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Archives for February 2019

Nazem Kadri Remains Out With Concussion

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The Toronto Maple Leafs stole a point from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night when they forced overtime, but lost a key member of their forward group in the process. Nazem Kadri left the game and was later diagnosed with a concussion, and remained off the ice today at Maple Leafs practice. William Nylander took his place as the team’s third line center, meaning Kadri is not expected to play tonight against the Washington Capitals.

Kadri, 28, is having a down year offensively after recording consecutive 30-goal seasons and will now likely miss some time with this head injury. In 59 games he has just 15 goals and 35 points, but is still doing a capable job down the middle behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. The long-time Maple Leaf has turned his game into a more defensive-minded effort and worked to improve his faceoff skills dramatically in recent seasons.

The Maple Leafs have experienced relatively good health again this season, but still sit behind the red hot Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division playoff race. Those two teams are on a first-round collision course once again, and will need all hands on deck in what should be another war. With a five-point lead on the Montreal Canadiens and a game in hand, Toronto can afford to play it slow with Kadri and make sure he is fully recovered before inserting him back into the lineup.

Coyotes Sign Jordan Oesterle To A Two-Year Extension

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The Coyotes have locked up one of their pending unrestricted free agents, announcing the signing of defenseman Jordan Oesterle to a two-year contract extension.  While the team did not release financial details, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of roughly $1.4MM.  That represents a nice boost from the league minimum $650K he’s earning this season.

Oesterle is in his first season in Arizona after being acquired from Chicago this summer as part of the Marian Hossa trade.  He has impressed this season, playing his way into a regular role for the most part while chipping in offensively as well with 20 points (a career high) in 51 games.  That sits second on the Coyotes in terms of scoring by defensemen, only behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson.  As a result, he now has some stability for his immediate playing future, something he hasn’t had the luxury of having after spending his career on deals at or near the league minimum.

With the move, the Coyotes now have over $30MM tied up in their back end for next season which gives them one of the most expensive defense corps in the league.  For a team that has a limited payroll to work with, potentially spending more on the blueline than their forward group may be a risky strategy for GM John Chayka to work with.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look to move a defender in the not-too-distant future, be it in advance of Monday’s trade deadline or sometime this coming offseason.

Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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With the trade deadline now just days away, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  As we continue previewing the Metropolitan Division, here is a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins came into the season as a perceived contender in the Metropolitan.  However, the team has scuffled their way through the first three quarters of the year and are only three points up on a playoff spot.  GM Jim Rutherford has already pulled the trigger on a significant trade already but many expect them to do something else in the coming days but without many trade chips of note, their options could be limited.

Record

32-21-7, third in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.295MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: PIT 1st, BUF 4th*, PIT 5th
2020: PIT 1st, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th

* –  If Conor Sheary scores 20 goals or 40 points this season or Buffalo trades Matt Hunwick, this pick upgrades to a 2019 third-round pick.  Sheary currently has nine goals and 24 points on the year.

Trade Chips

It’s unlikely that the Penguins will look to subtract too much from their current roster but one player they’d likely be willing to move is winger Tanner Pearson.  While he has performed better with Pittsburgh than he did with Los Angeles earlier this season, the 26-year-old still hasn’t had much of an impact and has just 15 points in 59 games between the two teams.  That’s not great value for someone who is signed through 2020-21 with a $3.75MM AAV.  Finding a way to clear out that contract could open up a lot more flexibility for GM Jim Rutherford to work with but that will be a difficult move to make without either taking a similar contract back or retaining some salary.

One player that isn’t on their roster that is sure to generate some interest is goalie Tristan Jarry.  The three-year extension that Casey DeSmith signed last month all but cemented Jarry’s fate that there isn’t a spot for him long-term in the organization.  He held his own in 26 games with Pittsburgh last season and while his numbers with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton aren’t among the top goalies in the league, that performance last year will ensure that there is interest in him.  Quite a few teams are on the lookout for young goalies and even more are seeking a cheap backup to allow them to spend more elsewhere.  At 23 with an AAV of $675K through next season, Jarry checks both boxes.

With only three draft picks in the fold for this season, it’s unlikely that they will want to deal any more of those which limits their trade options that much more.

Five Players To Watch For: F Joseph Blandisi, F Teddy Blueger, F Jean-Sebastien Dea, G Tristan Jarry, F Tanner Pearson

Team Needs

1) Defensive Depth: With Olli Maatta out long-term, the Penguins could stand to add some more depth on their back end to hedge against further injury.  Speaking with reporters today (including Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), Rutherford indicated that while he’s pleased with the current state of their back end, they could look to add someone.  Worth noting, any addition to their blueline would likely be someone on an expiring contract.

2) Top-Line Winger Consistency: While it’s a positive that Sidney Crosby can play with so many different wingers, it’s an issue that he’s had to deal with a rotation of them on a regular basis.  The team wants to spread out its offense but in doing so, they’ve had their franchise player skating with some players who are better served in middle-six roles along the way.  In a perfect world, adding a right winger that could be a more permanent solution alongside Crosby and Jake Guentzel would be ideal.  They’d need to free up some cap room before trying to do this, however.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Dzingel, Nyquist, Johansson

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While Ottawa’s priority at this time is to lock up winger Mark Stone, they have also recently tendered a contract offer to fellow UFA winger Ryan Dzingel, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  However, the fact that a deal isn’t done yet is a sign that there is still some work to be done.  One league executive hypothesized that the 26-year-old may be waiting to see if Stone and center Matt Duchene are dealt in the hopes that it could help him land more money from the Senators.  That doesn’t seem to be a likely outcome even if the others are moved so, at this point, it looks like Dzingel could have a new home in the coming days.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Although the Red Wings recently asked Gustav Nyquist for a list of teams he’d be willing to be traded to, they haven’t given up just yet on signing the winger to an extension either. The 29-year-old told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, that his agent has held preliminary extension discussions with GM Ken Holland but evidently, nothing has been worked out just yet.  Nyquist is on pace to set a career high in points and would normally command a first-round pick on the trade market but with so few teams willing to deal those and other prominent rentals available, it may be tough for Holland to get that type of return.
  • The Devils have received considerable interest in pending UFA winger Marcus Johansson, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted in an appearance on TSN 1040 (audio link). After being injured early on in the season, he has been particularly productive over the past month, notching six goals and six assists in just 13 games while playing nearly 19 minutes per night.  As teams start to turn to the secondary market, the interest in the 28-year-old should pick.  LeBrun adds that New Jersey has interest in keeping him beyond this season so if they don’t get fair value for Johansson’s services, it’s likely that they’ll hold off on moving him and presumably would then look at working on a contract extension.

Minnesota Wild Trade Charlie Coyle

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Though their head coach made a playoff guarantee just six days ago, the Minnesota Wild have traded away another one of their key forwards. Charlie Coyle has been traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ryan Donato and a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick. The pick would become a fourth-round selection if the Bruins advance past the first round of the playoffs this season.

Coyle, 26, has been involved in trade rumors every time the Wild have hit a rough patch over the last few years thanks to his positional flexibility and consistent production, but this move comes after a particularly defeating loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Minnesota is still technically in a playoff spot at the moment but after losing 4-0 to the Ducks they are now 1-6-3 in their last ten and just a point ahead of four different teams in the Western Conference race. Having already sent Nino Niederreiter to the Carolina Hurricanes, Coyle’s departure may be just the start of a culture change in Minnesota in which they try to start again with a different core group.

Versatility has become Coyle’s calling card over the years as the Wild regularly move him around the lineup, including long stretches at both right wing and center. He hit his offensive peak in 2016-17 when he recorded 56 points, but has just 28 this year through 60 games and has struggled to find the consistency that previously stood out through his career. Still, the big-bodied forward can play in a variety of situations and comes with just a $3.2MM cap hit this year and next. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.

One of the biggest questions regarding Coyle is where his offense has gone in the playoffs each year. The Wild have faced perennial first-round exits thanks to a struggling postseason offense, and Coyle has been part of those failures. The forward has scored just 15 points in 44 career playoff games, and just six in his last 28.

For the Bruins, Coyle represents an upgrade for their middle-six down the stretch and through next season. Boston has had trouble finding any sort of secondary scoring outside of their top four forwards, and will now add a relatively young option that does have a history of success. It doesn’t hurt that Coyle is a Massachusetts-born Boston University alum and plays a perfect style of game for how head coach Bruce Cassidy likes to run his teams.

Still, giving up on Donato is a somewhat surprising move for the Bruins given his outstanding start just last season. After scoring 43 points in 29 games during his junior season at Harvard and being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker as one of the country’s best collegiate players, Donato burst onto the NHL scene with three points and almost 20 minutes of ice time in his debut. Things haven’t gone quite as well for him since, with just 15 points in his next 45 games but there is still a lot to be excited about with the 22-year old forward.

The Wild are obviously trying to get younger this season and change their core, but on first blush the returns for both Niederreiter and Coyle may seem underwhelming. They’ll hope for more success for Donato than Victor Rask has experienced since his journey from Carolina, which has resulted in two points in ten games and a trip to injured reserve.

Focus now turns to the next moves for both of these teams, as it seems unlikely either is finished. The Wild still have pending free agent Eric Staal and others to deal if they want to blow things up, while the Bruins could still use some more scoring for the middle part of their lineup. Boston has been expected to be involved in the trade market as the deadline approaches, but after this deal it is not clear if they will want to give up the excessive assets required to land some of the bigger names. At least if they do go after the likes of Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene or Mark Stone they are still holding their first-round pick, something that wasn’t needed to land their newest forward.

Michael Russo of The Athletic was first to report that Coyle had been traded.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Joel Hanley Signs Two-Year Extension

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While the league prepares for Monday’s trade deadline, the Dallas Stars aren’t forgetting their other contract negotiations. Today the team has signed minor league defenseman Joel Hanley to a two-year two-way extension. Hanley was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but will now be under contract with the Stars through 2020-21.

Hanley, 27, has played more NHL games this season than any other in his career, suiting up 16 times for the Stars. Most of the season has been spent in the minor leagues where he has long been a solid two-way player, and that’s likely where he’ll serve most of this contract as well. The undrafted defenseman has 13 points in 36 games for the Texas Stars.

The deal will carry a cap hit of $700K at the NHL level, the league minimum for next season, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, a small raise on his current $650K salary, the current minimum.  He will also earn a bit more at the minor league level as his AHL pay jumps from $200K to $275K next season and $300K for 2020-21.  Hanley will have to clear waivers once again before the start of next season to go back to the AHL.

Buffalo Sabres Not Looking At Coaching Change

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The Buffalo Sabres have suffered a drastic slide since finishing their ten-game winning streak in late November. Since November 27th, when they were sitting at 17-6-2, the team has gone just 11-18-5 and dropped out of the playoff race in the Atlantic Division. While they still have an outside shot at a wild card spot if they turn things around, they aren’t ready to make drastic changes, at least not behind the bench. Today while speaking with reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic, GM Jason Botterill expressed his confidence in the work that head coach Phil Housley has done so far and indicated that his job is safe.

Housley, who took over as the team’s head coach before the 2017-18 season after finding immense success as an assistant in Nashville, now has a 53-69-19 record through 141 games behind the Buffalo bench. While there has obviously been great high points—like that ten-game winning streak—there just hasn’t been enough success of late to satiate fans of the team.

The Sabres have taken strides in their rebuild this year and will continue to develop from within, but even with a vote of confidence the coaching seat will remain warm. If they do miss the playoffs this season it will be eighth consecutive year with no postseason action, despite having one of the league’s highest paid players in Jack Eichel. Luckily, the team has three first-round picks in this year’s draft and another franchise player in the making with young Rasmus Dahlin. There should be brighter times on the horizon, and for now Housley will be the one to lead them there.

Radko Gudas Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has issued their rulings, and this time Radko Gudas will miss only two games. The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman has been given a two-game suspension for his high-stick/slash on Nikita Kucherov last night. In addition to the suspension, Robert Hagg has also been issued a $3,091.40 fine for interference, the maximum allowable under the CBA.

As the accompanying video explains:

While we agree with Gudas’ assertion that this slash excessively forceful or violent, this is an intentional play by Gudas. A player who intentionally brings his stick down on the head of an opponent with a two-handed slashing motion, can expect to be penalized by the on-ice officials and in most cases be met with some form of supplementary discipline, be it a warning, a fine or a suspension. What causes this play to rise to the level of a suspension is Gudas’ disciplinary history. Specifically, his history of similar behavior.

The league goes on to explain this history of the Flyers defenseman, which includes a much longer ban for a more forceful slash to the head of Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault not even two years ago. It’s clear that the league is fed up with the fact that Gudas has repeatedly used his stick to attack the head of a player, even if in this instance it was not an extremely violent slash.

With Gudas’ history he’ll be looked at even more closely in the future and if another incident like this occurs you can bet the league will increase the suspension even further. While an effective defender, Gudas must start to avoid situations like this or risk much lengthier bans.

Kyle Clifford Generating Trade Interest

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The Los Angeles Kings are incredibly not out of the wild card race in the Western Conference, but that isn’t because of any real turnaround. The team is still in last place with a 23-30-6 record and have lost five consecutive games, leading to more speculation about trade assets on the roster. The team has already traded Tanner Pearson, Nate Thompson and Jake Muzzin this year and have several others who might draw calls from around the league as Monday’s deadline approaches.

One of those who is already generating interest is Kyle Clifford, according to NHL Network correspondent Dennis Bernstein and LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. Both reporters note however that the Kings may not be jumping to move Clifford, who is having an excellent season by his standards and is one of the team’s locker room leaders.

The 28-year old looks like he will shatter his previous career-high of 15 points as he now has 13 through 49 games this season. It’s his physicality and leadership, not offense, that teams would be acquiring him for though, as Clifford has never been more than a bottom-six player that gets between 9-11 minutes a night. The heavy winger could add some experience to any fourth line in the league, given his two Stanley Cups with the Kings and 55 playoff games overall.

Clifford also only carries a $1.6MM cap hit this season and next, making it easy to understand why the Kings would hesitate to move him. It’s unlikely he would bring back a huge return, meaning his veteran presence may be worth more to them as they try to turn things around and install the next wave of young talent in 2019-20.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 02/20/19

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The NHL hot stove is heating up with the trade deadline just around the corner, but teams are still making daily minor moves to prepare their lineups for the games at hand. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves right here.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have sent Michael Bunting to the minor leagues once again, a move that shouldn’t surprise the young forward at this point. Bunting has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL all season, playing just five games with Arizona but 31 with the Tucson Roadrunners. The 23-year old has 27 points in those 31 minor league contests.
  • Another player who has to be used to the shuttle between leagues is Dylan Gambrell, and today the San Jose Sharks sent him down once again. Gambrell has been involved in transactions for three straight days, and six total since the start of 2019.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Jan Rutta back to the minor leagues today while recalling Mathieu Joseph. The Lightning had recalled Rutta as insurance for their game last night given Victor Hedman’s injury, but will now send him back to the Syracuse Crunch where he has six points in ten games.
  • Patrick Eaves has been sent to the minor leagues after clearing waivers, re-joining the San Diego Gulls. Eaves played five games in the AHL during a conditioning stint, but hasn’t spent any real lengthy time in the minors since his first professional season in 2005-06.

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