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Kraken Scratch Alexander Wennberg For Trade-Related Reasons

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Kraken center Alexander Wennberg will be held out of tonight’s game against the Flames for trade-related reasons, head coach Dave Hakstol said (via Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times). Wennberg, 29, had been generating interest as far back as last month and was linked to the Rangers a few weeks back. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta added Monday that the Bruins have demonstrated interest, while Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports the Avalanche have also called about the veteran center.

Carrying a cap hit of $4.5MM on an expiring deal, Wennberg may potentially veto a deal to any of these teams if they appear on his 10-team no-trade list. He has nine goals, 16 assists and 25 points in 60 games this season, his third with the Kraken after he signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract with them in free agency before their inaugural season in 2021.

It’s a bit of a down year for him offensively, but not by much. His 0.42 points per game aren’t far south of his 0.48 career average, although his possession metrics have taken a tumble. He’s posted a 46.7 CF% at even strength, a career-low by a country mile for the normally defensively responsible center.

That hamstrings his value at his cap hit, but with all three retained salary slots open, Kraken GM Ron Francis will likely retain half his salary to make him a $2.25MM player for the acquiring team. Adding in a third party could decrease his cap hit by another 50% to $1.125MM.

The Rangers’ courtship of Wennberg has been discussed at length, while the Bruins have been in the conversation for added depth down the middle since the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí last summer. The Avalanche, on the other hand, are likely in on Wennberg as a backup plan if they can’t land the Ducks’ Adam Henrique, who Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported has been linked to Colorado. If Wennberg is being held out days before the deadline, though, he may not be available by the time Colorado leans their fate on their offer for Henrique.

Metropolitan Notes: Markström, Hurricanes, Capitals, Gruden

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The Devils added some bottom-six grit today by acquiring enforcer Kurtis MacDermid from the Avalanche. Still, GM Tom Fitzgerald is far from done ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. He remains aggressive in his pursuit for a goaltender and, with Predators starter Juuse Saros all but off the table thanks to Nashville’s recent hot streak, he’s refocused his attention on the Flames and Jacob Markström.

Calgary seems less inclined to move on from their star starter than earlier in the calendar year, but that hasn’t stopped New Jersey from continuing to engage. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports Friday that New Jersey has made it known they’re no longer asking the Flames to retain any salary on Markström in a potential deal, making a trade much more palatable for Calgary GM Craig Conroy, who’s made it clear in recent days he doesn’t want to be stuck with any more long-term salary commitments than necessary.

That still doesn’t likely solve all of New Jersey’s roadblocks in acquiring Markström, who carries a $6MM cap hit through 2026. The Flames’ unwillingness to take salary back means it’s highly unrealistic that they’d take Devils netminder Vítek Vaněček, who carries a $3.4MM cap hit through next season, back in a trade. That would pose significant cap issues for the Devils in 2024-25, as they have under $20MM in projected space with only 13 out of 23 roster spots filled. To make it work, they’d likely need to part with more assets to dump the last season of the struggling Vaněček’s deal in a separate trade.

Other notes out of the Metropolitan Division one week out from the deadline:

  • The Hurricanes continue to pursue forward help as their top priority over the next seven days, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports. That includes smaller-scale additions outside of their reported interest in Canucks star center Elias Pettersson, which could very well flame out as extension talks between him and Vancouver continue. A quick scan of their forward group makes it clear they’d prefer to add a center above all else. 24-year-old Jack Drury is currently holding down the second line between Michael Bunting and Martin Nečas and, while he’s taken a step forward this season, still has only 26 points in 60 games – not at all the production you’d envision from the second-line center on a Stanley Cup-contending team.
  • All three of the Capitals’ questionable players for tonight’s practically do-or-die game against the Flyers will be in the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). Tom Wilson (personal leave), Nick Jensen (lower body), and Sonny Milano (illness) had all missed recent practices or games. Wilson returns to a top-line role alongside Alex Ovechkin while youngster Hendrix Lapierre gets a chance down the middle between them, while Milano, who’s struggled to stay healthy with 11 points in 27 games this year, occupies a second-line role alongside Max Pacioretty and Dylan Strome. Jensen returns to his normal role, anchoring the team’s second pairing behind John Carlson.
  • The Penguins have recalled left-winger Jonathan Gruden for the second time in the past two days, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old was brought up under emergency conditions before yesterday’s loss to the Kraken but did not play, and was briefly returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the night. He’s skated in five NHL games this year, going without a point while averaging 7:20 per game.

Canucks Reassign Arshdeep Bains

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The Canucks have assigned left-winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford, GM Patrik Allvin said Friday. Bains had been on the roster since a Feb. 17 recall, the first of his NHL career.

The 23-year-old didn’t record a point in his first five NHL outings, posting a -3 rating and three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. He spent a little over a third of his 5-on-5 ice time with Conor Garland and Elias Lindholm, although the trio struggled to maintain possession with a 38.1% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Individually, Bains posted poor possession numbers with a 45.5 CF% at even strength and an expected rating of -1.6, although starting 61% of his shifts in the defensive zone likely didn’t help matters.

That showing shouldn’t detract much from a promising season for the Surrey, British Columbia native, though. An undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks from the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels in 2022, Bains has broken out for nine goals and 30 assists for 39 points in 42 games in his sophomore season with Abbotsford, leading the team in scoring. His +13 rating is also a team-high.

Bains doesn’t yet require waivers for a minor-league assignment, and it’ll be a while before he does. He must play two more professional seasons or 75 NHL games, whichever comes first, before his waiver exemption lapses.

He now returns to Abbotsford, where he’ll earn his minor-league salary of $70K compared to his NHL salary of $775K. He has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $816.7K. He’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2025.

Capitals Place T.J. Oshie On IR, Out Week To Week

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Capitals winger T.J. Oshie has been placed on injured reserve and is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. The move opens up the necessary roster spot to recall winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, which was announced by the team earlier Monday.

Oshie, 37, left Thursday’s game against the Lightning after a non-contact injury late in the third period. Initially suspected as a lower-body injury based on the way he fell, his injury designation has changed to upper-body, generating some concern the ailment could be related to the back issues that have hampered him over the past few years. While he’s only been ruled out of Washington’s next two contests, he’ll likely miss a significant chunk of time.

The Capitals have kept Oshie in a top-six role this season, but age is catching up to the veteran winger, and his production has dipped as a result. He was on a tear before the injury, with six points in his last six games, but that rush only brought him up to 10 goals and 18 points in 38 games on the season. He’s bounced around various line combinations this season, recording a middling CF% of 47.2 at even strength. However, he hasn’t graded out as a particularly strong possession player for a few years.

It’s still a tough break for the Capitals, who need all the help they can get to make up ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It’s even more concerning for Oshie’s long-term health, as he’s already missed two significant chunks of the season with upper- and lower-body injuries. The 2005 first-round pick of the Blues is four games short of 1,000 in his career and has one season remaining on his eight-year, $46MM extension signed with the Caps in 2017.

The Caps are eight points behind the Lightning with four games in hand for the last wild-card spot in the East, although they’ve only won four of their last 10 games. Their -31 goal differential is also third-worst in the conference, only ahead of the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The trade deadline is less than three weeks away, and the rumor cycle continues to ramp up. The Blue Jackets’ recent firing of GM Jarmo Kekäläinen means interim GM John Davidson will manage their deadline approach as a major seller. At the same time, an injury to Penguins winger Jake Guentzel may have taken one of the top potential rental options off the table.

With much more to come in the next few weeks, it’s time for more answers to your questions from our Brian La Rose in the #PHRMailbag. Our last edition ran in two parts during the All-Star break. Part one focused on the Kings’ struggles, Calder Trophy challengers, and some recent coaching changes, while Part Two discussed the Sabres’ crash-and-burn year, a potential deadline haul for Ducks forward Adam Henrique, and what the Red Wings could do with Patrick Kane.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Injury Notes: Tinordi, Kapanen, Smith

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Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi has a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision against the Rangers on Friday, head coach Luke Richardson said Friday (via Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago). 22-year-old rookie Louis Crevier will make his first appearance since Chicago recalled him from AHL Rockford on Wednesday if Tinordi can’t play, Richardson said.

Tinordi, 31, last played with 6:53 remaining in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Wild. He did not take the ice for his defensive partner Isaak Phillips’ final two shifts.

The physical depth blue-liner has played in 30 of Chicago’s 51 games this season, recording six assists and a -19 rating while averaging 15:44 per game. A first-round pick of the Canadiens in 2010, Tinordi has worked his way into a stable NHL job with the rebuilding Blackhawks after they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers at the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

His value to Chicago comes in the form of pro experience and leadership, however – not so much from his on-ice performance. Tinordi’s 38.7% Corsi share at even strength is the worst among qualified Blackhawks skaters, although that figure is no doubt exacerbated by his sparingly low usage in the offensive zone.

Crevier hasn’t been much of an upgrade in his first 15 NHL showings. The 2020 seventh-round pick has similar offensive and possession numbers to Tinordi in nearly the same usage.

The 6-foot-6, 229-pound Tinordi will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He signed a one-year, $1.25MM extension to remain with Chicago last April after playing a career-high 44 games that season.

Other minor injury updates from around the league to close out the week:

  • Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen is ready to return from a lower-body injury ahead of Saturday’s game against the Sabres, interim head coach Drew Bannister said (via Lou Korac of NHL.com). Kapanen, 27, missed seven games with a lower-body injury sustained on Jan. 15 against the Flyers. St. Louis has an open roster spot and won’t need to make a corresponding transaction to take Kapanen off injured reserve. Despite scoring only four times in 42 games this season, he’s projected to return in a top-six role alongside Jake Neighbours and Brayden Schenn. Now in the second year of a two-year, $6.4MM contract ($3.2MM cap hit), the 2014 first-round pick has 12 goals and 27 points in 65 games with the Blues after they claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in February 2023.
  • Devils defenseman Brendan Smith will remain out on Saturday against the Hurricanes with a knee sprain, head coach Lindy Ruff said (via Amanda Stein of the Devils’ official site). The 35-year-old has been upgraded to day-to-day after landing on injured reserve over three weeks ago, however, and could be an option as soon as Monday against the Kraken. A depth free-agent add in the summer of 2022, Smith has logged time on both defense and left wing this season while occupying a veteran enforcer role. Signed to a contract with a $1.1MM cap hit that expires this summer, he’s posted a goal and four assists in 34 games while averaging 14:25 per contest. AHL call-up Santeri Hatakka has been serviceable in Smith’s absence, posting an assist and a +6 rating while shouldering bottom-pairing minutes in five games.

Follow The NBA Trade Deadline On Hoops Rumors

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Trade deadline day has arrived for the NBA, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams! The deadline is set for 2:00pm CT on Thursday.

Luke Adams provided a deadline primer this morning to help readers prepare for today’s action, and he will release his annual recap of all the completed trades this evening.

While it began as a relatively quiet week, three deals were agreed to on Wednesday, and many more significant trades were completed earlier in the season, with James Harden, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Immanuel Quickley, Terry Rozier, and Steven Adams among the players on the move.

In total, we’ve seen 11 in-season trades so far during the 2023/24 season. Last year, we saw 12 deals completed on deadline day alone, and this year could be just as action-packed!

Dejounte Murray, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, and Tyus Jones are among the names that have continually popped up in trade rumors. The Sixers have also reportedly talked to the Bulls about six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, perhaps the most accomplished player who has a chance to be sent to a new team today.

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Follow The NBA Trade Deadline At Hoops Rumors

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The NBA trade deadline is just two days away (Thursday at 2:00pm CT), and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams!

The 2023/24 season has been unusual so far, with eight completed in-season trades to this point, including seven before the calendar flipped to February. Typically, most in-season trades aren’t completed until the week (often the day) of the deadline, but several teams decided to make major roster decisions earlier than normal.

In part because several noteworthy trade candidates have already swapped teams in 2023/24, the rumor mill hasn’t featured many All-Star caliber players of late, but there’s always a chance that a disgruntled player asks out – that’s what happened last year when Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant requested trades and were moved shortly thereafter.

That doesn’t mean the rumor mill has been quiet, of course. The Bucks, who won the championship in 2021, are reportedly being aggressive in looking for upgrades. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Wizards, who are reportedly looking to accumulate assets in the first year of their rebuild. The Hawks have also been active in trade discussions, according to multiple reports.

Will the Sixers look to shake things up after reigning MVP Joel Embiid underwent knee surgery on Tuesday? What about the Bulls, who have six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan possibly heading for unrestricted free agency in the summer? Will the Warriors or Lakers make moves amid disappointing seasons?

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Last season saw a total of 17 in-season trades — including 12 on deadline day alone — and we’ll likely see a flurry of activity over the next few days. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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We’re now just over six weeks away from the trade deadline. As the season shifts past its halfway point and is quickly hurtling toward the All-Star Break, trade rumors are picking up on a wider scale after a news cycle that was focused on a select few names for most of the season.

With that in mind, it’s time to gear up for the impending transaction action with the next edition of our PHR Mailbag. Our last edition ran in three parts over the holiday break. Part one discussed the merits of buying for the upstart Red Wings and Flyers, part two discussed Alex Ovechkin’s chase of the all-time goals record and the potential of a Lindholm-for-Lindholm swap between Boston and Calgary, and part three discussed trade deadline plans for a handful of other squads.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Avalanche To Activate Artturi Lehkonen

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The Avalanche will activate winger Artturi Lehkonen off long-term injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports 92.5 FM (KKSE-FM) on Wednesday. Both he and defenseman Bowen Byram, who the team activated from injured reserve Tuesday, will return from multi-week absences tonight, per Bednar.

Lehkonen has not played since sustaining a neck injury against the Kraken on Nov. 9. His return ends a 35-game absence over the course of two and a half months.

The 28-year-old’s return to play comes soon after Colorado’s other major source of secondary scoring, Valeri Nichushkin, entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Avalanche have a 3-2-0 record and a +4 goal differential in their last five games without either Lehkonen or Nichushkin, importantly keeping pace for second place in the Central Division ahead of the Stars, who are only one point back of Colorado and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

Lehkonen shouldered major minutes for the Avalanche through the first 12 games of the year, averaging 18:29 per game, including his injury-shortened outing against Seattle. The Finnish winger posted three goals and five assists for eight points, a slight dip in pace from last season’s career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games.

His return will help shoulder the indefinite loss of Nichushkin and will provide a needed boost to a middle-six that’s struggled to produce much offense. While Colorado’s 179 goals lead the league, a disproportionate amount of that has come from Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Notably, Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor each have six points in their last five games and are hovering around a 41-point pace.

Now, the Avalanche hope Lehkonen can stay healthy until the postseason, where he’s done some of his best work. He posted 14 points in 20 games en route to 2022’s Stanley Cup win and had three goals and six points in last season’s seven-game loss to the Kraken in the First Round.

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