Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad needed help leaving the ice after an awkward collision Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. He was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a lower-body injury.
Ekblad went to hit Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, but teammate Aleksander Barkov accidentally took out his legs. He couldn't put any weight on his right side as he crawled toward the bench before the training staff helped him off the ice.
.@FlaPanthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has to be helped off the ice after a rough collision early in the first period tonight.
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) March 19, 2022
Ekblad broke his left leg last March and missed the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign as a result.
The 26-year-old is enjoying a career year that's put him into the Norris Trophy conversation. He entered Friday with 57 points in 60 games - fifth among NHL defensemen - while averaging a team-high 25:19 per contest.
The Panthers traded for Ben Chiarot on Wednesday to bolster their defense corps, but they may have to add another blue-liner if Ekblad has to miss time.
"Yeah, if Hags is the guy to get traded, if he’s not a guy that’s a part of a rebuild, then I don’t know," Toews said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
"I don’t know if anyone feels safe at this point, with the way he’s been playing and what he’s meant to our team. I had a hard time thinking in my mind that he would be one of the guys to get shipped off, considering what he brought in. Yeah, that was a tough one to see. I’m pretty shocked, for sure."
The Blackhawks acquired Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, and a pair of first-round picks for Hagel. The 23-year-old, who was enjoying a great season in Chicago, is signed for two more years at a $1.5-million annual cap hit.
General manager Kyle Davidson released a statement Friday citing how the move is a part of the team's rebuild.
"I said a few weeks ago that we are rebuilding, and this is clearly the start of that. Getting two first-round draft picks as well as two young NHL players helps us kickstart that process in a major way," the statement reads.
After winning three Stanley Cups between 2010-2015, the Blackhawks have struggled to get back to being a contender. The club has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
Toews and Patrick Kane each have just one more year remaining on their contracts. The Blackhawks have floated the pair around in trade rumors as they look to usher in a new era, and Toews acknowledged the reality that the franchise could end up trading him and all his teammates.
"Now, all of a sudden, you realize no one on our team is safe, and we could all be going in different directions in the near future - it’s pretty discouraging," Toews said. "I’ll leave it at that for now."
Chicago sent Hagel and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024 to Tampa Bay in exchange for first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, plus forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh.
Hagel is in the midst of a breakout season with 21 goals and 16 assists over 55 games. He's been on fire lately, racking up seven goals and three assists in his last nine contests, including four markers and two helpers in his last four.
The 23-year-old's production this campaign already far exceeds his output of nine goals and 15 assists across 52 games last season.
Hagel's contract carries a $1.5-million cap hit through 2023-24, after which he'd be a restricted free agent, according to CapFriendly.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) is challenging sanctions imposed by the IIHF over the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The IIHF announced last month that Russia and Belarus are banned indefinitely from international play and relocated upcoming events scheduled to take place in the two countries.
The RIHF said the punishments are "discriminatory."
"Banning players from international competition based on nationality fuels intolerance in the media and could lead to divisions within the ice hockey community, which has always been known for its unity," the RIHF's statement said.
Russia has also been sanctioned by other sports authorities such as FIFA and UEFA.
Thursday was a tough one for our shot props. Anze Kopitar came through for us while Brendan Gallagher and John Carlson both fell a shot shy, hitting the net on two of their four attempts.
We'll look to get back on a winning track and start the weekend off right.
Cam Atkinson over 2.5 shots (-150)
Cam Atkinson is the Philadelphia Flyers' most consistent shooting threat. He leads the team in shots on goal, scoring chances, goals, and expected goals on the year. While Travis Konecny's numbers over the last 10 games give him an edge, Atkinson is right on his tail.
Atkinson is a really attractive player to back, especially against a team like the Ottawa Senators. They have been one of the worst shot suppression teams in the league this season and their defense just took a huge hit with Thomas Chabot going down. The Senators also give up a ton of shot volume to right-wingers. Only the Detroit Red Wings have conceded more shots per game to the position.
With Claude Giroux sitting out and waiting for a trade, even more of the offensive load will fall on Atkinson's shoulders. Look for him to be heavily involved against Ottawa.
Johnny Gaudreau over 3.5 shots (+100)
Johnny Gaudreau has amassed 34 shots on goal over his last 10 home dates and is tied with Elias Lindholm for most shot attempts on the Calgary Flames during that period. He doesn't consistently hit four shots but he does hover around that number.
What attracts me to Gaudreau on Friday is the matchup. The Buffalo Sabres give up more shots to left-wingers than every team in the league. No side is even close to touching their ineptitude against the position.
For perspective, the difference in shots allowed between the Sabres and the closest team to them (Anaheim) is 54. That's the same gap as the one between the Ducks and the Nashville Predators, who rank 20th in shots against vs left-wingers.
Whether he finds the scoresheet or not, Gaudreau should be able to generate plenty of chances in this game.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Those have been the Edmonton Oilers' goalies through 61 games and, unless general manager Ken Holland is pulling a fast one on reporters and fans, those are the club's netminders for the rest of the season; Holland has said or inferred it's unlikely the team upgrades its goaltending ahead of Monday's trade deadline. It's a stick to the crotch for Oilers fans given Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the sport's best duo since Lemieux and Jagr, are in the prime of their careers but aren't being surrounded with enough talent.
But what if Holland acquires a defenseman or two? Would Edmonton be OK? Could they then go on a deep run in a relatively weak Western Conference?
The answer would have been, "Uh, no, you idiot," in the latter stages of Dave Tippett's time behind the Oilers' bench. The answer in the early stages of the Jay Woodcroft era has been upgraded to, "Hmm, maybe, yeah, just maybe."
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Since Woodcroft took over as head coach, the Oilers are 11-5-1 for a .676 points percentage versus a 23-18-3 record and .557 PTS% under Tippett. The biggest strides have been made at five-on-five, where the Oilers' goals for percentage and expected goals for percentage have risen from middling to top 10 in the NHL. Here's the high-level breakdown:
I asked Woodcroft on Thursday about the improvements and what kind of message he's been delivering to players with respect to playing at even strength. "I don't want to give away all of the trade secrets," he said initially.
"On our work back to our own end," he added prior to Edmonton's 6-1 beatdown of the Buffalo Sabres. "Understanding that to win down the stretch and to win in the playoffs, your five-on-five game comes down to how hard you're willing to work back to your net and how hard you're willing to defend."
Woodcroft then tacked on an interesting correlation: "There's a lot of side benefits to being organized and relentless ... A lot of the best offense in the NHL comes off of that." You saw the Oilers turn defense into offense countless times against the lowly Sabres. Devin Shore's shorthanded goal in the third period is a prime example:
Seventeen games is a small sample so it's important not to get carried away. However, the Oilers, winners of four in a row heading into a meeting with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, are humming under Woodcroft. And, to steal Woodcroft's terms, they look "organized" and "relentless" at even strength. With McDavid and Draisaitl back to terrorizing the league after a midseason swoon, I'd add"terrifying" with one or both of their superstars on the ice.
Sounds like a tough draw in the playoffs. If only Holland could find a goalie ...
Dahlin's maturity
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After being spoiled by megastars like McDavid and Auston Matthews, we've recently been reminded that development is not always linear for No. 1 picks. There are, in fact, ups and downs. Nico Hischier, Rasmus Dahlin, and Jack Hughes have all needed multiple seasons to reach stardom, while Alexis Lafreniere is still trying to find his groove and Owen Power's still in college.
Dahlin, for one, burst onto the scene in 2018-19, mixing marvelous skating ability and puck skills with a firm handle on the position's subtleties. "He's been as advertised. He's been tremendous," former Sabres teammate Jack Eichel told theScore a month into Dahlin's NHL career. "If he's not one of the best defensemen in the NHL in a few years, I'd be extremely surprised."
Dahlin, then 18, went on to finish third in Calder Trophy voting. Now 21, he has yet to reach those lofty (and widespread) expectations Eichel mentioned. He didn't stumble through the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons but didn't take a gigantic step forward either. One contributing factor was poor defense partners. Another was former bench boss Ralph Krueger asking Dahlin to play too defensive. A third was the league adjusting to Dahlin and his tendencies.
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This season, under head coach Don Granato, the smooth-skating Swede is inching closer to that elite-level status, maturing as a person and player as the Sabres continue to build around him and a handful of other under-25 pieces.
"We want our guys to play a competitive game - feisty, competitive, whatever you want to say - but with an element of being relaxed, being able to be themselves and not fearing a mistake or not fearing repercussions of a mistake," Granato said Thursday morning in Edmonton, characterizing Dahlin as a particularly "fearless" player at his disposal. "We wanted to make sure that became part of our culture. I think the guys have embraced that."
Dahlin, who skates for a team-high 23:45 per contest, is carrying Buffalo's defense corps night after night. And despite taking extra reps on the penalty kill this year, he's on pace to set new career bests in all offensive categories.
Forward Alex Tuch, whom the Sabres acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in February, has been impressed by Dahlin's "unmatched" work ethic. "He really tries to hone in on his craft, and he also expects a lot from himself. He really takes everything he does out there to heart," Tuch said.
Dahlin might not be at the level of Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, and Adam Fox - the truly elite of the elite - but he's muscling his way into that second tier.
"Sky's the limit for a guy like that," Tuch said.
Coyotes pick haul
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A lot of digital ink has been spilled over the dysfunctional Arizona Coyotes, and rightfully so. For starters, an NHL team playing in a 5,000-seat college facility for several years is downright embarrassing on several levels.
Amid the soap opera, general manager Bill Armstrong has been quietly hoarding picks for the upcoming draft. A few days shy of the trade deadline, the Coyotes own 12 picks in 2022, including three in the first round and five in the second.
Let that sink in for a moment: Arizona owns 12.5% of the first 64 picks.
The haul should swell soon, too, with Jakob Chychrun, Phil Kessel, and Lawson Crouse among Coyotes players on the trade block. Arizona, a club $6.3 million clear of the $81.5-million salary cap, can also reel in picks by retaining salary on its own players or acting as a third-party broker in deals involving other teams. The club could easily have 15 picks by Monday afternoon.
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How does this stack up historically? The NHL contracted its draft from nine rounds to seven in 2005, and in the 17 events since, the most players a team has chosen in a single draft is 13. It's happened four times, with the Florida Panthers' 2010 haul - including three first-rounders and three second-rounders - bearing the closest resemblance to the Coyotes in 2022.
Interestingly, the Montreal Canadiens already have 13 picks for the upcoming draft. Arizona trumps Montreal in quality, however. The Habs - also sellers at the deadline - are currently up to "only" two first-rounders and one second.
Parting thoughts
San Jose Sharks: I totally understand the Tomas Hertl extension ($8.14 million annually for eight years, starting next season). The Sharks want to lock up impact players, and Hertl certainly qualifies. It makes sense in a vacuum. But another big-ticket contract on San Jose's books? Really? For 2022-23, the Sharks currently have $68.5 million devoted to 13 players, eight of which are 27 or older. That's insane. They're just spinning their wheels.
On Hertl:
Sharks have incredible rate of player retention during their primes (Thornton, Couture, Burns, Vlasic etc). A Sharks player once told me it’s because of culture Doug Wilson built of wanting to compete every single year.
Alex Ovechkin: Among the many factoids shared over the past week as Ovechkin surpassed Jaromir Jagr for third on the all-time goals list (he's now at 768), this one from the NHL PR team takes the cake: "Alex Ovechkin is the only player in NHL history who has played 1,000-plus career regular-season games without ever having a goal drought longer than 10 games." Amazing.
Defenseman market: Ben Chiarot is a No. 4 defenseman on a contending team, but the Panthers acquired him (and 50% of his salary) for a 2023 first-rounder, a 2022 fourth-rounder, and prospect Ty Smilanic. While Florida is all-in on chasing a Cup this year, and you can't fault them for going for it, that's a steep price. It should set the market for rental defensemen, which is good news for sellers (Seattle, Anaheim) and bad news for buyers (Boston, Toronto).
Doesn't sound like much progress has been made between #NHLDucks and Hampus Lindholm. As we've reported, term has been the sticking point.
Will Verbeek circle back?
Meantime, I'm told Ducks ask for Lindholm is a first-round pick, Grade A top prospect, plus another piece.
Lindholm is a pending unrestricted free agent. He and the Ducks reportedly began negotiating a new deal in late February.
Recently appointed general manager Pat Verbeek said he won't let the club's UFA's "walk out the door for free." That group of players includes Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, and Josh Manson, who's already been traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Ducks exceeded expectations for much of the season but have since fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Anaheim sits five points back of the second wild-card spot with more games played than every fringe team it's chasing.
Lindholm should be a highly valuable piece on the trade market. He can slot into the top four for most contenders and has a palatable $5.205 million cap hit that can be reduced with salary retention.
The 28-year-old was drafted sixth overall by the Ducks in 2012. Lindholm's notched 22 points in 61 games this season while averaging over 22 minutes per night.
Eichel blocked a shot with his arm late in the second period and briefly went to the locker room. He returned to the ice shortly after but didn't come out for the third period.
Eichel has been one of Vegas' most productive forwards since making his debut with the club last month. Including Thursday's brief outing, he has five goals and four assists in 15 games.
