Injury Notes: Penguins, Blue Jackets, Bruins
The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without rookie forward Zach Aston-Reese long-term. Actually, head coach Mike Sullivan described the injury as “longer-term”, though he refrained from putting any specific timeline on his return. He did say that Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury in practice, which is why he missed last night’s game, a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and will presumably miss many more. While the Penguins made a splash with their acquisition of center Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, Aston-Reese has been a point-per-game player since being recalled to Pittsburgh, spending ample time beside Sidney Crosby. Fortunately for the two-time defending Cup champs, they are also deep at wing and should have no trouble making up for the loss of Aston-Reese in their top-nine.
- While the Penguins lose a man to injury, the rival Blue Jackets add one. Columbus announced today that captain Nick Foligno has been activated from injured reserve. Foligno missed more than a week with a lower body injury suffered against the Penguins back on the 18th. However, he’s returning to the lineup sooner than expected. The Blue Jackets are thankful for Foligno’s quick bounce back; not only are they looking to solidify their playoff position, but they also lost forward Josh Anderson to long-term injury recently. Fortunately, Foligno’s return and the additions of Thomas Vanek and Mark Letestu at the trade deadline make for a timely situation to replace Anderson.
- Speaking of trade deadline injury replacements, the Bruins could not be happier with how their additions played in the absence of Patrice Bergeron last night. When a player of Bergeron’s caliber goes down, the team always suffers. Bergeron will be out at least two weeks with a fractured foot and it showed right away last night on the defensive side of the match-up, as Boston surrendered three easy first period goals to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, it was Rick Nash and Tommy Wingels leading the charge to a comeback victory. The pair of new Bruins combined for two goals and an assist in 32 minutes of ice time as Boston won 4-3.
Vancouver Officially Announces 2019 NHL Entry Draft
After being rumored for the last week, the Vancouver Canucks made it official today and announced that they will be hosting the NHL Entry Draft on June 21-22, 2019. In the announcement, that was rejoiced by media members across the continent—Vancouver is a beloved city for visitors—NHL commissioner Gary Bettman explained why the NHL is heading west next year:
Returning the Draft to Vancouver allows the entire NHL family to meaningfully participate in a highlight of the Canucks’ 50-year anniversary celebration. The 2019 NHL Draft will provide another memorable moment for the Canucks and their fans while shining the spotlight on one of the world’s most scenic cities and serving as the starting point for so many NHL careers.
The Canucks have been part of the league since 1970, and have previously hosted the draft on two occasions. 1990, when a talented and feisty kid from the OHL named Owen Nolan was selected first-overall by the Quebec Nordiques, and 2006, when the St. Louis Blues decided to take big American defenseman Erik Johnson over several high-profile centers.
The 2019 draft is shaping up to be an excellent group, with Jack Hughes trying to fend off players like Bowen Byram and Dylan Cozens for the top spot. Vancouver, who are in the midst of a rebuild, could have another shot at the draft lottery next season, which would make the draft even more exciting for the Canucks and their fans.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Alex Biega To Two-Year Extension
The Vancouver Canucks didn’t move any of their top defensemen (sorry, Philip Holm) at the trade deadline, instead actually handing out an extension to Erik Gudbranson to keep him off the open market this summer. They’ve now done the same thing for one of their lesser-known commodities, as the team announced a two-year extension for Alex Biega that carries an annual average value of $825K.
Originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in 2006, Biega would play four years at Harvard before starting his professional career in the AHL. After a few years in the Buffalo system without a chance at the NHL, he became a Group VI free agent and signed with Vancouver. Now with 125 NHL games under his system, he’s become a solid part-time player for the Canucks capable of logging minutes on the bottom pairing.
With extensions for Gudbranson and Biega, the Canucks would have six NHL defensemen already under contract for the 2018-19 season, with Derrick Pouliot and Troy Stecher looking for new contracts as restricted free agents. With many hoping that top prospect Olli Juolevi will also make the jump to the NHL next season, it could lead to an interesting offseason of trade talk surrounding the Canucks’ blue line. Chris Tanev and Alexander Edler are usually the focus of that speculation, though Ben Hutton has also drawn interest from around the league this season.
Biega, 29, is currently earning just $750K for the Canucks, and with just 31 games under his belt wasn’t able to negotiate much more than that. Vancouver has a fair amount of cap space with Henrik and Daniel Sedin‘s contracts expiring, but could have a lot of money sunk into their defense corps if Pouliot and Stecher get long-term deals. It could force their hand in terms of a trade, which could make draft day extra intriguing for Canucks fans.
Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 was first to report that the team is close to an extension.
West Notes: Vancouver, Brodeur, Vegas
After originally leaking out last week, news is set to come down tomorrow about the host city for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. That would be Vancouver, if today’s additional report by Sportsnet is to be believed. It will be the third time Vancouver will play host to the league, after first holding the event in 1990.
Jack Hughes, and American-born center who grew up in Toronto, is the early favorite to go first-overall after finding incredible success this season with the US Development Program. Hughes is just 16 at the moment, but scored 159 points in 80 games last season in his final year of midget, and has 128 in 67 games at various development levels this year.
- A familiar NHL name will be suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda in the coming days, as Jeremy Brodeur has signed a PTO with the club. Brodeur has been playing for the Allen Americans of the ECHL, where he has a .919 save percentage through 35 games. The son of Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, and grandson of Olympic medalist Denis Brodeur, the 21-year old has quite the family history of goaltending to live up to.
- The Vegas Golden Knights were probably the closest team to acquiring Erik Karlsson at the trade deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). The Detroit Red Wings were sitting around waiting to see whether their deal for Tomas Tatar would go through, while the Golden Knights dealt with another “major transaction” until close to the deadline. Vegas was willing to take on Bobby Ryan‘s massive contract, which could play in their favor in the summer months if Karlsson’s name is brought up once again.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Patric Hornqvist To Five-Year Extension
Tuesday: The deal is official, Hornqvist will be under contract through the 2022-23 season.
Monday: While meeting with media to discuss his team’s trade deadline, Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford revealed another detail that will make a lot of fans happy. The team is closing in on a contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent Patric Hornqvist. He believes the deal will be finalized tomorrow. According to several reports including Bob McKenzie of TSN, the deal is expected to be for five years, with an average annual value of $5.3MM.
Hornqvist has been a major contributor to the Penguins success over the last few years, since coming over from the Nashville Predators for James Neal back in 2014. Although he is 31, Hornqvist has cracked 50 points in three of his last four seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. A dominant net front presence who has shown great chemistry with Pittsburgh’s superstar forwards, Hornqvist’s extension may look excessive to some, but is a good fit for Pittsburgh for now.
Hornqvist in having a bit of a down season, but he has always shown up in a major way for the Penguins come postseason time. The security of a new deal may be exactly what Hornqvist’s needs to get back on track down the stretch and ready to help Pittsburgh battle for a third straight Stanley Cup title.
Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:
Deadline Day
Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny
St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar
Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick
Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick
San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane
Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic
Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow
Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick
Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore
Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick
Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Eastern Conference:
Deadline Day
Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller
New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole
Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick
New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon
Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick
Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris
Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg
Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Thomas Vanek From Vancouver Canucks
The Columbus Blue Jackets have continued to add, acquiring Thomas Vanek from the Vancouver Canucks according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Vancouver will get Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen in return.
Vanek is the definition of a trade deadline rental, and will play for his eighth club in Columbus. Last season he brought the Detroit Red Wings a third-round pick, but Vancouver decided to target a young player instead.
In Motte, the Canucks receive a 22-year old center that was only acquired by Columbus last summer. Part of the Brandon Saad–Artemi Panarin trade, he looked like a player who could compete for a fourth-line spot and perhaps move up the lineup if his offensive potential started to show. The former Michigan Wolverine scored 32 goals in 38 games in his final NCAA season, but has just 12 points in 64 career NHL games.
Jokinen will be joining his fourth team of the season, and is just a body to even out some of the salary in the deal. After being bought out by the Florida Panthers last offseason, he signed a $1.1MM deal with Edmonton before being flipped for Mike Cammalleri early in the year. He was then claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets, and now flipped again to Vancouver. The veteran forward can play multiple positions, but has just seven points on the season and looks close to being out of the league entirely.
Vanek looks like a great fit in Columbus, who have needed some help on the powerplay all season. After finding chemistry with Brock Boeser in Vancouver this year, Vanek has 41 points in 61 games and can still be a healthy offensive contributor in a sheltered role. The 34-year old was once one of the league’s very best goal scoring threats, but will only be needed to be a secondary option on a deep Blue Jackets roster.
Canucks Acquire Brendan Leipsic From Golden Knights
The Canucks and Golden Knights have agreed on a trade to send winger Brendan Leipsic to Vancouver in exchange for prospect defenseman Philip Holm, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link).
Leipsic was selected from Toronto in last summer’s Expansion Draft. He has been a depth player for Vegas this season, suiting up in 44 games while tallying two goals and 11 assists. It’s likely that Vancouver is looking to take a longer look at him to see if the 23-year-old is worth keeping around long-term. He carries a league-minimum $650K cap hit and is signed through the 2018-19 season. His contract is a two-way pact this year and then becomes a one-way contract next season. Canucks head coach Travis Green is certainly familiar with what Leipsic brings to the table as the winger played for him at the WHL level.
Holm joined Vancouver last offseason after spending the previous three years in the SHL. However, he has played just once with Vancouver this year and instead has spent the majority of his campaign with their AHL affiliate in Utica. He has been quite productive at the AHL level, recording 11 goals and 18 assists in 42 games. The 26-year-old is making $925K this season and will be a restricted free agent in July.
Thomas Vanek Scratched In Advance Of Trade Deadline
As expected, a pair of veteran wingers have been made healthy scratches tonight in order to ensure they will be healthy to be dealt. Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy was first to report (via Twitter) that Canucks winger Thomas Vanek is being held out of the lineup although News 1130’s Rick Dhaliwal adds (Twitter link) that this merely precautionary and that this should be interpreted that a trade is getting closer to being worked out. Meanwhile, Oilers winger Patrick Maroon has also been held out of their lineup tonight against Anaheim. Interest in him has picked up considerably as the day has progressed and he is expected to be dealt before the deadline.