NHL trade deadline recap: Hurricanes steal top trade target from Oilers

NHL trade deadline recap: Hurricanes steal top trade target from Oilers

Hurricanes’ acquisition of Jake Guentzel headlines busy NHL trade deadline

By Ryan Mosher

CAROLINA (March 27, 2024) — The NHL’s trade deadline was action-packed with 62 players being traded in the last week before the deadline. The Carolina Hurricanes stole the show when they acquired both Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov in two separate trades.

Carolina traded Michael Bunting, prospects Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen and two conditional draft picks for Guentzel. Those two picks are first-round and fifth-round picks in the 2024 draft.

Unlike the Guentzel trade, Carolina did not give up much for Kuznetsov. The Hurricanes only sent a third-round pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 2018 Stanley Cup champion.

The Hurricanes were struggling offensively before the trade deadline, but their two acquisitions have already increased Carolina’s productivity.

Guentzel has 12 points in nine games and Kuznetsov has five points in 11 games since going to the ‘Canes’. Also, Carolina has scored 46 goals in the 11 games since acquiring the two players. Only the Dallas Stars have scored more goals than Carolina in that span, with 47 goals scored.

Another trade that has proven to be successful so far has been Anthony Duclair being shipped to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the San Jose Sharks. Duclair has nine points in eight games so far and the Lightning only had to get surrender a third-round pick in this year’s draft and prospect Jack Thompson.

Thompson had stalled this year while playing with the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League, and Duclair is a proven playoff performer. This trade will cement the Lightning as a dangerous playoff matchup for whoever they play.

The Vegas Golden Knights were able to bring in Tomas Hertl from the Sharks because of the excess cap space with Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve.

While Hertl has not played for the Golden Knights yet because of a lower body injury, he will give the Golden Knights the best center combination in the NHL. Hertl had 34 points in 48 games on a bad San Jose team.

The Boston Bruins opted to not make any major trades like their rivals, but they did possibly make the most ironic trade of the deadline.

They traded for Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. Maroon was a key piece in the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup Finals win against the Bruins in 2019.

Bruins’ play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards, who has been highly critical Maroon in the past, commented “he’ll never lose a fight now that he’s wearing the right sweater” in a message from the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter.

Kippen’s rise to the top

Kippen’s rise to the top

A champion in the making: Drew Kippen takes his shot at a state title

By Ryan Mosher

CICERO, N.Y. (March 10, 2024) — Cicero North-Syracuse High School’s sophomore star Drew Kippen is looking forward to the Boys golf state tournament run by New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA).

In his third season on the varsity golf team, Kippen finished his sophomore regular season with an average score of 36.7 strokes over 13 matches. Kippen’s average led his team by 1.9 strokes.

This season was an improvement from his first two seasons. His freshman year he averaged a score of 38.7, and his eighth-grade year he averaged a score of 39.7.

Kippen was able to fine-tune and improve his game. His 36.7 stroke average from the 2023 school season was a full two stroke improvement from the prior season.

“Short game and putting, I really worked a lot on that…that’s what improved the most for me.” Kippen said.

Preparations for the state tournament are more difficult in Central New York when compared to warmer areas. Golf courses close in October and the weather dictates when they are re-opened. The weather conditions for most of the spring are rain and snow. This leaves golfers in a tricky spot, as they have less time to properly prepare.

“No right now, it’s a little wet outside, but I do have a simulator in the house, so I’ve just been practicing some certain swing thoughts, trying to get ready for May.” Kippen said on his preparations for the state tournament.

When asked about his favorite golf course that isn’t his home course, Kippen said “I’d have to say Cortland Country Club (CCC), it’s nice and tight, but if you can hit the ball in the fairway, then you can score well.”

During his time on the CNY PGA Junior Tour in 2023, Kippen competed in the Boys 14-15 age group. The Cicero, N.Y native played his way to a third-place finish at CCC. Kippen shot a 76, which is four over par, to finish seven shots behind the winner.

Kippen also competed at CCC in 2022 and came out with the same result. He shot a 76 and finished in third, but this time he only finished four shots behind the winner.

Kippen was able to pick up three victories while playing in the Boys 14-15 age group. His first two victories came in the 2022 tour season, and his third victory came a year later.

Kippen’s lone victory in 2023 came at Lakeshore 1860 where he won while finishing with a score of 75, three shots over par.

The two victories during his 2022 campaign came at Highland Park and Sunset Ridge Golf Club. At Highland Park, Kippen shot an 84, 13 strokes over par. Kippen took advantage of a small field and a course with a high slope rating i.e., how much the elevation changes on the course.

At the Sunset Ridge Golf Club, Kippen shot an 82, 10 strokes over par. Even though he finished 10 strokes over par, Kippen won by a commanding eight strokes.

With his two victories and consistent play, Kippen was able to capture the 2022 Player of the Year for the Boys 14-15 age group.

Kippen has been playing golf ever since he could pick up a club. His parents helped drive him to become the golfer he is today.

“I don’t hear the end of it a lot, it’s a lot of trash talk, one of the biggest goals when I play is to beat them, as long as I can do that, I have a chance with anybody.” Kippen said about the competitiveness between him and his parents, Jennifer and Russ Kippen.

His mother played for one year at the College of Charleston on a Division Ⅰ scholarship.

While his father didn’t play at the collegiate level, Russ is better than a scratch golfer with a +2 handicap. He plays the majority of his golf at Rogues Roost in Chittenango, N.Y where he has been a member for the last several years.

Their family golf outings are always competitive, and Kippen believes that if he can beat them, then he believes he has a chance to beat anyone on the CNY PGA Junior Tour and in the NYSPHSAA.

“Short term I’m just trying to place good enough in States and shoot some good scores, long term I want to play college golf and eventually maybe try some pro golf, but if that doesn’t work out then I just want to teach people the game and grow it just a little bit.” Kippen said about his short and long-term goals in golf.

Whether it is on the course or in the pro shop, Drew Kippen is a name to look out for in the world of golf.

Vegas hits the jackpot with trade for Noah Hanifin

Vegas hits the jackpot with trade for Noah Hanifin

The Golden Knights once again use long-term injured reserve to pounce on a top trade target

By Ryan Mosher

LAS VEGAS (March 7, 2024) — The Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames late Wednesday night. Hanifin was the top target on the market for this year’s trade deadline.

The Flames received defenseman Daniil Miromanov, a conditional 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Hanifin.

The Flames also retained 50% of Hanifin’s salary, which was imperative to the Golden Knights due to their tight cap situation. Vegas also acquired Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Many people around the NHL are frustrated with the defending Stanley Cup champions and the way they’re using loopholes in the salary cap to acquire top talent for their impending cup run. “How does Vegas keep getting away with this?” Brian Hayes said on a segment of SportsCenter on TSN.

This isn’t the first time the Golden Knights have done this. Prior to last year’s trade deadline, Mark Stone was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) following back surgery. This allowed Vegas to trade for Ivan Barbashev, Teddy Blueger and Jonathan Quick despite having very little cap room.

When a player is placed on LTIR their salary no longer counts against the team’s cap. Stone’s cap hit is at $9.5 million, so that left Vegas with plenty of room to add three key players in their cup run.

These moves are advantageous because there is no salary cap for teams once the playoffs start.

Mark Stone was conveniently ready for game one of the playoffs and produced an impressive 11 goals and 24 points enroute to winning the Conn Smythe trophy as the Stanely Cup Finals MVP.

Stone is now on LTIR again as the trade deadline nears. This opened the door for Hanifin to be sent to Vegas.

While the Golden Knights are the latest team to circumvent the salary cap, they weren’t the first. That honor belongs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the 2020-21 season, Lightning star Nikita Kucherov needed surgery and was placed on LTIR. The Lightning were then able to trade for David Savard, a lockdown defender who helped them secure their second straight Stanely Cup.

Kucherov was likely ready before the playoffs, but wasn’t added to the roster until they started because Tampa Bay would’ve been over the salary cap.

Vegas will have more chances to add to their team. The NHL’s trade deadline is this Friday March 8 at 3 p.m.

NHL trade deadline preview

 

NHL trade deadline preview

What can be expected with two weeks until the trade deadline arrives?

By Ryan Mosher

NEW YORK (Feb. 22, 2024) – The National Hockey League’s trade deadline is almost upon us. There are plenty of teams looking to solidify themselves as contenders and some teams already looking towards next year.

According to TSN, the top three players most likely to be traded all currently reside in Calgary with the Flames. Those three players are defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, as well as goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The destinations for these three aren’t crystal clear.

Ultimately, I believe that Markstrom’s destination will come down to the New Jersey Devils or the Edmonton Oilers. Both teams have talented rosters but haven’t played to their potential because of inconsistent goaltending.

The Devils hoped that Nico Daws would be ready for consistent NHL action, but he has struggled to this point. With Dougie Hamilton on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), New Jersey has $9 million extra cap space, so Markstrom’s $6 million contract isn’t an issue.

Unlike the Devils, the Oilers are currently sitting in a playoff spot and Stuart Skinner has given them quality goaltending recently. The worrisome part for the Oilers is the possibility of having Skinner wear down during the playoffs again. He has played in 22 of the Oilers’ last 29 games.

Moving on to the two defensemen, a team I would love to see Hanifin on is the Boston Bruins. This is partially biased because I am a Bruins fan, but he would be able to shore up the third defensive pairing and play on the penalty kill unit.

In pressure situations, Hanifin would play alongside Charlie McAvoy on the first defensive pairing. Unfortunately, the Bruins have less than $1 million in cap space available. We may see Hanifin on the Bruins next season, but a trade this season is unlikely.

A more likely trade destination for Hanifin is the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning need to replace their second-best defenseman, Mikhail Sergachev, who suffered a regular season-ending leg injury earlier this month.

It may take a first-round pick or an intriguing prospect to trade for Hanifin, and the Lightning don’t have a first-round pick until 2026. Therefore, they may have to part ways with someone like Tanner Jeanot if they want to complete the deal.

While Hanifin is the more expensive option, his current defensive partner, Tanev, is a much cheaper option. The team I see most likely pursuing Tanev is the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks have lost three games in a row while giving up 17 goals in that span. They still lead the NHL in points, but to advance in the playoffs they will need to improve defensively, and Tanev will help that cause tremendously.

Regardless of what happens to these three players, there will be several trades made between now and the March 8 trade deadline.

Maple Leafs defensemen Morgan Reilly handed five-game suspension

Maple Leafs defensemen Morgan Reilly handed five-game suspension

Ugly late-game penalty creates controversy

By Ryan Mosher

TORONTO (Feb. 15, 2024) – On Tuesday Feb. 13, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was suspended five games for a cross-check delivered to the head of Ottawa Senators forward Ridley Greig on Saturday at the Canadia Tire Centre.

Rielly reacted when Grieg took a slapshot into an empty net with six seconds remaining. The defenseman considered the play disrespectful and believed it deserved a response. He skated towards Greig and delivered a blow to the head.

There are two different schools of thought on the incident. Many younger players and fans thought the act was egregious and uncalled for, but older ones believed the response was warranted.

Teammate Ryan Reaves appreciated Rielly’s response and was disappointed with the NHL’s reaction. Per The Hockey News’ David Alter, Reaves even went as far as to say “Make hockey violent again, a tattoo I should get”.

I believe the play from Grieg did merit a response, but Rielly’s actions were unacceptable. There are other ways to make a statement and stand up for your team when you feel disrespected. An intentional cross-check to the head is never an acceptable play.

Rielly was offered an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety to discuss a punishment. An in-person hearing typically results in a longer suspension, compared to a telephone hearing.

A similar play by David Perron earlier in the season resulted in a six-game suspension from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

The reason for Rielly’s shorter suspension was his lack of disciplinary history. Rielly is historically a clean player, and this was his first offense, whereas Perron did have a prior offence. The forward received a $5,000 fine in 2022, the maximum amount under the current CBA, when he cross-checked Nazeem Kadri.

The NHL is often criticized for being wildly inconsistent when it comes to suspensions. However, their decision regarding this incident appears to be consistent when compared to the Perron incident.

Rielly filed an appeal against the suspension and an in-person meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman has been scheduled for tomorrow. Realistically the best-case scenario for Rielly is a one-game reduction of his suspension, but I don’t see that as a likely outcome.

Bruins vs Flames Game Recap

Flames tame the beast

Flames take down Bruins 4-1 in first game since Elias Lindholm was shipped to Vancouver

By Ryan Mosher

 

Boston – February 8, 2024 — The Boston Bruins faced the Calgary Flames in both teams’ first contest after the All-Star break. Boston entered the night tied for first in the NHL in points with 71 in 49 games played and a record of 31 wins, nine regulation losses, and nine overtime/shootout losses.

Calgary entered the game with a record of 22 wins, 22 regulation losses, and 5 overtime/shootout losses. This put the Flames sixth in the Pacific Division, but only five points out of a playoff spot with their 49 total points in 49 games played.

The goaltending matchup was bound to be a good one as it featured 2024 all-star Jermey Swayman up against two-time all-star, Jacob Markstrom.

It didn’t take long for Andrei Kuzmenko to open the scoring. He buried a shot on the powerplay four minutes and 20 seconds into the first period with assists from Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazeem Kadri. The goal was Kuzmenko’s ninth of the season and first since he was traded from the Vancouver Canucks as a part of the Elias Lindholm trade.

The Flames powerplay came virtue of a Brandon Carlo holding penalty. With a key part of the Bruins eight ranked penalty kill in the box, Charlie Coyle was denied on partial breakaway, then Kuzmenko scored from the slot on the ensuing counterattack.

Nearly nine minutes later Conor Zary scored goal number 11 of the season with an assist from Kadri, his second of the game. A bad offensive zone turnover from Brad Marchand led to an odd man rush, where Zary received the feed from Kadri, danced around Swayman, and tucked it home.

After the Bruins dug themselves a hole to begin the game, they looked for a spark to ignite their offense. A scrum ensued in front of the Calgary net and Martin Pospisil received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Marchand in the face. Even with a five-minute powerplay and the fifth best powerplay percentage, the Bruins couldn’t generate much offense.

Boston started the second period with a minute remaining on the Pospisil major, but were never able to enter the zone with control of the puck as the penalty expired. There was not much action for the entire second period. Calgary was holding the fifth best scoring offense in the NHL to nothing through the first 40 minutes.

In contrast to their first two periods, the B’s came out flying and generated a scoring chance one minute into the third when Charlie McAvoy broke through and beat Markstrom, but hit the post. Not long after, Pavel Zacha drew a hooking penalty against Brayden Pachal to give the Bruins an early third period powerplay. Less than a minute later, Mackenzie Weegar took a four-minute double minor as he caught Marchand with a high stick that drew blood.

Boston capitalized on the opportunity and scored on the two-man advantage to cut their deficit to one. Zacha buried the goal on a one-timed pass from David Pastrnak, and Coyle picked up the secondary assist. Zacha’s eleventh goal of the season deflected off defenseman Noah Hanafin, which gave Markstrom no chance.

Boston scored 34 seconds into the two-man advantage, so they still had three minutes and 26 seconds of powerplay time remaining, but the Flames third-ranked penalty kill would hold strong, and the Bruins would halt their own momentum with a too many men on the ice penalty.  

Moments later, Huberdeau restored the Flames’ two goal lead after Kadri stripped McAvoy of the puck in the slot and fed the second-year Flame for his seventh goal of the year.

Now chasing the game, Coyle would take a slashing penalty for Boston and Calgary would add to their lead when Hanafin found Swayman’s five hole. Huberdeau and Markstrom were credited with the assists for the Flames second powerplay goal of the game. This was Markstrom’s third assist of the season, which matches his career high. Boston was unable to answer, and the Flames would capture win number 23 of the season.

The Flames are now only three points from the last Wild Card spot in the western conference and look to cut into that deficit when they visit New Jersey on Thursday Feb. 8.

The Bruins will look to bounce back at home against Vancouver on Thursday Feb. 8.

Lindholm traded to the Canucks and what could come next

 

Lindholm traded to the Canucks and what could come next

Number one trade piece off the board as Elias Lindholm gets traded to the NHL leading Vancouver Canucks

By Ryan Mosher

Elias Lindholm was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, a first-round pick and conditional fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2024 draft, along with prospects Joni Jurmo and Hunter Brzustewicz.

The Canucks received a two-way forward who has a track record for putting up points, as he averaged 0.85 points/game in a Flames uniform. Lindholm also scored almost 30 goals for every 82 games he played with Calgary.

The Boden, Sweden native will slot in alongside Hart trophy hopeful and fellow Swede Elias Pettersson, and Ilya Mikheyev to form one of the NHL’s most formidable lines on both ends of the ice.

This deal will most likely be a rental for the Canucks. Lindholm is on the last year of his contract and Vancouver has little cap space available next season, especially when you consider that they still need to re-sign Pettersson, who will most likely demand as much as $12-13 million dollars per year.

There is a small chance the Canucks can retain Lindholm, but it will require them to shed significant salary currently allocated to next season’s cap. They could start with Conor Garland, whose cap hit will be $4.95 million until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Garland is on-pace for a 40-point season, which is what you look for from a third line forward. However, it is hard to justify paying close to $5 million to a third liner who is not dependable in the defensive zone.  

Next, the Canucks should look to acquire a right-handed defenseman to shore up their blueline. The two most likely options are to make another trade with the Flames for Chris Tanev or look east to the free-falling Philadelphia Flyers for Sean Walker.

Chris Tanev is the best “fit” for the Canucks, as he brings the physicality that will be necessary for the impending Stanely Cup run. Tanev is also an effective penalty killer who will improve Vancouver’s mid-pack penalty kill, which currently sits at 80%.

Realistically it will be more difficult for the Canucks to trade for Sean Walker because the Flyers are currently sitting in a playoff spot, although they have lost five consecutive games. Walker’s cap hit is only $2.65 million, compared to Tanev’s $4.5 million, so Walker’s contract would fit better with Vancouver’s cap situation. Walker also kills penalties for the Flyers who hold the league’s second-best penalty kill percentage at 85.9%.

Vancouver is in a great position, leading the league with less than half of the season remaining. Historically a team in their position would make another aggressive move to go all-in for the Stanley Cup, but with their young core, the Canucks may not want to compromise their future by giving away more prospects to add a veteran presence that may only be there for a year.  It will be interesting to see which direction the Canucks take between now and the March 8 trade deadline.