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Rangers, Wild Swap Turner Elson For Nic Petan

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The Rangers and Wild have exchanged minor-league depth forwards, sending Nic Petan to New York in exchange for Turner Elson. Both players remain on assignment to their new teams’ respective AHL affiliates.

Both Elson and Petan are pending UFAs in the back half of two-year, two-way deals with $762.5K cap hits. Petan makes slightly more in the minors, earning $550K compared to Elson’s $225K, although the latter carries a $250K guarantee.

Petan, 28, has far more NHL experience than his counterpart in the deal. Once a high-flying scoring center in major junior play with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, Petan has bounced around teams and leagues since being a second-round pick of the Jets in 2013. He’s played in parts of nine consecutive seasons with the Jets, Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Wild, although he’s eclipsed the 30-game mark just once. He had two assists and a -2 rating in six NHL games this year. He’d been a point-per-game player in five straight AHL campaigns but has regressed slightly with the Iowa Wild, posting 12 goals and 40 points in 44 games.

Elson is the more veteran pro at 31 years old, but he’s played in only three NHL games – one with the Flames back in 2015-16, and two with the Red Wings in 2021-22. He carries much lower potential to factor into an NHL lineup down the stretch than Petan, posting only 12 points in 38 games with AHL Hartford. Unfortunately for him, he’s heading from a Hartford team destined for postseason play to an Iowa squad that sits last in their division.

Rangers Acquire Chad Ruhwedel

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The Rangers acquired right-shot defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Penguins for a 2027 fourth-round pick, per a team announcement.

Ruhwedel, 33, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sabres in 2012 and remained in the organization as a depth option for four years until landing with Pittsburgh in free agency in 2016, where he’s remained as a bottom-pairing/press box fixture since. He logged 28 AHL games in his first campaign with the Penguins but has not been assigned to the minors on a full-time basis since, save for a five-game stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2018-19.

The San Diego native has played more than 50 games in a season just once but may do so this year with 47 already under his belt. A pending UFA with an $800K cap hit, Ruhwedel had one goal, three assists, four points and a -4 rating while logging 12:33 per game, competing for limited minutes among a crowded group of depth defenders in Pittsburgh.

Ruhwedel has had middling possession numbers with a 48.0 CF% at even strength and a 46.5 xGF%, but he’s also received some of the most taxing defensive-zone usage in the league with a 74.5 defensive zone start rate at even strength. He’s able to slot in on the penalty kill, too, where he’s averaged around two minutes per game.

It’s a solid piece of work for Rangers GM Chris Drury to add a capable penalty killer to serve as injury insurance down the stretch and in the postseason. Ruhwedel was scoreless with a -3 rating in 25 postseason games with Pittsburgh, including six games in 2017 that got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. The Rangers still have $2.1MM in cap space ahead of the 2 p.m. CT deadline.

Five Teams Remain In Talks For Jake Guentzel

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The Canucks, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Rangers are the five teams remaining in the Jake Guentzel sweepstakes as a trade is “getting close,” reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas didn’t have a deal in place for his star winger by Wednesday night as he’d hoped, but all signs point to Guentzel still changing hands before tomorrow’s trade deadline.

None of these teams come as a surprise, and various sources have bandied them about as fits for Guentzel throughout the past few weeks. The Golden Knights, Panthers and Rangers have been incredibly aggressive in advance of the deadline, collectively acquiring some of the top trade targets in Noah Hanifin (VGK), Anthony Mantha (VGK), Vladimir Tarasenko (FLA), and Alexander Wennberg (NYR) in the past 72 hours.

The veteran winger is amidst another All-Star-caliber season. While he’s been out since Valentine’s Day with an upper-body injury but is inching toward a return, practicing without a non-contact jersey today for the first time since the injury (video via team reporter Dan Potash). He scored 22 goals, 30 assists and 52 points in 50 games before getting hurt, his fourth time averaging over a point per game since 2019. He’s also logging over 20 minutes per game for the fifth straight year.

Despite the high level of production and his clutch postseason performances (58 points in 58 career playoff games), it makes little sense for the retooling Penguins to sign the 29-year-old pending UFA to a long-term extension. Multiple reports over the past week indicate that Guentzel will likely be dealt as a rental and be the top free agent on the market when the 2024-25 league year begins on July 1. His suitors probably note that Guentzel backs up his consistent production with consistent possession quality control numbers – he has a 57.1 xGF% this season and a 54.5 career xGF% throughout his 503 games as a Penguin, per Hockey Reference.

The Golden Knights, Hurricanes and Panthers could all take Guentzel’s $6MM cap hit at 50% retention without involving a third-party broker. The Rangers are a few grand short of having the necessary cap space to do so and could still make a trade work with a third party, while the Canucks have just $125K in cap space and would need to move a significant chunk of salary out to accommodate Guentzel, even at a 75% reduced $1.5MM cap hit. There have been some spotty but credible rumors of Vancouver potentially flipping Elias Lindholm, whom they just spent a first-round pick to land from the Flames in January, to create cap space for Guentzel.

Improbably, Vegas is still well-positioned to land Guentzel even after landing the top defenseman on the market in Hanifin. The team still has $3.8MM in deadline cap space with Robin Lehner and captain Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve despite having 27 players on the roster counting against the cap – their full 23-man roster plus $9.375MM taken up by Alec Martinez, Brett Howden, William Carrier, and Pavel Dorofeyev on standard injured reserve. They also still have their first-round draft picks in 2024 and 2026 and have not parted ways with top prospects Brendan Brisson, David Edstrom, and Carl Lindbom.

Trade Notes: Edmundson, Byram, Rangers, Panthers

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Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is once again preparing for a trade, with TSN’s Darren Dreger reporting that multiple teams are interested in the 30-year-old. Dreger shares that the Boston Bruins likely lead the pack right now, though the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are also interested.

Edmundson has been traded three times since 2019, though he’s never been moved in-season before. The Capitals brought in Edmundson on July 1st, sending the Montreal Canadiens a third and seventh round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Washington marked the fourth team of Edmundson’s career. He’s served in a modest role for the club, scoring six points in 44 games and averaging just 16-and-a-half minutes of ice time – though he’s played as much as 22 minutes a night when Washington needs him.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun pointed out that Edmundson could carry a cap hit as little as $875K, if Washington retains half of his salary. That’s a cheap price to pay for a defenseman with over 500 NHL games and one Stanley Cup under his belt. Edmundson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, likely making him a depth rental for a playoff contender.

Other trade notes from around the league:

  • Bowen Byram will join the Buffalo Sabres in Nashville for their Thursday night game against the Predators, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Head coach Don Granato also shared that Byram will be paired with star defender Rasmus Dahlin when he’s ready to play. Byram missed the Colorado Avalanche’s last game with an illness, something that could limit him on Thursday as well, though Lysowski reports that Byram is feeling better. The Sabres brought in the 22-year-old defenseman in a one-for-one trade with Colorado, sending Casey Mittelstadt the other way. Byram has 20 points in 55 games this season, playing in nearly 20 minutes a night for the Avalanche.
  • Alexander Wennberg was just the start of the New York Rangers’ deadline moves, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The Rangers still have their first-round picks in both the 2024 and 2025 drafts, as well as $2.91MM in cap space, per CapFriendly. That’s likely more than enough to land them some of the market’s top names. While the Rangers haven’t been tied to any specific names, they draw a clear connection with interdivision-rival Jake Guentzel and former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich. Both players are garnering plenty of interest ahead of the deadline, each offering dominant, point-per-game scoring on the wing. With the assets and cap space to make most moves work, it will be interesting to see if the Rangers once again shoot for the stars.
  • Seravalli also reported that the Florida Panthers were still searching for a scoring winger, mentioning Max Pacioretty as a potential option. The Panthers were also tied to Guentzel by Pierre LeBrun. Florida just acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators, giving them five forwards in their top-six with at least 40 points this season. They also have Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett sporting 36 and 30 points respectively. Adding yet another scoring winger to the mix would give Florida high-production through their third-line, something they may deem necessary to get over teams like Vegas or Carolina. Pacioretty, who has 15 points in 25 games since returning from an Achille’s Tendon injury, would likely be one of the cheapest options on the market and carries a modest $2MM cap hit that would fit into Florida’s books.

New York Rangers Acquire Alexander Wennberg

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3:11 pm: The Rangers have made the trade official, announcing that Wennberg will be headed east to New York.

2:18 pm: With a flurry of trade activity today, the New York Rangers have decided to enter into the madness. Emily Kaplan of ESPN is reporting that the Rangers are working on a deal with the Seattle Kraken that would land Alexander Wennberg in the Big Apple.

TSN’s Pierre Lebrun is reporting that the deal is done, indicating that the Kraken will be receiving the Rangers 2024 second-round pick, as well as New York’s fourth-round pick in 2025. Seattle will also be retaining 50% of Wennberg’s remaining salary, bringing his AAV down to $2.25MM with the Rangers.

Ever since the Rangers lost center Filip Chytil back in November due to a concussion, the team has been looking to fill the void for nearly the entire season. The organization has tried both Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski in this role but had their eye on a bona fide forward to add down the middle.

Not as much of an offensive threat as he was during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the addition of Wennberg should help in multiple areas of the Rangers lineup. Initially, he is readily available to center the team’s third line, and will also be able to serve on the team’s penalty kill unit as well.

Coming over to Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in the 2021-22 offseason, Wennberg is in the last year of a three-year, $13.5MM contract. Throughout his tenure in Seattle, Wennberg has played in a total of 142 games for the expansion franchise over the last three years, scoring 22 goals and 63 points in the process.

Although Wennberg doesn’t have the amount of success in the dot teams might be expecting out of their bottom-six centers, his possession metrics show that he brings solid defensive awareness to the table. Wennberg will also be able to help a New York penalty kill unit that is already top five in the league, recording an 83.15% success rate being a man down.

The General Manager of the Kraken, Ron Francis, is using a similar deadline strategy as he used two years ago, as he went on to acquire 10 total draft selections leading up to the deadline in 2022. In this deal, Seattle will now have five total selections in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft, and 17 total selections over the next two years.

Rangers Reassign Alex Belzile

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The Rangers have assigned forward Alex Belzile to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the team announced Tuesday.

By assigning Belzile’s $775K cap hit to the minors, the Rangers have created a second opening on the active roster and increased their cap space to $5.16MM. Doing so gives them increased roster flexibility ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.

Belzile, 32, has served as the Rangers’ 13th forward since Blake Wheeler sustained a season-ending lower-body injury in mid-February. However, he was scratched in all nine games during his recall. He remained on the roster for less than 30 days, so he can be returned to Hartford without waivers.

The 12-year minor-league veteran is in his first season with the Rangers organization after inking a two-year, $1.55MM contract when free agency opened last summer. He’d spent the previous four seasons under contract with the Canadiens, with whom he accumulated all of his 44 career regular-season and six career playoff appearances. Last season, Belzile notched a career-high six goals, eight assists, and 14 points in 31 games with the Habs, averaging 12:08 per game.

Twice a Kelly Cup champion in the ECHL in the mid-2010s, Belzile has since developed into a solid top-six presence in the AHL as he enters the twilight of his prime. He leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 14 goals, 23 assists, and 37 points in 43 games.

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.

Kraken Scratch Alexander Wennberg For Trade-Related Reasons

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Kraken center Alexander Wennberg will be held out of tonight’s game against the Flames for trade-related reasons, head coach Dave Hakstol said (via Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times). Wennberg, 29, had been generating interest as far back as last month and was linked to the Rangers a few weeks back. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta added Monday that the Bruins have demonstrated interest, while Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports the Avalanche have also called about the veteran center.

Carrying a cap hit of $4.5MM on an expiring deal, Wennberg may potentially veto a deal to any of these teams if they appear on his 10-team no-trade list. He has nine goals, 16 assists and 25 points in 60 games this season, his third with the Kraken after he signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract with them in free agency before their inaugural season in 2021.

It’s a bit of a down year for him offensively, but not by much. His 0.42 points per game aren’t far south of his 0.48 career average, although his possession metrics have taken a tumble. He’s posted a 46.7 CF% at even strength, a career-low by a country mile for the normally defensively responsible center.

That hamstrings his value at his cap hit, but with all three retained salary slots open, Kraken GM Ron Francis will likely retain half his salary to make him a $2.25MM player for the acquiring team. Adding in a third party could decrease his cap hit by another 50% to $1.125MM.

The Rangers’ courtship of Wennberg has been discussed at length, while the Bruins have been in the conversation for added depth down the middle since the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí last summer. The Avalanche, on the other hand, are likely in on Wennberg as a backup plan if they can’t land the Ducks’ Adam Henrique, who Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported has been linked to Colorado. If Wennberg is being held out days before the deadline, though, he may not be available by the time Colorado leans their fate on their offer for Henrique.

New York Rangers Sign Jonathan Quick To Extension

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Mar. 4: Quick’s deal includes an additional $25K performance bonus, per CapFriendly. He’ll earn the bonus if he makes at least 20 starts in 2024-25 and ends the season with a save percentage of .915 or above.

Mar. 3: The New York Rangers announced they have signed goaltender Jonathan Quick to a one-year contract extension. Signing a one-year deal with his hometown team this past offseason, Quick became eligible to sign an extension with the Rangers on January 1st of this year. Arthur Staple of The Athletic is reporting that New York will give Quick a slight increase on his current $825K salary, now paying the goaltender $1.275MM for the 2024-25 NHL season.  CapFriendly adds that Quick will receive a $775K base salary with a $500K signing bonus along with a 20-team no-trade clause.

Spending 15 and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Kings organization, Quick went on to become one of the top United States-born goaltenders in league history. Aside from Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, Quick would win two William M. Jennings Trophies, earn three top-five finishes in Vezina Trophy voting, and one Conn Smythe Trophy.

In the last season of a 10-year, $58MM contract extension signed with the Kings on July 1st, 2012, Quick was soon made expendable by the only franchise he had ever known. Amid a poor season, Los Angeles sent Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets as a part of a deal that brought Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov to California.

Without having much to compete for last season, the Blue Jackets were adamant about sending Quick to a playoff contender. Before even having the opportunity to suit up for Columbus, the organization sent Quick to the Vegas Golden Knights only one day later.

Quick performed mildly better for the Golden Knights, producing a 5-2-2 record in 10 games down the stretch, earning a .901 SV% and a 3.13 GAA. Even without having played a game for the team throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Quick had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for a third time after Vegas hoisted the trophy for the first time in franchise history.

Becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, the Milford, Connecticut native quickly signed with the Rangers on the first day of free agency. Carrying low expectations after a disappointing season last year, Quick has rebounded exceptionally well in the Big Apple.

Serving in the backup role behind Igor Shesterkin, Quick has arguably been the Rangers’ best goaltender this season. In 21 games played, Quick has accrued a 13-5-2 record, maintaining a .916 SV% and 2.45 GAA in the process.

With no serious contenders for the backup role making their way up the organizational depth chart, the strong play of Quick throughout this season led to today’s contract extension. Not only will Quick continue to play for his favorite team growing up, but earned himself a raise to boot.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN was the first to report that Quick had signed an extension in New York. 

Rangers Agree To Terms With Connor Mackey On Extension

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The Rangers have agreed to terms with left-shot defenseman Connor Mackey on a two-year contract extension, per a team release. It’s a two-way deal with a cap hit of $775K, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

Mackey, 27, has been the Rangers’ top recall option for most of the season. He’s been recalled from AHL Hartford eight times since clearing waivers during training camp, but most of them were one-day stints as injury insurance, with Zachary Jones remaining around the team as their seventh defenseman.

He’s been limited to one NHL appearance this season, a Jan. 27 contest against the Senators. He recorded a +1 rating, one hit, three blocks, and one shot on goal in a win, also fighting Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in the third period.

He’s played in 36 games on the farm with Hartford, recording 11 points, 63 PIMs, and a team-high +13 rating. A top-pairing-caliber shutdown defender at the AHL level, Mackey is well worth keeping around as a safe option to insert into the lineup if necessary.

Mackey joins veteran Ben Harpur and 24-year-old Brandon Scanlin as Rangers defensemen under contract who are likely destined for the Wolf Pack in 2024-25. Mac Hollowell and Matthew Robertson are both pending RFAs who will probably be reassigned to Hartford if re-signed by the Rangers.

The Tower Lakes, Illinois, native will be a UFA in 2026 when his new deal expires. An undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2020, Mackey has four goals, seven assists, 11 points, and a -1 rating in 40 career NHL games with the Coyotes, Flames, and Rangers. He appeared in a career-high 30 games with Arizona and Calgary last season, recording seven points with a -4 rating while averaging 14:03 per game.

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