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Parker Kelly Receives Two-Game Suspension

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While it was a busy day on the trade front on Friday, the Department of Player Safety was busy as well.  On top of handing out three fines, they also announced that Senators center Parker Kelly received a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Kings defenseman Andreas Englund.

The incident occurred late in the third period of Thursday night’s matchup.  He received a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head on the play while Englund also received a minor for roughing as well.

It’s the first suspension of Kelly’s career and he’ll forfeit a little under $8K which goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  Kelly will miss tonight’s game against San Jose and Tuesday’s contest versus Pittsburgh.  Ottawa shouldn’t need to recall a player to take his place on the roster with their addition of Boris Katchouk off waivers yesterday so they won’t need to use one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

Jets Acquire Tyler Toffoli

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11:41 a.m.: The trade call between the Devils and Jets is complete, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. All the details of the reported trade below are accurate.

10:27 a.m.: The Jets already made a top-six addition when they acquired Sean Monahan from Montreal last month.  They’re now set to make another one as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that they are closing in on a trade with New Jersey for winger Tyler Toffoli.  Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press adds (Twitter link) that the Devils are expected to receive second and third-round picks in return.  The Jets don’t have their own second-round pick this year but they do have Montreal’s, a well-traveled pick that has already been involved in trades for Christian Dvorak, Sean Durzi, and Pierre-Luc Dubois so far. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirms it’s a 2025 second-rounder and a 2024 third-rounder heading to New Jersey.

Toffoli was in his first season with New Jersey who acquired him from Calgary in the summer after the two sides weren’t able to agree on a contract extension.  The Devils had tried to extend Toffoli as well but clearly, those talks weren’t able to yield a new deal, resulting in this trade instead over the risk of him leaving in free agency in July.

The 31-year-old was productive with the Devils, leading the team in goals with 26 through 61 games while chipping in with 18 assists as well; his goal total ties him for the Winnipeg lead with Kyle Connor.  He surpassed the 30-goal mark last season for the second time in his career and appears to be well on his way toward doing so once again this year.  In the playoffs, Toffoli has had some success with 44 points in 88 games, including 14 in 22 playoff appearances with the Canadiens in their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.  He’ll be counted on to provide some extra scoring punch on a Winnipeg team that is outside the top 20 in goals scored so far this season.

Despite being a consistent contributor offensively, Toffoli has bounced around in recent seasons.  This will be the sixth team that Toffoli has played for since 2020, joining Vancouver, Los Angeles, Montreal, Calgary, and New Jersey.  Barring an extension, the number may increase to seven in the coming months.

Toffoli has a $4.25MM cap hit, one that Winnipeg can work in without needing salary retention.  However, if they take on the full freight of the deal, that won’t leave them with much more cap room to work with so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Devils at least retain a portion of his contract once the deal is made official. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Devils have indeed retained half of Toffoli’s deal, making him a $2.125MM player for Winnipeg.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Penguins Likely To Move Alex Nedeljkovic, Make Several Roster Moves

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The Penguins moved out Jake Guentzel last night and it appears he won’t be the only rental on the move.  Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that they’re likely to move goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic before the 2 PM CT deadline.

Nedeljkovic spent most of last year in the minors but has been a full-timer with Pittsburgh this season, faring relatively well in the backup role.  Through 21 games so far this season, the 28-year-old has a 2.87 GAA and a .908 SV%, his best numbers since his rookie campaign back in 2020-21.

While the goalie market has had a few big names in there, talk of some of those names moving has started to die off.  Instead, the goalies that move might be short-term rentals and Nedeljkovic on an expiring $1.5MM contract fits right into that category.  There are playoff-bound teams that could use an upgrade at the backup goalie position and he would fit the bill so GM Kyle Dubas should be able to find a suitable return for his services.

While not consequential after the 23-player roster limit that was lifted this morning, they also cleared a roster spot by placing winger Jansen Harkins on injured reserve, per CapFriendly. The 26-year-old winger has just four points in 43 games this season and did not return to last night’s game against the Capitals after a fight.

Meanwhile, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that forwards Valtteri Puustinen, Joona Koppanen, and Jonathan Gruden were all assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Those moves were needed to get them back into salary cap compliance after losing Guentzel’s LTIR buffer in the swap yesterday.  Puustinen has played in 31 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, notching 13 points and seems like a likely candidate to be recalled after the trade deadline if they have cap room.  Gruden, meanwhile, has a goal in nine NHL appearances while Koppanen has been held off the scoresheet in his four contests.

Panthers Acquire Kyle Okposo

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After adding Vladimir Tarasenko earlier this week, the Panthers have made another addition up front.  They’ve acquired winger Kyle Okposo from the Sabres in exchange for defenseman Calle Sjalin and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick.  The pick will elevate to a fifth-round selection if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.

Okposo has served as Buffalo’s captain in each of the last two seasons, a fitting reward after eight years with the club. Florida will become just the third team that Okposo has played for in his 17-year career, which kicked off when the New York Islanders selected him seventh-overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, taking him in the same top 10 that featured Erik Johnson, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Backstrom. Okposo would play two seasons at the University of Minnesota before making his professional debut in the 2007-08 season and playing out his rookie NHL season in 2008-09. He scored 18 goals and 39 points in 65 games as a first-year, quickly establishing the reliable, top-six impact that he’s brought throughout his entire career. Okposo has since had five seasons of 50 or more points, including a career-high 69 points scored in the 2013-14 season. In full, he’s totalled 1045 games and 614 points in the NHL.

Okposo has only entered the open market once, signing a seven-year contract with the Sabres in the summer of 2016. He’s since played through some of Buffalo’s worst seasons, experiencing four different coaches and no playoff berths with the team. But he’s stuck through it all, providing a consistent impact in all three zones that he’s sure to bring to Florida now. His departure marks the end of an era for the Sabres, with Zemgus Girgensons the last Sabre from the 2016-17 team. Okposo is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at 35, he’ll likely begin considering his future. But with this move to Florida, he’ll first get the chance to chase a Stanley Cup – an opportunity he hasn’t had much of across his 1,000-game career.

Kraken, Jordan Eberle Agree To Two-Year Extension

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With Seattle selling, it was a matter of Jordan Eberle either signing an extension or being traded today.  It will be the former as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the two sides have agreed to a two-year, $9.5MM extension.  The deal contains a full no-trade clause.

The 33-year-old had been believed to be seeking a third year on this deal but instead, he winds up with a bit more than the originally reported offer of $4.5MM per year and full trade protection, something he didn’t have before; his current deal only carried a 16-team no-trade clause.  Even with that, the contract represents a small dip in pay by $750K per season.

Eberle was originally picked by Seattle in the expansion draft in 2021 and has been one of their top scorers since then; he’s tied for second in franchise scoring history with defenseman Vince Dunn and behind center Jared McCann.  He had one of his best outputs last season, notching 20 goals and a career-high 43 assists, giving him some leverage heading into offseason extension discussions.

However, his numbers have been down this year, as has been the case for several of Seattle’s top players.  Even so, Eberle sits fourth in team scoring with 14 goals and 23 assists in 58 games while logging a little over 17 minutes a night.  That type of production made him an attractive target for teams looking to bolster their secondary scoring leading into the trade deadline, especially with 76 playoff games under his belt.  Instead, he’ll be staying put and staying in a top-six role for the Kraken for the next couple of years.

With the signing, Seattle has a little under $65.5MM in commitments to 16 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  With Kailer Yamamoto and Eeli Tolvanen headlining their RFA list and Justin Schultz their lone higher-priced UFA of significance, GM Ron Francis looks set to have considerable cap space heading into next summer to add to his roster to try to get his team back into playoff contention.

Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was first to report that contract talks had resumed earlier this morning.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Lindholm, Maroon, Dewar, Eberle, Koch

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There had been some speculation that the Canucks could flip Elias Lindholm to secure assets that would be part of a Jake Guentzel trade.  However, with Guentzel now in Carolina, it appears Vancouver won’t be looking to flip Lindholm after all, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link).  The 29-year-old hasn’t lit it up yet with his new team as he has just four goals and three assists in 16 games since coming over from Calgary, not the type of stretch run he was hoping for as he heads to UFA eligibility this summer for the first time.

More from the West:

  • The Wild have received interest in winger Pat Maroon and center Connor Dewar, reports The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription link). Maroon has missed the last month with a back injury that will keep him out for a couple more weeks but as a cheap gritty, experienced bottom-six forward, it’s not a surprise that there is still interest.  The pending unrestricted free agent has 16 points in 49 games so far this season.  Dewar, meanwhile, is heading for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility.  The 24-year-old has 10 goals in 57 games while averaging a little over 11 minutes a night and is a key part of Minnesota’s penalty kill.  With the rental center market being thin, the Wild could command a decent return if they decide to move Dewar as a result.
  • The Kraken and winger Jordan Eberle were discussing a two-year deal with a cap hit of $4.5MM, relays Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. However, Eberle is believed to be seeking a third year which is the hold-up in discussions.  The 33-year-old has seen his numbers dip this season but still has 14 goals and 23 assists through 58 games.  The expectation is that Eberle will either be signed or traded by the 2 PM CT deadline.  If it’s the latter, Seattle will almost certainly need to retain on his current $5.5MM price tag.
  • The Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Patrik Koch to AHL Tucson. The 27-year-old was recalled yesterday but didn’t play.  Koch is in his first season in North America and has a goal and ten assists in 47 games with the Roadrunners so far this season.

East Notes: Brannstrom, Smith, Penguins

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One player that the Senators have been believed to have been shopping is defenseman Erik Brannstrom.  Ottawa has placed a fairly high asking price on his services, however, as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is seeking a second-round pick for the 24-year-old. Playing time has been difficult to come by for Brannstrom this season as he’s averaging under 16 minutes a night through 55 games where he has just three goals and ten assists.  Owed a $2MM qualifying offer in June, Brannstrom could be a potential non-tender candidate for the Sens which means it wouldn’t be surprising if the asking price comes down today, ensuring they get something for a player they could very well lose for nothing in three months.

Other early notes from across the East:

  • While Ty Smith was part of Thursday’s Jake Guentzel trade, he won’t actually be going anywhere. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis reports (Twitter link) that Smith will remain with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the rest of the season.  The Hurricanes don’t have an AHL affiliate so rather than try to put Smith in another organization on loan, they’ll keep him where he is for the stretch run unless Carolina has to recall him due to injuries.  Smith is a restricted free agent this summer and has 32 points in 51 minor league contests this season.
  • CapFriendly points out (Twitter link) that the Penguins are currently not cap-compliant following the overnight swap of Jake Guentzel, a move that cleared $6MM from their LTIR pool. If Bryan Rust is going to miss a couple more weeks, he can be flipped to LTIR but otherwise, Pittsburgh will need to send some players down or make a trade or two to open up the needed cap room.  They have until 4 PM CT to get back to compliance.

Stars Sign Connor Punnett To Entry-Level Contract

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March 7: Punnett has chosen the Dallas Stars as his first NHL home, per a team announcement. The three-year entry-level contract will make him an RFA in 2027 and carries a cap hit of $870K, per PuckPedia.

Feb. 26: March 1st is the first day that teams can sign players to future contracts, ones that begin in the 2024-25 season.  Accordingly, there is often an uptick in undrafted players signing those deals soon after, generally from the NCAA but also some from the CHL ranks as well.  One player from the latter who appears to be heading toward signing one of those contracts is Connor Punnett; Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that seven teams have shown “sincere interest” in signing the blueliner while several others have at least checked in on him.

The 20-year-old is in his fourth and final major junior season with most of his OHL time coming with Barrie before the Colts moved him to Oshawa before their trade deadline last month.  Between the two teams, Punnett has seven goals and 37 assists in 55 games.  He already has set a new benchmark for assists and is on pace to set a new career-high in points as he’s four shy of the 48 he had last season.  That said, Punnett is more known for his physicality and he has already reached the 100-PIM mark for the second straight year.

Punnett will be covered by entry-level contract regulations which means whoever signs him will be doing so on a three-year deal, the first of which would be the 2024-25 campaign.  It’s quite rare that a player goes from being an undrafted free agent signing to the NHL the following year but whoever signs Punnett will be adding an intriguing blueliner to the mix for a possible roster spot down the road.

Senators Receiving Strong Interest In Vladimir Tarasenko

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Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko is widely expected to be on the move in the next few days with Ottawa well out of playoff contention.  It appears there are several suitors for his services as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Panthers, Hurricanes, Bruins, Rangers, Golden Knights, and Oilers are among the teams who have inquired about him with Florida being high on Tarasenko’s preferred list of options.

The 32-year-old has had a solid season with Ottawa, his first with them after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency.  Tarasenko has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games so far, good for fifth on the team in scoring.  Notably, he’s putting up those numbers with a bit less playing time than usual; his 16:03 is his lowest ATOI since his sophomore campaign back in 2013-14.  Assuming Ottawa is willing to pay the contract down by the maximum of 50%, they’ll be well-positioned to land a quality return.

According to Garrioch, the return Sens GM Steve Staios is looking for a two-piece return in exchange for Tarasenko.  One is a second-round pick and the other is a prospect.

There are two things worth noting on Tarasenko’s side.  First is that he has full trade protection which means he has to sign off on wherever he’s going.  The second is that he recently switched agents for the second time in less than a year, leading to speculation that he might want a contract extension as part of any swap to avoid what happened back in July when teams didn’t meet his initial asking price which is how he landed with Ottawa on a one-year fall-back deal.

Some of the above potential suitors would be hard-pressed to fit an extension for Tarasenko onto their books with their cap flexibility being limited to the final six weeks of this season, not next.  If that’s the case, that could certainly whittle down the list of potential suitors in a hurry unless some of those teams decide to do that now and figure out how to make the fit work on the cap down the road.

A year ago, Tarasenko was viewed as one of the big fish heading into the deadline, resulting in the Rangers giving up a first-round pick to add him (and Niko Mikkola) for the stretch run.  He isn’t quite in that territory this time around but for a team looking to add some secondary scoring, Tarasenko, a veteran of 97 career playoff appearances, could certainly be an impactful addition for a postseason contender.

Hurricanes Sign Max Comtois

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With the trade deadline coming up, some teams will be converting players on AHL deals to NHL ones to make them eligible to play down the stretch.  The Hurricanes are the latest to do so as they announced that they’ve signed winger Max Comtois to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the signing:

Max is a physical forward with lots of NHL games under his belt. His experience at this level will add to our organizational depth at that position.

The 25-year-old played with Vegas in the preseason but didn’t lock down a spot with them.  Instead, he signed with AHL Chicago in mid-October, Carolina’s old farm team.  He has fared relatively well down there, notching 12 goals and 16 assists along with 97 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Wolves in his first taste of AHL action since the 2018-19 season.

Comtois has played in 210 career NHL games, all with Anaheim who drafted him 50th overall back in 2017.  He had 19 points in 64 games with them last season but was non-tendered as the team elected not to give him a $2.445MM qualifying offer.  Now, he’ll look to get an opportunity with Carolina down the stretch in the hopes of securing a full-time NHL agreement for next season.  That said, it won’t come right away as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Comtois will be on waivers on Tuesday to return to the Wolves for the time being.

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