Down the Frozen River

Tag: 2018 NHL Entry Draft

  • TRADE: Sharks send Bollig and Grosenick to Nashville

    Sunday witnessed a flurry of trade activity before Monday’s NHL trade deadline– even if some of the moves were minor, all things considered.

    The San Jose Sharks traded F Brandon Bollig and G Troy Grosenick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 6th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

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    San Jose now has six picks in the 2018 Draft (one in the 1st round, one in the 4th round, one in the 5th round, two in the 6th round and one in the 7th round).

    Bollig, 31, has eight goals and two assists (ten points) in 45 games with San Jose’s AHL affiliate– the San Jose Barracuda– this season. He was a member of the 2013 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and has 10-13–23 totals in 241 career NHL games from 2011-16.

    UnknownA native of St. Charles, Missouri, the 6’2″, 220-pound winger was signed in free agency by the Blackhawks after finishing his second year at St. Lawrence University in 2010.

    He was previously traded to the Calgary Flames at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft before signing a one-year contract with the Sharks on July 4, 2017.

    Grosenick, 28, is 6-9-4 with a 2.98 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in 20 games with the Barracuda this season. He played in two career NHL games with the Sharks in 2014-15, notching his first career NHL win– a shutout on November 16, 2014 at Carolina– and amassing a 1.53 GAA and .948 SV% in 119 minutes played.

    The 6’1″, 185-pound goaltender began his professional career with the Worcester Sharks in the 2013-14 season (prior to their relocation to San Jose and rebrand as the Barracuda). In 168 AHL appearance, the Brookfield, Wisconsin native has an 85-56-16 record with a career 2.59 GAA and 13 shutouts.

    Following his third year at Union College, Grosenick signed a one-year entry level contract with the Sharks on April 8, 2013.

     As a result of the trade, Nashville now has picks in every round of this year’s draft except for the second and sixth rounds.

  • TRADE: CBJ, EDM & NSH make league’s 3rd three-team trade this season

    One three-team trade in the NHL is a rarity. Two is exceptionally rare, especially considering the talent that was moved around. Three? That’s insane.

    We’ve seen three, three-team trades this season in the National Hockey League. What are the odds we’ll see another before July 1st– let alone before Monday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline?

    At least this three-team deal wasn’t complicated.

    Sunday afternoon, the Edmonton Oilers sent F Mark Letestu to the Nashville Predators in exchange for F Pontus Aberg. Nashville then flipped Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to complete the three-team trade.

    So to recap:

    To CBJ: F Mark Letestu

    To EDM: F Pontus Aberg

    To NSH: 2018 4th round pick (CBJ)

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    Aberg, 24, has three goals and seven assists (ten points) in 52 career NHL games. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, the 5’11”, 196-pound forward had two goals and three assists in 16 postseason games with Nashville in 2017.

    He was originally drafted by the Predators in the 2nd round (37th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

    Columbus Blue Jackets Logo

    Letestu, 33, has eight goals and 11 assists (19 points) in 60 games for Edmonton this season. He has 92-114–206 totals in 538 career NHL games for the Oilers, Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins.

    The 5’10”, 195-pound forward is entering his second stint with Columbus after having previously been traded to the Blue Jackets by Pittsburgh on November 8, 2011. Letestu went on to play for Columbus from 2011-15, amassing 43 goals and 55 assists (98 points) in 233 games.

    An Elk Point, Alberta native, Letestu has 6-9–15 totals in 30 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was originally signed by the Penguins as a free agent in March 2007 after playing one season of college hockey with Western Michigan University.

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    Though they traded Aberg, acquired Letestu, then flipped Letestu to Columbus, the Nashville Predators did walk away from this three-team trade with a 2018 4th round pick.

    The Predators now have a draft pick in every round (including two picks in the fourth) except for the second in this June’s NHL Draft, which will be held in Dallas.

  • TRADE: Toronto acquires Plekanec from Montreal

    Somebody get Tomas Plekanec a new turtleneck for under his uniform, his current one is out of style.

    On Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired F Tomas Plekanec and F Kyle Baun from their arch-rival– the Montreal Canadiens– in exchange for F Kerby Rychel, D Rinat Valiev and a 2nd round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

    UnknownPlekanec, 35, has six goals and 18 assists (24 points) in 60 games with Montreal this season.

    The veteran NHL forward made his NHL debut with the Habs in the 2003-04 season and has been with the Canadiens for his entire career, amassing 232-373–605 totals in 981 career games played.

    The 5’11”, 193-pound native of Kladno, Czech Republic ranks seventh on Montreal’s all-time games played list, 13th in assists and points and 17th in goals. He is a seven-time 20-goal scorer and is a pending-UFA this July.

    Originally drafted by the Canadiens in the 3rd round (71st overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Plekanec has 16 goals and 33 assists (49 points) in 87 career postseason games.

    Baun, 25, has four goals and 12 assists (16 points) with Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, this season. The 6’2″, 209-pound native of Toronto, Ontario has 19-40–59 totals in 171 career AHL games between the Rockford IceHogs and Rocket from 2015-present.

    He has yet to score a point in the NHL and appeared in five career NHL games from 2014-2016 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

    Unknown-1Rychel, 23, has ten goals and 20 assists (30 points) in 55 games with the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, Toronto Marlies this season.

    The 6’1″, 207-pound Torrance, California native has 2-10–12 totals in 37 career NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    He was originally drafted by Columbus in the 1st round (19th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

    Valiev, 22, has 5-10–15 totals in 40 games with the Marlies this season and 10 career NHL games (during the 2015-16 season) under his belt with the Maple Leafs. The 6’3″, 215-pound defenseman is a native of Nizhnekamsk, Russia and was originally drafted by Toronto in the 3rd round (68th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

    As a result of this trade, Montreal now has four-second round picks in the upcoming NHL draft in June.

    The last time the Maple Leafs and Canadiens made a trade with each other was on July 3, 2008. Montreal acquired D Greg Pateryn and a 2010 2nd round pick (32nd overall, Jared Knight– drafted by Boston after the pick changed hands several more times) in exchange for F Mikhail Grabovski.

  • TRADE: Bruins acquire Rick Nash in blockbuster deal

    If you weren’t already strapped into your seats, please be sure to buckle up before we continue.

    Boston Bruins general manager, Don Sweeney, was busy working the phones while his team was squaring off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, apparently. There was a deal in the frameworks, but everyone needed a night’s sleep.

    Sunday morning, the New York Rangers traded F Rick Nash to the Bruins in exchange for F Ryan Spooner, F Matt Beleskey, D Ryan Lingren, a 2018 1st round pick and a 2019 7th round pick.

    The Rangers retained 50% of Nash’s salary ($3.900 million through the end of this season) and Boston retained 50% of Beleskey’s remaining salary in the deal ($1.900 million through the 2019-20 season).

    Unknown-7Nash, 33, is in his 15th NHL and has 18 goals and ten assists (28 points) in 60 games for the Rangers. In 1,049 career games with the Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, Nash has 434-365–799 totals. He has reached the 60-point plateau five times in his career.

    A native of Brampton, Ontario, the 6’4″, 211-pound right winger was previously acquired by New York in a trade with Columbus in the summer of 2012. Nash was originally drafted 1st overall by the Blue Jackets in 2002.

    Columbus’s all-time leader in games played (674), goals (289), assists (258) and points (547), Nash is expected to slide in alongside Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci on Boston’s second line. He is a six-time All-Star (2003-04, 2006-07, 2007-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2014-15) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014.

    Nash has 15-26–41 totals in 77 career postseason games and is expected to join the team in Buffalo and be eligible for Sunday night’s game against the Sabres.

    downloadSpooner, 26, has nine goals and 16 assists (25 points) in 39 games this season for Boston. In 253 career NHL games with the Bruins, he has amassed 41 goals and 101 assists (142 points).

    The 5’10”, 184-pound native of Ottawa, Ontario has two assists in four career Stanley Cup playoff games. Spooner was originally drafted by Boston in the 2nd round (45th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

    He is a pending-restricted free agent this July.

    Beleskey, 29, had no points in 14 games with Boston this season. The 6-foot, 203-pound winger has four goals and two assists (six points) in 21 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL).

    The Windsor, Ontario native has 75-82–157 totals in 472 career NHL games with the Bruins and Anaheim Ducks. He was originally drafted by Anaheim in the 4th round (112th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Beleskey signed as a free agent with the Bruins on July 1, 2015 and has 13 goals and four assists (17 points) in 37 career postseason games for the Bruins and Ducks.

    Lindgren, 20, has two goals and five assists (seven points) in 33 games with the University of Minnesota this season. The 6-foot, 198-pound native of Burnsville, Minnesota was drafted by Boston in the 2nd round (49th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Lindgren has yet to appear in an NHL game.

    As a result of acquiring a 1st round pick in this deal, the Rangers now have six picks (two 1st rounders, two 2nd rounders and two 3rd round picks) in the first three rounds of the 2018 draft in Dallas.

    In a few moves for the Bruins on Sunday, defensemen Paul Postma and Chris Breen were placed on waivers. Breen was signed to a one-year, two-way contract, prior to being placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

    Additionally, Team USA captain at the 2018 Winter Games, Brian Gionta, was signed to a one-year, $700,000 deal.

    Think of the Gionta signing as a plus if he does for anything for Boston. Otherwise, he’s just a depth guy with more postseason experience than all of the youth in the Hub.

  • TRADE: OTT, VGK & PIT complete three-team trade involving Brassard

    Trivia night is about to get a lot more fun when you’re asked “what three-team trade originally got rejected by the NHL, then re-worked, finalized and made official with minor tweaks?” The answer is this trade, which although it was originally rejected for “improper use of salary retention mechanism”, totally didn’t do just that in any way whatsoever… sure.

    At this rate, there might not be anyone left to trade by Monday’s trade deadline. Also, what is it with Ottawa and three-team trades?

    On Friday, the Ottawa Senators traded F Derick Brassard to the Vegas Golden Knights and F Vincent Dunn and a 3rd round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins sent D Ian Cole, G Filip Gustavsson, a 1st round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and a 3rd round pick in the 2019 draft to the Senators.

    In addition, the Golden Knights flipped Brassard along with F Tobias Lindberg to the Penguins for F Ryan Reaves and a 2018 4th round pick (via Vancouver). Vegas retained 40% of Brassard’s cap hit as part of the three-team trade.

    For the sake of making it easy to understand:

    To OTT: D Ian Cole, G Filip Gustavsson, 2018 1st round pick (PIT) and a 2019 3rd round pick (PIT)

    To PIT: F Derick Brassard*, F Vincent Dunn, F Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 3rd round pick (OTT)

    To VGK: F Ryan Reaves, 2018 4th round pick (VAN via PIT)

    *VGK retain 40% of Brassard’s cap hit in the deal.

    pittsburgh_penguins_logoBrassard, 30, has 18 goals and 20 assists (38 points) in 58 games this season for the Senators. In his 11th NHL season, the 6’1″, 202-pound center has 159-261–420 totals in 702 career games with the Senators, New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

    A native of Hull, Québec, Brassard reached the 60-point plateau in 80 games played in 2014-15 with the Rangers. He was originally drafted by Columbus in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

    In 78 postseason appearances, Brassard has 22-33–55 totals.

    Dunn, 22, has split his time this season between the Belleville Senators (AHL) and Brampton Beast (ECHL). The 6’0″, 190-pound native of Hull, Québec has four assists in 17 games for Belleville and 7-1–8 totals in 16 games with Brampton this season.

    He was originally chosen by the Senators in the 5th round (138th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

    Lindberg, 22, was previously acquired by the Golden Knights along with a 2018 6th round pick in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that sent G Calvin Pickard to Toronto earlier this season.

    In 48 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season, Lindberg has eight goals and ten assists (18 points). He is a native of Stockholm, Sweden and has 25-43–68 totals in 148 career AHL games with the Wolves, Toronto Marlies and Binghamton Senators.

    The 6’3″, 215-pound forward was originally drafted by Ottawa in the 4th round (102nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

    Unknown-6Cole, 29, has 13 points (three goals, ten assists) in 47 games played for Pittsburgh this season. He has 18-72–90 totals in 385 career NHL games with the Penguins and St. Louis Blues and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pens in 2016 and 2017.

    The 6’1″, 219-pound defenseman is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan and is pending-UFA at season’s end. He was originally drafted by St. Louis in the 1st round (18th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

    In 56 career postseason games, Cole has one goal and 13 assists (14 points).

    Gustavsson, 19, has a 2.16 goals against average and .917 save percentage in 18 games with Luleå HF this season in the SHL. He was drafted by the Penguins in the 2nd round (55th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    Fans of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship might remember that Gustavsson was Sweden’s starting goaltender and named the top goaltender in this year’s tournament with a 1.81 GAA and .924 SV% in six games.

    As of this trade, Ottawa now has a possible seven picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft– two 1st round picks (the Senators can exercise their right to keep a potential top-10 pick in this year’s draft as part of November’s Matt Duchene trade), one 4th round pick, one 5th round pick, one 6th round pick and two 7th round picks.

    vegas_golden_knights_logoReaves, 31, had four goals and four assists (eight points) in 58 games with the Penguins and was previously acquired by Pittsburgh in a trade with the St. Louis Blues at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on June 23rd.

    He has 84 penalty minutes this season and 779 PIM in his career.

    A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba in his eighth NHL season, Reaves has 31-28–59 totals in 477 career games with the Penguins and Blues. The 6’1″, 225-pound right winger was originally drafted by the Blues in the 5th round (156th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

  • TRADE: Rangers send Grabner to the Devils

    It’s the first time the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils have ever made a trade with each other and, well, it’s a pretty big one, all things considered in this deadline market.

    The Rangers traded forward, Michael Grabner, to New Jersey in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and Yegor Rykov on Thursday.

    New Jersey Devils LogoGrabner, 30, has 25 goals and six assists (31 points) in 59 games this season for New York and was a healthy scratch on Thursday night.

    The 6’1″, 188-pound, native of Villach, Austria has 156-88–244 totals in 532 career NHL games with the Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks.

    He was originally drafted by Vancouver in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

    A gifted scorer, Grabner emerged in his 2nd NHL season, notching 52 points in 76 games with the Islanders in 2010-11. Grabner’s production dropped to just 32 points in 78 games in 2011-12.

    He bounced back with 27 goals and 13 assists (40 points) in 76 games last season for the Rangers after a forgettable season with the Maple Leafs in 2015-16 in which he amassed nine goals and nine assists (18 points) in 80 games.

    Grabner is a pending-UFA this July.

    downloadRykov, 20, is a 6’2″, 205-pound left-shot defenseman currently playing with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 51 games with SKA St. Petersburg this season, Rykov has 2-12–14 totals.

    He was originally drafted by New Jersey in the 5th round (132nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    With the acquisition of a 2nd round pick in 2018 from the Devils, the Rangers now have eight picks in the 2018 draft– including five picks in the first three rounds.

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #94- Twenty Years Golden

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #94- Twenty Years Golden

    The USWNT won gold in PyeongChang– defeating Canada 3-2 in a shootout– and Nick and Connor are thrilled. Jarome Iginla might be coming back just in time for trades, playoff talk and more on this week’s episode of the DTFR Podcast.

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) and/or on Stitcher.

  • TRADE: Boston sends Vatrano to Florida

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    No, just because you’re from Massachusetts doesn’t mean you’ll be playing with the Bruins forever.

    The Boston Bruins traded F Frank Vatrano to the Florida Panthers on Thursday in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

    Florida_Panthers_logo_2016Vatrano, 23, had two goals in 25 games this season with Boston. The 5’9″, 201-pound native of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts had career-highs in goals (10), assists (eight) and points (18) in 44 games last season.

    He had one goal in six career postseason games with the Bruins in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Signed by Boston as a free agent out of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on March 13, 2015, Vatrano has 20-11–31 totals in 108 career NHL games.

  • TRADE: Bruins acquire Holden from Rangers

    It’s not the left-shot defenseman many Bruins fans had been hoping to acquire by the NHL’s Trade Deadline on February 26th, but it’s a defenseman nonetheless.

    The Boston Bruins traded D Rob O’Gara and a 2018 3rd round pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for D Nick Holden on Tuesday.

    Unknown-7Holden, 30, recorded three goals and nine assists (12 points) in 55 games with the Rangers this season. He established career highs in goals (11), assists (23) and points (34) in his first season with New York (last season) in 80 games played. As well, Holden had two goals and two assists in 11 postseason games.

    The St. Albert, Alberta native was previously acquired by the Rangers in exchange for a 4th round pick (Petr Kvaca) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in a deal with the Colorado Avalanche on June 26, 2016. He was originally signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 28, 2008 and has appeared in 356 career NHL games– amassing 35-72–107 totals with the Rangers, Avalanche and Blue Jackets.

    At 6’4″, 214-pounds, Holden will more than likely slide into a bottom-pair defensive role for Boston as they continue their march down the stretch towards the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Holden will be a healthy scratch until Saturday as Boston is in Edmonton for a Tuesday night tilt.

    downloadO’Gara, 24, has yet to record his first career NHL goal in 11 career NHL games (all with Boston). In 43 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) this season, O’Gara had two goals and six assists (eight points) and a plus-five rating.

    A native of Massapequa, N.Y., the 6’4″, 207-pound blue liner was selected by the Bruins in the 5th round (151st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and completed a four-year collegiate career at Yale University from 2012-16. He is the only defenseman in Yale history to be a three-time winner of the John Poinier Award as the team’s Best Defenseman.

    O’Gara made his NHL debut with the Bruins on October 13, 2016 at Columbus.

    As a result of the trade, the Rangers now have seven picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

  • TRADE: Flyers add depth in net, acquire Mrazek from Red Wings

    After losing both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth to injury, the Philadelphia Flyers were looking to do something to help them down the stretch.

    On Monday night, the Flyers acquired G Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a conditional 4th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional 3rd round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Detroit retained 50 percent of Mrazek’s salary in the trade.

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    The conditions on the picks involved are as follows:

    If Philadelphia makes the playoffs and Mrazek wins five games for the Flyers in the regular season, then the 4th round pick in 2018 becomes a 3rd round pick. If the Flyers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and Mrazek wins six playoff games, the 3rd round pick becomes a 2nd round pick.

    If Philadelphia re-signs him, Detroit receives a 2019 3rd round pick from the Flyers.

    Or as TSN’s Bob McKenzie so wonderfully put it after reporting the conditions on the draft picks involved:

    download-1Mrazek, 26, had an 8-7-3 record in 22 appearances with the Red Wings this season for a 2.89 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

    He spent the last two seasons playing in the majority of games for Detroit after unseating current starting goaltender for the Red Wings, Jimmy Howard, from the number one spot in goal and had a career best 2.33 GAA and .921 SV% (in at least 10 games played) in 54 games played in 2015-16.

    The native of Ostrava, Czech Republic is back in a backup goaltender role after amassing a career worst 3.04 GAA and .901 SV% in 50 GP last season for the rebuilding Red Wings. In 150 career NHL games, he has a 72-58-20 record with a career GAA of 2.60 and .912 SV%.

    He won a 2013 Calder Cup championship with Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins and appeared in three career Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2016 amassing a 1.36 GAA and a .945 SV%.

    Mrazek was drafted by Detroit in the 5th round (141st overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and is a pending-RFA this July.

    This trade comes as no surprise for the Flyers as they look to maintain momentum down the stretch and make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 with both Elliott and Neuvirth injured and out of commission.

    Since Detroit retained 50% of Mrazek’s salary, the goaltender will only carry a $2.000 million cap hit for Philadelphia through the end of the season.

    The Red Wings are expected to move forward with Jared Coreau as their backup, while the Flyers look to rely on Mrazek and Alex Lyon to hold the fort down until Neuvirth and Elliott recover.