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Archives for February 2017

Wild Sign Alex Stalock To Two Year Extension

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The Minnesota Wild announced that they have signed goaltender Alex Stalock to a two year contract extension.  The deal will pay him $650K on a one-way contract in 2017-18 and $650K in the NHL or $300K in the AHL in 2018-19.

Stalock is in his first season in the Wild organization after signing a one year, two-way deal with the team back in July to serve as depth behind Devan Dubnyk and Darcy Kuemper.  He has spent the season with their AHL affiliate in Iowa, posting a 14-10-0 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .916 SV%.

The 29 year old has played in 62 career NHL games spanning parts of five seasons, all with the Sharks.  He has a career 24-19-7 record at the top level with a 2.37 GAA, a .911 SV%, and four shutouts.

This contract carries greater implications beyond simply ensuring that the Wild have another veteran goalie in their system for a couple of years.  By signing Stalock now, Minnesota can leave him unprotected in the Vegas expansion draft in June, allowing them to protect Dubnyk (Kuemper is a pending unrestricted agent and ineligible to be left exposed).

Pacific Notes: Burrows, Doan, Domi, Donskoi

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While his name has been in trade rumblings for several years now, Vancouver winger Alex Burrows isn’t particularly worried about whether or not he gets traded by the March 1st trade deadline, he told Sportsnet’s Carol Schram.  Burrows has a full no-trade clause and at this point he hasn’t been approached about waiving it, nor has he gone to the team to ask for a move.

With 16 points (7-9-16) in 44 games this season, the 35 year old would likely represent a bottom six upgrade for some teams at the deadline.  However, with a cap hit of $4.5MM, the amount of teams that will be able to afford him will be limited.

The Canucks are still in the playoff hunt as they sit just three points out of a Wild Card spot.  However, it doesn’t seem likely that Burrows will be back next season so it will be interesting to see if they approach him about waiving his no-trade clause even if they stay in the postseason race.

More from the Pacific:

  • While the report last month that suggested Coyotes right winger Shane Doan might be open to a trade had many speculating about where he could go, GM John Chayka noted in an interview with 98.7 FM Arizona Sports that there haven’t been any discussions on that front for several weeks. He added that the trade deadline still a month away, there’s no rush on either side to see if there’s a potential move to be made or if he wants to stay in Arizona.
  • Still with the Coyotes, left winger Max Domi practiced for the first time on Wednesday as he recovers from a broken hand, notes Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. Domi has been out of the lineup since late December with the injury.  Dave Vest of Arizona’s team site adds (Twitter link) that Domi will be a game-time decision tonight against Chicago.  The sophomore forward is fifth in scoring on the Coyotes despite playing in just 26 games this season, collecting 16 points.  His point per game total is the highest on the team.
  • Sharks right winger Joonas Donskoi is dealing with a re-aggravation of an upper body injury he suffered back in early January against Calgary, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Donskoi has played in just three games since then and is not with the team in Vancouver for their matchup tonight.  He’s expected to be out for another week, adds Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 24 year old isn’t having the success he had in his rookie season where he put up 36 points in 76 games; he has just six goals and nine assists through 45 contests this year.

Cal O’Reilly, Luke Gazdic, And Eric Gelinas Placed On Waivers

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A trio of players are entering their second stints on the waiver wire as center Cal O’Reilly (Buffalo), winger Luke Gazdic (New Jersey), and defenseman Eric Gelinas (Colorado) have all been placed on waivers today, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

O’Reilly has played in 11 games with the Sabres this season, recording an assist along with a -6 rating while playing just under eight minutes per game.  He also won 48.5% of his faceoffs, slightly above his career average of 46.6%.  He has fared much better at the minor league level with Rochester, scoring 34 points (8-26-34) in 36 games.  The 30 year old has 144 career games of NHL experience with the Predators, Coyotes, Penguins, and Sabres, recording 49 points (16-33-49).  ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun adds via Twitter that Buffalo is looking for an upgrade at the fourth line center position (which O’Reilly had been occupying) via the trade market.

Gazdic has seen action in ten games with the Devils since being recalled in late December.  The enforcer was held off the scoresheet while recording 12 penalty minutes and 14 hits.  He also has played in 13 games with AHL Albany, picking up a pair of helpers along with 19 penalty minutes.  Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice notes (Twitter link) that it’s not a guarantee that he will be sent back down if he clears.  Assuming he does pass through unclaimed, he could remain with the Devils for 30 days or 10 games without having to go through waivers again.  The 27 year old has played in 146 NHL games in his career (mostly with Edmonton), collecting eight points (5-3-8) along with 206 penalty minutes and 214 hits.

As for Gelinas, he has remained at the NHL level all season despite clearing waivers back on December 1st.  He has suited up in 26 games with the Avalanche this year, recording just a single assist while averaging just under 12 minutes per game, not the type of production they were seeking when they dealt a third round pick  to New Jersey for him at the trade deadline last season.  With a cap hit of $1.575MM, he’s likely to clear.  His spot on the roster will likely go to Mark Barberio, who was claimed off waivers from Montreal earlier today.

Still with the waiver wire, Kings defenseman Tom Gilbert passed through unclaimed, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports via Twitter.  The team announced (Twitter link) that he was assigned to Ontario of the OHL.

Avalanche Claim Mark Barberio Off Waivers From Montreal

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The Colorado Avalanche have claimed defenseman Mark Barberio off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

Barberio was waived back in training camp but passed through unclaimed at the time.  Since he had been on Montreal’s roster for more than 30 days while playing in more than 10 games, they had to re-waive him in order to try to send him back to the minors.  Their acquisition of Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay last week made him expendable.

The 26 year old has played in 26 games with the Canadiens this season, recording four assists while averaging 15:07 of ice time per night.  He also has the second CF% of anyone on the team, coming in at a strong 55.1.

In his career, Barberio has played in 159 NHL games between the Canadiens and Lightning, recording eight goals and 23 assists while logging 15:29 of ice time per game.  He’s in the first season of a two year, one-way deal that carries a $750K cap hit.

He did last too long on the waiver wire this time around as the Avalanche have top waiver priority by virtue of them being last in the NHL standings.  With Colorado, Barberio will likely contend for a third pairing role on a team that isn’t the deepest on the back end.  He’ll likely take the place of defenseman Eric Gelinas, who was one of a trio of players placed on waivers today.

Jarome Iginla Hoping To Be Traded

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While he had previously been non-committal as to whether or not he would like to be traded between now and the deadline, Colorado right winger Jarome Iginla indicated to Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy that he is hopeful for a move:

“I would like to, at the deadline, go somewhere. I would like to be in the playoffs. I would hope that there is some opportunity to go and play in the playoffs. Those are the best games, the most fun for sure, and you have a chance to win. So no, I haven’t given up on that chance to win.”

He added that he has not yet approached management about asking for a trade or waiving his no-move clause.

2016-17 has not gone well for Iginla or the Avalanche, who sit dead last in the league with just 13 wins and 28 points in 48 games this season.  As for the 39 year old, he is having the worst season of his 20 year career with just six goals and six assists in those 48 games while averaging a career low 14:48 per game.

While it’s unlikely that a contender would be viewing him as a legitimate top six option up front, there should be several teams who would be willing to use him in a bottom six role while valuing his leadership.  Iginla undoubtedly would be motivated by a trade to a contender as well to give him a chance at his first Stanley Cup title.  He also has plenty of postseason experience, seeing time in 81 games while being quite productive with 37 goals and 31 assists.

Making things work financially will prove to be somewhat of a challenge.  Iginla is in the final season of a three year, $16MM contract (a $5.33MM AAV) he signed back in the summer of 2014 with a salary of $5MM this year and most contending teams don’t have that much cap space to work with.  As a result, it seems likely that a move will be closer to deadline day itself to reduce the financial obligation of the acquiring team unless the Avalanche are willing to retain a significant portion of the contract; they can retain up to 50%.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Thirtieth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)
26th Overall: Benoit Pouliot (Calgary Flames)
27th Overall: Vladimir Sobotka (Washington Capitals)
28th Overall: Devin Setoguchi (Dallas Stars)
29th Overall: Mason Raymond (Philadelphia Flyers)

Now we move forward to the 30th and final pick of the first round, which was held by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Lightning opted to go big, selecting 6’7 defenseman Vladimir Mihalik.  As was the case with every other team that picked a hulking blueliner primarily based on his size, this selection didn’t exactly work out for Tampa Bay.

Mihalik played in just 15 games for the Lightning (picking up three assists) while on his entry level contract and spent the majority of his four years in North America with AHL Norfolk.  He opted to go back across the pond after the 2011-12 campaign and has spent time in Sweden, Russia, and his native Slovakia this season.  Suffice it to say, they’d undoubtedly like a mulligan on this pick which you can vote on right now.

With the 30th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Lightning select?  Cast your vote below!

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Trade Deadline Reflection: Finding Value In The Margins

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The trade deadline now more than ever is a tough time to impact your team. With the tightening cap structure, long-term deals for young players and league-wide parity (however falsely constructed), finding a deal that works for both teams in a time-sensitive manner is a struggle. While every year there are one or two big name players moved, shocking deals (in the manner of Shea Weber for P.K. Subban) usually wait until the summer.

It’s because of this that fans and media alike must learn to love the small deals, the hockey swaps and the fresh starts. In these trades, teams can find a player that fits perfectly into their system and adds depth for a playoff run. Under-performing teams can take chances on fallen stars, prospects who have been labeled as early busts, or veterans who can make an impact in the development of a young player.

Though deals for Kevin Shattenkirk and Matt Duchene might sound fun, it’s often the Patrick Eaves or Ron Hainsey addition that makes a meaningful impact. To take a page from baseball, adding value anywhere is equal; upgrading the bottom pairing by a lot may be as important as improving your first line by a little. Last year, there were several deals of this nature.

Anaheim added goal scoring to their lineup by bringing in Jamie McGinn and Brandon Pirri on deadline day. The two would score 11 goals in 30 games (total), with McGinn scoring another pair in the playoffs. Edmonton would benefit from the deals as it let the Ducks part with Patrick Maroon later that day. Maroon made an immediate impact for the Oilers and has continued it with an 18 goal season  this year (though playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl doesn’t hurt). Justin Schultz

Florida was only able to deal Pirri away because they’d added depth of their own in Teddy Purcell and Jiri Hudler. The pair of upcoming UFAs would each perform quite well for Florida down the stretch helping them lock up first place in the Atlantic Division.

Pittsburgh may have been the biggest winners in late-February without making a huge splash. On the 27th, just a couple of days before the deadline they made the small move of acquiring Justin Schultz. It only cost them a third-round pick (which would be #91 after the Penguins won the Cup). Though Schultz made an impact down the stretch with eight points in 18 games, this season that he has really shone. It’s been 35 points in 47 games for the former Edmonton Oiler.

It’s interesting to watch all the fanfare surround deals like Andrew Ladd, Kris Russell and Eric Staal. None of those deals worked out that well for their teams, despite the huge price tags. So when approaching this deadline don’t shrug off the little deals. They may be just as important, and much more affordable, than going after the big fish.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Candidates: Ben Bishop

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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.

Ben Bishop’s name was at the top of everyone’s “most likely to be traded” list to start the season. And with the trade deadline nearing, talk has only intensified as Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman contemplates a move. Bishop is another goaltending victim of circumstance on a team with expansion draft exposure concerns and upcoming RFA deals. A pending free agent goaltender used to be a hot commodity for teams looking to make a playoff push, but with more and more teams limited by the salary cap, veteran goalies have lost significant trade value

Contract

Bishop is in his final year of his 2-year, $5.95MM a year contract. It’s the 10th highest cap hit for an NHL goaltender.

2016-17

Bishop is not having the greatest 2016-17 season. Tampa Bay platoons its goalies, so Bishop shares time with Andrei Vasilevskiy. But even the reduced workload hasn’t helped increase the worst numbers Bishop has earned since playing backup for the St. Louis Blues in 2010-11. Part of the problem is that the team itself has been disappointing. The Lightning were a popular choice to lead the Atlantic this year, and right now they find themselves outside of a playoff spot. Lacking playoff hopes, however, bodes well for Bishop as the Lightning would be less hesitant to trade him knowing they do not need him for the playoffs.

Season Stats

27 GP, 11-12-3, .904 SV%, 2.83 GAA, 0 SO.

Potential Suitors

Fringe playoff teams or teams beset by goaltending injuries. The former exist, and the latter do not—for now. Most of the established playoff teams are set in net, but a season-ending injury to a starting goalie could do wonders for Ben Bishop’s trade market. Barring injury, though, Tampa has to look to those teams on the brink of playoffs and with little to offer in goal.

The Winnipeg Jets may want somebody more reliable that Connor Hellebuyck and Ondrej Pavelec. Hellebucyk is an RFA after this season, and Pavelec a UFA. The Jets also have ample cap room to work with. St. Louis could also show interest if starter Jake Allen continues his substandard season. The Blues will find it harder to fit Bishop in under the cap, so Tampa may have to either retain some salary or take a contract in return.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Very likely. The writing was on the wall on July 1, 2016 when the Lightning signed Vasilevskiy to a three-year, $3.5MM a year extension. That a trade hasn’t happened yet is the surprising part. Either the market is stagnant or GM Steve Yzerman is waiting for the deadline to maximize his return. With the Lightning potentially missing the playoffs, the team has no reason to keep Bishop beyond the trade deadline.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Paul LaDue

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According to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, the Kings have recalled former NCAA champion Paul LaDue from the AHL. LaDue is a sixth-round pick of the Kings from back in 2012, who went on to star at the University of North Dakota. In his time there he scored 62 points in 123 games from the blueline, took the team to the Frozen Four three years in a row, and won the championship last season as an alternate-captain.

A strong puck-moving defenseman, LaDue has recorded 18 points in 36 games this season (his first) in the AHL. After debuting for the Ontario Reign in last year’s playoffs, he has been made a staple of the club’s blueline this season.

It’s not a guarantee that LaDue will make his debut this time around, but he looks like a lock to join the Kings’ back end in due time. His skill with the puck and poise when in trouble are attributes difficult to find among 6th round picks, especially when they come right-handed. He’ll wear #38 when he makes his debut, according to Zupke.

Arizona Coyotes Trade Henrik Samuelsson To Edmonton Oilers

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Just hours after dealing Justin Peters to the Dallas Stars, the Arizona Coyotes are at it again. They’ve sent Henrik Samuelsson to the Edmonton Oilers for Mitch Moroz. Both players were selected in the 2012 draft, just five picks apart (27th and 32nd respectively).

Samuelsson was once a highly regarded prospect, going in the first round and bursting onto the AHL season as a rookie. He scored 40 points in 68 games that season and had the pedigree of his former-NHL father Ulf Samuelsson. Since that rookie season when he got a three-game taste with the Coyotes, Samuelsson has completely dropped off the map. Scoring just 12 points last season and dealing with multiple lower-body injuries has him almost listed as a bust among Arizona prospects. His skating has never been good enough for the NHL and though he’s only 22, it will be a long road ahead for him to turn it around.

Moroz, much the same story, was a teammate of Samuelsson on the Edmonton Oil Kings when they won a Memorial Cup in 2014. Selected just a few picks later he hadn’t reached the same scoring highs as his teammate but was expected to grow into a legitimate NHL power forward. Also just 22, he may still find the scoring touch that he has been sorely missing but it’s been a long three years since he left junior. In 123 AHL games, Moroz has just 22 points. Even his physical play has taken a step backwards, and he’ll need to find new motivation should he want to continue his professional career.

It’s an odd move for the Coyotes, who would be the last team expected to go after a former enforcer with little to no scoring ability. Perhaps they see something in Moroz that the Oilers have given up on, but more likely this is just a positional move as the Coyotes have a surplus of centers and the Oilers need some for their minor league squad.

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