Canucks Continue To Receive Interest In Ben Hutton, Inquire About Arizona's Domi, Rieder
- The Canucks continue to receive trade interest in defenseman Ben Hutton, Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports (Twitter link). The blueliner has been a frequent healthy scratch of late and has another year left on his contract after this one at a $2.8MM cap hit which is a bit pricey for someone who is on the outside looking in at playing time. In a separate tweet, Dhaliwal adds that Vancouver has inquired about the asking price for Coyotes center Max Domi and winger Tobias Rieder but notes that the price is quite high.
Penguins Put Matt Hunwick On The Trade Block
At one point in time, it seemed like Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ian Cole was as good as gone. The two-time Stanley Cup champ had been losing ice time and was even a frequent healthy scratch. However, Cole has seen his role return in recent weeks as he continues to be one the most defensively sound players on the team. The impending free agent now seems safe through this season, but the Penguins are still looking to move a defenseman to open up cap space for their ongoing pursuit of forward depth.
The new name on the chopping block is Matt Hunwick. TSN’s Darren Dreger stated earlier that it was “looking like” Hunwick would be the blue liner shipped out of town. That is, if anyone is willing to take him. In only his first season in Pittsburgh after signing a three-year deal this summer, Hunwick is an unexpected addition to the market. Signed for two more years at a $2.25MM cap hit, any team interested in Hunwick would be looking less for a rental and more for a long-term investment. An underwhelming presence in Pittsburgh this year, Hunwick has missed significant time due to a concussion, has just five points in 33 games, and has the worst Corsi among Penguin defensemen.
With that said, Hunwick has shown 20+ point upside and the ability to play 20:00+ minutes per night in past seasons. His three-year, $7.75MM contract doesn’t look great right now, but if acquired at a bargain rate as a Penguins cap dump – perhaps with some salary retained even – Hunwick could prove to be a valuable depth resource for any number of teams. If GM Jim Rutherford is intent on moving out Hunwick, he’ll find a way to do it.
Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. 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 Pittsburgh Penguins
Two years, two Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking to take home a third consecutive championship in 2018. The Sidney Crosby-led team has a group of superstars in their prime who have turned around some early season struggles to push themselves into contention once again. Now, with just over a week before the deadline, GM Jim Rutherford is expected to make one of his customary acquisitions to help give the Penguins an extra playoff push.
Record
33-22-4, second in Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$927K full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 5th, DET 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2019: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT/MIN 4th*, PIT 5th, PIT 7th
*Dallas will receive the earlier of the two picks
Trade Chips
To use a baseball term, the Penguins for the last few years have been an example of a stars and scrubs roster, except have quickly turned those scrubs into useful players. Undrafted forward Conor Sheary, third-round picks like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, and late-round castoffs like Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin have all played important roles in the Stanley Cup victories.
Now they’re trying to make it happen once again with players like Dominik Simon and Zach Aston-Reese. That continuous development and promotion has left the prospect cupboard fairly bare for the Penguins in terms of potential impact players, save for one name: Daniel Sprong.
Sprong has been involved in nearly every speculative trade scenario for some time, as the first-round pick continues to bide his time in the AHL. An impressive offensive talent, he could still be used as a legitimate piece to acquire an impact player at the deadline.
Beyond Sprong, the Penguins are left with a good pipeline of goaltending options but the team has already come out to say they’d rather not move any of them. Despite Matt Murray‘s early career success, Rutherford knows that his team is just a quick injury away from relying on Tristan Jarry throughout the playoffs.
On the NHL roster, Ian Cole has garnered his fair share of trade speculation after reportedly clashing with head coach Mike Sullivan, but looks unlikely to move now that he’s reclaimed his role. Matt Hunwick on the other hand could be the piece used to create some cap flexibility, as his three-year, $7.75MM contract doesn’t look good less than a year in.
Team Needs
1) Fourth-Line Center: For much of the season, talk surrounding the Penguins involved their search for a third-line center to push Riley Sheahan down and strengthen their group in the middle. Instead, now it seems as though the team is confident in Sheahan to fill that role and is looking for an even less impactful player. Mark Letestu has been linked to the team, and would certainly be a relatively cheap option for them at the deadline.
2) Scoring Help: Even though the Penguins have three players who can each drive a line in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, the team has been circling around some scoring help all season long. Whether that appears in the form of a big acquisition like Evander Kane or Rick Nash, or is limited to a bottom-six addition like Benoit Pouliot or Thomas Vanek is still unclear. To do anything at the deadline, Rutherford will have to move some salary out, and the bigger the prize, the tougher it becomes to fit them in.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Vancouver, Tallon, Fines
The Vancouver Canucks extended their general manager Jim Benning today, rewarding the work he’s done to start a rebuild around a new core of young players. Speaking with media at the press conference (via Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130), Benning reiterated that he’s been working the phones to try and make his team better and will use free agency to “add players who will help support the young players.”
Heading into the trade deadline, the Canucks have a few expiring contracts to auction off in Thomas Vanek and Erik Gudbranson, while big decisions will still have to be made over the future of Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The twins are pending free agents and will turn 38 before next season, but could still be brought back to provide that support to Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and the rest of the young Vancouver players. “Picks and prospects are going to be like gold” says Benning when asked about the trade deadline, an exciting prospect for fans hoping for no quick fixes.
- Speaking of GMs trying to fix a struggling franchise, Dale Tallon of the Florida Panthers said on Sportsnet radio yesterday that he’ll only look for long-term benefits at the trade deadline and avoid “kneejerk reactions.” The Panthers have played better of late, but still find themselves well out of the race in the Atlantic Division. Though a wildcard spot is still definitely within reach, it doesn’t sound like Florida is willing to spend at the deadline to try and get over that hump.
- The NHL handed out several fines today, issuing maximum penalties to Madison Bowey, Dustin Byfuglien and Deryk Engelland for separate incidents. The three players will face harsher penalties in the future, and draw a watchful eye from the Department of Player Safety.
Vancouver Canucks Announce Multi-Year Extension For GM Jim Benning
The Vancouver Canucks have announced a multi-year extension—expected to be three seasons—for GM Jim Benning, keeping the executive in charge for the foreseeable future. In a release, Canucks’ President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden explained his confidence in Benning:
With Jim’s guidance and leadership we have put the building blocks in place for a bright future. We have strong internal alignment and I am excited to continue working towards our ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to Vancouver.
Benning has been at the helm for Vancouver since 2014, and has gone down several different paths the last few years. First trading away some established names like Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa, before making some questionable additions like Erik Gudbranson and Loui Eriksson. While his tenure has certainly not been accepted by all parts of the fan base, the start of a sort of rebuild over the last 12 months has Vancouver headed in the right direction.
Last trade deadline, the team dealt Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows for a pair of interesting prospects, and now they seem poised to have a similar sell-off. Thomas Vanek, Michael Del Zotto and others could be on their way out, as suggested by Linden in a letter to season ticket holders today, when he states that they will be adding some prospects and building towards the future over the next few months.
Moving forward, the next several months will be important as we add even more prospects to our pool and build on the positive steps we have seen this year. We still need to be patient, but I am excited about our journey ahead together.
The Canucks have an exciting pair of young players in Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, and a supporting cast of solid developing talent. For now, the plan will stay in place with the same man at the wheel, guiding Vancouver through the next part of their rebuild.
Markus Granlund Out Up To Two Months
The injuries keep coming for the Vancouver Canucks, who have lost Sam Gagner, Brendan Gaunce and Chris Tanev recently and dealt with injuries to Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter earlier in the year—not to mention Derek Dorsett‘s career-ending diagnosis. Now, Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports that Markus Granlund will undergo a surgery on his ankle and is out for seven to eight weeks.
Granlund has been relegated to a checking role for much of the season in Vancouver, and has seen his offensive numbers plummet because of it. The 24-year old forward has just 12 points on the season, a far cry from his 19-goal output a year ago. Interestingly, that may actually benefit the Canucks in the long run.
Vancouver heads into the summer with several restricted free agents—including Granlund—to negotiate with, and will really be deciding the shape of the core going forward. With Granlund eligible for arbitration, another year like 2016-17 would have put him in prime position to demand a hefty long-term deal. Now, coming off a disastrous season, the two sides will likely come together on something more reasonable. Eight weeks would put Granlund out for the remainder of the regular season, and even if he does return for a few games there is little he can do to improve his case.
Minor Transactions: 02/13/18
A busy night in the NHL, with 12 games on tap for tonight. Among them are some huge divisional matchups between St. Louis-Nashville and Philadelphia-New Jersey. Both games could have huge implications on the playoffs, with each team trying to take two points in regulation.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Oskar Sundqvist from his conditioning stint ahead of their game. Sundqvist had been a healthy scratch for some time, so was loaned to the San Antonio Rampage to get into some game action. In six games with the AHL club this year, the 23-year old center has six points.
- According to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers, the Cleveland Monsters have loaned Andre Benoit to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the remainder of the season. The veteran defenseman returned from Sweden to play in the AHL this season, where he has five points in 31 games.
- The Colorado Avalanche have sent Andrei Mironov to the AHL, bringing up Duncan Siemens in his spot. Siemens has played just four NHL games so far in his career, despite his high draft position at 11th-overall in 2011. In 45 games with the San Antonio Rampage this season, he has seven points.
- With the Canucks dealing with several injuries, including one to defenseman Chris Tanev, the team has recalled Philip Holm from the minor leagues. Holm was signed last May out of the Swedish Hockey League, and has found immediate success in the AHL with the Utica Comets.
- Marcus Pettersson has been given his first NHL recall, brought up by the Anaheim Ducks in place of the waived Korbinian Holzer. Pettersson, a second-round pick from 2014, is in his first season in North America. In 44 games with the San Diego Gulls, the 6’4″ rangy defenseman has 14 points.
Trade Candidate: Thomas Vanek
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
New coach, new expectations, but in the end, the Vancouver Canucks don’t look that much different. Vancouver finds themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division, once again not competing for a playoff spot. The Canucks had higher expectations this year when they decided to add some veteran depth to the team in hopes it might spark their young core to play at a higher level. The team does have hope as they have a large amount of talented young prospects that aren’t too far away from joining the team over the next few years, but they must answer the question if they want to move out veteran scorer Thomas Vanek.
Contract
Vanek is currently finishing up the one-year contract he signed this offseason with Vancouver at $2MM. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
2017-18
At age 34, many teams believed that Vanek’s game may have passed him by and many of those teams chose to look elsewhere this offseason. He wasn’t signed until Sept. 1 by Vancouver, but he continues to prove that he can score in this league. He currently has 16 goals in 56 games and has impressed management to the point that they are considering re-signing him to an extension.
While Vanek has been fortunate enough to play on a line with rookie sensation Brock Boeser, the veteran has shown he can still score clutch goals and set up his teammates as well. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup if needed. His lack of speed, however, doesn’t help him.
Season Stats
55 GP, 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points, -15 rating, 24 PIM, 102 shots, 13:59 ATOI, 44.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
Vanek could have a number of suitors, because of the fact that he won’t be very costly. The Detroit Red Wings, who traded away Vanek at the trade deadline a year ago, only received an average prospect and a third-round pick from the Florida Panthers. So, many teams that are short on salary cap space and picks may find Vanek to be an interesting option, ranging from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators.
One possibility could be the Boston Bruins, who are desperate for depth on the wings. Vanek might be a good fit to join the Bruins second or even third line and provide even more offense during a playoff run. His penalty killing skills might also be helpful for Boston as well.
Likelihood Of A Trade
It’s more of a 50-50 proposition. The team could easily find a take for Vanek, but will the Canucks get true value for him? Perhaps if the team can get a second-rounder for Vanek, then it might be worth it, but at the same time, there are rumors that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik Sedin are considering returning for another year next season. The question then is, should they keep Vanek around for another year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 2/11/18
With the NFL season over, the NHL seems to have increased their Sunday games from just a handful to a nine-game set today. With a busy weekend, there should be quite a bit of movement on many NHL rosters today.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled forward Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets of the AHL. He returns almost a month after he was sent down. The 22-year-old 2014 first-round pick has nine goals and leads the Comets in assists with 21 assists. He has played 14 games for the Canucks this season. He has two goals and two assists, but has averaged just 12:01 of ice time for the NHL club so far this year.
- After losing backup goaltender Malcolm Subban to injury, the Vegas Golden Knights have officially recalled goaltender Manny Lagace from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Lagace had his moments earlier this season while starting for Vegas, while both Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury were out. Lagace was 6-6-1 in 14 games. He had his ups and downs as he carries a 3.79 GAA and a .872 save percentage during that time. He has a 2.65 GAA and a .907 save percentage in Chicago.
- The San Jose Sharks made a couple of moves as they have recalled defenseman Tim Heed and Rudolfs Balcers from the San Jose Barracuda. For Heed, this is one of many moves over the last few days. He was sent to the Barracuda on Wednesday, recalled the following day and then sent back to the Barracuda Friday. He played one game for the Barracuda. For the Sharks, the 27-year-old offensive defenseman played in just 27 games this season and has three goals and eight assists. Balcers gets his first call-up to the Sharks. The 20-year-old wing has 12 goals and 31 points this season for the Barracuda.
- The Vegas Golden Knights made a second move for the day as they have recalled forward Paul Thompson, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. This will be the first time the 29-year-old has been recalled for Vegas as he’s spent the whole season in Chicago of the AHL. In 48 games with the Wolves, Thompson has 14 goals, 26 points and 82 penalty minutes. He did play 21 games with the Florida Panthers last year and had three assists.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they recalled defenseman Nick Seeler from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. The team also announced the have assigned forward Viktor Loov to Iowa. Seeler, 24, has played 49 games for Iowa and has two goals and 10 assists on the year. If he plays Tuesday, it would be his NHL debut. Loov, was just picked up Thursday in a minor trade from New Jersey. The 25-year-old did not get into a Wild game, however. Loov had five goals and 12 assists in 36 games for the Binghampton Devils of the AHL before the trade.
Injury Notes: Granlund, Hendricks, Hutchinson, Elliott
The Vancouver Canucks took another injury hit when they announced that forward Markus Granlund will be out for a month with an ankle injury, which he suffered Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He landed awkwardly on his ankle after being bumped on the boards by Ryan Callahan.
The 24-year-old Granlund was expected to be a big contributor this season after a breakout season last year when he scored 19 goals. However, that hasn’t been the case this year. He has eight goals so far this year in 53 games and has seen less average ice time as he’s seeing almost a minute less than last year.
As reported earlier, the Canucks recalled Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets of the AHL.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced they have activated veteran center Matt Hendricks off of injured reserve and placed goaltender Michael Hutchinson on injured reserve to make room for him. Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year deal this offseason, was out with an upper body injury and has missed the past two games. The team’s fourth-line center, Hendricks has put up a solid season with four goals and eight assists. Hutchinson was placed on IR, retroactive to Feb. 6. He was called up to replace backup Steve Mason, who went down with a concussion. However, Hutchinson himself suffered a concussion in a pre-game skate on that date. Eric Comrie is filling in as an emergency backup.
- The Philadelphia Flyers might be without starting goaltender Brian Elliott again after he had to leave Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. He actually left the game after the overtime period against Arizona and was replaced by Michal Neuvirth for the shootout. The team only just got Elliott back on Monday from a lower-body injury. Carchidi suspects that the veteran pulled a groin muscle before going down. He will be re-evaluated after tonight’s game against Vegas. The team announced they have recalled Alex Lyons from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to serve as the backup.