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Minor Transactions: 02/23/21

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During a year in which there is a unique and unprecedented mix of leagues at different points in their respective seasons, there are always moves to be made. While the NHL has seen internal transactions made at a newfound rapid pace this season, there continue to be other notable moves made across the hockey world every day. Keep up with those transactions here:

  • While most European leagues are nearing the ends of their regular seasons, Germany’s DEL started up around the same time as the NHL and are less than 20 games into their campaign. With plenty of hockey left to play, teams are still scouring for talent. This has allowed former NHLer Simon Despres to find a home this season. Despres, 29, had a promising NHL career derailed by injury and, other than a brief AHL comeback attempt early in the 2018-19 season, has spent the past three seasons in Europe. He has found moderate success overseas and had his best season last year with Sweden’s IK Oskarshamn. Now, he is returning to Germany for a second stint, as Eisbaren Berlin has announced a contract with Despres for the remainder of the season. Despres has a great chance to play a key role in a long season for Berlin, who currently sit in second place in the DEL and have the scoring depth and goaltending to contend for a title. The team has not received much production from its defense thus far, but that is where Despres can step in and be a difference-maker.
  • It has been a whirlwind couple of days for former RIT standout Adam Brubacher. The defenseman was released from his AHL contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, only to immediately land a PTO with the Manitoba Moose, per a team release. While RIT nor their conference, Atlantic Hockey, are among the elite in the NCAA, Brubacher’s accomplishments over the past four years remain impressive. A member of an all-conference team in three of his four seasons and Atlantic Hockey’s Rookie of the Year in 2016-17, Brubacher was among the most productive defensemen in the NCAA over his collegiate career with 106 point in 148 games. While he was released by Bridgeport before ever playing a game, if he is given an opportunity by Manitoba to show that his ability translates to the pros, he could become a nice piece on the back end for the club.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Wyatt Schingoethe has made his college commitment. The 18-year-old center has announced that he will join Western Michigan University next season. A seventh-round pick in 2020, Schingoethe has excelled down the middle for the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks over the past few years, playing a fast and aggressive high-energy style that produces points, turnovers, and defensive support. While draft rankings differ greatly further into the draft, there were at least some sources that expected Schingoethe to go a round or two earlier than he did. He hopes to begin showing that he is a legitimate prospect for the Leafs when he arrives at WMU next year. The Broncos are a strong program, but currently count Philadelphia’s Ronnie Attard as their only NHL prospect. Schingoethe will be a major boost.

Jacob Markstrom, Frederik Andersen Scratched Late Due To Injury

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Monday night’s match-up between the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs has not one but two unexpected twists, both revealed in the hour leading up to puck-drop. The Flames first announced that starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom would not dress tonight and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Minutes later, the Maple Leafs announced that their own starter, Frederik Andersen, also would not dress due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. It is not clear at this time how or when either injury was sustained.

In the long-term, the loss of Markstrom, possibly for multiple games, is the bigger story. A talented Flames roster has underachieved so far this season and are currently outside of the playoff picture. In a competitive North Division, Calgary is relying on major free agent acquisition Markstrom to help them battle back into postseason position. For the time being though, they will have to lean on incumbent David Rittich who has been serviceable in the past but is a notable downgrade from Markstrom. The team also used an emergency recall to add Artyom Zagidulin to the roster to dress as the backup tonight and possibly longer. The former KHL standout has a chance to make his NHL debut if his stay in Calgary is extended.

In the short-term though, the loss of yet another goalie in the Toronto organization is a major concern, especially if Andersen misses multiple games. The Leafs sit comfortably atop the division and can rely on the experienced Michael Hutchinson for a while. However, Hutchinson began the season as the Leafs’ fourth-string goalie. It has taken the waiver departure of Aaron Dell and injuries to Jack Campbell and now Andersen to boost Hutchison to the interim starter role. Behind him, untested Joseph Woll has been recalled to dress as backup and was the only choice, as the only other pro goalie under contract – Ian Scott – is also injured. The Leafs are an extended absence for Andersen or another injury in goal away from having to acquire another net minder.

Snapshots: Muzzin, Blais, Three Stars

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Jake Muzzin for the next little while after the veteran defenseman suffered a broken bone in his last game. According to Kristen Shilton of TSN, Muzzin won’t play tonight for Toronto and will be wearing a full-face shield when he does eventually return. The Maple Leafs will also be without Zach Hyman and Joe Thornton this evening as both wingers are listed as day-to-day.

In Muzzin’s place, Travis Dermott will be elevated to the second pair, an interesting assignment given how little the young defenseman has actually played this season. Despite suiting up in 15 games, Dermott has averaged just over 11 minutes a night, seeing no powerplay or penalty kill time. With rumors swirling about the Maple Leafs’ apparent interest in acquiring another top-six winger, Dermott’s name has come up in trade speculation. The 24-year-old will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer and has an opportunity now to really show what he is capable of.

  • The St. Louis Blues will have Sammy Blais available to them tonight after he was previously placed on the COVID Protocol list. Blues head coach Craig Berube confirmed that it was a false positive that led to Blais’ placement there and he will be eligible to return this evening. The 24-year-old forward is expected to play on the second line alongside Brayden Schenn and Mike Hoffman. That’s quite the step up for Blais, who has just ten goals and 23 points in his 91-game NHL career. Jaden Schwartz and Colton Parayko will not dress as they continue to deal with injury.
  • Hard to find a more dynamic trio than Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and David Pastrnak. Those are your NHL Three Stars of the week, with Matthews taking the top spot following his seven-goal output. The Maple Leafs forward leads the entire league in goals with 18 through his first 18 games this season, six ahead of McDavid and Brock Boeser who are tied for second. Pastrnak meanwhile has nine in his first nine games after starting the year on injured reserve, including a hat trick in last night’s Lake Tahoe game.

Poll: NHL’s “Thanksgiving Trend” Revisited

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Fans of the NHL are sure to be familiar with the deeper meaning that American Thanksgiving holds each season. With unrelenting consistency, the NHL’s standings on the final Thursday of November have had great predictive ability when compared to the final regular season standings. In fact, over the past seven years the Thanksgiving standings have been about 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.

The 2019-20 season of course did not have a standard postseason, but if it had then the Thanksgiving trend would have proved even more prophetic in a shortened campaign. Last year, in which teams were limited to between 68 and 71 games apiece prior to the early termination of the regular season, the Thanksgiving standings would have predicted 13 of 16 playoff teams in the standard format. Of the three teams that would have slid out of the postseason, the Florida Panthers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by .014 points percentage in the Atlantic Division and the Winnipeg Jets missed out by a measly .001 points percentage behind the Calgary Flames as the final Western Conference wild card. The Thanksgiving standings were that close to predicting 15 of 16 playoff teams in the shortened season, with the unexpected slow start for the Vegas Golden Knights and hot start for the Arizona Coyotes being the other unsurprising course correction.

But how does this trend impact a season that didn’t even begin until well after American Thanksgiving? Based on total games played by Thanksgiving over the past few seasons, Thanksgiving represents about the 30% progress through the NHL season. In the current 56-game season, that comes out to about the 17-game mark. Although postponements and rescheduling have created a wide discrepancy in games played among teams this year, the league as a whole passed that 17-game average on Saturday: Happy Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the 2020-21 campaign does have a different playoff model as well, one that is somewhat stricter than the last few years without the fallback of a wildcard spot for a team on the fifth-place fringe in their division. Yet, it is still a 16-team postseason and the Thanksgiving trend should hold. Using points percentage to rank the standings (the stat may end up determining playoff position for a second consecutive season anyhow) and adjusting for the season’s makeshift divisions, here is the current “Thanksgiving” outlook:

North Division                                                             East Division

Toronto Maple Leafs (.789)                                    Boston Bruins (.733)
Montreal Canadiens (.625)                                     Philadelphia Flyers (.679)
Winnipeg Jets (.618)                                                 Washington Capitals (.594)
Edmonton Oilers (.600)                                          Pittsburgh Penguins (.594)____
Calgary Flames (.472)                                                        New Jersey Devils (.583)
Vancouver Canucks (.405)                                                New York Islanders (.559)
Ottawa Senators (.237)                                                      New York Rangers (.469)
                                                                                                Buffalo Sabres (.429)

West Division                                                                Central Division

Vegas Golden Knights (.700)                                   Carolina Hurricanes (.781)
Colorado Avalanche (.679)                                       Florida Panthers (.750)
St. Louis Blues (.611)                                                  Tampa Bay Lightning (.700)
Minnesota Wild (.571)                                                Dallas Stars (.583)                    
Los Angeles Kings (.531)                                                    Chicago Blackhawks (.579)
Arizona Coyotes (.500)                                                       Columbus Blue Jackets (.526)
San Jose Sharks (.500)                                                       Nashville Predators (.412)
Anaheim Ducks (.417)                                                         Detroit Red Wings (.325)

Now this begs the question, especially seeing how accurate the Thanksgiving standings were in last year’s shortened season but also accounting for the many disruptions for a number of teams early this season, who is the trend currently overlooking? Which teams currently outside the playoff picture, if any, do you think will make the postseason when all is said and done later this season? Use the comments section below as well to discuss which teams may fall out of the postseason and whether you feel the Thanksgiving trend will apply this season.

Which Of These Teams Will Buck The "Thanksgiving" Trend And Make The Playoffs?
New York Islanders 23.09% (263 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 18.88% (215 votes)
Los Angeles Kings 9.66% (110 votes)
None - "Thanksgiving" goes 16/16 8.96% (102 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 7.73% (88 votes)
Calgary Flames 6.41% (73 votes)
New Jersey Devils 5.62% (64 votes)
New York Rangers 4.39% (50 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 3.69% (42 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 3.69% (42 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 2.19% (25 votes)
San Jose Sharks 1.58% (18 votes)
Detroit Red Wings 1.49% (17 votes)
Nashville Predators 1.23% (14 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 0.79% (9 votes)
Ottawa Senators 0.61% (7 votes)
Total Votes: 1,139

[mobile users click here to vote]

Trade Rumors: Predators, Fleury, Vesey

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While Mattias Ekholm may be the name that teams are clamoring over right now, whether he’s actually available or not, he isn’t the only Predator that might eventually be on the block. Many, including top analysts Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of TSN, believe that the Predators are quickly approaching the point of no return this season and will begin to move players shortly. Despite a talented roster on paper, Nashville sits in seventh place in the Central Division with a points percentage of just .400 through 15 games. More than a quarter of the way through their campaign, the Predators face a slim chance of turning it around and making the playoffs, especially in this season’s difficult makeshift format.

While Nashville may not quite be ready to fully blow up their roster, both Friedman and LeBrun agree that impending free agents Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula are as good as gone. Both had significant interest on the open market late into this past off-season before deciding on Nashville and that interest should remain. Granlund especially has performed well – he’s arguably Nashville’s second-best forward thus far – and should net a decent return. That may not be the end of the list, though. Veterans Brad Richardson and Luca Sbisa may also hold rental value, while term forwards like Nick Cousins, a disappointment in his first season with Nashville, Rocco Grimaldi, or Calle Jarnkrok could also find themselves on the block. Friedman notes that top-six centers Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen may be made available, but given their massive contracts and lacking production in the current flat cap climate, interest will likely be slim. Their potential availability is still a sign that the Predators could be considering a major shake-up nonetheless.

  • Although they considered moving him this off-season in an effort to open up cap space, Friedman does not believe that Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is still available. The fan favorite has been stellar this season, especially in light of the struggles of “starter” Robin Lehner. While Lehner has battled injury and inconsistency, Fleury has posted a .937 save percentage and 1.56 GAA, and most importantly seven wins through nine starts. He has been a major reason why the Knights are off to such a hot start; a start that likely would have gone the other way had Fleury been moved this off-season leaving the frustrated Lehner as the only experienced goalie on the roster. So while Fleury remains an aging asset on an expensive contract who at least had the appearance of only being a backup moving forward, he has proven himself invaluable to Vegas. With a number of teams troubled in net, including Fleury’s former Pittsburgh Penguins, there is a renewed interest in taking on Fleury’s contract in order to take advantage of his current hot streak, but don’t expect the Golden Knights to give him up this season.
  • Following their acquisition of Alex Galchenyuk, Friedman wonders if the Jimmy Vesey experiment has already come to an end in Toronto. The free agent addition has just three points in 16 games despite having been given ample opportunity to produce. Given the Maple Leafs’ tight salary cap situation, even with a pair of players currently on Long-Term Injured Reserve, Toronto has to be measured in every roster decision. Once Wayne Simmonds and Jack Campbell return to health and especially if Galchenyuk has earned a role in the starting lineup by that time, the team likely will not have room to carry Vesey, even at just $900K against the cap. An affordable (to most) impending free agent with size and goal-scoring ability, it seems likely that someone would be willing to give Vesey another shot, especially if they can get him for free on waivers. If the Maple Leafs feel that Vesey will not clear, the countdown may have already begun for the team to make a trade before he is lost for nothing on the waiver wire.

Minor Transactions: 02/17/21

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It has been a rare slow day for internal NHL transactions, with few recalls and assignments to and from the taxi squad and AHL. Yet, down in the minors there continue to be other notable moves, as well as constant changes for familiar names overseas. Here are some of the day’s key minor transactions:

  • Sam Vigneault has requested and been granted a release from his AHL contract, the Laval Rocket announced. The team provided no other details beyond that it was a mutual decision to part ways. Vigneault, 25, signed with Laval this off-season but had not had the opportunity to play with the club yet. After three seasons within the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, all spent with the Cleveland Monsters including on an AHL contract last year, Vigneault’s first pro foray away from the club was short-lived. It remains to be seen if the forward will look for another opportunity in the AHL (or ECHL) or instead head overseas.
  • It has already been a whirlwind start to the season for goaltender Angus Redmond. The former Anaheim Ducks prospect was traded to the Edmonton Oilers last year and, while he wasn’t re-signed by the team, attended training camp with their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Still unable to earn a contract, Redmond signed with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks just this past weekend and played in a pair of games with the team. Now, he’s on to a new team. With the Toronto Maple Leafs currently using intended AHL starters Michael Hutchinson and Joseph Woll for themselves right now and another keeper, Ian Scott, currently injured, the Toronto Marlies have announced that they have signed Redmond to an AHL contract for the remainder of the year. Once the Toronto goalie pipeline returns to normal, Redmond will likely return to the ECHL but will have an opportunity to prove himself in the AHL for the time being.
  • The ZSC Lions, currently sitting pretty in second place in the Swiss National League, have announced a number of extensions to keep their successful roster together. Among those returning is NHL veteran Marcus Kruger, who has battled injuries this year but has been even better on a per-game basis than he was in his first season with ZSC last year. Kruger, 30, is just two year removed from competing in the NHL, but seems content to stay in Switzerland, signing a one-year extension. Other notable names earning new contracts are former NCAA standout Garrett Roe, who has found stardom in Europe and and even played for Team USA at the 2018 Olympics, and Dario Trutmann, formerly of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers and a World Juniors hero for the Swiss.

Injury Notes: Dubois, Lindholm, Sandin

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The Winnipeg Jets have officially moved Pierre-Luc Dubois to injured reserve, a disappointing outcome for a player that is having a season full of them. The young forward has played just two games since his trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets and just seven on the season thanks to a long quarantine. He was injured last week, though it’s still not exactly clear what happened or how long he’ll be out.

Dubois failed to record a shot in either of his games with the Jets and now has just one point on the season. When he does get back on the active roster, he’ll have to really push to get back to the top-line center he appeared to be in recent years.

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Lindholm will be out for four to six weeks with a broken thumb, his AHL team announced today. Lindholm sustained the injury last Friday, meaning his season will be truncated by at least a month. The 26-year-old defenseman was part of the trade that saw Brandon Saad go to the Colorado Avalanche in the offseason but had yet to get into the NHL lineup with the Blackhawks. In 66 career games, he has five points.
  • Another minor-league defenseman, this time Rasmus Sandin, will also be out a while. The young defenseman suffered a foot injury and will be out for several weeks, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Sandin, one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospects, played in one NHL game earlier this season and recorded a point. The 20-year-old is still waiting for his chance to crack the roster full-time and was supposed to get his game back up to speed in the minor leagues. Now, unfortunately, he’ll be sidelined instead.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Granlund, Stars-Predators

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If you thought new ownership, new management, or a new season had created any stability in the Arizona Coyotes front office, think again. In an unbelievable piece by Katie Strang of The Athletic (both in quality and content), the Coyotes’ internal turmoil is detailed, which includes lawsuits, unpaid invoices, and breaches of contract, among many other eyebrow-raising stories.

Much of what Strang reports does not have a direct impact on the Coyotes’ on-ice product, but it does touch on the management style of new GM Bill Armstrong and the missteps that resulted in the drafting of Mitchell Miller (who the team then renounced the rights to). The whole piece is a must-read for any hockey fan.

UPDATE: The Coyotes have released a statement that does not directly dispute the Strang piece, but alleges The Athletic has “condoned a harassment campaign against Mr. Alex Meruelo, the Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo Group and dozens of current employees and former employees.” The statement concludes by announcing the team will be exploring legal options in response to the piece. (Full statement via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN)

  • In James Mirtle’s latest piece for The Athletic, he suggested that Mikael Granlund could be a fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs if their search for a top-six winger continues. Granlund is on a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators and carries a $3.75MM cap hit. Mirtle’s colleague Adam Vingan recently examined the trade value of several Predators players, comparing Granlund to the Gustav Nyquist and Mats Zuccarello moves of 2019. Both of those trades included second-round selections and a conditional third-round pick.
  • Speaking of the Predators, Granlund and the rest of the team will have to wait another few days to get back into game action. Like yesterday, tonight’s game between the Predators and Dallas Stars has been postponed due to inclement weather. Nashville will now head to Columbus where they take on the Blue Jackets’ on Thursday evening.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Their collection of top-end offensive talent.  When you’re spending nearly half of the salary cap on four forwards, it better be a highly-skilled group.  There’s no denying that Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander qualify as highly-skilled.  Few teams can match up with a one-two center punch in Matthews who is scoring at a torrid pace in the early going and Tavares and Marner is one of the premier playmakers in the league.  Nylander is a little streakier than the others but has the ability to take over a game as well when he’s on.  There’s shouldn’t be many long offensive droughts with that level of firepower at the top of their lineup.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

The answer is Matthews but he’s already been mentioned above so instead, let’s highlight Jake Muzzin.  With all of the money they have spent up front, it has come at the expense of being able to spend much on the back end.  When they acquired Muzzin, the hope was that he’d bring some defensive stability and grit to Toronto’s defense corps but there were questions as to whether or not they’d be able to afford to keep him.  He was as advertised and the two sides worked out a four-year extension last season, ensuring he’d stick around.  With Morgan Rielly up for a new deal after next season, the Maple Leafs will at least be able to enter those talks knowing that they have one key cog on the back end locked up already.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

Avoiding short and medium-term injuries.  The cap structure of this team still works when players are placed on LTIR but anything under 10 games or 24 days becomes a little trickier to navigate.  They can afford one extra skater over the minimum when fully healthy but if more than one skater is unavailable due to a short-term injury, they’ll be in a situation where they have to play short a player for a game.

On a similar note, they’d also be thankful for Jack Campbell returning soon and staying healthy.  His absence has forced Toronto to use Frederik Andersen more than they’d like early on.  And with Andersen set to become an unrestricted free agent next season, they need to get a good look at Campbell to try to determine if he can take on a bigger role in 2021-22.  It’s hard to make that evaluation when he’s on IR.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ wish list?

With their cap situation being where it is, there isn’t a whole lot they’ll be able to do on the trade front.  A forward who can play on the third line that extends their depth would certainly help but it’s someone that will need to be making close to the minimum.  Today’s pickup of Alex Galchenyuk ($1.05MM) may be tough to carry on the roster on a full-time basis so they may need to look cheaper.  Goaltending depth has been hard to come by but given their hesitance to use Michael Hutchinson so far (Aaron Dell was originally in the reserve role before short-term injuries forced them to waive him to open up cap room), bringing in a different third option that they’d be comfortable using would also be beneficial.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Alex Galchenyuk

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Just like that, Alex Galchenyuk is on the move again. After being dealt from the Ottawa Senators to Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Galchenyuk has been traded for the second time in about 54 hours. Although, he reportedly never even got the chance to leave Ottawa for Carolina, so he now has a much shorter trip ahead of him. The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired Galchenyuk from the Hurricanes in exchange for forward prospect Egor Korshkov and veteran defenseman David Warsofsky. Galchenyuk cleared waivers earlier today and is eligible to be assigned by Toronto to the taxi squad or AHL.

Galchenyuk’s propensity for being traded is becoming comical at this point. The 27-year-old forward, who once looked like he could be a long-term franchise cornerstone for the Montreal Canadiens, has instead become the NHL’s most frequent flyers over the past few years. From Montreal, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes during the 2018 off-season. Exactly a year and two weeks later, his time in the desert was over as he was traded once again to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His time with Pittsburgh didn’t even last a full season, as he was moved before the trade deadline last year to the Minnesota Wild. When his contract expired this off-season, he signed a one-year deal with the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, almost ensuring that he would be traded yet again at some point this season. However, even he could not have seen this coming. Galchenyuk made it just one month to the day since the start of the 2020-21 season before he was traded on Saturday to the Hurricanes along with another free agent addition, Cedric Paquette, in exchange for Ryan Dzingel. Just two days later, he is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When Galchenyuk was placed on waivers on Monday, it immediately raised suspicion that he might be moved again this season. Not only were the Hurricanes willing to let him be claimed for free on the waiver wire, but if he did in fact clear he would have even more value to another interested team having gained the flexibility to move to the taxi squad. In Galchenyuk, a dangerous offensive Maple Leafs team adds another intriguing weapon. Galchenyuk is not a consistent, high-effort contributor nor can he be relied upon for any defensive responsibility, but he does possess scoring focus and natural offensive ability and especially when surrounded by superior talent can produce at a high level. In Toronto, there is plenty of superior talent to go around and Galchenyuk appears to be an ideal fit as a top-nine depth option. Even more importantly, Galchenyuk is affordable for the cap-strapped Leafs. His entire $1.05MM cap hit can be buried if he is assigned to the taxi squad or AHL and is not a major burden should he stick with the NHL roster, though it will still require some cap acrobatics by the Leafs front office. Moreover, Galchenyuk is also a quarantine-free acquisition for Toronto. While Paquette took off for Carolina right away following the trade, Galchenyuk stayed behind in Ottawa in case he was claimed on waivers by another Canadian team. He wasn’t, but just a few hours later he ends up with a Canadian team anyway and by all accounts had not yet left the country. He should be able to join the Maple Leafs immediately.

In exchange for providing the Maple Leafs with a player who checks a number of boxes, if he plays that is, the Carolina Hurricanes land a package that includes an AHL depth player and a question mark prospect. Warsofsky, though a respected veteran and leader in the AHL, has not played in the NHL since 2017-18 and has just 55 NHL games on his resume. Barring a mass amount of injuries to the Carolina blue line, one of the deepest units in the league, Warsofsky is nothing more than an experienced addition to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves (where his brother is head coach) to help provide some guidance to the Hurricanes’ minor league prospects. Thus, the true value for the ’Canes in this deal lies with Korshkov. The 24-year-old winger was a second-round pick in 2016 and has size, skill, and a track record of goal-scoring success in the KHL and just last season in the AHL. In fact, the past two years have been the best of Korshkov’s career. He recorded 16 goals and 25 points in 44 games with the AHL Marlies last year, adding a goal in his first and only NHL game with the Maple Leafs as well, and is currently having a career year on loan in the KHL with 16 goals and 31 points in 53 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. However, therein lies the problem as well. It took Korshkov nearly three years to make it to North America after being drafted into the NHL, even as an overage selection, and after just one season he returned to Russia and opted to remain there rather than return once the NHL and AHL returned to play. The key to this deal for the Hurricanes is being able to convince the power forward to commit to playing in North America and to adopting an NHL style of play. If they succeed with Korshkov, his long-term potential greatly outweighs the value that Galchenyuk might have provided as an injury substitute for the remainder of the season.

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