Activity on the trade front hasn’t reached its peak just yet as the trade deadline is still a couple of weeks away. However, there was still one swap of note which is among the top stories of the past seven days.
Giordano Injured: The Flames are among the teams in the hotly-contested battle for positioning in the Pacific Division but their postseason hopes have taken a hit with the announcement that defenseman Mark Giordano is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The injury isn’t as bad as initially feared but it’s still a significant loss. The reigning Norris Trophy winner leads all Calgary blueliners in points with 27 while logging nearly 24 minutes a night, also a team high. T.J. Brodie had been a speculative trade chip in recent weeks but this injury likely takes him off the market for now.
Oilers, Nurse Nearing Extension: After getting Zack Kassian signed late last month, the Oilers shifted their focus towards signing defenseman Darnell Nurse to a contract extension and are on the verge of getting a two-year deal done. The 25-year-old is playing out the final season of his bridge contract and was slated to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in July. While a long-term pact would have been preferable, Edmonton’s salary cap situation would have made that tricky as they already had more than $62MM in commitments to just 12 players for 2020-21. A couple of years down the road, some of their other deals will be off the books which will give them the flexibility to get a longer deal done at that time.
Maple Leafs-Kings Swap: Given Michael Hutchinson’s struggles this season and the recent neck injury to Frederik Andersen, Toronto needed to make a move to address their goaltending situation. They did just that, acquiring goalie Jack Campbell along with winger Kyle Clifford from Los Angeles in exchange for winger Trevor Moore plus a pair of third-round picks. The Kings are retaining half of Clifford’s $1.6MM AAV while one of the third-rounders could become a second-round selection if Clifford re-signs in Toronto or the Maple Leafs make the playoffs with Campbell winning six or more regular season games. Campbell very quietly posted a .928 SV% last season which earned him a two-year extension (with a $1.65MM AAV) that kicks in next season. With Toronto’s salary cap situation, it will be interesting to see if they can afford to spend that on a backup in 2020-21.
Another Surgery For Seabrook: It has been a rough season for Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook. He struggled considerably early on before being shut down due to injury. Since then, he underwent shoulder surgery in December and left hip surgery in January. He now has gone under the knife once again, this time having surgery on his right hip with an expected recovery time of five-to-six months. If everything goes well, he should be cleared to play next season. The 34-year-old still has four seasons left on his contract after this one with a pricey $6.875MM cap hit.
Latest On Byfuglien: Last week, it looked like Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien wasn’t going to play this season which gave the Jets at least a bit more certainty to work with as the deadline approaches. However, it appears that the two sides are headed for a mutual contract termination which would end his time with Winnipeg altogether. If and when it’s finalized, Byfuglien will be able to become an unrestricted free agent and assuming he’ll be healthy for next season, he’ll certainly become one of the top blueliners available on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jets still have to pay Big Buff? They can’t weasle out of that, right?