Down the Frozen River

Tag: Nashville Predators

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.

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.

Holm, 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.

February 26, 2018
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.

Hartman, 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.

Ejdsell, 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.

February 26, 2018
2018 NHL Trade Deadline Recap
Today– Monday, February 26, 2018 for those of you who have yet to look at a calendar– is the annual NHL Trade Deadline. All 31 NHL teams have until 3:00p ET to get their trade calls into the league office before they can get approved (or rejected).

@connorzkeith and I are tackling the challenge of updating this here DTFR Trade Deadline Live Blog while also writing quick recaps and analysis for every trade that occurs.

So gather around your TVs, phones, laptops, tablets or whatever let’s you refresh Twitter all day and chill with us as we all try to survive the inevitable ~~Ottawa Senators-Erik Karlsson debacle~~ madness that is the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline.

DTFR Top-10 Best Available Players to Acquire
1. D Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators (27)
2. ~~D Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers (28)~~ TRADED TO TB
3. ~~LW Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres (26)~~ TRADED TO SJ
4. ~~LW Patrick Maroon, Edmonton Oilers (29)~~ TRADED TO NJ
5. C/LW Max Domi, Arizona Coyotes (22)
6. LW Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens (29)
7. LW Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes (25)
8. C/LW Zack Smith, Ottawa Senators (29)
9. RW Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers (30)
10. D Mike Green, Detroit Red Wings (32)
In the first deal of the day, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired D Ian Cole from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and F Nick Moutrey. MORE

The Chicago Blackhawks traded F Ryan Hartman and a 5th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the Nashville Predators in exchange for F Victor Edjsell, a 1st round pick and a 4th round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. MORE

F Paul Stastny was traded by the St. Louis Blues to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for F Erik Foley, a 2018 1st round pick and a conditional 4th round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. MORE

D Philip Holm was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for F Brendan Leipsic. MORE

Columbus acquired F Ryan Kujawinski from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for F Jordan Maletta. MORE

The San Jose Sharks acquired F Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for F Danny O’Regan, a conditional 2019 1st round pick and a conditional 2019 4th round pick. MORE

F Jason Chimera was traded to the Anaheim Ducks by the New York Islanders in exchange for F Chris Wagner. MORE

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired F Thomas Vanek from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for F Tyler Motte and F Jussi Jokinen. MORE

The Carolina Hurricanes traded F Josh Jooris to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for F Greg McKegg. MORE

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

The Tampa Bay Lightning have 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. MORE

The Ottawa Senators traded F Nick Shore to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2019 7th round pick. MORE

Winnipeg acquired D Joe Morrow from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2018 4th round pick. MORE

F Patrick Maroon was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for F J.D. Dudek and a 2019 3rd round pick. MORE

Montreal acquired D Mike Reilly from the Minnesota Wild in exchanged for a 5th round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (via Washington). MORE

Columbus sent F Carter Camper to Arizona for future considerations. MORE

The Boston Bruins acquired F Tommy Wingels from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. MORE

The Colorado Avalanche traded D Chris Bigras to the New York Rangers in exchange for D Ryan Graves. MORE

Arizona acquired F Pierre-Cedric Labrie, D Trevor Murphy and F Derek Army from Nashville for F Tyler Gaudet and D John Ramage. MORE
February 26, 2018
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.

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.

A 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.

February 26, 2018
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)

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.

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.

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.

February 25, 2018
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.

February 22, 2018
February 18 – Day 130 – Top of the C
Any day with hockey is a good one. Today must be a great one, because we have a total of 10 games on tap.

Like we’ve been doing since the Olympic Games began, we start our day in South Korea with the two games that are completing group play in the men’s tournament. Canada is taking on the host South Korea at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time, which is the same time Sweden and Finland will be squaring off.

Back on the continent the writers of this website call home, the greatest hockey league in the world has scheduled seven games to complete its weekend. The action starts at noon when Philadelphia visits the New York Rangers (NBC/TVAS), followed three hours later by Edmonton at Colorado. Starting at 5 p.m. with New Jersey at Carolina, games start dropping the puck at the top of each hour. Pittsburgh at Columbus starts at 6 p.m., followed by Toronto at Detroit (SN) at 7 p.m. and a pair of tilts (Dallas at San Jose and Florida at Winnipeg) closing out the day at 8 p.m. All times Eastern.

Finally, we return our attention to PyeongChang for the first of two women’s semifinals. Dropping the puck at 11:10 p.m. Eastern time, Team USA will have a rematch against Finland with a berth into the Gold Medal Game on the line.

I say it most days, but what a slate of games. Here’s the games that really stick out to me:
- Canada vs. South Korea: It’d be the upset of the century if the hosts could beat the top-ranked team in the world.
- Sweden vs. Finland: Who’s going to win Group C? This game will answer exactly that question.
- Philadelphia at New York: Broad Street vs. Broadway is yet another storied chapter in the bitter rivalry between these two cities.
- New Jersey at Carolina: G Eddie Lack is making his first return to PNC Arena today, but he probably won’t see any action after beating the Lightning 4-3 yesterday in Tampa Bay.
- Pittsburgh at Columbus: Ohio does not like Pittsburgh sports teams, and that animosity will be on full display in this tilt.
- Toronto at Detroit: Speaking of rivalries, this is one of the most storied in the NHL.
- USA vs. Finland: Both teams are ensured the opportunity to play for a medal, but gold and silver taste a lot better than bronze.
Let me say it again: how about today’s slate of games? There should be some exemplary action today all around the world.

While it would seem to make sense to feature the women’s semifinal, that game just doesn’t excite me all that much – probably a sign of an American’s potential over-confidence in his women’s team. However, the Sweden vs. Finland match could prove to be very important in either team’s quest for its respective third or first gold medal. Let’s hone in on that one.

To put this entire preview in one sentence, this game is going to be an intense war between Finland’s offense and Sweden’s defense. In their first two games, the Finns have averaged five goals per game (the best at the Olympics), while the Swedes are the last team remaining that haven’t yet yielded a goal against.

Before we start with Leijonat‘s – or the Lions’ – offense, I do need to admit one thing: all of these stats were collected before the Czech Republic and Switzerland squared off in Group A. Any statistics comparing Finland or Sweden could be slightly different based on the occurrences in that game.

What makes Finland’s offense so potent is the fact that it is so unpredictable. Through only two games played, a dozen different Finns have found the scorecard, including seven different goal scorers.

Of all of those skaters, none have been more impressive than F Eeli Tolvanen, the Predators’ first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. At only 18-years-old, he’s dominated from his spot on the Lions’ second line, posting 3-3-6 totals.

In addition to Tolvanen, four other skaters are averaging at least a point per game, including D Sami Lepisto (2-2-4 totals), F Petri Kontiola (0-4-4), F Joonas Kemppainen (1-1-2) and F Sakari Manninen (1-1-2), a group that includes three players with NHL experience.

However, don’t make the mistake of focusing so hard on Finland’s offense that you neglect its defense, as the Finns along the blue line have also played solidly. Allowing only an average of 23 shots against, Leijonat‘s defense ranks third-best in the Olympics. As such, G Mikko Koskinen has needed to do little work to post his .935 save percentage, good enough for a 1.5 GAA. Of note, of the three goals Koskinen has allowed, two were while his defense was shorthanded.

However, every defense and goaltender are looking up at Team Sweden, as the Tre Kronor have posted back-to-back shutouts to open their 2018 Olympic Tournament.

Similar to Finland’s defensive success, much of Sweden’s winning ways can be attributed to an excellent combination of stellar play by the defensemen as well as solid play in net. Behind a defense that has allowed a second-best 22.5 shots against per game, G Jhonas Enroth and G Viktor Fasth have both been able to post clean sheets. Of the two, Enroth has easily been more impressive, as his shutout required 28 saves as compared to Fasth’s 17 shots faced.

Unfortunately, the Three Crowns have not found quite the success on the offensive end, as their 2.5 goals per game is good enough for only (t)sixth-best in PyeongChang.

Though it hasn’t been as quite a dynamic attack as Finland’s, Sweden has employed a similarly unpredictable offensive strategy, as 11 different skaters have registered a point in the Swedes’ first two games. Of those, none have been more exciting than third-liners F Linus Omark (0-3-3 totals) and F Dennis Everberg (1-1-2), as they are both averaging at least a point per game.

Of course, 2.5 goals is more than the zero Sweden allows, so it would seem a safe assumption that Head Coach Rikard Gronborg hasn’t had too much to complain about so far. However, Finland is definitely a far superior team to Germany and Norway – the remaining two teams in Group C – so it would seem safe to say that Sweden will need its best performance yet to pull off the victory.

Finland and Sweden last squared off in the semifinals of the 2017 IIHF World Championship, with Tre Kronor claiming a 4-1 victory en route to their first title in that tournament since 2013. F William Nylander, who’s currently preoccupied with the task of beating the Red Wings today, was a major part of that victory, as he posted two points, including a goal and the secondary assist on D John Klingberg‘s game-winning goal. Of course, neither of those players are available today, so I wouldn’t expect a similar score in this matchup.

The biggest problem in this game seems to be the Swede’s attack. While scoring 2.5 goals per game is usually more than enough to earn – in this case – three points, Finland’s offense dominating play paired with the stellar play of Koskinen might be a bit more than the blue-and-gold can handle.

The Olympic Athletes from Russia’s men showed no mercy in yesterday’s DtFR Game of the Day, as they beat the United States 4-0 at Gangneung Hockey Centre to clinch first place in Group B.

It took only 7:21 of action for the OAR to find its game-winner, as F Nikolai Prokhorkin (F Sergei Mozyakin and F Alexander Barabanov) was able to beat G Ryan Zapolski for the lone goal of the frame, his first in PyeongChang.

Quick goals was apparently all the rage in the OAR dressing room, because the Red Machine set the score at 2-0 only 2:14 courtesy of another tally from Prokhorkin (F Sergei Shirokov and Mozyakin). Much to Team USA’s chagrin, seeing the third-liner score two goals seemed to inspire F Ilya Kovalchuk (F Sergei Andronov) to find the scorecard, as he scored a slap shot from the blue line with only a second remaining in the second period to expand the OAR’s advantage.

Kovalchuk (D Vyacheslav Voinov and Andronov) completed the game’s scoring 28 seconds into the third period, setting the 4-0 final score.

G Vasili Koshechkin earned the shutout victory by saving all 29 shots he faced, leaving the loss to Zapolski, who saved 22-of-26 (.846 save percentage).

Officially listed as the road team, the OAR helped the visitors in the DtFR Game of the Day series to win their second-straight game and pull within 22 points of the 70-43-17 hosts.
February 18, 2018
Down the Frozen River Podcast #93- One More Than Gretzky

Nick and Connor take a moment to celebrate doing something Wayne Gretzky never did. Also, the Dion Phaneuf trade, 2018 Winter Games reactions and more.

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

February 16, 2018
2018 Trade Deadline Preview: Central Division

1. Nashville Predators– 34-12-9 (77 points, 55 GP)

The Nashville Predators are amazing. They’re pulling off their spectacular season on the heels of last year’s Stanley Cup Final run with almost $3.000 million in salary tied up in buyouts.

Oh, and they somehow added to their depth down the middle in the whole Matt Duchene, three-team trade saga that saw Kyle Turris swap out Ottawa Senators gear for a Preds sweater.

They don’t need to add, but general manager David Poile still might work a little magic by adding without subtracting if he can. Mike Fisher, 37, is trying to come back from retirement because he believes Nashville’s time is now. Only time will tell if he can go from his current PTO to a one-year deal that just might get him his first taste from the Stanley Cup.

If Poile wants to add anything, he’s going to have to do so with about $3.200 million in cap space currently.

Potential assets to trade: Honestly, don’t.

Potential assets to acquire: F Derek Ryan (CAR), D Cody Franson (CHI), F Boone Jenner (CBJ), F Patrick Maroon (EDM), F Michael Grabner (NYR), F Thomas Vanek (VAN)

2. Winnipeg Jets– 33-15-9 (75 points, 57 GP)

Injuries are beginning to mount for the Winnipeg Jets and it’ll be interesting to see what the GM Kevin Cheveldayoff does by February 26th considering his team’s current backup goaltender is 22-year-old, Eric Comrie. Their starter is 24-year-old, Connor Hellebuyck, who’s emerged as clear-cut starting goaltender this season (aside from his All-Star appearance back in January).

But what considerations has Cheveldayoff made with Jacob Trouba out for a signifcant portion of “the stretch”? What’s the game plan if a guy like Kyle Connor or Patrik Laine goes down?

Winnipeg has about $5.400 million in cap space to play with as of this writing.

They are what should be a destination for rental players looking to take a team that’s on the verge of breaking out in the postseason deeper than they could ever imagine.

And the Jets have just enough to offer other teams to bring in the right pieces to the puzzle.

Potential assets to trade: D Ben Chiarot, F Matt Hendricks, F Nic Petan

Potential assets to acquire: F Boone Jenner (CBJ), F Patrick Maroon (EDM), F Alex Galchenyuk (MTL), F Michael Grabner (NYR), D Nick Holden (NYR), F Jean-Gabriel Pageau (OTT), F Josh Leivo (TOR), F Thomas Vanek (VAN), F David Perron (VGK)

3. St. Louis Blues– 34-21-4 (72 points, 59 GP)

There’s almost $125,000 in cap space for the St. Louis Blues right now. While it’d be great for the Blues to add one or two of their missing pieces that’d send them right over the edge of victory (once-and-for-all), the better time to readjust appears to be this summer.

Besides, Joel Edmundson, Robby Fabbri and Carter Hutton will all need new contracts. Not that they’re going to cost St. Louis tens of millions of dollars, but it’ll likely mean that someone will have to get traded either at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft or later this summer.

Jay Bouwmeester is 34-years-old and has a $5.400 million cap hit through next season. He also has a no-trade-clause that could make things difficult for the foreseeable future, given that when the Blues are on their “A” game they can really make a claim for Cup contender status this season.

It’d be unwise to part with Bouwmeester now, but it only makes sense to do it later.

Just don’t get behind the eight ball is the best advice for St. Louis looking past the end of this month. Otherwise, salary cap hell isn’t all that fun.

Potential assets to trade: D Jay Bouwmeester

Potential assets to acquire: F Derek Ryan (CAR), F Blake Comeau (COL), F Matt Cullen (MIN), F Josh Leivo (TOR), F Nikita Soshnikov (TOR), F David Perron (VGK)

4. Dallas Stars– 33-20-4 (70 points, 57 GP)

The Dallas Stars currently cling to the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, though they trail the St. Louis Blues by two points for 3rd in the Central Division in what’s shaping up to be the tighter points battle in the West compared to the lackluster Pacific Division.

Yes, I’m fully aware Los Angeles did something to their defense Tuesday night, why do you ask?

The Central is all about racking up points while the Pacific bangs bodies off of each other in hopes of amounting to something more than your standard pylon.

So where do the Stars fit into the playoff picture? They should be in the running for at least a wild card spot coming down the stretch– and with almost $889,000 in cap space right now it’s going to be hard to add what they really need to push them over the hill.

Backup goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, is a pending-UFA at season’s end, so it’s not like Dallas needs to make a move there, but they could help their starter, Ben Bishop, a little more.

While other teams in the league are searching for the right rental forward, the Stars should be looking for the right rental defenseman. Whether that’s a Mike Green or a Cody Franson, well, only Stars GM Jim Nill will know, based on what he must give up.

Potential assets to trade: F Martin Hanzal, D Greg Pateryn

Potential assets to acquire: D Cody Franson (CHI), D Mike Green (DET), D Nick Holden (NYR), D Ian Cole (PIT), D Ben Hutton (VAN)

5. Minnesota Wild– 31-19-6 (68 points, 56 GP)

There’s good news and bad news for the Minnesota Wild as the trade deadline nears. The good news is that the Chicago Blackhawks are more than likely taking a pass on this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The bad news is the Wild might do that too (oh, and Minnesota only has about $129,000 in cap room– with Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba as pending-RFAs this July).

For all of the talk regarding trading Jonas Brodin, there sure hasn’t been any radio chatter this time around as the deadline nears this month.

Though the Wild hold on to the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, there’s at least two California based teams (Los Angeles and Anaheim) that should be in the playoff picture coming down the wire.

If it’s make or break, then Minnesota has all the time in the world to wait and see what’s to come this summer.

But if they’re on the fence about determining whether to buy or sell, well, they could do a bit of both. If they’re looking for a quick retool, it’s within their means, but if they’re content with sinking before they swim, there’s always the reset (rebuild) button.

Still, it’d be a shame to rebuild with Devan Dubnyk in net. Alas, this is the world of the salary cap and bad contracts *ahem, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise*.

Potential assets to trade: D Jonas Brodin, F Matt Cullen, D Kyle Quincey, F Chris Stewart, F Daniel Winnik

Potential assets to acquire: D Cody Franson (CHI), F Jordan Kyrou (STL), D Ben Hutton (VAN)

6. Colorado Avalanche– 31-21-4 (66 points, 56 GP)

In theory, the Colorado Avalanche could be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.

They’re in great shape cap-wise, with about $8.400 million to spend currently, but Avalanche general manager, Joe Sakic, knows it by now– the best thing to do for Colorado is let their youth gain experience, make minor moves until the offseason, then address specific needs.

Colorado has expendable components, but cannot touch its core.

With Matt Duchene out of the picture, the focus has turned to making the Avs– in every way– Nathan MacKinnon‘s team. Gabriel Landeskog‘s just along for the ride at this point. If he’s patient, many rewards may find their way to the Mile-High City. If he’s sick of waiting, Sakic might be forced to reap another surplus of players, picks and prospects like he did in the three-way Duchene deal.

After Francois Beauchemin‘s $4.500 million buyout penalty comes off the books at season’s end, the Avalanche will have at least $13 million to spend on giving backup-turned-potential-starting goaltender, Jonathan Bernier, a fair raise while also making decisions on several pending-RFAs.

Potential assets to trade: D Tyson Barrie, F Gabriel Bourque, F Blake Comeau, F Rocco Grimaldi, G Semyon Varlamov, F Nail Yakupov

Potential assets to acquire: Literally anyone, F Jeff Skinner (CAR), F Boone Jenner (CBJ), D Jack Johnson (CBJ), G Petr Mrazek (DET), F Gustav Nyqvist (DET), F Tomas Plekanec (MTL), D Ryan McDonagh (NYR), F Rick Nash (NYR), F Mike Hoffman (OTT), F Jean-Gabriel Pageau (OTT), G Aaron Dell (SJ), F Josh Leivo (TOR), F Nikita Soshnikov (TOR), D Ben Hutton (VAN), F James Neal (VGK), F David Perron (VGK), F Nic Petan (WPG)

7. Chicago Blackhawks– 24-25-8 (56 points, 57 GP)

Reward contracts have killed the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty. This is what drives parity in a salary cap league (see “Detroit Red Wings downfall since 1998, thanks to 2004-05”), so once again, welcome to the Salary Cap Era.

Depending on your methods of calculation, the Blackhawks will either have $0 to spend at the deadline or maybe up to about $3.100 million in wiggle room.

Regardless, they’re not buying this year. They’re buying for the future– so draft picks and prospects. One thing that might get in their way (other than the salary cap) is what they have to offer.

Large reward contracts were handed out to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews while Duncan Keith took a discount. Marian Hossa is on the books at a cap hit of $5.275 million through the end of the 2020-21 season, whether he plays or not.

If Hossa never plays again, Chicago can always place him on the long-term injured reserve (eh, just paperwork), buyout his contract (yikes) or trade him to a team like the Arizona Coyotes (preferable) who took on the large salary of Pavel Datsyuk in his final NHL-contract year just to meet the cap floor, knowing he had jettisoned for the KHL.

The bottom line is Chicago’s cash-strapped. Someone important is going to have to be dealt in order to protect the organization’s future endeavors.

With Toews and Kane at a combined $21.000 million cap hit through the 2022-23 season, unless the cap rises significantly, this just might keep the Blackhawks down in the dumps for a while.

Potential assets to trade: F Artem Anisimov (before his NMC/modified-NTC kicks in), D Cody Franson, F Marian Hossa (if he’ll waive his NMC), F Brandon Saad, D Brent Seabrook (if he’ll waive his NMC),

Potential assets to acquire: Draft picks, prospects and cap room

February 15, 2018
TRADE: Sens deal Phaneuf to Kings, add Gaborik

Welcome to the 2018 NHL Trade Season, folks. We finally have our first “big” deal before the looming 2018 NHL Trade Deadline later this month (February 26th).

On Tuesday night the Ottawa Senators sent D Dion Phaneuf and F Nate Thompson to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for F Marian Gaborik and F Nick Shore. Ottawa retained 25% of Phaneuf’s salary as part of the transaction.

Phaneuf, 32, is in the midst of his 13th NHL season and had 3-13–16 totals in 52 games for Ottawa entering Tuesday night’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The veteran defenseman was pulled from the action during the game as the final details of the trade were being sorted out– reminiscent of how current Senators forward, Matt Duchene, was pulled out of a game between the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders the night Colorado, Ottawa and the Nashville Predators pulled off a three-team trade.

Phaneuf has 133 goals and 345 assists (478 points) in 955 career NHL games between the Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames. The Flames’s 9th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft is a native of Edmonton, Alberta and will now be playing for his first non-Canadian NHL team.

He has played in 51 career Stanley Cup playoff games.

Thompson, 33, was a 6th round pick (183rd overall) of the Boston Bruins in that same 2003 draft. He had four goals and seven assists (11 points) in 43 games for Ottawa this season entering Tuesday night.

The Anchorage, Alaska native has 52-70–122 totals in 593 career NHL games with the Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders and Bruins and has appeared in 58 career playoff games. He carries a $1.650 million cap hit and may become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season (2018-19).

He missed Tuesday night’s game in Pittsburgh due to an injury, but is expected to travel there soon and meet up with the Kings as they take on the Penguins on Thursday. Phaneuf is already in Pittsburgh and will await the arrival of his new Los Angeles teammates.

Gaborik, 36, has recently been plagued by injuries and has been a healthy scratch on many other nights. The 3rd overall pick of the Minnesota Wild at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft had 7-7–14 totals in 30 games played this season with the Los Angeles Kings entering their Tuesday night battle with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 17-season NHL veteran has 808 points (403 goals, 405 assists) in 1,019 career games played with the Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Wild. Gaborik was a key component of Los Angeles’s 2014 Stanley Cup championship amassing 14 goals and eight assists in 26 games.

A native of Trencin, Slovakia, his current contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 NHL season and carries a $4.875 million cap hit.

Shore, 25, broke into the league in 2014-15 with Los Angeles after being drafted in the 3rd round (82nd overall) by the Kings in 2011. Through 49 games played this season, Shore has four goals and 11 assists (15 points).

In 221 career NHL games, he has 14-35–49 totals all with Los Angeles and has a career plus/minus of minus-16. The Denver, Colorado native is currently making $925,000 and is a pending restricted free agent at season’s end.

With the Senators retaining 25% of Phaneuf’s $7.000 million annual cap hit, the Kings will be charged with a $5.250 million cap hit on Phaneuf for the remainder of his contract that runs through the 2020-21 NHL season.

This trade comes a little more than two years after the Senators acquired Phaneuf from Toronto. Meanwhile, Thompson is headed back to California after spending the last three seasons with Anaheim before signing with Ottawa on a two-year, $3.300 million contract on July 1, 2017.

February 13, 2018