The recent emergence of Timothy Liljegren appears to have created a bit of a logjam on Toronto's blue line. The 22-year-old Swede has played at least 17 minutes in back-to-back games, posting an expected goals share of 91.7% in those two contests - best among Leafs defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.
Liljegren has only played 17 career games with the Leafs, but if he continues to establish himself as a legitimate NHLer, that would give Toronto seven capable blue-liners.
Veterans Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and T.J. Brodie all have full no-trade clauses - and Rielly just inked an eight-year, $60-million extension - so it's unlikely any of them are being floated in trade talks.
Liljegren and Sandin - the Leafs' first-round picks in 2017 and 2018 - are both in the final season of their entry-level contracts. In addition to their youth and upside, their affordability is valuable to the cap-strapped Leafs.
Holl has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back games in favor of Liljegren. Dermott, meanwhile, didn't play the final 10 minutes on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings while the Leafs were defending a lead.
Dermott, 24, has two years left on his contract with a $1.5-million cap hit, per CapFriendly. Holl, 29, also has two years remaining with a $2-million cap hit. His deal includes a 10-team no-trade list.
Holl has played top-four minutes for the Leafs in each of the last two seasons and was protected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. Dermott has predominately played third-pairing minutes in his career - occasionally moving up in the lineup when injuries struck. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and Seattle opted to take forward Jared McCann from Toronto.
The months-long soap opera starring Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres has finally concluded.
The Sabres traded Eichel and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Vegas Golden Knights for forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs as well as a top-10-protected first-rounder in 2022 and a second-rounder in 2023.
The blockbuster swap signals the end of an era in Buffalo, while in Vegas, the front office hopes it's hit the jackpot (sorry) with another marquee acquisition.
Let's break down the trade from the perspectives of the three parties involved.
Eichel
Bill Wippert / Getty Images
Eichel is a gigantic winner here for two chief reasons.
Firstly, the 25-year-old center is getting his way after digging in his heels for almost six months. It was revealed in May that Eichel wanted to undergo artificial disc replacement surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. However, the Sabres refused to grant permission based on the advice of their doctors, suggesting the 2015 second overall pick have fusion surgery instead. Eichel never relented on his desired procedure - even switching agents during the standoff - and now Vegas will in fact let him do exactly what he wants.
Secondly, Eichel is joining a hockey team that actually wins games on a regular basis. The Sabres were horrible in the six seasons Eichel played, posting a league-worst .444 points percentage. Conversely, the Golden Knights became the most successful expansion franchise in North American pro sports history in 2017-18 and during the three-plus years since that incredible debut have refused to take their foot off the gas.
This season, the Golden Knights own a mediocre 4-5-0 record. The club has been dealing with injuries to key players - most notably Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Tuch - and have now added another forward to the list. So it would be disingenuous to say Eichel is walking into an ideal situation where the sky's the limit on Day 1. In reality, the situation has very strong potential, and if 2021-22 ultimately ends up being a dud for Vegas, there's no need to panic. Eichel's contract, which carries an AAV of $10 million, runs through 2025-26.
The Golden Knights haven't broken up William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith for an extended period of time since the team entered the league, so Stone and Pacioretty appear to be the obvious linemates for Eichel once all three are healed. Eichel, who was arguably a top-10 center before getting sidelined, has never played with wingers of Stone and Pacioretty's caliber. Given he's also in the prime of his career, there's no reason to believe Eichel won't flourish in Vegas.
That said, there is a little bit of uneasiness. When will Eichel return to action? Recovery time from artificial disc replacement surgery tends to be measured in multiple months, not weeks. If he undergoes the procedure in the immediate future (which is reportedly the plan) he'll be scheduled to return at some point in early 2022. He last played in March. How will he look after such a long layoff, with his peers so deep into the season?
Unrelated side plot: Eichel is now in the same division as Connor McDavid, the generational talent and draft buddy he's constantly stacked up against.
Golden Knights
NHL Images / Getty Images
Paul Stastny. Pacioretty. Stone. Robin Lehner. Alex Pietrangelo. Eichel.
The Golden Knights' front office, which is led by the one-two punch of president of hockey operations George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon, has reeled in its sixth big fish. Whether it's via trade or free agency, Sin City's team never settles for the minor move, and owner Bill Foley deserves props for consistently giving management the green light.
This deal could be the most impactful of the bunch considering the one quibble with Vegas' roster construction through its short history has been the absence of an elite center. Eichel, who for his career has averaged 0.95 points a game despite lackluster support, immediately addresses that need. His eventual arrival to the lineup will allow head coach Pete DeBoer to slide Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson into the 2C and 3C roles. If, like in the past, Vegas struggles to bag goals in the playoffs, it won't be management's fault.
Something very important to keep in mind moving forward: The Golden Knights are in a salary-cap bind after the trade. Once their roster is at full health, they'll be well over the $81.5-million upper limit since the Sabres didn't retain salary in the deal. (Tuch and Krebs make a combined $5.6 million.) In other words, a Golden Knights player, or players, of considerable value will likely be shipped out of town. Smith and his $5-million-a-year expiring contract jump off Vegas' CapFriendly page, but he isn't the only option.
Of course, bidding farewell to an asset or two would be par for the course for Vegas, an organization so aggressive in its pursuit for a Cup that trading picks and prospects (Nick Suzuki, Cody Glass, Erik Brannstrom, and Krebs) - to say nothing about outgoing veterans like Marc-Andre Fleury, Nate Schmidt, Stastny, and Tuch - has simply become part of the club's brand and identity.
Sabres
Bill Wippert / Getty Images
Look, it isn't a joyous day for the 5-3-1 Sabres and their loyal fan base.
Drafting Eichel in 2015 was supposed to be the start of something special. It turned into years of losing games and quality players, Eichel eventually getting stripped of his captaincy, and a decent yet unremarkable return from Vegas.
Tuch, who's 6-foot-4, can skate like the wind and can snipe. He's one of the NHL's most entertaining forwards and will undoubtedly be a fan favorite in Buffalo after he's recovered from an injury. Krebs, meanwhile, is still developing. The 20-year-old's ceiling is a two-way second-line center. If reached, that's an impactful piece. Still, neither Tuch nor Krebs will change the trajectory of the franchise and combined they likely won't bring as much value as Eichel.
The late first-round pick is obviously crucial to the trade's success or failure. The Sabres could conceivably hit a home run with it, especially since the 2022 draft class projects to be quite strong. Yet it's one lottery ticket, not two or three high-end picks. Netting two firsts, or a first and two seconds, would have greatly improved the overall package received by GM Kevyn Adams.
Where the return evolves from "unremarkable" to "decent" is in the context of the situation. It's difficult to criticize Adams too much considering Eichel's displeasure with the organization precedes his tenure as GM. When Adams was hired last June, he inherited a disgruntled captain whose last straw proved to be the disagreement over which surgery was best for his future. The Sabres could have allowed Eichel to have his preferred surgery, but they clearly didn't want to be pushed around (and, let's not forget, the NHL/NHLPA CBA gave them the final call). Once the dispute went public, Adams lost a significant chunk of his negotiating leverage with rival GMs.
At the end of the day, the relationship between player and team was frayed beyond repair and Adams waited out the market long enough to fetch a decent return (and the Sabres aren't retaining salary). Decent, under these circumstances, which calls for a grade of B-. And now a new era begins in Buffalo.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
The Devils selected Holtz with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He's scored five goals in four games with the Comets this season.
The 19-year-old has joined the Devils in California and will practice with the team Thursday. The club has two games remaining on its road trip against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
To make room on the roster, New Jersey waived goaltender Scott Wedgewood on Wednesday. The netminder was claimed by the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.
Wednesday was a good night on the ice. We successfully backed the Oilers to win in regulation and the Blue Jackets to upset the injury-plagued Avalanche, even if the Blackhawks blew it in the third period to prevent us from going undefeated.
It was especially successful if you followed through on me leaning towards the Kings and the under of 5.5 goals, but I personally passed as I wanted Cal Petersen.
Thursday night offers us a jam-packed schedule to pick through. Let's get to our best bets.
Remember when the Sabres were good for a week or two? Unsurprisingly, they've come crashing down to earth and are now playing to their true talent level. That's ... not good.
Buffalo ranks 30th in Corsi For percentage and only the Golden Knights, sans half of their roster, have controlled a smaller share of the five-on-five scoring chances over the last five games. The Sabres are getting absolutely cratered on a shift-by-shift basis and they don't have the talent or goaltending to keep themselves afloat when that happens.
While the Kraken have won just three of 10 games thus far, they're playing better than their results indicate. Seattle is finally starting to get healthy and it's making a big difference. The team has controlled better than 60% of the expected goals over their last five games, which ranks best in the NHL by a comfortable margin.
The Kraken have just been on the wrong end of a couple of goaltending performances recently. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin turned a dominant effort by Seattle into zero points, despite the club leading the high-danger chances 16-5 against New York. Joey Daccord started the following night for the Kraken because Chris Driedger was unavailable, and he conceded five goals on just 23 shots against the Oilers.
We probably don't have to worry about the Sabres' Craig Anderson or Dustin Tokarski stealing a game from Seattle - and with Driedger back in the mix, we can be comfortable with whoever the Kraken elect to start in goal.
I expect Seattle to dominate the run of play and get back on track with a clean home win against Buffalo.
We've picked on the Golden Knights a lot as of late, and we're going right back to the well today.
All of the reasons we've targeted them in past games still apply. In fact, they're even shorter on players than in previous showings.
Peyton Krebs was playing regularly for Vegas, but he's no longer in the mix following this morning's trade to Buffalo for Jack Eichel. Krebs isn't a difference-maker, but he was a legitimate NHL player on a team short of them. Vegas lost Krebs on top of already playing without Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Alex Tuch (also traded), and Zach Whitecloud. That stings.
It's difficult to put into words just how much these injuries have sucked the life out of this team. The Golden Knights are perennially one of the best five-on-five sides in the NHL. Right now, they're one of the worst.
Their season numbers are bad and they're actually trending further downward. No team has controlled a lesser share of the chances over the last five games and they've allowed chances at a higher rate than anyone (36 per 60).
While the Senators are still a flawed team, they are competent. Their top line is playing well, and scratching Nikita Zaitsev should be an addition by subtraction on the back end.
Filip Gustavsson is starting and has been Ottawa's best goaltender in terms of Goals Saved Above Expectation, being the only Senators goalie with a positive number in that metric.
I like rolling the dice with Ottawa at plus money.
Bonus round: Keep your eye on the Sharks (+110). If San Jose gets some bodies back from COVID-19 protocol and/or Jordan Binnington gets the night off, it will be a worthwhile play.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Trade talks surrounding Eichel have been ongoing for months. The 25-year-old has been sidelined with a neck injury since last March and is seeking to have an artificial disc replacement surgery - which the Sabres wouldn't allow.
The expectation is that Eichel will now have the procedure done shortly and could return to the ice in four months, Dreger adds.
Tuch underwent shoulder surgery in late July and is expected to be sidelined another three months. The 25-year-old is signed through the 2025-26 season with an average annual value of $4.75 million on his contract. Krebs was selected with the 17th pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He appeared in 13 games with the Golden Knights, collecting one assist.
Brad Aldrich's name has been crossed out on the Stanley Cup, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
The change was made Sunday when the names of last season's Tampa Bay Lightning were added, reports TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
Last Thursday, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald asking the Hall to consider crossing out the former Blackhawks video coach's name on the Cup and admitting that submitting Aldrich's name in 2010 was a "mistake."
"While nothing can undo what he did, leaving his name on the most prestigious trophy in sports seems profoundly wrong," Wirtz added last week.
Hockey Hall of Fame media director Kelly Masse confirmed Friday that McDonald spoke with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly that day, and the parties agreed the request was appropriate.
An independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block found the Blackhawks failed to respond promptly upon learning that Aldrich allegedly behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner toward a player during the club's playoff run in 2010. Kyle Beach, who says Aldrich sexually assaulted him, revealed himself as the player last Wednesday.
New York can recall Kravtsov when the ongoing KHL season ends, and he's amenable to rejoining the NHL team, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
"After discussions with Vitali and his representation, we decided a loan to Traktor was in the best interests of both him and the organization," Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement Wednesday. "We think very highly of Vitali and the Rangers development staff will continue to work with him to reach our mutual goal of him some day being a New York Ranger."
Kravtsov also focused on the positive.
"I want to thank the Rangers for working with me, and appreciate the open and honest conversations we have had during this process," he said in his own statement. "While this has been a challenging time for me personally, I believe having the opportunity to return to Traktor and work on my game is the best thing for me right now. My main focus is getting better every day to continue towards my goal of playing hockey for the New York Rangers."
The Rangers reportedly gave Kravtsov permission to seek a trade on Oct. 12 after the club left him off its roster to begin the season. The forward, who'll turn 22 next month, was apparently unhappy that he didn't make the team.
Kravtsov collected two goals and two assists over 20 games as a rookie with New York in the last campaign. He spent parts of five seasons with Traktor before that and played 39 AHL games in 2019-20.
The Rangers drafted the Russian-born forward ninth overall in 2018.
