Our streak of eight overtime losses in a row - including six in four days!! - came to an end Tuesday thanks to the Hurricanes. Hopefully, that Jordan Staal goal will trigger a 180 in the luck department.
We're sitting at 77-63 (+13.71 units) on the season heading into Thursday night. Here's what I've got so far, but as always, pay attention to Twitter for any adds.
Winners of six of their last seven, the Capitals are coming in hot, while the Flyers are reeling a bit after losing three of their previous five, with just one regulation win. But Philadelphia has played much better despite the results not going its way, controlling a terrific 57.89% of the expected goal share at five-on-five over the last seven contests.
A big part of the Flyers' struggles has been the play of Carter Hart, who simply can't find his game. The difference between him and Brian Elliott has been massive for this team, and we're getting an Elliott start tonight, which is a big part of the reasoning behind this play. Hart started the 3-1 loss to the Capitals on Sunday, and Washington feels a bit overvalued here because of it, especially with Tom Wilson still suspended.
It's hard to find many positives surrounding the Blue Jackets right now, who have lost seven of their last nine and have scored just 11 goals in their previous seven games. However, much like the Flyers, they've been playing a lot better. They're top 10 in expected goal share at five-on-five over their last seven contests and owned a 53% or greater share in five of those games.
A big part of the issue for Columbus has been in net. Since Elvis Merzlikins got hurt, Joonas Korpisalo has started eight straight games. Over that span, the Blue Jackets allowed just 2.31 xGA/60, the fifth-best mark in the league, but are allowing 3.03 GA/60. Korpisalo has struggled, with his minus-7.7 GSAA and minus-11.67 GSAx, ranking 66th and 68th out of 71 goalies this season. Merzlikins is a significant upgrade in both regards.
As for the Panthers, their goaltending situation is much shakier. Chris Driedger is cooling a bit after his hot start, and while Sergei Bobrovsky has been a bit better of late, he still hardly inspires confidence. The underlying numbers have been strong for this team, but I'm reluctant to buy in. There's a lot to like up-front when you look at this roster, but their blue line really isn't all that good. I have a hard time believing this defense can sustain the level they're playing at, and that's especially concerning with a shaky goaltending situation backing them up. The Blue Jackets are good value here in a revenge spot on home ice in Merzlikins' return to the crease.
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, despises how the NHL handles starting goalie announcements, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The Buffalo Sabres have hit rock bottom. The team was supposed to contend this year after the additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, but they sit dead last in league standings.
General manager Kevyn Adams has vowed to make changes, calling the team's struggles "unacceptable."
How far Adams goes to shake up the roster remains to be seen. Hall, Staal, and Brandon Montour are all pending UFAs and it's seemingly a foregone conclusion the trio is gone by the April 12 trade deadline. If Adams fails to move them, the Sabres will miss out on valuable returning assets; re-signing any of those three players is highly unlikely.
And then there's Jack Eichel. Trading him is not necessarily the best course of action, but it's definitely in the cards if Adams is intent on starting a new rebuild. Remember, Adams was just promoted to GM this past offseason, he may want to build this team from the ground up.
Before we explore two potential franchise-altering trades the Sabres should consider, there's an important piece of business Buffalo needs to address.
Management shake-up
Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty
The Sabres should hire a president of hockey operations. It may seem unlikely since it hasn't happened to this point, but it would be highly beneficial to have an accomplished executive oversee Adams, given that his front-office experience is fairly limited.
Ideally, the hire would have a track record of NHL success - perhaps Dean Lombardi, for example. Finding a top hockey executive by the offseason should be a priority for owners Terry and Kim Pegula.
Not only would the president of hockey operations provide another voice in any Eichel trade negotiations, but the potential hire would help Buffalo find it's next head coach. It's clear Ralph Krueger's message is not getting through. The Sabres need to replace him in the offseason.
Hurricane Hall
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
There are a number of potential suitors for Hall. The Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Boston Bruins all make sense. But the Carolina Hurricanes may be the most intriguing option.
This year could be Carolina's best chance to win a Stanley Cup. Andrei Svechnikov's entry-level deal expires after this season and Dougie Hamilton is a pending UFA. Both players are due for hefty raises.
Carolina has some cap space to burn this season, though. It makes sense for them to go all-in.
To CAR
To BUF
F Taylor Hall*
F Warren Foegele
F Eric Staal*
F Morgan Geekie
D Brandon Montour*
F Jack Drury
D Jake Gardiner
2021 2nd-rounder**
*Buffalo retains 50% salary **Becomes first-round pick if Hall re-signs in Carolina
There are a couple caveats to this deal. Staal has a 10-team no-trade list, but it's hard to imagine the Canes are on there. An opportunity to return to his old stomping grounds to try and win another Stanley Cup - this time alongside his brother, Jordan - would be appealing.
Gardiner also has a seven-team no-trade list. Buffalo is not the most desirable market, so it's possible the Sabres are on there. If that's the case, it would be hard to make this deal work from a cap perspective. He's signed through 2022-23 at $4.05 million per season. Carolina has tried to move him in the past - as recently as this offseason - to no avail.
For Sabres fans, this deal may look a tad underwhelming considering the haul the New Jersey Devils received for Hall last season. There are a few important factors to consider here. The Arizona Coyotes acquired him well before the deadline, Hall is in the midst of his worst season, and this year is a buyer's market - partially due to the flat cap.
However, Foegele - an RFA after this season - is a high-floor, top-nine forward at just 24 years old. Geekie, a 22-year-old center, has dominated the AHL and appears to be NHL ready. Drury, the son of Sabres legend Chris, was a 2018 second-round selection. Factoring in the draft pick, that's a solid return for three pending UFAs.
Eichel to the Big Apple
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Firstly, an Eichel trade would have to wait until the summer. Massive deals like this with plenty of money moving around are too difficult to pull off during the season.
Secondly, the Sabres don't need to trade Eichel since he's locked up through 2025-26 at $10 million per season. So if they're going to deal their captain, it would take an offer they can't refuse.
The Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers would reportedly be the front-runners to land the star center, but we've opted to go with the latter, since the Blueshirts are seemingly further along in their rebuild. New York has plenty of young talent required to land Eichel, and their farm system would remain strong even after this proposed trade.
To NYR
To BUF
F Jack Eichel
F Kaapo Kakko
F Vitali Kravtsov
F Ryan Strome
D Nils Lundqvist
2021 1st-rounder*
2022 2nd-rounder
*Buffalo receives New York's 2022 first-rounder if trade occurs after draft, or if pick is in the top five
It's possible the Rangers aren't interested in paying a price this steep, but Eichel is a bonafide superstar and still just 24 years old. Plus, it's hard to imagine Buffalo parting with its franchise player for much less. New York also gets this done without subtracting much from its current roster.
Buffalo's haul includes a lot of high-end talent. Kakko has been a disappointment early on in his NHL career, collecting just 27 points in his first 83 games. However, there's been some strong underlying improvements this season, showing that the 2019 second overall pick still has loads of potential.
Kravtsov and Lundqvist are not far behind. They were two of New York's three first-round picks in the 2018 draft. Kravtsov - a big, goal-scoring winger - was taken eighth overall. Lundqvist - a right-handed offensive defenseman - was chosen 28th overall.
In this scenario, the Rangers hold on to Alexis Lafreniere - who has more value than Kakko. And they manage to keep Filip Chytil and K'Andre Miller - who are arguably more important to the club's future than Kravtsov and Lundqvist.
Strome, who's signed through 2021-22 at $5.35 million per season, is included for cap reasons. But he's no slouch, as he's piled up 18 points in 24 games this season. He could be used as future trade bait for Buffalo, too.
Buffalo's next step
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
There's still a lot that could happen in Buffalo's 2021 offseason if this trade goes through. They could immediately flip Strome before he ever suits up as a Sabre. They could also trade defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (a 2022 UFA) and Sam Reinhart (2021 RFA, eligible 2022 UFA).
But for the sake of this exercise, we're including that trio in a 2021-22 roster projection. All three could still be moved ahead of the 2022 deadline.
With ample cap space, the Sabres re-signed UFAs Jake McCabe (potentially the next captain) and Linus Ullmark. We're also predicting Buffalo loses Colin Miller in the expansion draft.
LW
C
RW
Victor Olofsson
Dylan Cozens
Sam Reinhart
Jeff Skinner
Ryan Strome
Kaapo Kakko
Warren Foegele
Casey Mittelstadt
Vitali Kravtsov
Zemgus Girgensons
Morgan Geekie
Tage Thompson
Cody Eakin
Kyle Okposo
LD
RD
Jake McCabe
Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin
Henri Jokiharju
Jake Gardiner
Nils Lundqvist
Will Borgen
G
Linus Ullmark
Jonas Johansson
This team is obviously lacking the high-end talent to compete, but it's a much younger squad with more depth.
Plus, the Sabres will likely have a top-five pick in the 2021 draft that should be ready to suit up within a year or so. Buffalo will also have Drury, Jack Quinn, John-Jason Peterka, and other prospects ready to come through the system.
An Eichel trade would obviously be devastating for Sabres fans, but if management can hit a home run on the return and properly support that young core, Buffalo could finally begin its journey out from rock bottom.
"The Sharks are 100 percent committed to honoring Evander Kane's contract and have no intention of having it terminated," the spokesperson said.
The initial report Wednesday said Kane and the Sharks filed a motion this week and included their desire to "extend time to assume or reject" the remainder of a seven-year, $49-million pact the left-winger inked with the Sharks in May 2018.
The original deadline for voiding the contract recently passed, but a bankruptcy judge agreed to postpone it until June 7.
The 29-year-old filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January, citing $26.8 million in debt and $10.2 million in assets. There is $29 million remaining on Kane's pact with the Sharks.
"Several creditors, including Zions Bancorp, filed recently, asking the court, Professional Bank, and South River Capital to convert the bankruptcy from Chapter 7 to 11, which is typically used for businesses," Kaplan and Kurz wrote.
"The change would be significant because, under Chapter 11, the $29 million cited by the lenders as remaining on Kane’s contract would be available to creditors like Zions, which is owed $4.25 million. It would not be under Chapter 7, according to Zions, which argues Kane’s losses are business-related."
A hearing to determine the designation will take place later in March. Kane and the Sharks would reportedly be more interested in canceling the contract if a judge converts the case to Chapter 11.
If the deal remains under Chapter 7, the player and team would have until the June extension deadline to decide on the contract's status based on the judge's ruling.
He added: "I'd love to talk about it with ESPN and see what direction they're going to take with it, what the schedule is going to look like, all of that. But from the primary foundational question of, 'Is that something that interests me?' Yes, it does."
The NHL and ESPN announced a seven-year agreement reportedly worth more than $2.8 billion Wednesday. The pact gives the network exclusive rights to broadcast four Stanley Cup Finals on ABC between 2022 and 2028, as well as simulcast capabilities on ESPN+, among other rights.
Thorne was ESPN's lead NHL announcer from 1992-2004, calling all but one Stanley Cup Final in that span. He was on the mic for some of the most memorable calls of that era, including Ray Bourque winning the Stanley Cup after 22 years in 2001 and Paul Kariya's iconic "off the floor, on the board" goal in 2003.
The 72-year-old also featured in EA Sports' NHL video game series for several years.
Thorne has worked for MLB's Baltimore Orioles for the last 14 seasons but was told over the offseason he wouldn't be returning to the club. The timing of his availability and ESPN's NHL venture has some hockey fans calling for his return online.
"Yeah, that's pretty humbling, honestly," Thorne said of the support. "My phone lit up all night from friends who do tweet and are on the platforms, which I am not. They were telling me this was going on. I was like, 'Wow.' I'm just so happy that people have remembered and have those kinds of positive memories about the time that ... and our crew were doing the games."
"Obviously not a great sign that he returned home for evaluation," DeBoer said. "I'm not concerned it's long, long-term, but he's out for the foreseeable future."
Pietrangelo was injured while blocking a shot in the third period of Saturday's win over the San Jose Sharks, and he didn't play in Monday's clash with the Minnesota Wild.
The 31-year-old also missed three games in February after landing on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list.
Pietrangelo joined Vegas as last offseason's prized free agent, inking a seven-year, $61.6 million contract. The Canadian-born alternate captain has notched 10 points in 18 games and leads the club in average ice time (25:27) in his debut season with the Golden Knights.
The 30-year-old will head to Arizona for further evaluation.
Kuemper suffered the ailment during Monday's road win over the Colorado Avalanche. He's posted a .914 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average in 18 games this season.
In the meantime, the Coyotes will roll with a tandem of veteran Antti Raanta and youngster Adin Hill between the pipes.
