Latest trades, waiver news, contract signings and much more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.
Check out last night’s scores and highlights at NHL.com.
WASHINGTON POST: Alexander Ovechkin tallied his 40th goal of the season as the Washington Capitals edged the Minnesota Wild 3-2.
Hall of Famers Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic shake hands before the start of the Red Wings-Avalanche alumni game at Coors Field in Denver.
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE: Steven Stamkos scored for the fifth consecutive game as his Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the New Jersey Devils 4-0.
CBS SPORTS: The five great moments from last night’s alumni Stadium Series game between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in Denver. Team captains Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman each scoring goals while Patrick Roy made 20 saves as the Avs downed the Wings 5-2.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was the most enjoyable and entertaining alumni game I’ve ever seen. The pace of the action was incredible, especially when one considers many of the players have been retired for years.
LATEST NHL TRADES AND SIGNINGS
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: The Chicago Blackhawks dealt Phillip Danault and a second-round pick in 2018 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for wingers Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise. The Canadiens are retaining 30 percent of Weise’s remaining salary.
Earlier in the day, the Blackhawks traded defenseman Rob Scuderi to the Los Angeles Kings for blueliner Christian Ehrhoff. The Blackhawks are picking up half of Scuderi’s remaining salary while the Kings absorb 15 percent of Ehrhoff’s.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Less that 24 hours after acquiring Andrew Ladd from the Winnipeg Jet, Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman wastes little time in adding more depth to his roster for another run at the Stanley Cup. Fleischmann and Weise bring additional experience on the wings, while Ehrhoff should provide the ‘Hawks with a little more puck-moving skill on the blueline. It’ll be interesting to see how the Blackhawks rivals in the Western Conference react to Bowman’s moves as the trade deadline approaches.
Scuderi won a Cup with the Kings in 2012, but his performance has notably declined in the last two seasons. This is the second time this season Scuderi’s been traded and it remains to be seen if he’ll be an effective addition to the Kings defense corps.
The Canadiens meanwhile add some depth at center in Danault, a 23-year-old rookie with decent size (6′, 200 pounds) and two-ways ability. He’s coming out of his entry-level contract and is an RFA this summer, which could also explain why the cap-strapped Blackhawks were willing to part with him.
TSN: Bob McKenzie reports the Edmonton Oilers are believed to have traded goaltender Anders Nilsson to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a mid-round pick. Neither club had yet confirmed the deal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If it’s coming from McKenzie, the best-connected analyst in hockey, then I think it’s golden. The Blues needed a decent backup to fill in for the sidelined Brian Elliott, who’s out at least an month with an lower-body injury.
**UPDATE** The deal is confirmed, with the Blues sending goalie Niklas Lundstrom and a fifth-round pick to the Oilers.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: The Penguins re-signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a six-year, $24 million contract extension worth an average annual salary of $4.083 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Only 21 and despite undergoing shoulder and cancer surgery, Maatta has quickly established himself as a key part of the Penguins’ blueline. His skills and maturity are beyond those of most defensemen his age. If his health issues remain in the past, Maatta has a bright future ahead of him in Pittsburgh.
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE: The Lightning announced the re-signing of defenseman Braydon Coburn to a three-year, $11-million contract worth an annual average salary of $3.7 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: So much for the expectation the Bolts would let Coburn walk this summer via free agency. With his size (6’5, 225 pounds) and experience, he’s become a key part of the Lightning blueline in a second-pairing role. The move, however, eats up invaluable long-term cap space for the Lightning, with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn to re-sign this year and Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Ben Bishop and Victor Hedman due new contracts at the end of next season. Coburn’s new deal will affect how much the Bolts can invest in the others, and in how many they can afford to retain.
THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators re-signed defenseman Anthony Bitteto to a two-year contract.
NOTABLE NHL HEADLINES.
SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenseman Jared Cowen on waivers. The Chicago Blackhawks did the same with winger Jiri Sekac. Both players were recently acquired by their current clubs via trades.
CSNPHILLY.COM: Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakub Voracek will miss today’s game against the Arizona Coyotes with a lower-body injury. He’ll be re-evaluated on Monday.
NJ.COM: New Jersey Devils winger Mike Cammalleri (right hand/wrist injury) could be sidelined the remainder of this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That could be the death blow for the Devils’ playoff hopes. Until he was sidelined a month ago, Cammalleri was the Devils leading scorer.
NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets placed defenseman Jack Johnson (upper body) on injured reserve.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu (lower-body injury) will be out two-three weeks.
TSN: Former San Jose Sharks winger Raffi Torres (knee) will miss the remainder of this season. It’s quite possible his playing days are over.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Hall of Fame right wing Andy Bathgate, who spent most of his NHL career with the New York Rangers, passed away at the age of 83. Bathgate won the Hart Trophy in 1959 and won two Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was “the first Ranger to score 40 goals in a season, and still holds the franchise record for goals scored in 10 straight games (11 goals) in 1962-63. He scored 349 goals and 973 points in 1,069 NHL games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Bathgate’s family and friends.
Damn, was hoping the Bruins would target Coburn this summer. Big, solid, experienced top 4 D with reasonable term and cap hit. Perfect bridge until the recent picks in last years draft can make the jump to NHL. Could also shelter the Morrows and Millers on the roster now.
D’men sure seem to be tough to find and are considered more valuable assets by GM’s than forwards, especially wingers. So many teams can’t find top 2 D’men and you can’t win a cup without them.
Why is it then that they consistently get drafted later, rarely first overall or in the top 2 or 3, and often are the picks that drop down the ladder on draft day from their pre-draft rankings. IE Jones and Hanafin recently.
Is it simply the fact that they take longer to become NHL ready, or is it that difficult to determine who will become quality NHL players or impact players?
I don’t have the time to spend gathering actual data, but the bust ratio doesn’t seem to be any higher?
Or maybe it is just my perception that is wrong?
Ray.
I think you essentially hit it. It takes essentially twice as long to develop an NHL Dman as it does most forwards. The big forwards 6’3″+ guys take similar time frames to Dman. That makes projecting their top end more difficult. Factor in it’s the hardest position to play really well defensively due to the size, speed & quickness plays happen in the NHL.
No mystery to it but I agree it’s odd. I would take a slightly lesser Dman than a forward if I’m drafting as championship teams are built from the net out. Something that has eluded Edmonton for a decade.
Where would Edmonton be now had they chosen Ryan Murray instead of Yakupov or Adam Larsson instead of RNH? 2 Dman you couldn’t hope to trade either forward for today & rest assured Yzerman wishes he took Jones instead of Drouin & there are probably 6 teams kicking themselves for passing on Fowler.
The short sighted nature of many GM’s would be a factor as well. Most teams have a win at all costs attitude, or as quickly as possible, or like the current version of the Canucks want to straddle the fence to get playoff revenue over positioning themselves for the future, leaning more to scoring than stopping scoring. All terrible choices when running an NHL team. Benning moved 2 top 4 Dman Garrison & Bieksa for 2 late 2nd rounders. Brutal asset management. 2 decent top 4 Dman for 2 picks whose chances of even getting a cup of coffee in the NHL are slim to non existent. TB’s pick was flipped for Linden Vey. The Pick they got for Bieksa was flipped to Pittsburgh in the Sutter trade.
Takes twice aslomg? Striker these numbers seem to be getting more random and Id suggest that there is no magic formula for player deveopment. If it takes the avg fporward this 400 game thing you stress and to say it takes a D twice as long youre saying it takes a D nearly 10 seasons of NHL games before he was developed? Nonsense Id suggest there are lots, if not the majority of good D in the league that have not neen in the league 9 or 10 seasons.
Shticky. Go buy the NHL Guide & record book. All current rostered NHL players are listed. Have. Work your way through it for active players not prospects. It’s alphabetical.
My markers are simple. 200 games for an average NHL forward 6’2″ & under. Dman & forwards over 6’3″ 400 games to reach their break through. Prospects take 4 to 5 years to become NHL regulars. The 80/20 rule stands for both. That leaves 20% that beat the curve or not.
I really don’t care if you believe me or not. Do yourself a favor & do some research.
Shticky.
How do you do in your hockey pools & fantasy leagues both regular season & playoffs?
I finish in the money every year & win consistently. Not so much my fantasy leagues but pick em or box pools. I have won the Presidents trophy repeatedly more times than I can even remember but in the equivalent of 47 Stanley Cups since starting fantasy hockey I have 2 cups. Very frustrating but luck, timing & injures play a huge factor in winning the cup just like in the real world. Not to mention in fantasy hockey not all things are created equal. Your real NHL team that your player plays on may not have many games at a a key time like in the final 2 weeks of the NHL season our Stanley Cup. Been to the final over 20 times. I have won my division every year since starting our 1st fantasy league in 93 except once. I entered a fantasy league I run this summer as a dispersal team as 3 teams quit & we only had 2 replacement owners but still made the playoffs at the #7 spot, 8 of 20 make it; the talent available was limited & my #1 LW Palat; injured, & goalie; Andersen killed me until I could add drop & trade for solutions, & am hammering the 2nd place team in week 1 of the playoffs. 2 week segments.
In all my pickem pools & officepools box pools I’m currently winning. 8 pools, 2 are close & losing Little in 1 may cost me 1st but will finish 2nd for sure & in the other 1 I could finish as low as 3rd, very tight but untouchable in the others. Like taking Candy from babies as most people that go in such pools know very little about hockey no pun intended.
Now in the 8 fantasy leagues I run, 3; ideally 2 but no owner to replace me in 1 as yet, I currently participate in, are very expensive, very competitive & the vast majority of GM’s are hockey freaks with solid skills. At 5K a pop it’s not for the meek & unqualified but if you want to try your luck & put your money where your mouth is we have room for an owner in the pool based out of Houston Texas. That’s 5K US. It’s a combination of primarily professionals. Salesman, accountant’s, lawyers, marketing people, doctors, bankers, engineers; chemical, structural, mechanical, etc. You’ve fit right in being a rocket scientist. Ha-ha!
I know my systems work. They are very slowly evolving as there are trends in place that may be anomalies or a prelude to the future. Trends need to run years to become fact. It is starting to appear that a far greater # of players are taking longer now than 200 games to break thru. See Schenn, Kadri, etc. More data & a greater reference source is required. It just may be due to less goal scoring, what scoring there is spread over a greater # of players as more & more teams are rolling 4 lines. Perhaps it’s cap related, waver or UFA eligibility, arbitration issues which are all evolving that’s causing the anomaly. TBD regardless.
My systems haven’t really changed for years, decades & even then it only really want from years of service to games played. Nothing random, been preaching the same thing over & over. Back when we ran our Hockeypool Fax service; The Hockeypool Fax. Get the Fact’s., we had thousands of happy buyers who purchased & used our draft lists. My partner died, we ran that for over a decade from the early 90’s, & I moved on to running fantasy leagues when not doing my day job.
Striker, I gotta admit I agree with most of your comments on this site. Makes sense now.
I usually kick butt in my pools as well but my data research is all of an hour or 2 leading up to them, so methinks the competition is a grade or 5 lower than yours. I basically just played the game for a long time and a big fan so I pay attention.
You should seriously retire in Vegas dude or start a prognosticator site with Shticky and create persona’s like the NFL Guru’s.
Hell Striker vs Shticky is a decent handle.
Ray Bark.
It’s not rocket science. I have a good day job; not making me a millionaire by any means, that allows me to travel extensively. I work in the Petroleum industry & live in airports & hotels. Gone at least 35 weeks a year & only just recently was I home for more than 7 days straight in longer than I can remember. In Alberta & Texas all the time but my family lives on Vancouver Island. Periodically I have to go to other God awful destinations like South East Asia; no hockey there, Argh!, Mexico, etc. I don’t like travelling to 3rd worlds. I get sick & my asthma hates it.
That leans quite well to my favorite hobby. Hockey. Specifically fantasy hockey. The NHL is simply a means to enjoy my favorite hobby. I’m a hockey freak. I spend 6 to 8 hours a day reading; researching, listening; sat radio, NHL Network XM91 & watching hockey. I have season tickets to 4 teams; Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton & Dallas, all business expenses. I attend over 100 games live a season with friends, clients & family all over North America.
I’ve turned my hobby into a great secondary income source managing 8 fantasy hockey leagues. I make more money doing that than I do at my day job & no where near the expenses but if I were home doing it as opposed to on the road my wife would kill & divorce me. She has a sign hung in my home office that states. “We postpone this marriage for hockey season.” What she doesn’t seem to understand is that it never stops for me. Ha-ha!
As we used to tell our buyers of our Hockeypool Fax. Is that it’s not rocket science. It’s easy. Use the 80/20 rule. Stay away from players that are injury prone; who we graded by percentages, at all costs, don’t draft with your heart but your head & if you do nothing else follow quantity & quality of minutes & read rotoworld; didn’t exist back then but if you read nothing else make time for that as they miss almost nothing of consequence. The business side is now starting to play a significant factor in hockey decisions & there are other dynamics in play now that didn’t exist when I ran my 1st pick em pool back in 1981.
I’m just sitting in the Dallas/Forth worth airport as we speak waiting for a flight to Denver. Going to spend the weekend with my sister, attend tonight’s game Vs. Detroit & fly to Calgary on Sunday. In Alberta for 4 to 6 days depending upon how work/jobs go & then home for 3 to 5. Home being on on Vancouver Island off the coast of BC, to see the start of the hockey playoffs for my youngest sons Midget team.
Been in that airport a few times myself. Nice rink in Dallas too.
Going there again in May.
Maybe they will still be in the playoffs, but I doubt it since they don’t have the D.
Just to tie it all in!
Seems like that would have been a good return for Weise OR Fleischmann, not both. Is Bergevin doing his old friends in Chicago a favour?
Fleischmann’s value was very limited, essentially a toss in & depth move for Chicago. He couldn’t even play regularly in Montreal, 1 of the worst teams in the league struggling to score & with several injures. Getting a a player in Danault who looks to be a future #3 C & a 2nd is great value for Montreal. Fleischmann should play over 1 of the younger players Chicago was being forced to dress for cap reasons like Rassmussen as a #3/4 LW depending upon the health of all players.
Now in the off season Montreal can look to bring Weiss back.
Congrats on the pools striker, Im not really a fantasy guy. lol, and again professor Im not sure I need to research the nonsense, there is no magical formula to say wje or when not a player is fully developed, its case by case. lumping guys that are over 6’2 to say it takes those guys 200 games yet some how if a guy is 6’1 it means he is going to take twice aslong is nuts and not the case I guarantee thats its not 80% (80/20 rule?) of the time that it takes guys with 1 inch difference in hight twice as lang to develop there is no research needed its nonsense.