Kovalchuk To The Capitals, Bogosian Signs With Lightning

by | Feb 23, 2020

Kovalchuk To The Capitals, Bogosian Signs With Lightning

The Montreal Canadiens traded left wing Ilya Kovalchuk to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Less than two months after signing a one-year, $700K contract with the Canadiens following his contract termination with the LA Kings, Kovalchuk is on the move again. Owing to the Capitals’ limited salary-cap space, the Canadiens retained half of the 36-year-old winger’s cap hit.

The Montreal Canadiens trade Ilya Kovalchuk to the Washington Capitals (Photo via NHL Images).

Kovalchuk was considered washed-up following his unsuccessful tenure with the Kings but resurrected his career in Montreal. After netting nine points in 17 games in Los Angeles, he tallied 13 points in 22 games with the Habs.

His production had tailed off recently, but perhaps joining a deeper club like the Capitals will bring it back to life. The move also provides Kovalchuk with an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup.

 This move gives the Canadiens two picks in the third round of this year’s draft. They have 11 picks through the first five rounds.

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed free-agent Zach Bogosian to a one-year, $1.3-million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bogosian became a free agent when the Buffalo Sabres yesterday terminated his contract. The 29-year-old defenseman struggled through injuries during his tenure with the Sabres. Earlier this season, he requested a trade and was a frequent healthy scratch.

The reason the Lightning made this move is likely tied to blueliner Erik Cernak suffering an injury in last night’s loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Bogosian could be an affordable fill-in for Cernak if he’s out for a long period.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 23, 2020

by | Feb 23, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 23, 2020

Alexander Ovechkin tallies his 700th career goal, the Toronto Maple Leafs lose to a Zamboni driver, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin became the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. A power-play goal by Devils defenseman Damon Severson snapped a 2-2 tie late in the third period. With the loss, the Capitals (80 points) remain tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division, with the Penguins holding a game in hand.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is the eighth player in NHL to score 700 career goals (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved milestone for The Great Eight. The next one is overtaking Mike Gartner (708) for seventh on the all-time list. The Capitals, however, have won just three of their last 10 games. With Ovechkin’s chase for 700 goals now over, perhaps it will bring about a shift in their focus.

The Penguins, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to take a two-point lead over the Capitals by dropping a 5-2 decision to the Buffalo Sabres. Jack Eichel scored twice, despite a midsection ailment preventing him from bending over to take faceoffs. Evgeni Malkin scored both Penguins’ goals. The Sabres (64 points) are eight behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit third in the Atlantic Division. Earlier in the day, they officially terminated defenseman Zach Bogosian’s contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eichel has 35 goals on the season. The young Sabres captain is doing everything he can to keep the his club’s playoff hopes alive.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they dropped a 6-3 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes, who pressed into service 42-year-old emergency backup (and Zamboni driver) David Ayres when regular goaltenders James Reimer and Petr Mrazek were sidelined. Ayres made eight saves on 10 shots to preserve the win. The Hurricanes (74 points) moved into a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, holding two games in hand over the Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: For Ayres, this was a moment he and his family and friends will never forget. The Hurricanes did a fine job putting him at ease, as well as checking the Leafs to a near-standstill in the third. That was perhaps the most embarrassing regular-season defeat in Leafs history. I’ll leave it to Steve Dangle to summarize this debacle.

The Philadelphia Flyers (77 points) doubled up the Winnipeg Jets 4-2, widening their lead over the New York Islanders for third place in the Metro by three points. Scott Laughton scored two goals and Justin Braun collected three assists. Following the game, the Flyers got a visit from teammate Oskar Lindblom, who’s battling Ewing’s sarcoma. “Really good, really good to see him,” said Laughton. The Jets (69 points) hold a one-point lead over the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Lindblom in his ongoing treatments. Here’s hoping he make a full recovery.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price turned in a 30-save shutout to blank the Ottawa Senators 3-0. Max Domi scored twice for the Habs (66 points), putting them six behind the Leafs in the Atlantic. Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot left the game with an injured left leg in the first period, but coach D.J. Smith believes it wasn’t anything serious.

The New York Rangers also kept their playoff hopes alive by edging the San Jose Sharks 3-2. Jesper Fast scored twice and Igor Shesterkin kicked out 44 shots for the Rangers (70 points), who’ve won seven of their last eight contests and sit just four points out of a wild-card berth in the East. Joe Thornton scored both goals for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers’ surge of late raises questions over whether GM Jeff Gorton will be a seller at the trade deadline. Until recently, it was assumed he’d start peddling some pending free agents like Fast and Chris Kreider. That might not be a certainty now.

Conor Garland and Clayton Keller each scored twice as the Arizona Coyotes upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3. With 70 points, the Coyotes hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Earlier in the day, they revealed defenseman Jakob Chychrun could miss multiple games with a hip injury. Meanwhile, goaltender Darcy Kuemper was assigned to their AHL affiliate on a conditioning stint.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are winless in eight straight games after dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to the Nashville Predators. Jusse Saros turned aside 40 shots for the Predators while Rocco Grimaldi netted the game-winning goal. The Predators (68 points) sit one back of the Jets for the final Western wild-card berth.

Tyler Toffoli scored his first two goals with the Vancouver Canucks in a 9-3 thrashing of the Boston Bruins. J.T. Miller also collected three assists for the Canucks (72 points), who sit two behind the Pacific Divison-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Bruins winger David Pastrnak scored twice and leads the league with 45 goals. The Bruins remain the overall league leaders with 90 points.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, picked up their fifth straight win by defeating the Florida Panthers 5-3. Reilly Smith scored twice and Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for Vegas. The Panthers (70 points) remain two behind the Leafs. They’ve won just three of their last 11 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers are blowing a golden opportunity to pass the struggling Leafs and secure a grip on the final playoff spot in the Atlantic. They’re also in danger of being overtaken by the Canadiens and Sabres.

Joonas Donskoi’s shootout goal gave the Colorado Avalanche a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The Avs (79 points) sit one back of the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Western Conference. Earlier in the day, the Kings re-signed Martin Frik to a two-year contract extension.










Surveying the NHL Buyers – Central Division

by | Feb 23, 2020

Surveying the NHL Buyers – Central Division

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 22, 2020

by | Feb 22, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 22, 2020

Jordan Eberle and Jared Spurgeon each tally hat tricks, the Jets acquire Cody Eakin from the Golden Knights, the Avalanche re-sign Pavel Francouz, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: On the night the New York Islanders honored John Tonelli, Jordan Eberle netted a hat trick to lead them to a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Islanders (74 points) hold the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Earlier in the day, the Isles placed Cal Clutterbuck on injured reserve, while the Red Wings claimed defenseman Cody Goloubef off waivers from the Ottawa Senators.

Jared Spurgeon’s natural hat trick gave the Minnesota Wild a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers (Photo via NHL Images).

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon netted a natural hat trick to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected three points for the Oilers. The Wild (65 points) sit three points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Goaltender Pavel Francouz celebrated his two-year, $4-million contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche by kicking out 26 shots to blank the Anaheim Ducks 1-0. J.T. Compher scored the only goal as the Avs (77 points) move one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for second in the Central Division.

The St. Louis Blues (80 points) opened a three-point lead atop the Western Conference by beating the Stars 5-1, leaving the latter four points behind them. Blues defenseman Colton Parayko had a goal and two assists.

Mika Zibanejad scored and set up two others to lead the New York Rangers over the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2. Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho tallied his 35th goal of the season. With 68 points, the Rangers sit five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Hurricanes (72 points) are one point behind the Jackets.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat scored twice in a 2-1 overtime win over the Nashville Predators. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford made 42 saves for the win. The Predators (68 points) sit two behind the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. The Blackhawks made defenseman Erik Gustafsson a late scratch, prompting speculation he could be moved before the upcoming Feb. 24 trade deadline.

Speaking of the Flames, they blew a 3-1 lead to drop a 4-3 decision to the Boston Bruins. Patrice Bergeron scored twice and David Pastrnak had two assists as the Bruins (90 points) won their fifth straight and widened their lead atop the overall standings by five points over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mikael Backlund scored two goals for the Flames.

HEADLINES

WINNIPEG SUN/LAS VEGAS SUN: The Winnipeg Jets acquired center Cody Eakin from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2021.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eakin is expected to center the Jets’ fourth line, providing an additional measure of experienced depth to their bottom-six forward lines. By shedding Eakin’s $3.85 million salary-cap hit, the Golden Knights freed up cap room for perhaps another deal before the upcoming trade deadline.

WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres yesterday placed defenseman Zach Bogosian on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. If unclaimed by noon today, Bogosian will become an unrestricted free agent.

TSN: Ottawa Senators winger Bobby Ryan opened up about his alcohol addiction and his ongoing treatment. He’s returning to the lineup after being out of action for three months participating in the NHL player assistance program.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Ryan on his path forward.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand will be sidelined eight-to-ten weeks with a sprained and factured ankle.

The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen $5,000.00 for slashing and Senators forward Scott Sabourin over $1.881.00 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

TVA SPORTS: With Victor Mete and Xavier Ouellet sidelined by injuries, the Montreal Canadiens recalled defenseman Karl Alzner.










NHL Weekend Bets – Capitals, Predators Favored to Rebound on Saturday NHL Odds

by | Feb 22, 2020

NHL Weekend Bets – Capitals, Predators Favored to Rebound on Saturday NHL Odds

 










Bruins Ship Backes to Ducks for Kase

by | Feb 21, 2020

Bruins Ship Backes to Ducks for Kase

The Boston Bruins traded winger David Backes, prospect defenseman Axel Andersson, and a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft to the Anaheim Ducks for winger Ondrej Kase.

The Boston Bruins acquire winger Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks (Photo via NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With this move, the Bruins shed the contract of a fading veteran winger for a younger, more affordable option, albeit one with an injury history of his own. Backes is signed through 2020-21. The Bruins also retained 25 percent of his $6-million annual average value. 

At first glance, this seems to be an overpayment on the Bruins’ part. Kase, 24, is a talented right winger, having scored 20 goals in 2017-18. However, he’s been hampered by frequent injuries during his four-year NHL career, at times sidelining him for lengthy periods.

However, it was necessary to shed the bulk of Backes’ salary. The 35-year-old winger’s performance has steadily eroded over the past four years as age and the wear-and-tear of his physical style caught up with him. His contract had become burdensome for the Bruins. 

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was in the market for a top-six winger for David Krejci’s line. He was reportedly interested in New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider or New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri. Those clubs, however, probably weren’t keen to take on Backes as part of the deal. Kase could fill that second-line winger role, though some think Sweeney might not be done dealing.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray was willing to use his salary-cap space to take an expensive veteran off the hands of a contender, provided they also included one or two other assets in return. While it remains to be seen if Backes has a role with the Ducks over the remainder of his contract, acquiring a first-round pick and a quality defensive prospect provides invaluable pieces to put toward rebuilding their roster.