All posts by Josh Gold-Smith

Coyotes trade Weal to Canadiens for Chaput

The Arizona Coyotes traded forward Jordan Weal to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Michael Chaput on Monday.

Weal managed only two points in 19 games with the Coyotes after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in January.

Chaput contributed five points in 32 contests with Montreal this season. He most recently played for the Laval Rocket of the AHL, with whom he notched 10 goals and 16 points in 24 games.

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Jets land Hayes from Rangers

The Winnipeg Jets have traded for Rangers forward Kevin Hayes, New York announced Monday.

The Rangers receive a first-round pick in this year's draft, forward Brendan Lemieux, and a conditional fourth-round selection in 2022.

The conditional pick will be a fourth-rounder if the Jets win the Stanley Cup, but won't be included in the deal otherwise, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

No salary is being retained by the Rangers in the deal, adds LeBrun. Hayes is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $5.175 million, according to CapFriendly.

The 26-year-old center produced 14 goals and 42 points in 51 games with the Rangers this season. He'd spent his entire career with New York.

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Report: Predators ‘very interested’ in Wild’s Granlund

The Nashville Predators appear to have an eye on Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund prior to Monday's deadline.

Wild general manager Paul Fenton has received what he feels are viable offers for the Finn, and the Predators are very interested, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The Minnesota GM has shopped both Granlund and Jason Zucker heavily to gauge possible returns, multiple league sources indicated to Russo.

Fenton, the former Predators assistant GM, reportedly got permission to retool the Wild's roster earlier this month.

The Predators could use a winger of Granlund's caliber, as they own the NHL's worst power play and rank 13th in goals per game.

Granlund has collected 49 points in 63 games this season, including a team-leading 18 points with the man advantage.

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Devils trade Kinkaid to Blue Jackets for 5th-rounder

The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired goaltender Keith Kinkaid from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round pick, the Blue Jackets confirmed Monday.

Kinkaid went 15-18-6 with a .891 save percentage in 41 games for the Devils this season. He's a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a $1.25-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

The 29-year-old had spent his entire career with the Devils, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

The Blue Jackets already have goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo in the fold, but the former is also a pending UFA.

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McDavid didn’t expect suspension before hearing

Connor McDavid didn't think he would be forced to sit out any games for his high hit on Nick Leddy before discussing it with the league.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar said he was surprised by the NHL's reaction to his check from Thursday's game that drew a two-game ban Friday.

"I kind of expected to be suspended (after talking to the Department of Player Safety, but) I have to be honest, I didn't think (I) was going to be suspended at all going into the hearing," McDavid told reporters Saturday. "But after hearing their tone of voice and whatnot, I had a little bit of a sense that it was going to go that way."

McDavid appeared to criticize the process, which resulted in the first suspension of his NHL career.

"I think a lot of times, they go in and they already have their mind made up," he said. "They don't really care what you have to say. So ultimately, the hearing went as good as you'd expect."

McDavid hasn't decided whether to appeal but has 48 hours from the time of the decision to do so.

Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson said Saturday that the organization is "really disappointed" with the ruling, echoing his statement from Friday in which he said the team strongly disagreed with McDavid's suspension.

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Sabres’ Skinner returns after leaving game with apparent leg injury

The Buffalo Sabres appeared to lose their top goal scorer in gruesome fashion Saturday, but he made a seemingly miraculous recovery.

Jeff Skinner was back on the ice to start the third period after leaving the Sabres' afternoon tilt against the Washington Capitals early in the second frame.

He was unable to put weight on his left leg after being tripped by Capitals forward Carl Hagelin and had to be assisted off the ice.

The 26-year-old winger was immediately helped to the dressing room and Hagelin was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping.

Skinner entered Saturday's action tied for third in the NHL with 36 goals. Buffalo acquired him from the Carolina Hurricanes for prospect Cliff Pu and three draft picks this past summer.

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Report: Bruins, Blue Jackets among teams chasing Dzingel

A pair of Eastern Conference clubs appear to have Ryan Dzingel on their respective radars.

The Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets are among the suitors for the Ottawa Senators forward, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Saturday.

Ottawa reportedly made Dzingel and fellow pending unrestricted free agent Mark Stone available for trade Thursday. Both players have been withheld from the Senators' lineup in each of the past two games as the Feb. 25 trade deadline approaches.

Following the Friday trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Blue Jackets, Dzingel now ranks second among Senators players with 22 goals this season.

The 26-year-old winger's expiring contract carries a cap hit of $1.8 million, according to CapFriendly.

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Rangers scratch Hayes, Zuccarello, McQuaid as deadline looms

The New York Rangers aren't taking any chances ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, and Adam McQuaid were all scratched from Saturday's matinee against the New Jersey Devils.

All three players are pending unrestricted free agents and are widely expected to be traded by the rebuilding Rangers.

Hayes ranks third on the club in both goals (14) and points (42) through 51 games. He carries a $5.175-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

Zuccarello, who's posted 37 points in 46 contests, is on the books for $4.5 million.

McQuaid's deal carries a cap hit of $2.75 million. New York acquired 32-year-old defenseman from the Boston Bruins in September.

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Red Wings summon top prospect Zadina from AHL

Filip Zadina is about to get his first taste of NHL action.

The Detroit Red Wings have recalled the 19-year-old winger from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, the team announced Saturday.

Zadina posted 15 goals and 31 points in 45 games with the Griffins this season.

The Red Wings selected him sixth overall in last June's draft after he racked up 44 goals and 82 points in 57 contests with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads in 2017-18.

Detroit hosts the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

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Flyers’ Hart out at least 10 days with lower-body injury

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has a lower-body injury and is expected to be out at least 10 days, the club announced Saturday.

The 20-year-old was pulled less than 11 minutes into each of his last two starts. He allowed three goals on nine shots in both appearances.

Veteran netminder Brian Elliott will be the starter for Saturday's outdoor game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field, Flyers head coach Scott Gordon said Friday.

Hart has arguably been the biggest reason for Philadelphia's resurgence of late, providing the team with much-needed stability in the crease since being called up in December.

Despite his recent struggles, he has a 13-8-1 record and a .917 save percentage through 22 games.

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