Down the Frozen River

Tag: Adam Cracknell

  • Trades Since the Beginning of 2015

    By: Nick Lanciani

    With four trades made on Thursday at the hour of this writing, it can get confusing as to who is where now and what was included in each deal. So with that in mind, and a little free time, I gladly compiled a list of trades made since January 1st to recap the trading action as we approach the Trade Deadline on Monday.

    January 2nd

    The Pittsburgh Penguins sent F Rob Klinkhammer and a 2015 1st round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for F David Perron.

    January 14th

    The Arizona Coyotes traded G Devan Dubnyk to the Minnesota Wild for a 2015 3rd round pick.

    January 27th

    The St. Louis Blues sent F Maxim Lapierre to the Pittsburgh Penguins for F Marcel Goc.

    January 29th

    The Chicago Blackhawks swapped D Adam Clendening with the Vancouver Canucks for D Gustav Forsling.

    February 6th

    The firesale began for Toronto as the Maple Leafs dealt F Carter Ashton and F David Broll to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2016 conditional pick.

    February 9th

    G Evgeni Nabokov was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the San Jose Sharks for “future considerations”- or realistically for the opportunity to retire as a member of the Sharks.

    February 11th

    Things picked up in Buffalo as the Sabres swapped D Tyler Myers, F Drew Stafford, F Joel Armia, F Brendan Lemieux, and a 2015 1st round pick with the Winnipeg Jets for F Evander Kane, D Zach Bogosian, and unsigned G Jason Kasdorf in a move that was beneficial for both hockey teams.

    Hours later, the Sabres sent G Jhonas Enroth to the Dallas Stars for G Anders Lindback and a 2016 conditional 3rd round pick.

    February 15th

    The Toronto Maple Leafs continued selling as they sent D Cody Franson and F Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators for F Olli Jokinen, F Brendan Leipsic, and a 2015 1st round pick.

    February 24th

    The Montreal Canadiens swapped F Jiri Sekac with the Anaheim Ducks for F Devante Smith-Pelly in a one-for-one, even, hockey deal.

    The Minnesota Wild sent a 2016 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for F Sean Bergenheim and a 2016 7th round pick.

    February 25th

    The Winnipeg Jets were active once again and traded a 2016 3rd round pick and a conditional 2015 6th round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for F Jiri Tlusty.

    The Toronto Maple Leafs further cleared store shelves by sending F Daniel Winnik to the Pittsburgh Penguins for F Zach Sill, a 2016 2nd round pick, and a 2015 4th round pick.

    The Hurricanes then sent D Andrej Sekera to the Los Angeles Kings for D Rolan McKeown and a conditional 1st round pick.

    February 26th

    The day started out with a largely irrelevant deal in the eyes of hockey fans, with the Columbus Blue Jackets sending F Adam Cracknell to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations.

    Then the Toronto Maple Leafs continued doing what they had been doing the entire month and shipped F T.J. Brennan to the Chicago Blackhawks for F Spencer Abbott.

    But then the Florida Panthers shocked the hockey world by sending a 2015 2nd round pick and a 2016 3rd round pick to the New Jersey Devils for F Jaromir Jagr.

    As if things weren’t already weird enough, Columbus then sent F Nathan Horton to Toronto for F David Clarkson.

    February 27th

    Flyers GM Ron Hextall made sure to get the okay from D Kimmo Timonen before Philadelphia traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2015 2nd round pick and a 2016 conditional 4th round pick, after Timonen was to return to play from a blood clot.

    February 28th

    The Washington Capitals sent D Jack Hillen and a 2015 4th round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for D Tim Gleason.

    The Anaheim Ducks sent F Dany Heatley and a 2015 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for F Tomas Fleischmann.

    The Chicago Blackhawks acquired F Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes for D Klas Dahlbeck and a 2015 1st round draft pick.

    March 1st

    The Calgary Flames traded F Curtis Glencross to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2015 2nd round pick and a 2015 3rd round pick.

    The Arizona Coyotes sent D Keith Yandle, D Chris Summers, and a 2015 4th round pick to the New York Rangers for F Anthony Duclair, D John Moore, a 2015 2nd round pick, and a 2016 1st round pick. Arizona retains 50% of Yandle’s salary as well (he is a pending unrestricted free agent).

    In their second move of the day the New York Rangers acquired F Carl Klingberg from the Winnipeg Jets and sent F Lee Stempniak in return to complete the one-for-one swap.

    The New York Rangers made a third move on Sunday, sending a 2016 4th round pick to the San Jose Sharks for F James Shepherd. San Jose retained $100,000 of Shepherd’s salary in the deal.

    The Detroit Red Wings acquired F Erik Cole and a 2015 conditional 3rd round pick from the Dallas Stars in exchange for D Mattias Backman, F Mattias Janmark, and a 2015 2nd round pick.

  • St. Louis Blues 2014- 2015 Season Preview

    Connor Keith returns to the Down the Frozen River scene with this season preview of the St. Louis Blues. This was written before final roster cuts were made, but the season came along quickly and I kind of failed as an editor when it came to posting things in a timely manner. But that shouldn’t make any of Connor’s analysis any less valuable! Enjoy.

    St. Louis Blues (52-23-7, second in division, third in conference)

    After yet another early exit from the playoffs (fourth time exiting the playoffs in the first or second round since 2008-‘09), the Blues look to do more than reclaim the division title taken from them by Colorado last season. Although GM Doug Armstrong resigned Head Coach Ken Hitchcock, Associate Coach Brad Shaw, & Assistant Coach Ray Bennett, he pulled the plug on Assistant Coach Gary Shaw & Goaltending Coach Corey Hirsch. In their place, he hired Kirk Muller (ex-head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, amassing a record of 80-80-27) as Assistant Coach & Jim Corsi as Goaltending Coach.

    One of the major turnovers from last year for the Blues is between the pipes. Last season’s leading goalie in games played & wins was Jaroslav Halak, who was traded to Buffalo with Chris Stewart, William Carrier, & two draft picks for Steve Ott & goalie Ryan Miller. Miller was acquired on the last season of his contract & has since signed with Vancouver, leaving the Blues with only Brian Elliot within their system with playing time last season. The Blues have called up Jake Allen from Chicago to be a second goalie for the Blues. Based on last season’s stats, I believe that this preseason could be a major factor in the decision for who is defending the crease against the Rangers on October 9.

    Brian Elliot has the experience, playing 31 games last season (double Jake Allen’s career NHL appearances). He amassed a record of 18-6-2 last season. Of those 18 wins, four were shutouts (over 22% of wins were as a result of a shutout). He blocked 92.2% of all shots last season, allowing an average of 1.96 goals per game, .07 better than Allen’s 2013-’14 campaign.

    On the other hand, Jake Allen played in 52 regular season games last season for the Chicago Wolves for a 33-16-3 record. Of those 33 wins, seven were shutouts (over 21% of wins were shutouts). He blocked 92.8% of all the shots he faced last season, .6% better than Elliot, allowing 2.03 goals per game. A main thing Allen has over Elliot is recent playoff experience. Although it was not for the Stanley Cup, Allen played nine games for Chicago, amassing a 3-6 record & allowing 3.29 goals against per game. His save percentage also dipped in the Wolves’ quest for the Calder to 87.9%, dropping almost 5%.

    The Blues come into the season having lost some big names, most notably Vladimir Sobotka (signed with Avangard), Brenden Morrow (signed with Tampa Bay), & Derek Roy (signed with Nashville).

    They lost two of the top 10 players with most regular season games with the Blues last season in Derek Roy & Roman Polak (traded to Toronto) both playing over 70 regular season games last year. Additionally, they lost five of the top 20 players with the most playoff games with the Blues last season in Vladimir Sobotka & Roman Polak (both played in all six playoff games), Adam Cracknell (five, signed with Los Angeles), Derek Roy (four), & Brenden Morrow (two). The Blues are adding players that can play most of a regular season, though, in Chris Butler (Calgary) & Carl Gunnarsson (traded from Toronto), who both played 80+ games last season.

    The Notes are not bringing back three of their top 14 shot takers this year as Derek Roy (114), Vladimir Sobotka (102), & Roman Polak (83) are not returning. These three players accounted for over 12% of the Blues’ shots last regular season. Looking at only postseason numbers, five of last playoff’s shot-takers are not returning, as Vladimir Sobotka (13), Derek Roy (nine), Adam Cracknell (six), Roman Polak (five), & Brenden Morrow (one) are not returning. These shooters accounted for almost 16% of the shots taken in the postseason.

    Over 5% of last season’s goals will not show up to training camp this season as Brenden Morrow (13) is with the Bolts. The Blues have added Paul Stastny (25, signed from Colorado) & Joakim Lindstrom (23, signed from Skellefteå) to almost quadruple his goal production.

    Two of the leading 11 assisters will not be with the Blues this season as Derek Roy (28), & Vladimir Sobotka (24) are not returning. The Blues have profited by signing Joakim Lindstrom (40), Paul Stastny (35), & Jori Lehtera (32, signed from Sibir Novosibirsk). These new additions double the totals of Roy & Sobotka, hopefully providing even more opportunities for Alexander Steen (33 goals), David Backes (27 goals), Paul Stastny (25 goals), & Jaden Schwartz (25 goals).

    Vladimir Sobotka (14), one of the top nine +/- guys in the 2013-’14 regular season, will not return for this one. Included in that, the Blues also lost three of the top seven +/- players during the playoffs. Without Vladimir Sobotka (two), Brenden Morrow (zero), & Adam Cracknell (zero), the Blues would have scored a lowly -27. To try to improve upon these numbers, St. Louis has signed Carl Gunnarsson (12), & Paul Stastny (nine). The two additions provide decent improvements that will hopefully continue their success in St. Louis.

    The Blues lost one of the top six penalty minute earners in Brenden Morrow (76). Sadly, the Blues picked up Joakim Lindstrom, who had minutes (72) almost equal to Morrow’s, so no major improvements have been made in that regard. New hires Paul Stastny & Jori Lehtera only served 22 minutes in the sin bin last season each, which averaged out to a little less than 19 seconds per game for Stastny & 27.5 seconds per game for Lehtera.

    Present roster consists of 32 forwards, 16 defensemen, & four goalies (52 men).

  • 2014 NHL Free Agency Recap

    Recapping all of the signings from the entire day. Updated as necessary when newer deals are signed. Everything that is known is shown.

    Christian Ehrhoff signed a 1 year deal worth $4 million with PIT.

    Manny Malhotra signed a 1 year deal worth $850,000 with MTL.

    Jori Lehtera signed a 2 year deal with STL.

    Mark Fayne signed a 4 year deal worth $3.625 million a year with EDM.

    Benoit Pouliot signed a 5 year deal worth $4 million a year with EDM.

    Chad Johnson signed a 2 year deal worth $1.3 million a year with the NYI.

    Milan Michalek signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with OTT. (Resigned)

    Petr Mrazek signed a 1 year deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Paul Stastny signed a 4 year deal worth $7 million a year with STL.

    Mike Camalleri signed a 5 year a deal worth $5 million a year with NJ.

    Justin Peters signed a 2 year deal with WSH.

    Tom Gilbert signed a 2 year deal worth $2.8 million a year with MTL.

    Brad Malone signed a 2 year deal with CAR.

    Jussi Jokinen signed a 4 year deal worth $4 million a year with FLA.

    Mason Raymond signed a 3 year deal worth $3.167 million a year with CGY.

    Dan Boyle signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 a year with NYR.

    Jiri Sekac signed a 2 year deal worth with MTL.

    Dave Bolland signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with FLA.

    Clayton Stoner signed a 4 year deal worth $3.25 million a year with ANA.

    Mike Weaver signed a 1 year deal worth $1.75 million with MTL. (Resigned)

    Joe Vitale signed a 3 year deal worth $1.117 million a year with ARI.

    Ryan Miller signed a 3 year deal worth $6 million a year with VAN.

    Al Montoya signed a 2 year deal worth $1.050 million a year with FLA.

    Anders Lindback signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Ales Hemsky signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with DAL.

    Blake Comeau signed a 1 year deal worth $700K with PIT.

    Thomas Greiss signed a 1 year deal worth $1 million with PIT.

    Jeremy Gregoire signed a 3 year deal with MTL.

    Brian Gionta signed a 3 year deal worth $4.25 million a year with BUF.

    Brooks Orpik signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with WSH.

    Keith Aulie signed a 1 year deal worth $800,000 with EDM.

    Mathieu Perreault signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with WPG.

    Shawn Thornton signed a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a year with FLA.

    Jonas Hiller signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 million a year with CGY.

    Adam Larsson signed a 1 year deal with NJ (Resigned).

    Thomas Vanek signed a 3 year deal worth $6.5 million a year with MIN.

    Stephane Robidas signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with TOR.

    Dominic Moore signed a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million a year with NYR. (Resigned)

    Tanner Glass signed a 3 year deal worth $1.45 million a year with NYR.

    Mike Kostka signed a deal with NYR.

    Bruno Gervais signed a 1 year deal with COL.

    Nick Holden signed a 3 year deal worth $1.65 million a year with COL. (Resigned)

    Derek Mackenzie signed a deal with FLA.

    Brett Sutter signed a two way deal with MIN.

    Matt Moulson signed a 5 year deal worth $5 million a year with BUF.

    Martin Havlat signed a 1 year deal worth $1.5 million with NJ.

    Phil McRae signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Brett Regner signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Cody McCormick signed a 3 year deal worth $4.5 million with BUF. (Resigned)

    Nick Drazenovic signed a 2 year deal worth $550K with PIT. (Resigned)

    Marcus Foligno signed a 2 year deal with BUF. (Resigned)

    Jarome Iginla signed a 3 year deal worth $5.333 million a year with COL.

    Leo Komarov signed a 4 year, $2.95 million contract with TOR.

    Jiri Tlusty signed a 1 year, $2.95 million deal with CAR. (Resigned)

    Peter Regin signed a 1 year $650K deal with CHI.

    Anton Stralman signed a 5 year deal worth $4.5 million per year with TB.

    Steve Bernier signed a 1 year, $600K deal with NJ. (Resigned)

    Mike Angelids signed a 1 year, two way, contract with TB. (Resigned)

    Chris Mueller signed a deal with the NYR.

    Deryk Engelland signed a 3 year deal, worth $2.9 million a year with CGY.

    Cody Bass signed a 1 year contract with CHI.

    Pierre-Cedric Labrie signed a 1 year deal with CHI.

    Scott Darling signed a 1 year with CHI.

    Steven Kampfer signed a two-way contract with the NYR.

    Kevin Porter signed a two-way contract with DET.

    Jesse Winchester signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Scott Clemmensen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal with NJ.

    Mike Blunden signed a two-way deal, worth $600K, with TB.

    Andrej Meszaros signed a 1 year, $4.125 million, contract with BUF.

    Ray Emery signed a 1 year, $1 million, contract with PHI. (Resigned)

    Ron Zepp signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with PHI.

    Matt Hunwick signed a 1 year deal, worth $600K, with the NYR.

    Devan Dubnyk signed a 1 year deal, worth $800K, with ARI.

    Luke Gazdic signed a 2 year deal with EDM. (Resigned)

    Adam Cracknell signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    David Van Der Gulik signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    Brad Richards signed a 1 year, $2 million, deal with CHI.

    Cedrick Desjardins signed a contract with the NYR.

    Matt Niskanen signed a 7 year contract worth $40.25 million ($5.75 million a year) with WSH.

    Willie Mitchell signed a 2 year deal, worth $4.25 million a year, with FLA.

    Patrick Eaves signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Joey MacDonald signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with MTL.

    Brian Boyle signed a 3 year contract, worth $2 million a year, with TB.

    Jon Landry signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Mike Moore signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Chris Breen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal (worth $600K NHL/$175K AHL) with BOS.

    Stu Bickel has signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with MIN.

    Marcel Goc signed a 1 year, $1.2 million, deal with PIT. (Resigned)

    Matt Frattin signed a 2 year deal with TOR. (Resigned)

    Evgeny Nabokov signed a 1 year deal with TB.

    Taylor Chorney signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with PIT.

    Drew MacIntyre signed a 1 year, two-way, (worth $600K if in the NHL) contract with CAR.

    Harry Zolnierczyk signed a 1 year, two-way, $600K deal with the NYI.

    Guillaume Gelinas signed an entry level contract with MIN.

    Cory Conacher signed a 1 year contract with the NYI.

    Jason LaBarbera signed a 1 year contract with ANA.

    Zach Redmond signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Ben Street signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Kyle Quincey signed a 2 year, $4.25 per year, deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Jack Skille signed a two-way deal with the NYI.

    Chris Conner signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    For a complete and official list of Free Agent signings, check out this.