Howard is a pending unrestricted free agent who boasts a .923 save percentage in 22 games this season. The 34-year-old's contract carries a cap hit of $5.29 million.
In late November, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that the St. Louis Blues were keeping tabs on Howard, but that the netminder would come at a considerable cost.
Howard's in his 13th NHL season - all spent with the Red Wings.
The defenseman ripped home a shot off a brilliant Granlund feed to give the Wild a 6-0 lead in the opening minute of the third period, and Minnesota's solid power-play structure allowed the dynamic duo to execute the sequence to perfection. Let's take a look at how they did it.
As we begin, Zach Parise has the puck behind the Canadiens' net, but the Wild aren't fully set up yet.
Parise wiggles free and finds Ryan Suter at the point, in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Now, the Wild are in business.
Suter walks the line and dishes to Granlund on the edge of the circle. Dumba (No. 24), who had been parked at the point on the near side, cuts to the middle as Granlund (No. 64) takes Suter's pass along the boards.
Granlund moves in down low and draws a pair of Canadiens defenders, with two more nearby. His passing options appear limited, but a certain Wild blue-liner is lurking unmarked on the far side.
Dumba, who remains wide open, makes his move toward the goal. Granlund identifies that and feathers a terrific pass that somehow finds its way through four Canadiens.
Dumba receives the dish and wastes no time unleashing a wrist shot.
The wrister ricochets off both posts and past Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi to give the Wild a six-goal lead.
Minnesota went 4-for-4 on the power play in the game. Dumba's goal from Granlund early in the third offers a shining example of why the Wild were so successful on the man advantage, and why they boast the eighth-most effective power play in the NHL this season.
The 31-year-old has been out since Nov. 14 after suffering the fifth concussion of his career.
The Capitals haven't skipped a beat with Oshie on the shelf, as the club has gone 9-2-0 without him. Washington sits atop the Metropolitan Division entering Tuesday night with 37 points.
Prior to his injury, Oshie had contributed nine goals and 14 points in 18 games.
Seattle's freshly unveiled NHL franchise may not have a moniker or a general manager - or even a timetable for announcing them either - but it does have a timeline for something rather juicy: the next expansion draft.
In June 2021, the GM of the Seattle Whatevers will acquire 30 players in one day. Following the same rules and regulations as the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, Seattle will partake in the league's second expansion draft in four years, selecting one player from each NHL team except Vegas.
Because it’s fun to forecast, we’ve brought out the crystal ball here at theScore to look deep into the future and craft a dangerously early Seattle mock draft.
Guided by the invaluable CapFriendly.com, we’ll be rolling out protected lists and picks this week for all four divisions, starting with the Atlantic.
First, though, a refresher on the expansion draft process and its criteria:
Teams must submit a protected-players list of either seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie OR eight skaters and one goalie
All players with no-movement clauses must be protected
All first- and second-year players, as well as unsigned draft picks, are exempt and can't be picked
Any player with a career-ending injury is also exempt
And some notes about our process:
We assumed most 2019 and '20 restricted free agents will re-sign with their current club
We made judgment calls on 2019 and '20 unrestricted free agents, projecting some will stay with their current team and others will leave
We didn't factor in any trades or buyouts between now and June 2021
In the tables below, * indicates the player is a projected free-agent signing before 2021, while boldtext indicates the player has a no-movement clause
With all the disclaimers out of the way, here are our educated guesses for the Atlantic Division squads:
Could Grzelcyk be to Seattle what Nate Schmidt was to Vegas? The smooth-skating blue-liner has a tough path to big minutes with the Bruins, and barring a breakout season, it's unlikely he'd be protected over Carlo. Forsbacka Karlsson is also tempting due to the lack of centers available. Rask will be 34 for the 2021-22 season and without a contract, making Boston's decision to protect the 6-foot-5 Vladar an easy choice.
We're projecting Tanev signs a deal with the contending Sabres as a free agent in the summer of 2020 but becomes the odd man out in the draft thanks to the emergence of Pilut. Tanev, a right-handed veteran, would bring stability to Seattle's defense corps or serve as a possible trade chip. The Golden Knights flipped many defensemen they selected.
The Red Wings don't project to leave a whole lot for Seattle, but Saarijarvi, currently a 21-year-old defenseman, is having a solid season in the AHL. As for some of Detroit's veterans missing from this list, Frans Nielsen will be far too old to be protected by then, while we have Gustav Nyquist departing as a free agent in 2019.
Malgin has failed to take a step forward with the Panthers this year, but his potential and ability to play center could be too enticing for Seattle to pass up. Vatrano might be a future 20-goal scorer, but such players are a dime a dozen for Seattle. Also of note: James Reimer's contract will be expiring, while Roberto Luongo will be 42 during the 2021-22 season, making Montembeault, a 2015 third-rounder, Florida's protected goalie.
With plenty of cap room, we're thinking the Canadiens splurge in the summer of 2019, reuniting old friends Tatar and Nyquist, and stealing Gardiner from a division foe. This manufactures a tough decision for the Canadiens: protect Mete or Juulsen on the back end, and Armia or Lehkonen up front? Seattle opts to take the exposed Mete, who will be just 23 in 2021-22.
With an abundance of cap room after Matt Duchene's projected departure via free agency, it would make sense for the Senators to address their blue line by signing Myers in the summer of 2019 and Bogosian in 2020. Assuming Craig Anderson retires once his contract is up in 2020, perhaps Markstrom is brought in to bridge the gap until Filip Gustavsson is ready. Forced to protect younger players and the immovable Ryan, Ottawa could easily lose a top-six forward in Dzingel, who's on pace for 30 goals this season.
Even if the Lightning make some trades in preparation for the expansion draft, it's clear they're going to fork over one of their top players to Seattle. While Palat and Killorn are tempting, Johnson is the choice here, and not just because he's a native of Spokane, Wash., but because he instantly becomes the team's No. 1 center and potential inaugural captain.
As it stands now, the Maple Leafs look primed to protect all of their top NHL assets. Plus, up-and-coming defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren - the club's most recent first-round picks - are exempt. Seattle then projects to select Brown, the hard-working, versatile winger.
Two storied rivals will provide the backdrop for a legendary hockey broadcaster's final regular-season game.
Bob Cole will call the April 6 matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens for his last broadcast before the playoffs, as well as five other additional games, Sportsnet announced Tuesday.
The Leafs-Canadiens tilt will take place on the final Saturday night of the regular season.
Cole was originally only scheduled to work through 2018, with two more games on tap in December. Here are the remaining games he'll call, including the half-dozen new assignments in 2019:
Day
Date
Away
Home
Saturday
Dec.15
Senators
Canadiens
Saturday
Dec. 22
Rangers
Maple Leafs
Saturday
Jan. 5
Predators
Canadiens
Wednesday
Feb. 6
Senators
Maple Leafs
Saturday
March 9
Senators
Bruins
Saturday
March 16
Blackhaws
Canadiens
Saturday
March 30
Canadiens
Jets
Saturday
April 6
Maple Leafs
Canadiens
Cole is in his 50th and final season on Hockey Night in Canada.
