Down the Frozen River

Category: NHL

  • TRADE: Lightning bolster a Cup run in blockbuster deal with the Rangers

    The Tampa Bay Lightning made the biggest splash– excuse me, loudest thunder– at Monday’s trade deadline.

    The Bolts acquired D Ryan McDonagh and F J.T. Miller from the New York Rangers in exchange for F Vladislav Namestnikov, F Brett Howden, D Libor Hajek, a 2018 1st round pick and a conditional 2nd round pick in 2019.

    If Tampa wins the Cup this season or next season, the 2019 2nd round pick becomes a 1st round pick in 2019.

    Unknown-3McDonagh, 28, has two goals and 24 assists (26 points) in 49 games with New York this season.

    The now former Rangers captain has 51-187–238 totals in 516 career NHL games– all in a New York uniform.

    A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, the 6’1″, 215-pound defenseman broke into the NHL in the 2010-11 season after having previously been a key component in the Scott Gomez trade the Rangers made with the Montreal Canadiens.

    In 96 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, McDonagh has 10 goals and 31 assists (41 points). He was originally drafted by the Canadiens in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

    McDonagh’s contract runs through 2018-19 and carries a $4.700 million cap hit.

    Miller, 24, has 13 goals and 27 assists (40 points) in 63 games for the Rangers this season. A native of East Palestine, Ohio, the 6’1″, 218-pound winger has reached the 40-point plateau for consecutive seasons dating back to 2015-16. Last season, Miller put up career numbers in assists (34) and points (56) while tying his career high in goals (22).

    He has 72-100–172 totals in 341 career NHL games played with New York since breaking into the league in the 2012-13 season.

    In 40 career playoff games, Miller has one goal and 15 assists (16 points).

    Originally drafted by the Rangers in the 1st round (15th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Miller is a pending-RFA this July.

    downloadNamestnikov, 25, has 20-24–44 totals in 62 games for the Lightning this season. The 5’11”, 180-pound native of Zhukovskiy, Russia is in the midst of the best season in his career and has 53 goals and 70 assists (123 points) in 263 career games with Tampa.

    He has one goal and three assists (four points) in 29 career postseason games.

    Originally drafted by Tampa in the 1st round (27th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Namestnikov is a pending-RFA at season’s end.

    Howden, 19, has yet to appear in an NHL game and was drafted in the 1st round (27th overall) by the Lightning in the 2016 Draft. In 38 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), Howden has 22 goals and 36 assists (58 points) this season.

    The 6’2″, 193-pound center is a native of Calgary, Alberta.

    Hajek, 20, has split his time between the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades this season in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He has 11-24–35 totals in 52 games between the Pats and the Blades.

    A native of Smrcek, Czech Republic, the 6’2″, 188-pound defenseman was originally drafted in the 2nd round (37th overall) by the Lightning in 2016.

  • TRADE: Tatar for now! Vegas acquires forward from Detroit

    The house always wins and Vegas is going all-in.

    On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights traded a 2018 1st round pick, a 2019 2nd round pick and a 2021 3rd round pick to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for F Tomas Tatar.

    vegas_golden_knights_logoTatar, 27, has 16 goals and 12 assists (28 points) in 62 games played. The 5’10”, 185-pound native of Ilava, Slovakia has 115-107–222 totals in 407 career NHL games with Detroit.

    He has reached the 40-point plateau three times in his career from 2014-17, amassing his best career season in goals (29), assists (27) and points (56) in 2014-15.

    He is under contract with a $5.300 million cap hit through the 2020-21 season. Tatar was originally drafted by the Red Wings in the 2nd round (60th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and has 3-4–7 totals in 17 career postseason games.

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    The Red Wings, meanwhile, have stockpiled draft picks in light of their rebuild and now have ten picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft including two in the 1st round. Detroit was not able to move defenseman Mike Green by Monday’s deadline.

  • TRADE: Journeyman Jooris adds another sweater to his collection

    In pursuit of their third-consecutive Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded F Greg McKegg to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for F Josh Jooris.

    Originally an undrafted free agent, the 27-year-old Burlington, Ontario native is in his fourth NHL season and has already played for just as many teams (CGY, NYR, ARI and CAR). In 204 career games, Jooris has posted 23-32-55 totals, or .27 points per game.

    He signed a one-year, $775 thousand contract with the Canes on the first day of free agency last summer and played 31 games to 3-3-6 totals before being placed on waivers earlier this month. Since then, he’s posted 0-3-3 totals in five games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

    Jooris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

    McKegg started the season as Pittsburgh’s third-line center, but – similar to Jooris – ended up on waivers by early December. McKegg has appeared in 91 games over the course of his five-year NHL career, posting 7-6-13 totals. This season, he’s enjoyed 26 showings with the Pens, earning only 2-2-4 marks.

    McKegg signed with the Penguins this offseason on a one-year, $650 thousand contract. He will be a restricted free agent this summer.

  • TRADE: Vanek panic hits Columbus

    F Thomas Vanek is packing his bags once again this trade deadline, as he was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for F Tyler Motte and F Jussi Jokinen.

    Once a first-round selection by Buffalo, 34-year-old Vanek is slated to wear the eighth new sweater of his NHL career and fifth different crest since the 2015-’16 season (MIN, DET, FLA, VAN and CBJ).

    The Vienna, Austria native has enjoyed much success over his 14-year NHL career, posting 350-388-738 totals in 946 career regular season games (.78 points per game), but the one thing that has eluded him has been the Stanley Cup.

    With that in mind, he’s bringing his 17-24-41 totals to the Jackets to help them improve on their current position as the Eastern Conference’s second wild card. His impact will surely be felt immediately considering Columbus’ anemic 2.53 goals per game this season – the third-worst effort in the NHL.

    Vanek is earning $2 million this season on a one-year deal. He’ll be a UFA this offseason barring an extension signed with Columbus. Should he impress, that is entirely possible considering the Jackets’ projected $17.7 million in cap space.

    In return for Vanek, Vancouver is receiving Jokinen and Motte.

    Jokinen was included in the deal mostly to alleviate Vanek’s $2 million cap hit, as the Finn is earning $1.1 million for this one-year deal. The 34-year-old has posted only 1-6-7 totals this season between three different clubs, as he has already been traded and claimed off waivers this season.

    Instead, the Canucks must be more interested in Motte, a native of St. Clair, Mich. – a town northeast of Detroit right on the American-Canadian border. Originally drafted by Chicago in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Motte is a natural center that will turn 23-years-old this March.

    Motte has spent little time in the NHL – only 64 games in the past two seasons, to be exact – but he has shown promise in limited time, posting 7-5-12 totals. This season, he played 31 games with the Jackets, earning 3-2-5 marks.

    In 17 games with the Jackets’ AHL affiliate in Cleveland this season, Motte has posted 9-2-11 marks. His goalscoring in the minor leagues indicates to me that his development is currently somewhere between the NHL and AHL level, but if he can continue to improve he could mesh well with Brock Besser and Bo Horvat with the Canucks.

    Making $925 thousand per year, Motte is under contract through next season, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent.

  • TRADE: San Jose lands Evander Kane from Buffalo

    A highly touted winger was swapped with a couple of picks and a prospect that now reunites a Boston University line in Buffalo. Should BU open up a remote campus in upstate New York?

    The Buffalo Sabres traded F Evander Kane to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for F Danny O’Regan, a conditional 1st round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional 4th round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft prior to Monday’s trade deadline.

    If Kane doesn’t re-sign with the Sharks, then the 2019 1st round pick becomes a 2019 2nd round pick. The 2019 1st round pick is also lottery protected and will remain a 1st round pick if San Jose wins the Cup.

    The conditional 4th round pick in 2019 can become a 2020 3rd round pick if the Sharks so choose.

    UnknownKane, 26, has 20-20–40 totals in 61 games for the Sabres this season. A five-time 40-point scorer, Kane has 177 goals and 163 assists (340 points) in 557 career NHL games with the Sabres and Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers.

    A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, the 6’2″, 212-pound power forward combines scoring prowess with quite a punch. He is a pending-UFA this July and was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

    Unknown-2O’Regan, 24, has four assists in 19 games with San Jose this season.

    The 5’10”, 185-pound center has 7-18–25 totals in 31 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) in 2017-18 and had 23-35–58 totals in 63 games last season with the Barracuda after completing four years at Boston University alongside now-current Buffalo teammates, Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues.

    A native of Berlin, Germany, O’Regan was originally drafted by the Sharks in the 5th round (138th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He’ll likely report to the Rochester Americans.

  • TRADE: Chimera swapping in his blue-and-orange for Orange County

    With approximately 45 minutes remaining until the 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, the Anaheim Ducks acquired veteran F Jason Chimera from the New York Islanders in exchange for F Chris Wagner.

    Chimera comes to Orange County in the middle of the worst season of his NHL career. At 38-years-old, the Edmonton, Alberta native has managed only 2-9-11 totals in 58 games played with one of the NHL’s top offenses.

    An unrestricted free agent following this season, Chimera enjoyed the pinnacle of his career while playing with Washington from 2009-’16. He achieved three 20-goal campaigns with the Caps, as well as posted a career-high 42 points in 82 games in 2013-’14.

    Chimera will likely slide into the fourth line’s left wing position for what seems to be one last stab at a Stanley Cup.

    In return, New York is receiving 26-year-old Wagner, a native of Walpole, Mass. – a suburb approximately 30 miles southwest of Boston. A fifth-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft, Wagner made his NHL debut with the Ducks in 2014-’15. Since then, he’s played at least half an NHL season for both of the last two campaigns, as well as 64 games this season.

    Given his previous performance, Wagner is experiencing a breakout season this year. In 64 games this year, he’s posted 6-9-15 totals to elevate his career marks to 16-12-28.

    If you’ve heard Wagner’s name before, it was likely during the Ducks’ recent run to the Western Conference Finals. He provided one goal in Game 3 against the Oilers, as well as a goal apiece in Games 5 and 6 against the Predators.

    With the Isles only two points behind Columbus for the second wild card, that playoff experience could prove valuable should New York qualify for the postseason for the third time in four seasons.

    Just like Chimera, Wagner is also a pending unrestricted free agent come this offseason, but his $637.5 thousand cap hit is well below Chimera’s $2.25 million.

  • TRADE: Arizona and Columbus swap AHLers

    These guys probably won’t be #AHLlifers for long given their age, but still.

    The Arizona Coyotes traded F Ryan Kujawinski to the Columbus Blue Jackets and got F Jordan Maletta in return.

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    Maletta, 22, is a 6’3″, 212-pound forward who has yet to appear in an NHL game. A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, he has four assists in 28 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.

    In 76 games with Cleveland last season– his first professional season– Maletta had 12 goals and 11 assists (23 points).

    He was originally signed by Columbus as a free agent on March 26, 2016.

    downloadKujawinski, 22, has 1-3–4 totals in 24 games with the Tucson Roadrunners and Binghamton Devils this season in the American Hockey League. He’s in his third professional season and was previously acquired by Arizona on December 14, 2017 in a deal with the New Jersey Devils.

    The 6’2″, 201-pound forward is a native of Kirkland Lake, Ontario and will report to the Monsters.

  • TRADE: Vegas ships Leipsic to Vancouver

    It’s another first for the Vegas Golden Knights. I’m just kidding, they technically existed at the deadline last season (though they could participate because they had just filed their papers that day).

    Anyway, the Golden Knights traded F Brendan Leipsic to the Vancouver Canucks for D Philip Holm.

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    Leipsic, 23, has two goals and 11 assists (13 points) in 44 games for Vegas this season after making his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015-16 season. In 50 career NHL games, Leipsic has 3-13–16 totals.

    The 5’10”, 180-pound left wing is a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba and was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 3rd round (89th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

    vegas_golden_knights_logoHolm, 26, appeared in his first career NHL game this season with the Canucks on February 23rd against the Golden Knights and was a minus-two in 15:12 time-on-ice.

    As a depth-defenseman, Holm brings his 6’1″, 190-pound frame as some added insurance for Vegas as they journey down their first stretch run in franchise history before the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    A native of Stockholm, Sweden, he was undrafted and signed a one-year entry level contract with the Canucks on May 26, 2017. He has 11-18–29 totals in 44 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) this season– his first in North America. Holm will join the Golden Knights’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

  • TRADE: Paul Stastny flying to Winnipeg

    The third official trade of the deadline occurred entirely within the Central Division when the Winnipeg Jets acquired F Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and the rights to F Erik Foley.

    Stastny had been a member of the Blues since signing a four-year, $28 million deal with the club before the 2014-’15 season. As such, the 32-year old is slated to be an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of this campaign. St. Louis retained half of the $7 million salary cap hit, the max allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement.

    The son of Quebec Nordiques-legend Peter Stastny has posted 12-28-40 totals in 63 games with the Blues this season, but he’s an even bigger presence at the face-off dot where he wins over 55 percent of his draws. Stastny will likely slid into Winnipeg’s second line.

    The Quebec City-native has posted 216-417-633 totals over the course of his 12-year NHL career, averaging .79 points per game. His best season was in 2007-’08 with the Colorado Avalanche, when the sophomore posted impressive 24-47-71 totals in only 66 games played.

    Foley is a 20-year-old prospect currently playing with the Providence Friars in the NCAA. Through 31 games played this season with Providence, the junior has managed 15-19-34 totals – the exact marks he posted during his sophomore season. In three collegiate seasons, he’s managed 37-50-87 totals in 103 games played, averaging .84 points per game.

  • TRADE: Blackhawks deal Hartman to Predators

    One these teams isn’t making the playoffs and they’re getting rid of their youth. The other team in this deal swept the team that’s not making the playoffs last year in the First Round.

    The Chicago Blackhawks traded F Ryan Hartman and a 5th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the Nashville Predators on Monday. Nashville sent F Victor Ejdsell, a 2018 1st round pick and a 2018 4th round pick in return.

    UnknownHartman, 23, has eight goals and 17 assists (25 points) in 57 games with Chicago this season.

    The 6’0″, 181-pound winger made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season and has 27-30–57 totals in 141 career games (all with the Blackhawks).

    A native of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, he was drafted by Chicago in the 1st round (30th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

    Nashville is stocking up on talent while mixing in a little veteran experience for what should be another long postseason run after having signed F Mike Fisher, 37, to a one-year contract on Monday as well.

    imgresEjdsell, 22, has yet to appear in an NHL game. A native of Karlstad, Sweden, the 6’5″, 214-pound center has 17-30–47 totals in 44 games for HV71 (SHL) this season.

    He originally signed a two-year entry level contract with Nashville on May 15, 2017.