Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Alec Martinez

Central Notes: Stars, Dumba, Gustafsson, Martinez

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The long-term injury to Stars center Tyler Seguin has many believing that the Stars will be very aggressive on the trade market.  However, Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek wonders if they might wait until after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to make any big splash on the trade front.  For starters, that would allow them to bank more in-season cap space but it would also allow them to hedge their bets in case goaltender Jake Oettinger was injured in the event.  Marek adds that among the areas that GM Jim Nill will be targeting between now and the March 7th deadline is getting tougher towards the bottom end of their forward group.

More from the Central Division:

  • Still with Dallas, defenseman Matt Dumba didn’t take part in practice today, per Brian Rea of Victory+ (Twitter link). Head coach Peter DeBoer indicated the blueliner will be re-assessed as a precautionary measure.  It hasn’t been a great year for the 30-year-old as he has been limited to just one assist in 19 games so far while logging 15:33 per game, his lowest ATOI since his first NHL action back in 2013-14.  That’s not a great return on a $3.75MM price tag that runs through next season.
  • Jets head coach Scott Arniel told reporters including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that center David Gustafsson is in concussion protocol. The 24-year-old was injured in a fight against Boston on Tuesday.  Gustafsson has been limited to just three games this season where he has yet to record a point.  He’ll now be waiting at least a little while to add to that games played total.
  • After missing time with an upper-body injury earlier this season, Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez is dealing with a recurrence of that injury, causing him to leave practice early today, relays Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 37-year-old has been limited to just 15 games in his first season with Chicago and has four points while averaging a little over 20 minutes a night, an ATOI mark he last reached in 2020-21 with Vegas.

Blackhawks’ Petr Mrazek, Alec Martinez To Miss Time With Injury

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks lost both the game and two lineup pillars, in Saturday night’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Starting goaltender Petr Mrazek suffered a lower-body injury just 10 minutes in after getting his leg inadvertently swept from under him by Jets forward Mason Appleton – captured by Charlie Roumeliotis of Chicago’s WGN Radio. Mrazek was in pain immediately and left the game after a few minutes of trying to play through the injury. Two periods later, defender Alec Martinez seemed to suffer a face injury on an Adam Lowry shot that deflected under his visor. Martinez went to the ice immediately and was helped to the locker room by trainers.

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen shared in his first post-game press conference that both players would miss “a little bit” of time, per Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times.

It’s polarizing injury news for both players, for opposite reasons. Mrazek has been an iron-man in Chicago’s net, not suffering a notable injury since a groin injury limited him through the first half of the 2022-23 season. He was placed on injured reserve twice that year but still played in 39 games – recording 10 wins and a .894 save percentage. With a bill of full health, Mrazek did much more to embrace Chicago’s starting role last season, netting 18 wins and a .908 save percentage in 56 games. He was on track to repeat those numbers this year, with seven wins and a .906 in 20 games so far, but could now be headed for another extended absence due to a lower-body injury.

Mrazek’s absence would bump Arvid Soderblom into the Blackhawks’ starter’s crease, giving the 23-year-old a chance to build on his .915 save percentage through eight games this season. It’s Soderblom’s first NHL season with a save percentage above .900 – though he has a measly 1-6-1 record to go along with it. A chance at the starting role would be a chance for Soderblom to gain ground over Mrazek and injured backup Laurent Brossoit, who isn’t expected to make his season debut until late January due to a knee injury. Brossoit posted a .927 save percentage in 23 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season.

Meanwhile, Martinez is once again set to miss time with injury. The 37-year-old defender spent just under a month on injured reserve with a groin injury earlier this season, forcing him to miss 12 games. It’ll be a second year of multiple injuries for Martinez, who missed 27 games of the Vegas Golden Knights season last year with lower-body injuries. He signed a one-year, $4MM contract with the Blackhawks this summer, set on providing a much-needed veteran presence on the Chicago blue-line. He’s been heavily utilized when healthy, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time through 15 appearances this season, though he only has four points to show for it. That includes Martinez’s first goal as a Blackhawk, which he scored in the first period of Saturday’s game.

Chicago will need to lean even further on their young, depth defenders with Martinez set to join top defender Seth Jones on the absentee list. Nolan Allan has stepped into the lineup for Jones, while Louis Crevier will likely be the first to receive minutes in place of Martinez. Chicago could also call-up Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, or Kevin Korchinski to fill-in, depending on how much time Martinez is expected to miss. Allan leads Chicago’s injury fill-ins in games and scoring, with four assists through 20 appearances this year.

Central Notes: Brodin, Martinez, Jets

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and is being called day-to-day (as per Michael Russo of The Athletic).  The 31-year-old has become somewhat injury-prone in the last few seasons and appeared in just 62 games last year for the Wild. This season, Brodin has dressed in 15 contests and has registered one goal and five assists for six points.

Brodin’s injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue, but the frequency of his injuries is likely starting to concern him and the Wild. Especially given that the Karlstad, Sweden native has three years left on his current contract at a cap hit of $6MM annually.

In other Central Division Notes:

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez will be a game-time decision this evening when the Blackhawks take on the Seattle Kraken (as per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). Martinez was activated off injured reserve earlier today and while his move paves the way for him to return to action, the team will decide closer to puck drop. No word yet on who will come out of the lineup if Martinez does return. The 37-year-old is in his first year with the Blackhawks after signing a one-year $4MM deal as a free agent this past summer. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion has played just four games this year and is -1 with a single assist.
  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the red-hot Winnipeg Jets could be looking to add to their already impressive lineup. Winnipeg is off to an incredible 15-1-0 start to the season and looks to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the first month and a half of the season. Pagnotta notes that the Jets have a good chunk of cap space that could be utilized to add to the roster if they are so inclined. Pagnotta believes that Winnipeg would target a defenseman if they were to make a move in the season and mentions Penguins defender Marcus Pettersson as a possibility. Given that Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas just declared nearly the whole Penguins roster is available, it is highly likely that Pettersson is in play. If Winnipeg was to show interest in the 28-year-old they would likely be competing with much of the league for the services of the stable defender.

Blackhawks Reassign Isaak Phillips

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Isaak Phillips to AHL Rockford, per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports. His roster spot is expected to go to Alec Martinez, who’s almost ready to come off injured reserve after missing the last 12 games with a groin injury, relays Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720.

Phillips, 23, has had a bit of a roller-coaster season. Chicago placed the defender on waivers the day before opening night rosters were due but didn’t assign him to the minors after clearing. He stuck around for a few days, serving as a healthy scratch for their season opener against Utah before being demoted to Rockford to begin the season. He was recalled again for a brief stretch in mid-October without playing before heading back down to Rockford.

The Blackhawks then summoned Phillips for a second time on Oct. 29, which yielded his first three NHL appearances of the season earlier this month. The 2020 fifth-round pick scored a goal, just his second in the NHL, and averaged 11:54 per game while recording four blocks, three hits and two giveaways. Phillips struggled to make a positive possession impact at even strength, posting a career-worst 35.4 CF% and 31.8 xGF%.

Phillips, an Ontario native, played a career-high 33 games last season, recording six assists and a -26 rating. The stay-at-home defender has been solid overall in Rockford over the past four seasons since turning pro during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a 10-goal, 25-point campaign in 64 games in the 2021-22 season. Last year also saw him log four goals and 10 assists in 29 appearances for the AHL club with a +7 rating. This year, he’s yet to record a point in two appearances for Rockford.

Phillips will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the season. He was an RFA for the first time this past summer, eventually coming to terms with Chicago on a two-way deal ($775K/$350K) in late July. He’d been a healthy scratch in two straight before today’s demotion.

Meanwhile, Martinez will practice in full on Wednesday before traveling with the team on their road trip, head coach Luke Richardson told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Blackhawks don’t play again until Thursday in Seattle, so Martinez still has a few days to complete his recovery before returning to game action.

Central Notes: Predators, Drouin, Seguin, Martinez

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Nashville Predators were expecting better than a 4-7-1 record through the first month of the regular season, especially after spending $108.5MM to bring in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in free agency. Still, despite the poor start, it doesn’t appear the team is ready to hit the panic button yet.

In an article from The Fourth Period, David Pagnotta said, “Barry Totz is certainly going to be doing his due diligence and looking around to see what may be available down the road. But right now, as you mentioned, four points out of a playoff spot, despite their rough start to the new season, I don’t really get the sense that they’re looking or itching to make an impact type of move or a panic type of move just now.”

The issues in Nashville fall on both sides of the ice. The offense hasn’t generated much enthusiasm with 2.42 GF/G and the defense hasn’t been able to hold down the fort with a 3.42 GA/G through 12 games. There are still some encouraging signs with the Predators sitting eighth in the league with a 52.8% CorsiFor% and the biggest disparity in actual goal differential minus expected goal differential according to Hockey Reference. Time will tell if Nashville has fundamental problems with their play or if they have to wait a bit longer for pucks to start bouncing their way.

Other Central notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche are already getting a major boost to their forward core with the return of Artturi Lehkonen. According to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports, the team could get another reinforcement in the form of Jonathan Drouin. Angley shares that Drouin is close to returning from his upper-body injury which has kept him sidelined for much of the year aside from the opening contest. Lehkonen and the return of Drouin give Colorado two bonafide top-six wingers with Valeri Nichushkin expected to return in a few days.
  • Thanks to a lower-body injury, Dallas Stars veteran forward Tyler Seguin has only participated in seven of the team’s 11 contests. Robert Tiffin of D Magazine shares that the lower-body injury shouldn’t keep Seguin out for an extended time but it will likely be something the team has to manage all year. Seguin may inevitably land around his 2023-24 totals of 68 games played but has gotten off to a strong start this year with five goals and nine points in his limited action.
  • Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks reports veteran defenseman Alec Martinez resumed skating this morning before the team’s practice. Martinez, who brings Stanley Cup pedigree to a relatively young Blackhawks roster, has been sidelined on October 15th due to a right groin injury. In his stead, Chicago has relied on a combination of young defensemen Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser, and Alex Vlasic on the left side of the defense.

Blackhawks’ Alec Martinez, Laurent Brossoit To Remain Out Through October

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks must continue leaning on their youth, with defenseman Alec Martinez and goaltender Laurent Brossoit out for at least three more games, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Blackhawks have three games remaining on a five-game road trip that neither Martinez nor Brossoit will join, meaning the next chance for either to return will come when Chicago hosts Detroit on November 6th. Isaak Phillips and Arvid Soderblom are currently replacing the duo.

Brossoit began the year on IR following knee surgery in late August. Because of the injury, he missed the entirety of training camp and opening day. In September, he received a four-week prognosis that will now be pushed into five weeks or more with the latest update. Brossoit will make his Blackhawks debut whenever he does return, joining the team on a two-year, $6.6MM contract this summer after just missing out on the William M. Jennings Trophy alongside Connor Hellebuyck last season.

While Hellebuyck is undoubtedly an all-time great, Brossoit has flashed tons of upside of his own, posting a .927 SV% through 34 games across the last two seasons. He’s up to a .911 SV% across 140 career games, though he’s yet to appear in 25 games in a single season. Brossoit could leapfrog over Soderblom when he returns and may even find his way into a starting role, with Hawks starter Petr Mrazek boasting a measly .896 through eight games this season.

Martinez will also prove a notable addition when he returns. He filled a top-pair role through Chicago’s first four games and proved impactful despite recording just one assist. Martinez spent the last five years with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he routinely handled top-end minutes – when he could stay healthy. He scored 49 points across 221 games in Sin City but missed 91 regular season games with injury. He’ll try to buck the trend while handling plenty of responsibility when Chicago returns home.

Blackhawks Place Alec Martinez On IR, Recall Isaak Phillips

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Scott Powers of The Athletic reported early today that Alec Martinez would not be in the lineup tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks while dealing with a lower-body injury. The organization confirmed Martinez would be out of the lineup for today and then some by placing him on injured reserve and recalling Isaak Phillips from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Chicago specified Martinez’s injury in the announcement saying it’s located in his right groin. His absence from the Blackhawks weakens an already scant left side of the Chicago defense. The organization signed Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract this past offseason hoping to add some veteran leadership and Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. The Rochester Hills, MI native has tallied one assist in four games for Chicago up to this point in the season while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.

Phillips already gets his second look with the Blackhawks after being demoted to the AHL exactly one week ago. The former fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft may see some time next to Connor Murphy on the team’s bottom-pairing although Powers confirmed this morning that Nolan Allan would be making his second NHL appearance.

Phillips split time between Chicago and Rockford last season scoring four goals and 14 points in 29 games for the latter. Depending on the number of injuries to the Blackhawks’ blue line this season, Phillips should be a frequent recipient of similar roster moves. Chicago added enough depth up and down their lineup this past offseason allowing prospects such as Phillips to gain more confidence in the minors.

Central Notes: Nashville’s Roster Spots, Lambert, Martinez

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean theorized a few names of who might take one of the last available spots on the Nashville Predators opening night roster. General manager of the organization, Barry Trotz, was quoted as saying, “Realistically, there’s probably three spots and guys are pressing for those three spots“.

Daugherty asserts in his article that the Predators have two open spots at the forward position and one open position on defense. Zach L’Heureux, Juuso Parssinen, Mark Jankowski, and Joakim Kemell strike as the most NHL-ready players at this stage of preseason and may be in the hunt for one of those last two spots on offense. The latter may be a year or two away despite his impressive shot with Trotz saying, “(Kemell’s) s a shooter. That’s what he does. But you’re also looking at the rest of his game. How is he without the puck?“.

There may be less competition on the blue line with Dante Fabbro the odds-on favorite to claim the sixth spot. One defenseman making Trotz’s job harder is Tanner Molendyk, the 24th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. Molendyk is a solid two-way defenseman impressing many at camp but he’s not eligible to play in the AHL until next season being 19 years old. He may get an extended look this preseason compared to his age comparables with Trotz saying, “Molendyk had a perfect camp last year and he’s having a perfect camp this year. I have to assess him and see if he’s better than some of the veteran players“.

Other Central notes:

  • Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Brad Lambert may be further from cracking the opening night roster than expected. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier today that Lambert was not skating with the top group. Head coach Scott Arniel added he might play in tomorrow night’s game against Minnesota but would not guarantee it. Lambert’s coming off of a dominant year with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose with 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games and it will be interesting to see what Winnipeg does with their second-line center if they send him back down to the AHL.
  • Veteran defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks, Alec Martinez, took a maintenance day today after feeling a bit ’banged up’ after last night’s preseason contest according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. Martinez skated on the top-pairing with Seth Jones in the team’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He skated in just under 20 minutes while putting one shot on goal and blocking four.

Blackhawks To Sign Alec Martinez, Laurent Brossoit, Three Others

at CDT | by 18 Comments

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Alec Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract. Additionally — the team has also agreed to terms with goaltender Laurent Brossoit on a two-year, $6.6MM contract, forward Craig Smith on a one-year, $1MM contract, and forward Pat Maroon on a one-year, $1.3MM contract. And while they didn’t qualify him yesterday, winger Joey Anderson is sticking around in Chicago. He’s inking a two-year deal with an $800K cap hit, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports.

The Blackhawks had quite a few dollars to throw around today and this grouping of players doesn’t even represent all of the organization’s signings today. Chicago has taken a major step forward in their rebuild with these moves, as they’ve grabbed arguably the best goaltender available on the market in addition to two veteran talents with Stanley Cup pedigree. Martinez and Maroon have combined for six Stanley Cup rings throughout their careers and will bring a wealth of experience and leadership to Chicago’s lineup.

Martinez recently wrapped up a four-and-a-half season run with the Vegas Golden Knights while he saw his spot on the depth chart slowly deteriorate. After scoring 32 points in 53 games during the 2020-21 season, Martinez fell to 17 points in 59 games this past year while seeing his ice time drop by nearly three minutes on average. Due to the moves Vegas made on their blue line, Martinez’s time with the organization unceremoniously ended.

In terms of production, Maroon and Smith bring similar power to the roster. Both individuals play with a physical edge while Smith can be counted on for more goals. Factoring in the retention of Anderson on a two-year deal, the Blackhawks bottom-six will be significantly harder to play against than just a season ago.

Finishing up with Brossoit, Chicago brings in some help behind Petr Mrazek. Seeking a larger opportunity outside of a backup role, Brossoit should be set to share the net with Mrazek instead of operating behind a more talented netminder. After winning a Stanley Cup Championship with the Vegas Golden Knights, Brossoit returned to the Winnipeg Jets on a one-year deal in which he would produce a 15-5-2 record in 22 games while posting a .927 SV% and 2.00 GAA.

Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.

A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.

More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:

  • The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
  • After making Chris Tanev’s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
  • The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
  • Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top