Nick Jensen

Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

February 15, 2019 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

By every metric, the Detroit Red Wings should be total sellers at the deadline and they have a laundry list of notable UFA’s to move. Yet, the team claims they would prefer to re-sign starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, top-six forward Gustav Nyquist, and dependable defenseman Nick Jensen. There is also word that veterans Thomas Vanek and Niklas Kronwall are happy in Detroit and unwilling to waive their No-Trade Clauses. That doesn’t leave much on the table.

In most cases, these rumors could be dismissed as the team simply trying to up the offers on their available rentals. But not in Detroit. The fatal flaw of the current Red Wings franchise and GM Ken Holland is total, unapologetic loyalty to long-time players. If a team says they won’t move someone or will only do so for a first-round pick, this is the one team worth believing. It could be a quiet deadline in Detroit.

Record

23-28-7, seventh in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Moderate Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$5.06MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYI 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, BUF 5th, CLB 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

Of course, the aforementioned players are the top trade chips that the team has. Howard and Nyquist are having great years and are surely drawing plenty of attention. Will Detroit get the first-round pick they desire to move either? That remains to be seen. Jensen and Kronwall could both step in as a solid bottom-pair addition for a contender, while Vanek would fill his frequent role as a capable depth addition to any forward corps. The fact remains that if any of these players want to stay in Detroit beyond this season, the Red Wings are unlikely to move them, extension in place or not.

So looking elsewhere, Luke Witkowski is a UFA that the Red Wings don’t seem as attached to. The market may be limited for the versatile skater, but if a team wants to take a shot, Detroit will be willing to move on. Recently waived and demoted, Martin Frk is in need of a change of scenery. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and any number of teams might like to get a look at how he fits in their system down the stretch. The one-dimensional forward is more valuable now that he has cleared waivers and can be sent back and forth. Wade Megan, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff, and Harri Sateri are all free agents as well who could be targeted as deep depth additions.

The Jonathan Bernier signing looks like a mistake so far and the Red Wings seem eager to re-sign Howard rather than give Bernier the starting job. If another team is willing to take on the remaining two years of Bernier’s contract, Detroit would move him. Luke Glendening is another term player who could be on the move. He is still well-liked by the organization, but if the market is there they could move him. As always, if there was any way to move Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser, you would think Detroit would pull the trigger. Then again there’s that whole loyalty thing…

Five Players To Watch For: F Gustav Nyquist, D Nick Jensen, F Martin Frk, F Luke Glendening, G Harri Sateri

Team Needs

1) Cap Space: For several years now, the Red Wings have had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL, yet have been one of the league’s worst teams. That’s not a good mix. The flip side of wanting to re-sign top free agents, like Howard and Nyquist, is that you’re not opening up any more cap space. If Detroit wants to be players on the free agent market this summer, they need to try to move out some of their more cumbersome cap hits if possible.

2) Picks and Prospects: The Red Wings have a lot of good talent in the AHL and some others still at the junior and collegiate level. Adding picks, especially 2019 picks in a deep, talented draft class, is always helpful, though. However, there should room for some camp battles next season, particularly up front, so some pro-ready forward prospects would also be helpful.

Detroit Red Wings Trying To Extend Nick Jensen

February 5, 2019 at 6:17 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

Just a month ago, a report surfaced that the Detroit Red Wings had not started extension talks with pending free agent defenseman Nick Jensen. That news was notable because of Jensen’s breakout season, in which the 28-year old is playing more than 20 minutes per night for the first time in his career. Because of that, Jensen immediately represented a potential rental option for a team looking for right-handed help on the blue line. Now though, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet notes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Red Wings are in fact attempting to sign Jensen to an extension and suggests that the team wants to keep a few veterans around their wave of young players.

Jensen actually has always been a relatively effective defenseman. Though he has just 182 games under his belt at the NHL level, that’s not because of some journeyman career in the minor leagues bouncing around different organizations. In fact, Detroit is the only franchise that the fifth-round pick has ever known, signing with them in 2013 after three seasons at St. Cloud State. There’s not a lot of flash or headlines in Jensen’s game, and he doesn’t provide the measurables to stand out when watching him on the ice. But he has quietly registered solid possession numbers and this year has taken another step to carry more responsibility than every before.

That kind of under the radar improvement is likely why Detroit is interested in retaining him. Jensen has never made more than the $825K he is taking home this season, meaning he represents one of the best right-handed bargains available at the moment. If he’s not asking for a huge raise there is good reason to keep him around as a stabilizing option while the team brings along younger defensemen like Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek. Niklas Kronwall is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is now 38, though Friedman also notes the respect the organization has for their long-time blue liner.

Jensen’s low salary though might bring about quite a few buyers at deadline time. A team pushed to the edge of the salary cap could still likely afford to add him to the mix as a depth option, and his play this season has shown that he can handle increased responsibility if an injury were to happen. The Red Wings will have to make a decision quickly, as the deadline is fewer than three weeks away and teams will be making decisions on their blue line sooner rather than later.

Maple Leafs Still Seeking Right-Shot Defenseman

January 20, 2019 at 11:33 am CDT | by Zach Leach 12 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs are undoubtedly one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup this season, but many would agree that they face an uphill battle if they don’t improve their defense corps. For years, the right side of the defense has been an issue in Toronto and nothing has changed. Nikita Zaitsev and Igor Ozhiganov are the only right-shot defenders that play regularly for the Maple Leafs and the former has struggled all season long – to the point that the team is actively shopping him and his lengthy contract – and the latter is still adjusting to an NHL pace of play. The only other righty on the blue line is Justin Holl, who is scoreless in two games so far this season as a total non-factor. Toronto needs more production, better checking, and all around more cohesion among their defensemen and it all starts with fixing the right side.

It comes as no surprise then that Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that the team is still actively scouring the market for a solution on the right side, preferably a top-four caliber defender. Kypreos again mentions the St. Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo, a player that the Maple Leafs were linked to earlier this season, as a possibility, but questions his availability. Colleague Elliotte Friedman also mentions Los Angeles Kings’ off-side lefty Jake Muzzin and Philadelphia Flyers’ bruiser Radko Gudas as options. The problem, and one addressed by Kypreos, is that the prices are high on these top right-side defensemen with term remaining on their contracts and he believes that the Maple Leafs are unwilling to part with young roster forwards like Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson or top blue line prospect Rasmus Sandin to get a deal done. Kypreos lists the team’s first-round pick and AHL defensemen Timothy Liljegren and Calle Rosen as their top bargaining chips, but that likely will not be enough to land one of the top long-term defensemen on the market.

The prices will be lower on the rental market, but the options are also less appealing. The best right-handed defensemen who are impending free agents all belong to top contenders – Erik Karlsson, Anton Stralman, Dan Girardi, Tyler Myers – and even some of the more moderate options play for teams not looking to sell, such as the Golden Knights’ Deryk Engelland and the Bruins’ Steven Kampfer. If the Leafs feel adding a solid, stay-at-home righty would give them the boost they desire, the New Jersey Devils’ Ben Lovejoy or the New York Rangers’ Adam McQuaid would both be serviceable options. If they instead want a puck-mover, they could try to pry Nick Jensen from the Detroit Red Wings or Taylor Fedun from the Dallas Stars, but neither are guaranteed to be available. There simply isn’t a great market right now at right-shot defense, typical of the position that has become one of the most valuable in hockey due to scarcity. It may be the one piece that the Maple Leafs need to put them over the top, but making a deal is going to be easier said than done.

Atlantic Notes: Kronwall, Jensen, Zaitsev

January 18, 2019 at 5:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

While Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall has spent his entire 15-year career in Detroit, he’s willing to hear out GM Ken Holland if the team decides to approach him about a trade, notes Gregg Krupa of The Detroit News. The 38-year-old acknowledges that there’s a sense of pride about spending his entire career with one organization but that he’d feel obligated to hear out Holland if approached. Kronwall is in the final year of his contract with a $4.75MM cap hit and holds a no-trade clause that allows for ten teams he can be traded to. While he’s not the top pairing player he was in the prime of his career, he’s still logging nearly 20 minutes a night on Detroit’s back end and could certainly serve as a capable third pairing defender for some contending teams.

Elsewhere around the Atlantic Division:

Still with Detroit, the Red Wings would like to re-sign pending UFA blueliner Nick Jensen, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. The 28-year-old started the season as a healthy scratch but has since emerged as one of their more reliable defenders. Jensen is in the midst of a career year that has seen him average nearly 21 minutes a night of playing time. With a cap hit of just over $810K, he’d be an intriguing rental addition for a cap-strapped contender if the two sides can’t agree on an extension.
Although there has been some talk that the Maple Leafs will look to add a defenseman before the deadline, one of their current rearguards is also involved in trade discussions as well. In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Nikita Zaitsev’s name is out there as someone that teams believe they can acquire. The 27-year-old has five years remaining on his contract after this one with a $4.5MM cap hit so finding a way to shed that contract would give Toronto some extra salary cap flexibility. However, Johnston acknowledged that they may need to attach another asset in order to get someone to take the contract and a follow-up move to acquire a right-shot replacement would need to be in place before pulling the trigger on a Zaitsev deal.

Detroit Has Not Discussed Extension With Nick Jensen

January 4, 2019 at 3:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

If there’s one team to watch in the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline approaches, it may very well be the Detroit Red Wings. After losing six straight—some in heartbreaking fashion—they’ve now fallen to seventh in the Atlantic Division and are just two points out of last place in the entire NHL. With that streak it’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to climb back into the playoff race, meaning the focus will start to turn to the expiring assets on the roster. Of those, Detroit has many.

The Red Wings find themselves with six regular roster players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer, and one of them is reaching new heights in his career of late. In a deep feature on defenseman Nick Jensen, Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) examines how the Red Wings are giving him a bigger opportunity with several players on the shelf with injury. Notably though, the piece ends by Bultman reporting that Detroit has not discussed an extension with Jensen and notes that a trade is an obvious possibility.

In face, a trade might be the best option for a Detroit team that is obvious still in need of additional young assets to really open their competitive window. After a long history of success over the past few decades, the team now finds themselves leaderless without Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg to guide them towards the playoffs. Dylan Larkin looks like he’ll be the next great Red Wings player—even if he isn’t their All-Star representative this season—but needs help up all throughout the roster to do any real damage.

Jensen’s play this season has been encouraging, especially when given more minutes and responsibility. He also represents that always elusive right-handed defenseman that teams are searching for every year. We recently examined how the rental market is relatively thin on impact defensemen this season, making a player like Jensen even more attractive. If that wasn’t enough, the 28-year old comes with just an $812K cap hit this year.

There’s a very real chance that the Red Wings are limited at the deadline given the no-trade clauses they’ve handed out like candy over the years, but that’s not the case with Jensen. If the team doesn’t decide to make contact and discuss a possible extension over the next month, you can bet his name will be brought up regularly in trade speculation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Impact Defensive Rentals Could Be Quite Rare At Trade Deadline

December 26, 2018 at 4:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 8 Comments

For an NHL team to grind their way to a Stanley Cup, a few things are almost always necessary. A hot goaltender, who can steal at least a few games through the long playoff run, center depth that can lift linemates up and provide secondary scoring, and extra defensemen who are able to step into the lineup when a top option inevitably suffers an injury. The postseason in hockey is a brutal period of injury for almost every player, and often leads to players suiting up despite major injuries.

Though you might not be able to guarantee the play of your starting goaltender at the trade deadline, you can give your team some help in the other two categories by going after players on expiring contracts. Rentals, as they are referred to because of their short-term nature, are always flipped around the league in the last few weeks of February as teams prepare for a potential playoff run. All but one team usually regret those acquisitions, but they continue anyway.

This year, the rental center market could have some legitimate impact talent in it with names like Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes and even perhaps Eric Staal shopped by struggling teams down the stretch. Obviously any of those names or the several others available could be re-signed instead, but there should be at least a few options for teams looking to upgrade down the middle.

On defense though, teams might have to settle for players more suited to bottom-pairing or depth roles. That’s not because of a lack of pending free agents on the blue line—although the recent extensions for players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty and Ryan Ellis certainly changed the market—but because of the situations their respective teams are in this season.

When looking at the group that is scheduled to be available on July 1st, one name immediately stands out. Erik Karlsson doesn’t have a long-term extension with the San Jose Sharks yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t before the end of the year. In order for San Jose to be eligible to sign Karlsson to an eight-year deal, they have to wait until after the trade deadline to pass. Perhaps the two sides are just waiting on that to happen, though it’s very unlikely the Sharks would trade Karlsson even if they aren’t. First of all, the Ottawa Senators included a clause in the summer blockbuster that essentially prevents Karlsson from being traded to the Eastern Conference. If the star defenseman ends up on an Eastern roster by the end of the year, San Jose would have to send over another first-round pick. But San Jose is also fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, and likely would choose to keep Karlsson regardless as a sort of “own rental.”

That same situation surrounds the other impact defensive options. Tyler Myers, Jake Gardiner and Anton Stralman are arguably the next three best rentals, and all could potentially be on different teams next season. But the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are all legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and need these players to keep them on that track. Zdeno Chara can make an impact, but holds a full no-movement clause and almost certainly will not leave Boston even if they fell out of the playoff race (something that seems unlikely anyway).

Those circumstances mean that the defensive rental market could be relatively shallow this season, with Alex Edler really being the crown jewel. Edler has been logging huge minutes for the Vancouver Canucks as they continue their rebuild and could help several teams, but beyond that names like Nick Jensen, Roman Polak and Alex Petrovic start popping up. That’s not to say there won’t be movement, but if you’re looking for real impact help teams might have to look for players with a little more term.

Injury Notes: Red Wings, Bogosian, Beleskey, Peca

September 26, 2018 at 1:15 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

The Detroit Red Wings’ defense could look much different to begin the season than many expected. With top pair defenseman Mike Green already shut down and confirmed to be out for at least the team’s opener due to a viral infection, coach Jeff Blashill revealed today that banged-up blue liners Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, and Trevor Daley are all considered questionable to begin the season. As Ansar Khan of MLive.com points out, it could be a very young, inexperienced defensive corps to start the year in Detroit. Niklas Kronwall and Nick Jensen could be the only regulars healthy enough to play, joined perhaps by a veteran like Brian Lashoff or Dylan McIlrath. Outside of those options, rookies will likely make up the rest of the top six. 5’8″ Joe Hicketts, who got a brief look last season, leads the way, with 2016 first-rounder Dennis Cholowski, second-rounder the same year Filip Hronek, and Czech import Libor Sulak in the mix as well.

Injury news about Zach Bogosian usually isn’t good and unfortunately, this could be trending in that direction as well. Bogosian has been taking it easy in training camp, working his way back from major hip surgery, but the Athletic’s Joe Yerndon reports that he has still managed to get injured. According to head coach Phil Housley, Bogosian is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Even worse, Yerndon notes that it is a new injury, unrelated to his hip issues. Bogosian’s career has been marred by frequent injuries and an inability to bounce back quickly. The Sabres have to hope that this case is different, as Bogosian and Marco Scandella will be needed to lead a young defensive unit and groom top overall pick Rasmus Dahlin.
It didn’t take long for the New York Rangers to get clarification on Matt Beleskey’s status. After head coach David Quinn said yesterday that it was “too early to tell” the extent of Beleskey’s injury, suffered during a fight on Monday night, the Rangers released an update today. Beleskey will be out two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, the team determined. Since Beleskey was a likely training camp casualty anyway, the only change for the Rangers is that he cannot be placed on waiver while injured. Instead, he will be placed on the injured reserve with only a minor salary cap charge.
Montreal Canadiens’ free agent addition Matthew Peca is currently sidelined. The team revealed that he is dealing with a minor groin injury. No timeline has been established for his return. Peca’s NHL ability and role for the Habs is still unclear, so missing preseason action and potentially the start of the season is unfortunate. The former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect will have to hit the ground running upon his return.

Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Bjork, Jensen

August 19, 2018 at 7:54 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While a short-term bridge contract had been viewed as the best option for the Sabres when it comes to RFA forward Sam Reinhart, that may no longer be the case as Jared Clinton of The Hockey News suggests. The 2014 second overall selection put up a career-best 50 points last season but 37 of those came in the final 38 games of the season. If the team believes his strong second half is a sign of things to come, it’s may be in their best interest to try to save a bit more by committing long-term compared to doing so in a few years even if it’s the riskier way to go. However, there’s a good chance that Reinhart’s representatives may point to the deal Dylan Larkin received from the Red Wings (five years, $30.5MM) as a potential comparable which may be more than what Buffalo is willing to pay. Reinhart is one of the top unsigned RFAs remaining and his could be a case that takes a little while yet to settle.

Detroit Red Wings Actively Shopping Xavier Ouellet

June 5, 2018 at 11:47 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 8 Comments

In Craig Custance’ latest piece for The Athletic (subscription required), he lists through 20 names that could be moved this summer. Number 19, Nick Jensen of the Detroit Red Wings, comes with an interesting first paragraph:

The Red Wings are actively shopping defenseman Xavier Ouellet, who has one year remaining on a contract worth $1.25 million. “He wants a fresh start,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland said last week at the draft combine. That’s not necessarily an easy assignment since Ouellet had trouble cracking the lineup on a Detroit team that wasn’t particularly good.

Though Jensen is the target of the blurb, Ouellet sticks out as an interesting note as we get closer to draft day. The 24-year old defenseman has been underwhelming through his 141-game NHL career, but still could posses enough upside for a team to take a chance on him. The fact that the Red Wings are trying to move him doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as they currently project to have a bit of a logjam on defense next season if everyone comes back healthy.

Ouellet, selected 48th-overall in 2011, still hasn’t found a full-time role for the Red Wings. In 45 games this season he recorded just seven points, averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night. With the sheltered role—or perhaps in spite of it—Ouellet actually did put up reasonably good possession statistics and could be seen as an underutilized asset to another team. The league is getting a first-hand look at what underwhelming players can do in the right situation, with several of the Vegas defenders and Michal Kempny who is starring for the Washington Capitals after believing he was on his way out of the NHL just a few months ago.

Still, it’s hard to see the Red Wings bringing back anything of real value for Ouellet. Though a $1.25MM contract isn’t outlandish, it also might be a little too much for a team to risk when they don’t exactly know what kind of contribution they’ll get. That’s not to say there won’t be any takers, but to expect much of a return seems foolish at this point.

U.S. Announces 2018 Men’s National Roster

April 28, 2018 at 1:38 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

USA Hockey announced their initial 2018 national roster for the upcoming 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championships on May 4-20 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark, headlined by Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

Kane, who announced he’d play this summer after his Blackhawks season ended with no trip to the playoffs, represented the U.S. twice in both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, leading the U.S. to a silver medal in 2010, was named the captain of this team back on April 9. He will be joined by four others with World Championship experience, including Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, New York Islanders forward Anders Lee, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and the Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.

The one interesting roster note is the addition of 18-year-old Quinn Hughes, who is considered to be a likely top-10 pick in the upcoming NHL draft. The full roster can be found below:

G Scott Darling
G Keith Kincaid
G Charlie Lindgren

D Will Butcher
D Quinn Hughes
D Nick Jensen
D Alec Martinez
D Connor Murphy
D Jordan Oesterle
D Neal Pionk

F Cam Atkinson
F Blake Coleman
F Alex DeBrincat
F Johnny Gaudreau
F Brian Gibbons
F Patrick Kane
F Chris Kreider
F Dylan Larkin
F Anders Lee
F Sonny Milano
F Derek Ryan
F Tage Thompson
F Colin White

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