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.
Washington Capitals Acquire Johan Larsson
The Washington Capitals have added even more depth up front, acquiring Johan Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick. The Coyotes will also be retaining 50 percent of Larsson’s remaining contract.
Larsson, 29, hasn’t played since January 25 for the Coyotes but isn’t expected to be out the entire season. He underwent surgery on a sports hernia in early February and was given an eight-week timeline, meaning he’ll be an option for the Capitals at some point.
That injury history does make the third-round pick seem like a bit of a risk, but Larsson was playing well before he went down. With 15 points in 29 games he was going to blow past his previous career-high of 18, and he is still a strong defensive contributor. In Washington, he likely won’t be asked to play in very many offensive situations but does give the team some added depth down the middle.
At a $1.4MM cap hit he comes at a relatively inexpensive contract, and since it expires at the end of the season it won’t affect the Capitals moving forward. This is a go-for-it type trade, with Washington knowing they needed some added depth up front if they want to compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs–or even just the Metropolitan race.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the trade.
Coyotes Making Progress On A Johan Larsson Trade
While Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi has been in some trade speculation as of late, he told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan that his desire is to stay with Detroit, the team that drafted him back in the second round in 2013. The 27-year-old has one year left on his deal with a $4.75MM AAV and will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason. He sits second on the team in scoring this season with 49 points in 51 games which means GM Steve Yzerman would be placing a very high price tag if a contender wants to take a run at adding Bertuzzi today.
Other news and notes around the league:
- The Coyotes have made some progress on a trade involving center Johan Larsson, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has been out for nearly two months with a lower-body injury but is nearing a return. Larsson has 15 points in 29 games this season but has been a checker for most of his career which is the role contending teams would have in mind for him. With a $1.4MM AAV, he’s someone several teams will be able to afford.
- Boston is hoping that center Patrice Bergeron will be able to return from his arm injury for Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, note Elaine Cavalieri and Eric Russo of the Bruins’ team site. The veteran will miss his third straight game tonight against Montreal and has 45 points in 56 games this season.
- Senators center Colin White is someone that a couple of league executives believes in play, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 25-year-old recently returned to the lineup after missing the first 50 games of the year with a shoulder injury. He has six points in a dozen contests but with three years remaining on his deal with a $4.75MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him moved unless Ottawa is willing to take a similar-sized deal in return.
- The Oilers are among the teams to check in on Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, Chris Johnston reports in his latest Toronto Star column. The 45-year-old is still averaging more than 18 minutes a night and with a base cap hit of just the league minimum of $750K, he’s someone that they should be able to afford with their limited cap space. Chara also has another $750K in undisclosed performance bonuses which an acquiring team may become responsible for absorbing although that can roll over to next year’s cap if necessary.
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Bryan Little
The Arizona Coyotes have made a bit of a creative move. The team has acquired Bryan Little and the rights to prospect Nathan Smith from the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick. Both teams have announced the deal. Little, 34, has only played in seven games since 2018-19 and does not figure to play in the NHL again due to injuries. He was on long-term injured reserve for the Jets and has a contract worth $5.29MM against the cap through 2023-2024.
For the Jets, this move paves their path to being able to avoid the use of long-term injured reserve in the future. Long-term injured reserve (LTIR) is an incredibly complex area of the NHL’s salary cap and one that is difficult for many to wrap their heads around. One of the major reasons a team would want to avoid the use of LTIR is so they could accumulate cap space throughout a season. The Jets now only have Kristian Reichel and Cole Perfetti on LTIR, two players that are not going to be long-term fixtures on that list, so moving Little allows them to get away from relying on LTIR to be cap compliant.
For the Coyotes, this move is designed to help them navigate what should be a tricky financial situation for the foreseeable future. The team is set to move into an arena far smaller than NHL teams are typically used to, meaning their revenues will likely be hurt by the lower amount of tickets they can sell. The Coyotes have a significant amount of their team on expiring contracts, meaning they have very little money tied to their roster for next season. With that in mind, the team still needs to be able to clear the salary cap floor for next season. By acquiring Little, the Coyotes gain a contract of a player costing over $5MM against the cap, a decently large amount, who will also cost them a relatively minimal amount of actual dollars paid. Little’s contract, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, is covered by insurance, meaning that the Coyotes will not be on the hook for paying Little most or even potentially all of the cash he is owed. As a result, the Coyotes can inch closer to the required cap floor while minimizing the number of dollars they themselves need to pay.
For their trouble, the Coyotes also receive an intriguing prospect in Smith. By getting Smith as part of the deal, GM Bill Armstrong adds another NCAA prospect on the back of yesterday’s trade for Jack McBain. Smith, 23, was the 91st overall pick in 2018 and has had an immensely productive season at Minnesota State University. He has 18 goals and 49 points in 34 games and is likely close to NHL-ready given his age and college production. Getting potentially NHL-ready NCAA prospects seems to be the strategy for Armstrong, whose team is set to share an NCAA arena as their home for the next few years.
The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. TSN’s Bob McKenzie was first on the compensation.
AHL Shuffle: 03/21/22
It’s certainly a busy day in the NHL today with the trade deadline just hours away plus four games on the schedule. There will be considerable roster movement on the trade front while there will be plenty of paper moves made prior to the 2 PM CT deadline made to give players eligibility to play in the minors down the stretch. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent winger Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. The 25-year-old has three points in a dozen games this season with Pittsburgh while adding 15 points in 31 minor league contests.
- The Washington Capitals re-assigned forward Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears of the AHL (link). Leason had just been recalled by the Capitals yesterday, but the re-assignment could be to simply keep Leason’s AHL eligibility for the remainder of the season intact.
Central Division
- The Predators have sent defenseman Jeremy Davies back to Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. Davies was brought up on Saturday but with Nashville adding Jeremy Lauzon from Seattle late on Sunday, the 25-year-old can head back to the minors.
- The Dallas Stars have sent goaltender Adam Scheel back to the AHL after acquiring Scott Wedgewood yesterday. Scheel, 22, has up as an emergency backup and never actually saw any NHL action. The young netminder is in his first full season of professional hockey.
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Ville Heinola, Jeff Malott, and Kristian Reichel have all been reassigned to the minor leagues, making them eligible. Notably, Cole Perfetti is not with this group, suggesting that his time in the minor leagues is over after impressing so far.
- After making several trades in the past 24 hours, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled two players from the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL: forward Michael Carcone and goaltender Josef Korenar. Carcone has played just two games at the NHL level, both coming this season, however he has been a productive AHL player, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists in 48 games with Tuscon this season. Korenar has not played in the NHL yet this season, but did play in 10 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21 and was moved to Arizona this offseason as part of the Adin Hill trade.
- Having traded goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks have recalled goaltender Collin Delia from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Delia has had a solid season playing for Rockford, but has only appeared in two NHL games thus far in 2021-22.
Pacific Division
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Kole Lind from AHL Charlotte. Lind has played in seven games with Seattle this season after being their pick in expansion from Vancouver but has spent most of the year in the minors. Seattle has also activated winger Joonas Donskoi off injured reserve.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL after he played a game with the Bakersfield Condors over the weekend. The 32-year-old is actually the captain of the minor league club, but after converting his contract to an NHL deal has played six games for the Oilers.
- Jake Leschyshyn and Brayden Pachal are heading back up to the Vegas Golden Knights. Leschyshyn’s seen a lot of NHL opportunities this year, getting into 27 games this year and notching his first five NHL points. Pachal made his NHL debut recently before immediately getting sent back down, but he may get another chance here in some NHL games.
- The San Jose Sharks announced they have re-assigned goaltender Zach Sawchenko to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. In addition to this, the team recalled forward Sasha Chmelevski and defenseman Ryan Merkley from the Barracuda, and activated Radim Simek off of injured-reserve.
- After placing Michael Amadio and Zach Whitecloud in COVID protocol and trading away Evgenii Dadonov, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they have called up four players: forwards Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg and defensemen Daniil Miromanov and Zack Hayes. Of this group, only Hayes does not have any NHL playing experience, spending this season and last in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights, and the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL before that.
- The Vancouver Canucks also made a flurry of AHL assignments, primarily for the purpose of keeping players’ AHL ability alive. The organization announced it assigned forwards Sheldon Rempal, Vasily Podkolzin, and Nic Petan, as well as defenseman Noah Juulsen to the Abbotsford Canucks. Podkolzin and Petan were immediately recalled back to Vancouver.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forward Danny O’Regan from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. O’Regan, 28, has played parts of four seasons dating back to 2016-17, including four games this season with Anaheim.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Coyotes Agree To Three-Year Extension With Karel Vejmelka
On Sunday, the Coyotes parted ways with one of their goalies in Scott Wedgewood. Today, they’re ensuring that Karel Vejmelka will be sticking around as Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports (Twitter link) that Arizona has agreed to a three-year extension with the netminder. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (via Twitter) that the deal will carry a $2.725MM AAV.
The 25-year-old has certainly been a pleasant surprise for Arizona this season. He signed a one-year entry-level deal back in May after playing in the Czech Extraliga and at the time, he was viewed as organizational goaltending depth and not a serious candidate to make the NHL roster. However, a strong training camp earned him a spot with the Coyotes and he has taken off from there.
Vejmelka quickly took over from the since-traded Carter Hutton as Arizona’s starter and has done well, considering the circumstances. His save percentage of .905 is particularly impressive considering that the Coyotes’ roster is geared more towards draft lottery success than on-ice success this season. His performance has picked up in recent games as over his last ten starts, his save percentage is up to .912 while the Coyotes have won four of those contests.
With this agreement, Arizona will have at least part of their goalie tandem intact for the next three seasons. They’ve yet to recall someone to take Wedgewood’s spot following his trade with Ivan Prosvetov and Josef Korenar being the likely candidates to fill that spot down the stretch. Neither of them project to be full-time NHL goalies, however, so the Coyotes will likely be shopping for a new partner for Vejmelka in the offseason.
Dallas Stars Acquire Scott Wedgewood
The Dallas Stars have added another goaltender to help in their playoff race. They have acquired Scott Wedgewood from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a conditional 2023 fourth-round pick. The pick becomes a 2023 third-rounder if the Stars make the playoffs this season. Both teams have announced the trade. This is now the second time in his career that Scott Wedgewood has been traded by the Coyotes. In 2018, he was part of the team’s trade for Darcy Kuemper, and now he finds himself likely experiencing a bit of deja vu.
This seems to come as a bit of a disappointment for Wedgewood, as according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports he “desperately wanted to stay in one place” after having moved so much over the course of his career so far. But what can’t be disappointing for Wedgewood is the fact that a team in the middle of a playoff race values him highly enough to trade as much as a third-round pick to acquire him. The Stars clearly believe he can help them, and it’s easy to see why. Wedgewood has a .911 save percentage in 26 starts this season, backstopping one of the league’s worst teams. He has received little help from the defense in front of him far too often this season and has come out of those difficult games with highly respectable numbers. Wedgewood is 29 years old and has an expiring $825k cap hit, meaning he is unlikely to be a long-term fixture in Dallas, but he certainly will help them right now. Their need for Wedgewood is exacerbated by the recent injury trouble that has hit Jake Oettinger‘s usual partner in net, Braden Holtby. Holtby is battling a lower-body injury, and Jeff Marek of Sportsnet speculates that Holtby could be headed for long-term injured reserve. So if Holtby’s injury does prove to be more significant than one may have previously anticipated, this move for Wedgewood is an important one to help protect Oettinger as he backstops the Stars in his first real season as a number-one goaltender.
For the Coyotes, getting a fourth-rounder that can potentially become a third-rounder is solid value for Wedgewood, a pending UFA. The Coyotes’ crease seems to belong to Karel Vejmelka for the near and potentially long-term future, so for a team that is in the NHL’s basement adding a decent draft pick to their already impressive stockpile is a shrewd move. Perhaps they could have been more accommodating to the journeyman Wedgewood’s wish to have more stability in his career, but this trade is one more reminder of the businesslike nature of NHL roster-building, and how valuable draft picks have become to rebuilding clubs. Overall, the Coyotes get good value for a player they likely didn’t have as part of their long-term plans, and the Stars get a goaltender in the middle of the best season of his career to help as they desperately try to make the playoffs in what is a win-now season for the club.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report Wedgewood being traded to Dallas. Matthew DeFranks had the conditions on the pick being sent to Arizona.
Rangers Have Looked Into Phil Kessel
The Rangers are among the teams that have done some research into Coyotes winger Phil Kessel, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports. The 34-year-old is in the final season of his contract with Arizona carrying a $6.8MM cap hit, one that few playoff-bound teams other than New York can actually afford without requiring retention. Kessel has just six goals in 60 games but has chipped in with 31 assists to sit fourth in team scoring. Kaplan notes that Arizona’s asking price earlier in the season was a third-round pick which would be a reasonable price to pay to add some extra offensive depth on the wing. The Rangers already made a move like that this week with the acquisition of Frank Vatrano but they still have cap and roster space to add more help on that front.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Hurricanes defenseman Brendan Smith returned to the lineup on Thursday after suffering a broken skull, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal notes that the veteran still hasn’t fully regained his hearing in his left ear. It is expected to gradually improve over time and shouldn’t require surgery but it’s something Smith will have to play through for the time being.
- The Blue Jackets haven’t had much interest in goaltender Joonas Korpisalo so far, notes Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Earlier in the season, they had hoped to pick up a second-round pick or a third rounder for his services but Seravalli pegs their asking price at a late-round selection now. It has been a tough year for the pending UFA as he has a save percentage of just .880 in 20 games this season, 22 points below his career average.
- Islanders winger Zach Parise told reporters, including Newsday’s Andrew Gross, that he’s hoping to return to the team next season. The 37-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and with a base cap hit of just $750K, he’s someone that could be moved to a contender looking for extra forward depth. After a quiet start to the season, Parise has improved offensively in recent weeks, collecting a dozen points in 21 games since the start of February.
- Capitals winger T.J. Oshie was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Carolina. The team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. This is now the sixth instance that has caused Oshie to miss time this season and as a result, he has been limited to just 28 games although he has managed to record 20 points.
Arizona Coyotes Unlikely To Deal Jakob Chychrun Before Deadline
With just four days remaining before the Trade Deadline, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that there hasn’t been much progress made on an extension between the Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Hampus Lindholm, and it’s unclear at this point whether general manager Pat Verbeek will circle back to try and work out a deal. Seravalli also relays that the current asking price for Lindholm is a first-round pick, a top prospect, and another asset. While Lindholm is still a quality defenseman after battling back from injury trouble the last few seasons, that’s an exorbitant asking price for a rental player with just 22 points in 61 games on the season. He’s second among Ducks blueliners in terms of ice time per game, being eclipsed by almost two minutes per game by Cam Fowler. Verbeek is playing a dangerous game here, and will likely have to up his extension offer or lower his asking price in order to retain value for Lindholm either way.
As the Trade Deadline creeps closer, some more notes from the trade market:
- Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland says it’s “looking more and more like” the Arizona Coyotes won’t be dealing defenseman Jakob Chychrun prior to the Trade Deadline. The much-talked-about defenseman is currently on the shelf with an ankle injury, which originally put his availability in question. Strickland says it doesn’t mean that the team is going to hang onto him long-term, though, as there’s still a high potential for Chychrun to get moved over the summer, potentially prior to the 2022 NHL Draft.
- The San Jose Sharks haven’t had any talks on a new deal for pending unrestricted free agent Alexander Barabanov, per The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. Assistant general manager Joe Will, who’s in effect the team’s interim GM while Doug Wilson is away on a medical leave of absence, knows that “[the team] is trying to replenish” and is listening to offers on many other pending UFAs as well. Barabanov’s continued a strong end to the 2020-21 campaign after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting 30 points in 51 games while receiving top-six minutes. It could be a bit of buyer beware in this case, though, as many advanced metrics suggest the 27-year-old’s production can be strongly attributed to playing with Tomas Hertl.
- The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports conversation surrounding Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan is heating up, and specifically names the Toronto Maple Leafs as a team in the mix to acquire him. De Haan has just five points on the year, but he’s still an extremely capable two-way defenseman who’s helped stop the bleeding defensively this year in Chicago. He’s a solid case of a buy-low candidate who could flourish on a better team, which is exactly the type of player the Maple Leafs have targeted in recent months.
Jakob Chychrun Out Two To Four Weeks
No player has been talked about as much or as long this season as Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The 23-year-old is a supremely skilled blue liner coming off of a 41-point season and carrying a very palatable $4.6MM cap hit through the 2024-25 season. Yet, the rebuilding ‘Yotes have reportedly been willing to trade him for the right price in hopes of drawing a return that would better suit their timeline for contention than Chychrun’s contract. By no means was Arizona shopping the young star, but they were willing to listen and wait for a godfather offer.
Well, that offer may not be coming this season. Chychrun was injured on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, falling awkwardly against the board following a Derek Forbort check. Chychrun left the game and did not return and yesterday the team announced that he was flying back to Glendale to be examined by team doctors. Those test results have now come back and the team has announced that Chychrun will miss the next two to four weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
This is far from a worst-case scenario for the Coyotes – or Chychrun’s suitors – and doesn’t completely rule out a trade occurring before the deadline next Monday. After all, a Chychrun acquisition is a long-term move rather than a rental deal. The talented rearguard avoided long-term injury and that is all that matters in the big picture. However, the injury does substantially lessen the odds of a deal being made this week. Most teams eyeing Chychrun are contenders or at least battling for a playoff spot and will think twice about paying full price for an injured player guaranteed to miss time down the stretch. As such, Arizona is not going to accept a reduced offer for their most valuable trade chip just because he could miss a few weeks of his remaining three plus years under contract. The Coyotes are under no obligation or time pressure to trade Chychrun and will wait as long as it takes to be blown away by an offer.
In the meantime, Chychrun is still on the active roster for the time being, merely scratched from the lineup for Monday night’s game. Whether he remains on the roster or is moved to the injured reserve, Chychrun’s recovery timeline implies that he will not play again before the deadline. Interested teams have seen plenty of him this year to make a decision before the deadline, and Arizona will still be open to an offer they can’t refuse, but in all likelihood the Chychrun saga will continue into the offseason or beyond.