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Los Angeles Kings To Acquire, Extend Pierre-Luc Dubois

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Perhaps the first true blockbuster deal of the offseason has finally materialized. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports the Los Angeles Kings are acquiring center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets, who receive a significant return in Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round draft pick in 2024, originally belonging to the Montreal Canadiens. Per NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, Dubois is signing an eight-year extension (technically with Winnipeg before the trade) worth $8.5MM per season.

Dubois arrived in Winnipeg over two years ago in a star-for-star trade that saw Patrik Laine head to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The two players were selected third and second overall, respectively, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. It looked like a rather disappointing trade for both sides at the time – Dubois had just 20 points in 41 games down the stretch with the Jets in 2020-21 and played a decidedly middle-six role, barely averaging over 15 minutes per game.

Things took a dramatic turn for the better over the following two seasons, though. Fresh off back-to-back 60-point seasons for the first time in his career, Dubois is now entering his prime and much closer to the player everyone thought he could be. He won’t impress anyone defensively, but he’s a very high-end play driver and is a good weapon on the power play.

It’s a fresh start for Dubois on the West Coast. He’s long been posturing to get himself traded to a larger market, although most had assumed until recent weeks that it would be the Montreal Canadiens. With Winnipeg looking to retool on the fly, though, the Kings’ package of NHL-ready talent was a much more appealing return.

That being said, this is a lot to give up (and an awfully rich extension) for Dubois, who’s a good top-six center but not a bonafide first-line pivot. Vilardi, the 11th overall pick in 2017, finally broke out this season in a big way after multiple serious injuries derailed his development. The 23-year-old notched 41 points in 63 games, played a great possession game, and could very well replace Dubois’ role in the Jets lineup on his own. With the addition of Iafallo, who’s a very strong middle-six two-way winger, it seems those two on their own might have been enough value to land Dubois. He had 36 points in 59 games last year, on pace for a career-high of 50 in a full season.

Add in Kupari, who doesn’t have a terribly high ceiling but is an established NHLer who appeared in 66 regular-season games and six playoff games this year, and Winnipeg’s got three fresh pieces to help kickstart a significant retool. The 2024 second-round pick is also a very nice addition for the Jets – it finds its way to them via the Canadiens and Coyotes, switching hands in the Christian Dvorak and Sean Durzi trades.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Athletic’s Murat Ates was first to report the package was in place.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Acquire Mackenzie Blackwood

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The San Jose Sharks have reportedly acquired goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils, per Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The Sharks are sending a sixth-round pick in an undisclosed year to the Devils for the netminder, which checks an item off the Devils’ long offseason checklist.

Once a highly-regarded up-and-comer, things have gone spectacularly off the rails for Blackwood in recent seasons, mainly due to injury troubles. Selected 42nd overall in 2015, Blackwood posted a 22-14-8 record in 43 starts during his rookie season in 2019-20 and finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting. He’s started just 79 games in the three seasons since then, achieving just a .897 save percentage and a 33-33-10 record. For a team looking to contend for the Cup next season, it’s simply not good enough – especially for the $3.36MM qualifying offer he was due as a pending restricted free agent.

The Sharks, who are in desperate need of a netminder, get their fix with another reclamation project. They’ll have no issue accommodating whatever they’ll end up signing Blackwood to, entering the offseason with over $14MM in projected cap space (CapFriendly).

For now, he’ll form a tandem in the Bay Area with Kaapo Kahkonen, who’s under contract at a $2.75MM cap hit in 2023-24 and posted similarly poor numbers this past season. Both are 26 years old, and the Sharks will need to work with both closely to restore their career trajectories.

Blackwood’s still a netminder with plenty of NHL experience, though, and a sixth-round pick is certainly worth the gamble on the netminder. With his play sharply declining, though, there didn’t seem to be a ton of interest on the trade market, so New Jersey had to settle.

Latest On Travis Sanheim

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The Philadelphia Flyers will be one of the hottest names in trade talks all offseason long, and the second domino fell earlier today with Kevin Hayes getting shipped to St. Louis. One name supposed to be included in that trade was defenseman Travis Sanheim, who remains a Flyer thanks to Blues defenseman Torey Krug’s no-trade clause eliminating all the ancillary parts of the proposed deal.

It remains clear, though, that Sanheim is a highly sought-after asset – he was expected to fetch Krug and a first-round pick from St. Louis (either 25th or 29th overall) in return. Teams are still calling on him, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, says The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.

Sanheim, a former first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, is Philadelphia’s most competent all-around defenseman and has been for the past few seasons. His stock took a small hit in 2022-23, seeing his offense dip to 23 points in 81 games and his defensive play falter at times, and it certainly wasn’t the best timing with an eight-year, $50MM extension with trade protection set to kick in on July 1. It seems at least a few teams are attributing that to the team around him, though, and they believe the 27-year-old is still a high-end top-four defender.

Despite having many holes to fill among their forward group, the Maple Leafs seem to keep popping up in conversations surrounding marquee defenders on the trade market. While they were already linked to Erik Karlsson earlier today, acquiring Sanheim would be a more financially sensible and palatable move for their needs. Sanheim would slot behind Morgan Rielly on the team’s depth chart of left-shot defenders, likely kicking Jake McCabe over to the right side and keeping 39-year-old Mark Giordano in a bottom-pairing role. Toronto’s been reported to have their first-round pick, 28th overall, on the block for more immediate boosts to their lineup.

The Winnipeg Jets are scouring the trade market for talent, looking to retool on the fly and keep their team competitive despite the impending departures (via trade or buyout) of Blake Wheeler, Connor Hellebuyck, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of roster room for Sanheim with the Jets, so a potential trade could involve the final season of Brenden Dillon’s contract at a $3.9MM cap hit heading to the Flyers. The 32-year-old Jets defender does not carry trade protection.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Alex Newhook

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Rumors had been swirling the past few days regarding the Montreal Canadiens wanting to get their hands on a young forward. They’ve done just that, making a trade with the Colorado Avalanche to acquire the rights to promising young center Alex Newhook, parting ways with their 31st and 37th overall picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, along with defenseman Gianni Fairbrother.

Already a Stanley Cup champion, the St. John’s, Newfoundland-born Newhook recorded 14 goals and 16 assists in 82 regular-season games for the Avalanche in 2022-23. They’re nice totals, but Colorado was expecting (hoping?) for him to take over the second-line center spot – a job he lost weeks into the season to J.T. Compher. After recording just one assist in seven playoff games in a first-round loss against the Seattle Kraken, the Avalanche evidently felt it was time to cut ties and get two decent draft picks in a loaded 2023 class.

A first-round pick of the Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft (16th overall), the 5-foot-10, 190-pound center has accumulated 27 goals and 39 assists in 159 career games. He recorded four assists in 12 playoff games during Colorado’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup.

For Montreal, this is awfully reminiscent of last year’s Kirby Dach trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. They’re hoping to strike gold twice after Dach emerged as a legit top-six threat for the Habs in 2022-23. In order to do that, though, they’ll need to get Newhook signed to a new contract – he’s a pending restricted free agent. It shouldn’t be much of an issue with Carey Price’s $10.5MM cap hit destined for long-term injured reserve yet again in 2023-24. NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston says the two sides don’t have an extension in place yet.

It did take a little more value from Montreal’s end to acquire Newhook than it did Dach, though. The late first and early second-round picks in this draft are arguably equivalent to late first-round picks in last year’s, although the 22-year-old Fairbrother is a bit of a wild card after missing the entire 2022-23 season with a knee injury. Montreal had used the 77th overall pick on him in 2019.

Multiple Teams Engaging In Erik Karlsson Trade Talks

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An expectedly hot trade market could soon see a rather Earth-shattering trade. Newly-crowned Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks has been on the trade block for quite some time, and he’s made it known he’d like to get dealt to a contender.

Now, we have some clarity on some teams EK65 could suit up for next season. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Seattle Kraken have reportedly initiated discussions with the Sharks regarding the possibility of acquiring the star defenseman, says Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun also indicates, though, that Karlsson has not yet provided Sharks general manager Mike Grier with a list of preferred destinations, leaving the trade negotiations as an “open canvas.”

Karlsson boasts a massive $11.5MM cap hit through 2027 and has long been considered one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league. However, injuries had plagued the Swedish defenseman in recent seasons, dampening his on-ice impact. 2022-23 saw him shake off most of the rust, though, becoming the first defenseman to record 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. Nevertheless, his defensive deficiencies combined with the concern for re-injury will likely involve the Sharks, and potentially a third party, retaining massive amounts of his salary.

The Maple Leafs are definitely the team who would need the most help via salary retention to get a deal done. They are slated to have around $14.75MM in cap space with defenseman Jake Muzzin headed for long-term injured reserve, but they need to fill at least five roster spots at forward and get a new contract signed for netminder Ilya Samsonov. A trade, however unlikely it may seem, could include T.J. Brodie, who’s locked in at a $5MM cap hit next season and is a UFA in 2024. Karlsson would essentially replace his spot in the lineup.

Few teams would complement Karlsson’s puck-moving style as well as Carolina. This is likely a fallback option for them if they can’t reach an extension with Brett Pesce, although it’s hard to imagine two players at further ends of the defense spectrum. One would have to wonder about the necessity of acquiring Karlsson for the ’Canes, though, as a former teammate of Karlsson’s,  Brent Burns, is already under contract through 2025, and they’re still working on acquiring Anthony DeAngelo from the Philadelphia Flyers (which, legally, can’t be completed for another few weeks for cap circumvention purposes).

As for the Kraken, the budding franchise has apparently wasted no time in trying to solidify themselves as a championship contender after winning their first playoff series this spring. They’ve got a bevy of talented forwards and a true four-line attack, but their biggest roster hole lies with a second-pairing right-shot defenseman behind shutdown stalwart Adam Larsson. They do have the cap room to make it work – their only notable expenditure this offseason will be re-signing blueliner Vince Dunn, which could cost them around $7MM per season. It still would leave them with about $13MM in cap space and very few other roster holes to fill, making this a very doable task for the Kraken with 35-50% salary retention.

More to come…

St. Louis Blues Acquire Kevin Hayes

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The wait is over, and it’s a bit of a letdown. The long-winded trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues is complete, and center Kevin Hayes will be heading to the Blues for a 2024 sixth-round pick, the teams announced.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the Flyers, as expected, will be retaining half of Hayes’ salary for the life of his contract. For the next three seasons, both the Flyers and Blues will be on the hook for $3.57MM in cap space for Hayes.

Fans of both teams were expecting a much larger deal to come through, but with Blues defenseman Torey Krug reportedly opting not to waive his no-trade clause, the additional pieces in the trade, expected to be Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim and one of St. Louis’ late first-round picks in this week’s draft, were removed.

While most would agree Hayes was overpaid on his deal, earning him more than $7MM, a 50 percent discount is an extremely appealing acquisition for the retooling Blues. He’s still a capable middle-six center, and his acquisition will alleviate Pavel Buchnevich, allowing him to return to his natural spot on the wing after shifting to center at the end of 2022-23.

St. Louis will be Hayes’ fourth team in his nine-year, 634-game NHL career. He’s had consistent offensive production throughout his career, routinely scoring between 40 and 55 points (at least in full seasons), but he was given far too lofty expectations when he signed in Philadelphia.

The messaging is clear here from the Flyers’ side: a rebuild is here, and it’s massive. Opting to retain a decent chunk of change on Hayes for three seasons – with essentially no compensation – signals they don’t anticipate spending to the cap ceiling anytime soon.

While moving on from Hayes doesn’t free up cap space that the Flyers need to use, it does free up some needed roster spots down the middle of the ice. Both Morgan Frost and Noah Cates are in line for more ice time after strong campaigns in 2022-23, and with Sean Couturier slated to return to play next season, Hayes could have pushed one (or both) of Cates and Frost into a bottom-six role.

Hayes’ 54 points in 81 games last season would have ranked fifth on the Blues. He’ll likely slot into a third-line center spot there behind Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn, although he could overtake Schenn on the depth chart if things go well.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report the trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Sign Trey Fix-Wolansky To Extension

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve re-signed winger Trey Fix-Wolansky to a two-year two-way contract extension that will carry him through the 2024-25 season. The former seventh-round pick would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024-25 but has elected the security of his two-year deal. Fix-Wolansky will count $775K while in the NHL but will make $350K in 2023-24 and $375K in 2024-25 in the AHL. He gets a minimum guaranteed salary of $425K and $450K in the respective years of his extension.

The 24-year-old had an offensive breakout last season while in the AHL. In 61 games he set career highs with the Cleveland Monsters as he put up 29 goals and 42 assists. These numbers eclipsed his combined career numbers from his previous three seasons in the AHL. Fix-Wolansky was also honored by being named to the second AHL All-star team for the first time in his career.

At the NHL level the Edmonton native has dressed in 15 games for Columbus in parts of two seasons posting two goals and a single assist while averaging just over 10 minutes a night. The undersized forward stands just 5’7” and weighs 178 pounds but has learned to play with an edge as his career has gone on. Last season he dressed in just nine games in the NHL but managed to put up 11 hits.

The signing is very low risk for the Blue Jackets as they try to build up some depth in their forward ranks. Most of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen’s moves this offseason have been made to address their defense, but their forward group certainly needs work as well. Fix-Wolansky won’t be an improvement to the group, but he does offer them a talented, albeit undersized 13th forward who can shuffle back and forth between the AHL and the NHL.

Nashville Predators Sign Jake Livingstone To Extension

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The Nashville Predators announced this morning that they have re-signed defenseman Jake Livingstone to a two-year two-way contract extension. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut this past season dressing in five games for the Predators, posting a single assist. Livingstone struggled for the most part as he was caved in while on the ice at even strength. The two-way extension makes sense as it appears the young defender needs time in the AHL to develop.

Livingstone signed a one-year ELC this past spring to join the Predators for the remainder of the season after spending three years in the NCAA with Minnesota State where he had 21 goals and 59 assists in 91 career games. The native of Creston, BC finished off his college career by being named to the All-CCHA First Team and also won the conference’s Defenseman of the Year award for the second straight season.

Before enrolling at Minnesota State, Livingstone spent four years in the BCHL with the Langley Rivermen. In 185 career BCHL games, he posted 22 goals and 82 assists and was named to the BCHL’s Second All-Star Team in his final season.

With his two-year extension, Livingstone will count $775K against the salary cap while in the NHL and will make $82,500 while in the AHL. For a player who was never drafted and never played major junior hockey it’s a pretty good outcome. He isn’t the best skater in the world, but he has good size standing 6’3” tall and weighing in at 205 pounds. If he can improve his puck handling and skating, he could become a valuable bottom-pairing defenseman for the Predators as they navigate their first rebuild in a long time.

Blackhawks Sign Nick Foligno To One-Year Contract

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks have wasted little time in moving to sign forward Nick Foligno as he has accepted a one-year contract for $4MM. Foligno was traded yesterday by the Boston Bruins in what amounts to a salary dump as the Bruins scramble to gain cap space before free agency opens on July 1st. He was traded along with Taylor Hall for the rights to RFAs Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. Foligno will be joining the fifth organization in his 16-year career having also spent time with the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 35-year-old spent two years with the Bruins after signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent in July 2021. His first year in Boston was largely forgettable as he put up career lows with two goals and 11 assists in 64 games. However, last season he was able to double his output with 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games while finding more of a role in Boston’s dominant forward group.

At this point in his career, Foligno is more of a third-liner but he will likely be asked to take some top-6 minutes in Chicago’s weak forward group unless they make significant upgrades over the summer. It should be interesting to see how he acclimates himself as he moves from the President’s Trophy winner to a team that could very well find itself near the bottom of the league standings.

From Chicago’s perspective, there is little downside to this move. While it is certainly a dramatic overpay for an aging forward, they must reach the cap floor and Foligno should provide some good veteran leadership throughout the season. Chicago will likely have to overpay any other free agent acquisitions as well since the season ahead will be a bumpy one in the windy city.

St. Louis Blues Issue Three Qualifying Offers

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The St. Louis Blues have extended qualifying offers to three of their six pending restricted free agents, retaining the negotiating rights to forwards Hugh McGing and Alexey Toropchenko, as well as defenseman Tyler Tucker.

Notably, forward Logan Brown and defenseman Dmitri Samorukov were not issued qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents on July 1 if they’re not qualified within three days. AHL defenseman Brady Lyle was also left unqualified.

A 2018 fifth-round pick, McGing made his NHL debut two months ago and is making strides in the minors. The 24-year-old picked up a career-high 17 goals, 22 assists, and 39 points in 71 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he’ll likely return next season.

Toropchenko, also 24, became a full-time NHLer this season, a role he’s expected to reprise in 2023-24. Selected a year before McGing in the draft, Toropchenko recorded 19 points in 69 games with the Blues and is developing into a capable bottom-six piece. If he signs his qualifying offer, he’ll be retained next season on a two-way deal worth $787.5K in the NHL, although he’ll likely negotiate (and receive) a higher-paying one-way deal.

Tucker, the 200th overall selection in 2018, is an outside candidate to crack the Blues’ lineup out of camp next season after some strong defensive showings in the minors. He got 26 games in the NHL lineup with St. Louis last year, too, recording four points and a -9 rating. The hard-nosed defender posted 21 points in 41 games with Springfield and will also earn $787.5K in the NHL on a two-way deal if he accepts his qualifying offer.

As part of this, the Blues are parting ways with a couple of reclamation projects that didn’t pan out in Brown and Samorukov. The Blues acquired Brown, the 11th overall pick in 2016, from the Senators in September of 2021 in exchange for forward Zach Sanford. He’s managed 69 games for the Blues across two seasons since then but scored just six goals and 17 points while continuing to struggle with injuries. If he stays with an NHL organization, he’ll be settling for a two-way deal on the open market. Europe is also a strong possibility for the 6-foot-6, 25-year-old center.

The Blues also acquired Samorukov in a swap, getting him in exchange for Klim Kostin from the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. He appeared in just two games for the Blues and took a step back defensively in the minors after the trade, posting just 20 points in 69 games for Springfield and a +1 rating after besting both those paces the year prior in the Oilers organization. A return to Russia could be in the cards for him.

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