Quotable: Shane Doan On The Possibility Of Being Traded
The report over the weekend that suggested that long-time Coyotes captain Shane Doan could be willing to accept a trade caught many by surprise. Speaking with reporters, including Tim Campbell of NHL.com, he clarified the situation:
“People have texted and talked to me about it. I never said I wouldn’t go anywhere. I’ve always wanted to stay here. If there was ever an opportunity, the Coyotes have always been incredible to me and respectful to me in every way.
“I’d talk about it with my family and make a decision on that if it was to come up but it would have to be so perfect and so right that it’s pretty hard for it to all line up perfectly. It would have to be exactly perfect and that just doesn’t happen too often in our sport.”
Doan has been with the organization for 21 years, dating back to their original incarnation as the old Winnipeg Jets. He’s one of just nine players in league history to spend that long with the same organization, a legacy that’s quite important to him, notes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.
The 40 year old has struggled this season, posting just four goals and eight assists in 43 games, his worst point-per-game production since 1996-97. The team is also expected to miss the playoffs as they 29th in the league and 16 points out of the last Wild Card spot so if he wants to play in the postseason this year, it will have to be somewhere else.
Doan was also quick to note, however, that the trade talk didn’t start with him:
“It wasn’t me saying it. I’ve been frustrated with the year, with us not winning and stuff, that’s always tough. I haven’t said it to them, to management, or said anything to them, but I’ve also never said I wouldn’t [agree to be traded].
“If it comes to that point, we’ll sit down and talk about it. It’s happened in the past, it’s just that no one’s ever heard about it. We’ve had the discussion and said yes or no and for the most part it’s been no.”
Although his days of being a top six forward are over, it’s likely that several contending teams would be interested in adding him for the stretch run. However, with a cap hit of just over $3.875MM (not including games played bonuses of over $960K), it would take some creativity to get the finances to work in a deal. Doan’s contract also carries deferred signing bonus money over the next five years (CapFriendly has the detailed breakdown) which also has to be considered as well.
Doan was also asked about whether or not this would be his final season and noted that he isn’t ready to make that decision yet:
“I’ll decide at the end of the year. As long as I’m enjoying playing the game, I want to play. It’s the best sport in the world.”
With the trade deadline still six weeks away, there’s plenty of time for Doan to make a decision about his playing future. If he decides to take a run at a Stanley Cup this season, he will be one of the more interesting players to change teams this season. His case will be one to keep a close eye on in the weeks ahead.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Head Coaches Potentially On The Hot Seat
As we pass the halfway point of the 2016-17 schedule, teams will soon have to make the sometimes difficult decision as to whether they are going to act as a buyer or seller ahead of the March 1st trade deadline. Additionally, teams that have underachieved their internal preseason expectations will take the time to look in the mirror and assess what they can do to improve their on-ice fortunes, both for the remainder of the current campaign and into the future. Sometimes that assessment leads to coaching changes.
Though just one bench boss has been relieved of his duties so far this season, several more could soon join Gerard Gallant on the unemployment line. In this post we’ll examine the situations of several coaches who would appear to be on the hot seat at this point in the 2016-17 season.
Jack Capuano (New York Islanders) – The Islanders have been one of the biggest disappointments this season, just one year after making it to the second-round of the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades. Currently residing in last place in the Metro Division and tied for the lowest points total in the East, the Islanders under Garth Snow have generally exercised patience with their head coach. In five full seasons behind the Islanders bench, Capuano has missed the postseason twice and has two first-round playoff defeats on his record. Other teams might have already pulled the plug on the coach. It’s not necessarily fair to assign all of the blame for the team’s underachievment this year on Capuano as Snow allowed two key players – Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen – to leave via free agency this past summer, and the players he inked to help replace them – Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera – haven’t played well. Capuano has also had the unenviable task of trying to manage a three-headed monster in goal for much of the season until Jaroslav Halak was reassigned to Bridgeport after clearing waivers. With franchise player John Tavares nearing unrestricted free agency, the pressure to turn in a deep playoff run to help convince their captain to sign on long term has to be growing.
[Update: Capuano has been relieved of his coaching duties by the team.]
Dave Tippett (Arizona Coyotes) – It seems unlikely that just a year after being given more power and some influence over player personnel that the Coyotes would move on from their longtime head coach. Yet nonetheless, the struggles in Arizona will assuredly mean some changes are made and it’s always possible ownership in Arizona reverses course and moves on from Tippett. After all, it seems likely some improvement over their 78-point 2015-16 campaign was expected and with just 32 points to date, those improvements simply haven’t been there.
Paul Maurice (Winnipeg Jets) – The Jets certainly have talent in the form of Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler – among others – but the team has been maddeningly inconsistent this year. Some observers believe the Jets have a tough time sticking to their system and structure and that doesn’t speak well of Maurice. But, the absence of a true number one goaltender is another one of the issues stifling the team’s success and that’s not the fault of the head coach. Maurice has also integrated a number of younger players into the linuep during his tenure in Manitoba, allowing management to get a better sense as to the real quality of their yong talent. Ownership in Winnipeg has a reputation of being patient when it comes to making decisions and will likely give the veteran coach another season to see what he can do.
Claude Julien (Boston Bruins) – The Bruins are currently in second place in the Atlantic and if they end up qualifying for the postseason, it’s likely the team refrains from making a change behind the bench. But three teams – Florida, Ottawa and Toronto – are just three points behind Boston in the standings and all have games-in-hand, meaning there is a real possibility the Bruins could miss the postseason tournament for the third consecutive season.
Vancouver bench boss Willie Desjardins, who has been thought to be on the hot seat for much of the season, would seem to be safe for the time being with the Canucks in the mix for a playoff berth.
Garrioch’s Latest: Coyotes, Snow, Devils, Bishop, Van Riemsdyk
Things aren’t going so rosy in Arizona right now. Not only do they find themselves miles out of a playoff spot, the frustration is spreading to within the dressing room as well, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun in his latest Insider Trading column. The decision to go to a more analytics-based decision making process hasn’t worked (so far, at least) and Garrioch adds that it’s not yet known what the fate of head coach Dave Tippett will be when the season comes to an end.
In the meantime, the focus will shift to who they can move prior to the trade deadline, particularly where it comes to the rental players. We took a closer look at their situation earlier today. The recent mention that Shane Doan could be willing to consider a trade in the right situation is drawing some attention; Garrioch notes that San Jose is a team that has shown some interest in the 40 year old over the last couple of years but obviously nothing came to fruition.
Garrioch also tackles several other topics from around the league. Here are some of the highlights, though the full column is worth a read:
- With the New York Islanders scuffling through the first half, he suggests that GM Garth Snow’s job may be in jeopardy. His decision to allow right winger Kyle Okposo and center Frans Nielsen to depart in free agency hasn’t exactly panned out with both players being named All-Stars earlier this week. Left winger Andrew Ladd (signed to replace Okposo) hasn’t panned out and with six more years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.5MM, that’s a near-impossible contract to move right now while John Tavares heading into his walk year is something that will need to be addressed sooner than later as well. Accordingly, the team will have to make a decision as to whether he’s the right manager to try to fix things up and get Tavares locked up.
- The Devils haven’t thrown in the towel on trying to make the playoffs yet but if they do, they could be a team to watch for. Only two teams have more cap space than New Jersey does which sets up the possibility of them becoming a clearinghouse for contending teams to free up some cap space. GM Ray Shero could be open to doing so, provided he picks up some quality draft picks and/or prospects for doing so.
- Dallas has inquired about the availability of pending UFA goalie Ben Bishop. Bishop, who ranked fifth in our UFA Power Rankings this week, isn’t expected to return to Tampa Bay next season with Andrei Vasilevskiy expected to take over as the starter. The Stars already have the highest goalie cap hit in the league but have not received much bang for their buck so far. However, GM Steve Yzerman’s asking price is quite high as it’s certainly quite possible that the Lightning will want to keep him around for their postseason push as well.
- Toronto’s recent success may make their decision regarding left winger James van Riemsdyk that much more difficult. Garrioch reports that the team is fielding inquiries on him but he is a key piece in the Leafs’ lineup and if they plan to make a run at a playoff spot, they’ll likely want to keep him in their lineup. The 27 year old has one year left after this season at a manageable cap hit of $4.25MM so it’s not a typical rental player situation while it’s also worth noting that van Riemsdyk has a modified no-trade clause.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Jordan Oesterle
After holding their annual skills competition this afternoon, the Edmonton Oilers have recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The team hosts the struggling Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night.
Oesterle has been up with the Oilers this season, but hasn’t yet to get into a game at the NHL level. In 18 contests for Bakersfield he has 11 points and is proving he should have been drafted years ago. The 24-year old went undrafted but developed into a leader at Western Michigan University in his three years, before signing with the Oilers in 2014.
It’s unclear why Oesterle was brought up, but with the team having an empty roster spot perhaps its he’s just there as insurance for any late injuries tomorrow. The Oilers sit second in the Pacific division at 23-15-7, and are looking more and more like they’ll get back to the playoffs this year.
Connor McDavid easily won the team’s fastest skater competition today, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking home most accurate, and Milan Lucic winning the hardest shot.
Trade Rumors: Coyotes Edition
The Arizona Coyotes were not expected to compete this year, and with the team firmly entrenched in the league’s basement—with the Colorado Avalanche as roommates—the expected trade rumors begin to swirl. As is tradition, most basement-dwelling teams start trading pending free agents and veteran players for draft picks and prospects in an effort to stockpile for the future. And with forward-thinking GM John Chayka at the helm, Arizona should be aggressive at the deadline to take advantage of the available futures.
One name that comes up again and again is Coyotes captain Shane Doan. Doan trade rumors crop up every year, and this year is no different. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night that Doan may be open to waiving his NMC in the right situation. Doan, however, is the face of the franchise, and a valuable marketing tool for an organization in a non-traditional market. Nevertheless, according to Friedman, the franchise is interested in looking to see who the next team leader is, and that cannot happen as long as Doan remains. Obviously Doan would only waive his NMC for an advantageous situation both for himself and his familty, and that may limit Arizona’s trading partners to west coast teams. The desire to win a Stanley cup usually ends up trumping team legacy—just ask Jarome Iginla and Ray Bourque—but then players like Mats Sundin chose to stay pat. It is unclear what Doan does this month, but rest assured the trade rumors will heat up exponentially.
Another Coyote target is center Martin Hanzal. The Coyotes are all but guaranteed to move the impending free agent at the deadline. The question is where, and for how much? Hanzal has struggled so far this year, tallying only 9G and 6A in 36 games. His production may dampen the return Arizona receives, but a player like Hanzal is a hot commodity come trade deadline. Teams looking to make an extended post-season run want to add talented center depth. Andrew Ladd returned a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first and third round draft pick. Eric Staal returned a prospect (Aleksi Saarela) and two second round draft picks. Both had similar production and similar ages to Hanzal at the deadline last year. Where the Coyote ends up will depend on what prospects the team covets.
One interesting possibility is that the Coyotes dangle sophomore forward Anthony Duclair. Duclair was linked to trade rumors early in the season, and he could be the piece that sweetens the deal alongside Doan or Hanzal for a top-notch prospect. Duclair still struggles for the Coyotes, scoring only 3G and 6A in 39 games. He is still young enough that teams may take a flyer on him, and could lessen the blow of giving up a top prospect in return.
Pacific Notes: Arizona Rentals, Burrows, DeMelo, Kopitar
While many teams have hoped Arizona’s asking price regarding center Martin Hanzal would have come down by now, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman told 630 CHED in Edmonton that the price remains the same and that the team is still looking for someone who can play right away as part of the return (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):
“John Chayka has held steadfast that Hanzal is going to have to get them a young player who can play in the NHL right now – preferably a center. So I think teams have balked at that.”
Friedman adds that Los Angeles, St. Louis, and San Jose are among the Western Conference teams that have inquired about Hanzal’s availability.
There are teams also showing an interest in pending UFA blueliner Michael Stone (who ranks 15th in our Midseason UFA Power Rankings), Tampa Bay among them, but like Hanzal, the price is too steep for anyone to meet just yet.
Of course, the salary cap may be playing a role in these two not getting moved yet as both players have sizable cap hits; Hanzal comes in at $3.1MM while Stone is earning $4MM this season and most teams don’t have the ability to absorb those hits in their entirety at the moment.
More from the Pacific:
- Teams have started to call Vancouver to inquire about the availability of pending UFA winger Alex Burrows, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun. While Burrows has no-trade protection, it has long been speculated that he would be a candidate to move by the trade deadline if the Canucks fall out of the playoff picture. However, with a cap hit of $4.5MM, it’s likely that any move involving him would occur closer to the deadline to make it easier for the acquiring team to fit him in on their payroll.
- Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo underwent surgery to repair a broken right wrist today, the team announced. The injury was originally sustained on Tuesday against the Oilers. He’s expected to miss roughly eight weeks. DeMelo has spent the season primarily as San Jose’s seventh blueliner as he has played in just 14 games this year, recording four points (1-3-4) while averaging 15:04 per night.
- The Kings are at a loss when it comes to trying to figure out what has caused center Anze Kopitar to struggle as much as he has offensively this season, writes Elliott Teaford of the LA Daily News. Kopitar has just 21 points in 37 games this year and has had just three multi-point games. That’s hardly the level of production they were expecting when they handed him an eight year, $80MM extension last January, even if his defensive game is still strong. Head coach Darryl Sutter ruled out the possibility that Kopitar’s wrist/hand issue has crept back up, nor does he believe assuming the captaincy has created any extra pressure on the 29 year old Slovenian.
Minor Transactions: 1/12/17
Here is where we’ll keep tabs on today’s comings and goings with the minor leagues:
- The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Scott Mayfield from AHL Bridgeport. He will take the place of Travis Hamonic on the active roster, who has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to January 7th. Mayfield has played in three games with the Isles this season, picking up a goal and two assists. He has spent the bulk of the season in the minors where he has three tallies and three helpers in 23 contests.
- Nashville announced the recall of defenseman Alexandre Carrier from Milwaukee of the AHL. Carrier, a fourth round pick of the Predators back in 2015, has had a strong rookie season in the minor leagues, recording 22 points (4-18-22) in 35 games, earning himself a spot in the AHL All-Star Game.
- With their bye week set to come to an end, the Coyotes announced that they have recalled center Laurent Dauphin and winger Brendan Perlini from their AHL affiliate in Tucson. Dauphin has spent the bulk of the season with Arizona, recording three points in 21 games while producing at a point-per-game clip in 11 minor league contests. As for Perlini, he has suited up in 15 NHL games, scoring four goals and an assist while adding 19 points (14-5-19) in 17 games with the Roadrunners.
- After just three games with AHL Hartford, the Rangers have recalled (Twitter link) winger Pavel Buchnevich. The Russian rookie made an early impact this season, recording four goals and four assists in ten games before back spasms took him out of the lineup for nearly two months. New York had sent Buchnevich down to get back into game shape and evidently they’re pleased with how performed; he had a goal and an assist in his three minor league contests.
- Pittsburgh has assigned defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). He did not get into any action with the Penguins after being recalled on January 6th. Ruhwedel has suited up in five NHL games this season, recording a goal and and an assist.
- The Ducks announced that they have assigned center Chris Wagner to AHL San Diego. The 25 year old has three goals in 25 games with Anaheim this season and cleared waivers back in mid-November. Recently, the team had experimented with playing him on the wing; that type of versatility may come in handy as he pushes to be the next player recalled from the Gulls.
Snapshots: Burmistrov, Canucks, Ducks
Since being selected off waivers on January 2nd, Alexander Burmistrov has still yet to make it to Arizona due to work visa issues. Now, according to Dave Vest the team’s director of news content, Burmistrov has his visa and is just waiting to get his passport back from the government. As soon as he does, he’ll fly out to Arizona and join the team.
The Coyotes hope he’ll be ready to play on Friday, when they’ll begin to evaluate what they have. The former top-10 draft pick has just two points this season and hasn’t developed into the dominant two-way center the Jets had hoped for when they selected him. The Coyotes will use the rest of this year to determine if they can find some use for him going forward, or if he’s just another busted prospect.
- Pierre LeBrun says the Vancouver Canucks will not trade away draft picks for a short-term gain to get them into the playoffs. That would jive with what Frank Seravalli said earlier today when he said that gaining draft picks would probably be the priority for GM Jim Benning. LeBrun does say that if they could acquire a young player capable of contributing for the next few years they’d be open to it, but realistically who wouldn’t?
- There’s a nasty flu going around the Anaheim Ducks room, reports Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report. That’s not good as starting tomorrow night the team has five games in eight nights and are fighting the San Jose Sharks for the first seed in the Pacific division. Luckily, they’ll face the hapless Avalanche twice during those games, with another one against the Coyotes to boot.
- Dylan DeMelo will be out a couple of weeks, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The defenseman was seen in a cast tonight before the team’s game against the Calgary Flames. With DeMelo out, Tim Heed may work his way in on the bottom pairing at some point.
The Latest On Gabriel Landeskog Trade Rumors
It seems like every week brings a new Colorado Avalanche trade rumor. Teams plummeting in the standings attract sharks looking to pick off the best pieces in exchange for future prospects. This week’s target is Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
Adrian Dater tweeted that both the Los Angeles Kings (here) and the Boston Bruins (here) were rumored to be in the mix for Landeskog. The problem, however, may be with Colorado’s requested return. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Colorado is looking for “top-level defenseman, first-round draft pick, plus.” He noted that some teams find that ask outrageous—especially because Landeskog is struggling this season with 7G and 6A in 29 games.
Boston is one of those teams. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Boston ended talks with Colorado after Boston refused to part with defensive prospect Brandon Carlo. Boston drafted Carlo in the second round in 2015, and while his numbers don’t raise any eyebrows, his defensive play has impressed scouts. Boston is reportedly very high on Carlo, and expect him to develop into a top-flight defenseman.
Because of this ask, TSN and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun says that most teams think that the Avalanche wait until the offseason to make any moves. The rationale is that teams are relatively unshackled from cap constraints and have more freedom to make moves. Left unsaid was that an offseason deal protects a team from losing a fringe player or prospect in the June expansion draft.
Colorado’s asking price may drop as more teams drop out of the playoff race, notes Elliotte Friedman today on the Fan 590 (audio link). Right now only Colorado and the Arizona Coyotes are definite non-playoff teams, creating scarcity in the market for available players. Colorado may reduce its price for Landeskog in a few weeks once the NHL standings filter out some of the bubble teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders.
Minor Transactions: 1/8/2016 (Updated)
With some teams preparing for their mandatory mid-season break, GM’s are trimming their rosters, reassigning waivers-exempt players to the minors to ensure they can continue to play during the off time. Additionally, teams bank additional cap space during the hiatus by moving players off of the big league roster. We’ll monitor all of today’s roster transactions in this post and update throughout the day.
- (Update) 5:30pm: With T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson both dealing with injuries and unable to practice today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Paul Carey from Hershey of the AHL, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Both Oshie (upper-body injury) and Wilson (lower-body injury were hurt in the team’s 1 – 0 win over Ottawa last night. Carey has already seen action in three games with Washington but has not registered a point. He currently ranks third in scoring for Hersey with 25 points.
- The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Petter Granberg on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 24-year-old Swedish blue liner has appeared in nine games this season for the Predators but has not recorded a point and has averaged just under nine minutes a game. Granberg was originally acquired by Nashville from Toronto via waivers in November of 2015. After failing to make the team in training camp he was waived on the last day of September and after clearing the team assigned him to Milwaukee. Nashville recalled Granberg from the AHL on November 26th. It’ likely he will again clear waivers and remain in the Predators organization.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to do the backup goalie shuffle, again sending Antoine Bibeau to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalling Jhonas Enroth, reports James Mirtle of The Athletic. Bibeau has appeared in just two games, winning one and losing one, while putting up excellent overall numbers – 1.98 GAA and 0.927 Save %. Enroth has posted a record of 0-3-1 in four starts, with a GAA of nearly four. It’s likely the move was made so that Bibeau can stay sharp playing in the minors and he will again be recalled from the Marlies when the Leafs return to action Friday.
- The Arizona Coyotes assigned Laurent Dauphin, Brendan Perlini and Anthony DeAngelo to Tucson of the AHL, the team announced via their Twitter account. Dauphin has tallied three points in 21 games for Arizona and is averaging 11 minutes per game filling in on the team’s bottom line. Perlini, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in 15 games, scoring four goals and five points. DeAngelo, acquired via trade from Tampa Bay this past summer, has tallied three goals and nine points in 20 games in his first taste of NHL action. Again, it’s likely the assignments were made to ensure the trio continue to play during the break.