for the team, and that they scouted each other heavily leading up to the deadline.

  • Ryan Callahan may miss the rest of the season, but there is optimism he’ll be ready for next year. The latest hip procedure was not to repair a labrum tear like originally reported, but just to clean up a scar tissue issue that was impacting his movement. Smith quotes Bryan Kelly, the surgeon who performed both operations: “There’s no reason to think [players who go through this procedure] couldn’t go back to play.” Callahan has three years remaining on his current contract at $5.8MM per season.
  • Though Smith’s article is enlightening on many subjects, he drops a bombshell in the notes at the bottom. Smith “would not be stunned” to see Steven Stamkos back at practice with the team this week. Stamkos has been out since the middle of November, but has recently returned to the ice for his own workouts. The idea that he would be back at practice with his teammates would be a huge step towards his recovery, and makes the Lightning a team to watch down the stretch. Even without one of the greatest goal scorers in the league they’ve climbed their way back into the playoff picture, imagine what they can do when their captain returns.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Glass, Nestrasil

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The Arizona Coyotes are in a fight in the standings of their own. Even though the players aren’t giving up, they front office is likely desperately hoping they finish in the bottom two once again and get the chance to select a top prospect. They got some bad (or good, I’m unsure at this point) news today when Dave Vest of NHL.com reported that Kevin Connauton should be considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered last night.

  • Vest also passed along a few choice quotes from Dave Tippett on the future of Anthony Duclair, who will get back into the NHL lineup tonight. “We want him to play to his potential. He set a standard for his play last year that he has to get back to,” said Tippett who is not alone in hoping Duclair gets back to his 2015-16 form. Coyotes fans everywhere were hoping to see more of the 20-goal man that was around last season, instead of the 9-point Duclair they’ve seen this year. Despite being rumored in trades all year, the Coyotes will hang onto the former New York Ranger for at least the rest of the season, hoping he can regain his form. Expect his name to be thrown around plenty at the expansion and entry drafts.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled recently signed goaltender Jeff Glass from the Rockford IceHogs today, and will be the backup tonight against the New York Islanders. Both Corey Crawford and Scott Darling took part in practice today and seemed fine, though apparently Darling will be held out with an upper-body injury of some sort.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have some goalie news of their own, as Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Jimmy Howard will be loaned to Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning stint and will start Saturday for the AHL squad. The netminder is trying to work his way back from an injury that has kept him out of NHL action since late December due to multiple setbacks.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Andrej Nestrasil to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL today, after using him in Wednesday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year old forward has played 19 games for the Hurricanes this year, registering five points.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers may have Travis Konecny back sooner than expected, as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post reports. Konecny says he’s ready to go and that he’s hoping to get back into the lineup on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. Out since February 6th, the 19-year old Konecny has been a revelation for the Flyers this season with 22 points in a 51 games. In any normal year, that would be extremely impressive from a teenager in the NHL.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:

Winners

Boston Bruins:

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

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Tampa Bay Flips Streit To Pittsburgh

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Give Steve Yzerman credit. In two moves, the Lightning GM was able to rid himself of Valtteri Filppula, whose contract was a heavy burden for the team, by trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers. He then took the inexplicable return, defenseman Mark Streit, and traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. In exchange, Tampa Bay will receive a fourth-round pick from the Penguins, which will recoup the pick they sent to the Flyers in the previous deal. Basically, he took advantage of the fact that Philly and Pittsburgh don’t do business with each other to help his team in a major way by moving out Filppula.

However, Streit is also a big gain for the Penguins. After the rival Washington Capitals added elite puck-moving defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the Penguins have now added Streit and Frank Corrado. The Lightning will also retain 50% of Streit’s remaining salary (Philadelphia held on to 4.7% of his original contract), helping the Penguins to fit him on to the roster.

Flyers Trade Mark Streit To Lightning For Valtteri Filppula

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired veteran defenseman Mark Streit from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for another veteran, center Valtteri Filppula. Streit is an impending free agent, while Filppula has another year remaining at $5MM and had to accept this trade to Philadelphia. The Lightning will also send a 2017 fourth-round pick and conditional 2017 seventh-round pick to Philly. The Flyers will retain 4.7% of Streit’s contract.

The trade is really centered around Tampa Bay’s salary cap crunch and Expansion Draft scenario. Filppula’s No-Movement Clause made him automatically protected in the draft, which put pressure on both Tampa’s expansion decisions and 2017-18 payroll. By moving Filppula and the final year of his five-year, $5MM contract, the Lightning have had many of those issues alleviated. Rather than choosing who they wanted to leave exposed or which restricted free agent they couldn’t sign, Yzerman will now have more flexibility in his maneuvers.

However, there is certainly a trade-0ff in talent. Filppula is still an effective NHL contributor, with 34 points this season, and joins a talented group of forwards in Philadelphia who may be in need of a strong veteran presence to turn their season around or, at least, to help them get back into shape next season. The Flyers had the cap space and expansion situation to acquire Filppula, and were one of the few teams who could, which explains why the cheap price of 39-year-old Streit was enough to get the deal done and why Tampa sent over draft picks as well. Streit is still a good puck-mover, but his production has dropped off significantly. The Lightning are outside of the playoffs right now, and Streit won’t hurt their chances, but trading away Ben Bishop, Brian Boyle, and now Filppula shows that the postseason is not the primary focus of the team right now.

Tampa Bay, Florida Swap AHL Goaltenders

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Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have traded Adam Wilcox to Florida for Mike McKenna. Both goaltenders are playing in the AHL at the moment, though McKenna does have some NHL experience over his lengthy professional career.

McKenna was drafted way back in 2002 by the Nashville Predators, and has bounced around the minor leagues for over a decade. He has been excellent, average and bad at different times, with the most recent stint with Springfield being closer to the lower end of that scale. The 33-year old has a .907 save percentage this season.

Wilcox on the other hand is just 24 but has had a tough time adjusting to the AHL since starring at the University of Minnesota. At a .895 save percentage this season, Syracuse needed an improvement for their upcoming playoff run. Despite their bad goaltending—Kristers Gudlevskis also has a sub-.900 save percentage this season—the Crunch are in first place in the North Division and expect another playoff appearance.

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