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Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer 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?  Next up is a look at the Nashville Predators.

It’s been an up-and-down year in Nashville for a team that had such high expectations. For a while, the team was floundering near the bottom of the Central Division. The team fired long-time head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with John Hynes. While the results have been slow-going, Nashville seems to be moving up in the standings. Suddenly, just one point out of a playoff spot, the Predators look like a team that could make a playoff run after all. That puts general manager David Poile in an interesting position at the trade deadline. Should he buy, stand still, or maybe even sell?

Record

30-23-8, fifth in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Slight Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$11.517MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: NAS 1st, NJD 2nd, NAS 2nd, MIN 3rd, NAS 3rd, NAS 5th, NAS 6th
2021: NAS 1st, NAS 2nd, NAS 3rd, NAS 4th, NAS 5th, NAS 6th

Trade Chips

One name seen often as a trade deadline candidate is Mikael Granlund. The winger was brought over from Minnesota to give the team another experienced and gifted top-six forward. However, that hasn’t happened as he struggled with a goal and five assists in 16 games with the team last season. It wasn’t much better early on as he had six goals and 14 points through 35 games under Laviolette, which has had a lot to do with the rumors. However, Granlund seems to have found his game under Hynes. He has nine goals and three assists in those 20 games. Regardless, the 27-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent next year, still may not be the best fit in Nashville’s system and could be a target for teams that believe he’d be a better fit in their system.

Craig Smith is a somewhat different story. Also a UFA next summer, Smith could be a potential trade candidate if the team feels they can’t re-sign him, although it’s just as possible that Nashville locks him up in the near future as well. Smith has turned it on of late with six goals in his past eight games. He could be part of a package for an upgrade, if the team is ready to move on from him.

The team could find itself bringing in help on defense as the team needs depth, especially with their third pairing. It wouldn’t be surprising if the team moved one of those defenders to send back for an upgrade on defense as well, such as Dan Hamhuis, Yannick Weber or Matt Irwin.

Nashville has most of their picks, but have two second and two third-rounders in this upcoming draft. That might be the ammunition to acquire a player they covet. The team also has a few prospects and while it’s unlikely they would move their top prospect forwards in Philip Tomasino, or Eeli Tolvanen there are a number of other prospects who could interest a team, such as forward Egor Afanasyev or defenseman Jeremy Davies in the right deal.

Five Players To Watch For: F Egor Afanasyev, F Mikael Granlund, D Dan Hamhuis, F Craig Smith, D Yannick Weber

Team Needs

1) Top-Four Defenseman: Despite having one of the best top-four pieces in the NHL before this season started, the Predators knew they here hoping for a lot when they traded P.K. Subban and handing his role to rookie Dante Fabbro. He has had an up-and-down year, but injuries to other members of the top-four, including Ryan Ellis, has forced their third pairing players to move into the top four at times, which has been a disaster, which means the team could really use another top-four blueliner and move Fabbro down a notch on the depth chart. Many feel that New Jersey’s Sami Vatanen could be a good fit here.

2) Upgrade In Top-Six: The Predators have two potential unrestricted free agents in Granlund and Smith coming up and with cap considerations, they might be better off packaging them to another team in hopes of getting a forward with term that can help them both this year and in the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Joonas Korpisalo

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After an impressive performance in his first rehab start, the Columbus Blue Jackets have activated all-star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from his conditioning loan, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, giving the team a slight break amidst their long injury list that seems to have been affecting their team.

The Blue Jackets weren’t necessarily sure how long Korpisalo, who has been out since Dec. 29 with a knee injury, would need on his conditioning loan to return to top form. However, Korpisalo made 32 of 34 saves to lead the AHL Cleveland Monsters to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rochester Americans. That was enough to activate Korpisalo. The team also announced they have assigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks and forward Calvin Thurkauf to Cleveland. Korpisalo was not on injured reserve the entire time he was injured, but was placed on LTIR in order for the team to send him to Cleveland for his conditioning stint.

Korpisalo was a dominant player before going down with a 17-10-4 record, a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He was named to the all-star team, but the knee injury he sustained prevented him from attending. With Korpisalo back, the Blue Jackets should have one of the top one-two tandems in the league as former backup Elvis Merzlikins has been dominant since Korpisalo went down. Merzlikins has gone 12-9-8 in Korpisalo’s place with a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Together, they should comprise a top pairing.

The team has struggled through multiple injuries and have eight players on injured reserve at the moment, including forwards Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier and defenseman Seth Jones, Dean Kukan and Ryan Murray.

 

Minor Transactions: 02/23/20

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Yesterday was one of those days that can only be explained by a glitch in the matrix. The Bruins, Lightning, and Penguins – the NHL’s top three teams – were all blown out, while the Capitals lost to the lowly Devils and, if that wasn’t bad enough, Alex Ovechkin’s 700th career goal was overshadowed by another story line, which was a 42-year-old zamboni driver named David Ayres manning the net for the Hurricanes as an emergency backup and getting the win over his employer, the Maple Leafs. Will some of these teams overreact to these shocking results, especially on the eve of the trade deadline? It’s quite possible. One thing is for certain, roster tweaks could be in store for all involved. Many teams around the NHL could be making minor moves ahead of Monday’s big day, so keep up with all of the action here:

  • The Ottawa Senators have reassigned forwards Drake Batherson and Josh Norris to AHL Belleville, the team announced. While Batherson has been part of this up-and-down shuffle all year, playing in 23 games with Ottawa and 37 games with Belleville, Norris made his NHL debut on this recall. The Unvisersity of Michigan standout leads the AHL Senators with 58 points in 51 games this season.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled a pair of players as they deal with potential long-term injury absences. The team announced the promotion of forward Gerald Mayhew and defenseman Louis Belpedio, both of whom have seen NHL action before but could be in for a larger role this time around. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that defenseman Carson Soucy is out for at least one month, while forward Luke Kunin could miss 10-14 days minimum.
  • After recalling Sheldon Dries and Logan O’Connor on consecutive days, the Colorado Avalanche were faced with a decision on which to keep at the top level and which to return. The team has apparently opted to keep the youth and motor of O’Connor over the greater experience and scoring ability of Dries, as he has been reassigned to the AHL Eagles. Dries is one of the top point-getters for the Eagles this season, but has skated in just three games for the Avs compared to 40 last year. O’Connor has eight NHL games this year and 13 total, but has just one point to show for it. The University of Denver product does bring a lot of energy and speed to the lineup though.
  • Taylor Fedun is back with the Dallas Stars, as the team has promoted the veteran from his conditioning assignment with AHL Texas. Fedun has played in 27 games for the Stars this season, contributing nine points, but was a healthy scratch for ten games before being sent to Texas for conditioning earlier this month. Fedun will be a dependable depth option for Dallas down the stretch and in the playoffs.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights added some depth to their forward lines as they announced they have recalled Patrick Brown from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The 27-year-old was signed during the offseason away from the Calder Cup Charlotte Checkers, who defeated Chicago in the finals last season. He was brought in to provide a veteran presence for the team’s young prospects. He has six goals and 19 points in 54 games this season. Now, he gets his first opportunity in Vegas. Brown has 36 games of NHL experience, all with Carolina, where he has tallied just a goal and an assist.
  • The New York Islanders announced they have swapped forwards. The team has assigned veteran Andrew Ladd to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. The team also have recalled forward Kieffer Bellows to the team, although Bellows, who was assigned Friday to Bridgeport, never left. He watched the last Islanders’ game in the press box, suggesting that he was expecting to be recalled immediately.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from his conditioning stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The blueliner has missed 18 of the team’s last 19 games with a knee injury, but looks ready to return after a two-game stint in the AHL where he had one assist. The Flyers hope he can contribute immediately after a poor season so far where he’s seen his ATOI drop to a career low 18:21.
  • Kiefer Sherwood is back up with the Anaheim Ducks who announced that they have recalled him from AHL San Diego.  While he hasn’t seen any NHL time this season, he got into 50 games with Anaheim back in 2018-19, recording six goals and six assists.  In 37 games with the Gulls this season in the minors, he has 16 goals and seven helpers.

Trade Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer 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?  Next up is a look at the Minnesota Wild.

While there was a time that many thought that the Minnesota Wild might be at the bottom of the NHL this year, the veteran team have made a competitive season out of 2019-20. It may be unlikely that the team makes the playoffs, it is still possible the team could go on a run and reach that point. Regardless, new general manager Bill Guerin has little by little been making changes to the team and roster with the hopes that he can make it a younger team in the future. The team already did that recently, when they traded forward Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh for Alex Galchenyuk, prospect Calen Addison and a conditional 2020 first-round pick.

Record

29-24-7, sixth in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$14.208MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: MIN 1st, PIT 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th
2021: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

Trade Chips

Perhaps one of the team’s most obvious trade chips has already been eliminated as long-time center Mikko Koivu already took himself out of the running today, when he exercised his right to refuse any trades. The veteran told Guerin today that he is not interested in leaving Minnesota and with a no-movement clause in his expiring contract, the team has no choice but to comply. That eliminates one trade chip.

Perhaps Guerin’s biggest trade chip is on defense. The team has two players that are receiving significant interest from other teams, including Mathew Dumba and Jonas Brodin. Dumba has three more years on his contract after this one at $6MM, but would be heavily coveted and if Guerin gets the right offer, could quickly bring in some much needed youth and talent to the system. Brodin also has another year on his contract at $4.17MM and could also bring in quite a bit of talent, as both players are top-four impact defensemen. However, whether Guerin pulls the trigger is another question. If he doesn’t like the offers, he doesn’t have to make a deal since the team has both players for a minimum of one more season.

While the team just acquired Galchenyuk, the team brought him over merely to even out the contracts for Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old isn’t part of the team’s rebuilding plans and since he’s going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Wild flipped Galchenyuk to a contender for another piece to their rebuilding puzzle. While Galchenyuk is already on his fourth team, he has looked good in the five games he has played in Minnesota, scoring a goal and two assists. Minnesota might be able to find a suitor who is willing to take him and use him in a bottom-six role.

Five Players To Watch For: D Jonas Brodin, D Mathew Dumba, F Marcus Foligno, F Alex Galchenyuk, Eric Staal

Team Needs

1) Young Top-Six Forwards: The Wild have few talented forwards on their roster. They have a few, but what the team needs is difference-makers. Anyone who can step in and inject some youth to their lineup would be a step in the right direction for a team that is hoping to rebuild their team in a short order.

2) Draft Picks: The team picked up an extra first-rounder in the Zucker deal to give the team two first-round picks for this coming draft, but if the team begins any sort of rebuilding effort, then draft picks is exactly what they need for their future to remain bright.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Pageau, Hurricanes, Martinook, Palmieri, Eichel

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Earlier reports have the Ottawa Senators holding two of their top trade chips out of their lineup Saturday as the team have made both Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov healthy scratches. However, one player who isn’t going to be a healthy scratch Saturday is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is considered to be one of the top three trade candidates at the moment.

That could change, however, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Pageau and the Ottawa Senators are still negotiating a contract extension and the center will continue to play for the team. After failing to lock up any of their pending free agents last year at the trade deadline as they lost Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the team is hoping they can convince the 27-year-old to remain with the team. Pageau is having a career year with 24 goals and 40 points, both career highs. The team hopes to come to terms with the forward before being forced to move him on Monday.

  • Speaking of contract extensions, the New York Rangers are also in discussions with their top trade target, Chris Kreider, about a contract extension. However, there are plenty of teams that have been discussed that might be willing to pay big to bring Kreider aboard for their playoff run, including the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have also expressed interest in adding Kreider. The Hurricanes, who are still battling to even get into the playoffs (they are one point out of a playoff spot at the moment), do have one of the best prospect systems in the league and have the picks and prospects to make an enticing offer if they want.
  • Speaking of the Hurricanes, TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Carolina will get back forward Jordan Martinook tonight after being out since Feb. 4 with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has two goals and 11 points in 37 games with Carolina this season.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri isn’t worried about trade rumors. The 29-year-old has been traded before and understands how the trade deadline works, according to Abby Mastrocco of northjersey.com. “It’s just a lot of noise,” Palmieri said this week at Prudential Center. “It’s not something I can control. There are plenty of Twitter GMs out there but right now, I’m staying focused on the game and the guys in this room. Until someone tells me otherwise, that’s what my focus is on.” Palmieri could fetch the Devils quite a return if they are willing to move him. He has 22 goals and 42 points in 57 games for New Jersey, but more importantly has one more year on his contract after this one, which many teams might be attracted to.
  • Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel didn’t take any faceoffs during Saturday’s game and The Athletic’s John Vogl found a source who said that Eichel suffered a midsection ailment and the team didn’t want their star to bend over for faceoffs Saturday. It doesn’t look like the injury will keep him out of the lineup, however, as the 23-year-old still potted two goals Saturday against the Penguins in the 5-2 victory.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators Swap Depth Players

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The Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs connected on a trade as the Predators announced they have traded forward Miikka Salomaki to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Ben Harpur. While neither has made much of a mark on their NHL teams this year, each team bolstered their depth for their upcoming playoff run.

This deal is more likely to satisfy each team’s AHL squad. The 26-year-old Salomaki is a player who has plenty of NHL experience, but has struggled to find a full-time role and never fulfilled the potential that made him a second-round pick in 2011. He appeared in a career-high 61 games for Nashville in 2015-16 and then again in 58 games in 2017-18, but in between spent most of his playing time with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL. This year, he has appeared in five games for the Predators with one goal, but has spent 41 games in Milwaukee with five goals and 15 points. He should provide some much needed wing depth for the Toronto Marlies, who have sent several of their top forwards to help with the Maple Leafs’ depth issues.

On the other hand, Harpur can add some depth for the Predators. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound blueliner has also struggled to realize his potential and has fared poorly with the Marlies as a third-pairing option there. The team picked him up as part of the offseason trade that saw the Toronto Maple Leafs send Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown and other parts to Ottawa for Cody Ceci and Harpur and other pieces as well. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen any NHL action this year and, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, has wanted out of Toronto for a while. He adds a big body for a Milwaukee team and can serve as emergency insurance in case Nashville’s defense suffers injuries. He has one goal and 11 points in 33 games with the Marlies.

Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer 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?  Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.

The Stars look to have a lock on a playoff spot as they hold one of the top three records in the Central Division this season and with the next closest team seven points behind, it’s unlikely that Dallas is in danger of falling out of the playoff race. However, they are in quite the battle with both the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues for the Central Division lead and could gain a distinct advantage if they could come out on top of the division with the chance to face off against a wild card team as opposed to playing one of those two teams, which is going to make the Stars as buyers.

Record

35-20-6, third in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$4.75MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: DAL 1st, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th
2021: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th

Trade Chips

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Stars is that their assets don’t match those of the Colorado Avalanche or even St. Louis. The Stars were quite active a year ago when they acquired Mats Zuccarello and Ben Lovejoy at the trade deadline, which cost them several draft picks and traded several other picks earlier than that, which leaves the team short a second and third-round pick for this coming draft and it would seem unlikely the team would trade their first-rounder this year. However, the team does have its full complement of picks for the 2021 season, so Dallas has some picks available if it wants to add a player a the deadline.

Another trade chip, although not a big one, might be Julius Honka, whose rights still belong to the Dallas Stars even though he is playing the season in Finland with Jyp HT Jyvaskyla in the Liiga. The 24-year-old was a highly-touted first-round pick in 2014, but failed to earn a full-time role with the Stars in 87 NHL games and finally requested a trade. However, few teams showed interest this past summer and Honka opted to sign overseas. He has four goals and 15 points in 38 contests in the Liiga and could have generated enough interest for a team to make an offer on him.

The team is highly unlikely to move their top prospects in forward Jason Robertson, defenseman Thomas Harley and goaltender Jake Oettinger. However, the team has some secondary prospects, including Ty Delandrea, Ben Gleason, Oskar Back and Adam Mascherin.

Five Players To Watch For: F Oskar Back, F Ty Delandrea, D Ben Gleason, D Julius Honka, F Corey Perry.

Team Needs

1) Top-Nine Forward: The Stars are always in need of scoring that can add to the team’s offense, but the real question is whether the team has the assets, or more importantly, is willing to spend what it might take to go out and get a top player like it did a year ago. However, with random injuries and the team trying hard to have three equal lines at the top, the team could use a goal scorer, who can add to the team. However, with the high cost so far for top players, it might seem unlikely that general manager Jim Nill pulls the trigger.

2) Forward Depth: It’s far more likely that Dallas is a top candidate to go out and add some depth to their bottom-six, which could be quite a bit cheaper than for the team. Throw in the fact that there is little cap room with which to maneuver on this roster and this is the more likely scenario, picking up a veteran that can help out and serve as a replacement if there are any other significant injuries in the stretch run.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Parise, Slepyshev, Chychrun

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Back in 2012, the Wild made two huge splashes on the free agent market, signing defenseman Ryan Suter and winger Zach Parise to 13-year, $98MM contracts.  While Suter has largely panned out, the same can’t be said for Parise who has often been injured and hasn’t been consistently productive when he has been in the lineup.  Despite that, Michael Russo of The Athletic mentioned in an appearance on KFAN 100.3 (audio link) that one Eastern Conference team showed interest in Parise last summer and have recently inquired with regards to his availability.  Given the nature of his contract though (a $7.538MM AAV for five more years after this one with a full no-move clause and the potential for salary cap recapture), dealing Parise may be easier to do in the summer but Russo adds that GM Bill Guerin is looking to shake things up and finding a new home for the 35-year-old would certainly be one way to do that.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Two years ago, winger Anton Slepyshev failed to lock down a regular role with the Oilers and decided to return to the KHL. The move has been a fruitful one as he was January’s player of the month in that league and is having his most productive year with CSKA Moscow.  GM Ken Holland told Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED (audio link) that he has had talks with Slepyshev’s representatives about bringing the 25-year-old back to North America for next season.  Holland was active in bringing affordable Europeans over last summer in Gaetan Haas and Joakim Nygard and it appears he may be eyeing a similar strategy for this offseason as well.
  • The news doesn’t appear to be good for Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Craig Morgan of The Athletic notes (Twitter links) that the results of the imaging done on Chychrun was “definitely not good” to use head coach Rick Tocchet’s description.  He has already been ruled out through the weekend and there is no timetable for his return.  While the team hasn’t provided any details regarding the nature of the injury, Morgan reports that it’s a hip issue.

Trade Rumors: Thornton, Gustafsson, Ennis, Koivu

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San Jose Sharks veteran center Joe Thornton has been quite tight-lipped about whether he has any interest in being traded to a contender. However, with just two days left, Thornton admitted to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) that he is tempted to join a contending team, although the 40-year-old forward also made it clear in the interview that his career is not over yet.

“You know, it is,” Thornton said, when asked whether he is tempted to go to a contender. “But it’s not like I feel like this is my last year. I feel like I’m healthy, I feel like I still have a lot in the tank left. It’s not like a last-hurrah-type thing. I feel good, and my mind feels great. It’s not like, ‘Oh, this is going to be my last shot at it.’ So, that’s where my mind is at right now.”

That could indicated another scenario if Thornton prefers to remain in San Jose to end his career. The team could still trade the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent to a contender before the deadline, allowing him to chase a Stanley Cup with the possibility the Sharks might be able to re-sign him in the offseason once again.

“There’s lots of possibilities,” he said. “That could be an option. There’s lots to play with. It is what it is, and we’ll see what happens. I’m a Shark now, and I love being a Shark.”

  • Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports that while there is no deal in place, the Vegas Golden Knights are the clear front-runners to adding Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson before the trade deadline. However, the scribe also notes that Chicago fans shouldn’t get too excited as it is not expected to be a big package. The 27-year-old Gustafsson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, had a career year in 2018-19, scoring 17 goals and 60 points, but has struggled with the Blackhawks this year as he has just six goals and 26 points.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ottawa Senators are expected to hold out forward Tyler Ennis from Saturday’s game as the team is expected to move him before the trade deadline and want to protect the veteran from possible injury. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Ennis is a candidate to be traded to the Edmonton Oilers, although there are several teams still rumored to be interested in acquiring him. Ennis could be an interesting trade chip. The 30-year-old has 14 goals and 33 points, his best season since the 2014-15 season. TSN’s Darren Dreger also notes that the Senators are holding out forward Vladislav Namestnikov as well.
  • Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu has been on a few lists as a potential trade candidate recently. However, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that the center has informed general manager Bill Guerin that he will be staying with the Wild for the remainder of the season. Koivu has a no-movement clause as he wraps up his two-year, $11MM contract this season and has made it clear to management that he has no interest in leaving the team. The 36-year-old has struggled this season, posting just two goals and 15 points through 46 games. He has played his entire career in Minnesota, a total of 1,019 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer 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?  Next up is a look at the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche have been one of the top-scoring teams in the league all season long which has them comfortably in a playoff spot.  However, a recent rash of injuries has the team on the lookout for some depth at the very least to help get them through the next little while until some of their players come back but GM Joe Sakic could also be setting his sights higher towards adding an impact piece or two as well.

Record

35-18-7, second in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$28.629MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: COL 1st, TOR 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, FLA 6th, COL 7th
2021: COL 1st, COL 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th

Trade Chips

Most teams eyeing contention typically won’t have NHL players available but that might not be the case here.  Winger Vladislav Kamenev is known to be looking for an opportunity to play elsewhere and given that his role is somewhat limited, there’s a good chance that he’ll be involved in a move to bring in someone of significance.  Tyson Jost is also someone to watch.  The tenth pick in 2016 is in his third full professional season but is averaging a career-low 11:52 per game while his offensive numbers aren’t jumping off the charts.  At 21, he’s still young enough to be enticing to several rebuilding teams so expect Sakic to be fielding a lot of inquiries about his availability.

While Sakic has said that his top prospects are all but off-limits, expect defenseman Conor Timmins and winger Martin Kaut to get plenty of attention.  Timmins was a prolific point producer in junior and is catching up after missing all of last season with a concussion.  With 22 points in 33 games in the NHL, he will certainly be on the radar for rebuilding teams.  Kaut recently made his NHL debut and as someone that projects as a safe middle-six forward, he will be coveted as well.

Defenseman Mark Barberio has had a very limited role this season and while they could certainly hold onto him for injury insurance (which is his current role), they could also look to upgrade that spot which would make him expendable.  Kevin Connauton, a veteran of over 300 games, is with their AHL affiliate and could move for similar reasons.  Another blueliner that’s under the radar that could draw some interest is Jacob MacDonald.  The 26-year-old has never played in the NHL but has been a top point producer over the last few years in the minors.  Teams looking to bolster their AHL teams will be interested and with someone as productive as he has been, there could be some that want to give him an NHL look as well.

Five Players To Watch For: D Kevin Connauton, F Tyson Jost, F Vladislav Kamenev, F Martin Kaut, D Jacob MacDonald

Team Needs

1) Goalie Depth: The recent injury to Philipp Grubauer has put the spotlight on Pavel Francouz.  He has played well in Grubauer’s absence, earning himself a contract extension in the process but their goalie depth was already relatively thin and is weaker now.  Sakic himself has acknowledged that he would like to add another goaltender as a result.  Someone on an expiring contract is likely given that both Grubauer and Francouz are signed already for next season.

2) Forward Replacements: With Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Colin Wilson, and Matt Calvert out of the lineup, that’s four regulars that are missing.  While one or two can be filled from within, the absences for Rantanen and Kadri are much more substantial.  It’s left a pair of vacancies inside their top six and the Avs will certainly want to fill at least one of those from outside the organization.  Come playoff time with a potentially healthier group, an acquisition like that would make an already potent attack even that much stronger.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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