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Detroit, Philadelphia Hit Roadblock In James Van Riemsdyk Trade

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The biggest name left on trade deadline day might have been James van Riemsdyk, and there was a race between several teams for his services. That race appeared to be over as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that the Detroit Red Wings would land the Philadelphia Flyers forward, pending a physical and trade call.

Darren Dreger of TSN noted that the trade required the Red Wings to move another player first, and now the agreement has seemingly collapsed. Friedman tweets that “something happened,” and the deal has been pulled back. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that no van Riemsdyk trade is coming today.

It is a pretty significant opportunity missed for the Flyers, who will now hold onto the veteran forward through the end of the season. In the final season of a five-year, $35MM contract, the 33-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. While some of the other teams involved in trade discussions might not have been offering what the Flyers wanted, they’re now stuck with nothing to show for van Riemsdyk’s expiring contract.

For a club struggling to stay competitive, missing out on even a late-round pick at this point in the year will sting. The outcome, though, might have more to do with van Riemsdyk’s declining effectiveness more than anything. The big winger has just nine goals and 23 points on the season, the worst per-game scoring rate of his career. After more than a decade of being one of the league’s premiere net-front players, perhaps his time in the league is dwindling.

Calgary Flames Acquire Dryden Hunt

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After losing four straight going into the deadline, the Calgary Flames will make a depth addition to the forward group. Shayna Goldman of The Athletic reports that Dryden Hunt will head to Calgary—his fourth team of this season. Darren Dreger of TSN adds that Radim Zohorna will be the return for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Starting with the New York Rangers, Hunt was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche, traded to the Maple Leafs, and now sent to Calgary at the deadline. He has scored exactly one goal at each of his previous stops, playing three games for New York, 25 for Colorado, and nine for Toronto before clearing waivers to play in the minor leagues.

Hunt, 27, has scored just 15 goals in his 202-game NHL career, but adds speed and physical play to a fourth line. That’s the kind of thing Darryl Sutter teams love, meaning he’ll likely be in the lineup every night for the Flames moving forward.

His acquisition was basically free, given Zohorna was claimed off waivers earlier this season as well. The 6’6″ center has been playing with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL, scoring 29 points in 40 games. In Toronto, he’ll likely stay in the minor leagues and serve as emergency depth, given how many forwards they have for their playoff run.

Washington Capitals Extend Nicolas Aube-Kubel

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The Washington Capitals have made several moves to pull expiring contracts from the roster, but that won’t be the case for Nicolas Aube-Kubel. The bottom-six forward has signed a one-year contract extension with a $1.225MM salary.

Aube-Kubel, 26, was snagged off waivers earlier this season after signing a one-year, $1MM contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer. At that point, he was fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado Avalanche but never seemed to fit in Toronto.

That has not been the case in Washington, where he quickly found a new home and has scored eight points in 30 games. Aube-Kubel’s speed, tenacity, and fearless forechecking have endeared him to several coaching staffs over the years, and clearly did enough to secure his spot with the Capitals for next year.

Still, it is surprising to see him get a raise for next season, given the limited offense he provides. Aube-Kubel will be making the highest salary of his career in 2023-24.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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March 3: All three players on waivers yesterday cleared and are eligible to be sent to the American Hockey League. Derrick Pouliot can continue to play with the San Jose Barracuda while Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick are likely to stay in the minor leagues as well. James Mirtle added there were no new players place on waivers today.

March 2: Three players have hit the waiver wire, all with brand-new contracts in hand. Derrick Pouliot has signed a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks for the rest of the season, after previously playing under an AHL deal. To stay with the San Jose Barracuda, he needs to clear waivers first. Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that Pouliot’s pro-rated contract is worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the AHL level.

Joining him on the wire are Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick, who have both signed with the Florida Panthers. PuckPedia reports that Berube’s one-year deal is worth $750K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL, while CapFriendly reports Fitzpatrick’s is $75K in the AHL.

Both players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Pouliot, 29, has been effective with the Barracuda this season, but it is a bit curious to see him sign a contract now. It seems unlikely that the Sharks would need to recall him unless they are involved in trade talks on several other defensemen, or don’t want to bring up some of the other younger names available.

For the Panthers, adding two goaltenders is just in case of an emergency, while Spencer Knight continues in the Player Assistance Program. Without him, Mack Guzda was the only other netminder in the organization signed to an NHL contract.

Los Angeles, Montreal Complete Minor Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens have made a minor league trade, swapping Frederic Allard for Nate Schnarr. Neither player has suited up in the NHL this season.

A move like this really comes down to minor league depth charts, as the Ontario Reign will get a big center, and the Laval Rocket an experienced defenseman. Neither one should be considered a factor for the respective NHL clubs.

The swap does bring another francophone player to the Canadiens organization, as Allard—a native of St. Sauveur—joins the Rocket. The 25-year-old defenseman has played one game at the NHL level over his professional career and has seven points in 35 games for the Ontario Reign this season.

Schnarr, 24, was a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2017 but could never replicate his incredible 2018-19 season with the Guelph Storm. The 6’4″ center scored 102 points that season before turning pro—more than he has in four full years in the AHL.

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. 

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Nick Bjugstad

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3:15 pm: The details of the trade have been confirmed by the Coyotes, making the transaction official.

2:35 pm: The Edmonton Oilers have added another player to the mix for their playoff run, acquiring Nick Bjugstad from the Arizona Coyotes, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The Coyotes will receive a 2023 third-round pick and Michael Kesselring, while retaining 50% of Bjugstad’s contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also reports that defenseman Cam Dineen is heading to Edmonton in the deal, and he’ll report to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Bjugstad, 30, has never quite lived up to the high expectations from his early career in Florida, but has played at a relatively high level for the Coyotes this season. With more regular ice time, some of his offensive production has returned, and he brings size, physicality, and versatility to the Oilers bottom six.

Standing 6’6″ and more than willing to use his frame to lean on defenders, Bjugstad has scored 13 goals and 23 points in 59 games this season. He won’t be expected to do a ton of scoring in Edmonton, but for $450K in cap space, he’s well worth a mid-round pick.

The Oilers are all-in, trying to surround Connor McDavid with enough firepower to win the Stanley Cup. Mattias Ekholm’s addition to the blueline already paid dividends last night, and now Bjugstad can bring a little more punch down the middle. A third-round selection is meaningless to a team like this, other than its value in trade.

For Arizona, though, completing another short-term salary retention to squeeze a draft pick out of Edmonton is good work. The team is up to 22 picks in the top three rounds of the next three drafts, and—if managed properly—could turn that into quite the pile of young talent.

Interestingly enough, as CapFriendly points out, the Oilers had exactly enough cap space to pull off this trade after getting the Nashville Predators to retain salary on Ekholm yesterday. A lot of eyebrows raised when the Predators only held onto 4% of the total, but it ended up being exactly what general manager Ken Holland needed to bring in Bjugstad.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anders Bjork

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made another deadline move, acquiring Anders Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres. Bjork has been buried in the minor leagues for almost the entire season but carries a $1.6MM cap hit.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports Buffalo promised Bjork they would find him a new home.

It never did work out in Buffalo, where he was supposed to come and flourish after some up-and-down years with the Boston Bruins. Bjork was part of the trade that sent Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar to Boston in 2021, but he’ll leave Buffalo with just eight goals and 14 points to show for his 64 games in a Sabres sweater.

At 26, it’s hard to believe Bjork will ever really become an impact player at the NHL level, though Chicago will have plenty of offensive opportunities to hand him as they try to shine another asset.

The only issue with this one is that Bjork would need a $1.8MM qualifying offer for the Blackhawks to retain his rights as an RFA, which seems unlikely. Perhaps the two sides will work out a cheaper extension over the next few months; otherwise, Bjork could hit the open market this summer looking for another fresh start.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the deal on Twitter. 

Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Jonathan Quick

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Jonathan Quick never really did join the Columbus Blue Jackets. After this week’s trade, the veteran goaltender was immediately back on the market, following some reports that he was blindsided and upset about being traded from the Los Angeles Kings.

He didn’t make much sense for the Blue Jackets, given their current situation, so they have quickly found him a new home. Columbus has negotiated a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights to send Quick back to the Pacific Division. The Blue Jackets will receive Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick, while retaining 50% of Quick’s contract.

Given how little Columbus received in this deal, it seems like more of a favor than anything to a veteran goaltender who didn’t want to join a losing team for the last few months of the season.

A 2025 seventh-round pick is about the lowest-valued asset you can receive, and Hutchinson is on an expiring deal that will be of little use to the Blue Jackets.

What this trade does set up, however, is a potential matchup between Quick and the Kings in the playoffs. With question marks around the health of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit, there is a real chance that Quick gets playing time in Vegas, and potentially some revenge on the team that he believed he would spend his entire career with.

The question now is whether Quick has any effective hockey left in him. The 37-year-old has been bad this season, posting an .876 save percentage in 31 appearances, and has an .896 over his past five seasons combined. Perhaps the Golden Knights can find a way to unlock prime Quick for a few months, but it seems unlikely at this point.

Dallas Stars Sign Gavin White

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The Dallas Stars have locked up a player from last year’s draft, signing prospect Gavin White to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will likely kick in for the 2023-24 season.

White, 20, was selected 115th overall last summer, after being passed over in his previous year of eligibility. The young defenseman went from three points as a rookie with the Hamilton Bulldogs to 56 in his sophomore OHL season, putting him on the radar of NHL scouts.

This year, he has 37 points in 42 games split between Hamilton and the Peterborough Petes. That’s enough for Dallas to give him an NHL deal, and it will mean he is headed to the AHL next season to play for the Texas Stars.

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