All posts by Bryan Mcwilliam

Maple Leafs trade Engvall to Islanders for 3rd-round pick

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders for a third-round pick in the 2024 draft, the Leafs announced Tuesday.

Engvall, 26, potted 12 goals and added nine assists in 58 games this season.

The swap came shortly after Toronto made two other trades Tuesday, acquiring defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the Washington Capitals and reportedly adding blue-liner Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks.

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Canucks trade Horvat to Islanders

The Vancouver Canucks traded All-Star center and team captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders for winger Anthony Beauvillier, youngster Aatu Raty, and a conditional 2023 first-round selection, the teams announced Monday.

The first-round pick is top-12 protected for this year's draft and becomes unprotected if it slides to 2024, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Horvat is amid a career campaign, recording 54 points in 49 games, including 31 goals. The former ninth overall pick has accrued 201 goals and 420 points in 621 contests during his nine-year career. He was slated to represent the Canucks at the upcoming All-Star Weekend in Sunrise, Florida.

The 27-year-old joins an Islanders squad that features Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal and sits sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 55 points.

Horvat is an unrestricted free agent at season's end and carries a $5.5-million cap hit. He's expected to command more than $8 million annually on the open market, which is a price tag the Canucks aren't going to be able to meet.

"I believe we've taken our best shot. The contract we have on the table for Bo right now is fair value for what he's done up to this year, but it's certainly under value for what he's done this year," president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said on Jan. 16, according to CBC's Karin Larsen.

Prior to the trade, Beauvillier, 25, sat seventh on the Islanders with 20 points. The Quebec native has a cap hit of $4.15 million after signing a three-year deal in 2021. He'll be a UFA when his contract expires in 2024.

Raty, a 20-year-old Finnish center, notched two goals in 12 games for New York this season. The former second-rounder also posted 15 points for the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders in 2022-23.

It's been a disappointing campaign for the Canucks, who sit near the league's bottom with a 20-26-3 record. The team's front office recently faced heavy criticism for how it handled head coach Bruce Boudreau's dismissal.

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Tortorella fined $25k for conduct during media availability

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella was fined $25,000 for his conduct during a media availability following Game 5 of his team's first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL announced on Tuesday.

Tortorella walked out after 40 seconds, saying he didn't want to address "the touchy, feely stuff, and the moral victories and all that."

Columbus lost to Tampa in five games, including in Game 1 following five overtimes.

Tortorella's fine money will go to the NHL Foundation.

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Islanders’ Trotz passes Arbour for 4th on all-time wins list

Barry Trotz moved into fourth place on the NHL's all-time wins list after the New York Islanders defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 at KeyBank Center on Monday.

The 56-year-old Islanders coach secured his 783rd career victory to move past Al Arbour.

Trotz sits 461 wins back of all-time leader Scotty Bowman but isn't far behind Ken Hitchcock, who entered Monday in third with 832 victories.

Now in his 20th season as an NHL bench boss, Trotz secured 557 wins with the Nashville Predators and another 205 with the Washington Capitals.

After winning his first Stanley Cup with the Capitals last season, Trotz resigned because of a contract dispute. He was hired by the Islanders in June.

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