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Peyton Krebs

Snapshots: Kadri, Housley, Rochester

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There was concern earlier today out of Colorado Avalanche camp, as forward Nazem Kadri was notably missing from practice with an undisclosed illness. Those concerns were calmed a bit with the confirmation that the illness was not in fact COVID-19, says Peter Baugh of The Athletic (link). According to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post, who spoke to Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, Kadri is still expected to be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday night (link).

Keeping Kadri in the lineup is key for the Avalanche as they head into the playoffs with eyes set on the Stanley Cup. As strong as their lineup is, Kadri plays a pivotal role as their second-line center, playing a 200-foot game and contributing plenty offensively. The forward just finished his best season to date, in which he compiled 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games. Colorado is set to take on the Nashville Predators at home Tuesday night in Game 1 of the first round.

  • Staying out west, the Arizona Coyotes announced that they have mutually parted ways with Assistant Coach Phil Housley (link). Housley just finished the third year of a three-year contract he signed with Arizona in June of 2019. It’s unclear what the next step is for the Hall of Fame defenseman, who previously spent two seasons as the Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres, but the 58-year-old should be able to find opportunities if he wants them, considering his lengthy resume on and off the ice. As for Arizona, it does not appear that any additional changes are coming to the coaching staff, outside of possibly replacing Housley, but first-year Head Coach Andre Tourigny has drawn very favorable reviews despite Arizona’s struggles.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned forward Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to the Rochester Americans of the AHL ahead of Rochester’s playoff series against the Belleville Senators. Both players, who were sent to Rochester on paper on March 21st, are eligible to compete for the team in the Calder Cup playoffs. The two have each spent time in Rochester and Buffalo this season and are viewed as key pieces of Buffalo’s future. For now, they will get valuable experience competing in professional playoff games.

COVID Notes: Halak, Sabres, Connolly, Sheary, Oilers, Stutzle, Sillinger

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The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been placed into COVID protocol.  The veteran was set to get the start for today’s game against Carolina but instead, that will go to Thatcher Demko with Spencer Martin coming up from the taxi squad.  Halak has made just eight appearances this season and has a $1.25MM bonus pending when he gets to his tenth.  He’ll now have to wait a little longer to get that bonus, one that has recently landed himself in trade speculation as well.

More COVID news from around the NHL:

  • Sabres winger Tage Thompson and center Peyton Krebs have both cleared COVID protocol, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Thompson will suit up tonight in Detroit while they will take it a little slower with Krebs and re-assess his status on Sunday.
  • Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly has entered COVID protocol, relays John Dietz of the Daily Herald (Twitter link). The veteran has only played in four games with Chicago this season and has spent most of the year in the minors.  Defenseman Ian Mitchell was recalled from AHL Rockford just a day after being sent down.
  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that winger Conor Sheary has been placed in COVID protocol. The 29-year-old has impressed in his second season in Washington, notching ten goals and nine assists in 31 games, good for third on the team in goals.
  • The Oilers have taken wingers Warren Foegele and Tyler Benson plus defenseman Slater Koekkoek out of COVID protocol, mentions Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels (Twitter link). With those activations, Edmonton – who last played on January 5th – will be able to dress 18 skaters against Ottawa tonight.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have removed winger Tim Stutzle from COVID protocol. The just-turned 20-year-old has had a bit of a quieter sophomore season than expected, collecting five goals and ten assists in 29 games.
  • The Blue Jackets have placed center Cole Sillinger in COVID protocol, per a team release.  The rookie has held down a regular spot in the lineup with Columbus this season, notching 13 points in 35 games.  Liam Foudy has been recalled from the taxi squad to take Sillinger’s place on the roster.

Krebs, Tuch, Bjork Enter COVID Protocol

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So much for the Jack Eichel trade already paying off for the Buffalo Sabres. Just a few days after making their Buffalo debuts, Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch have both been placed in the COVID protocol. Anders Bjork has entered with them.

Krebs and Tuch managed just three games with the Sabres since their recent activation with the two connecting on a powerplay marker in Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins. They represent the biggest parts of the Eichel trade that went down earlier this season and a huge chunk of the team’s future moving forward.

Bjork too is a regular with the Sabres, though his five points in 29 games are certainly not what the team was hoping for this season. The 25-year-old forward had six in 13 games down the stretch for Buffalo last season but has seen his minutes slashed dramatically and his role on the team diminished.

With Kyle Okposo and Casey Fitzgerald already on the protocol, the Sabres are now severely shorthanded as they wait for the San Jose Sharks to come to town on Thursday. Luckily, the team isn’t scheduled to play again after that game until January 11, meaning several of these players could exit the protocol if they are experiencing no symptoms.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Three Players

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Play the kids! The Buffalo Sabres have made some interesting recalls today, bringing up Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka, and Arttu Ruotsalainen. With several players in the COVID protocol and the Sabres set to resume their season tomorrow night, the young prospects could get a chance to show what they can do at the NHL level.

Coincidentally, this means that Krebs will likely make his Sabres debut in the same game as Alex Tuch, who has recovered from injury and will be in the lineup tomorrow night. The pair of forwards came to Buffalo in exchange for Jack Eichel last month (along with draft picks) and will be under the microscope as they make their debuts. While Tuch has been rehabbing, Krebs has been lighting it up at the AHL level, scoring 14 points in 16 games with the Rochester Americans. The 17th overall pick in 2019, Krebs is potentially a long-term option for the Sabres down the middle of the ice.

Peterka meanwhile has been wowing Rochester fans all season, scoring 20 points in 23 games as an AHL rookie. The 19-year-old forward was the 34th overall pick in 2020 and is in his first season in North America. Notably, he could be playing for Germany at the World Juniors right now but was left off the roster to continue his development in the Sabres system, as he’d already competed in the tournament twice previously. It has proved to be a good decision as it looks like he’ll get his NHL debut a few weeks ahead of his 20th birthday.

Ruotsalainen, 24, has been in the Sabres system for two years now after signing as an undrafted European free agent in 2019 and coming over to North America last season. In 33 games at the NHL level he has seven goals and 10 points, impressing whenever given regular offensive playing time. The 5’9″ forward doesn’t exactly come with the same kind of excitement that Krebs and Peterka bring, but could still help the Sabres fill out the lineup in the coming days and weeks.

Snapshots: Eichel, Ducks, Chychrun, Everberg

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Though complete or accurate information is not always available, one of the best things about major trades can be comparing the actual exchange to the alleged offers made by those teams who could not complete the deal. The Jack Eichel trade was one of the more prolonged negotiations in recent memory resulting in a sizeable return for the Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. While it is safe to assume that nearly every team in the NHL kicked the tires on Eichel at some point in time, the combination of the Sabres’ asking price, Eichel’s contract, and the conversation surrounding his neck injury and preferred treatment thinned the list of suitors considerably toward the end of the saga. However, one of the other teams believed to be in the mix right until the end were the Anaheim Ducks. So why didn’t they best the Vegas Golden Knights’ offer?

On Sportsnet’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke about what he heard was the Sabres’ asking price from the Ducks, and it explains why Anaheim didn’t pull the trigger. Friedman reports that Buffalo requested Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and two first-rounders to part with Eichel. Go back three years and that’s equivalent to asking for four first-round picks, including two top-ten picks. Zegras and Drysdale are already so much more than that, too. The super-skilled center, 20, and slick defenseman, 19, are already key pieces of a resurgent Ducks team, who hope to build around the duo and keep them in Southern California for years to come. Even for a player of Eichel’s caliber, giving up Zegras – who could end up being a younger version of Eichel – and Drysdale, not to mention two more first-round picks, is just too much and not nearly equal to what Buffalo eventually got from Vegas. Friedman also adds that the Ducks’ doctors were never quite comfortable with Eichel’s requested disc replacement surgery, which was of course a lynchpin in any potential trade. It just wasn’t a match for the star center and Anaheim, though they could both be better off for it.

  • Jakob Chychrun’s trade availability still exists, for whatever reason, and Friedman reports that a number of teams are interested in the talented, young Coyotes defenseman, as they should be. He notes that teams are starting to get serious as Arizona has not backed off of their willingness to move the 2016 first-round pick. However, one team that has fallen out of the running are the Edmonton Oilers, even though Friedman and colleague Jeff Marek both feel that he would be a great fit. Defense is a long-term need for the Oilers, but Friedman went so far as to say that Chychrun definitively will not end up in Edmonton. It is unclear if the asking price or cap complications forced the team’s hand or if they merely soured on him amidst a down year. Other teams continue to circle as the ’Yotes dismal season wears on and Chychrun, forced into the No. 1 role on a blue line that was completely dismantled in the off-season, unsurprisingly struggles. Yet, the 23-year-old is just one season removed from recording 41 points in 56 games and is averaging almost 25 minutes per night, which are impressive enough to overcome his ugly -29 mark so far this year.
  • Dennis Everberg burned bright but fast in the NHL. The Swedish forward was just an undrafted kid when he joined the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15, quickly earned a roster spot, and recorded 12 points in 55 games as an unheralded rookie. Yet, as loudly as he made his entrance, Everberg quietly made his exit. He was held scoreless in 15 games with the Avs in his sophomore campaign and, though he was stellar in the AHL, opted to return overseas following the season. Everberg made a short-lived comeback attempt in 2018-19 with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but left the team after just 11 games. Now back in Sweden, the 29-year-old Everberg is one of the more consistent scorers in the SHL. With back-to-back 32-point seasons, Everberg is playing at the same pace this year with 19 points in 26 games. The two-way forward also carries a +36 rating in his SHL career. Rather than try again in North America or elsewhere in Europe, Everberg has realized that he has a good thing going with the league leaders, Rogle BK. The team has announced a five-year extension for Everberg, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season and into his mid thirties. This likely means that the capable forward will play out his days at home in Sweden.

Poll: Grading The Jack Eichel Trade

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It was a saga that dragged on and on (and on) for months but on Thursday, Jack Eichel’s tenure in Buffalo officially came to an end as he was traded with a 2023 third-round pick to Vegas in exchange for winger Alex Tuch, center Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick.

The Golden Knights had long been speculated as a landing spot for Eichel.  Their desire to add a number one center had been well-known and they’ve had a tendency to find ways to land impact players in the early years of the franchise including the acquisitions of wingers Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty plus the signing of Alex Pietrangelo in free agency.  Now, they have a legitimate top middleman, or at least that’s the hope assuming all goes well with his upcoming surgery.

The fact that Vegas was able to land Eichel without giving up a player from their current roster is impressive but it also is going to create some other challenges down the road from a salary cap perspective.  Eichel joins Pacioretty and Stone on LTIR which keeps them cap-compliant for the next few months at least.  But when they’re all ready to return, they will be well over the Upper Limit and some other moves will need to be made.  Even if one of them stays on LTIR for the rest of the regular season, there’s still 2022-23 and beyond to think about.  They have $78.735MM committed to 11 players for 2022-23, per CapFriendly, with an expected Upper Limit of $82.5MM.  It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that more subtraction needs to come.

Whatever those moves ultimately wind up being will ultimately have to be factored into the cost of this deal for Vegas.  They’ve given up Krebs, Tuch, and the two picks so far but what will the other ramifications be?

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s cap situation was at the exact opposite end to the point where they had to take on Johnny Boychuk’s injured contract from the Islanders merely to get back to the salary floor.  But they were able to move Eichel without taking significant salary commitments back which appeared to be a goal when they started down this path last season.

In Krebs, they hope to have another center to build around alongside Dylan Cozens; the two were both first-rounders back in 2019 (seventh overall for Cozens while Krebs went ten spots later).  The center spot has been the weakness of their quickly-expanding prospect pool and this certainly helps on that front although as is the case with all prospects, things may not go as planned.

As for Tuch, the Sabres add a power forward that has long been perceived as someone that could have another level in him if he had the chance to play a bigger role.  He’ll get that chance with Buffalo and with five years of team control at a reasonable $4.75MM AAV, Tuch will be another long-term building block.

To get two potential top-six pieces plus a pair of draft picks (one being a first-rounder) is by no means a bad return but when you look at Eichel’s track record and how he was supposed to be the focal point of Buffalo’s rebuild, it’s understandable if it feels a little underwhelming as well.  The Sabres are certainly a victim of circumstances here with his neck injury but it’s at least in part by their own design with their unwillingness to allow Eichel’s desired surgery, thereby delaying his return.  Accordingly, there will be a ‘What If?’ element to this trade that will go on for years to come.

It only seems fitting that following all of the uncertainty for months leading up to the eventual trade, there’s still an awful lot of uncertainty even after it was made.  Who else will need to leave Vegas to make the money work and what could have been the return had Sabres GM Kevyn Adams perhaps done things differently?

Of course, we can’t evaluate those scenarios but we can evaluate the trade itself.  How do you feel both teams made out in this swap?  Vote in the polls below to award your grades.

[Mobile links for Vegas and Buffalo]

Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Jack Eichel

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After months of speculation, negotiations, and public frustration, the Jack Eichel saga in Buffalo has come to an end. The Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres have both officially announced a trade that will take Eichel to the desert. He will go to Vegas along with a 2023 third-round pick, in exchange for forwards Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick.

The first-round selection is top-10 protected and the Sabres did not retain any salary. Should the pick end up in the top 10 after this year’s lottery, the Golden Knights will send their 2023 first-round and 2024 second-round picks instead of the ones listed. In that case, the Sabres’ 2023 third-round selection that is included would also become a 2024 third-rounder. Basically, if it ends up in the top 10, all three picks bump forward a year.

For Buffalo fans, seeing a frustrated first-line center shipped out of town for a collection of assets is certainly familiar but this deal is not the same as the one that took Ryan O’Reilly from them a few years ago.

In that deal, the best young player the team received was Tage Thompson, as both Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka were established talents already on their way out of the league. This time in Tuch and Krebs, the Sabres have secured two players that are still improving and should be able to help the club for much longer.

Tuch, 25, is in the third season of a seven-year, $33.25MM contract that already appears to be one of the most reasonable deals in the league. The 6’4″ forward is a blend of size and skill that’s incredibly difficult to find, and has shown an ability to score at a high level even with limited opportunity. In 55 games last season he scored 18 goals and 33 points despite his most common linemates at even strength being Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar.

In Buffalo, he very well could see much better offensive deployment and end up lining up in the top-six. That’ll have to wait a few months though, as Tuch is recovering from offseason surgery and isn’t expected back in the lineup until January.

Krebs meanwhile will likely step directly into the Sabres forward group, where he’ll take the next steps of his professional career. Still just 20, Krebs was the 17th overall pick in 2019 and has already reached the NHL. While he has yet to score a goal in his 13 career games, there are obvious signs that he can be a valuable contributor and adds another option at center ice for Buffalo.

Adding another first-round pick means the Sabres now have three selections this year after they had already acquired one from the Florida Panthers. Given how many top prospects they already have in the organization, there’s a real chance that Buffalo could have a very quick turnaround and start competing in the next few years.

The question now becomes whether that turnaround will be navigated properly. Buffalo has now seemingly run another star player out of town with poor management and coaching choices, resulting in a situation that could only be resolved by trade. The old adage “whoever gets the best player in the deal, wins” could apply here, as Eichel is certainly a level above Tuch or Krebs when healthy.

Healthy is the concern now for Vegas, but the Golden Knights must obviously believe in the disk replacement surgery that Eichel is after. Whenever he does go under the knife, he still faces a months-long recovery, meaning he won’t be on the ice at T-Mobile for quite some time.

When he does return though, Eichel is exactly the kind of first-line center that the Golden Knights have been looking for since they came into existence. The team has gotten by with the exceptional two-way play of William Karlsson and have worked to turn Chandler Stephenson into a legitimate top-six force, but have never had a player like Eichel that can drive offense at an elite level.

In 375 career games, Eichel has 355 points including breaking the point-per-game threshold in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. He can score at even-strength and on the powerplay–the latter of which is currently 0-18 for the Golden Knights–while logging huge minutes in the middle of the ice. In 2020, Eichel finished eighth in Hart Trophy voting, after scoring 36 goals and 78 points in 68 games.

Of course, to land Eichel the Golden Knights not only had to part with several assets, but will also have to carry his $10MM cap hit for this season and four more. A full no-movement clause also comes into effect next season, as does another $7.5MM signing bonus. The Golden Knights have continuously flirted with the salary cap upper limit, but will now be carrying three players who have a cap hit of at least $8.8MM for the next several years.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that there were actually three teams in the Eichel sweepstakes until the end. The Golden Knights, Calgary Flames and, perhaps surprisingly, Carolina Hurricanes all stayed in the talks. The NHL insider does admit that the Hurricanes weren’t close but doesn’t specify whether the Flames ever got near a deal. The report about Matthew Tkachuk yesterday was likely a way to make Vegas put their final offer on the table.

While the winner and loser of today’s deal will be discussed for years to come, one clear beneficiary of the deal is Eichel himself. While the Sabres were holding out for the biggest package possible, the 25-year-old center was dealing with a serious neck injury that needed surgery. Now, finally, he will be able to get his preferred treatment and hopefully resume his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Krebs, Robertson, Ho-Sang

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As the Jack Eichel saga appears to potentially be nearing a conclusion, there’s now constant speculation about potential destinations and a potential return. While the Vegas Golden Knights have long been named as a potential suitor for Eichel, a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen says that the Knights view top prospect Peyton Krebs as untouchable in any Eichel deal. While the Golden Knights do still have some desirable young pieces available in a trade like defenseman Nicolas Hague, none have the potential upside of Krebs. If Vegas is to get an Eichel trade completed, they’ll likely have to give up a massive amount of draft capital in place of Krebs.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Nick Robertson suffered a lower-body injury in tonight’s match with the Toronto Marlies against the Manitoba Moose, per Marlies head coach Greg Moore. Moore notes the extent of the injury is unknown and that Robertson will be assessed tomorrow. It’s a tough blow to the Leafs organization, which is already dealing with significant injuries in all areas. It’s especially concerning considering Robertson missed the majority of last season due to a knee injury. Toronto undoubtedly hopes it’s not a major injury.
  • Another Marlies forward is in some injury trouble as Moore also notes that Josh Ho-Sang was held out with a hip issue, but mostly as a precaution. Calling it a ’maintenance day,’ it’s a smart choice on the Marlies to not risk any further injury. Ho-Sang will be one of the team’s most important contributors considering his NHL experience, and a notable injury setback could negatively affect his chances of getting an NHL contract with the Maple Leafs later this season.

AHL Shuffle: 10/15/21

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An increasingly tight salary cap situation for many teams across the league has expectedly led to a lot of wheeling, dealing, and maneuvering early on this season, especially in the recalls and assignments department. We’ll keep track of all of today’s minor NHL to AHL and AHL to NHL roster moves right here.

Atlantic Division

  • Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports the Panthers re-assigned Chase Priskie and Maxim Mamin to the Charlotte Checkers. Priskie was recalled Thursday prior to the team’s season opener against Pittsburgh but was a healthy scratch. Mamin had previously been listed as a non-roster player. Mamin last played in the NHL with the Panthers in 2018-19, playing seven games, but has played in the KHL ever since.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Vegas Golden Knights assigned Peyton Krebs, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Jake Leschyshyn to the Henderson Silver Knights ahead of the team’s season opener tonight. All three played in Thursday night’s 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and they’ll likely be recalled soon as the team continues to deal with injuries and absences in the bottom six.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Sedins, Paquette, Krebs, O’Connor

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While the exact role has yet to be determined, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin will be returning to the Canucks. GM Jim Benning indicated in a recent appearance on CHEK’s Donnie and Dhali show (audio link) that talks about a reunion are ongoing with an announcement hopefully coming over the next couple of weeks.  The twins each played 17 years with Vancouver after being selected second and third overall back in 1999 and hung up their skates in 2018.  Benning hopes to have the Sedins get their feet wet with several different aspects of the organization and given their commitment as players, this could be the beginning of another long run with the team.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Although Hurricanes center Cedric Paquette was listed as injured in their first-round series against Nashville, Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that Paquette has been available all along and is available to be used against his former team as they take on Tampa Bay in the East Division Final. The 27-year-old was a regular in Tampa’s run to the Stanley Cup in the bubble, recording 112 hits in 25 games and could be called upon at some point to bring a similar level of physicality in the series.
  • Golden Knights told reporters today including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Peyton Krebs is well ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken jaw. Instead of being out for the entire playoffs, there now is a chance for him to be available if Vegas is able to play into the summer.  The 20-year-old was a first-rounder in 2019 and got into four games down the stretch, making him an intriguing option if they can make it far enough for him to return.
  • Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now (Twitter link) that winger Logan O’Connor may be available to play at some point in their series against Vegas. The 24-year-old played in 22 games during the regular season before suffering a lower-body injury in late March.  While he is more of a role player, having someone that’s well-rested could be helpful later in the round if Bednar needs to tweak his lines.

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