With the Canucks sitting at the top of the Pacific Division, it would stand to reason that Vancouver would be buyers heading into the upcoming trade deadline. However, Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston posits that when it comes to defenseman Chris Tanev at least, the team should at least consider moving him. The 30-year-old has long had injury troubles but has managed to play in every game this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night. He’s on an expiring contract with a $4.45MM cap hit and with several contenders looking for defensive help, he’d fetch a good return. Part of the logic of holding onto him in the past has been that they’d have sold low on moving him. This is their chance to move him for closer to market value but given the role he’s filling on a team that’s squarely in the playoff hunt, could Vancouver afford to deal him?
Canucks Rumors
Snapshots: Three Stars, Samuelsson, Kreider
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, and unsurprisingly Leon Draisaitl lands on top. The Edmonton Oilers superstar now leads the entire league in scoring and has actually been on fire since being separated from Connor McDavid. Draisaitl has 22 points in the 11 games away from McDavid, finally finding some wing help in the form of Kailer Yamamoto.
Second star Steven Stamkos won’t turn many heads after appearing in these spots many times before, but the same can’t be said about J.T. Miller who takes home the third star. Miller has found a new level of production with the Vancouver Canucks and is already just a few goals and points short of his career-highs.
- Ulf Samuelsson had been serving as a pro scout for the Seattle expansion franchise, but will leave the organization to take a job as head coach of Leksands IF in the SHL. That’s the team Samuelsson played for before joining the NHL back in 1984 for a long, productive career.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examined several potential trade scenarios for the deadline, giving his take on what it would take to acquire some of the top rentals. Chris Kreider is the first name he writes on, reporting that eight teams have told the New York Rangers that “they’ve got Kreider at the top of their wish list.” LeBrun’s speculative trade will turn a lot of heads, as he suggests a package similar to the one that New York received for Kevin Hayes last year.
Trade Deadline Primer: Vancouver Canucks
With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Vancouver Canucks.
There were many who felt that the Vancouver Canucks still needed another year or two to complete their rebuild, but general manager Jim Benning has moved the team ahead in the last couple of offseasons, adding several significant player additions to go with their nucleus of youth and it has worked out quite well. Benning took a big chance this offseason, trading away their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to acquire winger J.T. Miller, who has helped lead Vancouver to the top of the Pacific Division and the team so far, despite plenty of action right behind them, don’t look like they are fading any time soon. That could make this team an interesting one to watch at the trade deadline.
Record
27-20-7, third in the Pacific Division.
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.10MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, ANH 7th
2021: VAN 1st*, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th
* Vancouver traded their 2020 first-round pick to Tampa Bay, conditional if they make the playoffs. If the Canucks don’t make the playoffs in 2019-20, then the team’s 2019-20 first-round pick transfers to the 2020-21 draft.
Trade Chips
This isn’t a team that has much to offer with a team full of recently brought-in veterans and plenty of youth. Throw in the fact that one of their first-round picks in the next two years is heading to Tampa Bay, the team lacks the assets to acquire a big-name player. Benning might also be unwilling to part with any more draft picks after moving that first-rounder for Miller.
However, one player Benning will likely attempt to move would be the contract of Loui Eriksson and his $6MM contract. While no one would be particularly interested in a player of that caliber, it could be a coup if Benning could unload that contract, which still has two more years remaining on it. That could clear some much-needed cap room.
There aren’t many obvious options for Vancouver. The team could also consider moving defenseman Chris Tanev or Troy Stecher, both who will be hitting unrestricted free agency next season, but again, why trade them when the team is trying to make the playoffs now. The team also have a number of young players who are close to being able to join Vancouver in the next year or two, including Nils Hoglander, Jett Woo, Olli Juolevi, or Tyler Madden to name a few, but again, why would Benning move those young players just for a rental player?
Five Players To Watch For: F Loui Eriksson, D Olli Juolevi, F Tim Schaller, D Troy Stecher, D Chris Tanev
Team Needs
1) Top-Six Forward: The Canucks recently got back Brandon Sutter and hope to get Micheal Ferland back soon too, but the team’s second line right now consists of Bo Horvat, Tanner Pearson and Eriksson. That line isn’t likely to get much done for a playoff team, although it’s very likely the Canucks are doing everything they can to showcase Eriksson and the team still has Brock Boeser, the team could use one more goal scorer. Regardless, one more scorer such as a Pavel Buchnevich, Kyle Palmieri or a player of that magnitude would give Vancouver quite a bit of strength on their top two lines.
2) Cap Space: Again, with just $1.1MM in deadline cap space, the Canucks don’t have much room to maneuver, so even if the team can acquire a piece to their team that fits with their team chemistry, they will have to send back a contract of equal value to get it down. So any way the team can free up some cap space is crucial.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Morning Notes: Kreider, Kapanen, Muzzin, Markstrom
The New York Rangers seemingly avoided disaster last night, as star Chris Kreider suffered an injury that appears to have looked worse than it actually was. A prone Kreider took an accidental knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad early in the second period of Saturday’s match-up with the Detroit Red Wings and he did not return to the game. Head coach David Quinn, like any who witnessed the incident, was fearful that Kreider may have suffered a serious head injury. However, he told the media, including The New York Posts’ Brett Cygralis, that he felt much better after seeing Kreider after the game. “That looked like a really severe blow to the head,” Quinn said. “He wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought he would be. After the game ended, we talked, and it’s a lot better than I anticipated.” Quinn stated definitively that Kreider did not suffer a concussion, but the team is considering him day-to-day nonetheless. Kreider is simultaneously the best trade chip on the rental market and one of the Rangers’ most important pieces as they continue to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Fans of both trading Kreider or keeping and re-signing him know that a serious injury at this point in the year would have been a nightmare in either scenario. Fortunately, it sounds as though Kreider will be fine and could be back in action in no time.
- Another surprise development from Saturday night was the absence of Kasperi Kapanen in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup. Kapanen was made a healthy scratch by head coach Sheldon Keefe, but prior to game time there was no word as to why. Speaking to the media, including TSN’s Kristen Shilton, after the game, Keefe clarified the situation with Kapanen. Keefe stated that Kapanen was a healthy scratch, essentially serving a one-game suspension for what he called an issue of “internal accountability’”. He added that it was a one-time thing and the decision was only made yesterday morning, but he would not go into any more detail. More information may emerge when Kapanen has media availability on Monday. In the meantime, speculation has begun that Kapanen, a frequent name on the rumor mill, could be on the outs with Keefe and his staff. With the rest of the Maple Leafs playing well since Keefe took over, perhaps Kapanen will end up being the winger dealt out of Toronto at some point.
- Impending free agent defenseman Jake Muzzin would like to stay in Toronto, but Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston says that it is not that simple. Johnston hears that early extension talks have been difficult due to the Maple Leafs’ cap constraints and the potential market value of Muzzin. With St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo and Boston’s Torey Krug both considered likely candidates to sign extensions, Muzzin would enter the conversation as the top defender available on the open market this summer. While he may be willing to take a slight discount to stay in Toronto, the potential to command a top-of-the-market contract if he opts for free agency will certainly play a major role in extension talks. The Maple Leafs may be unwilling or unable to pay him even close to what the top UFA defenseman will get this summer.
- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom is another name who has made it known that he would like to re-sign, though acknowledging that he could have considerable value in the free agent market. Markstrom, an All-Star this season, has quietly positioned himself to be one of the best available in a weak goalie market should he opt for that route. However, Markstrom would prefer to stay in Vancouver and he and the team have been working toward an extension, Johnston reports. However, with Thatcher Demko showing NHL ability this season and Michael DiPietro also in the pipeline, the Canucks will be wary of going overboard on salary or term to keep Markstrom. The contract offer that keeps coming up is of a two-year term, keeping Markstrom in Vancouver through the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. This would give the team another year to decide whether Demko is the real deal or if they are better off moving forward with Markstrom, as either would could be a tempting target for the Seattle expansion franchise. Johnston’s colleague Elliotte Friedman adds that, as for salary, the most recent offer to Markstrom is rumored to be similar to the two-year, $9MM deal signed by Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper in October.
Pacific Notes: Doughty, Stastny, Ferland, Roussel
Up until recently, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty hadn’t missed a game since the 2013-14 season. Suddenly, due to an undisclosed injury, Doughty will miss his third straight game on Sunday. However, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the team hopes he will return on Tuesday against Washington, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.
“We thought he might sneak in today, but not enough practice time with the break,” said McLellan. “Get tomorrow’s skate in and potentially one Monday before we fly out and then counting on him Tuesday.”
- The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) breaks down the top trade chips of the Vegas Golden Knights as the team closes in on the trade deadline and notes that if Vegas opts to spend big once again like it has in the past two years of the team’s existence, then one name that might come up could be center Paul Stastny. The 34-year-old center has been a solid contributor with Vegas, but due to the fact the team has juggled him around the lineup, Stastny has struggled getting comfortable with any linemates as he has just 12 assists so far this year, which could be because he is one of the team’s top goal scorers at 15 already. However, with the development of Chandler Stephenson, the Golden Knights might actually be able to survive without him. Stastny has just one year remaining on the three-year deal he signed two summers ago at $6.5MM, although the veteran does have a 10-team no trade list.
- The Vancouver Canucks seem a step closer to getting forward Micheal Ferland back from injury. The forward has been skating on his own the last few days and Sportsnet’s Joey Kenward reports that Ferland is expected to report to Utica of the AHL this coming week and is expected to practice with the team. The hope is that he might be ready to play in a game or two with the Comets before the Canucks bring him back up.
- Sticking with the Canucks, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that despite having returned from an ACL tear in December, forward Antoine Roussel recently stated that playing on that knee hasn’t felt the same and he hasn’t been pleased with the way he’s been playing since returning, which isn’t surprising, considering the injury. “I had no legs for ten games,” Roussel said bluntly. “I was rusty, my pop wasn’t there and then you slowly get back there and I’m at game 22 now. So 12 games where I felt pretty decent, I’m just trying to build on that.” Roussel does feel that his game is finally rounding into form and his best hockey could be coming in the second-half of the season, which is just another thing going well for Vancouver.
Injury Updates: Bjugstad, Wilson, Neal, Wolanin, Motte, Okposo
Prior to their bye week, Penguins winger Nick Bjugstad had been skating on his own and had even traveled with the team on its recent road trip, leading to some speculation that he was nearing a return. However, he hasn’t been skating since then, yet head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Bjugstad hasn’t suffered a setback but declined to go into further detail. The initial timeline for his return was a minimum of eight weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. This is week nine since then and even if this is just planned rest and not anything of concern, it certainly seems like Bjugstad is going to be out for a while longer.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Avalanche winger Colin Wilson has missed nearly three months with a lower-body injury and it doesn’t sound like he’s coming back anytime soon. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) that it looks doubtful that he will return to play this season. The 30-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and considering that he has only played in nine games in 2019-20, he’ll be hard-pressed to get his current $2.6MM salary on his next deal.
- Oilers winger James Neal was a late scratch on Friday due to a foot injury and is doubtful to play in Saturday’s rematch of the Battle of Alberta against Calgary, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. While his goal production has slipped as of late (he has scored in only one of Edmonton’s last 13 games – though that one game saw him record a hat trick), he still sits third on the team in goals with 19.
- Senators defenseman Christian Wolanin has been cleared for contact as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was injured just before training camp got underway and has yet to play this season. Ottawa plans to assign him to Belleville of the AHL on Wednesday and should make his season debut a week or so after that. With the Sens likely to move a blueliner or two by the trade deadline, there’s a good chance that Wolanin’s AHL time will be limited.
- A difficult season for Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte is only getting worse. The team has announced that Motte, who has already missed 27 games this season with a broken foot, is now set to miss four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury. When Motte returns in March, he likely will have missed another 15-20 games, meaning more than half of the 2019-20 season will have been lost to injury. Even when the young forward has been healthy, he has recorded just five points in 24 games. It’s been a year to forget for Motte.
- The same can be said for the Buffalo Sabres and forward Kyle Okposo. After being sidelined for ten games earlier this season due to a concussion, head coach Ralph Krueger told the media today that a new upper-body injury is likely to keep Okposo out “weeks”. The veteran forward left Thursday night’s game early and did not return and now it seems a return to the lineup is not imminent. As Buffalo continues to falter after a hot start, Okposo’s twelve points on the year and inability to stay in the lineup are not helping the cause.
Snapshots: Penguins, Hockey Canada, AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been actively looking for an upgrade at forward since Jake Guentzel was ruled out for the rest of the season, and GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that he is open to anything, including pure rentals that will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year.
One thing Rutherford explained however is that he is happy with Pittsburgh’s defensive group and will likely not be pursuing an upgrade on the back end. The team will get Brian Dumoulin back at some point, who hasn’t played since November after ankle surgery.
- Hockey Canada has named their management groups for the various junior age groups, while also announcing that Andre Tourigny will coach the u20 World Junior squad. Tourigny was an assistant coach with the team that recently won gold at the annual tournament, and serves as head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. A former NHL assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators, he has plenty of experience at the international level.
- David Andrews will retire from his position as AHL President and CEO in a few months, but held a press conference today to discuss the state of the league. Patrick Williams of NHL.com tweeted out several of the biggest news items, including the fact that the Vegas Golden Knights are interested in buying an AHL franchise. The Golden Knights are currently affiliated with the Chicago Wolves. Palm Springs is set to become the 32nd franchise in the AHL when they begin play in the 2021-22 season as the affiliate for the Seattle NHL expansion.
Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky
The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.
The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.
- While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
- In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
- As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,
2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced
Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:
Fastest Skater
Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Save Streak
David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Accuracy Shooting
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
Hardest Shot
Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Shooting Stars
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Women’s Three-On-Three
Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull
Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein
All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.
Pittsburgh Still Pursuing Jason Zucker
Last summer, before he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, Phil Kessel was asked by the Pittsburgh Penguins to waive his no-trade clause for a deal that would send him to the Minnesota Wild. That trade reportedly included Jason Zucker as the main piece coming the other way (with Jack Johnson and Victor Rask also involved at one point). While Kessel decided not to allow the transaction to take place, it apparently hasn’t stopped Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford from trying to get the smooth skating Minnesota forward.
In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts for Sportsnet, he notes that Pittsburgh are still in pursuit of Zucker, though the Wild “aren’t yet ready to concede” the season. Minnesota is in last place in the Central Division, but only seven points out of a playoff spot in the tight wild card standings. Trading Zucker, who not only has been one of the teams most effective offensive players this season but is also signed for another three years, would essentially mean they are entering a rebuild under new general manager Bill Guerin.
A rebuild does seem to be a possibility after a report recently came out that the Wild are “open for business” and Mathew Dumba is potentially available. He and Zucker are likely two of the most valuable trade pieces on the roster, but would also leave huge holes in the current group.
Just as in the summer, Zucker does seem like a perfect fit for the Penguins however. Perhaps even more so now that the team has lost Jake Guentzel for the season, taking away some of their scoring punch alongside star forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (and, apparently Bryan Rust). That injury also gives the team a little more cap flexibility, given they could use long-term injured reserve if necessary.
It is important to remember that the Zucker-Kessel trade was worked out with the old Minnesota regime. Guerin obviously has a strong connection to the Penguins organization however and may have a good idea of what they can offer in terms of prospects or young players. Either way, Zucker’s name is one to keep an eye on as the calendar turns to February, especially if the Wild don’t start winning.