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Brad Marchand Added To COVID Protocol

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The Bruins will be without their leading scorer for today’s game against Buffalo as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brad Marchand has been added to the NHL’s COVID-Protocol Related Absences list.  He joins Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly as Boston forwards that are currently unavailable.

The 32-year-old has had a strong first half to his season, notching 34 points in 29 games, marking the fifth straight year that he has produced over a point-per-game rate while giving him an eight-point lead on David Pastrnak for the team lead.  Marchand was only one of five players who had played in every game this season as Boston has been hit hard by injuries and COVID.

Jack Studnicka is expected to be recalled from the taxi squad to play in Marchand’s absence.  While he has been shuffled back and forth frequently this year, he still has played in 16 games for the Bruins, picking up a goal and two assists.

It’s always important to note in these situations that just because Marchand is on the CPRA list, it doesn’t mean that he has contracted the virus.  Subsequent testing over the next couple of days will determine whether he will be on the list for a while or if it’s a case of a false positive which would allow him to return soon.

Anton Stralman Clears Waivers

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Saturday: As expected, Stralman has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Friday: The Florida Panthers are in a position to compete for the Stanley Cup, and now may be trying to clear a little cap room for the stretch run. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the team has placed Anton Stralman on waivers today. The veteran defenseman carries a $5.5MM cap hit through the 2021-22 season, $1.075MM of which can be buried if placed on the taxi squad.

Because of that contract, exposing Stralman to the rest of the league comes with virtually no risk. There aren’t any teams out there looking to bring in that much money for a veteran nearing the end of his career, even if Stralman does have plenty of playoff experience. In fact, even the Panthers aren’t playing him every night, and when they do he is receiving fewer and fewer minutes. After averaging more than 20 minutes in each of the last six seasons, Stralman has only cracked 18 once since the start of March. Last night in a 3-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, he played just 14:18.

The simple fact is that the Panthers have better options than the 34-year-old at this point and could even be potentially looking to bring more in at the deadline. The team recently sent Noah Juulsen to the AHL on a conditioning loan, meaning he is nearly back from injury, and there are other names more deserving of the nightly ice time.

Still, waiving Stralman doesn’t mean they’re cutting him. Once he clears, the team will be able to move him back and forth from the taxi squad between games to bank additional cap space while still using him whenever necessary. There’s also the chance another team could be interested if the Panthers retain salary, especially should he clear waivers.

It’s been a great career for the veteran defenseman, even if it is approaching the end. The 216th-overall pick in 2005 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stralman proved everyone wrong when he reached the NHL as a regular just a few years later. Now, after 847 regular season games and 108 more postseason contests, he may be shifting to a part-time role with the contending Panthers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

John Moore Out For The Season

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After Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated earlier this week that John Moore had undergone surgery, the nature of the procedure and recovery time weren’t specified.  That has now been revealed as the team announced that the defenseman elected to undergo hip arthroscopy and labral repair with an expected recovery time of five to six months.

The 30-year-old has been limited to just five games this season due to the injury and his time as a healthy scratch.  Moore simply hasn’t fit in with Boston since signing with them in 2018, notching just 18 points over 90 games in his three seasons with the team.  That’s hardly the type of return they were hoping for when they handed him a five-year, $13.75MM contract.

One small silver lining for Boston is that Moore’s $2.75MM AAV is now eligible to be placed on LTIR.  It’s a move that they don’t need to make now as they can currently add someone making just over $4.4MM per CapFriendly so transferring Moore to LTIR now wouldn’t accomplish anything.  However, if they make a deal that brings in someone making close to $4.4MM, they could then transfer Moore to LTIR, giving them the flexibility to make another acquisition of someone making under his $2.75MM AAV.

On the other hand, this announcement makes any potential offseason buyout trickier as Moore won’t be fully recovered by the time the buyout window opens up in July.  Players need to be healthy in order to be bought out so if this was an avenue that GM Don Sweeney was intending to pursue, he will have to wait.  The Bruins do have the potential for a second buyout window later in the summer with multiple arbitration-eligible restricted free agents and by then, Moore will be within the recovery window where a buyout could become possible.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/27/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

North Division

  • The Maple Leafs announced that they have brought up Timothy Liljegren and Nicholas Robertson to the taxi squad from the AHL’s Marlies while Kristians Rubins was sent from the taxi squad to the Marlies. Robertson was expected to push for regular playing time this season but a knee injury in his season debut changed those plans; he had been getting back up to speed in the minors over the last few weeks.
  • The Senators have recalled Erik Brannstrom and Jack Kopacka from the minors to the taxi squad while sending Christian Wolanin and Alex Formenton to AHL Belleville, per the AHL’s transactions page.  Wolanin cleared waivers yesterday while Formenton scored his second career goal back on Tuesday.  Brannstrom is the notable recall and has played in 14 games with Ottawa so far this season.

East Division

  • The Flyers announced the recall of Samuel Morin from the taxi squad. The 25-year-old – who has spent time up front this year after being a defenseman for his entire career – has played in just five games with Philadelphia this season.
  • The Sabres announced that they’ve recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea from the taxi squad while C.J. Smith and Michael Houser have been loaned to the taxi squad.  Dea has 32 career games of NHL experience but has yet to suit up with Buffalo this season.  Houser was able to be sent down with Linus Ullmark being activated off IR (along with Kyle Okposo).
  • The Penguins have recalled Drew O’Connor from the taxi squad, per a team release.  He is taking the place of Kasperi Kapanen on Pittsburgh’s roster with the winger being placed on injured reserve.  Jordy Bellerive and Josh Currie were also recalled to the taxi squad from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Central Division

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Canadian Government Expected To Approve 7-Day Quarantine

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March 26: Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press reports that the 14-day quarantine period has been waived “under national interest grounds” and players coming from U.S. clubs ahead of the deadline will now be required to quarantine for just seven days. The quarantine change also applies to players called up from AHL teams in the U.S.

March 25: One of the biggest hurdles facing the seven Canadian NHL teams in the North Division when it came to the trade deadline next month was the two-week quarantine period any player coming from a U.S.-based team would need to go through. The player would need to complete travel to the new club north of the border, which is a little trickier these days anyway, and then wait 14 days to even join the team in practice. Missing that much time and then jumping back into NHL action could potentially lead to injury, meaning a “ramp-up” phase might also be required after the quarantine but before he actually plays.

With that much waiting around, trading for a player on April 12 didn’t even seem worth it if they were on an expiring contract. Even further, it’s hard to convince a player to waive a no-trade clause just to quarantine in a hotel room for two weeks. It was limiting the rental market teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, or at least pushing them to get deals done earlier. Now, perhaps they can take a little more time.

David Cochrane of CBC is reporting that the Canadian government will soon approve a seven-day quarantine period for NHL players traded from American teams to Canadian teams. The change will come with added testing for those athletes, but according to Cochrane, has been approved by every province with NHL teams.

If approved, this would be a huge development not only for the Canadian teams but also those looking to sell at the trade deadline. Suddenly the Buffalo Sabres, for instance, have a few more teams that could push hard for rentals like Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, or Brandon Montour, knowing they could have them on the ice in just over a week.

Obviously, as with any other governmental decisions these days, until it is officially instituted this news should not be considered a lock. Things can change at any moment and public pushback could divert the plan. But for weeks now, if not months, Canadian teams have been pushing to try and get the quarantine period reduced to seven days. It seems that pressure has paid off.

Raphael Lavoie, Phil Kemp Assigned To AHL

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The Edmonton Oilers are bringing back a pair of prospects, assigning Raphael Lavoie and Phil Kemp to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The two played this season with Vasby IK in Sweden’s second league in order to make sure they didn’t miss a year of development.

Lavoie, 20, dominated the league, registering 45 points in 51 games to lead his club and finish 12th overall in scoring. The 38th overall pick in 2018, Lavoie is a big frame that has shown an ability to score everywhere he’s played, racking up goals with his impressive shot off the rush and power in front of the net. After an outstanding year overseas, he’ll try to take the next step into North American professional hockey and continue his development.

Kemp, 22, is certainly a bit of a different story. Selected 208th overall in 2017, the big defenseman spent three years playing for Yale and was headed for a fourth before the school’s hockey program shut down for the year. Instead, Kemp signed his entry-level contract with the Oilers last November and then was shipped overseas to get ice time and his first taste of the professional scene.

Even after a relatively successful season in Sweden, Kemp still doesn’t have the kind of upside that someone like Lavoie possesses and will have to scratch and claw for every opportunity in his career. The steady, 6’3″ defender is an interesting piece to keep an eye on in Edmonton though, given the other more offensive blue line talents the team has in their pipeline. Perhaps Kemp can be a counterpoint to someone like Evan Bouchard, taking on the heavy defensive and penalty-killing minutes.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/26/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today so far:

Anaheim – Alexander Volkov
Boston – Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Jesperi Kotkaniemi
NY Rangers – Brett Howden (plus part of the coaching staff)
Pittsburgh – TBA
St. Louis – TBA
Vancouver – Travis Boyd

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

No changes to the list today, though a couple of reports are still to come in. Eric Staal will soon be added to the Montreal list given his travel plans. According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, the veteran center will fly back from Boston to Buffalo then drive to Montreal and start his quarantine.

After missing the Sabres game last night, interim head coach Don Granato and assistant coach Matt Ellis have cleared the protocol and joined the team after practice. They can get behind the bench for Buffalo’s next game.

*denotes new addition

Latest On Taylor Hall

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After Eric Staal was dealt from the Buffalo Sabres earlier today for a moderate return (if that), hockey fans all across the country rushed to CapFriendly to see what else might be included in the team’s fire sale. Top of the list is a former Hart Trophy winner in Taylor Hall, who will certainly command a lot of attention as the deadline draws near.

Earlier today, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams has spoken to multiple teams about a Hall trade and now we may know what he was saying. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the initial asking price for Hall involves a first-round pick, though the insider suggests it will be difficult to even get that at this point. Staal only landed the team a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, even with Buffalo retaining half of his already relatively low cap hit. That retention will likely have to happen for Hall too regardless of where he goes, given how expensive his one-year deal is.

The 29-year-old inked a one-year, $8MM deal with Buffalo in the offseason as a chance to play top-line minutes next to Jack Eichel and build his value back up after a disappointing season, but his time with the Sabres has done anything but that. In 32 games, Hall has just two goals and 17 points, numbers that really only compare favorably to depth forwards, not top talent. In fact, Staal even had more goals than him (3) in the same amount of games, and has the added benefit of experience and a Stanley Cup championship.

So really what is Hall worth? He has only reached the playoffs twice in his career, and though that 2017-18 Hart campaign was outstanding, now has just 69 points in his last two seasons combined (97 GP). Remember too that he has only reached those lofty MVP-type totals on two occasions, recording 65 points or fewer in nine of his 11 seasons because of injury or inconsistency.

There is also the debate on what a first-round pick is even worth this season, given how much uncertainty surrounds the scouting profession. Teams haven’t had multiple extended looks at many of the top prospects, meaning the spread of draft talent could be even wider this time around. Perhaps that’s why Buffalo was happy to take mid-round picks for Staal, hoping to hit on a prospect that falls due to limited exposure, but that would be relying on their relatively small scouting department to identify things that others miss.

At the very least, the Staal trade has indicated two things. One, the reduced quarantine on players traveling to Canadian teams has opened the market, and two, waiving a no-trade clause to get out of Buffalo doesn’t seem like such an obstacle. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN confirmed that Staal did have the Canadiens on his no-trade list, but he agreed to the deal anyway. Louis Jean of TVA Sports adds some more context, tweeting that the Canadiens “didn’t need to convince Staal” to waive the clause—certainly a bit of an indictment of the Sabres current situation. Hall also holds the cards in that situation with a full no-movement clause, but it is hard to see him blocking any deal to a contender after 16 straight losses in Buffalo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Trade Eric Staal To Montreal Canadiens

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The Buffalo Sabres are working the phones today, after suffering another loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. Earlier in the day, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has spoken to multiple teams about a Taylor Hall trade and now has dealt Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres will receive a 2021 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick for the veteran center. Buffalo will also retain $1.625MM (50%) of Staal’s salary and cap hit.

Adams received an up-close and personal look at the Sabres last night, moving behind the bench while interim head coach Don Granato isolated due to COVID protocols. What he saw was another listless effort from his squad, losing 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres have now lost 16 straight games and have been shutout more times than they’ve won on the season.

Like everyone else in Buffalo, Staal has been a shadow of his former self this season, recording just three goals and ten points in 32 games. The 36-year-old seemed to be battling father time quite admirably last season, scoring 19 goals and 47 points in just 66 games for the Minnesota Wild. That was the fourth strong season in a row for Staal in Minnesota, but an offseason trade brought him to Buffalo where he has struggled to get anything going. Chemistry never formed with Hall and at times, Staal has been used as a bottom-six player for the Sabres. His average ice time of 15:34 on the year is the lowest in his entire career and the results have followed.

Still, there’s no doubt he was an intriguing option to teams looking to bolster their center group for the stretch run. With a cap hit of just $3.25MM that expires at the end of the year, the financial commitment by an acquiring team would be small. Getting 1,272 regular season games of experience, not to mention a Stanley Cup championship (where he easily could have been awarded the Conn Smythe), would be an attractive option for any contender if the price is right.

For the Sabres, trading Staal is a no-brainer given how poorly the season has gone, and the recent decision by the Canadian government to reduce the quarantine for incoming players only increased their market. Staal does have a 10-team no-trade clause, but failing to get something in return for him would have been a serious misstep by the Buffalo front office.

Still, two mid-round picks for a player of Staal’s stature may speak to the state of the market right now. There aren’t many teams in the league that are looking to add money at the deadline and the Sabres obviously felt they weren’t going to get a better offer.

For the Canadiens, a third and a fifth is basically nothing, given how many other draft picks they already have. The team had hoarded 14 picks for the 2021 event, including three third and three fifths. It will be the Montreal picks that are going to Buffalo, not those they have acquired from other teams.

Even with the salary retention, Staal’s presence in Montreal squeezes the Canadiens right up against the cap ceiling. Pushing Paul Byron’s contract to the taxi squad will allow them to complete the move, given he is still eligible after clearing waivers, but it will be a tight dance for the rest of the year. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin had been repeatedly explaining that his cap situation would limit their deadline maneuvering, but it certainly didn’t stop them from landing one of the best rentals on the market.

Frank Seravalli of TSN was first to report that a deal with Montreal was close. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2021 NCAA Tournament Preview: Midwest Regional

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March 26: Just like Notre Dame yesterday, Michigan has now been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to multiple positive COVID tests. Minnesota-Duluth will advance in a “no-contest.”

March 22: After an odd season played almost exclusively in-conference, the best of college hockey are finally about to collide. The 2021 NCAA Tournament is set to kick off on Friday, and by Sunday the 16-team field will be down to just four, the Frozen Four. Those teams will then meet next on April 8, with the champion being crowned on April 10. In a single-elimination, do-or-die tournament, the stakes are always high. In a season where almost no one has had the chance to face the top teams outside of their own conference, the bar has been raised even further.

Here is a look at the group in the Midwest Regional, hosted in Fargo, North Dakota. No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 take place on Friday, followed by the winners playing on Saturday for the chance to advance:

1)  No. 1 North Dakota
NHL Prospects:
D Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators (R1, 2020)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ottawa Senators (R1, 2018)
F Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators (R2, 2019)
D Tyler Kleven, Ottawa Senators (R2, 2020)
F Grant Mismash, Nashville Predators (R2, 2017)
F Jasper Weatherby, San Jose Sharks (R4, 2018)
D Cooper Moore, Detroit Red Wings (R5, 2019)
F Harrison Blaisdell, Winnipeg Jets (R5, 2019)
F Judd Caulfield, Pittsburgh Penguins (R5, 2019)
G Peter Thome, Columbus Blue Jackets (R6, 2016)
F Collin Adams, New York Islanders (R6, 2016)
F Gavin Hain, Philadelphia Flyers (R6, 2018)

Priority Free Agents: F Jordan Kawaguchi, D Matt Kiersted, G Adam Scheel

The talent of the Fighting Hawks is obvious, on paper and in their results. The top team in the nation was third in goals per game and sixth in goals against per game, competing against the elite competition of the NCHC. Even though Fargo looks to be the most difficult region, North Dakota should be the favorite to survive and ultimately to win the entire tournament. They almost certainly won’t get another chance with this core of top prospects, a group of high NHL draft picks and several undrafted veterans bound for the pros as well.

2) No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth
NHL Prospects:
D Wyatt Kaiser, Chicago Blackhawks (R3, 2020)
D Matt Kairns, Edmonton Oilers (R3, 2016)
F Quinn Olson, Boston Bruins (R3, 2019)
F Blake Biondi, Montreal Canadiens (R4, 2020)
F Noah Cates, Philadelphia Flyers (R5, 2018)
F Cole Koepke, Tampa Bay Lightning (R6, 2018)
F Luke Loheit, Ottawa Senators (R7, 2018)
F Nick Swaney, Minnesota Wild (R7, 2017)

Priority Free Agents: F Jackson Cates

Still the reigning NCAA champs, after last season’s tournament was canceled, the Bulldogs have appeared in each of the last three finals and have won the past two. They can’t be counted out, even if they don’t quite have the talent level that they used to. They are still a top-ten team in scoring defense and are tough to play against. However, UMD undoubtedly draws the toughest first-round matchup of any higher seed in Michigan – as evidenced by the national poll ranking the “underdog” above them. They would then have to beat NCHC rival North Dakota to move on.

3) No. 8 Michigan
NHL Prospects:
D Cam York, Philadelphia Flyers (R1, 2019)
F Brendan Brisson, Vegas Golden Knights (R1, 2020)
F Johnny Beecher, Boston Bruins (R1, 2019)
F Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Sharks (R2, 2020)
G Erik Portillo, Buffalo Sabres (R3, 2019)
F Jack Becker, Boston Bruins (R7, 2015)
F Eric Ciccolini, New York Rangers (R7, 2019)

Top 2021 NHL Draft Prospects: D Owen Power, F Matthew Beniers, F Kent Johnson
Priority Free Agents: G Strauss Mann

The Wolverines entered the season with high expectations and have remained one of the most talked-about teams in college hockey all year. Not only does the Big Ten powerhouse already sport three already-drafted NHL first-rounders, but they will add three more this summer – potentially even three top-ten picks. The immense skill among Michigan’s young players, combined with a stingy defense and solid goaltending, makes them a dangerous team and a dark horse to upset two top teams in Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota. Inexperience could be the major hurdle standing in their way.

4) No. 14 American International
NHL Prospects: G Jake Kucharski, Carolina Hurricanes (R7, 2018)

AIC has established themselves as the top dog in Atlantic Hockey over the past few years, but were never considered a threat as an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, still needing to earn the automatic qualification of a conference tournament win. While the situation never arose this year, there was beginning to be some push for AIC to potentially get into the national tourney this year even if they hadn’t won the Atlantic. The program is moving in the right direction. With that said, they are saddled with three elite teams in their region and it is very hard to see them winning their first game, nevertheless both needed to advance.

National ranks courtesy of the March 22 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll

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