All posts by Sean O'Leary

Report: Jets trade Stafford to Bruins for conditional 6th-rounder

The Winnipeg Jets have traded winger Drew Stafford to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Before head coach Bruce Cassidy took over for Claude Julien on Feb. 7, the Bruins were unfathomably snakebitten in terms of scoring goals, and adding Stafford provides some depth to the roster.

Stafford will likely serve as a rental, as he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The 32-year-old has missed time with injuries this season, and is experiencing a down year in terms of production, only recording four goals and nine assists in 40 games.

Still, Stafford has reached the 20-goal mark four times in his career, with a personal best of 31 coming in 2010-11 as a Buffalo Sabre.

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Report: Devils send Parenteau to Predators for 6th-round pick

The New Jersey Devils have traded forward P.A. Parenteau to the Nashville Predators for a sixth-round draft pick, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The Predators will be Parenteau's third team this season, after signing with the Islanders in the summer, before surprisingly being waived and consequently claimed by the Devils.

Parenteau can slot in the wing in Nashville's top or bottom six, as well as on the power play.

In 59 games with the Devils this season, Parenteau, 33, has recorded 13 goals and added 14 assists.

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Golden Knights given green light to start making deals

The Vegas Golden Knights can now officially wheel and deal with their NHL counterparts.

While 30 franchises were occupied by Wednesday's trade deadline, the NHL's 31st team submitted its final league payment, and as a result, can start making deals, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

"On behalf of the Board of Governors, I am delighted to officially welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Congratulations to Bill Foley, the Foley family, the Maloof family, the city of Las Vegas and the Golden Knights’ fans as the team embarks on its exciting journey."

Of course, the Golden Knights can't trade for any roster players, given they'll have nowhere to play, but Vegas can begin to make pre-expansion trades for prospects, as well as sign college free agents.

The official expansion draft is set for June 21.

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Resurgent Toews named NHL’s 1st star of the month

By recording seven goals and 11 assists in 10 games, red-hot Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was named the NHL's first star of the month for February, the league announced Wednesday.

Toews has skyrocketed his season total to 46 points as the Blackhawks pursue the Minnesota Wild for the Central Division crown.

Joining Toews for last month's honors is Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg, who led the NHL with 11 goals and added six assists in 13 games. Particularly of late, Forsberg has been on a special kind of tear that featured consecutive hat tricks and three game-winning goals.

Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby took home third star honors, posting an 8-0-1 record with a 1.88 GAA and save percentage of .928.

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Laine named February’s rookie of the month

Winnipeg Jets super freshman Patrik Laine has been named the NHL's rookie of the month for February, the league announced Wednesday.

Laine recorded eight goals and seven assists in 11 games to beat out Auston Matthews and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins to earn the honor.

The 18-year-old's spectacular month was highlighted by his third hat trick of the season, coming Feb. 14 against Dallas, as Laine became the first rookie to record three hat tricks in one season since 1992-93.

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Report: Kings showing interest in Iginla

Jarome Iginla only has a few hours to be dealt from Colorado to a cup contender he desires, and it appears he may have a suitor.

The Los Angeles Kings are reportedly interested in the 39-year-old winger, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Iginla owns a full no-move clause, but has previously said he's willing to waive it for a chance at his first Stanley Cup.

Oddly, while McKenzie says the interest between Los Angeles and Iginla may be mutual, the Kings are currently one point outside a playoff seed in the Western Conference.

However, they're desperate for offense, and Iginla - a surefire Hall of Famer - has 619 NHL goals on his resume. That said, for the struggling Avalanche this season, Iginla's registered just eight goals and 10 assists in 61 games.

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Doan not asking Chayka to find trade out of desert

Shane Doan isn't forcing his way out of the only organization he's ever known.

The Arizona Coyotes captain - on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season - has been linked to trade rumors recently as a pending unrestricted free agent.

Winning a Stanley Cup has eluded Doan his entire career, and while he'd like the chance to compete for one, he's not asking his boss to pull a deal out of thin air.

"I'm not going to ask (general manager) John (Chayka) to go find me anything," Doan told Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. "I'm not going to do that by any means."

Doan would have to waive his no-move clause to be traded out of the desert before Wednesday's deadline, and recently publicly disagreed with the Coyotes decision to trade Martin Hanzal.

The 40-year-old has logged a remarkable 1,528 games with the Coyotes/Jets franchise, recording 401 goals and 564 assists as one of the fan bases most beloved players.

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Report: Filppula rejected trade to Leafs as part of bigger Boyle package

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash prior to the deadline by renting Brian Boyle from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Byron Froese and a second-round pick, but apparently the Atlantic Division foes had a little more in the works.

Lightning forward Valtteri Filppula rejected a trade to Toronto as part of a bigger trade that included Boyle, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Filppula, 32, is familiar with Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, having been drafted by the Red Wings in 2002 and remaining in the organization until the 2013-14 season.

In 59 games this season, Filppula's scored seven goals and added 27 assists.

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A look back at the last time the Leafs beat the Canadiens

January 18th, 2014.

For most, the date holds little significance, just another run of the mill Saturday in the heart of winter.

Unless of course, you're the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans, who begrudgingly remember it as the last time they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

Yes, that's right, thanks to Andrew Shaw's dramatic overtime winner Saturday night, the Habs own a 14-game winning streak over their oldest rival, and will take the streak into the fall at least, as the season-series concluded with the agitator's slick finish in extra time.

The numbers, they do not lie:

Date Result
March 1st 2014 4-3 MTL
March 22nd 2014 4-3 MTL
October 8th 2014 4-3 MTL
February 14th 2015 2-1 MTL (SO)
February 28th 2015 4-0 MTL
April 11th 2015 4-3 MTL (SO)
October 7th 2015 3-1 MTL
October 24th 2015 5-3 MTL
January 23th 2016 3-2 MTL (SO)
February 27th 2016 4-1 MTL
October 29th 2016 2-1 MTL
November 19th 2016 2-1 MTL
January 7th 2017 5-3 MTL
February 25th 2017 3-2 MTL (OT)

Those are the results since Toronto's most recent triumph over Montreal, over three years ago now, when Phil Kessel assisted James van Riemsdyk's third period game-winning goal en route to a 5-3 victory.

The changeover

It's no secret, but both clubs have undergone drastic changes throughout Montreal's streak.

Only five players remain on Toronto's active roster since its last win over the Canadiens: van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly. Not to mention, a new coach, general manager, and team president.

Montreal, meanwhile, has undergone plenty of roster turnover in its own right, namely swapping P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, among plenty of other deals and recently, hiring a new head coach.

The future

Despite the continued one-sided results, Saturday's contest offered something new: significance.

For the first time in a long time, Montreal and Toronto dueled with more than just pride on the line. Both teams are in the middle of a wide-open race in the Atlantic Division, and Saturday's electric atmosphere should serve as a barometer of what's in store for years to come.

Both the Maple Leafs and Canadiens find themselves in better positions for success than they did three years ago, and based on this season's narrow results, the historic rivalry is heating up once again.

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Leafs unveil throwback St. Pats uniforms

The Toronto Maple Leafs are paying homage to their roots.

When the Leafs host the Chicago Blackhawks on March 18, they'll don Toronto St. Pats jerseys, honoring the franchise's 1919-27 moniker.

Here's a look at the full getup, which ties into Toronto's year-long centennial celebration:

Pretty spiffy.

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