Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Evander Kane

Snapshots: Scouts, Blackhawks, Yakupov

at CDT | by 4 Comments

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, but not many teams finding themselves out of the playoff race a team like Colorado is becoming the scouting capital for the NHL. Tonight as they take on the Buffalo Sabres in a rare trip to the North East, teams have come out in full force to watch players like Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. Terry Frei of the Denver Post tweeted out the list of scouts in attendance, and it includes 24 names including three from the Maple Leafs and two each from Montreal, Los Angeles, Columbus, Winnipeg and Calgary.

The Maple Leafs in particular have a strong contingent, sending assistant GM Kyle Dubas down in person. The Maple Leafs are being tight-lipped on the status of Mitch Marner after leaving the game last night, though there have been reports of the amount of cap space the team has opened up prior to the deadline. Don’t forget that Buffalo has struggled this year as well, and have multiple players (like Evander Kane) that would be interesting to teams around the league.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have gotten some reinforcements today, bringing Nick Schmaltz and Tanner Kero up from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL according to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago. The Hawks have been off since February 11th on their mandatory bye-week, but get back into the swing of things with three games in four nights (and four in six) starting Saturday.
  • Former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov is back in the St. Louis Blues lineup tonight for the first time in nearly two weeks. With a career almost completely off the rails it will be interesting to see what happens to him at the deadline, and whether a team makes a play for his upside. Still just 23-years old, Yakupov only has six points in 31 games this season and is barely playing over 10 minutes a night whenever he does crack the lineup. He’s arbitration eligible this offseason, and is a clear candidate to not even be tendered a qualifying offer. His $2.5MM salary is currently way more than he is producing, and the QO would need to be the same.

Trade Candidates: Evander Kane

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Evander Kane is one of the game’s gifted talents, but has been a lightning rod for criticism both on and off the ice. From his arrest in Buffalo last July to what Buffalo News scribe Mike Harrington called “shenanigans” in Winnipeg, Kane could be a catch for a team, but come with a “buyer beware” for his past issues.

Contract

Kane is in year five of a six-year, $31.5MM deal. With an AAV of $5.25MM, he would carry a hefty hit for a contender looking to add him.

2016-17

Harrington describes Kane as “an absolute beast.” Though sidelined by injury this season, Kane has played well in the 45 games he’s appeared in. Kane has been complimented for his game by general manager Tim Murray according to a report from WGR 550.  Despite rumors that Vancouver was chasing him back in November, it turned out that he would stay put as Vancouver backed off. With each passing day, the Buffalo forward seems less and less likely to be dealt.

Season Stats

45 GP, 18 G, 10 A, 28 Pts, -9, 79 PIM, 46.9 CF% 18:48 ATOI

Suitors

The cap hit and strong play makes Kane’s value difficult to gauge in terms of where he would land. Buffalo could take some of the salary back, but unless it was a significant return, that seems unlikely. Based on CapFriendly, it would have to be a trade that would offset assets from the other team to balance it financially. The Rangers could be a potential target but with several players due raises next season, it would be too tough financially to massage a deal. Another option? The Blue Jackets, though again, unlikely. While they have the cap room and having another scorer like Kane on the roster would boost their depth in a competitive Metropolitan Division, the logistics of such a trade seem unlikely. The Wild were rumored months ago to be interested, but that chatter never amounted to anything.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Though Kane is playing well and would be an upgrade for any team, it just doesn’t make sense financially for a move and further, why would the Sabres give up on him now? They rode out the storm from last year’s arrest and seeing that this season is already a wash, why not give it one more try next year? The possibility for a trade would be far more likely next season, when the Sabres could wash their hands of the contract, absorb dollars in what would be the final year of his deal, and potentially snag some prospects or a high draft pick in exchange. Until then, it looks like Kane should stay put.

Minor Transactions: 2/9/2017

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

For the third consecutive day no players were placed on waivers, as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet noted this afternoon. However, that doesn’t mean teams aren’t busy calling players up from or sending players to the minor leagues. In this post we’ll track the day’s minor transactions and update as needed.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled forwards Evan Rodrigues and Derek Grant from Rochester. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald added that Zemgus Girgensons wasn’t on the ice for the team’s morning skate and while Evander Kane was, he didn’t take line rushes. The implication being both players might be unavailable tonight thus necessitating the call-ups. Rodrigues has appeared in two games this season, going scoreless while averaging 11:28 of ice time. Grant, who was recently reacquired via waivers from Nashville, has registered four points, all assists, in 41 games. He is still searching for his first NHL goal after seeing action in 81 games over parts of five seasons with Ottawa, Calgary, Buffalo and Nashville.
  • Winger Alex Tuch has been reassigned by the Minnesota Wild to their AHL affiliate in Iowa, the team announced this morning. Tuch, the club’s first-round pick, 18th overall, in the 2014 draft, has appeared in three games this season without netting a point. He’s registered 11 goals and 22 points in 34 AHL contests. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune tweeted that unless the team recalls another forward from the minor then it appears as if Charlie Coyle will move back to the wing with Erik Haula and Tyler Graovac assuming the third and fourth line center slots, respectively.
  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times brings word that the Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned forwards Michael Bournival and Joel Vermin to Syracuse. Smith adds that this could be good news for Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn, as the reassignments leave the team with just 12 healthy forwards – Ryan Callahan is currently on IR. Palat has missed the last two games while Killorn didn’t play in Tampa’s 5 – 0 shutout win over the L.A. Kings.

Tyler Myers Undergoes Surgery; Out At Least 6-8 Weeks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Tyler Myers, who has already missed the last 39 games, will be out at least another 6 – 8 weeks after undergoing surgery yesterday, Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice revealed. The news was announced via the team’s official Twitter account.

At best, Myers will be back around the third week of March, giving him approximately 11 games to shake off the rust. At worst, there may only be a couple of games remaining on the schedule and if the Jets are out of postseason contention at that point, they may decide to pull the plug on a return altogether.

It’s been a disappointing campaign for the 6-foot-8 rearguard, who has appeared in just 11 games on the season for the Jets with two goals and five points. Myers was originally acquired by Winnipeg as part of a February 2015 trade with Buffalo that saw winger Evander Kane head to the Sabres. He registered nine goals and 27 points in 2015-16, his first full campaign as a member of the Jets. He won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2009-10 after a 48-point campaign as a 20-year-old with Buffalo.

The Jets still have talent on the blue line, with Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom and Jacob Trouba all capable, top-four defenseman. However, Myers’ absence has obviously impacted the team’s depth and the Jets could use some help on the third pair, which has struggled at times this season. The situation could prompt the Jets to look to the rental trade market to add a depth defender in the event the worst case scenario plays out and Myers misses the rest of the regular season.

Buffalo Sabres’ Jake McCabe Will Not Return To Game

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

When Jake McCabe headed to the room earlier in tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings there was hope he would return. He’s now been ruled out with a shoulder injury, though it’s unclear how serious it is.

It’s just the latest in a season marred by injury for the Sabres, who have seen Jack Eichel, Zach Bogosian, Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and others all miss time. The team look like it will now be without their top healthy left-handed defenseman, while they still wait for Dmitry Kulikov to make his return. Already a squad heavy on right-handers, Justin Falk now becomes the only healthy lefty.

The Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for another year, and though it’s understandable through all the injuries it’s frustrating for fans of the team. It also must be causing a few gray hairs in the front office, as wasted seasons just bring the team closer to having to pay their young talent much bigger salaries. The team was supposed to take a step forward this year, but with the continuing injuries they just haven’t been able to find much consistency.

Snapshots: Winter Classic, Kane, Devils

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Winter Classic will go ahead as planned this afternoon, despite weather still being a concern. The league considered moving the start time and even perhaps rescheduling the game, but will go forward with the original plan.

A contingency has been announced however. The game must have two completed periods to be official, or else it will be rescheduled at some point at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. If somehow the game is tied after two and also must be cancelled due to weather, the two teams will play in a shootout before their February 26th game at the United Center in Chicago. Both teams will be awarded a point, with the shootout deciding the winner.

While there is a fairly remote chance of that happening, it would be an odd way of ending a game. ’The Classic That Lasted’ or so they’d say.  For now, check out the game at noon as planned.

  • Evander Kane has taken to social media again to show his displeasure with an opponent. After he and Kevan Miller got into a scrum after a whistle in Saturday’s game, the infamous Buffalo forward tweeted out “When a guy pretends to want to fight and only chirps when the 6’6 linesman is standing in the way. #KevanMiller #pretender #stoplying”. Miller, for his part responded by saying that Kane only wanted to fight when the linesmen came in.
  • The New Jersey Devils have dealt with injuries to their top players all season long, and it won’t stop today. Andrew Gross of The Record reports that both Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson did not skate this morning due to illness, and are questionable for tonight’s game. The team did get some good news though, with Taylor Hall returning to practice and scheduled to play in the game. Hall has missed the last two games after coming back from a knee injury earlier in the year.

Ryan O’Reilly Has Emergency Appendectomy, Out Indefinitely (Updated)

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

(Update) 2:30pm: The Sabres announced via Twitter that O’Reilly will need “roughly 10 – 14 days of rest and recovery.”

10:34am: According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, Sabres alternate captain Ryan O’Reilly had an appendectomy on Christmas Day and is out indefinitely. While this isn’t a long-term issue, Buffalo has been struck with injuries all season and won’t get a break any time soon.

The team is at 12-13-8 and has missed O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Jack Eichel and others for lengthy periods already. While the team hoped to have competed for a playoff spot this season after signing Kyle Okposo to a big offseason contract and pursuing several other big-name free agents, they’ve been snake-bitten all year and have fallen further and further behind. Their 32 points puts them dead last in the Atlantic Division, tied with the New York Islanders for last in the conference.

O’Reilly, who missed time with back spasms earlier this year, has been one of their most effective forwards when healthy with 18 points in 27 games. The 25-year old is in the first year of his long-term extension signed in 2015. While his cap hit will be $7.5MM for the next seven seasons, he’ll actually earn $11MM in salary (including signing bonuses) this year.

All Buffalo fans can do is shake their head at this point and hope that a quick return is in the cards for O’Reilly. As Harrington reports, other players like Max Pacioretty, Jamie Benn and Corey Crawford have returned within a few weeks of their surgery.

*Glen Miller contributed to this post.

Snapshots: Kings, Hunlack, Bogosian

at CDT | by 2 Comments

In his latest column, ESPN Insider Pierre LeBrun takes a look at the Los Angeles Kings roster and suggest strategies for the upcoming expansion draft. LeBrun boils the issue down to two names: Brayden McNabb and Dustin Brown. If the team wishes to protect McNabb, they’ll have to go the “eight skaters” option, since Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez will undoubtedly need protection. If they do, they put at risk some of their big names up front, including former captain Dustin Brown. While Brown is coming off the worst year of his career, he’s turned it around a bit this season and may be an interesting option for the Vegas team to bring in a veteran forward who could immediately become their first captain.

On the other hand, if they choose to leave McNabb exposed he may not necessarily be the selection since he only has one year remaining before becoming a highly sought after free agent in 2018. At 27, the shutdown defender would have teams lining up to bring him into the fold, and he’ll be looking for a substantial raise from the $1.8MM he’ll make next season.  For the Kings, just like every other team, the expansion draft will be a game of chicken with George McPhee and the Vegas front office.

  • In Toronto, a nickname has surfaced for the veteran third pairing of Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak; “Hunlack”, as many fans refer to the duo has been chided incessantly by the analytics community for their constant struggle with possession metrics. While the two rank terribly in terms of Corsi and Fenwick, head coach Mike Babcock dismisses the notion that they’re unplayable. When asked by Chris Johnston of Sportsnet what makes up a good game for them, Babcock replied “There’s a bunch of ways to look at the game. So Corsi’s one, maybe. But who turns the video on and rewinds to see if those shots actually hit the net or not? Because our math and theirs don’t add up. So what I do is I say: ’Did the puck go in or did they get scoring chances against?'” While the metrics available to the public don’t necessarily share Babcock’s assesment of the pairing, he does seem to imply that the Maple Leafs’ internal numbers don’t match up exactly.  Perhaps even though ’Hunlack’ doesn’t generate shots like Toronto’s other pairings, they can be effective in other ways – or maybe it’s just talking them up for the trade deadline.
  • For Buffalo, their season-long struggle with injuries is starting to see an end. After Jack Eichel has rejoined the team and shown why he shouldn’t be forgotten as last season’s second-overall pick, the team got more good news today. Zach Bogosian, out since the beginning of November with a knee injury, took full part in today’s practice and should be back before long. Now they just have to figure out a way to motivate Zemgus Girgensons and Evander Kane, both of whom will skate on the fourth line tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.

Friedman’s Latest: Florida, Alzner, Virtanen

at CDT | by 1 Comment

In Elliotte Friedman’s latest wonderful 30 Thoughts column, the Sportsnet reporter goes in detail on Florida’s recent philosophical change that resulted in the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant last week. Comparing the Panthers to baseballs Pittsburgh Pirates of 2013 – a team that completely bought into an analytical approach and made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. The Panthers are trying similarly to buy-in to a game-changing approach, even after the most successful season in franchise history.

Part of the turnaround will hopefully be Tom Rowe stepping from the front office to behind the bench, but Friedman has another note. The Panthers moved Dave Bolland out this summer to clear cap room for a major acquisition in-season. Whoever that ends up being, combined with the return of Jonathan Huberdeau could be a huge swing for the Panthers down the stretch. It cost Lawson Crouse to rid themselves of Bolland, meaning they better take advantage of the cap space it bought them.

  • In looking at the upcoming free agent class, Friedman zones in on two names in particular. Kevin Shattenkirk, who has been widely talked about since the last draft as being a possible trade candidate, and Karl Alzner, the steady Washington defenseman who is said to be looking for somewhere between $5.5-6MM dollars this summer. Alzner has been a rock for the Capitals, but with shrinking cap space the team likely won’t be able to afford him past this season. If he does make it to the open market, Friedman points to Western Canada for hints on who will be after the former Team Canada captain (World Junior’s, 2008).
  • The Buffalo Sabres are still a rebuilding team, but have suffered through a ton of injuries this season and may not be as bad as their record looks. Interestingly, Friedman reports that the team has been scouting a ton of the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate Utica. While he opines that the team is watching Jake Virtanen who has been up and down all year between the two clubs, perhaps something other than Evander Kane was brought up when Buffalo and Vancouver were talking earlier this year.

Atlantic Division Snapshots: Sabres, Huberdeau, Stralman, Ottawa Arena

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Two years ago the Buffalo Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL and were outscored by an astounding 113 goals. This was largely by design as the team was in the midst of a full rebuild and the 2015 entry draft boasted two top talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Sabres management knew if they wanted to secure a true franchise player they would need to finish at the bottom of the NHL standings.

That season the Sabres scored the fewest goals in the league and as bad as their offense was then, this year’s edition is so far even worse. During the 2014-15 campaign Buffalo averaged a meager 1.96 goals-per-game. This season the team is averaging just 1.86 goals-per-game. The team has struggled even more in the month of November, tallying just 19 goals in 13 games.

Even without Eichel, who has been out all season with an ankle injury, the Sabres were expected to mount a more prolific offensive attack. But as John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes, while the team is struggling to put the puck in the net, they are generating plenty of chances.

Ryan O’Reilly, who was acquired from Colorado in a blockbuster deal during the summer of 2015, has been counted on to lead the offense with Eichel on the shelf. He has nine points in 15 games on the campaign, but just one goal in his last 12, and he expects more from himself.

“It’s frustrating. It’s scoring goals again is the problem, and that’s my job. I’m not doing it right now.”

“We’ve got to shoot the puck better. It’s that simple. We’re moving it well. We’re supporting each other. We’re getting these good looks, but it’s beating the goalie. That’s all it is. It starts with myself. I’ve got to do that.”

Goaltender Anders Nilsson feels that the team is overdue for a little luck.

“We don’t get those dirty goals, and we don’t get those goals off the post and in or off a shin pad and in. We have to work really hard for every goal we score. Hopefully, we can turn that around and get the bounces with us.”

It does appear as if Eichel should be back in the lineup in relatively short order but even without their franchise center, the Sabres boast a talented group of forwards who are capable of putting the puck in the net. Kyle Okposo has topped the 20-goal mark three times in his career while Evander Kane has done so twice, including last season. Matt Moulson has three 30-goal campaigns on his resume and O’Reilly has tallied at least 50 points in four of the last five seasons. Once Eichel is back on the ice, the Sabres should be able to get their offense back on track.

  • Like Buffalo, the Florida Panthers have been without one of their top players all season. Jonathan Huberdeau injured his Achilles during training camp and was expected to miss three to four months. According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Huberdeau is progressing in his rehab but is still not expected back in action for a while. Panthers bench boss Gerard Gallant described the recovery time line as between four and six months, which indicates Huberdeau could be out for much of the regular season.
  • The news is better for the other Florida team as Anton Stralman appears to be nearing a return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup. Bryan Burns, who covers the Lightning for NHL.com, tweeted that head coach Jon Cooper said the blue liner could see action on the team’s upcoming road trip. Stralman has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body-injury. Stralman has seven points in 15 games this season and is averaging better than 22 minutes per contest.
  • A new arena for the Ottawa Senators appears to be one step closer to a reality, as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes. The National Capital Commission (NCC) has given its formal approval for negotiations between the federal government and RendezVouz LeBreton to proceed. Garrioch adds that the Rogers Place Arena Ice District in Edmonton has provided the perfect model for what the Senators want to build in Ottawa. One NCC board member is impressed with how the Rogers project revitalized the downtown area in Edmonton and hopes a new arena will do the same in Canada’s capital.

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

scroll to top