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Snapshots: Flames, Senators, Blues

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“We were pathetic. It was a pathetic display. No bite back, no kick back. Our top guys didn’t do anything. We needed someone to step up.”

Tell us how you really feel, Glen Gulutzan. The head coach of the floundering Calgary Flames ripped into his team after another their fourth straight loss. All four games have seen Calgary going down 4-0 to start the game. The Flames nearly came back from the four-goal deficit against the Predators but lost 4-3. They were then smoked 7-3 by the Oilers, 4-0 by the Maple Leafs, and 5-1 by the Canadiens. Calgary has allowed the first goal in the previous nine games..

On Monday, I wrote about how Flames GM Brad Treliving is facing some big questions as they continue their rebuild. Gulutzan’s first year at the helm of the Flames has not gone well so far; the team is now 24-24-3 and is currently sitting in the second and final wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 51 points. They’re nine points behind the Oilers, who are in third in the Pacific Division. The Flames are two points behind the Blues for the first wildcard spot, and one point ahead of the Kings and Canucks.

  • The Ottawa Senators have announced the hiring of Tom Anselmi as the president and CEO of the organization, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He’ll replace Cyril Leeder, who was not offered another position; Leeder held the position since June of 2009. Anselmi spent 17 years with MLSE, ending his time there when Tim Leiweke replaced him as president and CEO in 2013. Garrioch speculated that Anselmi has a background in construction and could be key in getting the Senators a new arena. Owner Eugene Melnyk seconded that opinion at the press conference. Perhaps the most notable information to come out of the conference is the news that the Senators will likely be playing in an outdoor game in Sweden next year. As Garrioch puts it, the season-opening trip to Sweden appears to be “a done deal,” and negotiations continue with regards to the outdoor game.
  • With their starting goaltender struggling, St. Louis Blues backup Carter Hutton made a strong statement with a 3-0 shutout of the hot Pittsburgh Penguins. ESPN’s Scott Burnside believes that Hutton’s performance was the biggest story of Tuesday night. Hutton’s second shutout of the year snapped the Blues’ three-game losing streak. Burnside writes that the Blues still have to right the ship as far as their play in front of Jake Allen, who has struggled mightily in his first year as starter; his SV% has fallen below 0.900 after posting a 0.920 in 47 games last season. Allen begins a four-year, $17.4MM contract extension next season.

Trade Candidates: Thomas Vanek

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

The Detroit Red Wings are staring at the possibility of trading assets away instead of buying them up. After decades of acquiring top end talent, the Red Wings are now considering their options once the trade deadline hits. Will they deal talent away for prospects and picks? Or will they hold onto everyone, trying for a 26th consecutive playoff appearance? One player who could yield quite the return is Thomas Vanek.

Contract

One year, $2.6MM – Will be a UFA in July

2016-17

After a disappointing tenure in Minnesota, Vanek was cut loose via a buyout. The Red Wings signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.6MM, hoping that Vanek would show flashes of the player who had a nose for the net. So far, the gamble paid off. Vanek has been Detroit’s best forward all season, and has been one of the best scoring threats for the team–especially one struggling mightily on the power play. The Red Wings are reportedly on the fence about what to do–re-sign Vanek or trade him while his stock is high. Vanek is currently out, though he’s day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Season Stats

36 games: 12 goals, 19 assists, 31 points. 51.1 CF%, +6, 14:54 ATOI.

Potential Suitors

The Red Wings’ decision making won’t be cemented until they reach their bye-week, which is only a week before the actual deadline. Vanek comes at a great price, instead of having a bloated contract, an issue with many players on the Detroit roster. What Vanek could garner from another team depends on where he goes and how the market reacts with other players.

Chicago, who kicked the tires on Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, would seem to be the best landing place for Vanek. Though Chicago is steadfast in holding onto its’ first round pick due to hosting the draft, there are a number of prospects in the system that could help Detroit, especially defensively. They could also offer future first round picks–along with prospects–to give them a solid scoring punch at left wing. Though the Hawks are always in a tight spot with the cap, Stan Bowman is not one to shy away for a chance at the Cup.

The Ottawa Senators are also an option as they’re searching for scoring. Currently sitting second in the Atlantic, the Sens could use another player with a scoring touch to add scoring depth in the conference that many believe will win a Cup again. The Sens might be willing to give up a first round pick for a scorer, as reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Again, everything depends on where the Wings sit in the standings. Ken Holland is notorious for “liking his team” or stating that players returning from injury are like adding at the trade deadline. Holland will push for the playoffs as long as the team plays its way to a spot, but with just a 13% chance of making the playoffs, Vanek may find himself in another jersey when the calendar turns to March.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rumor Roundup: Hanzel, Jurco, Parity

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News and notes from the NHL’s rumor mill:

  • According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Arizona Coyotes offered the Montreal Canadiens pending UFA Martin Hanzal in exchange for Michael McCarron, a 1st round draft pick, and a conditional draft pick. That is a steep price to pay for a player with only 10G and 8A in 39 games. Hanzal hasn’t done anything lately to help the Coyotes, either—he’s scored in only two games this month. Unfortunately for teams looking at Hanzal, the Coyotes’ asking price is in line with previous deals for Hanzal-like players. Andrew Ladd returned a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first and third round draft pick, while Eric Staal returned a prospect (Aleksi Saarela) and two second round draft picks. Both had similar production and similar ages to Hanzal at the deadline last year. That first round pick could turn into a second round pick if Hanzel continues to underproduce, but the Coyotes are not out the realm of reasonability right now.
  • According to the Detroit Free Press’s Helene St. James today, Tomas Jurco had asked the Detroit Red Wings for a trade this season. Jurco has sat as a healthy scratch for all but 11 games this season, and has failed to register a point in those games. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has also heard that Jurco wants out, and one can see why. Sometimes a player has no room in a given organization, and no player wants to sit idly by at any point in his career. Teams are usually good about accommodating these requests—like when the Maple Leafs traded Peter Holland to the Arizona Coyotes for a conditional seventh round draft pick—but nothing is guaranteed. The problem for most teams is that the player usually has untapped potential and they want to hold on to that player as long as they can.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger said on TSN 1040 Vancouver today that the trade market is paralyzed by parity. Because so many teams are within a few points of a playoff spot, those teams are wary of trading away assets. Part of that parity stems from the so-called loser point, where many games end up becoming three point games (2 for a win, 1 for the OT/SO loss). The parity may be an illusion however. Three years ago Elliotte Friedman, then with the CBC, wrote that of the 32 teams 4 points or more back of a playoff spot, only 3 teams managed to make the playoffs.

Snapshots: First Round Picks, Pouliot, Stoll, Streit

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With more and more teams getting tighter to the salary cap, draft picks have become quite an important commodity.  In recent years, most teams have been unwilling to part with their first rounders as those picks are expected to serve as cheap talent before too long.  As a result of what’s expected to be a weaker draft class, that may not be the case this season, suggests ESPN’s Craig Custance (Insider required).

A pair of executives suggested to Custance that they’d be willing to part with their first round pick this year but only if they’re getting someone under contract or team control beyond this season.

Last year, only one first rounder was dealt at the trade deadline when Chicago dealt theirs to Winnipeg as part of the return for rental forward Andrew Ladd, a move that didn’t exactly pan out well for them.  If some players with term left on their deal get moved by the deadline, we could see more first rounders changing hands over the next month or so.

Other tidbits from around the league:

  • In a reader chat, Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the Penguins would be willing to move young blueliner Derrick Pouliot in a trade, something that wasn’t the case earlier. The former first round pick has not yet progressed to the point where he can be called a regular NHL defender and is in the final year of his entry level contract.  He has eight points in 18 AHL games this season and has been held off the scoresheet in seven NHL contests.
  • Although center Jarret Stoll is currently working in a player development capacity with the Kings, he emphasized to Puck Daddy’s Josh Cooper that he has not retired. The 34 year old split last season between the Rangers and Wild and attended training camp with the Blue Jackets on a PTO but was unable to secure a deal.  However, given his prowess on the penalty kill and at the faceoff dot, he could be a serviceable replacement forward should a team get hit with some injuries up front.
  • The Flyers have not made any decisions regarding their pending unrestricted free agents, GM Ron Hextall told Wayne Fish of the Burlington County Times. If Philadelphia falls out of the playoff race between now and the trade deadline, a potential rental option would be blueliner Mark Streit.  While he agrees there’s not much point in opening extension talks at the moment, he indicated that he’s hoping to remain with the team: “At this point, I just want to play and I want to make it into the playoffs with the Flyers.  That’s on my mind. I love it here, love playing for the Flyers.”  Streit carries a cap hit of $5.25MM and has a list of ten teams that he would accept a trade to as part of his modified no-trade clause.

Injury Updates: Kulikov, Quick, Kruger, Wilson, Islanders

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The Sabres are set to welcome back defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the lineup tonight from a back injury, notes John Vogl of The Buffalo News.  He has been out of the lineup since late December after the symptoms from his preseason back ailment resurfaced.

Buffalo traded for Kulikov back at the draft in the hopes that he would help stabilize their defense corps but he has only seen action in 20 games this season, recording just one assist with a -10 rating.  With the Sabres also missing Josh Gorges (hip) and Jake McCabe (shoulder) on the back end, he’ll be a welcome addition to their lineup.

As a pending unrestricted free agent, a strong next month could go a long way towards restoring his potential value on the market, not to mention giving the Sabres a quality trade asset if they’re out of the playoff picture by then.

More injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick’s return date has been pushed back again, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. While the team was hoping he’d be able to return by mid-February, GM Dean Lombardi told reporters that the earliest that he could get back into the lineup is early March.  Quick has yet to start skating since injuring his groin in the opening period of the season.
  • The Blackhawks announced that they have activated center Marcus Kruger off injured reserve. He suffered a hand injury in late December and has missed the last ten games as a result.  The 26 year old has two goals and eight assists in 39 games this year while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game.
  • Nashville has activated left winger Colin Wilson off IR, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean notes via Twitter. He has missed the last eight games due to a lower body injury.  Wilson, who has six goals and 11 helpers in 38 contests this season, is expected to play tonight alongside Mike Fisher and Craig Smith, adds Thomas Willis of the Preds’ team website (Twitter link).
  • Islanders left winger Andrew Ladd is set to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last four games with an upper body, notes Cory Wright of the Islanders’ team site. The veteran has struggled mightily in his first season in New York with just 12 points in 41 games, nowhere near the production the team was expecting when they gave him a seven year, $38.5MM contract this offseason.  He’ll take the place of rookie Anthony Beauvillier who is dealing with a lower body issue after blocking a shot over the weekend.

Minor Transactions: 1/24/17

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Yohann Auvitu off of injured reserve and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Albany. He had missed the past seven games with a lower body injury.  The 27 year old rookie has spent the bulk of the season with New Jersey, picking up four points (2-2-4) in 25 games.  He also has seen time in seven AHL contests, recording a trio of assists.
  • The Senators announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton. He’s expected to serve as insurance up front in case Mike Hoffman (flu) is unable to play tonight against Washington.  Bailey has played in four games with Ottawa this season being held off the scoresheet and has ten goals and five assists in 33 games with Binghamton.
  • Washington announced the recall of center Chandler Stephenson from Hershey of the AHL. The 22 year old got into nine games with the Capitals last season but has yet to suit up with the big club in 2016-17.  He has played in 39 AHL games this year, recording 24 points (6-18-24), just four shy of his career high set last season.
  • With defenseman Brian Dumoulin set to return from injured reserve, the Penguins have assigned blueliner Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, per a team release. Gaunce got into three games with Pittsburgh after being recalled last week, picking up a pair of assists while posting two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season.
  • The Ducks announced via Twitter that they have loaned center Nate Thompson to their AHL affiliate in San Diego on a long-term injury conditioning loan.  Loans of this nature typically last a maximum of three games or six days but teams can petition the league for an extra two games.  Thompson, who remains on LTIR, has missed the entire season so far after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in an offseason workout.
  • Colorado announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled center Jim O’Brien from San Antonio of the AHL.  The team placed forward Rene Bourque on IR to make room for him on the roster.  O’Brien, a former first round pick of the Senators (29th overall) in 2007, has spent the entire season at the minor league level, collecting seven goals and ten assists in 26 games.  He last saw NHL action in 2015-16, getting into four games with New Jersey.

Senators Acquire Tommy Wingels From Sharks

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they have acquired center/right winger Tommy Wingels from San Jose in exchange for minor league wingers Zack Stortini, Buddy Robinson, and a 2017 7th round pick.

"JanWingels has struggled so far this season with the Sharks, spending most of the season mired on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch.  In 37 games this year, he has five goals and three assists while recording 61 hits (he has had at least 200 in each of the last three seasons).  He is averaging just 10:03 of ice time per game, his lowest in any full NHL season.

The 28 year old had spent his entire career with San Jose after being selected by the Sharks in the sixth round (177th overall) in 2008.  In 337 games, he has 122 points (51-71-122), 197 penalty minutes, and 968 hits.  Wingels is in the final year of his contract and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  The Sharks will retain 30% of his $2.475MM cap hit and $2.6MM salary as part of the deal.

Robinson, a 25 year old left winger, has spent the majority of the season with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton.  In 33 games with the Baby Sens, he has seven goals, five assists, and 18 penalty minutes.  He has also got into four games with Ottawa this year, being held off the scoresheet while averaging just under seven minutes of ice time per game.  He carries a cap hit of $750K in the NHL with a minor league salary of $75K and is heading for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer as he will have less than 80 career NHL games played at the end of the season and has the required number of professional seasons to qualify.

Stortini is a veteran of 257 NHL games with Edmonton and Nashville but last saw NHL action back in 2011-12.  The 31 year old enforcer has 41 points (14-27-41) in that span while recording 725 penalty minutes.  Since then, he has bounced around with several minor league teams and was in his second season with Binghamton.  In 22 AHL games this season, he has two goals and an assist to go along with 20 penalty minutes.  He has a $600K cap hit at the NHL level and is earning $200K in the minors.  Both he and Robinson have been sent to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

While Wingels isn’t exactly a top six forward at this stretch of his career, he’ll add some grit and some depth to Ottawa’s bottom six while providing some insurance in case of injury at a very small acquisition cost.  He’s only a couple of years removed from pair of 35+ point seasons so perhaps a change in scenery will give him a boost for the stretch run which would go a long way towards restoring some of his value heading into free agency.

As for the Sharks, this clears up a roster spot and a little over $730K in cap space per CapFriendly (Twitter link) which should come in handy with winger Tomas Hertl nearing a return to the lineup from his knee injury.  CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz reports (Twitter link) that there’s a very good chance that Hertl will be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday against Edmonton.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Flames, Holland, Marleau

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Although the Edmonton Oilers find themselves comfortably in a playoff spot, TSN’s Darren Dreger doesn’t expect GM Peter Chiarelli to make any big splashes, he told TSN 1260 in Edmonton (transcription courtesy of Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“I don’t project that Chiarelli is going to be doing any big game hunting. That’s not to say he’s not listening, and if another defenseman was thrown into the market that the Oilers wouldn’t try and acquire that piece – or perhaps some depth on the wing, or maybe a little bit of insurance at center ice as well.”

Dreger suggests that one area that the Oilers could try to land an upgrade for is rookie Drake Caggiula’s third line center spot.  The youngster has fared okay in that role but the belief is that he’s more comfortable on the wing and given his smaller stature (5’9), he’s not an ideal fit down the middle.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Although he passed over goalies like Ben Bishop and Marc-Andre Fleury to acquire Brian Elliott from St. Louis last summer, Calgary GM Brad Treliving would be wise to reconsider those two options, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. Elliott has had more down moments than good ones and currently boasts a subpar 2.92 GAA and a .891 SV%.  Basically, he’s not the starter of the future to build around.  Backup Chad Johnson has fared better (a 2.41 GAA with a .917 SV%) but he isn’t viewed as a long-term starter either while youngster Jon Gillies is scuffling this year as he battles back from an injury-plagued 2015-16 season.  The Flames were active on the goalie market last summer and it’s shaping up to be that way again this coming offseason.
  • Arizona center Peter Holland was fined just over $3,600 for an unsuspecting punch to Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link). The incident occurred on Saturday night and the fine represents the maximum allowable under the CBA.
  • San Jose’s Patrick Marleau had quite the third period yesterday. He became only the 12th player in NHL history to score four goals in a single period and was the first to do in nearly 20 years (Mario Lemieux matched that feat on January 26, 1997 against Montreal).  As CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz notes, Marleau was dropped down a line prior to the third and clearly the move paid immediate dividends.  After a quiet start to the year, Marleau has 16 goals on the season and sits three away from 500 for his career.

Trade Candidate: Michael Stone

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Things weren’t supposed to go this way for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone.  After signing just a one year contract in the summer, he was hoping for a big season to take him into his first crack at unrestricted free agency.  That has yet to happen while the Coyotes are nowhere near a playoff spot which makes him a prime candidate to be traded.

Contract

One year, $4MM – Will be a UFA in July

2016-17

Stone missed the first three games of the season while recovering from a torn ACL sustained back in late March.  While he was able to reassume a top four role upon returning to the lineup, he hasn’t been able to maintain the offensive progress he had displayed in recent years.  It could be suggested that part of that is attributable to the arrival of Alex Goligoski but even so, the decline in Stone’s offensive game is quite notable.

Feb 23, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone (26) shoots against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsA couple of areas that haven’t been affected this season are his willingness to play physical and block shots as he’s averaging over two of each per game while he’s still logging over 20 minutes per game.  Those are all elements that contenders would love to add to their back end so despite his struggles, he should still have several teams interested in him.

Season Stats

35 GP, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points, -9 rating, 8 PIMS, 45 shots, 20:19 ATOI

Potential Suitors

A top four defender that plays the right side is something that pretty much any team with eyes on seriously contending would want to add.  The Lightning showed interest in him earlier in the year but GM John Chayka’s asking price was too high at the time.  The Rangers could be a team to watch for as well – they have a void on their back end and have the money to absorb his cap hit in full.  Considering the number of contending teams that are tight to the cap, that’s certainly an important factor.

In the West, the Blackhawks would undoubtedly love to add another top four blueliner to take some of the pressure off their top pairing but they don’t have the cap space to make it work with Arizona retaining or Chicago sending a contract back.  While Edmonton’s defense is much improved this year, they could still stand to add a top four option and like the Rangers, they have the cap space to fit him in easily as well.

One darkhorse team to watch for if they continue their hot streak is the Maple Leafs.  While trading for a rental player would go against standard practice for a team that’s still building, Stone would give Toronto a stabilizing presence on a thin blueline, something that they will need if they want to make a serious run at a playoff spot.  They have the prospect capital and some extra second round picks to work with as well.  The Leafs make sense as a landing spot for Stone in free agency so if he’s on their radar, it’s conceivable that they could look to add him now to not only help a postseason push but also for the chance to see how he would fit in before potentially making him a long-term offer in the offseason.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Considering that the team already has Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Goligoski, and Connor Murphy signed for at least two more years plus a pair of promising youngsters in Jakob Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo, it’s unlikely that the Coyotes will pursue a long-term contract extension with Stone.  Unless Chayka’s asking price remains too high through the March 1st trade deadline, he’s pretty much a lock to be dealt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ducks Place Stefan Noesen On Waivers

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The Anaheim Ducks have placed right winger Stefan Noesen on waivers, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link).

Noesen has played in a dozen games with the Ducks this season (including last night against Winnipeg) and has two goals in that time while averaging 6:33 of ice time as a fourth line player for head coach Randy Carlyle.

The 23 year old was originally a first round pick of the Senators back in 2011 (21st overall).  He was dealt to Anaheim as part of the Bobby Ryan traded back in July of 2013.  He has played a total of 14 career NHL games, all with the Ducks.  He also has played in 22 AHL games this season having cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, recording 15 points (6-9-15).

Noesen had been shuffled back and forth on a near-daily basis over the last couple of weeks.  Not only was that done in an effort to conserve as much cap space as possible, it also allowed them to delay waiving him until now as he has surpassed the ten games mark since clearing waivers back in October.

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