Sens to go after Center and D, Monahan could still be moved by Montreal, JVR and Boeser drawing interest, plus waiver, injury and trade updates from the NHL.

 Here is my latest blog post as today I give my opinion on some recent Waiver news and injury updates, two small trades and a signing that happen, and I also discuss a few recent trade rumours involving the Flyers, Canucks, Canadiens and Senators. 

Eric Hartline USA Today Sports 

Teams turning to JVR and Boeser as backup options after Meier gets dealt. 

We saw the Meier sweepstakes come to a close on Sunday as the Devils were able to pick up the good power forward, but with Meier off the market, it seems like the focus is now shifting to JVR in Philly and Boeser in Vancouver, as teams who are still looking for a forward to add to their team before the deadline seem to be looking at one of these two. 

Now Meier was moved over the weekend to the Devils over the weekend as many people expected, and with not too many big names out there anymore leading up to the trade deadline, teams seem to be turning their attention on Brock Boeser and James Van Reimsdyk. 

Now for Boeser, he isn’t a rental, but he is a good top six forward. He hasn’t played all too well this season, he currently has 11 goals and 38 points in 52 games, after having 23 goals and 46 points in 71 games last year for Vancouver. Now if the Canucks were to retain a little bit of cap on Boeser, say between $1-1.5 Million, then I have a good feeling there would definitely be some interest in Boeser as he is a good young winger who can score really well, I just think that this year has not gone well for him and a change of scenery could help Boeser re-find his scoring stride from his rookie season. Now I think that the Penguins, Wild and Flames are amongst the teams who have interest in Vancouver’s forward, but I don’t think their the only teams as I could see a few others have interest as well, and I don’t think it will take a huge price to get him out of Vancouver, maybe a 2nd round pick and a prospect in my opinion would do it for Vancouver, so keep an eye out for Boeser as he is probably a top name to watch out for going into the home stretch of the deadline. 

And then with JVR in Philly, the Flyers are looking to at least sell off players who are in the final year of their contracts before the deadline, and JVR is definitely the name that is getting the most interest. Now Van Reimsdyk suffered a injury that kept him out for a month and a half in the middle of the season, and he has done well when playing this season, as he has gotten into 40 games and has put up 9 goals and 23 points after having 24 goals and 38 points in a full 82 game season last year. Now we know that while the Flyers were not interested in taking salary on JVR in the offseason, they are now willing to do so and would be willing to retain up to 50% of his contract (or $3.5 Million) to make a deal work and I think JVR at a $3.5 Million dollar cap hit would draw a lot of interest. It sounds like the Wild, Jets and Golden Knights all have interest in JVR, but I would expect some other teams to also have interest in JVR, and I think it also wouldn’t take a huge package to get JVR from Philly, as my guess would be a 2nd or 3rd round pick and a prospect would be the return on JVR, and I would expect a deal to come before the deadline especially since he is a pending UFA and he would draw a lot of interest given he doesn’t have any term.

So keep an eye open for these two players as it sounds like interest is picking up on them and they could be dealt in the very near future. 

David Kirouac USA Today Sports 

Monahan injury to determine his trade status going into the deadline

Now Monahan has been speculated to be on the trade block by the Canadiens, but he is currently injured and has been for a while, and there might be some clarity on his injury at some point this week and that could lead to a decision in if he will be moved or not. 

Now Monahan is a pending UFA and was mentioned in trade rumours with other pending UFA’s such as Dadonov and Drouin earlier in the season when he kicked off his Montreal career with a bang and had a great start to the season, but has spent the past 2 and a half months on IR due to a injury that has limited him to only 25 games of NHL action this season, but he does have 6 goals and 17 points in those games which is much better then last year with Calgary when he had 8 goals and 23 points in 65 games, so given he did well in a 2nd/3rd line Center role, I think there would be a ton of teams interested, especially like a Colorado and Carolina who are currently looking for 2nd line Center’s, but this injury is holding up a trade. Now if it sounds like Monahan could return in the next week or two , he may actually get moved by the Canadiens, but I’d this is more of a longer term injury for Monahan then it sounds like he will just stay with the Canadiens past the deadline, and we are supposed to get some clarity on the Monahan injury at some point this week, and that should determine if he is available at the deadline or not. 

So watch out for Monahan as if he is nearing a return to game action around the deadline, then he could be in play and a team who could use a 2nd or 3rd line Center could go out and get him. 

Sens to go after Center and Defensemen with newfound cap space after Zaitsev deal. 

Ottawa was able to clear some cap space by moving Zaitsev to the Blackhawks, and now with their newfound cap space they seem to be wanting to go after a defensemen and a Center before the deadline. 

Now the Senators we know are looking at a lot of defensemen, and have been since the offseason, and it seems that with this newfound cap space they could finally go after that defender. Now some names have started to come off the market like Jensen, Orlov, Walman, Ekholm, Schenn, and Gustafsson, so if the Senators ate going to acquire a defender then it seems like they may need to do it quickly, and I think a couple of names to watch out for would be Chychrun although I think the price is too high for Ottawa right now and if the Coyotes don’t lower the asking price they are not going to do it, maybe a lower end defensemen like Walker, TVR, POJ, Fabbro, Gostisbehere or Shattenkirk, or maybe even a player signed to a long term deal who they have been linked to recently like Parayko or Weegar, so definitely expect the Sens to be looking for a top 4 defensemen before the deadline. 

As for the Center position, long term they are good with guys like Pinto, Stutzle and Norris down the middle for Ottawa, but with Norris out and Ottawa in the thick of a playoff race, they could actually go out and acquire a Center. Now I would expect the Center to be on a short term deal and possibly on a expiring contract, but it is quite possible they go and look at a bit longer term Center, in my eyes a guy like Monahan, Domi, Eller, or possibly Bonino come to mind as good short term options in the Center position to help for the rest of this year with Norris out, so in my opinion they don’t need a Center as much as they could use a defensemen, but I still think upgrading the Center position before the deadline might be a smart move for the Sens, and we should really watch Ottawa over the next few days as they could try and get both a Center and defensemen before the deadline comes. 

Two smaller deals that I will discuss here. 

Now with trade season in full swing we have a lot of trades, now I have given my opinion on some of the bigger deals on my YouTube channel, the End To End Hockey Channel, but I haven’t yet touched on some of the smaller  deals, so I will give my opinion on two small trades that have happened recently, one between Chicago and Anaheim, and another between Boston and Colorado. 

   Chicago                    Anaheim 

Hunter Drew            Josiah Slavin

Analysis: this is a small, minor deal for these two teams as the Ducks get a possible 4th line Center, and the Blackhawks get a little deeper at the defence position. 

Now for Slavin, he was a 2018 7th round pick, and after a couple of good seasons in college, he turned pro in the shortened season, and got into some AHL action putting up 3 goals and 7 points in 15 games, then he played his first full season in the AHL last season, getting 18 goals and 32 points in 49 games, and even got a taste of NHL action, getting into 15 games last year and putting up a assist. Now this year he has had a rough season, getting into 51 AHL games and only putting up 11 points, so I think the change of scenery will do him good, I think Slavin can be a good goal scorer and it wouldn’t surprise me if in time he could be a full time NHL’er, and be a good 4th line Center, so hopefully the change of scenery does him good and he can get back to playing the way he was last year, as I think he would make a great 4th line forward.

As for Drew, he was picked a round before Slavin in the 2018 draft, taken in the 6th round, and he has also mostly been a AHL player up to this point. He played in the QMJHL up until the 18-19 season when he turned pro, then in his first two AHL seasons he put up 8 goals and 19 points in 62 games and looked like he may have some NHL potential, now last year he got his first taste of NHL action, as he got into 2 games and didn’t register a point, but he had a fantastic AHL season putting up 17 goals and 38 points in 64 games as a defensemen and looked like he could build off of last years string play. But that never wound up happening as he only had 11 points in 44 games this year and wasn’t producing as well as he was last year. So I still think that Drew could eventually be a NHL defensemen, he has to get his game back on track, but I think with a fresh start in Chicago, he should be able to find his good play from last year and maybe in a couple of years time he could be a decent 3rd pair defensemen for the Hawks.

So a good deal for both sides, as both players were taken in the late round of the 2018 draft, both had killer AHL seasons last year and got their first taste of NHL hockey, but both have regressed this year and I think fresh starts could help both of them as neither have done well this year, and I think both could have NHL futures I’d they can play like they did last year, so the Ducks strength their Center depth with Slavin, and the Hawks add to their defensive group with Drew, and I believe the change of scenery will help both players, so I like this deal from both sides, and I think this trade is a win for both sides. 

     Boston                           Colorado 

Shane Bowers                Keith Kinkaid

Analysis: and finally with this trade here, as the Bruins get a former first round draft pick who hasn’t even been able to get to the NHL level, and in exchange, the Avalanche get some more depth in Net with veteran third stringer Keith Kinkaid. 

Now we will start with what the Bruins are getting in Bowers. Now Bowers was a 2017 1RD draft selection by the Ottawa Senators, and a little while after the Senators drafted him, he was shipped off, dealt to the Avalanche as part of the Matt Duchene deal, he was one of the good prospects in that deal and seemed to have a bright future playing in college, but after he turned pro 4 years ago he hasn’t had the same level of production. Bowers turned pro in 18-19 and got into 4 AHL games at the end of the year, not getting a point, but would have a outstanding AHL year the following season, putting up 27 points in 48 games, but then would only have 9 points in 28 games in the shortened season, and 9 points in 37 games last year. Now this year he has done better as he got into his first NHL game of his career, not putting up a point and getting injured in the process, but has had a pretty good AHL season this year, getting into 37 AHL games and putting up 14 points. Now I think that Bowers still has NHL potential as maybe a bottom six forward, and I think that this will be a good depth addition for Boston, and I think in a year or two, Bowers will be able to compete for a consistent bottom six role in Boston, so a very good pickup for them getting a okay young prospect. 

As for Colorado, they get some more help in Net with some goalie insurance, as they get Bruins 3rd stringer Keith Kinkaid. Now Kinkaid was a really good backup goalie for the Devils between the 14-15 and 18-19 season, but since then he has been more of a third stringer, he has gotten some NHL action over the past three seasons with Montreal and NYR, but has mostly been a AHL goalie, and he has played quite well at the NHL level, as he even had a 2.94 GAA and a .904 SV% in 37 games in the AHL with Hartford last year. Now in the offseason he signed a 1 year league minimum deal with the Bruins, and was brought in as their 3rd string goalie, he did get into 1 game of NHL action, having a 1.00 GAA and a .968 SV%, and has done pretty good in the AHL as well, getting into 20 NHL games and putting up a 3.10 GAA and a .909 SV% for Boston’s AHL affiliate, and now he goes to Colorado where he might have a path to the NHL. Now he will probably still be a 3rd stringer, but one of their goalies in Pavel Francouz is injured right now, and their other goalies in Johansson or Annunen are not the best of backups, so I feel Kinkaid can probably step in as the 3rd stringer in Colorado and it would not shock me at all if the Avs were to call him up at some point of over the next few weeks as Francouz is still out, and I believe he is a major improvement as the Avs 3rd stringer.

So this is a good move for both sides as the Avs have had Francouz dealing with a couple of injuries this year, and if Georgiev were to go down, that would leave Johansson as their starter, which is not something I think they would be too thrilled about, so they get some depth at the position with Kinkaid to help them in the case of another  injury, as for Boston, they have enough goalies to make do without Kinkaid, and they give Bowers a fresh start which is something I think he needs, and while the Bruins do have a deep forward group, I think if he can play well in the AHL for the next year or 2, eventually I could see him be a big part of the Bruins bottom six. So Avs gets some depth in Net, Bruins get a young prospect who needed a fresh start and I like this deal for both teams, and I think both teams may make more deals before the deadline. 

Here is the Injuries from FEB 13th to FEB  18th. 

Boston 

Jake DeBrusk: was activated off of LTIR and has recovered from his hand injury and has returned to game action. 

Detroit 

Jake Walman: recovered from his UBI after missing a few games and has returned to game action. 

Florida 

Sam Bennett: has suffered a LBI and is currently day to day with the injury.

Montreal 

Justin Barron: suffered an undisclosed injury but was only out for one day and has since returned to game action. 

Tampa Bay 

Nick Paul: returned to game action after missing a couple games due to a UBI. 

Erik Cernak: suffered a UBI and was day to day but has now returned to game action since the injury. 

Columbus

Johnny Gaudreau: suffered a LBI and missed a couple games due to the injury but has since returned to game action for Columbus. 

New Jersey

Brendan Smith: returned to game action after missing about a week due to an undisclosed injury.

Jack Hughes: returned to game action after missing a week’s worth of action due to a UBI. 

Pittsburgh 

Ryan Poehling: has suffered an Upper Body Injury and is currently listed as day to day. 

Mark Friedman: has suffered an Upper Body Injury and is currently listed as day to day. 

Washington 

Marcus Johansson: suffered a undisclosed injury but only missed one game due to it and has since returned to game action. 

Colorado 

Josh Manson: was activated off of IR and returned to game action after missing just over two months of game time due to a a LBI. 

Dallas 

Luke Glendening: has suffered an undisclosed injury for the Stars and is currently listed as day to day. 

St.Louis 

Brandon Saad: suffered a UBI and was out on IR for about a week but has been cleared to play and should return to game action in the next Game or two. 

Here is what has happened with the waiver wire from FEB 11th to FEB 21st.

Players who Cleared Waivers

Colorado 

Brad Hunt LD/RD (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)

Edmonton

Devin Shore C,LW,RW (1 year left $.850 Thousand dollars)

Vancouver 

Spencer Martin G (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)

Winnipeg 

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)

Toronto 

Wayne Simmonds RW,LW (1 year left $.900 Thousand dollars) 

Nashville 

Mark Jankowski C,LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars) 

Analysis: here is another handful of players who were placed on waivers and there was definitely some good names on this list so I am a bit surprised that everyone cleared. 

Now the first guy is Wayne Simmonds and he was one of the names I didn’t see getting claimed on the waiver wire. Now Simmonds has been a very valuable bottom six forward for the Maple Leafs over the past couple of seasons, but this year he has sort of been on and off the roster. Now in the two years prior to this one when Simmonds was a Leaf, he played in a majority of their games and was a consistent 4th line forward for Toronto, having 9 points in 38 games in the shortened season and 16 points last year in 72 games, but this year he has been placed on waivers multiple times and had cleared multiple times before this one, as he has been a 14th/15th forward this year and when injuries have popped up he has been ready to go and does have 1 assist this year in 13 games for Toronto, and even though he has been sent to the minors he hasn’t actually played in any AHL games, as it seems like it is always a paper transaction, so I don’t find it too surprising he cleared due to the fact he probably wants to remain with the Leafs as a depth forward and he hasn’t produced much this year, so as much as Simmonds probably would’ve been a welcome addition to a teams bottom six, at least in my eyes I don’t find it too surprising he cleared, and for now he is off the roster and will have to await his return to the NHL as with the Leafs getting a couple bottom six forwards, he may have to wait a bit.

Next with Brad Hunt, who I tho that might be claimed off of waivers given how good of a 3rd pair defensemen he is. Ow over the past few seasons while playing on the Golden Knights, Wild and Canucks, Hunt has developed into a very useful depth defensemen, as he doesn’t usually get into more then 3/4 of a season, but has put up double digit point totals on occasions at the NHL level and has showed that he can be relied upon to be a good 3rd pair defensemen if a team runs into injuries. Now the couple seasons before the shortened one, Hunt did well in his first few full seasons, putting up at least double digits in three consecutive seasons with the Wild and Knights, but then only got into 12 NHL games in the shortened season and only had a assist, so he signed with Vancouver in free agency and put up 17 points in 50 games last year and earned himself another contract, this year with the Avs as he has spilt time between the NHL and AHL, putting up 21 points in 24 AHL games and was called up on multiple occasions and has 6 points in 31 games with Colorado, and while he is still a 8th defender for Colorado, they are still dealing with injuries so even after he cleared waivers he is back up with the team, so I am a bit surprised he didn’t get claimed as he has shown he is a good 3rd pair D-Men, but apparently no one else wanted him so he wound up clearing waivers, and I expect him to still spilt time between the NHL and AHL, but as long as Colorado remains injured, I expect him to remain with the Avs in the NHL. 

Next with Axel Jonsson Fjallby as he was another player who I thought could be claimed off of waivers by a team who needs a bottom six forward. Now Fjallby has developed into a decent 4th line forward over the past couple of years, as Fjallby who was a 5th round pick in 2016 of the Capitals got his first taste of NHL action last year, as he played outstanding in the AHL, getting 16 goals and 34 points in 44 games and earned a call up to the NHL, where he had 2 goals and 4 points in 23 games, but after some offseason moves, Washington tried to sneak him down on waivers, but he was claimed by the Jets, and since clearing waivers he has gotten into a couple AHL games, putting up 4 points in 4 games, but has played a majority of the season with Winnipeg, putting up 4 goals and 11 points in 47 games. So I am a bit surprised that he cleared waivers as he is a good and young 4th line forward, and for a team who could’ve used another healthy body, I am surprised he didn’t go and get claimed, but for the time being he will play in the minors, and should play well again as he waits a call up opportunity and his next chance at the NHL roster. 

Next we have a goalie who I thought for sure was going to get claimed, and that is Spencer Martin in Vancouver. Now Martin, prior to last year only had 3 games of NHL experience, back in 2016-17 with Avalanche, and since that short stint there, he had bounced around in the AHL until he was moved to Vancouver before last season. Now Martin played a majority of last year in the minors, getting into 25 games and putting up, a 2.43 GAA and a .914 SV% and earned himself a late season call up option, which he capitalized on, playing in 6 games and having a 1.74 GAA and a .950 SV% and he looked like he could be the backup for the Canucks this year, and was able to earn the backup role for Vancouver this year and started out well, but before being placed on waivers, had a horrible stretch of games, as he lost something like 10 in a row and with Demko nearing a return and and Delia earring the backup spot, he was the one who was placed on waivers. Now there are a few teams out there who I though could use a okay backup goalie like Martin, but I think his horrible stretch of play combined with being signed for next year too, led him to clear waivers, and now he will go to the minors and try and play better to possibly get the starting role back from Delia and find his late season form from last year. 

And then we have Devin Shore, who was placed on waivers due to the Oilers tight cap situation. Now Shore has been with the Oilers for the past 3 seasons and has been a good depth piece on their team. A couple of years  ago in the shortened season he did very well, playing in 38 games and put up 5 goals and 9 points, but last year he was a healthy scratch often and only got into 49 games, although he did have 5 goals and 11 points last year, and then he has been a fringe NHL player for this season, as he was able to make the Oilers roster but with players getting back from injuries, he lost his spot and due to his contract he had to go one waivers. Now he has had a okay season this year, putting up 1 goal and 5 points in 33 games, and is a point per game in the minors now with 5 in 5, but given he is a good depth forward, I am surprised no one claimed him, as he does have a cheap contract and is in the final year of it. But he did in fact clear and since being placed on waivers, the Oilers have run into injury troubles and he has been called back up, so now that he has cleared, I expect him to split time between the NHL and AHL, especially depending on what the Oilers do before the deadline. 

And lastly here with Mark Jankowski as the Predators wanted some roster flexibility and they decided to do that by placing Jankowski on waivers. Now a couple of years ago he had his best seasons with the Flames, but ever since the 19-20 season his play ha shone down, as he spent 3 seasons before this one since his career high, playing with Calgary, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and in that time frame he had 11 goals and 23 points in 120 games over those 3 seasons with those 3 teams, and even got demoted to the AHL last year with Buffalo, getting 27 points in 32 games. Now he signed a short one year deal with the Predators in the offseason, and wasn’t able to make the team as he started in the AHL, but has gotten some NHL action due to injuries, as he has 4 goals and 7 points in 26 games played at the NHL level, and 5 goals and 10 points in 9 AHL games. Now I think he is a good depth forward and a really good player to have if injuries come up, but he isn’t the player he was a few seasons ago and he is more of a AHL forward now, so I am not too surprised he wasn’t claimed off of waivers, and hopefully he will do well in the AHL and get another shot at the NHL level before the season is over. 

Here is a list of all the NHL signings that have happened between Feb 9th and Feb 23rd. 

Central 

Right Winger David Gust has signed a 2 year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the deal is 2 way. Now for Gust, he has been bouncing around the AHL before finally getting his first NHL contract this year. As he finished up his college career in the 16-17 season as a undrafted player, so he would be able to earn a AHL contract with Bakersfield where he spent his first two seasons in the AHL, then would play a year in Chicago and then Charlotte for two more seasons, before joining the Hawks AHL affiliate this year and now signing his first ever NHL contract. Now Gust in the AHL started okay but has gotten better season after season and that has led to this year, when he had 50 points in 51 AHL games this year before signing his contract and getting his first taste of NHL action, as he has so far had his 1st career NHL goal in 3 games so far. Now I think he could still use one more season in the AHL but it wouldn’t surprise me if he continues to get a shot in the bottom six as I think he should do well in a bottom six role with Chicago and hopefully he capitalizes on the opportunity that he is getting right now, as the Hawks find a good bottom six forward who seems decent and signs him, and I think Gust will do good with the Hawks.