Nashville Predators Had Interest In Phil Kessel
Going into this NHL season, fans who wanted to accuse the Buffalo Sabres of “tanking,” or intentionally icing a weak roster to lose as many games as possible, could have simply pointed to the team’s goaltending situation and made a decent case. On paper, it looked rough. The Sabres were set to run a tandem featuring 40-year-old Craig Anderson and NHL-AHL tweener Dustin Tokarski, a pairing that inspired very little confidence. While the team has battled injuries in the crease, it’s safe to say that the tandem of Tokarski and Anderson has performed better than expected, and it seems that the Sabres agree. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Sabres have told Anderson that they “would like to have him back” next season, and are willing to wait for him to decide if he wants to continue playing before seeking a replacement to fill his spot.
While a fan looking just at Anderson’s box score numbers, and specifically his .902 save percentage, might scoff at this development, it is more reasonable than it may seem. Anderson is a beloved veteran whose leadership is likely to be increasingly important in the Sabres’ young locker room. Additionally, his overall performance is more impressive when put into the context of the Sabres’ season in general. Buffalo is not a team that has an abundance of talent on their blueline, and Anderson more frequently faces nights without much help than he does nights where his team makes the game easy for him. More than anything, the stability and poise he has brought to the Sabres’ net has helped them come out on top in some big moments this season, highlighted by the team’s win in an outdoor game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. For a Sabres organization that hasn’t had many highlights to speak of over the past decade, wanting to re-sign the goalie who led the charge during this season’s best moments is not an unreasonable desire.
- The Montreal Canadiens’ 2019 second-round pick Jayden Struble is one year away from hitting unrestricted free agency as a college graduate, so increased attention has been paid to his thought process on if he wants to turn pro. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that Struble “needs to decide” if he wants to continue his college career at Northeastern University, where he has 36 points in 73 games played over the course of three seasons. If he signs, Struble would be another addition to a Canadiens defense pipeline that has seen the recent additions of Justin Barron (via trade) and Struble’s Northeastern teammate, Jordan Harris.
- Despite some interest and months of his name being mentioned in trade rumors, Arizona Coyotes winger Phil Kessel did not end up traded at this year’s trade deadline. But it seems that was not without some effort by contending teams. In his 32 Thoughts blog, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Nashville Predators were “one of the teams interested” in Kessel at the deadline. The Predators are solidly entrenched as the Western Conference’s top wild card team, and the addition of Kessel would have definitely boosted their attack down the stretch. In our trade deadline primer, we listed the need for additional scoring help as one of the major needs for the Predators heading into the deadline, and it seems that GM David Poile may have agreed given his interest in Kessel. But seeing that Nashville’s powerplay currently ranks 7th in the NHL at 24.2% and Kessel is considered a powerplay specialist at this point in his career, it makes sense that he may not have been an absolute must-have for the team, which could be why the Predators did not ultimately end up with Kessel on their roster, despite their league-leading amount of deadline cap space.
Clayton Keller Undergoes Surgery; Out Rest Of Season
12:30pm: The Coyotes have announced that Keller underwent surgery to repair a broken leg and is expected to make a full recovery. He will be out for four to six months, however, meaning training camp is certainly in doubt.
8:50am: It was some scary moments in Arizona last night, as Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was stretchered off the ice after crashing hard into the boards. His leg, which was awkwardly pinned behind his body on the fall, was obviously injured, but it wasn’t clear exactly what the extent of the injury was. The Coyotes issued a press release indicating that Keller had been moved to a local hospital, and this morning he revealed that his season is over.
Want to thank my teammates, the fans, and medical personnel for the love and support last night! Unfortunately the season’s over for me, but I’m resting comfortably at the hospital in good spirits. I will be back better than ever for day 1 next season!!!!
With his season over, Keller will miss a chance to set a career-high in points, and finish with 63 in 67 games. The 23-year-old forward already did hit a career-high in goals with 28 and was averaging more than 20 minutes a night for the rebuilding club. In fact, it’s been quite a renaissance for a player who hadn’t broken the 50-point mark in any of the previous three seasons. There was starting to be some concern that Keller would never get back to the levels he showed as a rookie but this year proved he can still be a top-end offensive player.
Unfortunately, all that work will be put aside as he faces a long rehab process. When he eventually returns, the Coyotes will be playing at a different rink–Arizona State University–and will likely have a much different team. Players like Phil Kessel and Anton Stralman are pending unrestricted free agents, names like Jakob Chychrun are still on the trade block, and general manager Bill Armstrong is still obviously looking to strip down the roster to the studs, before rebuilding it.
Keller, one of the only players signed long-term in Arizona, is under contract through 2027-28 and might even have been considered a trade chip himself this offseason under normal circumstances. An injury like this could complicate that situation, though it is still not clear what kind of recovery timeline he faces.
Lawson Crouse Could Miss Rest Of Season
It’s bad news for Lawson Crouse and the Arizona Coyotes, as Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that the forward suffered a broken bone in his hand when blocking a shot last night. Crouse, 24, was having the best season of his career, setting career highs in goals (20) and points (34) through 65 games. The big winger is also a restricted free agent at the end of the year, meaning every goal he scores meant a bigger ask through the arbitration process, if not extended before then.
Morgan adds that Crouse is expected to undergo further evaluation this week, but could miss the rest of the season. Here are some more injury notes from around the league:
- Miro Heiskanen will be back for the Dallas Stars tonight, head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. He won’t carry his normal load, playing just 15-17 minutes with “situational” partners, as he returns from a bout with mononucleosis. The 22-year-old defenseman normally plays close to 25 minutes, but hasn’t suited up since March 2, and will be eased back into the lineup. It’s certainly good timing for the Stars, who have gone 5-5 in their last ten and risk losing their place in the Western Conference playoff chase if they can’t get back in the win column.
- San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc could be in the lineup as soon as this weekend, according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic, but the forward will consult with the doctor who performed his recent surgery before being completely cleared for action. Labanc went under the knife in December to repair a dislocated shoulder and has played just 21 games so far this season.
- Jason Zucker has been cleared for contact and re-joined the Pittsburgh Penguins group in a regular sweater today. Head coach Mike Sullivan called it a “significant step in the process” for the veteran forward, who has played just one game since the middle of December and just 31 total this season. Notably, the Penguins were 13-2-1 in the last 16 games Zucker played before going down to injury and will certainly look like an even deeper forward group when he’s back at full-strength.
Latest On Jakob Chychrun
While many may have expected Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun to be among the bigger names moved on trade deadline day on Monday, that did not happen. Chychrun remained a Coyote, and he will likely re-enter the trade conversation after this season concludes and the offseason enters full swing. Teams typically prefer to make more significant trades in the offseason, because the market for the player being shopped is generally larger. Less teams are willing to take a sledgehammer to their roster to be able to pay the price for a significant player when they are in the middle of their season, so it makes sense that Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong would wait until this summer to sell his biggest trade asset. But despite that strategy making sense, it may not have been the preferred route for all parties involved. According to Craig Morgan of PHNX.com (subscription required) Chychrun “welcomed” the idea of being traded to another club at the deadline and was “disappointed” that no deal was eventually reached.
While that may come as a surprise to some observers, just one look at the NHL’s standings could explain his reported stance more clearly. With the Montreal Canadiens’ win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Coyotes now sit last in the NHL with a 20-40-4 record. Armstrong has taken a no-holds-barred approach to rebuilding the team, and that approach means the Coyotes could be a few seasons away from truly focusing on winning. Morgan reports that Chychrun “wants to win now” and as a result, this approach Armstrong is taking is unlikely one that Chychrun would like to be around for the long haul. Morgan also states that Chychrun has “become unhappy” with his utilization and role under coach Andre Tourigny, which could also factor into his willingness to depart the Coyotes.
Given his success last season (he scored 18 goals and 41 points in the shortened 56-game season) and his relative youth (he is only 23 years old) there are many who believe that Chychrun is the kind of player the Coyotes should be building around, rather than trading. But Armstrong’s modus operandi for his entire tenure as Coyotes GM has been to extract as much long-term value as possible from players, and a player like Chychrun represents an extremely attractive trade asset from his perspective. If NHL clubs traded significant future assets for rental defensemen like Ben Chiarot at this deadline, Armstrong has to be expecting teams to offer significant packages for Chychrun, who is on a bargain $4.6MM AAV contract that runs through the 2024-25 season. If Armstrong is all-in on his rebuild of the Coyotes, entertaining an offseason bidding war for Chychrun is the sort of move that fits his plan perfectly. So, given Morgan’s recent reporting on Chychrun’s frame of mind on his future, it seems as though that sort of offseason trade sweepstakes is something Chychrun would welcome as well.
Jack McBain Will Be Out Longer Than Expected
Before Monday’s trade deadline, many expected that Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan would be on the move but a deal never materialized. Now that he’s still in Chicago, the veteran recently told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d to stay there beyond this season. De Haan is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will assuredly wind up with a contract that’s considerably cheaper than his current $4.55MM AAV. The 30-year-old has just five points in 59 games this season but is second on the team in blocked shots with 147 while logging over 19 minutes per contest. However, while de Haan would like to stay in Chicago, the team has young left-shot blueliners Wyatt Kalynuk, Riley Stillman, Alex Vlasic, and Caleb Jones in their system already that are all 24 or younger. For a team committing to a rebuild, it may make more sense to play them more and not bring de Haan back next season.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- The Coyotes will have to wait a while for Jack McBain to make his NHL debut. Head coach Andre Tourigny told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old’s ankle injury may take longer to heal than expected; instead of him being out for a few days, it could be a few weeks. From a contractual standpoint, McBain’s first year will be burned regardless of whether or not he plays but Arizona would certainly like to get him into some game action to evaluate his readiness for next season.
- With the Predators opting not to trade Filip Forsberg at the trade deadline, Gentry Estes of The Tennessean suggests that Nashville has no real choice but to hand the winger the money he’s seeking to sign a long-term extension. With their last chance to trade him for any value now gone (a negotiating rights trade wouldn’t bring back much), the scribe posits that Forsberg could easily up his asking price with the team no longer having a lot of leverage in discussions. Of course, Forsberg’s play in itself is only making that price go higher as he has 36 goals and 28 assists in 52 games this season; he’s the leading goal-getter among pending unrestricted free agents.
Snapshots: Dadonov Fallout, Dansk, No Trade Clauses
The cancellation of Monday’s Evgenii Dadonov trade is a decision that could have an impact on the rest of this season and into the future. Because the Golden Knights’ place in the Western Conference’s playoff picture has become significantly more precarious than it was in the earlier months of the season, activating Alec Martinez and captain Mark Stone off of long-term injured reserve has suddenly become far more necessary than the team may have anticipated it would be. But without the cap space that was set to be cleared by Monday’s voided trade, the team is going to have a far more challenging time trying to get their players back from the long-term injured list. So, this means that the Golden Knights could pursue other trades to clear the cap room. In his 32 Thoughts blog, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman details what that could entail. He floats the Arizona Coyotes as a potential suitor for taking on Dadonov’s contract but states that the potential Dadonov-to-Arizona trade would be less appetizing to the Golden Knights than their voided trade to Anaheim was.
Friedman writes that “Arizona will make itself available” should the Golden Knights want to pursue that avenue of a solution, but it could be expensive. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the cost of a team taking on Dadonov’s contract from the Golden Knights could be “a first-round pick” plus more. For Vegas, that is a steeper price than the second-rounder they were set to send Anaheim. With the trade deadline passed and any trade of Dadonov now making him ineligible to play again this season, what little leverage Vegas did have has likely evaporated. Even worse for the team, Dadonov’s no-trade protection, the center of most of this conversation, could further cut into the number of teams willing to engage with Vegas on this type of deal. So the central question for Vegas will be: if getting rid of Dadonov’s contract to be able to activate Martinez and Stone is essential to reviving the team’s fading playoff hopes, how much is this season worth to GM Kelly McCrimmon? How much is it worth to owner Bill Foley? The Golden Knights have been remarkably aggressive in their young existence as a franchise, with a relentless commitment to maximizing their team’s ability to win a Stanley Cup with their current core of players. This season has been perhaps their most challenging, and the Dadonov situation brings them to a fork in the road. Will they pay what could be an exorbitant price to trade Dadonov and activate some reinforcements? Or could they potentially refuse to pay that price, and end up missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history?
- Speaking of the Golden Knights, in another nugget of information from his 32 Thoughts blog, Elliotte Friedman brings up a name that Vegas fans should remember. Friedman reports that Oscar Dansk is pondering a return to North America after his first season overseas since he spent 2016-17 tending the pipes in the SHL. Dansk was the 31st overall pick in the 2012 draft and never quite lived up to his potential. After a 2020-21 season where he only got into 12 games across the NHL and AHL levels, Dansk left for the KHL. He played in 17 regular-season games for Spartak Moscow and registered a .910 save percentage. In three games for the team in the KHL playoffs, Dansk is sporting an impressive .932 mark. Given his track record as a solid AHL goalie (he had a .910 save percentage over a 75-game stretch for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from 2018-19 through 2019-20), it’s possible that he could return to this side of the Atlantic and get a chance as a team’s third netminder similar to the role he played for Vegas when he was last in North America.
- One potential long-term impact of the voided Dadonov trade could be a change in how no-trade protections associated with contracts are tracked. A central issue with the Dadonov trade was that Dadonov’s contractual right to refuse a trade to the Anaheim Ducks was not communicated when the Knights made the trade earlier this week. The specifics of no-trade protection on NHL contracts are information typically only shared between a player, his representation, and the team he is contracted to. But with this Dadonov situation, that could change. In his piece detailing more information about Dadonov’s situation and no-trade clauses in general, the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun notes (subscription required) that with the annual GM meetings set to be held next week, the creation of a centralized, league-monitored place to store information on no-trade clauses could be an item on discussion. As with any piece of information, the more eyes that get to see it, the more likely it is to leak. So some parties may be opposed to this solution given that an unintended consequence could be more players’ no-trade lists becoming public information. But given the mess that the Dadonov trade situation evolved into, one wonders if that’s a risk the league’s decision-makers are willing to take.
Arizona Coyotes Officially Sign Jack McBain
Though it was clear a deal was coming immediately after they acquired him from the Minnesota Wild, Jack McBain‘s entry-level contract has been officially announced by the Arizona Coyotes. While the team did not release specific information on the deal, CapFriendly reported earlier this week that it will start in 2021-22 and carry an NHL cap hit of $883,750.
That means McBain can join the club immediately, and that his college career is now a thing of the past. The 22-year-old center is one of those select few who played at the Olympics before ever signing a pro contract, suiting up for Canada earlier this year and scoring two points in four games. For Boston College, where he has spent the last four years, the 6’4″ forward added 19 goals and 33 points in a breakout senior season.
While he may never become an elite offensive producer at the next level, McBain brings a mix of size and skill not often found together. He was acquired from the Wild in exchange for a second-round pick when it became clear that a contract with Minnesota wasn’t coming. McBain could have hit unrestricted free agency later this summer, but will chase an opportunity in Arizona instead.
Perhaps they would have rather he join their organization, but the deal actually resulted in a bit of an upgrade for the Wild in the end. They used a third-round pick, 63rd-overall, in 2018 and will now get a pick several slots higher in return. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Arizona’s selection they received though, as they instead landed Vancouver’s second-round pick in 2022.
Minor Transactions: 03/22/22
After the rush and excitement of trade deadline day blows over, it’s always good to be reminded that hockey transactions do go on. Sure, there will be nothing close to matching the excitement of the deadline until later this summer with the NHL Draft and opening of free agency, but in the meantime there will still be signings involving undrafted college and junior players, prospects receiving entry-level deals, and perhaps some early European additions, not to mention the potential for some minor trades among non-playoff teams getting their offseason started early. There also continue to be roster operations ongoing outside the NHL, with the AHL and European leagues dealing with different rules and timelines. For those “minor” moves, make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action:
- It’s hard to keep all of the NHL trades straight on deadline day, nevertheless noticing an AHL swap. It seems that future considerations had a busy day across both leagues, as that was the return for the Belleville Senators in a deal that saw veteran forward Tyrell Goulbourne head to the Stockton Heat. The team announced that they had acquired the 28-year-old forward, as they look to bolster their lineup for the Calder Cup playoffs. Goulbourne, a former member of the Philadelphia Flyers, has never possessed much offensive ability and is scoreless through nine AHL games this season, but continues to provide value with his defensive ability. Though not confirmed by any of the teams involved at either level, Goulbourne is believed to be future considerations himself, as the return of the NHL deal that saw goaltender Michael McNiven head to Ottawa.
- Arizona State standout Colin Theisen isn’t going very far for his first pro experience. The AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners have signed the Sun Devils captain, his now-alma mater announced. A fifth year transfer from Notre Dame, Theisen enjoyed a breakout season to end his collegiate career, recording 19 goals and 42 points in 35 games with ASU. This was far superior than anything he did with the Fighting Irish; in fact, his goals and points totals were better than his two best marks at Notre Dame combined. Though hardly a young prospect at 24, Theisen did enough this year to earn a look in the pros and the nearby Roadrunners were happy to give him a shot. Perhaps the Coyotes will be next if he can prove his game translates to the next level.
- Though far less common in Europe, the end of the playing season marks the beginning of buyout season and one Swiss club is making big cuts. The National League’s SC Bern has bought out a pair of former NHL forwards in Cory Conacher and Kaspars Daugavins as they begin a “remodel”. Conacher and Daugavins were both under contract through 2022-23 and seemingly seemed safe to stick around. Both were among the top six scorers for Bern, as was Vincent Praplan, a player who had already been bought out (with three year remaining on his deal). Though each is on the wrong side of 30, Bern is undoubtedly a worse team without Conacher and Daugavins who will attract interest from a multitude of other European clubs.
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Jack McBain, Sign Him To Entry Level Contract
Monday, 7:53 pm: As expected, after acquiring him, the Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Jack McBain to an entry-level contract. The contract is for two years and carries a cap hit of $884K. What is most notable about this contract is that it begins this year, perhaps giving the Coyotes a chance to give McBain an NHL look this year. The 22-year-old just finished his fourth season at Boston College and was set to be granted free agency this summer if he did not sign. One wrinkle to this story, however, is that McBain is currently injured and is in a walking boot, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. Once healed, McBain can begin to work his way back and into an NHL lineup for the first time in his career.
Monday, 10:45 am: The deal has now been made official. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong had the following statement about his new center:
We are very pleased to acquire Jack McBain. He is a big, strong, highly-skilled center who had a tremendous season with Boston College. We are thrilled to have him join our organization.
Sunday: The Arizona Coyotes have acquired the rights to prospect center Jack McBain from the Minnesota Wild. They are acquiring the Vancouver Canucks’ 2022 second-round pick from the Coyotes in return, and McBain is expected to sign an entry-level contract with Arizona shortly. The trade was first reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. McBain’s name was first entered into the trade deadline conversation by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and has been floating in deadline rumors ever since. McBain had made it clear that he would not be signing in Minnesota, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Wild and GM Bill Guerin were asking for a second-round pick from any interested party in return for McBain’s rights. They have gotten their asking price with this trade, as Arizona cashes in one pick from its impressive stockpile to acquire a player who many believe is ready to step into the NHL as soon as he signs his contract.
For the Wild, this trade represents Guerin being able to take advantage of McBain’s development as a college prospect to recoup some value from his rights. As mentioned above, McBain had communicated to the Wild that he would be signing his entry-level contract elsewhere, and from that point, it became imperative for Guerin to gain something from holding McBain’s rights. In previous trades, such as Zach Hyman to Toronto in 2015, a low-value pick is all the rights-holding team can get in return, given that their leverage is low due to their player’s pending free agency. But more recently, as we saw with Adam Fox‘s trade to the New York Rangers in 2019, teams have become more willing to part with valuable assets to acquire the rights to sign an NCAA prospect. So while Guerin and Wild fans may be disappointed that McBain chose not to sign in Minnesota, being able to get a second-round pick in exchange for a prospect’s soon-to-be expired rights is a good bit of business.
This trade is also good business for Arizona and GM Bill Armstrong. The Coyotes have built their team around a bold, scorched-earth plan to stockpile as much long-term value as possible. They have traded significant, in-their-prime, team-controlled players such as Conor Garland and Christian Dvorak, and have also weaponized their enviable amount of cap space to take on other teams’ unwanted contracts for draft pick compensation. The result of their efforts has been a stable of upcoming draft picks larger than any other franchise in the NHL. For the 2022 draft, before this trade, the Coyotes were set to have three first-round picks and five second-round picks. Now, they still have three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Second-round picks are assets that the team currently has an abundance of, but what they are lacking is quality talent at the center position. By trading for him, it is clear that Arizona believes McBain is exactly that, and through this trade, the Coyotes are subtracting from a position of strength to add to a position of pretty severe weakness. The Coyotes’ top four players down the middle are currently Travis Boyd, Riley Nash, Christian Fischer, and Barrett Hayton. Only Boyd is under contract for next season. By acquiring McBain, who had 33 points in 24 games this past season for Boston College, the Coyotes add a high-upside prospect who is ready to step in and bolster their lineup immediately. He might not have the tools to become a do-it-all star first-line center, but regardless of what role he ends up settling into his acquisition by the Coyotes is a shrewd move from Armstrong to help diversify the team’s immediate and long-term outlook down the middle.
It’s not often that a trade can truly please the fanbases of both teams involved, and given McBain’s reluctance to sign in Minnesota there still could be bitterness from that side. But that being said, this looks like a trade where both sides, given their respective situations, seem to come away on top.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Acquire Riley Nash
The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought back forward Riley Nash from the Arizona Coyotes via trade in exchange for future considerations, the team announced today. Tampa Bay lost Nash on waivers to the Coyotes earlier in the season.
Nash, after clearing waivers today, will report to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
He’s bounced around this season, in large part, because his defensive game has slipped slightly from the elite pedestal where it once stood. While Nash hasn’t been a factor offensively for a few seasons now, he was still one of the game’s higher-end fourth-line centers because of his skill defensively.
Now, after the departures of Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, Nash is likely Tampa Bay’s 13th forward for their playoff run. He has 34 games of playoff experience.
This season, Nash has just four assists in 49 games.