The club placed goaltender Petr Mrazek on waivers Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The team also reportedly signed netminder Harri Sateri to a one-year contract worth $750,000.
Sateri will need to clear waivers before joining the squad.
Toronto signed Mrazek to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.8 million in free agency this past offseason. His first season with the Maple Leafs has been disastrous, though: The 30-year-old owns an .884 save percentage in 17 appearances - the third-worst mark in the league among qualified goalies. He's also missed time with injuries.
Mrazek will count for $2.675 million against the salary cap if he goes unclaimed and is assigned to the AHL.
Sateri has a 4-4-0 record, .911 save percentage, and 2.92 goals against average in nine NHL appearances - all with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18. The 32-year-old journeyman has put together an impressive career overseas since then. He recorded a .926 save percentage in 38 KHL contests this past season and led Finland to a gold medal at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing by posting a sparkling .962 save percentage in five games.
The Maple Leafs' primary starter, Jack Campbell, is currently sidelined with a rib injury. The team projected a two-week timeline for his recovery on March 10.
Campbell's injury was viewed as a chance for Mrazek to run with the starting gig. Instead, he's ceded that role to rookie Erik Kallgren, who's posted a .930 save percentage in four appearances.
Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said Sunday it's "probably fair to say" Ekblad is considered week-to-week, according to the Miami Herald's David Wilson.
Brunette added the club will know more once the swelling in the injured area decreases, according to team reporter Jameson Olive. He also said there's "nothing overly concerning long term" about the injury.
Ekblad had to be helped off the ice with an apparent leg injury after an awkward collision during the Panthers' win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Brunette said at the time that there was "nothing structural" about Ekblad's injury and that the diagnosis appeared "way better" than the team expected.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported Sunday that Florida will place Ekblad on long-term injured reserve and that he'll miss the rest of the regular season before returning "sometime during the first round" of the playoffs. If the Panthers go that route, Ekblad will only be required to sit out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days.
Florida has 20 regular-season games remaining. Its schedule runs until April 29 following the delayed start to the 2021-2022 season.
The Panthers added defensive depth Sunday, acquiring Robert Hagg from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2022 sixth-round pick. Florida also landed rearguard Ben Chiarot in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
With Monday's trade deadline quickly approaching, Saturday was a hectic and stressful day for NHL front offices. Countless phone calls later, two blockbuster trades crossed the finish line. We break down both deals below.
Florida acquires Giroux
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
To FLA: F Claude Giroux, F Connor Bunnaman, F German Rubtsov, 5th-round pick (2024) To PHI: 1st-round pick (2024), 3rd-round pick (2023), F Owen Tippett (Philadelphia retains 50% of Giroux's $8.3M salary)
First, a fun and relevant fact: The 2021-22 Florida Panthers are the most prolific offensive team in recent memory. Seriously. Florida's 4.07 goals-per-game rate through 62 contests leads all 516 teams of the salary cap era.
Apparently leaving no stone unturned, Panthers general manager Bill Zito added to his attack Saturday by reeling in Giroux, the biggest name on the trade block.
The Panthers can now trot out Giroux alongside Jonathan Huberdeau or Aleksander Barkov on the top line. The 1B line can be Huberdeau or Barkov with Sam Reinhart. And from there, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Duclair, Mason Marchment, and Anton Lundell round out a laughably dangerous top-nine forward crew. Simply put, that's an overwhelming amount of speed, playmaking, and finishing ability to try to defend in a playoff series.
Giroux, who leaves the Philadelphia Flyers with 900 points in 1,000 games, isn't in his prime anymore. However, the 34-year-old is still an impact player at both ends of the ice. He's a crafty, pass-first center/wing who should help the Panthers in the faceoff circle (60.9 FO% this season) and on the power play.
Zito also beefed up the blue line earlier this week, picking up Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens. These two swaps solidify the Panthers' all-in mentality and, suddenly, the roster's lone question mark - goaltending - is less of a concern with Giroux and Chiarot deepening the skater pool. Sergei Bobrovsky only needs to be decent for Florida to go on a deep playoff run.
The Panthers don't own a first-round pick until 2025. But, given how long they've been stuck in mediocrity, who cares? They're finally chasing a Stanley Cup.
Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images
As for the Flyers, GM Chuck Fletcher did alright - he didn't hit it out of the park with this deal, nor did he give away Giroux for pennies on the dollar. Giroux is a pending unrestricted free agent with a no-movement clause, so Fletcher didn't have a ton of leverage. Only a few teams were really in the mix.
While a first-round pick is immensely valuable regardless of year, it's not ideal for the Flyers to wait until 2024. They want to retool quickly, and the player chosen in 2024 won't crack the NHL lineup until 2026 at the earliest. That said, the fact the third-rounder is for 2023 rather than 2022 is a win considering the hype surrounding the '23 draft crop.
Tippett's a bit of a boom-or-bust pickup for Philly. A change of scenery could jump-start the 23-year-old's career. On the other hand, it's possible the trade proves he's just not the player he was projected to be coming out of junior.
The 6-foot-1, 207-pound right-handed winger possesses a missile of a shot and has collected 14 goals in 94 games. Stuck behind so many talented forwards, he averaged a measly 11:56 of ice a night in a Panthers uniform. He'll be offered a clean slate and (presumably) larger role on the offense-deprived Flyers. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with the opportunity.
Panthers: A Flyers: B-
Lindholm lands in Boston
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To BOS: D Hampus Lindholm, D Kodie Curran To ANA: 1st-round pick (2022), 2nd-round pick (2023, 2024), D Urho Vaakanainen, D John Moore (Anaheim retains 50% of Lindholm's $5.2M salary)
Lindholm is a quality top-four defenseman, not a Norris Trophy contender, so on the surface, it seems like the Boston Bruins overpaid here.
However, context is key, especially around the deadline. For one, the market for rental defensemen was set quite high by the Chiarot deal, which saw a first-rounder, fourth-rounder, and promising prospect head the other way. Also, while Lindholm's technically a rental right now, the Bruins and Lindholm's camp are reportedly working toward a long-term extension.
With context, the deal is much more palatable from Boston's perspective.
Lindholm, a 28-year-old jack-of-all-trades type, can take some of the heavy lifting off Charlie McAvoy's shoulders down the stretch and into the playoffs. The career-long Anaheim Ducks rearguard is a strong skater who defends well and chips in offensively on occasion. He can play with virtually anyone and can be used on both special teams and in end-of-game situations. In a word, he's solid.
At the end of the day, the Bruins needed to bring in a defenseman and Lindholm was the best-case scenario among players believed to be available.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Since the Ducks and Lindholm didn't see eye to eye on an extension, it only made sense for them to start a bidding war for the pending UFA's services. To reel in a first and two seconds plus a prospect with NHL upside like Vaakanainen is a tidy piece of business by Ducks GM Pat Verbeek.
Unlike the Bruins, Lindholm's imminent extension shouldn't be a major factor in grading the Ducks' work. What happens after the trade isn't overly relevant to them and their plans to build around youngsters Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale through a retool of sorts. The player - who they couldn't re-sign themselves - is gone.
The Lindholm swap wasn't Verbeek's first trade and it won't be his last ahead of the deadline. He's flipped rugged defenseman Josh Manson to Colorado and depth forward Nicolas Deslauriers to Minnesota, and goal-scoring winger Rickard Rakell's on deck. Verbeek, hired in February to replace Ducks staple Bob Murray, is quickly putting his stamp on the franchise.
Bruins: B Ducks: A
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
Forward Brandon Hagel is now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is still with the Chicago Blackhawks, but it appears things could've turned out very differently.
The swap didn't advance to the point where Fleury was asked to waive his no-trade clause as Toronto balked due to the amount of futures involved, Dreger adds.
Toronto traded its 2021 first-round pick prior to last year's trade deadline as part of a package for veteran forward Nick Foligno.
The Maple Leafs find themselves in the midst of a goalie crisis. Jack Campbell has struggled mightily since putting up Vezina-worthy stats earlier in the campaign, while Mrazek has been squirrely at best; the 30-year-old has logged a .884 save percentage and a 3.48 goals-against average across 17 appearances.
Erik Kallgren, Toronto's new face in the crease, has put up more inspiring numbers since he came onto the scene earlier this month, albeit in a very small sample size; he's registered a .930 save percentage across four outings.
The Blackhawks got a big-time haul for Hagel on Friday, receiving the Lightning's first-round pick in 2023 and 2024 as well as forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh.
Fleury, meanwhile, is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $7-million cap hit. His deal includes a 10-team no-trade list. The 37-year-old has authored a .909 save percentage with the Blackhawks this season.
The Maple Leafs drafted Knies in the second round last year. He has 10 goals and 17 assists in 29 games with the Minnesota Golden Gophers this season. The 19-year-old forward represented the United States at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Knyzhov hasn't suited up for a game this season after undergoing surgery on a lower-body ailment in October. He was initially expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks.
The 24-year-old experienced setbacks after the procedure, including infections.
"The poor guy, he was on an IV for a couple months, trying to just clear the infection out of his system," Boughner said, according to San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng.
Knyzhov also had to contend with groin issues and a sports hernia.
There is no timeline for Knyzhov to begin skating again, but the team believes he's now on an upward trajectory and has put the worst of the experience behind him, per team beat reporter Curtis Pashelka.
Knyzhov enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Sharks last year, logging 10 points in 59 games while averaging 16:44 minutes of ice time. He showed promise as a top-four defenseman and played alongside Erik Karlsson.
Philadelphia will reportedly receive forward Owen Tippett, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for Giroux's services, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. The Panthers will also receive prospects Connor Bunnaman and German Rubtsov, as well as a 2024 fifth-round pick.
The Flyers are reportedly retaining 50% of his salary, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.
The deal's details remain unfinalized.
Florida's package was competitive but "not as aggressive as Boston or Colorado," Kaplan adds.
Giroux was one of the market's top names available heading into Monday's trade deadline. His contract, which carries an $8.275 million cap hit, contains a full no-movement clause, meaning he had control over his next move.
The 34-year-old was reportedly was only willing to accept a trade to the Panthers, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Giroux logged 18 goals and 24 assists in 57 contests this season on a struggling Philadelphia squad. Giroux skated in his 1,000th game as a Flyer on Thursday night, but the team held him out of Friday's contest versus the Ottawa Senators as trade rumors continued to heat up.
Bunnaman, a 2016 fourth-round pick, played in 15 games with Philadelphia this campaign. The 23-year-old forward has three points in 54 career NHL contests.
The Flyers drafted Rubtsov in the first round in 2016, and the forward suited up for just four games during the 2019-20 campaign.
Tippett was the odd-man-out in Florida's deep forward corps. The 2017 10th overall pick registered six goals and eight assists in 42 games this season.
Philly's 2006 22nd overall pick leaves as the franchise's second-leading scorer with 900 points, sitting behind only Bobby Clarke, who still holds the top spot with 1,210. Giroux, the longest-tenured captain in Flyers history, was initially given the "C" in 2013.
The veteran center made the Stanley Cup Finals once with Philly in 2009-10, but his side ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Giroux last suited up for a playoff game in 2020 when the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders in a spirited second-round series.
The seven-time All-Star will add his top-line pedigree to an already strong Panthers squad destined for the postseason. Florida sits atop the Atlantic Division with a 42-14-6 record.
