Snapshots: Johnson, Tanev, Dumba

With a couple of rental defensemen off the trade block having been moved in recent days, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that he had received more calls in the previous two days about defenseman Erik Johnson than he had cumulatively leading up to that point.  The 35-year-old has had a very limited role this year, logging just 13:48 per game, the lowest full-season average of his career while he has just three points – all goals – in 50 games.  However, Johnson has 55 career appearances under his belt including a Stanley Cup title with Colorado two years ago and teams could be looking at him as a depth addition for the stretch run.  With a $3.25MM price tag, Buffalo will almost certainly have to pay that down to help facilitate a trade if one comes together.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

• Earlier this week, it was reported that the Flames had a first-round pick on the table in an offer for Chris Tanev but declined since it involved taking money back beyond this season. That offer may have been from the Oilers, according to Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins, who says that Edmonton had a first-rounder on the table.  Speculatively, that offer may have required taking one of Brett Kulak ($2.75MM through 2025-26) or Cody Ceci ($3.25MM through 2024-25) back to make the money work.  Instead, Calgary sent him to Dallas for a second-round pick and prospect Artyom Grushnikov, a deal that kept some money on their books this year but only for this season.
• One of the top rental blueliners left on the market heading into Friday’s deadline, on paper, is Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba. However, his one-year, $3.9MM deal hasn’t quite worked out as planned as he has been limited to just nine points in 56 games despite logging over 20 minutes a night.  Accordingly, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan suggests that Dumba’s value might be a third-round pick as things stand with the potential to get a second-rounder if they hold back the maximum 50%.  The 29-year-old doesn’t have any trade protection in his contract.