Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jimmy Howard

Red Wings Hoping To Sign Jimmy Howard To A Multi-Year Extension

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Red Wings are committed to signing goaltender Jimmy Howard to a multi-year extension, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan.  The veteran is in the final year of his contract which pays him $4.25MM with a cap hit of just under $5.3MM.

Howard has spent his entire career in the Detroit organization after they drafted him 64th overall back in 2003.  In recent years, he has gone from being the full-time starter to more of a platoon option which is part of the reason they handed Jonathan Bernier a three-year deal last summer.

This season, Howard has the highest goals against average of his career at 2.93 but given the significant number of injuries they’ve had on their back end, the Red Wings have understandably struggled defensively so far this season.  On the plus side, his .917 save percentage is his best since 2012-13.

Khan notes that a multi-year deal for Howard is likely.  That’s notable as he turns 35 in March which means that his next deal will carry the 35-plus provision.  While Detroit is clearly in a rebuilding phase, it doesn’t appear as if they’re willing to significantly take away from their roster and keeping Howard around should help them stay competitive during this stretch.  It’s also a realization that none of their goaltending prospects are ready to make the jump to the NHL level over the next couple of years.

The free agent market for goaltenders is fairly deep this year with Howard being joined by the likes of Sergei Bobrovsky, Mike Smith, Cam Talbot, and Semyon Varlamov.  That should play in Detroit’s favor as they can use the leverage of those other options to keep the AAV in check.  With Pekka Rinne signing for two years and $10MM over the weekend, that would seemingly represent the high mark for Howard, especially with an above-average backup in Bernier already in the fold.

The interest in getting a deal done appears to be mutual so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a deal get done sooner rather than later to keep the long-time Red Wing around for at least a couple more seasons.

Red Wings Will Not Be Quick To Make Major Changes

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings are off to a 1-5-2 start in 2018-19, the worst record in the NHL. They have yet to win one game in regulation, but already have two losses of four or more goals. The team is among the worst in the league in goals for and goals against, with rookie forward Christoffer Ehn as the only player on the roster sporting a positive rating. There is simply little to like about Detroit so far this season.

Despite all of this, The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan says not to expect any major changes, at least not yet. In fact, Kulfan actually encourages the team to hold on to head coach Jeff Blashill, who many expected to be the first to go if things went south this year. Kulfan points out that Blashill is in the final year of his contract and almost certainly not returning next season, but assistant and expected replacement Dan Bylsma is unlikely to have any better luck with this current roster and may as well get a fresh start with a refurbished lineup in 2019-20. Kulfan’s suggestion seems to be one that the Red Wings have seemingly already adopted; Bylsma has long been expected to take over for Blashill, who has been on the hot seat for some time, but no move has been made. A tough start to a season expected to be spent in the basement of the league is not going to change their plan so easily.

Kulfan implies that the team’s best plan of action, and the one they will most likely follow, is to first get healthy, evaluate their roster once it more closely resembles their off-season estimation, and then only after that begin to consider trading away pieces ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. The Red Wings have little incentive not to test the market value of their impending free agents – Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek, Jimmy Howard, and Niklas Kronwall – as well as others like Luke Glendening, Trevor Daley, or Jonathan Ericsson, but the team can afford to be patient with those decisions this season. In terms of their more prized younger players, don’t be surprised to see Detroit hold off on trading any of those such players, unless they are blown away by an offer such at the Tomas Tatar trade last year.

It could be a quiet season in Detroit and will almost certainly be a disappointing one. However, if the franchise is going to get back on track any time soon, avoiding any more mistakes is the first step. Patience and well-thought out roster decisions are a necessity this season.

Atlantic Notes: Senators’ Youth, Walker, Howard, Nelson

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Ottawa Senators seem to have little go right over the last year or so, whether it was the unhappiness of their star defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Matt Duchene trade in which the team traded away their No. 1 overall pick for next season to Colorado. With the team shipping off players left and right, that pick could be a costly one for the team.

However, the Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren writes that who the Senators need to look at the success of the New Jersey Devils last season had when they opted to add a struggling team with youth. Just a season ago, the Devils had a 28-40-14 season and just 70 points. However, New Jersey brought in an infusion of youth, including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher, as well as second-year players like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. That group altered the makeup of the struggling franchise and turned last season into a 44-29-9 season for 97 points, an increase of 27 points on the year. The team even qualified for the playoffs.

The Senators, who are actually loaded with quality prospects within their system, could get a similar infusion from their prospects. That possibility might start with 2018 first-rounder Brady Tkachuk, who opted to turn pro last week and has a chance to walk right into the Senators lineup. The team has other young players who are ready for full seasons this year, including Colin White, Logan Brown, Thomas Chabot, Filip Chlapik and Drake Batherson. The team also has last year’s second-round pick Alex Formenton, who made the Senators squad out of training camp last year, who could also make the jump this year. Some success from some of those kids could make people forget a little about some of the franchise’s struggles.

  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Kurt Walker passed away Friday night at the age of 64 after a brief illness, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. Walker, who might have been better known after his short NHL career, was an advocate for retired NHL players. His efforts nearly a decade ago helped retired players and opened doors for affordable health care, concussion research on NHL retired players and stem-cell research. Walker played three seasons in the NHL, all for the Maple Leafs, playing in 71 games, tallying four goals, five assists and 152 penalty minutes.
  • Mlive’s Ansar Khan writes that the Detroit Red Wings need a solid year out of 34-year-old goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has one year remaining on his contract. Howard started the 2017-18 season strong, but struggled in the second-half of the season, finishing the year with a 2.85 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 60 games. The team may have to lighten his workload now that the team added Jonathan Bernier, but if Howard will have to have a better year to earn another contract with the team. Khan writes the team might want to give him a two-year extension as they lack goalie prospects in their system.
  • The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that Buffalo Sabres defensive prospect Casey Nelson has a good chance at breaking camp with the Sabres this year because he now requires Buffalo to pass him through waivers to send him to the AHL. Nelson, has played 55 games for Buffalo over the past three years and showed some promise last year, putting up three goals and eight assists in 37 games. However, because the team could conceivably lose him if they attempt to pass him through waivers, they may be more likely to hold onto him and send other prospects like Brendan Guhle to the AHL since he doesn’t require waivers.

Snapshots: Stone, Ellis, Howard

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While many have viewed the one-year, $7.35MM contract that Senators winger Mark Stone inked last week to make him eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer as a sign that he is likely entering the final season with his team, he told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he’s certainly open to discussing an extension when the window opens up in January:

“Everyone is looking at this and I think most fans are thinking this is pretty negative news.  I think both sides left Toronto happy that we still have the opportunity to work something out.  Everybody knows the way that arbitration can go sometimes and the fact that both sides were able to leave on good terms is a good sign.”

Stone joins a notable list of notable Senators players that are entering the final year of their respective contracts.  That group includes defenseman Erik Karlsson, center Matt Duchene, and winger Ryan Dzingel (who is coming off of a 23-goal season).  With that in mind, there is going to be a narrow window for Ottawa to try to work something out with Stone as if they can’t come to terms on a long-term extension quickly in the new year, they will likely look to move him before the trade deadline.

More from around the league:

  • The Predators are having “consistent and continual negotiations” with defenseman Ryan Ellis regarding a contract extension, GM David Poile told ESPN 102.5 (audio link). The 27-year-old is entering the final year of a very team-friendly deal that carries a cap hit of just $2.5MM and is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.  Considering how important he has been to Nashville’s back end in recent years, he should easily more than double that amount on his next contract.  Meanwhile, it was a memorable day for Poile as he was among the Class of 2018 named to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as announced by USA Hockey.
  • Although the Red Wings now have Jonathan Bernier locked up for the next three years, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press suggests that that shouldn’t necessarily spell the end for incumbent netminder Jimmy Howard with the team. The pending UFA projects to be a trade candidate closer to the trade deadline but even if that were to happen, St. James notes that Detroit has been pleased with his performance over the last couple of years and would have interest in dealing him and bringing him back as a free agent on a short-term deal given that they don’t have any prospects pushing to make the jump to the NHL at the moment.  For that to happen, he would presumably need to take a pay cut from his current $5.29MM cap hit.

Petr Mrazek Signs With Carolina Hurricanes

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes have their competition for starter Scott Darling. The team has signed young Petr Mrazek to a one-year, $1.5MM deal, per a team release.

Mrazek has proven to be an inconsistent commodity over the years. The 26-year-old netminder took the starting job away from Jimmy Howard in Detroit in the 2015-16 season with a 2.33 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 54 games, suggesting he was the long-term answer in Detroit. Unfortunately, the following year he struggled, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 50 appearances. While many suggested that the team defense was to blame, a bad attitude and poor work ethic were the reason why the Red Wings opted to protect the 34-year-old Howard over Mrazek in the expansion draft last year. Instead Vegas passed on Mrazek and the youngster continued to struggle in Detroit, putting up a 2.89 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 22 games before the team opted to pull the plug and trade him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

The Flyers, who desperately needed goaltending help, hoped he would succeed in Philadelphia and while he had some stellar moments, he struggled more often than not, putting up a 3.22 GAA and a .891 save percentage in 17 games for them. Philadelphia opted not to offer him a qualifying offer, which allowed him to hit the free agent market.

Carolina hopes that Mrazek can rebound and find his game as the team needs another goaltender to challenge Scott Darling, who also struggled last year in his first year as a starting goaltender. Darling finished with a 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage. The Hurricanes hope one of the two can fix their game.

Detroit Red Wings Closing In On Jonathan Bernier

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings have quite a bit of uncertainty in net going forward, with Jimmy Howard signed for just a single season and Jared Coreau leaving the organization as a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Because of that, both Craig Custance (subscription required) and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic have heard a connection to free agent goaltender Jonathan Bernier. LeBrun goes as far as stating that Bernier is “likely” going to sign in Detroit, while Custance believes he could get a three-year deal to provide some stability in goal for the team.

Detroit traded away Petr Mrazek last season after he failed to live up to their lofty expectations, and were left with a 34-year old Howard as their only real NHL option. Though he certainly played well enough to remain with the team, there isn’t a succession plan in place any longer and the team knows they need to find an answer on the market, be that through trade or free agency. Bernier, 29, played some very good hockey for the Colorado Avalanche, going 19-13-3 with a .913 save percentage as they dealt with injuries to Semyon Varlamov. That situates him as one of the better goaltending options on the market, and one that could easily slide into a tandem with Howard next season.

Bernier has long been considered a starting-caliber goalie, though struggled at times in that role in Toronto. One of the league’s smallest netminders, he was an outstanding backup to Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles and has shown an ability to steal games at times with his quick reflexes and solid glove hand. Colorado could have retained him as a complement to Varlamov, but instead went out and acquired Philipp Grubauer to give them a potential long-term option.

Red Wings Seeking To Fill Familiar Roles

at CDT | by 12 Comments

According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the Detroit Red Wings have special interest in four unrestricted free agents: goaltender Robin Lehner, center Valtteri Filppula, winger Thomas Vanek, and defenseman Mike Green. What all four of these players have in common is that the Red Wings have a very specific role in mind for each player. Detroit is seeking to replace, or in some case retain, players who had success in a certain organizational role.

Lehner, 26, appears to be a priority for the Red Wings. The former Buffalo Sabres starter reportedly visited Detroit today to meet with the Red Wings’ front office and coaching staff. Custance points out that Lehner is still young enough that he could get his game back on track and step into the starter role if and when 34-year-old Jimmy Howard leaves when his contract expires after next season. This was the exact role that the team had planned for Petr Mrazek, ironically the other big-name non-qualified goaltender. Mrazek was ahead of schedule and took Howard’s job for much of 2015-16 and 2016-17, but a drop-off in his performance eventually ran him out of town. The Wings seem to now see Lehner as a second chance at their plan, replacing Mrazek in hopes of landing a young heir apparent behind Howard.

Filppula is a name that Red Wings’ fans are familiar with. The veteran pivot was drafted by the team back in 2002 and spent eight seasons in Detroit. Who better than a wise, capable long-time Red Wing to replace a wise, capable long-time Red Wing? Custance writes that Detroit is worried that injuries may keep Henrik Zetterberg from returning this season and pursuing Fippula gives them a back-up option if their seasoned leader isn’t around. Both players are versatile, two-way centermen who can help the team in many ways. Even if Zetterberg is healthy, Filppula’s return to Detroit could help to groom some of their younger talent.

Vanek and Green are interesting targets in that the Red Wings want them back to avoid having to find another way to replace them. Vanek scored 38 points in 48 games with Detroit in 2016-17, but was traded to the Florida Panthers at the deadline. Almost immediately it was rumored that the Red Wings hoped to bring him back as a free agent. Instead, Vanek signed with the Vancouver Canucks and again was a deadline acquisition, this time by the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Vanek registered 56 points in 80 games, Detroit struggled to make up his production. They are now back in the running for his services this off-season in hopes that he can again provide a spark on offense. They are also trying to avoid losing Green and, like Vanek, immediately regretting the loss due to a difficulty in replacing his ability. Green is the lone high-end offensive defenseman on the free agent market and Detroit is far from the only team in the running. Custance reports that they are willing to match salary, but won’t seem to budge on a maximum two-year term. If the Red Wings were to lose Green to free agency, they would surely have a hard time making up his 30+ points and more than 22 minutes of ice time per game over the past two seasons.

The Red Wings have not been a strong team for the past few years, but there have been some facets of their game play that have worked out well. Detroit is hoping to continue, replace, or revive those successful pieces in hopes of finally returning to a complete, competitive team. Are Lehner, Filppula, Vanek, and Green the right moves? Or should the Red Wings forget about past successes and move on to a new, younger strategy?

Philadelphia’s Mrazek Will Not Be Given Qualifying Offer

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With a backlog of goalies in their system, the Philadelphia Flyers have taken their first step to pare down that number as The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell reports that the Flyers will not be offering goaltender Petr Mrazek a qualifying offer tomorrow, which will make him an unrestricted free agent.

Mrazek, who was finishing up a two-year bridge deal worth $8MM total at an AAV of $4MM could generate some interest as a backup in the league at a much cheaper pricetag. Despite recent struggles, the goaltender was at one time considered to be a front-line goalie.

The 26-year-old netminder was acquired at the trade deadline for a third-round pick in the 2018 draft, but wasn’t of much help to the Flyers as inconsistency plagued him there as well as in Detroit. Once considered to be the heir-apparent in Detroit, Mrazek took over the starting reigns in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, but lost his job to veteran Jimmy Howard by the end of that year. He was exposed in the expansion draft last year with many believing that the Vegas Golden Knights might select him, but they passed. As Howard’s backup this year, Mrazek had some great moments, but had just as many, if not more, terrible games. He posted just eight wins in 22 games with a 2.89 GAA and a .910 save percentage before being traded. In Philadelphia, he was given a new chance as the team was dealing with injuries to both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, but Mrazek struggled immensely. In 17 games he had a 3.22 GAA and a .891 save percentage.

The Flyers have both Elliott and Neuvirth locked up for one more season, making Mrazek expendable. While the team could attempt to qualify him and hope to pass him through waivers to play in the AHL as emergency insurance, the team will have star goaltending prospect Carter Hart expected to make his pro debut in the AHL, so they don’t want a veteran goalie taking valuable playing time away from Hart. On top of that, the team also has restricted free agents Alex Lyon and Anthony Stolarz on their roster, so moving on from Mrazek might be the best thing.

Philadelphia also saves itself a third-round pick in the 2019 draft by not signing Mrazek. The trade deadline deal had a conditional third-round pick for next season if the team signed him.

 

Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Free agency opens less than three weeks from today and teams are well on their way to evaluating both their own impending free agents and those likely to reach the open market. There are quite a few prominent players expected to be available as unrestricted free agents, while many key restricted free agents will be looking to sign new contracts with their current squads.  Here is a breakdown of the Philadelphia Flyers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: G Petr Mrazek – As soon as the Flyers acquired Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Trade Deadline, it was anticipated that there could be some confusion this off-season. The 26-year-old goalie needs a new contract, but the team holding his exclusive negotiating rights doesn’t have a place for him right now. Philadelphia still has their 2017-18 tandem of Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth under contract for another season and that won’t change unless they find a trade partner for one or the other. They also have to deal with the restricted free agency of Alex Lyon and Anthony Stolarz, both of whom are younger than Mrazek and have gotten more than a taste of the NHL level over the past two seasons. There is also Carter Hart to worry about. The CHL Goaltender of the Year and arguably the best goalie prospect in hockey is already under contract and seems to have proven he is beyond the major junior level already. Hart is likely to turn pro next season and needs starts. That’s five other goalies to consider already, so where does Mrazek fit in to the Flyers’ plans?

Not only does he seemingly not have a place in the organization right now, but Mrazek’s performance over the last two seasons also raises serious questions about his ceiling and long-term role in the NHL. After a hot start to his pro career that included two seasons of AHL domination and strong NHL spot starts, followed by two more seasons of impressive play sharing the net in Detroit with Jimmy Howard, things were looking up for Mrazek. He had essentially won the starting job heading into the 2016-17 despite being just 24 years old and seemed to be the Red Wings’ long-term answer in net. That idea fell apart quickly as Mrazek’s play became sporadic and the more consistent Howard took his job back. Mrazek has now posted two straight seasons of 3.00+ goals against averages and save percentages just narrowly in the .900’s. The 17 appearances that Mrazek made in Philadelphia after the trade were even worse than his games played in Detroit early last season, including one singular, disastrous playoff appearance, negating the thought that he needed a change of scenery.

So what to expect for negotiations with a young goalie, formerly considered a rising star, who has struggled for two years, even more so with his current team, and has no role carved out for him moving forward? In all likelihood, the answer is a trade. The Flyers gave away two conditional mid-round picks to get Mrazek when they were desperate for a goalie down the stretch. They would be lucky to get that back for his RFA rights in an off-season deal. Mrazek may also end up simply not receiving a qualifying offer. If, against the odds, Philadelphia decides they want to extend Mrazek, expect just a cheap, one-year deal- nowhere near his expired $4MM cap hit – and another move or two by the organization to make some space for yet another goalie.

D Robert Hagg – One of a number of young, up-and-coming Flyers defenseman, Hagg skated in 70 games and averaged over 18 minutes a night in his rookie season. While Hagg only registered nine points on the year, he showed good two-way ability and a solid checking game. He was one of only three Philadelphia defensemen with a positive rating and played a clean game despite leading the team in hits by a wide margin with 238. There is a lot to like about the young defender.

However, there is also a lot to take into account when quantifying his next contract. The Flyers already have overpaid bruisers Andrew MacDonald and Radko Gudas signed for two more years as well as Shayne Gostisbehere on a long-term deal. Ivan Provorov will surely land an expensive, long-term deal next summer and Travis Sanheim will need an extension as well. Additionally, the gifted but unproven Samuel Morin is an RFA alongside Hagg this summer. The Flyers need to be careful with how they handle this crowded blue line. As solid as Hagg looked in his rookie year, don’t be surprised to see him sign a shorter bridge deal for only a marginal pay increase while the team waits out some of its veteran contracts.

Other RFAs: F Taylor Leier, F Danick Martel, F Tyrell Goulbourne, D Samuel Morin, D Reece Willcox, G Alex Lyon, G Anthony Stolarz

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Valtteri Filppula – The 34-year-old Filppula is seeking a multi-year deal. There are many who doubt that the Flyers will be the team to give it to him. The veteran center has had a long and successful career as a complementary top-nine player, but the price tag for that support-level production on his last contract was $5MM. Since coming over from the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago, Filppula’s offense has been in decline. He has still played an important role in Philadelphia, including that of a penalty kill specialist, but with 41 points in 101 regular season games in orange and black, Filppula hasn’t earned the right to command that kind of money again. If he is willing to give up salary in exchange for term, he could still play a key bottom-six role for the Flyers. However, the open market could pull him towards a team in greater need who would be willing to better compensate him.

D Brandon Manning – Like Mrazek, Philadelphia needs to first find a place for Manning before committing to re-signing him. A career Flyer, Manning hit career highs on offense in his sixth season with the team. He also bounced back from a down 2016-17 season mentally with a safer game and more well-thought out approach. Yet, Manning’s numbers on both sides of the puck are still very pedestrian. Although there could be concerns that letting Manning walk and replacing him internally would add more inexperience to a young blue line, there is no doubt that Manning’s minutes could be easily replicated. The 28-year-old only made $975K in each of the last two years, but if he looks for a substantial raise he will likely price himself out of Philadephia’s consideration. Manning will return on a short-term, low money deal or – more likely – he will sign a similar deal for only marginally more elsewhere.

Other UFAs: F Matt Read, F Colin McDonald, D Johnny Oduya, D Will O’Neill, G Dustin Tokarski, G John Muse 

Projected Cap Space: The Flyers are not in any cap trouble right now, but things can change quickly. Currently, they have over $17MM in cap space based on this year’s cap limit of $75MM. That is expected to increase to somewhere between $78-82MM, likely giving Philly somewhere closer to $22MM in space. First things first, they need to figure out their free agency situation this year, which includes new deals for many on the long list of pro-ready RFA’s above and perhaps another one or two of their own UFA’s. This is where GM Ron Hextall will need to be careful. He doesn’t want to use up too much of his space on luxuries like unnecessary extra goalies and defenseman or overpaying an aging forward. He also doesn’t need to give a player like Hagg an expensive extension right now, especially when he is the type of player with a limited ceiling who will likely command a similar amount after a few years on a bridge deal. Next, the team needs to keep in mind that next season they will have to hand pricey extensions to Wayne Simmonds and Provorov and could very likely be on the hunt again for a starting-caliber goalie to pair with Hart moving forward. None of those transactions will come cheap and the team can’t expect another major cap jump. Instead, they will have to account for those moves this off-season. At the end of the day, $22MM or so can only get you so far when you have a complete roster and many long-term contracts. Expect the Flyers to hit the free agent market with a pretty limited budget of no more than $7-8MM, likely in search of an upgrade to Filppula and/or Manning.

Metropolitan Notes: Carlson, Kunitz, Islanders

at CDT | by 3 Comments

A strong showing in the playoffs could push Capitals defenseman John Carlson’s asking price to or above $8MM per season, TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggested during an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link).  That would put his next deal in line with the reported extension offer that the Coyotes have given Oliver Ekman-Larsson (eight years and $66MM).

While that would more than double Carlson’s previous cap hit, he has certainly made a case for that type of money.  He led all NHL defenders in points with 68 during the regular season while averaging a career-high 24:47 per night.  He followed that up with a near-identical showing in the playoffs, averaging the same points-per-game rate (0.83) and logged even more ice time at 25:38 per game.  That type of performance puts him in the discussion as a legitimate number one defender and with a weak free agent market, the Capitals will have to find a way to fit in another sizable contract if they want to bring him back for 2018-19 and beyond.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Penguins may have wanted to keep winger Chris Kunitz around last summer but expected to bring back center Matt Cullen instead and didn’t want two veterans on their fourth line, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh focused on getting Cullen locked up so Kunitz instead went to Tampa Bay.  (Cullen, meanwhile, wound up in Minnesota.)  One summer later, the scribe believes that Kunitz could be back on their radar as a fit on the fourth line.  The 38-year-old saw his ice time reduced considerably this past season but he still managed to put up 13 goals and 16 assists in his diminished role and the Pens would certainly welcome production like that on their bottom trio.
  • With the Islanders likely to be active in looking for help between the pipes, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard is someone they may go after. Washington’s Phillip Grubauer is the better fit long-term but he’ll also cost a lot more to acquire.  Howard would give New York a little more stability as they look to try to retain John Tavares and get back into a playoff spot next season.  However, he’s entering the final year of his contract so if they were to trade for him, it would only be a short-term fix unless they could agree on a contract extension.

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

scroll to top