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Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Brendan Lemieux

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The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings have made a trade ahead of the deadline, swapping Zack MacEwen and Brendan Lemieux. The Flyers are also receiving a 2024 fifth-round pick.

In a move that doesn’t really move the needle for either club, the Kings clear $425K in cap space and add a big, physical fourth-line option in MacEwen. The 6’3″ forward has racked up 233 penalty minutes in his 176-game NHL career, willing to drop the gloves with any opponent.

MacEwen, 26, has matched a career-high with nine points this season through 46 games, but won’t be asked to score much for the Kings. He may not even play every night, as he enters a much more talented group that is headed for the playoffs.

The Flyers are adding a player in Lemieux that isn’t all that different—low scoring, high penalty minutes, fourth-line grinder—and might not even be with the organization very long. The 26-year-old is on a one-year, $1.35MM contract, leaving him an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

Lemieux’s offensive game never did materialize in the NHL. He hasn’t scored a single goal this season, and has just 63 points in his 257-game career. Still, perhaps he’ll find a home in the Philadelphia bottom six if he can impress head coach John Tortorella down the stretch.

More than anything, this is eating some cap space for a fifth-round pick. The Flyers need to change the trajectory of their team, and draft capital is one way to accomplish that.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic broke the news on Twitter. 

Devils Acquire Curtis Lazar

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The Devils have added some extra depth up front as they’ve acquired forward Curtis Lazar from the Canucks.  Going the other way is a 2024 fourth-round pick.

The 28-year-old was in his first season with Vancouver after inking a three-year, $3MM deal ($1MM AAV) with them last summer.  However, things didn’t go quite as planned.  Lazar has struggled to say healthy – he’s currently on injured reserve – and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been the most productive, collecting just three goals and two assists in 45 games.  However, Lazar has won nearly 52% of his faceoffs while averaging 2.75 hits per game.

New Jersey moved out some of its forward depth in the recent Timo Meier move and Lazar’s acquisition helps to fill some of that at a reasonable price tag.  When he’s able to return, he could fill a spot on their fourth line or simply serve as injury depth for what they hope is a long playoff run and could spend some time on their penalty kill as he’s averaging more than a minute per night shorthanded.

Cap-wise, the Devils now have roughly $1.26MM remaining in LTIR room, per CapFriendly, so beyond another depth move, New Jersey might be quiet the rest of today.  Meanwhile, CapFriendly pegs Vancouver’s LTIR space at just over $4.7MM.  With the four players on their LTIR out for the season, they’ll have some flexibility to take on a contract or be a third-party retainer to add an additional pick or two.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the trade.

Flyers Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Couturier, Hayes, Injuries

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Winger James van Riemsdyk is one of the more prominent names left on the board heading into the trade deadline.  However, with a cap hit of $7MM, not many teams can get involved in the bidding, at least without the possibility of double retention.  To that end, Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the current asking price for the 33-year-old is a third-round pick.

Johnston adds that the Golden Knights, Jets, and Kraken are among the teams that have inquired about van Riemsdyk so far.  Notably, none of those teams have enough cap space to take on his contract outright while Vegas would need either a third team to get involved to be able to add him.  The veteran has nine goals and 14 assists in 41 games this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

More from Philadelphia:

  • Center Sean Couturier skated before practice today as he works his way back from his back injury, relays Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has yet to play this season but GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged last month that there was a possibility Couturier could return before the end of the season.  At this point, the goal of a return would simply be to try to remove any questions about the possibility of the injury lingering into 2023-24.
  • The Flyers are open to offers for center Kevin Hayes, reports Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now. The veteran is having a nice season with 17 goals and 32 assists in 61 games which would be appealing to many buyers.  However, his cap hit of $7.143MM through 2025-26 will make the 30-year-old difficult to move without considerable salary retention.  A trade involving Hayes is likely easier to make in the summer when other teams will be more willing to move a roster player back to help match salary.
  • Philadelphia has activated wingers Zack MacEwen and Tanner Laczynski from IR, notes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link).  MacEwen has missed more than a month after undergoing surgery on his fractured jaw while Laczynski has missed the last three months with a lower-body injury.  If the Flyers wind up moving out some forwards today, MacEwen and Laczynski should be their replacements in the lineup, meaning no recalls would be needed from AHL Lehigh Valley.

AHL Tracker: 03/03/2023

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Trade deadline day is here, which means it will be a busy day for deals in the National Hockey League. It will also be a busy day for transactions between the NHL and AHL. Players must be on an AHL roster today at 2 PM CT to be eligible for the AHL playoffs.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Darren Raddysh to the AHL. The 27-year-old right defenseman is having a great season for the Syracuse Crunch. He has scored 13 goals and 50 points in 50 AHL contests and will now be eligible to continue helping the team in the postseason.
  • The Boston Bruins have sent down Jakub Lauko to the Providence Bruins. The 22-year-old forward has ten goals and 16 points in 34 AHL games this season. He has also suited up for 12 NHL games with the Bruins, scoring three goals and five points.
  • Goalie Keith Kinkaid is on his way up to the Colorado Avalanche, per the team. It’s his first stint with Colorado in the NHL since the Avalanche acquired him from the Boston Bruins last week. Kinkaid hasn’t played a game yet with the organization, as he hasn’t seen any action with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. However, he appeared in one NHL game with the Bruins earlier this season, allowing just one goal and recording a win.
  • Forwards Drew O’Connor and Drake Caggiula were sent to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins today, per a release from Pittsburgh. O’Connor and Caggiula have both been important offensive forces with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, both hovering close to a point per game. While at least O’Connor will likely return to the NHL roster after the deadline, they’ll both be crucial parts of any playoff run in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have sent David Gust, Isaak Phillips, and Brett Seney to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. They needed to make room for newcomers Nikita Zaitsev, who has cleared immigration, and Anders Bjork, recalled today.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Vincent Iorio and Gabriel Carlsson, according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic. Dylan McIlrath has been returned to the minor leagues to make room.
  • The Calgary Flames have sent two young forwards down to the Calgary Wranglers. According to Ryan Pike of Sportsnet 960, Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr have been re-assigned to the AHL. The pair seem to have earned an NHL roster spot with their play, but are now eligible to help the Wranglers in the AHL postseason.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have completed a paper transaction with Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen, making them eligible for the AHL playoffs. They’ll stay with the big club for now, though, as Montreal plays out the stretch and continues to develop their youth.
  • Vancouver has done the same, sending Aatu Raty, Christian Wolanin, Noah Juulsen, and Vasily Podkolzin down, and recalling the latter three. Phillip Di Giuseppe is up instead of Raty, meaning the young forward will stay with the Abbotsford Canucks down the stretch.
  • Dakota Mermis has been reassigned to the Iowa Wild, after the Minnesota Wild made some moves today. With John Klingberg coming in, Mermis will return to the minor leagues where he has 24 points in 46 games for Iowa this season.
  • Zac Dalpe has been returned to the AHL, giving the Charlotte Checkers their captain back for a playoff run. The Checkers sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 30-18-5 record, and Dalpe is a big part of that success.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Milos Kelemen, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and newcomer Michael Kesselring. After so many players were sent out of town in the last few days, plenty of playing time is available in Arizona.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Sean Kuraly Out Six Weeks

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly is expected to miss six weeks after suffering a left oblique strain during practice on Thursday. The team made the announcement on Friday, adding another name to a long list of Blue Jackets injuries this season.

Game 82 of Columbus’ season, against the Buffalo Sabres, is exactly six weeks from today, meaning Kuraly may have played his last game of 2022-23. If so, he finishes the campaign with 10 goals and seven assists in 59 games, his second consecutive season hitting double-digit goals.

Kuraly had averaged 14:49 per game, serving as a quintessential bottom-six checking center for Columbus. His line with Eric Robinson and Mathieu Olivier had been Columbus’ most consistently deployed unit of the season, per MoneyPuck, surviving many injury-related lineup changes.

While the Blue Jackets are the healthiest they’ve been in quite some time, they’re still without Zach Werenski, Jake Bean, and Justin Danforth, none of whom are expected to return this season. Lane Pederson, claimed on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks at the end of January, could slide into Kuraly’s spot in the lineup between Robinson and Olivier.

Deadline Notes: Greenway, van Riemsdyk, Canucks

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The Minnesota Wild are still taking calls on Jordan Greenway, but the offers have not been enough to entice them to make a deal yet. Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Wild are receiving interest in the young winger but are waiting for their asking price to be met.

Greenway has two more years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3MM. The 26-year-old forward brings plenty of size at 6’6″ but little scoring this season. He set a career-high with 32 points in just 56 games in 2020-21 but has just two goals and seven points in 45 games this season. The Wild would like to move out his contract but don’t want to give him away for nothing.

  • The Washington Capitals have been active leading up to the trade deadline. Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, and Lars Eller have already been dealt with, but it sounds like pending unrestricted free agent Trevor van Riemsdyk is not going anywhere today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has reported the Capitals are keeping the right-shot defenseman due to their injury situation. He mentions the potential of a post-deadline contract extension but nothing is confirmed at this time.
  • The Vancouver Canucks may be working on something with the Florida Panthers. According to Rick Dhaliwal of the Donnie and Dhali radio show in Vancouver, the Canucks are working the phones and have been in talks with the Panthers. He also mentions it sounds like it is not a major deal, so don’t expect one of the Canucks big contracts to be heading to the Panthers.

West Notes: Miller, Athanasiou, Gregor

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While there has been some speculation that the Canucks might move forward J.T. Miller before today’s deadline, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggests that’s unlikely to happen.  A lot of teams would be needing some sort of salary retention to facilitate a move now but doing so would also require them to retain a similar percentage on his seven-year, $56MM extension that kicks in next season.  That’s something Vancouver won’t want to do so there’s a good chance that the 29-year-old will be staying put today, even though he’s having a productive season with 20 goals and 34 assists in 60 games.  It’s also worth noting that he’s listed as out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

More from the Western Conference:

  • When Andreas Athanasiou was signed to a one-year, $3MM deal by the Blackhawks in free agency, it seemed likely that he’d be getting moved by the trade deadline. However, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicates (Twitter link) that at the moment, the sense is that the winger will be sticking around.  Athanasiou has 14 goals and eight assists in 60 games this season and it would likely take salary retention to get a deal done.  Chicago does have one retained salary slot remaining.
  • Sharks winger Noah Gregor told San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that he has not requested a trade, denying a report from earlier this week. The 24-year-old has been a frequent scratch this season in San Jose, suiting up in 37 games where he has just four goals and two assists.  Last season, Gregor had 23 points in 63 contests which earned him a one-year, $950K deal for 2022-23.  He’s set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility this summer.

St. Louis Blues Acquire Jakub Vrana

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The first official trade of deadline day has come across the wire. As made official by the team this morning, the St. Louis Blues have acquired forward Jakub Vrana from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Per Chris Johnston on TSN’s TradeCentre program, the Red Wings retain 50% of Vrana’s $5.25MM cap hit.

Of note, McLaughlin won’t actually be leaving the Blues organization. After announcing the trade, the Red Wings immediately loaned McLaughlin back to the Blues AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Vrana’s acquisition continues a newfound trend of reclamation projects in St. Louis as the team enters a new era without Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. He’s had an incredibly difficult 2022-23, entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program just a few weeks into the season. After more than a two-month absence, he was waived and sent to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to extend his stay in the minors after a conditioning stint. He posted six goals and 11 points in 17 games there and didn’t record a point in three outings after his recent recall to Detroit.

It’s a season that’s made many forget Vrana scored 20-plus goals in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020, and had 13 goals in just 26 games in 2021-22. The 27-year-old may be on a steep cap hit with a concerning injury history, but he has obvious scoring potential if he can string some games together with an increased role in St. Louis.

While the return for Detroit is minimal, especially after parting with Anthony Mantha to acquire him, the trade provides the Red Wings with some salary cap benefits. Elite Prospects’ Sean Shapiro reports that the Red Wings and Vrana were likely headed for a buyout had he not been traded, leaving Detroit with a shorter cap penalty in a retained salary transaction. It’s a good solution for both sides, with a 2025 seventh-round pick just a hair above “future considerations” in terms of value.

Dallas Stars Acquire Max Domi

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7:00 am: The Stars confirmed late last night that Khudobin and a 2025 second-round pick are heading to Chicago in exchange for Domi and Wells.

6:52 pm: It appears the Dallas Stars have found their forward to put alongside Tyler Seguin. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the Stars have acquired forward Max Domi, along with minor-league goalie Dylan Wells, from their division rival Chicago Blackhawks. 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs hero Anton Khudobin and a second-round pick are heading the other way, with no salary retained in the deal.

Playing primarily on a line with now-former Blackhawk Patrick Kane, Domi has enjoyed one of the better statistical seasons of his career. With 49 points in 60 games on the low-scoring Blackhawks, Domi is on pace to have the best season of his career since 2018-19. One of Domi’s most notable improvements has been inside the faceoff dot. With a career faceoff percentage of 48.1%, Domi has bumped up his success rate to 53.7% this year. As Stars’ faceoff weapon Luke Glendening remains out with injury, Dallas will have the benefit of employing Domi in a lot of important situations.

Chicago receives a second-round pick, bringing their total of draft picks in the first two rounds up to a whopping 14 in the next three years. It recoups value for Domi at the deadline, fulfilling Chicago’s initial plan when they signed him and Andreas Athanasiou to one-year contracts last offseason.

They also receive Khudobin in the deal, who, despite slipping down to ’buried in the minors’ status in the Stars depth chart, could serve a purpose in the NHL for the Blackhawks. Both Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock have had injury-prone seasons, forcing young goalies like Arvid Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber into NHL action maybe earlier than they’d like. Khudobin gives them an additional recall option and allows Soderblom and Stauber to hold the fort with AHL Rockford in what could be a lengthy playoff run. The 36-year-old Khudobin has yet to play in the NHL this season and has a .899 save percentage in 24 appearances with AHL Texas.

Seravalli was the first to report that Khudobin would be included in the trade, while Sportsnet’s Eric Engels was the first to report an unnamed AHL netminder and a second-round pick would be included in the trade.

Evening Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Leonard, Marchand, Motte

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According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Philadelphia Flyers intend to move pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk. On today’s TSN Insider Trading, Johnston reported that two interested teams appear to be the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has been busy the last few days, swinging a trade today for goaltender Jonathan Quick and yesterday acquiring center Teddy Blueger. Cap space could be an issue as Vegas has just $3MM left and van Riemsdyk is currently playing under a $7MM cap hit. Winnipeg, on the other hand, have been very quiet since acquiring winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has over $4.5MM in cap space for the deadline, so he could easily fit van Riemsdyk under budget, should the Flyers be willing to retain 50% to facilitate a move.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Nashville Predators have been one of the busier sellers in recent days, having shipped out Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund, and Tanner Jeannot with an eye toward building for the future. With all the pieces moving out, the Predators have begun the process of calling up some of their younger players. Luke Evangelista received the first call-up of his career earlier this week, and now Nashville has announced that John Leonard has been recalled to the big club. Leonard,24, is a former 2018 sixth-round pick who is currently tied for third in scoring on Milwaukee this season with 32 points. Leonard does have NHL experience on his resume, having dressed in 58 games with the San Jose Sharks, where he tallied 15 points.
  • Brad Marchand left tonight’s Boston Bruins contest against the Buffalo Sabres with an apparent lower-body injury. Marchand was hit awkwardly into the boards from behind and the Bruins announced that he would not return. Losing Marchand for any length of time would be a big blow to a Bruins team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. Marchand is having another fine season with 53 points in 52 games and has heated up recently after going pointless in five straight games. Boston is nearly a lock to win the President’s Trophy, so they likely won’t rush Marchand back, but should his injury keep him out long-term, it could become problematic.
  • NHL.com’s Dan Rosen has reported that New York Rangers forward Tyler Motte would not be returning to tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Motte was just dealt by the Senators to the Rangers on February 19th and was injured after taking a headshot from former teammate Austin Watson. Watson was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. Motte was beginning his second run with the Rangers after being dealt there last trade deadline from Vancouver. He has dealt with concussion issues in the past, having missed 31 games in 2020-21 while with the Canucks. Hopefully, Motte can make a speedy recovery after the very scary injury tonight.

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