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Vladislav Namestnikov

Atlantic Notes: Namestnikov, Murray, Ovchinnikov

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The Red Wings should have winger Vladislav Namestnikov back in the lineup on Wednesday, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.  If that’s the case, the veteran will only wind up missing a week with his current lower-body injury.  Namestnikov has 13 goals and 10 assists in 49 games this season and is a candidate to be moved between now and next month’s trade deadline.  The quick return also played a role in yesterday’s waiving of Gemel Smith as head coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged that the move was made to give them some extra flexibility with Namestnikov nearing a return as well as winger Carter Rowney.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Senators aren’t expected to have goaltender Matt Murray available this weekend, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was injured late in Tuesday’s game against St. Louis and while the injury isn’t believed to be serious, it should keep him out for a few more days at least.  Murray has quietly played a lot better lately, posting a 2.38 GAA with a .938 SV% in his last 11 games.
  • While the Maple Leafs signed prospect forward Dmitri Ovchinnikov yesterday, his time playing in Russia isn’t up just yet. His agent Shumi Babaev told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link) that while the 19-year-old’s deal with Sibir Novosibirsk was terminated which permits him to join the AHL Marlies this season, Ovchinnikov will be loaned back to Sibir for 2022-23.  While Ovchinnikov struggled to produce in the KHL this season with three points in 17 games, he was much more productive at the MHL level with 29 points in 22 contests.

Injury Notes: Hamilton, Red Wings, Hayton

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton isn’t returning to the ice for the team’s Super Bowl Sunday matchup against Pittsburgh, but Devils team reporter Amanda Stein says he’s getting closer to returning to the lineup from a jaw injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since the beginning of January. Hamilton has been practicing with the team but is still getting comfortable with the helmet protection required for him to safely play as his jaw continues to recover. New Jersey has won just four out of 15 games with Hamilton out of the lineup. They undoubtedly miss his production and play-driving ability from the back end.

Some more injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill says forward Vladislav Namestnikov is questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Wild, meaning that brothers Givani Smith and Gemel Smith could both draw in and play their first game together in the NHL. Defenseman Nick Leddy is also probable to return after sitting out with an upper-body injury for the past two weeks. Namestnikov has provided good value this season on his $2MM cap hit, proving to be an important depth piece for Detroit with 13 goals, 10 assists, and 23 points in 49 games. Detroit has played Gemel Smith in just one game since claiming him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning almost a month ago.
  • Per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong says that young center Barrett Hayton could return to the team’s lineup this coming week, potentially as soon as February 19th against the Los Angeles Kings. Hayton, selected fifth overall in 2018, had six points in 26 games this season prior to suffering a hand injury in early January. He’d been getting chances in a top-six role prior to the injury, something that’s likely to continue with his return.

Atlantic Notes: Namestnikov, Juolevi, Dichow

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Vladislav Namestnikov’s second season with the Red Wings has been a more productive one as the 29-year-old has 11 goals and nine assists through the first 40 games, already surpassing his point total from last season.  As a result, he could be one of Detroit’s more intriguing rentals heading into the trade deadline.

However, if Namestnikov has his way, he won’t be going anywhere at all as he told reporters including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News that he’s open to an extension and that “it would be great to stay”.  Namestnikov has a $2MM cap hit and should be looking at a similar price tag on his next deal.  A short-term deal to stay with the Red Wings is certainly plausible although if they can get a decent future asset in a trade over the next couple of months, they may prefer to go that route over signing an extension now.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Panthers have placed defenseman Olli Juolevi on injured reserve, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old has had a tough first season in Florida as he has struggled to stay healthy, playing in just nine games.  He had been on a nice little stretch as of late, averaging nearly 16 minutes per night on the third pairing in his last four games but that has been put on hold for now.
  • Canadiens prospect Frederik Dichow is expected to transfer to Frolunda of the SHL next season, reports Johan Svensson of SportExpressen although his agent wouldn’t confirm the report. Dichow – who was recently named to Denmark’s Olympic team – has posted a .929 SV% in 20 games in Sweden’s second division this season.  Montreal has until June of 2023 to sign the 20-year-old.

Vladislav Namestnikov Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings are staying busy on the free agent market and have landed themselves a bargain. Versatile, two-way winger Vladislav Namestnikov is set to join the Red Wings and reunite with GM Steve Yzerman, who drafted him in the first round with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit has announced a two-year deal with Namestnikov which reportedly carries a $2MM AAV. This represents a surprising drop-off in salary for Namestnikov, who made $4MM on his previous contract and has 30+ points in four of his five full NHL seasons.

Namestnikov, PHR’s 20th-ranked UFA, is either the victim of a flat cap market that is already running out of money or simply took a discount to join the Red Wings and play a major role up front. The 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he recorded 17 goals and 31 points in 65 games, despite dealing with not one but two different trades. Moving from the New York Rangers to the Ottawa Senators and then to the Colorado Avalanche, Namestnikov quickly took to each of his new locales and excelled. With some consistency, he is easily capable of reaching 20 goals and 40 points while being paid like a player who might produce half that much.

A skilled forward who also plays a responsible defensive game and is a major asset on the penalty kill, Namestnikov checks a number of boxes for Detroit. If handed a major role, as he was in Ottawa, Namestnikov should be a top scorer for the Red Wings as well as one of their best special teams players. While his salary seemingly reflects a “show me” deal, the two-year term means he’ll need produce in both seasons in Detroit if he want to cash in the next time he hits the open market. Fortunately, Namestnikov stands a strong chance of  boosting his stock in Detroit and will still be just 29 as a UFA in 2022.

Avalanche Acquire Vladislav Namestnikov

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Colorado has added some offensive depth as they have acquired winger Vladislav Namestnikov from Ottawa, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch adds (via Twitter) that the Senators receive a 2021 fourth-round pick in return.

The 27-year-old acquired Namestnikov back in early October from the Rangers in exchange for a 2021 fourth-round pick and AHL defenseman Nick Ebert so the Sens basically recovered back what they gave up for him in the first place.

The change of scenery certainly worked for the winger.  After being bumped down the depth chart in New York, Namestnikov played a bigger role in Ottawa and had some success, recording 13 goals and 12 assists in 54 games while logging over 15 minutes per game.  He’ll likely get a chance to play a similar role with the Avalanche for the time being with Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Colin Wilson, and Matt Calvert all currently injured.

Namestnikov is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and carries a $4MM cap hit.  However, New York retained $750K of that in October so the Avs will only be on the hook for a pro-rated $3.25MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors: Barrie, Simmonds, Senators, Canadiens

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After years of mediocrity, the NHL’s Canadian teams have come to play in 2019-20 and are at the forefront of many of the trade deadline’s biggest story lines. However, perhaps the even bigger surprise than the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks being buyers is that the Toronto Maple Leafs could end up as sellers. In a very Canada-centric segment of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Bob McKenzie reports that, following a difficult week, the Leafs have begun to receive calls on pending UFA defenseman Tyson Barrie, the team’s big off-season addition. McKenzie notes that this could have just as much to do with a suddenly barren defense market as it does with other teams doubting Toronto’s playoff chances, but regardless the team has not closed the door on a possible deal. Barrie has been a poor fit with the Maple Leafs but could benefit a number of other teams down the stretch and in the postseason. The team has seen the high prices that sellers have received so far and could be enticed to make a move of their own. However, McKenzie does note that Toronto is not expected to move Barrie without receiving a defenseman with term in exchange or without a second deal in place to flip picks and prospects for that elusive top-four right-shot defender.

  • The Vancouver Canucks already made a big splash with the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli, but they remain interested in the New Jersey Devils’ Wayne Simmonds as well, a target of theirs since last summer. However, Pierre LeBrun reports that the two sides have not been able to work out the salary cap details in a way that would make the addition work for the strapped Canucks. He suspects that this due to the likelihood that Brock Boeser will return from injury prior to the end of the regular season and the team must account for that cap increase. Seemingly at an impasse, talks are dead for the time being. However, Vancouver could circle back closer to the deadline if Simmonds still has not been dealt and the Devils are willing to be more flexible.
  • Yet again, the Ottawa Senators are one of the primary sellers at the deadline. While their offerings this year pale in comparison to last, they could still turn a nice profit with their current pieces. The insiders note that Vladislav Namestnikov is a healthy scratch tonight (and for the foreseeable future), as the Senators have at least four concrete offers on the table for the versatile forward. Toronto, Winnipeg, Colorado, and Columbus are named as the teams known to have interest, but there are likely more in play. Additionally, value veteran Tyler Ennis could be a nice depth piece for a contender and Edmonton is reportedly the front runner for his services. However, the biggest trade chip in Ottawa is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and the news tonight is that the two sides have actually begun formal extension talks. While the Senators continue to field offers, it is believed that they have set a high asking price and would prefer to re-sign Pageau. LeBrun even wonders if they would risk keeping him past the deadline without a new deal if the camps are close, especially given the departure of homegrown talent at this time last year.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have a suspicious healthy scratch of their own tonight in Artturi Lehkonen, who has remained out of the trade deadline limelight until now. The 24-year-old winger can be streaky, but is on pace for a career high in points this season nonetheless and still has one year left on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent. It remains to be seen if this decision is even related to a possible deal and, if so, whether Lehkonen is for sale by himself or rather part of a bigger deal. Despite the newfound confusion surrounding Lehkonen, the focus in Montreal remains on Ilya Kovalchuk. The veteran scorer is definitely drawing interest, but LeBrun reports that a framework for a one-year, bonus-laden contract extension is also in place if the Habs opt to keep him. Kovalchuk has proven to be a tremendous fit in Montreal and the team may want to hold on to that positive note in an otherwise disappointing season.

Canucks Notes: Trade Target, Markstrom, Sutter

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The Vancouver Canucks are exceeding expectations this season and, after a brief slide, are back to their winning ways with twelve points in their past ten games. The team is currently sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but trail Calgary and Edmonton in the division by just four points with two games in hand, a difference of just .025 in points percentage. Rather than take this surprise success for granted, GM Jim Benning plans to take advantage. Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre on Wednesday, Benning said that he is targeting a top-six scoring winger before the NHL Trade Deadline. He did qualify his comments by adding that the deal must “make sense”, but did not say exactly what that meant. With nine forwards carrying cap hits of  $3MM+ through 2020-21, a trade that makes sense for Vancouver is likely a rental deal. The team is also unlikely to get into the bidding for a star like Taylor Hall if it causes too much of a mortgage on their future in a year where a Stanley Cup run would take a fair amount of luck even with their solid play thus far. Potential targets who would nicely on the wing in Vancouver this season could include Vladislav Namestnikov, Alex Galchenyuk, Tyler Toffoli, or perhaps even Chris Kreider. There is still a lot of time left before the deadline and Vancouver’s play between now and then will dictate just how willing Benning in his to make a big deal.

  • Benning also stated in the interview that he plans to formally open up extension talks with starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom soon. Benning did not add much detail, and the Canucks’ interest in retaining Markstrom has previously been reported, but Benning did let slip one new wrinkle in the story. Benning stated that part of the reason that Vancouver would like to re-sign Markstrom was the impact that it would have on their protection scheme for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Each team can only protect one goalie and must expose an eligible goalie who is under contract or team control (RFA) in 2021. Thatcher Demko would fit this description, but the team is likely hesitant to expose their potential future starter. As such, the team will likely eye a contract of at least two years with Markstrom to ensure they have a sacrificial lamb to offer up to Seattle. Whether or not the expansion team would have interest remains to be seen, but Markstrom will certainly draw interest before then if he hits the open market this summer. It seems Benning and company will try their hardest to prevent that.
  • Expected to miss just two weeks, a month later Brandon Sutter still has yet to return to the Vancouver lineup. The team has opted to scratch him in each of their past two games despite Sutter being medically cleared, as The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that the team is being cautious and easing the veteran center back into action. This careful handling of Sutter’s health may not end any time soon either. Johnston believes that it could be a case of “load management” for Sutter this season. The defensive forward has struggled with groin injuries in the past and it is a notoriously lingering condition in hockey, so Sutter’s recent groin strain is nothing to take lightly. Expect Sutter, who was playing some of the best hockey of his Vancouver tenure before getting injured, to miss some games here and there and potentially see some fluctuations in his ice time as the Canucks manage his pain and try to keep him fresh for a hopeful playoff run..

 

Senators Notes: Zaitsev, Namestnikov, Depth

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The Ottawa Senators will have to go without one of their key defenders tonight, as Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Nikita Zaitsev is back in Russia for personal reasons. Zaitsev has been logging more than 23 minutes for the Senators this season, his first with the team after following head coach D.J. Smith up the highway from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his place, the team has recalled Christian Jaros (in addition to Maxime Lajoie and J.C. Beaudin earlier today) and will insert him into the lineup. More from Ottawa:

  • Vladislav Namestnikov has a tailbone injury and will be out a week, according to Garrioch. That’s a tough break for a player that has found new life in Ottawa, scoring six goals and 12 points through his 20 games since being acquired from the New York Rangers. Namestnikov, who turns 27 today, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
  • As CapFriendly points out, these recalls have stretched the Senators organizational depth incredibly thin, at least on defense. The team has just a single defenseman, Andreas Englund, still in the minor leagues on an NHL contract. Lassi Thomson and Olle Alsing have also signed their entry-level deals, but were both loaned away at the start of the season. If the team suffers any further injuries, we could see an interesting recall.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Vladislav Namestnikov

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It didn’t take long for the big trade of the regular season to occur. Less than a week into the new campaign, and after just two games, the New York Rangers have traded away forward Vladislav Namestnikov. Agent Dan Milstein revealed that his client had been traded to the Ottawa Senators and the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the return is a 2021 fourth-round pick and defenseman Nick Ebert. The Rangers will also retain $750K, or 18.75%, of Namestnikov’s $4MM salary this season, the final year of his current deal. New York has confirmed the terms of the trade

The meager return for Namestnikov is a fitting end to an overall disappointing tenure for the forward in New York. Acquired by the Rangers as the lone veteran piece that came back from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller the other way in 2018, Namestnikov, 26, was expected to flourish in more of a headlining role in the Big Apple. After just a 19-game stretch run to close out the 2017-18 season, the Rangers more than doubled Namestnikov’s salary with a two-year, $8MM contract extension. He rewarded them last season with 31 points – a 17-point drop-off from the year prior – in a campaign filled with frequent disappearing acts. Namestnikov ended up relegated to a bottom-six winger role by the end of the year and unsurprisingly became a fixture on the rumor mill this summer. The Rangers are surely disappointed in how his acquisition worked out, but happy to be rid of $3.25MM off the books this season, especially as they had been positioned precariously close to the salary cap ceiling. They receive a mid-round pick in return, as well as an intriguing depth option in Ebert. The 25-year-old blue liner is an AHL veteran who played phenomenally well in Sweden last season and hoped to return to North America in hopes of finally seeing NHL action. Given the depth of defensive prospects in Ottawa, he may actually have a better shot of achieving that goal with New York.

This trade is essentially risk-free for GM Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators. They surrender only minor trade chips and land a capable player in his prime. Namestnikov’s future in Ottawa can play out in three ways. The first is, like in New York, Namestnikov fails to take advantage of a core role and has another disappointing season by his standards. This is the worst-case scenario, but it still allows the Senators to walk away at the end of the year having cost them next to nothing. Alternatively, Namestnikov could embrace this change of scenery and return to form for Ottawa. The team could try to re-sign him as a new centerpiece of their rebuilding team. However, they could also simply flip him at the trade deadline and almost certainly recoup more than they gave away. Either of those scenarios would be considered a major win for Dorion and company. It remains to be seen just how well Namestnikov – a player who has always excelled when surrounded by other elite talent – will respond to joining the rebuilding Senators, but the club has the means to give him considerable ice time and return him to his natural center position if they so choose. That could create a great opportunity for both player and team the rest of this season.

East Notes: Rangers, Johansen, McAvoy

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With the Rangers needing to find out ways to clear out salary cap space in the near future, their trade chips don’t appear to be drawing much interest.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Brendan Smith has yielded no interest while the only way they can move fellow buyout candidate Kevin Shattenkirk is if they take back another onerous contract (which wouldn’t do much to help their cap situation).  Meanwhile, they haven’t had any takes for winger Vladislav Namestnikov yet either.  With basically two weeks until their second buyout window opens up (which could come earlier if both Jacob Trouba and Pavel Buchnevich re-sign before their scheduled hearings), GM Jeff Gorton will certainly be active in the coming days to try to find a fit on the trade front.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Lucas Johansen was once Washington’s top defensive prospect but he has been passed on the depth chart over the last couple of seasons. Accordingly, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan posits that the blueliner could ultimately find himself on the trade block before too long as a result.  The Capitals have some quality depth on the back end in their system and his first-round pedigree could still be of interest to some teams; with only a small group of plausible trade chips, it’s possible that Johansen could be made available at some point next season.
  • While Charlie McAvoy is among the sizable class of notable restricted free agents this summer, NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty suggests that a bridge deal for the defenseman may be the best way to go. McAvoy has lots of offensive upside but he hasn’t yet been able to put it together on a consistent basis while also dealing with injury troubles.  Between that and the fact he’s not eligible for an offer sheet, he doesn’t have a lot of leverage.  From the Bruins standpoint, a shorter-term contract would also make it easier for them to re-sign fellow RFA Brandon Carlo without needing to free up much salary.  That said, that route is probably a Plan B at this point as finding a suitable long-term fit is likely the priority for both sides.

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