Down the Frozen River

Tag: 2016 Trade Deadline

  • TRADE: Hudler sent to Florida in exchange for picks

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Unknown-4The Calgary Flames traded forward Jiri Hudler to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a second round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

    Hudler is a 32-year-old native of Olomouc, Czech Republic and had 10-25-35 totals in 53 games with the Flames this season.

    Unknown-2In 657 career NHL games, Hudler has 155-251-406 totals among Calgary (2012-2016) and Detroit (2003-2009, 2010-2012). He has 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 77 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games and was a member of the Detroit Red Wings 2008 Stanley Cup championship team.

    He was drafted by the Red Wings in the second round (58th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft and was the 2015 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner.

     

  • TRADE: Edmonton’s Nilsson dealt to St. Louis

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The St. Louis Blues began their Saturday by acquiring Edmonton Oilers goaltender, Anders Nilsson, in exchange for goaltender Niklas Lundstrom and a fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    Unknown-1Nilsson is a 25-year-old who has played in 26 games this season for the Oilers. His 10-12-2 record, along with a 3.14 GAA and .901 SV% provide a little depth for the Blues in net given their recent injury prone run in goal. Nilsson will be assigned to St. Louis’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

    The 6’5″, 229-pound goalie is a native of Lulea, Sweden and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 49 career NHL games for the Islanders and Oilers, amassing a 19-21-4 record and a 3.10 career GAA, as well as a .900 career SV% and one shutout.

    200px-Logo_Edmonton_Oilers.svgLundstrom is a 23-year-old goalie who was drafted by St. Louis in the fifth round (132nd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He split this season between the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lundstrom is a native of Varmdo, Sweden and is 6’1″, 194 pounds.

    He has an 8-3-0 record in 13 games with Elmira and a 1-1-0 record in four games with the Wolves this season.

    Late on Friday night/early Saturday morning (if you’re on the East coast), TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted that it was believed that the St. Louis Blues had acquired 25-year-old goaltender, Anders Nilsson, from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a mid-round draft pick.

    The Blues, of course, just regained the health of their goalie, Jake Allen, but lost Brian Elliott due to injury in the span of about 24 hours apart from one another. St. Louis was just one of a few teams looking to add a goalie down the stretch (with San Jose having added James Reimer on Saturday and Buffalo in search of another net minder and/or trading partner for Chad Johnson).

    Neither the Edmonton Oilers, nor the Blues, had officially announced a trade involving Nilsson following Friday night’s action.

    Shortly before 3 AM on the East Coast, Anaheim tweeted some sort of cryptic message shown below just to cause anguish for those of us still up at the crazy hour of almost three in the morning (aside from the fact that the Ducks beat the Oilers 2-1 in overtime, of course).

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/703483886488014848

     

    This post has been updated to reflect the official announcement of the trade.

  • TRADE: Montreal sends Fleischmann and Weise to Chicago

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Chicago Blackhawks were quite busy on Friday, completing their third trade in 24 hours, when they sent forward Philip Danault and a second round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise.

    Unknown-2Fleischmann is a 31-year old forward who had 10-10-20 totals in 57 games with the Canadiens this season. The Koprivnice, Czech Republic native has 133-197-330 totals in 638 career NHL games.

    He is in his 11th NHL season, having previously spent time wish Washington (2005-2010), Colorado (2010-2011), Florida (2011-2014) and Anaheim (2014-2015). Fleischmann was a product of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft having been selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (63rd overall).

    He signed a contract with Montreal this season as a free agent in early October and has played in 35 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, in which he’s scored nine points (four goals, five assists).

    Weise is a 27-year old forward who is in the midst of a career season, recording 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in 56 games with the Canadiens before this trade. He ranked second on the Habs in hits (108) and had 117 shots on goal.

    A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Weise has 85 points (37 goals, 48 assists) in 314 career NHL games spanning six seasons with the New York Rangers (2010-2011), Vancouver Canucks (2011-2014) and Montreal (2014-2016). Weise has 5-5-10 totals in 34 Stanley Cup Playoffs games. The Rangers originally selected Weise in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to this trade, he was acquired by Montreal in a deal with Vancouver that sent Raphael Diaz to the Canucks on February 3, 2014.

    Both Fleischmann and Weise are pending UFA’s at the end of the season.

    UnknownDanault is a 23-year old native of Victoriaville, Quebec who had 1-4-5 totals in 30 games with Chicago this season.

    He also had 1-1-2 totals in six games with the Rockford IceHogs this season. Danault made his NHL debut last season with the Blackhawks and appeared in one additional game last year.

    The 6’0”, 201 pound forward has 68 points (20 goals, 48 assists) and 94 penalty minutes in 160 career AHL games. Danault was Chicago’s second pick in the first round (26th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He split time between the Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats during his Junior career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and recorded 251 points (74 goals, 177 assists) in 243 career QMJHL games.

    As a result of the trade (and the recent injury to defenseman Nathan Beaulieu), Montreal has recalled forward Michael McCarron and defenseman Morgan Ellis from the St. John’s IceCaps (AHL).

    Montreal retained 30 percent of Dale Weise’s salary in the deal.

    The Canadiens are scheduled to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs from home ice at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday night, while the Blackhawks and their new additions will take on the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon on home ice at the United Center as part of NBC’s Game of the Week.

  • TRADE: Scuderi returns to LA in deal with Chicago

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings swapped defenseman late Friday afternoon exchanging Rob Scuderi for Christian Ehrhoff respectively.

    Unknown-3Scuderi is a 37-year old defenseman making a return to the Kings for the second time in his career. He had previously won a Stanley Cup with Los Angeles in 2012.

    He was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Blackhawks prior to this trade this season. Scuderi had played in 17 games with Chicago this season, but produced no points. Prior to being dealt to the Blackhawks, he appeared in 25 games for Pittsburgh and registered four assists.

    The 6’1″, 212 pound defenseman is a native of Syosset, New York and has 8-96-104 totals in 762 career NHL games for the Blackhawks (2015-2016), Penguins (2003-2009, 2013-2015) and Kings (2009-2013, 2016-). Scuderi is signed through next season and skated in three games for the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) after clearing waivers earlier this month.

    He was also a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup championship.

    The fifth round pick (134th overall) of the Penguins in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft has a plus-16 rating and 196 penalty minutes in his career and 1-13-14 totals in 117 playoff games.

    The Kings sent D Kevin Gravel to the Ontario Reign (AHL) to make room for Scuderi on their 23 man roster.

    Unknown-2Ehrhoff is a 33-year old defenseman who had two goals and eight assists in 40 games with Los Angeles this season before he was sent to Ontario earlier this month. Ehrhoff is a pending UFA at the end of this season and had three assists in five games with the Reign. He joined the Kings as an unrestricted free agent in September.

    The native of Moers, Germany leads all German-born defensemen with 337 points (74 goals, 263 assists) in 781 career NHL games, spanning 12 seasons with San Jose (2003-2009), Vancouver (2009-2011), Buffalo (2011-2014), Pittsburgh (2014-2015) and Los Angeles (2015-2016). In 73 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, Ehrhoff has 7-27-34 totals. He has also scored 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 111 career AHL games and eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine Calder Cup Playoffs games.

    Ehrhoff was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. It is unclear if he will be sent to Rockford or join Chicago at this point in time.

    Chicago retained 50 percent of Scuderi’s contract and Los Angeles retained 15 percent of Ehrhoff’s salary. Scuderi’s contract has now been retained in two separate transactions and cannot be retained anymore by any team, per the rules of the current CBA, should he be traded again in the remaining duration of his contract.

    Scuderi and the Los Angeles Kings will host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at the Staples Center while the Chicago Blackhawks will be in action on Sunday at home versus the Washington Capitals as part of NBC’s Game of the Week.

  • TRADE: Blackhawks acquire Ladd in deal with Winnipeg

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets provided a little trade action on Thursday night in a deal that involved quite a bit. Chicago sent forward Marko Dano, a first round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to Winnipeg in exchange for forwards Andrew Ladd and Matt Fraser, as well as defenseman Jay Harrison. The conditional pick in the trade will be a third rounder if the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup this season.

    Unknown-2Ladd is a 30-year old left-winger who served as the Jets’ captain since the franchise moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg prior to the 2011-2012 season.

    The two-time Stanley Cup champion ranks 4th in franchise history for Winnipeg in goal scoring with 139 goals since being acquired from Chicago after winning his most recent Cup championship in 2010.

    His first Cup championship was with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

    He had 17-17-34 totals in 59 games this season with the Jets and had a three game goal streak this month. Ladd had 143 shots on goal and 126 hits prior to the trade, as well. He tallied 37-62-99 totals in 184 career games in his first stint with the Blackhawks and amassed 6-4-10 totals in 36 playoff games with Chicago during that time. In 750 career NHL games, spanning 11 seasons with Carolina (2005-2008), Chicago (2008-2010), Atlanta (2010-2011) and Winnipeg (2011-2016), Ladd has 202-252-454 totals.

    The native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was the Hurricane’s first round pick (4th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and had a career high in points (62) last season in 81 games with Winnipeg. He led the Jets in scoring in three seasons (2010-2011, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015). Ladd has 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists) in 57 career Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances.

    Unknown-3Dano is a 21-year old forward who has played in 48 career NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks. He was a product of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft having been selected 27th overall by Columbus.

    He had two points (one goal, one assist) in 13 games with the Blackhawks this season and 4-19-23 totals in 34 games with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL).

    The Blackhawks previously acquired the Eisenstadt, Austria native on June 30, 2015 in a trade that sent Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dano has 23 career points and 16 penalty minutes and was named one of the top three players on team Slovakia at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. In 83 career AHL games, he has 17-31-48 totals and 78 penalty minutes over the last three seasons.

    Harrison is a 33-year old defenseman who spent 18 games with the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League this season, notching 3-2-5 totals. The Oshawa, Ontario native has 23-52-75 scoring totals in 372 career NHL games in nine career NHL seasons with Toronto (2005-2009), Carolina (2009-2015) and Winnipeg (2014-2015). Harrison has 37-80-117 totals in 426 career AHL games, with 20 points in 45 career Calder Cup Playoffs games.

    Fraser is a 25-year old right-winger who has 5-9-14 totals in 44 games with the Moose this season. He has 11-6-17 totals in 87 career NHL games, spanning four seasons with the Dallas Stars (2011-2013), Boston Bruins (2013-2014) and Edmonton Oilers (2014-2015).

    The native of Red Deer, Alberta has two points (one goal, one assist) in four career Stanley Cup Playoffs games from his 2014 playoff appearance with Boston. Fraser has 95-50-145 totals in 225 career AHL games and 5-2-7 totals in 14 Calder Cup Playoffs games.

    Both Fraser and Harrison will report to the IceHogs.

    The Jets retained 36% of Andrew Ladd’s salary in the deal. Ladd and Harrison are pending UFAs, while Fraser is a pending RFA. Dano has two years left on his entry-level deal.

    The Blackhawks take on the Nashville Predators Thursday night at home and will see Ladd return to Chicago on Sunday when they take on the Washington Capitals at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois as part of NBC’s Game of the Week coverage.

    Winnipeg travels to Dallas to play the Stars on Thursday night, but will move on with Dano in their system in time for Saturday’s matchup on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

  • TRADE: Capitals acquire Weber from Sabres

    By: Nick Lanciani

    On Tuesday evening the Washington Capitals acquired pending UFA defenseman Mike Weber from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

    Washington Capitals LogoWeber is a 28-year old stay-at-home defenseman who had one goal and four assists in 35 games with Buffalo this season. He also had 32 penalty minutes as a Sabre in that same timespan.

    Since he entered the NHL in the 2007-2008 season with the Sabres, Weber ranked first among Buffalo skaters in hits (917) and blocked shots (666). The product of the second round (57th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft was drafted by the Sabres and had spent his entire career with the organization until this trade.

    Buffalo Sabres LogoThe 6’2″, 217-pound, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native served as an alternate captain for Buffalo during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons, playing in a career high 68 games during the 2013-2014 season.

    Weber established a career high in goals (4), assists (13) and points (17) in the 2010-2011 season. In 341 career NHL games with the Sabres, Weber registered 9-44-53 totals and 409 penalty minutes.

    He has one assist in seven career NHL playoff games going all the way back to Buffalo’s first round exit to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    The Sabres retained 50% of Weber’s remaining salary.

    Washington hosts the Montreal Canadiens on home ice on Wednesday night at the Verizon Center while Buffalo will take on the Anaheim Ducks on the road at the Honda Center. Weber is expected to join his new team and may be in the lineup as early as Wednesday’s night’s matchup with the Habs.

  • Should he stay or should he go? (feat. Loui Eriksson)

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Boston Bruins have a big decision to make leading up to this year’s trade deadline. If you haven’t heard by now, there’s a lot of speculation surrounding Boston’s RW Loui Eriksson and his future with the franchise.

    UnknownBased on the latest trades in the NHL, the market value of someone of Eriksson’s stature could yield more than enough to satisfy the Bruins front office for the next few years. Just think, the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to get two 2nd round picks (and Raffi Torres) from the San Jose Sharks for Roman Polak and Nick Spaling.

    If the Maple Leafs could get two 2nd round picks for their fire sale, think of what the Bruins could get for a player on the verge of his best season since at least the 2011-2012 regular season and on pace to reach the 70 point plateau.

    The fact of the matter is that Loui Eriksson is a very versatile player. Three years removed from the infamous Tyler Seguin trade with the Dallas Stars, Boston has finally seen what they expected all along from Eriksson on the ice. He goes to the right places, can be found on the rush and is dependable on the power play, if not deadly on special teams on a night-to-night basis.

    IMG_4341
    Could it be the end of Loui Eriksson in Black and Gold? (Photo via author)

    Eriksson has 23-25-48 totals so far in 60 games played this season; already besting his 22-25-47 totals last season over 81 games played and significantly improving upon his 10-27-37 total production in an injury plagued 61 game season in his first year in Boston during the 2013-2014 run that culminated in a Bruins second round playoff exit to the rival Montreal Canadiens. In 12 career playoff games with the B’s, Eriksson has put up two goals and three assists.

    The offensive upside to Eriksson’s game is crucial to his role as a top six forward. Yet, the 30-year old is on the final year of a six-year, $4.250 million AAV deal and is only expected to earn more, much more, in comparison to what the Bruins might be able to offer in an extension. Had the two sides discussed a deal much earlier in the season (prior to Eriksson’s rampage on the scoresheet), Boston might have been able to secure Eriksson to a similar deal to the one that is soon to expire.

    He is a dependable forward that brings a lot more to the table than Nick Spaling will bring to San Jose. By comparison, Eriksson makes Spaling look like a fourth liner (if not a depth forward) on just about any NHL roster.

    Compared to a player of similar caliber, but only a couple of years younger, Loui Eriksson could be raking in a well deserved raise similar to the 28-year old Anze Kopitar’s $80 million over 8 years extension with the Los Angeles Kings. Somewhere in the ballpark between $6.000 to $8.000 million AAV for any amount of time is well worth the chance for Eriksson to take the money and run.

    And the Bruins don’t have the room for that. Granted, their salary cap crunch days are much better than last year’s numbers.

    In the next two free agency cycles the Boston Bruins will have to resign a plethora of young stars including, Ryan Spooner ($950,000), David Pastrnak ($925,000), Brett Connolly ($1.000 million), Brad Marchand- who by the way is having a career year himself this year- ($4.500 million), Torey Krug ($3.400 million), Colin Miller ($600,000), Seth Griffith ($750,000) and quite possibly Alexander Khokhlachev ($800,000) assuming the Bruins don’t try to package the disgruntled Providence Bruin who has hinted at jettisoning the spoked-B for the KHL.

    IMG_4870
    Will the Bruins give up on second chances for Alexander Khokhlachev? (Photo via author)

    At least for Boston, they have some comfort in knowing that Milan Lucic’s retained salary of $2.750 million is coming off the books after this season and that forwards, Chris Kelly ($3.000 million) and Max Talbot ($900,000) may not be resigned. Kelly for sure will likely be forced to search for a job elsewhere in the league or face retirement in his comeback from a fractured left femur just 11 games into the season.

    So it all comes back down to what is here and now- Loui Eriksson.

    Without a doubt, Eriksson has a long future left in the NHL with any team in the league. Where he might end up is not necessarily clear, but the Bruins should seek to land a 1st round pick, a prospect, and a solid forward or top-4 defenseman at the very least in an exchange for just Loui Eriksson.

    The more pieces you add to the puzzle, the more things appear to stack up in favor of Boston (at least from a negotiating side). The Bruins have plenty of chips to put on the table with Eriksson, Khokhlachev and even Kevan Miller (who’s superb on the physical aspect of defense and shot blocking) to offer to a team that’s on the border or well within the cutoff of the playoff picture. Bruins GM Don Sweeney also has a couple of 1st round picks that he could dangle in front of an attractive trading partner.

    So while it might be sad to see such a productive player go in one of his best seasons, it just might be one of those classic examples of a “good hockey trade”- something reminiscent of when the Bruins brought in Phil Esposito or the like. Who knows, it just might be enough to put them in Cup contention for 2016.

    (And as requested by our in-house music guru, Connor, he wouldn’t let me get away with the title without alluding to this).

  • TRADE: Toronto ships Polak and Spaling to San Jose

    Early on Monday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded D Roman Polak and F Nick Spaling to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for San Jose’s 2nd round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, San Jose’s 2nd round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and F Raffi Torres one week before this year’s trade deadline.

    Unknown.pngPolak is a 29-year old defenseman who had one goal and 12 assists in 55 games with Toronto this season. He is in the final year of a five year contract with an AAV of $2.75 million.

    The 6’1″, 236-pound native of Ostrava, Czech Republic has played in 535 career regular season NHL games with the St. Louis Blues and the Maple Leafs, posting 19-82-101 career totals and 423 career penalty minutes. Polak has a +8 rating and 56 penalty minutes thus far in the 2015-2016 season, ranks 5th in the league in hits (220) and averaged 19:44 TOI per game with Toronto.

    He was drafted by the Blues in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has represented the Czech Republic internationally, including the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C.

    Spaling is a 27-year old forward who was in and out of the Maple Leafs lineup this season, amassing 1-5-6 totals in 35 games. He is a pending UFA with a cap hit of $2.2 million.

    He played in 414 career NHL games with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto, amassing 50-68-118 totals and 114 penalty minutes. This year alone, Spaling had 18 penalty minutes over his 35 game span with the Leafs.

    The 6’1″, 201-pound native of Palmerston, Ontario was drafted in the third round (58th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Predators and has previously played under current San Jose Sharks head coach, Peter DeBoer, during his time in Juniors with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

    Polak bolsters San Jose’s blueline, while Spaling provides some much needed depth heading into the long run before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With about $107,000 left in cap space, the Sharks are likely done making trades until June at the earliest, unless they come up with a massive salary dump (thereby tanking in the process).

    Unknown-3Torres, a 34-year old forward, has appeared in six games this season for the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and will spend the rest of the season on loan from Toronto with the Barracuda.

    Raffi Torres was previously acquired by the Sharks from the Arizona Coyotes on April 3, 2013 and played in 16 regular season games, scoring five goals and producing six assists. Torres had served a 41 game suspension this season for an illegal hit to the head of Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg in a preseason game on October 3rd and has yet to see any NHL action.

    No salary was retained in the deal.

    This is now just the third trade prior the 2016 trade deadline on February 29th and all three have involved the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are in action on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators on home ice at the Air Canada Centre, while the San Jose Sharks square off with the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on Monday night. Polak and Spaling may join the Sharks at the latest on Wednesday night when San Jose travels to the Pepsi Center to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #25- Joe Vitale is not like Michael Ryder

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #25- Joe Vitale is not like Michael Ryder

    The Down the Frozen River crew takes a look at whether teams in the Western Conference should sell, sell, sell or buy, buy, buy this year at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline. Connor doesn’t mess up a name for once, although he does confuse the position of a player or two. Next week the DTFR gang tackles the Eastern Conference with the trade deadline getting closer and closer.

    Stay tuned for next week’s show, but until then, hear what they have to say about the latest news and notes from around the NHL in this week’s #DTFRPodcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!