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Canucks Acquire Vitali Kravtsov

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The Canucks are expected to be adding a young forward to their lineup as they’ve acquired winger Vitali Kravtsov from the Rangers.  Going to New York is winger William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.  Both teams have announced the deal.

Kravtsov was the ninth-overall pick in 2018 but has struggled in limited NHL action and has just three goals and three assists in 28 games this season.  He also played in 20 games back in 2020-21 and produced at a similar rate, notching two goals and two helpers in 20 contests.

Last season, Kravtsov opted to return to the KHL instead of reporting to New York, picking up 13 points in 17 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk during the regular season before adding seven goals in 15 playoff contests.  That was enough for New York to give him a one-year, one-way $875K contract for this season.  He’ll be arbitration-eligible this summer and will be owed a $840K qualifying offer.

To make room for Kravtsov on the roster, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that center Curtis Lazar has been placed on injured reserve.  It’s the second trip to the IR for the 28-year-old who has five goals and 124 hits in 45 games this season.

As for Lockwood, the 24-year-old has been up and down this season, getting into 13 games with Vancouver where he picked up an assist along with 37 hits while averaging just over 10 minutes per game.  He has been more productive with AHL Abbotsford though, collecting a dozen goals and six assists in 26 contests.  He’s on a one-year, two-way deal with $750K in the NHL and should remain in the minors with his new team.

It’s certainly an underwhelming return for Kravtsov, once viewed as a key piece of the future for the Rangers.  However, his struggles in the NHL and the potential for him to return to the KHL certainly deflated his value.  But this move, coupled with the waiving of Jake Leschyshyn earlier today, will open up some extra cap space for New York to try to add another piece down the stretch; Chicago winger Patrick Kane has been speculatively linked to them recently and these deletions would be enough to squeak him in at 25% of his AAV.  Meanwhile, it’s about as low-risk an acquisition as possible for Vancouver who will now try to see if Kravtsov can become more of an impact player with a new organization.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Kravtsov was being traded to Vancouver.

New York Rangers To Scratch Vitali Kravtsov, Jake Leschyshyn

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The New York Rangers have announced that forwards Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn will be held out of tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings for “roster management reasons.”

While they used a less direct phrase, this move has presumably been made for the same reasons players such as Vladislav Gavrikov, Jakob Chychrun, and Dmitry Orlov, among others, have been healthy scratched: the team has a trade in mind they want to make, and doesn’t want to risk injuries to players they’re looking at trading throwing a wrench in their plans.

While they obviously have not yet been traded and it’s definitely possible that this is simply a precautionary measure, this is also the most official indication given out to this point that Kravtsov’s time as a Ranger is coming to an end.

The big 23-year-old winger was the ninth-overall selection at the 2018 draft, and was viewed as one of the centerpiece prospects from the Rangers’ rebuilding phase. The team envisioned him being the type of power forward that is becoming all too rare in the NHL, but since being drafted Kravtsov has largely disappointed.

There were significant challenges in his development process, with Kravtsov’s 2019-20 season spent mostly in the AHL as the standout point of tension. It was widely reported that Kravtsov was not comfortable developing his game in an AHL setting, and those reports were in large part confirmed when he departed Hartford mid-season to head back to the KHL. Kravtsov eventually made a trade request, but ended up remaining in the Rangers’ organization and developing in the KHL.

This season, Kravtsov finally made the Rangers out of camp and had a real shot to seize a valuable role given New York’s paper-thin depth at the right winger position to start the year. He hasn’t done much with that opportunity, though, and has scored in total six points in 28 games. His inability to seize the moment led to the Rangers’ acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, and the team remains interested in Patrick Kane to further add from the outside to their right-wingers.

Kravtsov still has intriguing physical tools and has at times looked very impressive in the KHL. But his performance in North America has left much to be desired, and it’s likely that a change of scenery would be the best path for both parties moving forward.

As for Leschychyn, he was a relatively recent waiver claim by New York who has played 13 mostly anonymous games for the Rangers. He’s averaged 8:21 time on ice per game for coach Gerard Gallant, and is likely being scratched due to cap reasons, as the Rangers would likely ship his salary out in any trade for a pricey incoming player.

New York Rangers Acquire Tyler Motte

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Tyler Motte is back on Broadway. The New York Rangers have acquired the veteran forward from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick, per a team announcement.

The Senators have announced the conditions on the deal: if the Rangers win a playoff series in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the pick will improve to be the lower of the Rangers’ two 2023 sixth-round picks. (The Rangers also own the Winnipeg Jets’ sixth-rounder from last year’s Andrew Copp trade)

Senators GM Pierre Dorion gave the following statement regarding Gauthier, the centerpiece asset his team is receiving in this deal:

Julien Gauthier is a hard-working, good skating winger with a big body who routinely goes to the opponent’s net. His north/south game should be a nice addition to our lineup.

Dorion’s strategy with this trade mirrors how he approached the trade of Nick Paul last season. Rather than simply aim for the best draft pick possible, Dorion instead identified a player on the buying team’s roster that he believes can contribute to the Senators immediately.

Last season, the team acquired pending restricted free agent Mathieu Joseph. This year, it’s Gauthier, who is also a pending restricted free agent.

Both Motte and Gauthier have scored nine points this season, but for the Rangers this trade is about more than just scoring. After the acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers’ need for a scoring-line right winger was met. Their biggest need heading into the deadline became an upgrade to their fourth line, as they were relying on relatively unproven commodities such as Gauthier and Jake Leschyshyn.

Now, they’ve added a player who not only brings a different flavor to their fourth line than what Gauthier could provide, but also brings a more well-rounded game and valuable playoff experience. Gauthier has just three playoff games on his resume, while the 27-year-old Motte helped the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final last season and got into 17 playoff games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2019-20.

Motte is the Senators’ leading penalty-killing forward and should be able to help a Rangers penalty kill that at the moment ranks just 15th in the league. He’s tenacious, always energetic, and a forward Rangers fans came to greatly appreciate despite his limited time on their roster. Both the New York market and head coach Gerard Gallant will surely be pleased that Motte is back in the fold.

For Ottawa, this trade is all about Gauthier. Motte got the Canucks a fourth-rounder in a trade last season, and while he’s not quite having as good of a season as he had last year, it’s hard to say that his decline alone causes his value to drop from a fourth-rounder all the way to a sixth or seventh-rounder.

Instead, this seems to be a case of Ottawa simply seeing something they like in Gauthier and preferring to add him to their roster over a slightly improved draft pick. The 25-year-old winger is, as Dorion noted, a player with size and strong skating ability. He’s routinely attacking the net when he gets offensive chances, but his ability as a finisher leaves much to be desired.

While he showed flashes in New York of the talent that made him a 2016 first-round pick, he ultimately was not able to find the night-to-night consistency to earn the trust of David Quinn or Gallant. Now, Senators head coach D.J. Smith will get a chance to see if anything can be made out of Gauthier’s impressive physical tools.

Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vitali Kravtsov Reportedly Made Available For Trade

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  • Another new name to enter the trade deadline mix is that of 2018 ninth-overall pick Vitali Kravtsov, with Friedman reporting that the 23-year-old Russian “has been made available” to other clubs for trade in the aftermath of his being healthy scratched for the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Kravtsov has been given opportunities to shine in New York this season and had an opportunity to establish himself in the NHL given the openings the Rangers had at right wing before the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. With Tarasenko now in the mix, it seems Kravtsov’s leash is beginning to run short, and with just six points in 28 games a change-of-scenery trade could be in order.

Libor Hajek, Linus Hogberg Clear Waivers

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Feb 10: Both players have cleared waivers. That means Hajek can be sent to the minor leagues, and Hogberg is free to pursue other opportunities overseas.

Feb 9: As we await the official announcement of Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, the team has started clearing some space. Libor Hajek has been placed on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The Philadelphia Flyers have also placed Linus Hogberg on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

Hajek, 25, came into the Rangers organization with high hopes as part of the return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, but never lived up to expectations. The 2016 second-round pick has 110 games played over parts of five seasons (all with New York), and has produced just 12 points, averaging fewer than 15 minutes in his appearances.

While he was never supposed to be a big offensive threat, the 6’2″ defenseman hasn’t been effective in his own end, either, At this point, he was a potential candidate to go unqualified in the summer. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll pass through, though, as teams often give high draft picks (especially defensemen) extra chances to prove their worth at the NHL level. On a one-year, $800K contract, it might be worthwhile for a rebuilding club.

Hogberg, meanwhile, played just five games for the Flyers last season and had been buried in the organizational depth chart this year, sitting in the press box even at the AHL level. The 24-year-old will likely return to Sweden to continue his career overseas after the short stint in North America.

Tarasenko Confirms No Extension Talks With Blues

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Hitting the ice today as a member of the New York Rangers, Vladimir Tarasenko was skating beside Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, as many expected. The former St. Louis Blues star spoke with the media, including Mollie Walker of the New York Post after practice, and confirmed what had been reported over the last few months:

The good vibes were clear when Panarin explained how happy he was to have a long-time friend join the team. Tarasenko, of course, is only signed through the end of this season at the moment. A pending unrestricted free agent, it will be interesting to see if the Rangers will offer him the extension that never came in St. Louis.

New York Rangers Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola

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The trade deadline is still a few weeks away, but the New York Rangers aren’t waiting around. Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola have been acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick, Sammy Blais, and Hunter Skinner. The Blues will retain 50% of Tarasenko’s contract, which expires at the end of the season.

The first-round selection will be the later of the two the Rangers currently have (NYR and DAL). Since the Dallas pick is also top-10 protected from the Nils Lundkvist trade, if it moves to 2024, the Blues will receive the later of the two next year. The fourth will become a third-round pick if the Rangers make the playoffs this season.

It’s a significant return for the Blues, but likely still one that fans will be disappointed with. Tarasenko has been a favorite in St. Louis for more than a decade, and was a key part of the franchise’s first (and only) Stanley Cup championship in 2019. The 31-year-old sniper has eclipsed the 30-goal mark in six different seasons, including last year when he came back from multiple shoulder injuries to post 34 goals and 82 points in 75 games.

This year hasn’t gone quite as well, with just ten tallies and 29 points in 38 games for the big Russian, but he is still one of the most feared shooters in the league and should fit right in next to good friend Artemi Panarin in New York. The Rangers had been linked to other players like Patrick Kane and Timo Meier to fill that spot but will end up with a player who not so long ago requested a trade out of St. Louis.

Tarasenko needed to waive his no-trade clause for this to happen, but that never seemed like much of an issue for a contending, big market team like New York. He’ll now get to showcase his skills down the stretch and try to land another huge contract on the open market. His current eight-year, $60MM deal will expire in a few months, and while the Rangers could potentially extend him, they have some other negotiations on the horizon. This could end up being a pure rental, if Tarasenko is demanding anything close to the $7.5MM cap hit he currently carries.

Not to be overlooked in this trade is Mikkola, who had drummed up his own interest as the deadline approached. The 26-year-old defenseman is a big, physical presence that can handle tough minutes against good players, even if he isn’t going to contribute offensively. The Rangers already have enough defenders who can move the puck – adding a player like Mikkola will give them some added depth for what they hope is a long playoff run.

Blais heads back to St. Louis after a short unsuccessful stint in New York. The 26-year-old was part of the Pavel Buchnevich trade in the summer of 2021, and was expected to be a heart-and-soul bottom sixer for years to come. Instead, he suffered an early injury that limited him to just 14 games in 2021-22 and has never been able to recapture the upside he showed in St. Louis. Through 54 games for New York, Blais failed to score even a single goal, recording nine points along the way.

Skinner, 21, has split this season between the ECHL and AHL, and is likely only included to balance out the contracts. The fourth-round pick has two points in eight games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, and is far from adding any value at the NHL level.

Adding a first-round pick in this year’s draft is a big addition for St. Louis though, especially for a player who they had no real chance of re-signing. A split was coming one way or the other with Tarasenko, and now the Blues have some extra ammunition to use in the offseason. As we discussed recently in the St. Louis deadline primer, general manager Doug Armstrong has followed this playbook before. Sell expiring veteran contract for picks, flip picks into valuable NHL talent at the draft. We’ll have to see if that’s what is in store this time, but it’s no rebuild in St. Louis. With Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou locked in long-term, the team will build around a new core and see if they can get back to the playoffs next season.

It also isn’t the end of the dealing for Armstrong. The team still has Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev, among others, to trade at the deadline if necessary. In the span of a few weeks the cupboards in St. Louis could look a lot more full.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to break the news that Tarasenko had been traded. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New York Rangers Reassign Will Cuylle

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Feb 9: Cuylle has now been sent back to the AHL. He played just 7:44 in the team’s win over Vancouver last night.

Feb 5: In addition to the recall of Sammy Blais that was reported yesterday, the Rangers have plucked another forward from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Will Cuylle has been called up to the team’s active roster, having been sent down from the NHL on January 28th as the Rangers prepared for a lengthy break.

Cuylle, 21, made his NHL debut on January 25th, and has played in a total of two NHL games. He didn’t see very many minutes in those two games, averaging around six minutes per night. Accordingly, he didn’t make much of an impact, save for when he registered his first career fight in a bout against Vegas Golden Knights grinder Keegan Kolesar.

At the AHL level, Cuylle has been more effective. Ranked as one of the Rangers’ better prospects since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Cuylle has made his pro debut this season and done decently well. He’s scored 21 points in 42 games, which is just four points off of the team lead. He also leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 14.

Cuylle was a prolific scorer at the OHL level, scoring 80 points in his final junior season serving as captain of the Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers are hopeful that he can become an impactful physical presence with some goal-scoring touch at the NHL level.

The recall of Cuylle and the prior recall of Blais give the Rangers a full 23-man roster. That has some significance, as if the Rangers opted to keep a bare-minimum roster, they could bank more cap space to be able to use at the trade deadline. They currently stand to have over $6MM to work with at the deadline, but that number could be impacted by the Rangers using more cap space to fill a full roster.

Filip Chytil Contract Looms On Horizon

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Things just got more difficult for the New York Rangers, argues Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who posits the Dylan Cozens contract will have a serious effect on negotiations with Filip Chytil this offseason. The 23-year-old Chytil has 32 points in 43 games this season and is currently on a five-game goal streak, bringing his total to a career-high 19 on the year.

With the Rangers looking destined for the playoffs and connected to just about every high-profile trade target, they’ll have to remember to leave enough room to extend their young breakout center. New contracts are also due for several others, including K’Andre Miller, who has flashed his own moments of superstar talent this season.

  • Speaking of high-profile trade targets, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier has been connected to the Rangers, and the club is listed in Matt Larkin’s deep dive today for Daily Faceoff as a potential destination. The piece looks at five landing spots and how Meier would fit in, both this season and on a potential extension. There will be endless speculation regarding the winger over the next few weeks as he enters deadline season with plenty of heat.

Rangers Recall Sammy Blais

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It’s not too often we see transactions during All-Star weekend but the Rangers made a roster move today.  They brought back winger Sammy Blais from his conditioning loan, per the AHL’s transactions log.

It was a successful stint with AHL Hartford for the 26-year-old.  He had a two-goal effort last night against Utica and wound up with four goals in five games in his first minor league action since the 2018-19 season.  Unfortunately for both Blais and New York, that’s basically the only success that he has had this season as things simply haven’t gone well at the NHL level.  He has just five assists in 38 games on the fourth line which is hardly what they were expecting from him when they acquired him from St. Louis as part of the Pavel Buchnevich trade in 2021.  He actually hasn’t scored for the Rangers since being acquired as he missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Blais is in the final year of his contract which carries a $1.525MM cap hit; he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  At this point, a return to New York seems unlikely and he’s a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline as a salary offset if GM Chris Drury is able to make a big splash on the trade front.  With his time in the minors going well, it’ll be interesting to see if Blais will be back in the lineup when their schedule resumes on Monday against Calgary in an effort to try to boost his value heading into next month’s trade deadline.

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