NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 21, 2021

by | Jul 21, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 21, 2021

The Seattle Kraken expansion draft is tonight at 8 pm ET plus the latest on Vladimir Tarasenko, Phillip Danault, Ryan Ellis, Patrik Laine and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Seattle Kraken will finally have a full roster of players as they reveal their selections this evening in the 2021 NHL expansion draft. The names will be announced at Seattle’s Gas Works Park starting at 8 pm ET. Among the notable names available is Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko and Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano.

Seattle Kraken expansion draft is July 21. (NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s speculation Price, Tarasenko and Giordano could be selected by the Kraken. I’ll have more on that in today’s Rumor Mill update. Ovechkin, however, is expected to re-sign with the Capitals following the expansion draft.

THE ATHLETIC: Speaking of Tarasenko, Jeremy Rutherford reports the surgeon who conducted the winger’s third shoulder surgery claims his patient’s left shoulder is “rock solid.”

Dr. Peter Millett said Tarasenko’s shoulder is “very stable and strong”, adding the winger told him it feels better now than it has for months. Millett is confident that Tarasenko is “100 percent ready for the upcoming season.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues spent several weeks attempting to trade Tarasenko before exposing him in the expansion draft. This news could make him more enticing to the Kraken or to clubs that expressed interest in the 29-year-old winger.

SPORTSNET: Eric Engels cited sources claiming it’s highly unlikely Phillip Danault returns with the Montreal Canadiens. The 28-year-old center is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28. Engels also indicated there’s no truth to a reported deal between Danault and the Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Danault has put his Montreal-area home up for sale. His solid defensive play during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs should help him land a lucrative long-term deal elsewhere on July 28.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the Canadiens, they named Jean-Francois Houle as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Laval. The son of former Canadien Rejean Houle, he has several years of coaching experience at the university, Junior-A and minor-league levels. In 2011-12, he won the Ron Lapointe Trophy as the QMJHL’s top coach.

TSN: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ryan Ellis denied suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery this season. He said it was an injured knuckle that sidelined him for 20 games with the Nashville Predators. Ellis was traded to the Flyers on Saturday before the expansion draft roster freeze. He said he’s good to go for next season.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Patrik Laine is mulling the $7.5 million qualifying offer he received from the Blue Jackets. If he signs the one-year deal he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. The move could allow time for the Jackets to negotiate a long-term extension with the 23-year-old winger.

TSN: Prospect Logan Mailloux has renounced himself from this weekend’s NHL Draft. He’s asking teams not to select him following a criminal charge while playing in Sweden last year. He was investigated after distributing a photo of himself and a woman engaged in a sexual act. The photo was taken without her consent.

Mailloux received a summary punishment by fine. The NHL responded that he remains draft-eligible.

NHL.COM: Defenseman Yannick Weber has retired from the NHL after 13 seasons. He intends to continue his playing career in Switzerland. Weber amassed 94 points in 499 games with the Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Weber in his future endeavors.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 20, 2021

by | Jul 20, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 20, 2021

Predators prospect Luke Prokop comes out as gay, Carey Price calls for increased recognition of the history of residential schools, the Kraken could be close to signing Chris Driedger, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE TENNESSEAN: Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop revealed yesterday he is gay, become the first player under an NHL contract to come out. “I am no longer scared to hide who I am,” wrote Prokop on Instagram. “Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay.”

Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop.

Prokop, 19, is a defenseman with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. The Predators selected him in the third round (73rd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft and signed him last December to a three-year entry-level contract.

The news was no surprise for the Predators. Prokop informed general manager David Poile of his sexuality over a year ago.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Prokop is receiving widespread support from the Predators and throughout the hockey community following his announcement yesterday. It took courage for this young man to come out. Hopefully, he’ll be an example and inspiration to other gay players.

SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price believes more should be done to make Canadians aware of the history of residential schools. A growing number of unmarked graves continue to be discovered on the sites of some former residential schools throughout several provinces.

Price’s grandmother was a residential school survivor. His mother, Lynda Price, is chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation in Northern British Columbia.

“I think we need to do a better job in the future of recognizing that this is a part of our history in Canada and it’s just not right,” said Price.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported yesterday the Seattle Kraken are closing in on a three-year, $10.5 million contract with Chris Driedger. The 27-year-old Florida Panthers goaltender is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28.

Under expansion draft rules, the Kraken have a brief window (July 18 to 21) to negotiate exclusively with free agents left unprotected in Wednesday’s expansion draft. If signed by the Kraken, he’ll be considered that club’s selection from the Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Driedger came into his own this season after several years of bouncing between the NHL and the minors. He outperformed Panthers starter Sergei Bobrovsky. With promising Spencer Knight now on their roster, they can’t afford to carry three goalies.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the New York Rangers are close to signing a six-year contract extension with Barclay Goodrow. The Rangers acquired the 28-year-old forward last week from the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s believed the annual average value of his new contract would be around $3.6 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Not a bad pay raise for Goodrow, who’s completing a two-year, $1.85 million contract. That term is longer than most for a checking-line forward. They usually get deals between three-to-four years.

ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski cites sources saying the NHL’s 2021-22 schedule will contain a break for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It’s reportedly scheduled for Feb. 5-22, 2022.

The schedule is expected to be released on July 22 but could contain a caveat indicating NHL participation in the Olympics isn’t yet guaranteed.

The NHL is still working with the International Olympic Committee on issues that prevented the league from participating in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers have hired Darryl Williams as an assistant coach. Williams worked with Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault in Vancouver and New York over nine seasons.

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their affiliation with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears for the next two seasons.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets hired Mark Morrisson as the new head coach of their AHL affiliate. He spent the past four seasons as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 19, 2021

by | Jul 19, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 19, 2021

A look at the notable players available in the upcoming 2021 expansion draft and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The NHL released the player protection lists for the 30 teams participating in the upcoming NHL expansion draft. The Seattle Kraken will choose one player from each team on Wednesday, July 21 starting at 8 pm ET. The Vegas Golden Knights are exempt from this draft.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (NHL Images).

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, St. Lous Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko, Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton are among the notable names available in the draft.

Others include former Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Matt Murray of the Ottawa Senators and Braden Holtby of the Vancouver Canucks.

Among the notable defensemen are Canadiens captain Shea Weber, the New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban, the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano and the Anaheim Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk.

Other noteworthy forwards include Nashville Predators centers Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, Philadelphia Flyers wingers Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk, New York Islanders forwards Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey and Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat and Yanni Gourde.

Some of the pending unrestricted free agents available are Boston Bruins forwards Taylor Hall and David Krejci, St. Louis Blues winger Jaden Schwartz, Avalanche winger Brandon Saad, Canadiens center Phillip Danault and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: An interesting collection of talent for the Kraken to draw upon in the expansion draft. There’s a roster freeze in place until Thursday at 1 pm ET, allowing Kraken management exclusive negotiating rights with the free agents left exposed in the draft.

Signing those free agents, however, isn’t a certainty. Some clubs left them exposed in order to protect other players with the intention of signing those players before free agency begins on July 28. That’s why there’s little concern among Washington fans over Ovechkin’s exposure in the draft. Some NHL insiders believe Ovechkin and the Capitals already have a deal in place and are waiting until after the expansion draft to announce it.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports sources said there are concerns about Price’s health that could deter the Kraken from selecting him. His availability for next season could be in question.

An MRI following the playoffs revealed a hip injury that might require surgery. Price is traveling to the United States for further examination and the results aren’t expected until Friday, two days following the expansion draft. He’s also dealing with a lingering knee injury.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports Price is scheduled to see a doctor in New York regarding his knee. “The hope is that it’s not too serious,” said LeBrun. He noted the Habs goalie is getting his hip checked out but it’s the knee that could require surgery.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Kraken are seriously considering selecting Price. However, because they are supposed to get the full medical records of all exposed players, Price’s medical appointments following the expansion draft aren’t going over well. Other teams are upset, believing the Canadiens are using Price and Weber to make a mockery of the process.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The complaints about the health of Price and Weber are being raised because both played well during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Both players, however, have a long history of playing through injuries, as most NHL players do during the postseason.

Weber’s injury concerns were reportedly raised following his postseason exit medical. I daresay the same thing happened with Price.

I’m not saying critics aren’t justified in their concerns over the timing. I’m suggesting there simply wasn’t sufficient time between the end of the Stanley Cup Final and the due date for submission of the player protection lists for Price to receive a full evaluation of his hip and knee.

Price waived his no-movement clause to allow the Canadiens to protect backup goalie Jake Allen. He has five years remaining on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $10.5 million, a full no-movement clause that would follow him to Seattle, and an $11 million signing bonus due in September.

The Kraken could still select Price despite the injury concerns and his contract. It would be a big loss for the Canadiens but it would free up $10.5 million to pursue a younger, affordable replacement via trade or free agency. It would also provide additional cap space to find a potential replacement for Danault if he hits the open market next week.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning opted to protect their blueline corps while making forwards such as Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, and Yanni Gourde available.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning will lose a good forward to the Kraken. My guess is they choose Gourde. He’s a solid, versatile two-way player who can play all three forward positions.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Predators were the only club to protect five defenseman: Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro, Philippe Myers and Alexandre Carrier.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s one reason why centers Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene are available. The other is Predators general manager David Poile hopes the Kraken selects one of them to get their $8 million annual cap hit off his books.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak intends to test the free-agent market on July 28.

CBC SPORTS: Dolores Claman, who wrote the Hockey Night in Canada theme music in 1968, recently passed away at age 94.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: For decades, that tune was like Canada’s second national anthem. My condolences to Claman’s family and friends.










NHL 2021 Expansion Draft Player Protection Lists

by | Jul 18, 2021

NHL 2021 Expansion Draft Player Protection Lists

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NHL Expansion Draft Player Protection Lists

NHL.COM: The full expansion draft protection lists have been released:

ANAHEIM DUCKS 

Available

Andrew Agozzino (F)

David Backes (F)

Sam Carrick (F)

Chase De Leo (F)

Ryan Getzlaf (F)

Derek Grant (F)

Danton Heinen (F)

Adam Henrique (F)

Vinni Lettieri (F)

Sonny Milano (F)

Andrew Poturalski (F)

Carter Rowney (F)

Nick Sorensen (F)

Alexander Volkov (F)

Trevor Carrick (D)

Haydn Fleury (D)

Brendan Guhle (D)

Jacob Larsson (D)

Josh Mahura (D)

Kevin Shattenkirk (D)

Andy Welinski (D)

Ryan Miller (G)

Anthony Stolarz (G) 

Protected

Nicolas Deslauriers (F)

Max Jones (F)

Isac Lundestrom (F)

Rickard Rakell (F)

Jakob Silfverberg (F)

Sam Steel (F)

Troy Terry (F)

Cam Fowler (D)

Hampus Lindholm (D)

Josh Manson (D)

John Gibson (G)

 ARIZONA COYOTES

 Available

Derick Brassard (F)

Michael Bunting (F)

Brayden Burke (F)

Michael Chaput (F)

Hudson Fasching (F)

Christian Fischer (F)

Frederik Gauthier (F)

John Hayden (F)

Dryden Hunt (F)

Andrew Ladd (F)

Lane Pederson (F)

Tyler Pitlick (F)

Blake Speers (F)

Tyler Steenbergen (F)

Jason Demers (D)

Cam Dineen (D)

Alex Goligoski (D)

Jordan Gross (D)

Niklas Hjalmarsson (D)

Ilya Lyubushkin (D)

Dysin Mayo (D)

Aaron Ness (D)

Jordan Oesterle (D)

Vili Saarijarvi (D)

Josef Korenar (G)

Marek Langhamer (G)

Antti Raanta (G)

 Protected

Lawson Crouse (F)

Christian Dvorak (F)

Conor Garland (F)

Clayton Keller (F)

Phil Kessel (F)

Johan Larsson (F)

Nick Schmaltz (F)

Kyle Capobianco (D)

Jakob Chychrun (D)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D)

Darcy Kuemper (G)

 BOSTON BRUINS

 Available

Anton Blidh (F)

Paul Carey (F)

Peter Cehlarik (F)

Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (F)

Taylor Hall (F)

Cameron Hughes (F)

Ondrej Kase (F)

Alex Khokhlachev (F)

Joona Koppanen (F)

David Krejci (F)

Karson Kuhlman (F)

Sean Kuraly (F)

Curtis Lazar (F)

Greg McKegg (F)

Nick Ritchie (F)

Zach Senyshyn (F)

Chris Wagner (F)

Linus Arnesson (D)

Connor Clifton (D)

Steven Kampfer (D)

Jeremy Lauzon (D)

Kevan Miller (D)

John Moore (D)

Mike Reilly (D)

Jarred Tinordi (D)

Jakub Zboril (D)

Callum Booth (G)

Jaroslav Halak (G)

Tuukka Rask (G)

 Protected

Patrice Bergeron (F)

Charlie Coyle (F)

Jake DeBrusk (F)

Trent Frederic (F)

Brad Marchand (F)

David Pastrnak (F)

Craig Smith (F)

Brandon Carlo (D)

Matt Grzelcyk (D)

Charlie McAvoy (D)

Dan Vladar (G)

 BUFFALO SABRES

 Available

Drake Caggiula (F)

Jean-Sebastien Dea (F)

Cody Eakin (F)

Steven Fogarty (F)

Zemgus Girgensons (F)

Andrew Oglevie (F)

Kyle Okposo (F)

Tobias Rieder (F)

Riley Sheahan (F)

Jeff Skinner (F)

C.J. Smith (F)

Will Borgen (D)

Brandon Davidson (D)

Matt Irwin (D)

Jake McCabe (D)

Colin Miller (D)

Casey Nelson (D)

Michael Houser (G)

Carter Hutton (G)

Dustin Tokarski (G)

 Protected

Rasmus Asplund (F)

Anders Bjork (F)

Jack Eichel (F)

Casey Mittelstadt (F)

Victor Olofsson (F)

Sam Reinhart (F)

Tage Thompson (F)

Rasmus Dahlin (D)

Henri Jokiharju (D)

Rasmus Ristolainen (D)

Linus Ullmark (G)

 CALGARY FLAMES

 Available

Byron Froese (F)

Glenn Gawdin (F)

Justin Kirkland (F)

Josh Leivo (F)

Milan Lucic (F)

Joakim Nordstrom (F)

Matthew Phillips (F)

Zac Rinaldo (F)

Brett Ritchie (F)

Buddy Robinson (F)

Derek Ryan (F)

Dominik Simon (F)

Mark Giordano (D)

Oliver Kylington (D)

Nikita Nesterov (D)

Alexander Petrovic (D)

Michael Stone (D)

Louis Domingue (G)

Tyler Parsons (G)

 Protected

Mikael Backlund (F)

Dillon Dube (F)

Johnny Gaudreau (F)

Elias Lindholm (F)

Andrew Mangiapane (F)

Sean Monahan (F)

Matthew Tkachuk (F)

Rasmus Andersson (D)

Noah Hanifin (D)

Christopher Tanev (D)

Jacob Markstrom (G)

 CAROLINA HURRICANES

 Available

Morgan Geekie (F)

Steven Lorentz (F)

Jordan Martinook (F)

Max McCormick (F)

Brock McGinn (F)

Nino Niederreiter (F)

Cedric Paquette (F)

Sheldon Rempal (F)

Drew Shore (F)

Spencer Smallman (F)

Jake Bean (D)

Jake Gardiner (D)

Eric Gelinas (D)

Jani Hakanpaa (D)

Dougie Hamilton (D)

Maxime Lajoie (D)

Roland McKeown (D)

Joakim Ryan (D)

David Warsofsky (D)

Antoine Bibeau (G)

Jeremy Helvig (G)

Petr Mrazek (G)

James Reimer (G)

Dylan Wells (G)

 Protected

Sebastian Aho (F)

Jesper Fast (F)

Warren Foegele (F)

Jordan Staal (F)

Andrei Svechnikov (F)

Teuvo Teravainen (F)

Vincent Trocheck (F)

Brett Pesce (D)

Brady Skjei (D)

Jaccob Slavin (D)

Alex Nedeljkovic (G)

 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

 Available

Ryan Carpenter (F)

Brett Connolly (F)

Josh Dickinson (F)

Adam Gaudette (F)

Vinnie Hinostroza (F)

Brandon Pirri (F)

John Quenneville (F)

Zack Smith (F)

Calvin de Haan (D)

Anton Lindholm (D)

Nikita Zadorov (D)

Collin Delia (G)

Malcolm Subban (G)

 Protected

Henrik Borgstrom (F)

Alex DeBrincat (F)

Brandon Hagel (F)

David Kampf (F)

Patrick Kane (F)

Dylan Strome (F)

Jonathan Toews (F)

Caleb Jones (D)

Connor Murphy (D)

Riley Stillman (D)

Kevin Lankinen (G)

 COLORADO AVALANCHE

 Available

Travis Barron (F)

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (F)

Matt Calvert (F)

J.T. Compher (F)

Joonas Donskoi (F)

Sheldon Dries (F)

Vladislav Kamenev (F)

Gabriel Landeskog (F)

Ty Lewis (F)

Jayson Megna (F)

Liam O’Brien (F)

Brandon Saad (F)

Miikka Salomaki (F)

Kiefer Sherwood (F)

Carl Soderberg (F)

T.J. Tynan (F)

Mike Vecchione (F)

Kyle Burroughs (D)

Dennis Gilbert (D)

Erik Johnson (D)

Jacob MacDonald (D)

Patrik Nemeth (D)

Dan Renouf (D)

Devan Dubnyk (G)

Jonas Johansson (G)

Hunter Miska (G)

 Protected

Andre Burakovsky (F)

Tyson Jost (F)

Nazem Kadri (F)

Nathan MacKinnon (F)

Valeri Nichushkin (F)

Logan O’Connor (F)

Mikko Rantanen (F)

Samuel Girard (D)

Cale Makar (D)

Devon Toews (D)

Philipp Grubauer (G)

 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

 Available

Zac Dalpe (F)

Max Domi (F)

Nathan Gerbe (F)

Mikhail Grigorenko (F)

Ryan MacInnis (F)

Stefan Matteau (F)

Cliff Pu (F)

Kole Sherwood (F)

Kevin Stenlund (F)

Calvin Thurkauf (F)

Daniel Zaar (F)

Gavin Bayreuther (D)

Gabriel Carlsson (D)

Adam Clendening (D)

Michael Del Zotto (D)

Scott Harrington (D)

Dean Kukan (D)

Cameron Johnson (G)

 Protected

Cam Atkinson (F)

Oliver Bjorkstrand (F)

Boone Jenner (F)

Patrik Laine (F)

Gustav Nyquist (F)

Eric Robinson (F)

Jack Roslovic (F)

Vladislav Gavrikov (D)

Seth Jones (D)

Zach Werenski (D)

Joonas Korpisalo (G)

 DALLAS STARS

 Available

Nick Caamano (F)

Andrew Cogliano (F)

Blake Comeau (F)

Justin Dowling (F)

Tanner Kero (F)

Joel L’Esperance (F)

Adam Mascherin (F)

Matej Stransky (F)

Taylor Fedun (D)

Ben Gleason (D)

Joel Hanley (D)

Niklas Hansson (D)

Julius Honka (D)

Jamie Oleksiak (D)

Mark Pysyk (D)

Andrej Sekera (D)

Sami Vatanen (D)

Ben Bishop (G)

Landon Bow (G)

Colton Point (G)

 Protected

Jamie Benn (F)

Radek Faksa (F)

Denis Gurianov (F)

Roope Hintz (F)

Joe Pavelski (F)

Alexander Radulov (F)

Tyler Seguin (F)

Miro Heiskanen (D)

John Klingberg (D)

Esa Lindell (D)

Anton Khudobin (G)

 DETROIT RED WINGS

 Available

Riley Barber (F)

Kyle Criscuolo (F)

Turner Elson (F)

Valtteri Filppula (F)

Sam Gagner (F)

Luke Glendening (F)

Darren Helm (F)

Taro Hirose (F)

Vladislav Namestnikov (F)

Frans Nielsen (F)

Bobby Ryan (F)

Evgeny Svechnikov (F)

Dominic Turgeon (F)

Hayden Verbeek (F)

Alex Biega (D)

Dennis Cholowski (D)

Danny DeKeyser (D)

Christian Djoos (D)

Joe Hicketts (D)

Dylan McIlrath (D)

Marc Staal (D)

Troy Stecher (D)

Jonathan Bernier (G)

Kevin Boyle (G)

Kaden Fulcher (G)

Calvin Pickard (G)

 Protected

Tyler Bertuzzi (F)

Adam Erne (F)

Robby Fabbri (F)

Dylan Larkin (F)

Michael Rasmussen (F)

Givani Smith (F)

Jakub Vrana (F)

Filip Hronek (D)

Nick Leddy (D)

Gustav Lindstrom (D)

Thomas Greiss (G)

 EDMONTON OILERS

 Available

Tyler Benson (F)

Alex Chiasson (F)

Adam Cracknell (F)

Tyler Ennis (F)

Joseph Gambardella (F)

Seth Griffith (F)

Dominik Kahun (F)

Jujhar Khaira (F)

Cooper Marody (F)

James Neal (F)

Alan Quine (F)

Patrick Russell (F)

Devin Shore (F)

Anton Slepyshev (F)

Kyle Turris (F)

Bogdan Yakimov (F)

Tyson Barrie (D)

Oscar Klefbom (D)

Slater Koekkoek (D)

Dmitry Kulikov (D)

William Lagesson (D)

Adam Larsson (D)

Kris Russell (D)

Mikko Koskinen (G)

Mike Smith (G)

Alex Stalock (G)

 Protected

Josh Archibald (F)

Leon Draisaitl (F)

Zack Kassian (F)

Connor McDavid (F)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (F)

Jesse Puljujarvi (F)

Kailer Yamamoto (F)

Ethan Bear (D)

Duncan Keith (D)

Darnell Nurse (D)

Stuart Skinner (G)

 FLORIDA PANTHERS

 Available

Noel Acciari (F)

Patrick Bajkov (F)

Juho Lammikko (F)

Ryan Lomberg (F)

Brad Morrison (F)

Aleksi Saarela (F)

Frank Vatrano (F)

Lucas Wallmark (F)

Alex Wennberg (F)

Scott Wilson (F)

Lucas Carlsson (D)

Kevin Connauton (D)

Tommy Cross (D)

Radko Gudas (D)

Noah Juulsen (D)

Brady Keeper (D)

Brandon Montour (D)

Markus Nutivaara (D)

Ethan Prow (D)

Anton Stralman (D)

Philippe Desrosiers (G)

Chris Driedger (G)

Sam Montembeault (G)

 Protected

Aleksander Barkov (F)

Sam Bennett (F)

Anthony Duclair (F)

Patric Hornqvist (F)

Jonathan Huberdeau (F)

Mason Marchment (F)

Carter Verhaeghe (F)

Aaron Ekblad (D)

Gustav Forsling (D)

MacKenzie Weegar (D)

Sergei Bobrovsky (G)

 LOS ANGELES KINGS

 Available

Andreas Athanasiou (F)

Michael Eyssimont (F)

Martin Frk (F)

Carl Grundstrom (F)

Bokondji Imama (F)

Brendan Lemieux (F)

Blake Lizotte (F)

Matt Luff (F)

Drake Rymsha (F)

Austin Wagner (F)

Mark Alt (D)

Daniel Brickley (D)

Kale Clague (D)

Olli Maatta (D)

Kurtis MacDermid (D)

Jacob Moverare (D)

Austin Strand (D)

Christian Wolanin (D)

Troy Grosenick (G)

Jonathan Quick (G)

 Protected

Lias Andersson (F)

Viktor Arvidsson (F)

Dustin Brown (F)

Alex Iafallo (F)

Adrian Kempe (F)

Anze Kopitar (F)

Trevor Moore (F)

Drew Doughty (D)

Matt Roy (D)

Sean Walker (D)

Calvin Petersen (G)

 MINNESOTA WILD

 Available

William Bitten (F)

Nick Bjugstad (F)

Nick Bonino (F)

Joseph Cramarossa (F)

Gabriel Dumont (F)

Marcus Johansson (F)

Luke Johnson (F)

Victor Rask (F)

Kyle Rau (F)

Mason Shaw (F)

Dmitry Sokolov (F)

Matt Bartkowski (D)

Louie Belpedio (D)

Ian Cole (D)

Brad Hunt (D)

Ian McCoshen (D)

Brennan Menell (D)

Dakota Mermis (D)

Carson Soucy (D)

Andrew Hammond (G)

Kaapo Kahkonen (G)

 Protected

Joel Eriksson Ek (F)

Kevin Fiala (F)

Marcus Foligno (F)

Jordan Greenway (F)

Ryan Hartman (F)

Nico Sturm (F)

Mats Zuccarello (F)

Jonas Brodin (D)

Matt Dumba (D)

Jared Spurgeon (D)

Cam Talbot (G)

 MONTREAL CANADIENS

 Available

Brandon Baddock (F)

Joseph Blandisi (F)

Paul Byron (F)

Phillip Danault (F)

Laurent Dauphin (F)

Jonathan Drouin (F)

Michael Frolik (F)

Charles Hudon (F)

Corey Perry (F)

Michael Pezzetta (F)

Eric Staal (F)

Tomas Tatar (F)

Lukas Vejdemo (F)

Jordan Weal (F)

Cale Fleury (D)

Erik Gustafsson (D)

Brett Kulak (D)

Jon Merrill (D)

Gustav Olofsson (D)

Xavier Ouellet (D)

Shea Weber (D)

Charlie Lindgren (G)

Michael McNiven (G)

Carey Price (G)

 Protected

Josh Anderson (F)

Joel Armia (F)

Jake Evans (F)

Brendan Gallagher (F)

Jesperi Kotkaniemi (F)

Artturi Lehkonen (F)

Tyler Toffoli (F)

Ben Chiarot (D)

Joel Edmundson (D)

Jeff Petry (D)

Jake Allen (G)

 NASHVILLE PREDATORS

 Available

Michael Carcone (F)

Nick Cousins (F)

Matt Duchene (F)

Mikael Granlund (F)

Rocco Grimaldi (F)

Erik Haula (F)

Calle Jarnkrok (F)

Ryan Johansen (F)

Sean Malone (F)

Michael McCarron (F)

Rem Pitlick (F)

Anthony Richard (F)

Brad Richardson (F)

Colton Sissons (F)

Yakov Trenin (F)

Frederic Allard (D)

Matt Benning (D)

Mark Borowiecki (D)

Erik Gudbranson (D)

Ben Harpur (D)

Josh Healey (D)

Tyler Lewington (D)

Connor Ingram (G)

Kasimir Kaskisuo (G)

Pekka Rinne (G)

 

Protected

Filip Forsberg (F)

Tanner Jeannot (F)

Luke Kunin (F)

Alexandre Carrier (D)

Mattias Ekholm (D)

Dante Fabbro (D)

Roman Josi (D)

Philippe Myers (D)

Juuse Saros (G)

 NEW JERSEY DEVILS

 Available

Nathan Bastian (F)

Christoph Bertschy (F)

Brandon Gignac (F)

A.J. Greer (F)

Andreas Johnsson (F)

Ivan Khomutov (F)

Nicholas Merkley (F)

Brett Seney (F)

Ben Street (F)

Marian Studenic (F)

Will Butcher (D)

Connor Carrick (D)

Josh Jacobs (D)

Ryan Murray (D)

David Quenneville (D)

Colby Sissons (D)

P.K. Subban (D)

Matt Tennyson (D)

Colton White (D)

Evan Cormier (G)

Aaron Dell (G)

Scott Wedgewood (G)

 Protected

Jesper Bratt (F)

Nico Hischier (F)

Janne Kuokkanen (F)

Michael McLeod (F)

Yegor Sharangovich (F)

Miles Wood (F)

Pavel Zacha (F)

Ryan Graves (D)

Damon Severson (D)

Jonas Siegenthaler (D)

Mackenzie Blackwood (G)

 NEW YORK ISLANDERS

 Available

Josh Bailey (F)

Cole Bardreau (F)

Kieffer Bellows (F)

Casey Cizikas (F)

Austin Czarnik (F)

Michael Dal Colle (F)

Jordan Eberle (F)

Tanner Fritz (F)

Joshua Ho-Sang (F)

Ross Johnston (F)

Otto Koivula (F)

Leo Komarov (F)

Kyle Palmieri (F)

Richard Panik (F)

Dmytro Timashov (F)

Travis Zajac (F)

Sebastian Aho (D)

Braydon Coburn (D)

Andy Greene (D)

Thomas Hickey (D)

Mitchell Vande Sompel (D)

Parker Wotherspoon (D)

Ken Appleby (G)

Cory Schneider (G)

 Protected

Mathew Barzal (F)

Anthony Beauvillier (F)

Cal Clutterbuck (F)

Anders Lee (F)

Matt Martin (F)

Brock Nelson (F)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (F)

Scott Mayfield (D)

Adam Pelech (D)

Ryan Pulock (D)

Semyon Varlamov (G)

 NEW YORK RANGERS

 Available

Colin Blackwell (F)

Jonny Brodzinski (F)

Phillip Di Giuseppe (F)

Gabriel Fontaine (F)

Julien Gauthier (F)

Tim Gettinger (F)

Barclay Goodrow (F)

Anthony Greco (F)

Ty Ronning (F)

Anthony Bitetto (D)

Brandon Crawley (D)

Tony DeAngelo (D)

Nick DeSimone (D)

Mason Geertsen (D)

Jack Johnson (D)

Darren Raddysh (D)

Brendan Smith (D)

Keith Kinkaid (G)

 Protected

Pavel Buchnevich (F)

Filip Chytil (F)

Chris Kreider (F)

Artemi Panarin (F)

Kevin Rooney (F)

Ryan Strome (F)

Mika Zibanejad (F)

Libor Hajek (D)

Ryan Lindgren (D)

Jacob Trouba (D)

Alexandar Georgiev (G)

 OTTAWA SENATORS

 Available

Vitaly Abramov (F)

Michael Amadio (F)

Artem Anisimov (F)

J.C. Beaudin (F)

Clark Bishop (F)

Evgenii Dadonov (F)

Jonathan Davidsson (F)

Ryan Dzingel (F)

Micheal Haley (F)

Jack Kopacka (F)

Zachary Magwood (F)

Matthew Peca (F)

Logan Shaw (F)

Derek Stepan (F)

Chris Tierney (F)

Josh Brown (D)

Cody Goloubef (D)

Mikael Wikstrand (D)

Joey Daccord (G)

Anton Forsberg (G)

Marcus Hogberg (G)

Matt Murray (G)

 Protected

Drake Batherson (F)

Connor Brown (F)

Logan Brown (F)

Nick Paul (F)

Brady Tkachuk (F)

Austin Watson (F)

Colin White (F)

Thomas Chabot (D)

Victor Mete (D)

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Filip Gustavsson (G)

 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

 Available

Andy Andreoff (F)

Connor Bunnaman (F)

David Kase (F)

Pascal Laberge (F)

Samuel Morin (F)

German Rubtsov (F)

Carsen Twarynski (F)

James van Riemsdyk (F)

Jakub Voracek (F)

Mikhail Vorobyev (F)

Chris Bigras (D)

Justin Braun (D)

Shayne Gostisbehere (D)

Robert Hagg (D)

Derrick Pouliot (D)

Nate Prosser (D)

Tyler Wotherspoon (D)

Brian Elliott (G)

Alex Lyon (G)

Felix Sandstrom (G)

 Protected

Nicolas Aube-Kubel (F)

Sean Couturier (F)

Claude Giroux (F)

Kevin Hayes (F)

Travis Konecny (F)

Scott Laughton (F)

Oskar Lindblom (F)

Ryan Ellis (D)

Ivan Provorov (D)

Travis Sanheim (D)

Carter Hart (G)

 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

 Available

Pontus Aberg (F)

Anthony Angello (F)

Zach Aston-Reese (F)

Josh Currie (F)

Frederick Gaudreau (F)

Mark Jankowski (F)

Sam Lafferty (F)

Sam Miletic (F)

Evan Rodrigues (F)

Colton Sceviour (F)

Brandon Tanev (F)

Jason Zucker (F)

Cody Ceci (D)

Kevin Czuczman (D)

Mark Friedman (D)

Jesper Lindgren (D)

Andrey Pedan (D)

Marcus Pettersson (D)

Juuso Riikola (D)

Chad Ruhwedel (D)

Yannick Weber (D)

Casey DeSmith (G)

Maxime Lagace (G)

 Protected

Teddy Blueger (F)

Jeff Carter (F)

Sidney Crosby (F)

Jake Guentzel (F)

Kasperi Kapanen (F)

Evgeni Malkin (F)

Bryan Rust (F)

Brian Dumoulin (D)

Kris Letang (D)

Mike Matheson (D)

Tristan Jarry (G)

 SAN JOSE SHARKS

 Available

Ryan Donato (F)

Kurtis Gabriel (F)

Dylan Gambrell (F)

Jayden Halbgewachs (F)

Maxim Letunov (F)

Patrick Marleau (F)

Matt Nieto (F)

Marcus Sorensen (F)

Alexander True (F)

Christian Jaros (D)

Nicolas Meloche (D)

Jacob Middleton (D)

Greg Pateryn (D)

Radim Simek (D)

Martin Jones (G)

 Protected

Rudolfs Balcers (F)

Logan Couture (F)

Jonathan Dahlen (F)

Tomas Hertl (F)

Evander Kane (F)

Kevin Labanc (F)

Timo Meier (F)

Brent Burns (D)

Erik Karlsson (D)

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (D)

Adin Hill (G)

 ST. LOUIS BLUES

 Available

Sam Anas (F)

Sammy Blais (F)

Tyler Bozak (F)

Kyle Clifford (F)

Jacob de la Rose (F)

Mike Hoffman (F)

Tanner Kaspick (F)

Mackenzie MacEachern (F)

Curtis McKenzie (F)

Austin Poganski (F)

Zach Sanford (F)

Jaden Schwartz (F)

Nolan Stevens (F)

Vladimir Tarasenko (F)

Nathan Walker (F)

Robert Bortuzzo (D)

Vince Dunn (D)

Petteri Lindbohm (D)

Niko Mikkola (D)

Mitch Reinke (D)

Steven Santini (D)

Marco Scandella (D)

Jake Walman (D)

Evan Fitzpatrick (G)

Jon Gillies (G)

Ville Husso (G)

 Protected

Ivan Barbashev (F)

Jordan Kyrou (F)

Ryan O’Reilly (F)

David Perron (F)

Brayden Schenn (F)

Oskar Sundqvist (F)

Robert Thomas (F)

Justin Faulk (D)

Torey Krug (D)

Colton Parayko (D)

Jordan Binnington (G)

 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

 Available

Alex Barre-Boulet (F)

Blake Coleman (F)

Ross Colton (F)

Yanni Gourde (F)

Tyler Johnson (F)

Mathieu Joseph (F)

Boris Katchouk (F)

Alex Killorn (F)

Pat Maroon (F)

Boo Nieves (F)

Ondrej Palat (F)

Taylor Raddysh (F)

Gemel Smith (F)

Otto Somppi (F)

Mitchell Stephens (F)

Daniel Walcott (F)

Luke Witkowski (F)

Andreas Borgman (D)

Fredrik Claesson (D)

Sean Day (D)

Cal Foote (D)

Brian Lashoff (D)

Dominik Masin (D)

Jan Rutta (D)

David Savard (D)

Luke Schenn (D)

Ben Thomas (D)

Christopher Gibson (G)

Spencer Martin (G)

Curtis McElhinney (G)

 Protected

Anthony Cirelli (F)

Nikita Kucherov (F)

Brayden Point (F)

Steven Stamkos (F)

Erik Cernak (D)

Victor Hedman (D)

Ryan McDonagh (D)

Mikhail Sergachev (D)

Andrei Vasilevskiy (G)

 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

 Available

Kenny Agostino (F)

Joey Anderson (F)

Adam Brooks (F)

Pierre Engvall (F)

Nick Foligno (F)

Alex Galchenyuk (F)

Zach Hyman (F)

Alexander Kerfoot (F)

Kalle Kossila (F)

Denis Malgin (F)

Jared McCann (F)

Riley Nash (F)

Stefan Noesen (F)

Nic Petan (F)

Scott Sabourin (F)

Wayne Simmonds (F)

Jason Spezza (F)

Antti Suomela (F)

Joe Thornton (F)

Zach Bogosian (D)

Travis Dermott (D)

Ben Hutton (D)

Martin Marincin (D)

Calle Rosen (D)

Frederik Andersen (G)

Michael Hutchinson (G)

David Rittich (G)

 Protected

Mitchell Marner (F)

Auston Matthews (F)

William Nylander (F)

John Tavares (F)

TJ Brodie (D)

Justin Holl (D)

Jake Muzzin (D)

Morgan Rielly (D)

Jack Campbell (G)

 VANCOUVER CANUCKS

 Available

Sven Baertschi (F)

Justin Bailey (F)

Jay Beagle (F)

Travis Boyd (F)

Loui Eriksson (F)

Jonah Gadjovich (F)

Tyler Graovac (F)

Jayce Hawryluk (F)

Matthew Highmore (F)

Lukas Jasek (F)

Kole Lind (F)

Zack MacEwen (F)

Petrus Palmu (F)

Antoine Roussel (F)

Brandon Sutter (F)

Jimmy Vesey (F)

Jake Virtanen (F)

Madison Bowey (D)

Guillaume Brisebois (D)

Jalen Chatfield (D)

Alexander Edler (D)

Travis Hamonic (D)

Brogan Rafferty (D)

Ashton Sautner (D)

Josh Teves (D)

Braden Holtby (G)

 Protected

Brock Boeser (F)

Jason Dickinson (F)

Bo Horvat (F)

J.T. Miller (F)

Tyler Motte (F)

Tanner Pearson (F)

Elias Pettersson (F)

Olli Juolevi (D)

Tyler Myers (D)

Nate Schmidt (D)

Thatcher Demko (G)

 WASHINGTON CAPITALS

 Available

Daniel Carr (F)

Nic Dowd (F)

Shane Gersich (F)

Carl Hagelin (F)

Garnet Hathaway (F)

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (F)

Alex Ovechkin (F)

Garrett Pilon (F)

Brian Pinho (F)

Michael Raffl (F)

Michael Sgarbossa (F)

Conor Sheary (F)

Zdeno Chara (D)

Brenden Dillon (D)

Nick Jensen (D)

Lucas Johansen (D)

Michal Kempny (D)

Paul LaDue (D)

Cameron Schilling (D)

Justin Schultz (D)

Craig Anderson (G)

Pheonix Copley (G)

Zach Fucale (G)

Vitek Vanecek (G)

 Protected

Nicklas Backstrom (F)

Lars Eller (F)

Evgeny Kuznetsov (F)

Anthony Mantha (F)

T.J. Oshie (F)

Daniel Sprong (F)

Tom Wilson (F)

John Carlson (D)

Dmitry Orlov (D)

Trevor van Riemsdyk (D)

Ilya Samsonov (G)

 WINNIPEG JETS

 Available

Mason Appleton (F)

Marko Dano (F)

Jansen Harkins (F)

Trevor Lewis (F)

Skyler McKenzie (F)

Mathieu Perreault (F)

Paul Stastny (F)

CJ Suess (F)

Nate Thompson (F)

Dominic Toninato (F)

Nathan Beaulieu (D)

Jordie Benn (D)

Dylan DeMelo (D)

Derek Forbort (D)

Luke Green (D)

Sami Niku (D)

Nelson Nogier (D)

Tucker Poolman (D)

Mikhail Berdin (G)

Laurent Brossoit (G)

Eric Comrie (G)

Cole Kehler (G)

 Protected

Kyle Connor (F)

Andrew Copp (F)

Pierre-Luc Dubois (F)

Nikolaj Ehlers (F)

Adam Lowry (F)

Mark Scheifele (F)

Blake Wheeler (F)

Josh Morrissey (D)

Neal Pionk (D)

Logan Stanley (D)

Connor Hellebuyck (G)










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 18, 2021

by | Jul 18, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 18, 2021

Carey Price, Vladimir Tarasenko, Gabriel Landeskog are among the notables to be left unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft, Miro Heiskanen among several players inking new contracts, and a roundup of yesterday’s notable trades in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NOTE: The NHL expansion draft roster freeze went into effect at 3 pm ET on Saturday. It will remain in effect until 1 pm EST on Thursday, July 22.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has agreed to waive his no-movement for the upcoming NHL expansion draft. He made that decision to enable the Canadiens to protect backup goalie Jake Allen.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The gamble here for Price and the Canadiens is the Kraken could be put off by his contract, which has five years remaining at an annual average value of $10.5 million.

There are a couple of poison pills in this contract. If the Kraken select Price, they’ll have to pay him the $11 million signing bonus due in September. His no-movement clause would follow him to Seattle as he’s only waiving it in this instance for the expansion draft, not a trade. In other words, the Kraken would need his permission to trade or demote him.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche will expose Gabriel Landeskog in the expansion draft. The 28-year-old left-winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28. This allows the Kraken to exclusively negotiate with Landeskog and perhaps sign him to a new contract before the draft on Wednesday night. If he does, he would become the Kraken’s expansion draft selection from the Avalanche.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s speculation Landeskog seeks a long-term deal worth between $9 million and $10 million annually. That would be a big contract for the Kraken to take on so early in their existence. They could, however, try to ink him to a multi-year deal worth around $7 million annually. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

STLTODAY.COM: The St. Louis Blues are believed to have left winger Vladimir Tarasenko exposed in the expansion draft. They could also leave defenseman Vince Dunn unprotected.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues have been shopping both players. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports a source said Tarasenko can’t believe he hasn’t been traded yet. Blues GM Doug Armstrong has told the winger’s camp that no teams are interested in him.

The source also said several teams have an interest in Tarasenko but Armstrong hasn’t found a suitable return. Another source told Rutherford there’s limited interest in the winger, who’s coming off three shoulder surgeries and carries a $7.5 million annual cap hit for the next two seasons.

SPORTSNET: cites Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reporting the Los Angeles Kings will expose goaltender Jonathan Quick in the expansion draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. The Kings want to protect Quick’s heir apparent Cal Petersen. The 35-year-old netminder has two years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $5.8 million.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Kraken are reportedly close to signing Chris Driedger. The 27-year-old goaltender is slated to become a UFA on July 28. His camp received permission from the Panthers to speak to other clubs. If the Kraken sign Driedger, he’ll count as their selection from the Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’ll be a big win for the Panthers as they won’t have to worry about losing another player from their expansion list. They had to protect goalie Sergei Bobrovsky because of his no-movement clause. Promising netminder Spencer Knight is exempt from this draft.

THE ATHLETIC: The Columbus Blue Jackets will expose Max Domi in the expansion draft. They’re betting Domi’s injured shoulder will deter the Kraken. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery and could miss the opening month or two of 2021-22.

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars signed defenseman Miro Heiskanen to an eight-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $8.45 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a wise long-term investment by the Stars. Heiskanen, 21, is completing his entry-level contract but he’s earned this new deal.

Over the past three seasons, he’s become the Stars’ best all-around defenseman. He regularly leads them in ice time, plays in every situation, and was their leading scorer in the 2020 postseason during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. This kid is a future Norris Trophy contender. His new contract will look like a bargain in a few years.

In other signings yesterday, the New York Islanders re-signed defenseman Andy Greene to a one-year, $1 million contract, the Anaheim Ducks signed winger Alexander Volkov to a one-year, $925K contract extension, and the Tampa Bay Lightning inked defenseman Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, two-way contract.

Several trades were made yesterday, the biggest being the Nashville Predators shipping Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-team deal. You can read my take here. Other deals of note:

The New York Rangers acquired forward Barclay Goodrow from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for their seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft. The Rangers also traded forward Brett Howden to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft (originally belonging to the Winnipeg Jets) and impending free-agent defenseman Nick DeSimone.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The first piece of the Lightning’s 2021 Stanley Cup championship roster has departed. Expect more cost-cutting moves by the Bolts in the coming days/weeks as they attempt to become cap compliant for next season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect forward Filip Hallander and a seventh-round pick in 2023.

The Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Jason Dickinson from the Dallas Stars in exchange for their third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Arizona Coyotes acquired winger Andrew Ladd, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, a second-round pick in 2022 and a third-round pick in 2023 from the New York Islanders. The Coyotes also traded goaltender Adin Hill to the San Jose Sharks for goaltender Josef Korenar and a second-round pick in 2022.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move comes on the heels of the Islanders shipping Nick Leddy to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. They have been trying to move Ladd’s contract for some time. He spent all of this season with their AHL affiliate. He has two seasons remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $5.5 million, giving the Isles some much-needed cap space for other moves, such as re-signing restricted free agents Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech and Ilya Sorokin.

It’s interesting that there was nothing listed in the Ladd trade report of the Coyotes sending anything the other way to the Isles. Perhaps they’re getting “future considerations.”










Flyers Acquire Ellis From Predators in Three-Team Trade

by | Jul 17, 2021

Flyers Acquire Ellis From Predators in Three-Team Trade

The Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick. The Predators then traded Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Cody Glass.

Philadelphia Flyers acquire Ryan Ellis from Nashville Predators (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A major move right before the 3 pm ET expansion-draft roster freeze. This signals a shakeup among the Predators’ core, a big move by the Flyers to improve their defense, and the possibility of a change of scenery helping two former first-round draft picks get their once-promising careers back on track.

The Flyers see the 30-year-old Ellis as the solution to their need for a top-pairing, right-side defenseman. A skillful two-way blueliner, the 5’10”, 180-pounder exceeded 30 points in five straight seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Ellis has also been hampered by injuries in recent years. He played just one full season (2018-19) in the last four. When healthy, he should provide that veteran experience, skill and leadership the Flyers were lacking on their blueline this season. However, his health could be a concern going forward, especially carrying a $6.25 million annual cap hit for the next six seasons.

Myers, 24, struggled in his sophomore campaign with the Flyers. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder has potential as a shutdown rearguard and could realize his full potential with the Predators. He’s signed through 2022-23 at an affordable $2.25 million per season.

Centers Patrick (second overall, 2017 draft) and Glass (sixth overall, 2017) both had difficulties playing up to expectations as high first-round picks. Patrick also battled migraines that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season. He could fill a checking-line role in Vegas. Glass struggled to earn a regular roster spot with the Golden Knights but could get more playing time on the retooling Predators.