The Washington Capitals placed forward Brooks Laich on waivers Saturday.
The 32-year-old is in the midst of a nightmare season, with only a goal and six assists in 59 games for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Earning $4 million, Laich's under contract for another season at the same salary, but carries a cap hit of $4.5 million.
If Brooks Laich clears waivers and is assigned to AHL, #Caps will clear $950,000 annual space, enough to activate Jay Beagle from LTIR.
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) February 27, 2016
All but one of Laich's 742 regular-season games have been played in a Capitals uniform. He had four straight 40-plus point seasons from 2008-09 through 2011-12, but injuries have kept him from playing a full campaign since. He's averaging a career-low 10:34 of ice time.
Brooks Laich is expected to play in Chicago tomorrow, if he clears. He's on the team. This was just a paperwork issue.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 27, 2016
If that's not the case, and Laich reports to the AHL, he'll still be paid $4 million, according to CSN's Chuck Gormley, and will be eligible for Washington's playoff roster.
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Jiri Sekac is headed to his fourth team in just over a year.
The Arizona Coyotes claimed Sekac off waivers Saturday from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sekac only played in six games for Chicago after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Ryan Garbutt earlier in the season.
With the #coyotes claiming Sekac, the #Blackhawks have cleared $213,844 in pro-rated cap hit.https://t.co/WsidvGa0DU
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) February 27, 2016
The 23-year-old forward has struggled in 2015-16, recording just one goal and three assists in 28 games. He has 27 points in 97 games over his two seasons in the NHL.
He'll have his first opportunity to join the Coyotes roster on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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The first-place Florida Panthers are interested in adding Philadelphia Flyers forward Michael Raffl as a rental player, reports the Miami Herald's George Richards.
Hearing that Pirri is on the table but begrudgingly. Tallon will try to mid-round deal picks. #flapanthers
— Harvey Fialkov (@hfialkov) February 27, 2016
Raffl, 27, has eight goals and nine assists in 60 games, averaging 14:17 of ice time. He's an unrestricted free agent at season's end, earning $1.2 million and carrying a salary cap hit of $1.1 million.
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The Minnesota Wild have lost three straight and have fallen four points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but general manager Chuck Fletcher is keeping his head up.
"I still maintain our team is talented enough to make the playoffs, whether we add a player or not," Fletcher said, according to Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press.
While the team's intentions ahead of this year's deadline remain uncertain, the Wild have been no strangers to deadline deals, making trades in each of the last three seasons.
Working on a #MNWild trade deadline story. Here's a look back at their deadline moves the past three years. pic.twitter.com/0jUCflaKLO
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) February 27, 2016
Unfortunately, none of the deals have given the club any success in the playoffs. The Wild have lost in the conference semifinals the past two seasons and in the quarterfinals in 2013, all at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.
However, those deals haven't made Fletcher any more hesitant to make a move, as he claims his main reason for his passive position is a weak market.
"Not necessarily. I just don't think it’s a particularly strong rental market," said Fletcher.
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Kris Russell's time with the Calgary Flames appears to be nearing its end.
Russell was informed Friday that he is likely to be traded by the Flames, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
"Kris Russell has an injury. He's going to be a game-time decision. We don't know his status yet." - Bob Hartley
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 27, 2016
Dreger adds that there's a very strong market for Russell, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins emerging as front runners ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
The 28-year-old defenseman - a pending unrestricted free agent - carries a $2.6-million cap hit this season.
teams interested in Russell today require $601K in cap space. BOS has it, PIT would need 2 move $ out to make it fit https://t.co/U5e9AivBzD
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) February 27, 2016
He has four goals and 11 assists in 51 games on the campaign, and has played in 198 games over three seasons in Calgary.
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Jonathan Drouin is a hot commodity.
The young Tampa Bay Lightning forward is awaiting a trade, and as Monday's deadline nears, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that "15 to 20 teams have shown varying degrees of interest at varying times."
That's not exactly surprising, considering Drouin's pedigree and the fact he's turning 21 on March 27.
McKenzie's colleague, Darren Dreger, adds that he was "told (Lightning general manager Steve) Yzerman was asking for a right shot (defenseman) as part of any Drouin deal."
Teams, at times, with maybe > than cursory int: ANA, ARI, BOS, CAR, CHI, COL, MIN, MTL, NSH, NJD, NYI, NYR, OTT, PHI, SJ, STL, TOR, VAN, WPG
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 27, 2016
McKenzie adds that some teams have shown repeated interest in the young forward, as opposed to other teams that have simply checked in. He believes the Lightning have "a handful of legit offers to consider."
If Drouin is traded, TB will have to get a piece that helps them this season and a significant prospect for the future. Maybe a pick, too?
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 27, 2016
The Lightning have won five in a row and are only three points back of the Florida Panthers for first place in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay's focus is undoubtedly the playoffs.
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Could Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal join the New York Rangers by Monday's trade deadline? His brother Marc certainly hopes so.
Staal, a pending unrestricted free agent, awaits the Hurricanes' decision on his future. He would need to waive his no-trade clause in order for any deal to take place, but with the Rangers searching for a top-six addition to their lineup, there's certainly a possibility he could end up leaving his one brother Jordan to play alongside his other sibling by early next week.
"It's obviously something that I'd absolutely like to do," Marc Staal said to Andrew Gross of The Record on Friday. "It would be very cool. It would be a nice change of pace from playing against those two."
The 31-year-old Hurricanes captain is in the final year of a $57.75-million deal, and has spent his entire 12-year career in Carolina. However, he has not made the playoffs since 2009, and has only been to the postseason twice throughout his lengthy tenure.
"He’s been in Carolina a long time, he’s given a lot to that organization," Marc Staal said. "They [Eric and Jordan] have enjoyed it for sure. I think both of them would like to be in the playoffs together."
The 29-year-old defenseman inked a six-year, $34.2-million extension with the Rangers last season, but admittedly thought about how it would deny him of the opportunity to ever play on the same team as his brothers.
"It was definitely on my mind when I was re-signing," he said. "When you do that, you limit your opportunities to be able to play with them. Your career is only so long."
That could certainly change by 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
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It was 20 years ago Saturday that the St. Louis Blues acquired the greatest rental player in history.
On this day, during the 1995-96 season, the Blues sent a package of Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, a first-round draft pick in 1997, and a fifth-round draft pick in 1996 to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the league's all-time points leader, Wayne Gretzky.
The move made the Blues a Cup favorite, with a roster including forwards Brett Hull and Dale Hawerchuk, defensemen Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, and goaltender Grant Fuhr.
Gretzky says it was common sense at the time.
"I weighed all my options and just said it makes perfect sense for me to become a St. Louis Blue," Gretzky told Dan O’Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "My wife's from St. Louis. We can live in St. Louis and raise our family there. That's our home and … there were no alternatives, really. Ultimately, they pulled the trigger and I became a St. Louis Blue."
Gretzky seamlessly transitioned into his new team, recording eight goals and 21 points in 18 regular season games, before punching in 16 more points in 13 playoff games.
The club was ultimately ousted by the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals thanks to an iconic Steve Yzerman Game 7, double-overtime winner.
That in turn spelled the end of Gretzky's short-lived time with the Blues, as he would go on to sign with the New York Rangers that summer, where he would play out the final three seasons of his career.
"I often look back at it and think, 'Oh my gosh, if things would have turned out differently, I’d probably still be in St. Louis full-time,'" Gretzky said. "But, you know, the good Lord works in mysterious ways and sometimes that doesn’t happen. But I have nothing but fond memories."
- With h/t to NHL.com
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