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Archives for February 2024

Philadelphia Flyers Gauging Trade Interest In Scott Laughton

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The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly gauging interest in centerman Scott Laughton on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger shares that, while Philadelphia would be hesitant to move Laughton, they’re willing to hear offers with the market for centerman now largely dried up. Only three centermen remain in TSN’s Trade Bait series – Adam Henrique, Sean Monahan, and Jack Roslovic – after Elias Lindholm was moved to the Vancouver Canucks.

Teams were reportedly offering late first-round picks for Laughton last summer, though Philadelphia preferred to hang onto the depth centerman. The team drafted Laughton 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and awarded him his NHL debut in the very next season. He’s played in every season since, totaling 569 games and 219 points across 11 years with the Flyers, establishing himself as a focal piece of the team’s bottom-six forwards and penalty-killing units. He has even earned a power-play role over the last few seasons, helping him reach a career-high 43 points in 78 games last season. That scoring production hasn’t continued into this year – with Laughton boasting just 20 points through 50 games, his lowest point-per-game pace since the 2020-21 season.

Still, a bottom-of-the-lineup centerman who can play on both special teams carries undeniable value. Laughton’s contract makes him even more valuable, with the 29-year-old sitting at a $3MM cap hit over the next three seasons – the second-cheapest among any centermen on TSN’s trade board and the only one with a contract beyond this season. A first-round pick is likely the starting bid in any Laughton trade discussions, though it may take a lot more to get Philadelphia to part with the 500-game veteran of the club.

Afternoon Notes: NHL Three Stars, Faber, Rafferty

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As we head into the All-Star break the NHL announced its Three Stars for January. The first star of the month was Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon who posted 12 goals and 14 assists in just 12 games to lead the Avalanche to a 9-3 record in the month of January.

Following him was Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner who had a perfect month going 9-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .953 save percentage as he helped guide the Oilers on their current 16-game win streak. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Skinner after he started the season with losses in seven of his first eight games.

Finally, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson rounds out the top-3 as he finished January with 14 goals and seven assists in 13 games and he will be headed to Toronto for his fourth NHL All-Star Game this weekend.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January. The 21-year-old moved into the Calder Trophy conversation by posting two goals and 11 assists in 14 games during the first month of 2024 and averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game. Faber became the first player in Wild history to take home the honor and led all NHL rookies in multiple statistical categories including points, time on ice, shots (with 31), blocked shots (with 38) and assists. Faber now has four goals and 25 assists in 49 games this season with the Wild.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. The move was made this morning and is most likely a paper move to allow the Wings to bank cap space during the All-Star break after their 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators last night. The 28-year-old has been a healthy scratch during his recalls this season and hasn’t played an NHL yet this year. Rafferty has two goals and 14 assists in 38 AHL games this season.

Trade Deadline Primer: Calgary Flames

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With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Calgary Flames.

The Flames came into this season with some major decisions to make on several key pending free agents. Now with the season over halfway done Calgary has only signed Mikael Backlund to an extension and has made the bold move of trading center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for several future pieces. The Flames will likely move any pending free agents that they can’t sign to an extension over the next few weeks but probably aren’t looking to go into a full-scale rebuild as they have multiple veterans signed to long-term deals. General manager Craig Conroy is likely looking to retool his group and leave his mark on the club he took over last summer, and given their position in the standings and the players that can be made available, Calgary is sure to be a team to keep your eye on as we head into the deadline season.

Record

22-22-5, 6th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$6.85MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 43/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: CAL 1st*, VAN 1st, CAL 2nd, CAL 3rd, CAL 4th, VAN 4th*, CHI 5th*, CAL 6th,
2025: FLA 1st*, CAL 2nd, CAL 3rd*, CAL 5th, CAL 6th, CAL 7th,

*Conditions on 2024 1st round pick, 2025 1st round pick, 2025 3rd round pick: (CapFriendly)

If CGY’s 2024 1st round pick is between 20 and 32, MTL can take that pick instead.
In the event CGY receives FLA’s 2025 1st-round pick:

If both CGY AND FLA’s picks are NOT top 10, MTL will receive the better of the CGY and FLA 2025 1st-round picks. Result: TBD.

If CGY’s pick is top 10, AND FLA’s pick is NOT top 10, MTL receives FLA’s pick. Result: TBD

*Conditions 2024 4th round pick:

1.) The 4th round pick becomes a 3rd round pick (VAN) if Vancouver makes it to the conference finals. 
2. If the pick remains a 4th, Calgary will receive the better of the two picks that Vancouver currently owns (VAN & NJD).

* Conditions 2024 5th round pick:

Calgary will receive the best of the 5th-round picks that Chicago owns.

Trade Chips

As mentioned earlier, the Flames have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks on the futures of pending free agents Noah Hanifin and Christopher Tanev. There have been whispers of trade rumors regarding Hanifin dating back to last summer when he was lukewarm to the idea of signing a long-term extension with the Flames. Fast forward to today and no traction has been made on a deal which increases the likelihood that the 27-year-old gets dealt. Hanifin will be looking at a lucrative max-term deal with any suitor and could fetch a sizable haul for Calgary which would give them a lot of assets to use in a retool or a rebuild.

Tanev is in the same spot as Hanifin, albeit he is seven years older and has a few more miles on his body. Tanev won’t be seeking the same term as Hanifin but comes with a lot more risk given that he is on the back nine of his career. Tanev has been connected to several teams through trade rumors and will be looking to cash in on what could be the last lucrative extension of his career. He will also fetch a good haul for the Flames should they choose to move on and trade him.  Of course, any players they deal will need to be replaced in the summer if the Flames have any plans to retool and go for it again next year.

The Flames look to be a seller this trade deadline and have already made a bold move trading Lindholm. If they can get full value for Hanifin and Tanev, they could position themselves nicely for the future and whichever direction they choose to take the franchise.

Team Needs

The Flames have some sizable long-term commitments on the books and could find it difficult to replace their departing players via free agency this summer. They are currently slated to have $25.5MM in cap space heading into the summer which will go quickly given the holes in the lineup they would be looking to fill. If they are looking to win with the group they have, which has been the stated goal of management, they may look to acquire roster players in exchange for pending free agents at the deadline.

1) A Top Center: The Flames had a top center until yesterday, although Lindholm was probably better suited as a second-line center. This leaves Calgary with Nazim Kadri and Backlund as their one and two centers which probably has both men playing above their skillset. Top-line centers are one of the hardest players to acquire, which means Craig Conroy will have to get creative if he wants to retool. Conroy has expressed belief that the team can win with their current group, but in order to do so he will have to find a way to fill a big hole with minimal cap space and other pressing lineup issues that will need to be addressed. Conroy probably won’t find a top-line center before the deadline, but if he is looking for one this summer he could acquire pieces at the trade deadline that he could flip later in the year for immediate help.

2) Two Top-Four Defensemen: Last summer, the Flames tried to re-sign Hanifin and then re-engaged the defenseman this past November and nearly agreed to an eight-year extension. However, since that time not much information has come out about where the negotiations stand leading pundits to believe that Calgary will trade the Boston, Massachusetts native. The same talks have swirled around Tanev which would open up two massive holes on Calgary’s defense should they both be moved. Calgary could explore upgrades this offseason in free agency but would find it difficult to replace Hanifin and Tanev. The other option could come via trade, which would be possible if they continue adding to the futures cupboard heading into the trade deadline. Calgary could also explore a player like Jakob Chychrun, who has a year left on his deal with the Ottawa Senators. However, it would leave Calgary in the same position this summer that they were in with Hanifin and Tanev.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins “Not Afraid” To Trade Jake Guentzel If Extension Talks Don’t Progress

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Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas won’t shy away from moving winger Jake Guentzel before the March 8 trade deadline if the two sides aren’t close to an extension, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe writes Thursday.

Keeping the pending UFA around long-term is still Dubas’ preference, as Yohe relays, but the team is unlikely to let him walk for nothing this summer. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last month that Dubas planned to hold talks with Guentzel’s camp over this weekend’s All-Star break.

Previous reports indicated Guentzel’s agent, Ben Hankinson, could wait until the end of the season to discuss an extension. If Hankinson holds firm in that approach, the apparent likelihood of a Guentzel trade in the next five weeks increases dramatically.

Guentzel, 29, is on pace for his third straight 30-goal season. He’s been stapled to future Hall-of-Famer Sidney Crosby’s wing since breaking into the league in 2016-17, recording 219 goals and 463 points in 499 career games.

That chemistry is something Dubas recognizes, per Yohe, and plays into his desire to keep the winger with the Penguins long-term. Yohe cites a rising salary cap and “keeping [Crosby] with his preferred left wing for the rest of his career” as primary reasons why Dubas is amicable to an extension that will likely take Guentzel into his mid-30s.

Crosby’s desire to remain on a line with Guentzel won’t be enough for Dubas to lose out on recouping value in a deadline deal, however. Sources have told Yohe that Dubas “isn’t afraid to trade Guentzel, even if Crosby and [head coach Mike] Sullivan would prefer to keep him employed in Pittsburgh.”

The Canucks’ acquisition of pending UFA center Elias Lindholm from the Flames on Wednesday likely sets the baseline for any Guentzel trade talks if he’s being dealt without an extension in place. Given Guentzel is far out-producing Lindholm this season, there’s a fair argument to be made that he could fetch slightly more. However, there may be some league-wide concern that Guentzel’s production could dip without Crosby on his line.

It’s a reasonable fear, but few players have put up points with consistency like Guentzel has. He’s averaged over a point per game over the past six years and has never been on pace for less than 34 goals in a full season since 2018. Combine that with the fact he’s averaged over 20 minutes per game in every season since 2018 and has solid power-play impacts, and it’s fair to assume he could command more value than Lindholm’s up-and-down track record over the past half-decade.

The Penguins could drive up the asking price further by offering to retain some of his $6MM cap hit, which wouldn’t affect the squad past this season. Guentzel has a 12-team no-trade list, per CapFriendly.

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