Kraken to look for Center and D upgrade, Bolts searching for bottom six forward, Leaf’s to look at D next, plus more rumours, waivers and injury updates.

Here is my latest blog post as today I give my opinion on some recent Waiver news and injury updates, and I also discuss a few recent trade rumours involving the Bolts, Maple Leafs, Kraken, Hurricanes and Ducks. 

Carolina looking at some options to improve their middle six before the deadline. 

On his 32 thoughts blog, Elliotte Friedman said that the Carolina Hurricanes are currently looking to add to their forward group and said they are in on a few players and said there is one prospect who could be available in Carolina. 

Now we know the Hurricanes are looking for some forward help as they lost Pacioretty due to season ending injury and he was supposed to help the offense get into another gear, so there has been a lot of talk since that injury that the Canes would go hard after someone who can play on the teams 2nd line. Now Friedman said that the Canes philosophy is to not over pay for rentals, but with lots of cap space now, they could acquire Meier and sign him to his qualifying offer and see where it goes or if they don’t get Meier then they could look at a cheaper rental. 

He also said that they have monitored the Kane situation and he did link them to Craig Smith from Boston, but he has since been dealt to the Capitals so that is a no go for Carolina, and he also said that prospect Jack Drury has been discussed in trade talks. 

Now in my opinion I feel that this does make sense as the Canes definitely could use another scoring forward in their lineup, now I think them having interest in Meier and Kane is not too surprising given they really want a forward upgrade, but I don’t think they have the assets to give San Jose what they want, while I am not too sure that Kane would waive his NMC to go to Carolina, so as much as they probably want to get one of these players, I just don’t find it too likely that they will be the team to acquire them. Now I also wouldn’t be too surprised if they looked for someone with term and possibly at the Center position, as I think they could have a few options there, and I for one wouldn’t be too surprised if they were interested in acquiring one of Hayes in Philly, Pageau in NYI, or Schmaltz in Arizona, as all 3 are on longer term deals and have been mentioned in trade rumours recently and while there is no guarantee that any of these 3 are moved, I do strongly think Carolina would have interest in them as the 2C position has been a shaky one for the Canes this year. 

So could they get Meier or Kane, I think it is a possibility, but I also think it is possible they look at one of those 3 Center’s and they could one of those, and I could even see them add a lesser forward like Boeser, Domi, Athanasiou, Barbashev or Labanc, but i think one thing is for sure, the Canes are going to acquire a forward before the deadline, and I think Drury being discussed is not surprising as the Canes don’t have too deep of a prospect pool and Drury could be a good 2nd or 3rd line Center in the future, so if Drury is part of a package to upgrade the team right now I wouldn’t be surprised, so look out for a Hurricanes forward deal as they try to improve the offense before the deadline. 

 

Add Comtois, Henrique and Stolarz to the possible players the Ducks could move before the deadline. 

Also on his blog, Friedman said that the Ducks may still want to move on from Comtois and he could be dealt prior to the deadline, Henrique is a name that some teams have checked in on and that with the Ducks wanting to give Dostal a look before the season ends, they could be open to moving pending UFA Anthony Stolarz to make that happen as Stolarz could be a good depth option for some teams. 

Now for Comtois, Friedman said that a year ago it looked like the Ducks were going to move Comtois but didn’t, and know they are probably going to trade him as it hasn’t worked this year as well, then he said that Dostal, the Ducks goalie of the future seems primed for more starts and the team would like to give him a shot for the rest of this year, and he said Stolarz is the more obvious one, but also said that the Ducks and Gibson may want to find Gibson a new home, and he also said that teams are calling on Henrique and like what he brings, but most teams can’t take on his contract and he isn’t sure if the Ducks would be willing to retain salary. 

Now for Comtois I don’t think this comes as much surprise, as after the shortened season where he put up a pretty good point total, leading the Ducks with 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games, he only had 16 points in 52 games last year and was often healthy scratched, this year he has done even worse, only having 10 points in 45 games, and I think a change of scenery would do him good, not sure what the return would be for a guy like him, but I think there is a high likelihood that Comtois does wind up getting moved prior to the deadline. 

And for Henrique I think it is the same sort of thing. Now Henrique has actually played good this year, not to the point he was producing last year, but still he has done pretty well this year putting up 33 points in 57 games, and I think in the right scenario he could be a good 2nd or 3rd line Center for a team and I think with the dwindling Center market before the deadline, teams like maybe Colorado or Carolina would Mohave interest, but Henrique has a modified no trade clause and this year plus next at a $5.83 Million dollar cap hit, so it won’t be a easy trade to make, and near impossible if Anaheim doesn’t retain salary, but I definitely think there will be interest in the middle six forward leading into the deadline. 

And lastly with the Goaltenders, first with Stolarz as I don’t think he will be back after this year and is in the final year of his contract at only $.950 Thousand dollar cap hit, so for a team looking for some goalie insurance, I think Stolarz could be that guy and he has done fantastic in the backup role to Gibson so I would definitely think there would be some team interested, meanwhile although I could see a team having interest in Gibson and I think being traded by Anaheim to another team may help Gibson, I just don’t think it will happen before the deadline, as there was talk about a Gibson move last year to but nothing came to fruition, so while I would expect team to have interest in Gibson just like Demko and Vejmelka, I personally think that if Gibson were to be moved, it would be at some point in the offseason, but I guess one never knows. So definitely keep your eyes on Anaheim as it seems like they could move a lot more then just a few defensemen in the finally year of their contracts. 

Toronto is going to start looking at D-Men after addressing the forward group. 

As for the Maple Leafs, when Friedman talked about them, he said that they already made their move up front and that they aren’t going to acquire a goalie even though Murray is out right now, and that the Leafs could look to adding a defensemen before the deadline and linked a couple of names to the Leafs. 

Now we know the Leafs have just made a substantial move, acquiring O’Reilly and Acciari from St.Louis but it does sound like they may not be done yet. As in his blog, Friedman said that the Maple Leafs were able to acquire the two forwards without taking anything off of their roster, and that with Murray nearing a return to game action, the Maple Leafs will not be looking to acquire a goalie before the deadline so he said maybe the look at defence, as they don’t have much draft capital so he suggested looking for a D-Men that could be acquired for a later round pick or a current defensemen on the Leafs. Now he listed Mayfield, Gudas and Schenn as played he thought would make sense for Toronto but with Schenn’s price too high and Mayfield and Gudas on teams competing for a playoff spot, that none of those options really work right now.

Now I do think improving the blueline will be a big area for Toronto to fill before the deadline, and I personally think that, maybe a Kulikov in Anaheim, Jensen in Washington or Stecher in Arizona would make sense as all are valuably 3rd pair defensemen and I don’t think any of those players would bring in too much of a return so I think they could be affordable to the Leafs, but I definitely wouldn’t count them as the only options as I think the Leafs could get creative in trying to add to their roster, and I also think that if they were to acquire a 3rd pair forward, they may move Justin Holl to offset the cap, as Holl is in the final year of his deal making $2 Million dollars and would probably work to offset the contract of bringing someone in, and I also wouldn’t be too shocked if they weee willing to move a B level prospect if it can get them a 3rd pair blueliner, now I don’t expect guys like Knies, Niemelä or Minten to be moved at all, but if the right deal comes maybe they would consider moving S.Der-Arguchintsev, D.Ovechnikov or W.Villeneuve, just May thoughts but I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the case for Toronto. So expect the Leafs to try and add on the blueline before the deadline and in my opinion don’t be too surprised if they move Holl or a B level prospect to make it happen. 

Seattle to look to acquire a Center before the deadline, and could move Soucy as long as they can find an upgrade elsewhere.

Now on Elliotte Friedman’s 32 thoughts blog, when looking at the Kraken he said that he thinks the Kraken will look to add a Center before the deadline and could look to move Carson Soucy as they would rather trade him then lose him for nothing in free agency but it sounds like they would want a replacement in place before they wind up moving the good defender. 

Now first Friedman on his blog said that Kraken GM Ron Francis doesn’t usually make player for player deals, that the Kraken continue to look for a Center as they are 30th in the league in the faceoff dot, and linked Nico Sturm in SJ, Lars Eller in Washington and Max Domi in Chicago to them, and also said that the Kraken are more willing to trade defender Carson Soucy then risk letting him walk as a free agent in the offseason, but Friedman said he can’t imagine them wanting some kind of a replacement if they were to trade Soucy, as they are in a playoff spot and probably don’t want to subtract from their team. 

Now to start with with I do think I could see them go after a middle man who is really good in the faceoff dot, and I do believe they should get a pending UFA as long term they have Wright and Beniers down the middle and they also have guys like Wennberg and Gourde who can play the Center role, so unless the guy they would acquire would fit as a 3C for the next few years, I don’t think they would grave a guy with term, so I am not sure about Sturm, but I could see them have real interest in a guy like Max Domi or Lars Eller as Eller is a great faceoff man and would be perfect for the Kraken’s 3rd line, while Domi could fit in quite well as a 2C and also help offensively, and I could see guys like, Barbashev, Bjugstad, Henrique, Monahan and Lafferty also intrigue Seattle, so I for one wouldn’t be too surprised if the Kraken wound up getting a Center before the deadline, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the final year of his deal.

And speaking of being in the final year of a deal, it sounds like the Kraken would love to keep Soucy, as he has fit in really well since being taken in the expansion draft, but his better play as of late hasn’t gone unnoticed, as dating back to last season, teams had interest in acquiring Soucy but the Kraken held on to him, but with Soucy in the final year of his contract and teams looking for good 3rd pair defensemen, there would definitely be a market for him and if Seattle doesn’t want to lose him for nothing then I think Seattle should probably trade him, but they don’t want to subtract from their roster given they are a playoff team, so maybe the use the assets they get from a Soucy trade to get a defensive upgrade, as I think that would be a very likely possibility and two players I could see Seattle have interest would be Klingberg, who they have been linked to over the past year, and Gavrikov who was supposed to be dealt to Boston before the deal fell through, so maybe the Kraken could get one of those guys, and Seattle also has the Maple Leafs and Jets 2nd round picks for this year they could use as trade bait. So I think while they don’t want to move Soucy, they might have to and if they do I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned around and got a defensive upgrade. So keep an eye on Seattle as they could not only be looking for a forward who is good in the faceoff dot, but also possibly a defensive upgrade, especially if they move on from Soucy. 

Tampa to look for a bottom six forward, could Cal Foote be used as trade bait. 

Now on the 32 thoughts blog, Friedman said that with the lack of draft picks and not a very big prospect pool to work with, that the Bolts may try to acquire a bottom six forward instead of going after a big fish, and I have been wondering could they dangle young defensemen Cal Foote as trade bait to acquire that bottom six forward. 

Now it was a shorter analysis Friedman did on the Bolts, but basically he said that the Lightning have very little draft capital right now, and also don’t have a very deep prospect pool, and that the Bolts don’t trade away players in season who they feel can help them win the Cup, so due to all of these things, they may go after a bottom six forward instead, and he said some teams think that they are in on Barbashev, but due to the asking price they will probably get outbid, and he also linked them to Hathaway and Lafferty.

Now I think this is probably the path the Lightning will go down this year, as they do have only a little bit of draft capital for the next couple of seasons and besides a couple good prospects who I don’t think they are too keen on moving, they don’t have that many good prospects, so I think getting a bottom six forward who fits the team I think would be a smart move by Tampa. Now I think Barbashev would be the perfect guy for them, sort of the same type of player as Blake Coleman a couple years ago, but we know the Blues want a 2RD pick and decent prospect for him and the Bolts don’t have that kind of assets, so I think it would be very difficult to get Barbashev. Now Hathaway was traded to Boston so Tampa won’t be getting him, but I also think Lafferty could be a good addition to the Lightning origination, and I could also see a guy like Nick Ritchie, Nick Bonino or Tanner Jeannot be good fits with the Lightning and if the price is right, I think they would have interest in all of these forwards, and with recent reports saying that the Lightning may be considering giving Cal Foote a opportunity elsewhere, I do wonder if he could be included in a trade package to bring them that forward, as Foote is a good 3rd pair defensemen but has been scratched often this year and if it helps them get a good player for the playoff run this year, I think they would do it. So watch out for the Bolts to be looking at a couple of bottom six forwards as they try to find their next Coleman and Goodrow with the little draft and prospect capital they have left.

Here is the Injuries from FEB 8th to FEB  12th. 

Buffalo

Tage Thompson: has returned to game action after missing a game due to a UBI.

Florida 

Aleksander Barkov: has returned to game action after missing a game with a hand injury. 

Carolina 

Jaccob Slavin: returned to game action after missing a few weeks with a LBI. 

Columbus

Nick Blankenburg: has returned to game action after missing some time with a wrist injury.

Adam Boqvist: has returned to game action after missing about two weeks with a UBI. 

Calgary 

Rasmus Andersson: has returned to game action after missing a few games due to a undisclosed injury. 

Edmonton 

Warren Foegele: has returned to game action after he suffered a undisclosed injury. 

Klim Kostin: returned to game action after missing a game due to a undisclosed injury. 

Seattle  

Justin Schultz: has returned to game action after missing a couple weeks with a undisclosed injury. 

Andre Burakovsky: has had his Lower Body Injury updated, as he is now out week to week with the injury. 

Vancouver 

Luke Schenn: had returned to game action after missing one game due to a UBI. 

Vegas   

Logan Thompson: has suffered a LBI and is out week to week and will probably be out until early-mid March. 

Arizona

Liam O’Brien: after suffering a UBI and missing a couple of games, O’Brien has returned to game action after recovering from the injury. 

Dallas 

Joel Kiviranta: has suffered a Lower Body Injury and is going to be out for a unknown period of time. 

Nashville 

Filip Forsberg: has suffered a UBI and is out day to day right now with the injury. 

St.Louis 

Robert Thomas: returned to game action after missing a couple of weeks due to a LBI. 

Here is what has happened with the waiver wire from FEB 4th to FEB 11th.

Players who Cleared Waivers

Detroit

Adam Erne LW,RW (1 year left $2.1 Million dollars)

New York R 

Libor Hajek LD (1 year left $.800 Thousand dollars)

Philadelphia

Kieffer Bellows LW,RW (1 year left $1.2 Million dollars)

Players who cleared unconditional waivers 

Philadelphia

Linus Hogberg  LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)

Analysis: so there was some pretty decent names on the waiver wire over this period and there was definitely some guys who I thought would’ve been claimed, but all 4 players who were on waivers wound up clearing which surprised me a bit. Now to start with there was one player who wound up being placed on unconditional waivers to have the contract terminated and that was Linus Hogberg with the Philadelphia Flyers. Now Hogberg was a 5th round pick by the Flyers in 2016 and seemed like he may wind up being a NHL defensemen at some point in his career. But he spent the next 4 seasons after his draft year playing with Vaxjo in the SHL before signing his ELC and turning Pro and he did have some pretty good seasons in the SHL for a defensemen, but never really did well in the AHL as he put up 8 points in 26 games a couple years ago ne last year he played in a ton of AHL action, getting into 58 games and putting up 8 assists and also got his first taste of NHL action, getting 2 assists in 5 games but this year he only got into 19 AHL games and had 1 goal and 4 points and with Hogberg not seeing much of a path to be a regular NHL player, both him and the Flyers agreed to a mutual contract termination and he was placed on unconditional waivers, now you don’t usually see anyone get claimed off of unconditional waivers and given the limited NHL action for Hogberg, I don’t see it as much of a surprise that he cleared, so hopefully the contract termination helps Hogberg and he can get a better opportunity overseas (he has since signed back in the SHL and put up no points in 2 games. 

And next we go over to the three players who cleared waivers over this period of time, and I will start with Kieffer Bellows. Now Bellows had been in the Islanders organization for a while, as Bellows was a 1RD pick back in 2016, and he did quite well in Juinors and in college, and ever since turning Pro he has been a pretty good AHL player, not being overly productive but definitely playing well but that definitely hasn’t translated to the NHL. In the 2019-20 season he got his first taste of NHL action and looked good, getting 2 goals and 3 points in 8 games, and was able to get into 14 games in the shortened season, but was only able to muster 3 goals in those games, then last year they kept him on the roster and gave him a long look, as he got into 45 games and put up a career high 6 goals and 19 points and came into this season with the opportunity to take steps in the right direction, but only got 1 game with the Islanders and didn’t get any points before going on waivers and being claimed by Philly. Now this is the 2nd time with Philly he was placed on waivers and although the Islanders had the opportunity to get him back, they didn’t, so given how much he has been placed on waivers, I don’t think it is too surprising that he wound up clearing waivers again this time, he currently has 1 goal in 17 NHL games and 3 goals and 10 points in 12 AHL games for Philadelphia, so with him clearing again would expect him to continue to be a fringe NHL player for the Flyers and hopefully get a call up opportunity at some point. Next with Adam Erne who I thought for sure was going to be claimed by some team but wound up clearing waivers for Detroit. Now Erne is a very good bottom six forward who can help on the penalty kill, Erne started his career with Tampa and after playing parts of two seasons with the Bolts, he really broke out in year 3, getting 7 goals and 20 points in 65 games, and after that season, he was shipped of to Detroit where he had a rough first season, only getting 5 points in 56 games, but turned it around in the shortened season, getting a new career high of 11 goals and tying his career high of 20 points in 45 games, and also had a pretty good season last year for a 4th liner, getting 6 goals and 19 points in 79 games and before being waived this season he also did quite well, as he was a healthy scratch a few times but had gotten into 43 games and put up 6 goals and 14 points before he was placed on waivers. Now I thought for sure there would be a team out there who was going to claim him as he is a really good 4th line forward who can get 20-25 points in a year, and even though he is in the final year of his deal, I think his $2.1 Million dollar cap hit is what persuaded other teams as that is a pretty high cap hit for a 4th line forward and with most teams cap strapped right now, I think that is the biggest reason he didn’t get claimed. So now he will go to the Wings affiliates in the AHL and try to play well there while waiting to be called up to NHL action again. And lastly here with Libor Hajek who was placed on waivers just after the Tarasenko deal and surprisingly he wound up clearing waivers. No Hajek was drafted by the Lightning in the 2016 draft and was the main prospects sent to the Rangers in the J.T Miller trade and when he was traded he was having a fantastic junior season, ut after that season he turned pro and for the past 5 seasons (including this year) he has split time between the NHL and AHL. Now in the first three years he got into 81 AHL games and put up 1 goal and 8 points and with the Rangers he got into 77 NHL games and put up 3 goals and 10 points and did all right. Now last year he stayed with the NHL club for basically the whole season, except for a 5 game stint in the AHL where he had 2 assists, and was only able to get into 17 games last year and put up 1 assist with the Rangers, and this year he has remained on the NHL roster, but after being passed by Harpur and Jones on the depth chart, he didn’t get into may games, only playing in 16 games and getting a goal. So after they acquired Mikkola, they decided that placing him on waivers was the best idea and he wound up clearing. Now I did think there might have been some teams in need of a cheap bottom pairing D-Men who could have taken Hajek, but given his lack of NHL production, I can’t say it is too surprising he cleared. So now he goes back to the AHL where he should get more playing time and try to earn himself a call up to the NHL team at some point if he can show he can play well.