Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for January 2017

Custance’s Latest: Sizing Up The Trade Market

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the trade deadline now less than two months away, we’re starting to see more speculation (and hope) regarding the state of the trade market.  ESPN’s Craig Custance provides a pair of articles (one for the East and one for the West – Insider required for both) to provide an overview of how things are currently looking.  The full articles are certainly worth a read but here are some of the highlights:

  • The Coyotes are “asking for stupid returns because they know they can”. With them and the Avalanche basically being the only two guaranteed sellers, they know it’s a sellers’ market and can wait to see if someone wants to blink.  Center Martin Hanzal and defenseman Michael Stone, both pending unrestricted free agents, are the most likely to move although right winger Radim Vrbata is also a potential UFA and could be a candidate to move.
  • Given that Anaheim is largely capped out plus the pending expansion draft, Custance expects that if the Ducks are going to be active in the trade market, it will be more of a player-for-player ‘hockey trade’ than one that sees them move futures for short-term help. Anaheim is one of nine teams currently using LTIR to stay in compliance with the salary cap.
  • There has been no movement on a potential contract extension for Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk who is expected to be one of the top free agents this summer if he makes it to the open market. That puts a bit of pressure on GM Doug Armstrong – does he use him as an internal rental and risk letting a top free agent get away with no compensation in the summer like what happened with David Backes or trade him now, even if it hurts their postseason chances?
  • While big name goaltenders are at the forefront, Blue Jackets youngster Anton Forsberg could be a name to watch for. Sergei Bobrovsky is still the starter for at least a couple more years and Forsberg is set to be left unprotected in the expansion draft.  He’s pushing for a full-time roster spot with another strong season in AHL Cleveland and might garner some interest from teams that are lacking quality young netminders in their system.
  • Although Washington GM Brian McLellan has a reputation for being conservative when it comes to the trade market, their free agent situation could force them to be a bit more active than usual. Forwards T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, and defenseman Karl Alzner are among their potential UFAs and if they don’t believe they have the ability to keep or replace them all, their window to make a real push may be right now.

Goalie Notes: Vasilevskiy, Darling, Nilsson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop on injured reserve, Andrei Vasilevskiy was handed a major opportunity to show he’s worthy of the starting role.  He hasn’t made the most of the opportunity though, going 3-3-1 with a 3.38 GAA and a .874 SV% in seven starts since Bishop was hurt and admitted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that the pressure is getting to him a bit:

“A little emotionally tired.  I’m thinking about it too much.”

With Bishop expected to return within the next couple of weeks, the 22 year old only will have a few more chances to make an impression on head coach Jon Cooper.  Further adding to the pressure is that the Lightning, a Conference Finalist last year, find themselves on the outside looking in at a playoff spot at the moment.

Even though his first stint as a starter hasn’t gone as well as anyone had hoped for, Vasilievskiy is still Tampa’s expected starter of the not-too-distant future.  They handed him a three year, $10.5MM extension back in July and given who they still have to re-sign this coming offseason (Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin, among others), it’s unlikely they’ll still have the cap space to bring Bishop back next season which should press Vasilevskiy into the number one role, ready or not.

More goalie notes from around the NHL:

  • Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling has been on a nice little run as of late. Over the last month, he has posted a 7-2-1 record with a GAA of 2.01 and a .935 SV%.  The extra ice time came as a result of Corey Crawford’s appendectomy and some back-to-back games but as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune notes, Chicago has reached a soft spot in their schedule and don’t have any back-to-back games scheduled for more than a month.  As a result, the Blackhawks are going to have some difficulties finding Darling some playing time as the plan has been to use him primarily in those situations.
  • Sabres backup Anders Nilsson has been one of Buffalo’s more pleasant surprises this season, writes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. He has a .926 SV% through 13 games, tied for seventh league-wide among goalies with at least ten appearances and is becoming a threat to steal some starts from Robin Lehner.  Nilsson credits his success to his time in the KHL back in 2014-15 where he led the league in GAA:  “If I didn’t have a good year that year, I wouldn’t have been able to come back. I developed a lot as a goalie that year. That year has definitely helped me a lot in my development. I don’t think I would’ve been here if I didn’t make that step.”  Buffalo acquired Nilsson back in July from St. Louis in exchange for a fifth round pick in the upcoming draft, a deal that has proven to be quite the steal so far.

Injury Updates: Bjugstad, Leafs, Myers, Smith, Coburn

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Florida Panthers announced that they have placed center Nick Bjugstad on injured reserve.  He suffered a lower body injury last night against the Predators early in the game and did not return.  George Richards of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter link) that he’ll miss a couple of weeks and that it’s a groin issue.

To say that this season has been a struggle for Bjugstad would be an understatement.  He broke his hand in the preseason which kept him out of the lineup until November 22nd and since then, he has scored just one goal and one assist in 21 games, despite seeing quite a bit of time in the top six.  He also has found himself shuffled to the right wing more frequently than he has been accustomed to.

With Roberto Luongo being a late scratch yesterday due to an upper body injury, the Panthers also recalled goaltender Sam Brittain from Manchester of the ECHL.  He’s expected to serve as James Reimer’s backup tonight against Boston if Luongo is unable to dress.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Maple Leafs center Ben Smith and defenseman Martin Marincin are skating but are not close to returning to the lineup, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Marincin has been out since December 11th with a lower body while Smith has been sidelined since undergoing hand surgery on December 19th.
  • Although he started skating this week, Winnipeg blueliner Tyler Myers is expected to miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a lower body injury, reports Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press. He will miss his 25th straight game tonight and has five points (2-3-5) in 11 contests this year.
  • The Senators will activate center Zack Smith off IR and expect to have him in the lineup tonight against the Capitals, the team announced via Twitter. The 28 year old missed the last two games with an upper body injury and has 15 points (8-7-15) in 35 games this season.
  • Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn is day-to-day with an upper body injury and will not suit up today against the Flyers, reports Bryan Burns of the teams’ website (Twitter link).  Coburn had played in every game this season heading into this one, picking up a goal and four assists but is averaging his lowest ice time per night (15:56) since his rookie season back in 2006-07.

Atlantic Notes: Carlo, Lightning Draft, Nyquist, Eisenschmid

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo has been a revelation on their back end this season but CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty suggests that in recent games, he’s showing signs of hitting the proverbial rookie wall.

Over the last six games, Carlo’s ice time has been below his season average (21:50) while he was down to just 16 minutes in his last outing against Edmonton, a career low.  He also has posted a -10 rating in his last 15 games and while plus/minus doesn’t quite carry the same level of importance nowadays, that’s still far from a good thing.

Rookie struggles, especially for blueliners, is hardly an uncommon thing but considering the fact that Carlo has often been a top pairing player for the Bruins, the pressure on him to turn this rough patch around is that much higher.  For his part, Carlo isn’t getting down on himself too much:

“I feel like pucks definitely aren’t bouncing my way as much as they were in the beginning of the year. But that’s something that I just need to continue with, keeping it simple and moving the puck. I’m just trying to keep my gaps up and go through every game and know that I worked my hardest out there.”

The Bruins have been looking for help on the back end dating back to the summer.  While Carlo’s emergence as a regular player lessened the need to add someone from outside the organization, GM Don Sweeney could be forced to again join the mass of teams looking to add a defenseman if the 20 year old continues to scuffle.

More from the Atlantic:

  • When the Lightning recalled goaltender Adam Wilcox to serve as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup, he became the sixth and final player from Tampa Bay’s 2011 draft class to suit up in an NHL game, notes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. In fact, all six players were in a Tampa uniform for their last game – forwards Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, and Matthew Peca as well as defenseman Nikita Nesterov.  Wilcox’s stint with the Lightning isn’t likely to last too long though.  He was brought up in part to allow Kristers Gudlevskis to get some playing time in while Ben Bishop is hoping to be back in the lineup during their six game road trip that kicks off January 16th in Los Angeles.
  • Red Wings right winger Gustav Nyquist is at a loss to explain his scoring drought, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Despite averaging more ice time and more shots on goal per game, Nyquist is stuck at just four goals on the season with just one of those coming in his last 33 outings.  While head coach Jeff Blashill is pleased with his effort level on a night-to-night basis, he’d like to see the 27 year old play less on the perimeter and more around the net.
  • The Canadiens announced the signing of German center Markus Eisenschmid to a two year, entry level contract. The 21 year old is in his second season with their AHL affiliate in St. John’s.  Through 32 games so far this year, he has six goals and four assists.

Predators Extend Matt Irwin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

During their game against Florida last night, the Nashville Predators announced that they have inked defenseman Matt Irwin to a one year contract extension.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $650K, which represents a raise of $75K over his current salary.  However, it’s also the new league minimum salary beginning next season.

Irwin is in his first year with the Predators and after clearing waivers and starting the year in the minors, he has become a regular on their third pairing.  In 33 games this season, he has three goals and five assists to go along with a team-best +14 rating while averaging 16:42 of ice time per night.

The contract also carries some importance from an expansion draft standpoint.  If the team decides to protect four defensemen (P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm), this deal allows the Predators to meet the exposure requirement for the draft, assuming Irwin plays in seven more games this season.  Every team must expose one defender who is signed for 2017-18 and played in at least 40 games in 2016-17 (or 70 games in the past two seasons combined) and their other signed blueliners (Petter Granberg and Anthony Bitetto), are much further away from reaching that.

NHL Draft Prospect Notes: Patrick, Liljegren, Hischier, Mittelstadt

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the World Junior Championships over after the United States took gold, several prospects headed for the 2017 NHL Draft saw their stock rise. For many, like Nico Hischier,  the international showcase served as a boon for his professional career. Casey Mittelstadt, on the other hand, has turned heads at the high school level. They’re both likely to see it pay off this summer when Chicago hosts the draft in late June.

ISS Hockey released their latest rankings and still have center Nolan Patrick and Swedish defenseman Timothy Liljegren as #1 and #2 respectively. Patrick has been nursing an upper body injury, and while he’s played only six games for the Brandon Wheat Kings this season, he remains at the top of the list. Liljegren, who didn’t play in the WJC, remains the top ranked defenseman.

Sam McCaig of Puck Daddy writes the following on Hischier and Mittelstadt:

Hischier, a right winger who plays for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, turned heads at the WJC with four goals and seven points in five games for his native Switzerland. As a result, Hischier rose from the No. 8-ranked prospect a month ago all the way to No. 3. Mittelstadt, a centre who’s playing high school hockey in Minnesota and has committed to the University of Minnesota next year, went from No. 12 up to No. 6.

When Sportsnet conducted its rankings in early December, Patrick remained at the top of the list as well. But Jeff Marek did bring up the case of Gord Kluzak, who played only 38 games in the year he was drafted. If the name isn’t familiar, there’s a good reason for that. Kluzak succumbed to a knee injury and would go on to have 10 surgeries following the injury. He did end up playing 299 games with the Boston Bruins, but injuries shortened–and hampered–his career.

While Marek doesn’t think that Patrick will travel down the same path, he also writes that NHL scouts he spoke with weren’t too concerned with him not playing in the WJC. Marek, prior to the Championships, also noted Hischier’s rise.

ISS January Rankings: Top Ten

  1. Nolan Patrick – Center – Brandon  – WHL
  2. Timothy Liljegren – Defenseman – Rogle – Sweden
  3. Nico Hischier – Center – Halifax – QMJHL
  4. Gabe Vilardi – Center – Windsor – OHL
  5. Owen Tippett – Right Wing – Mississauga – OHL
  6. Casey Mittlestadt – Center – Eden Prairie High School
  7. Michael Rasmussen – Center – Tri City – WHL
  8. Callan Foote – Defenseman – Kelowna – WHL
  9. Klim Kostin – Center – Dynamo – KHL
  10. Eeli Tolvanen – Left Wing – Sioux City – USHL

 

Snapshots: Vegas Golden Knights, Fort Lauderdale Shooting

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After the deadly shooting at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport today, there were discussions as to whether or not the nearby Florida Panthers would postpone tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. Although the Predators were already safely in Sunrise, concerns over safety and the welfare of players, personnel, and fans after the scary incident were taken into account. The airport was just 20 miles from the BB&T Center, so the ongoing events were obviously going to impact the participants and spectators of tonight’s game. However, the NHL and the Broward County Sheriff came together and agreed to play the game tonight. Security has been increased for the match-up, which dropped the puck at 7:30 ET.

Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins, flying into Fort Lauderdale for their game against the Panthers tomorrow night, were instead diverted to Miami International Airport. The shooting occurred around 1:00 PM ET, but events were still unfolding into the evening and no official updates were made until after the Bruins had been scheduled to land. The team arrived safely in Miami and will simply travel a little farther to Sunrise tomorrow.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights are getting closer and closer to the realization of their NHL dreams, as the team released an update on the ongoing activities of their hockey operations staff. After scouting the World Juniors this past week, the team is re-focused on meetings to put together their plan for the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft (June 18th-20th) and Entry Draft (June 23rd-24th), as well as their special pre-free agency negotiating window. General Manager George McPhee was excited to have his first real team outing at the World Juniors, an invaluable experience in preparing for the rookie draft, and now has his sights set on running some more mock drafts in preparation for the Expansion Draft. On top of all of this scouting and strategy, McPhee is also finishing up the hiring of his medical staff and is close to an agreement on an AHL franchise arrangement. McPhee believes that the team will have a greater understanding of their AHL status in the coming weeks. The teams has also said that their pre-season schedule is nearly complete. The NHL’s newest team is keeping busy as they prepare to be the first addition to the world’s best hockey league since 2000.

“Major” Juniors Trades: Dubois, Gauthier, Popugaev

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Pierre-Luc Dubois trade has been completed. Nearly a month after it was originally reported that the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 draft would be moved to another QMJHL team, the details of the deal have finally been formalized, and on the league trade deadline no less. Dubois will move from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, whom he has played for in parts of three seasons, to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In exchange, Cape Breton will receive 16-year-old forward Mathias Laferrière and the Armada’s first round draft pick in 2017 and second round pick in 2018.

The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect is quite a haul for Blainville-Boisbriand. Though Dubois had a less-than-stellar World Junior experience with Team Canada and has yet to find his rhythm since returning to juniors, he remains one of the top young two-way forwards in Canadian juniors. Dubois racked up a whopping 99 points in just 62 games with the Screaming Eagles last season, and his physical style earned him 112 penalty minutes as well. He’ll now bring that unique combination of high-end skill and grit to an Armada team that currently sits in second in the QMJHL’s West Division, just two points behind the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

  • Another QMJHL team getting much better on deadline day is the Maritime Division-leading Saint John Sea Dogs, who have acquired 2016 first-round forward Julien Gauthier. Gauthier comes over from the Val-d’Or Foreurs, who sit in last place in the West Division, at the price of a third-round pick in 2017, two second-round  picks in 2018 and a first rounder in 2019, as well as prospect Nathan Cyr-Trottier. It’s a steep price for the Sea Dogs, but well worth it for one of the junior league’s best power forwards. The 21st overall pick by the Carolina Hurricanes this June, Gauthier is back on his better than a point-per-game pace this year that he finished the season with in each of his first two campaigns with Val-d’Or. He’s also fresh off of a five-goal effort for Team Canada at the World Juniors. Joining fellow top prospects Thomas Chabot, Jakub Zboril, and Matheiu Joseph, Gauthier completes a formidable roster for Saint John, now likely the favorite to win the QMJHL this season.
  • Over in Western Canada, the WHL is approaching their own Trade Deadline on Tuesday and the Prince George Cougars have mad a major move. Headed to the B.C. Division leaders is 2017 top-ten hopeful Nikita Popugaev. The 6’6″ scorer already has 51 points in 40 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in his second major junior season, good enough for a place in the top ten in scoring. The move is somewhat of a surprise as the Warriors sit in second place in the East Division, with just three points less than the Cougars on the season. However, Moose Jaw is getting their fair share in return, as  Prince George sends 18-year-old forward Yan Khomenko, 17-year-old forward Justin Almeida, a second-round pick in the 2018 Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2017 Draft back in return.

 

Pacific Notes: Eberle, Tryamkin, Ducks

at CDT | by 1 Comment

It has been a struggle in recent weeks for Oilers right winger Jordan Eberle.  He has been held goalless in his last 12 games and has recently been dropped to the third line.  As a result, the trade speculation has started to swirl once again, something that has been quite common for Eberle in recent years.  Speaking with TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects teams to start inquiring on his availability.  However, he expects the price to remain quite high (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“The ask for Jordan Eberle has always been high, understandably so, because he’s been one of the Edmonton Oilers’ players that is a big part of the core. But if he’s no longer that, even on a short-term basis, that’s going to ignite some kind of short-term market. But that doesn’t mean the Oilers are any more willing to trade him, unless the value is there.”

Eberle has two more years remaining on his contract after this season with a cap hit and salary of $6MM.  With his offensive track record (20+ goals in four of the last five years), there’s sure to be some interest throughout the league though the Oilers would most likely have to take a sizable contract back in return given the cap crunch many teams are facing.

Elsewhere around the Pacific:

  • Earlier this season, Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin refused to report to the AHL, even for a brief conditioning assignment. Considering how he has played since getting into the lineup on November 3rd, Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province argues that the controversial decision was the right one all along.  Since that first game, he has yet to be scratched since and has fit in nicely on Vancouver’s third pairing while head coach Willie Desjardins has praise for his improvement when it comes to his fitness.
  • Is the glass half full or half empty in Anaheim? Heading into their midway game of the season, there have been quite a few struggles along the way, as Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register notes.  They’ve won just two of ten games that have made it to overtime (both coming in the shootout), their goaltending has been up and down, while Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have both struggled to put the puck in the net, combining for just 12 goals.  Despite all that, they find themselves tied for first in the division with San Jose and find themselves seven points ahead of where they were in the standings through 40 games last season.

Latest Colorado Trade Talk

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche have been in discussions with the Boston Bruins regarding left winger and captain Gabriel Landeskog, reports longtime Colorado writer Adrian Dater, currently with Bleacher Report (all links to Twitter).

The Avs are in need of quality young defensemen and asked for rookie Brandon Carlo but the Bruins aren’t willing to move him at this time.  Dater suggests that young blueliners Jakub Zboril and Joe Morrow, as well as left wing prospect Jake DeBrusk could be part of a potential package for Landeskog along with their first round pick.  Making a trade like that, one where a top forward is going for predominantly a collection of futures, could constitute the beginning of a larger-scale rebuild and there’s no evidence to suggest that GM Joe Sakic is willing to consider that route at this time.

Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Avs had trade discussions regarding Landeskog around the Draft Lottery in April that would have seen them land an established defenseman in return.  The belief was that the blueliner in question was Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba but talks regarding him never rematerialized.  Dreger also noted that Sakic is more inclined to move center Matt Duchene and that his preference is to keep Landeskog.

The 24 year old winger is in his sixth NHL season, all with Colorado and has struggled this season, collecting just 12 points (6-6-12) in 28 games.  He also carries a cap hit of just over $5.57MM, which most teams wouldn’t be able to absorb without sending some money back.  It’s worth noting that Boston is one of the few teams who could as they sit comfortably under the salary cap.

In a reader mailbag, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that Duchene is likely to fetch the biggest return but isn’t sure Sakic will move one of his top forwards now.  He wonders if the GM may wait until the offseason before deciding whether or not to change the core or to try and build around it.

The team does have several pending unrestricted free agents that could move as rental players.  Those are forwards Jarome Iginla, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, and Andreas Martinsen plus defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Cody Goloubef although the Avalanche shouldn’t expect significant returns on any of those players.

With Colorado sitting at the bottom of the league standings with a 12-25-1 record and being 17 points out of a playoff spot, they’re a clear seller come trade deadline time.  There’s sure to be plenty of discussion regarding the likes of Landeskog and Duchene between now and then.   With so few guaranteed sellers, they’re certainly a team to watch in the weeks ahead.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top