Trade Candidates: Valtteri Filppula
With the trade deadline now just days away, we’re wrapping up our profiles of several players whose names are still on the trade block and are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been busy, dealing Ben Bishop to Los Angeles, and Brian Boyle to Toronto. Another couple names keep popping up and one of those is center Valtteri Filppula, a player who can offer a playoff team depth down the middle.
Contract
Filppula signed with the Bolts before the 2013-14 season, a five-year, $25MM deal. With two years left on that deal, Filppula and the Lightning have a chance to help one another. The deal includes a no-trade clause which Filppula would have to waive, but should it be to the right team, general manager Steve Yzerman could make a deal to ease the financial strain on his team.
2016-17
Filppula is a defty centerman, known for creating plays and less for scoring goals. He’s only had two 20-goal seasons–once in Detroit and Tampa Bay. But he creates offense and is responsible in his own end, making him a valuable player come playoff time. This season, Filppula has already eclipsed his point total for last year, recording 34 in 59 games this year. He’s currently fifth on the team in points, and valuable in the faceoff circle.
Season Stats
59 GP: 7 goals, 27 assists, 34 points, +1 rating, 17:30 ATOI
Suitors
It’s going to take some creativity on Yzerman’s part to make this trade happen. Less than 24 hours from the deadline, Filppula’s name has been tagged in a number of scenarios, with Bob McKenzie tweeting that of the 13 teams listed on his no trade clause. It makes McKenzie’s tweet that much more interesting since one of the blocked teams could potentially work it out. The Florida Panthers, who have surged lately, could absorb the hit for another season and it would provide more depth. The Toronto Maple Leafs would be another option, reuniting Filppula with Mike Babcock, who he was a Stanley Cup with in 2008. Filppula’s playoff experience, and strong performances during those playoff runs, would make him valuable to a team looking to get that necessary bump in depth. If Tampa is willing to absorb even a little bit of salary, the Edmonton Oilers, or the Nashville Predators could be destinations. Even the New York Islanders, who are knocking on the door, could swing a deal with the right financial plan. The Oilers look less likely, however, after swinging a deal to acquire David Desharnais.
Likelihood Of A Trade
The challenge for Yzerman is getting Filppula to waive his no-trade as well as massaging a deal that doesn’t financially cripple a team. Retaining only half of the deal for an extra season would help, but still require more work as Yzerman has a number of moves to make in the offseason. Shedding the contract would be helpful for Yzerman and the Bolts while Filppula would help a team during a playoff run.
Deadline Notes: Rangers, Red Wings, Coyotes
The New York Rangers missed out on Kevin Shattenkirk last night when he went to their division rival—and opponent tonight—the Washington Capitals. The team has been rumored to be after a right handed defenseman and may be in even more dire straits as Dan Girardi is out tonight following an ankle injury. Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that with him out and Kevin Klein still dealing with a back injury, the Rangers are down to just five healthy defensemen with the team. They’ll bring up Steve Kampfer for tonight’s game, but may need a more permanent solution.
While the Rangers may not have acquired Shattenkirk, they have been linked to Brendan Smith of the Detroit Red Wings and could look within their division for a player like Kyle Quincey. Though neither bring the level of play the new Capitals’ defenseman does, both could help provide depth as they get healthy.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN mentioned Smith today on Twitter, saying that it is decision day for the Red Wings. If they do want to extend him, McKenzie believes it would take at least three years at $3.5MM. The Wings recently extended Nick Jensen for two more seasons and have said they want to do the same with Smith. If they can’t get it done today though, they should seriously consider moving him and trying to bring him back in the summer. That team needs as many assets as possible going forward, and with the defense market getting pretty thin, they might do quite well.
- Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports writes that though Shane Doan is still available, he is unlikely to move before the deadline. According to Morgan, teams only view him as a 13th or 14th forward, instead of the capable winger he still believes himself to be. While obviously anything can change in the next 28 hours, perhaps he will finish his career with the franchise (but not team) that drafted him.
- McKenzie also mentions that the Tampa Bay Lightning have likely approached Valtteri Filppula and asked to waive his no-trade clause. Filppula poses a real problem for the Lightning both with their cap crunch and expansion draft plans.
Reactions To The Kevin Shattenkirk Trade
The Washington Capitals shocked the hockey world last night when they pushed all their chips to the middle of the table and bet on themselves in this year’s playoffs. Adding Kevin Shattenkirk to an already stacked team was both unexpected and devastating to their closest opponents. As it happened so late at night (and with so many conditions), reactions are still pouring in from media across the country.
- T.J. Oshie may have had the best reaction, tweeting out a welcome message to his old St. Louis teammate. Oshie and Shattenkirk have played together on the world stage as well, suiting up at both the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
- Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy writes how this move is directly related to falling at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins a year ago. The Capitals are after a championship surely, but they first need to make their way through the defending champs and get the playoff monkey off their backs. Shattenkirk will help that tremendously.
- Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes about the growing trend of playoff conditions and has some choice quotes from GM Brian MacLellan.
- Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post was on the conference call with the general manager and relayed his explanation, saying that Shattenkirk was the only “Grade A” option out there in what is a rental-only market.
- Craig Button on TSN’s TH2N last night spoke about the possibility that Shattenkirk leaving could open the door for the Los Angeles Kings to sneak into the playoffs. Weakening the Blues—who are still currently in a playoff spot—is good for everyone in the Western Conference playoff push.
- Also from TSN is Frank Seravalli’s take which agrees with Wyshynski on the Caps going after the Penguins’ title this year. Seravalli also mentions how the Blues have a ready replacement in the towering Colton Parayko. Parayko is set to burst onto the NHL scene with a larger role and should be watched closely this summer when he is a restricted free agent.
Indeed, getting Shattenkirk will increase the Washington Capitals chance at the Stanley Cup this year, and with it they’ve build perhaps the best right-side on any defense group in the league. Matt Niskanen and John Carlson already gave teams matchup issues in the top four and the addition of Shattenkirk makes it that much more impressive.
Any team in the East should be worried now that any addition they make is useless. They’ll have to go through the Caps to get in—that is unless those pesky Penguins get to them first.
Minor Transactions: 02/28/17
At the rate the NHL is going, there will be nothing left to do on trade deadline day but write about how good the Washington Capitals are. After acquiring the best player available in Kevin Shattenkirk, teams scramble to keep up with the best team in the league.
- The Caps have started Tuesday off as well, recalling both Riley Barber and Jakub Vrana. Since the team sent Zach Sanford to St. Louis in the deal last night, they needed a replacement for him in the lineup. T.J. Oshie is also questionable with an upper-body injury and may have to miss another game.
- They’ve also moved Andre Burakovsky to LTIR according to Mike Vogel of team site. Each day he spends on it opens up a little more cap room for a team looking to go all-in.
- Arthur Staple of Newsday tells us that the New York Islanders have recalled Josh Ho-Sang on an emergency basis. One of the team’s top prospects, Ho-Sang has yet to make his NHL debut. Interestingly enough, the team has now sent Ho-Sang back down to his AHL club but kept the emergency conditions in place. It seems like something is brewing in New York.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Yanni Gourde back down after he sat out last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Gourde was brought up mostly as insurance against any more moves, but will now be unneeded as the Lightning will have Greg McKegg join them soon.
- After acquiring Alex Burrows from Vancouver yesterday, the Ottawa Senators have sent Mike Blunden and Phil Varone to the AHL today. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that they might not be done, but that it would be a depth move instead of another big name.
- In Vancouver they’ve called up Borna Rendulic and Richard Bachman, perhaps signalling that a trade is on the horizon. The team plays the Detroit Red Wings tonight, and it’s unclear who will be in net and on the bench for it.
Kevin Shattenkirk Reportedly Going To The Washington Capitals
Update 10:27pm: TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that if the Capitals trade Shattenkirk on or before July 1st, the Blues will receive a draft pick in the next draft. That draft pick depends on what the Capitals receive for Shattenkirk. If the Capitals get a 4th round pick or higher, the Blues will receive a draft pick two rounds later than the earliest pick received in the trade. If its a 5th or lower, the Blues will receive a 7th round pick.
Update 10:20pm: After talking with the league on a trade call for over an hour, the St. Louis Blues announce that the trade terms are: Kevin Shattenkirk (39% retained) and Pheonix Copley for 2017 1st, 2019 conditional 2nd, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the 2019 2nd round pick is conditioned on either Shattenkirk signing with the Capitals, or if the Capitals reach the Conference Finals and Shattenkirk plays in 50% of the playoff games in the first two rounds.
Update 9:27pm: The Capitals do not have a 2nd round draft pick in either 2017 or 2018. It is possible that the condition is a 2018 2nd round pick if the Capitals acquire one.
Update 9:05pm: St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford confirms that the 2018 2nd round draft pick going back to St. Louis is conditional. Condition terms will follow.
Update 8:54pm: ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Washington is sending St. Louis a 2017 1st round draft pick, a 2018 2nd round draft pick, and forward Zach Sanford. More conditions will follow, but these are the main pieces coming back. This leaves the Capitals with only a 4th, 6th and 7th round pick in the upcoming 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Blues will also retain some salary, but LeBrun believes it is less than 50%.
The St. Louis Blues are close to trading defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals, confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and seconded by Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Shattenkirk is in the final year of a four-year deal worth $4.25MM a year. He’s scored 11G and 31A in 61 games for the Blues so far this season, and joins a Washington team that is primed for a deep playoff run. Friedman reported that the two sides are working out a few conditions, but barring a total collapse a trade call is expected soon.
The Capitals have just over $563K in cap space, but Shattenkirk will take up an additional $968K, so moving a contract the other way is required. Washington is already the top team in the league and has the fewest goals allowed. Adding Shattenkirk just makes a great team even better. The pending UFA may slide in to the top spot on Washington’s blueline—displacing John Carlson—or man the 2nd pairing with Dmitry Orlov. Either way, the Capitals have an embarrassment of riches on defense.
It isn’t every year that a playoff-bound team trades away a talented defenseman, but the Blues were determined to get something of value from a player they knew would not re-sign in St. Louis. Last year the Blues gambled on keeping pending UFA David Backes for a playoff run only to see him leave the Blues for nothing in return.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were rumored to be involved in a potential deal for Shattenkirk, but TSN’s Craig Custance reports that the Blues’ high price was too high for the Penguins. The Tampa Bay Lightning were also involved in a potential deal six weeks ago, but that fell apart after Shattenkirk refused to sign an extension before hitting free agency.
Brandon Manning Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check
The Department of Player Safety has announced a two game suspension for Brandon Manning for his hit on Jake Guentzel this weekend. Manning was not penalized on the play, but the league determined it was clearly interference that made “substantial head contact”.
The league did take into account that Manning had never been suspended or fined prior to this incident, but that because he delivered a late blow to the head of the Penguins forward it needed supplementary discipline. He will be eligible to return to the Flyers’ lineup on Saturday against the Washington Capitals.
This is the fourth suspension this month, and third this season for the Flyers. Radko Gudas and Dale Weise were given six and three games respectively for their illegal hits in October. Manning has just 130 games under his belt in the NHL but has built a reputation for delivering big open ice hits if players have their heads down. This time, he just picked the wrong Penguin to target, as Guentzel had gotten rid of the puck well before contact was made.
Morning Transactions: Panthers, Islanders, Capitals
Assorted transactions from around the league this morning…
- The Panthers have recalled forward Denis Malgin from the AHL, tweets Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. The 2015 fourth-round pick made his NHL debut earlier this season. The 20-year-old ultimately played in 39 games for the Panthers, collecting four goals and four assists. In 15 games with Springfield, Malgin compiled three goals and nine assists.
- Islanders winger Bracken Kearns has been returned on loan to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the team announced (via Twitter). The veteran was called up to the NHL last week, and he didn’t collect a single point in two games. In 51 games with Bridgeport this season, the 35-year-old has 18 goals and 22 assists. Kearns joined the organization last season following several years with San Jose and Florida.
- The Capitals have re-assigned forward Riley Barber and defenseman Aaron Ness to the Hershey Bears of the AHL, the team announced. Barber made his NHL debut the other night, and he finished with zero points in two games. In 18 games with the Bears, the 23-year-old collected seven goals and four assists. Meanwhile, Ness has played 10 career games for the Capitals, registering a pair of assists. The 2008 second-round pick has five career points in 39 games with the Islanders and Capitals.
Stanislav Galiev On The Trade Block
As predicted in our Washington Capitals Deadline Primer, the team is indeed ready to move on from young forward Stanislav Galiev. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that the Russian winger is likely to be moved ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline this Wednesday. Galiev has 15 goals and 11 assists in 33 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season, but has yet to earn a call-up to the Caps in 2016-17.
No one is doubting that Galiev is a skilled hockey player. The 25-year-old had 45 points in 67 games in the AHL in his first pro season in 2014-15 and then spent the entire season in Washington last year. However, he recorded just three assists in 24 NHL games in 2016-17. The Capitals did not want to use a roster spot on that production again this season and opted again to send Galiev back to Hersey, by way of clearing waivers. With the likes of Zachary Sanford and Jakub Vrana getting the bulk of the recalls this season, along with Washington’s astonishing streak of being healthy, Galiev has not had any opportunity to earn NHL minutes again.
Rather than frustrate the young forward any further and force him back to Russia, it sounds as if the Capitals’ brass had decided to move on from Galiev and get what they can for him. Unlike the Ottawa Senators and Curtis Lazar, it seems likely that Washington could simply settle on their best offer rather than wait to be blown away. Whether they trade Galiev straight up for a pick or prospect or throw him into a deal for a veteran forward or third-string goalie, it seems as if the young winger’s time with the Capitals is soon coming to a close.
Snapshots: Penguins, Capitals, Jones
After Jim Rutherford pulled off his latest deadline deal, acquiring Ron Hainsey for a second-round draft pick today, he met the media to answer questions about his team and rest of the trade deadline. At the same time, Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan was meeting with media to discuss his team’s aspirations at the deadline. Here are the highlights from both, plus other news from the hockey world.
- Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported several things on Twitter, including that Rutherford thinks the next 24 hours will determine whether the Penguins add another defenseman at the deadline. Since the Penguins don’t play until Saturday, he’s likely referring to both Kris Letang and Justin Schultz and their battles with injury.
- Schultz hit practice without a non-contact sweater today and took part in nearly all the drills. After a successful practice, the plan is to get him into a game on Saturday night against the Flyers.
- Letang on the other hand is day-to-day with an upper body injury suffered Tuesday night against Carolina. His health is likely a determining factor in the deadline for Pittsburgh.
- Rutherford also mentioned, according to Mackey, that Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley who are both out for over a month, will not be placed on LTIR and could return before the end of the season. Six weeks from today would be April 6th, just a few days before the playoffs begin. The Penguins face the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers on back to back nights to end the season (April 8 and 9). Perhaps we’ll see them back by then.
- On the Capitals, Isabell Khurshudyan of the Washington Post gives us a series of tweets from MacLellan. He has been in touch with T.J. Oshie‘s camp and wants to sign him. He doesn’t think it will get done in-season though.
- MacLellan doesn’t think the team will do anything at the deadline except perhaps in the “fringes” of the roster. He mentioned a third goaltender as a possibility.
- Max Jones of the London Knights will face a 10 game suspension, according to Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press. Jones was the first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks this past summer, and has faced multiple suspensions this year limiting him to just 29 games.
- The Alaska Aces of the ECHL will shut down their doors after this season, leaving the state without a professional hockey team. Winners of the Kelly Cup three times in their fifteen years, they once rostered players like Scott Gomez, Nate Thompson and Brandon Dubinsky and are currently the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
Minor Transactions: 02/23/17
There are six games on tap in the National Hockey League tonight, including a big matchup between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens that both teams need desperately to keep pace with the rest of the surging conference. There will be quite a few roster moves as teams get closer to the trade deadline, and we’ll have them all right here for you. Keep checking back as it will be updated throughout the day.
- A move that actually happened last night, the Anaheim Ducks called up Jhonas Enroth to backup Jonathan Bernier‘s amazing performance. John Gibson couldn’t go due to a lower-body injury—that is only listed as day-to-day—and thus the hottest goalie in the AHL was called up in reserve. We spoke about Enroth in the Ducks deadline preview, and how he could supplant Bernier if the team could find a buyer for him this week.
- The Washington Capitals have sent Travis Boyd back down after their game in Philadelphia last night. He was just there for insurance against an injury just before game time and now will return to Hershey for the time being.
- Jeff Glass apparently has done enough for the Chicago Blackhawks to keep him around. The former third-round pick that has played hockey all over the world signed a two-year deal today to stay in the Hawks’ system. The Blackhawks didn’t have a goaltender to expose in the upcoming expansion draft, as both Scott Darling (UFA) and Mac Carruth (RFA) are free agents this summer.
- Jeff Zatkoff has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That does not mean that he has been reassigned to the Ontario Reign however, as the Kings decide what to do with their goaltending. It sounds like Jonathan Quick is not quite ready to return, but is getting closer each day.
- The Boston Bruins have assigned Austin Czarnik to the AHL and sent down Joe Morrow on a conditioning stint. The baby Bruins also lost Zac Rinaldo for the rest of the season according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. He will have surgery on his wrist and will not play again this season.
- The Capitals have also recalled Riley Barber and Aaron Ness today, following the news that Matt Niskanen is likely out for tomorrow night’s game. To make room, the team has moved Andre Burakovsky to injured reserve.