The Chicago Blackhawks continue to load up for another Stanley Cup run.
The club has acquired forwards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Phillip Danault and a second-round pick in 2018.
As part of the deal, the Canadiens will retain 30 percent of Weise's salary.
More to come.
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Teddy Purcell could be heading back to Florida.
TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Florida Panthers - forever in the market for a scoring winger - are believed to be making a "strong push" to acquire Purcell from the Edmonton Oilers.
Though Purcell works out of a top six in Edmonton, he only loosely fits the description Panthers general manager Dale Tallon covets. Because while he's broken out a bit offensively flanking Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl, he hasn't scored more than 12 goals in a season since his career-best campaign in 2011-12 when he notched 24 goals and 65 points for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
McKenzie notes that the Los Angeles Kings also have interest in the 30-year-old right-winger, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer when his $4.5-million salary comes off the books.
Purcell's being held out of the Oilers' lineup for the second straight game, likely in anticipation of a deal.
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For the eighth time in 11 seasons, Alex Ovechkin has reached the 40-goal mark. The latest snipe for the Washington Capitals superstar came against Darcy Kuemper and the Minnesota Wild.
Forty goals, eight times for @ovi8. Incredible.https://t.co/PIMStBLKtr
— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2016
Only five players in NHL history have recorded more 40-goal seasons.
Per @EliasSports: Alex Ovechkin (@washcaps) is 10th player in NHL history to record eight or more 40 goal seasons. pic.twitter.com/72zIBdle5f
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 27, 2016
The goal puts Ovechkin five ahead of Patrick Kane atop the NHL leaderboard, putting him in line to win a fourth-straight Maurice Richard Trophy.
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Chris Chelios hears you, and sends it right back.
The legendary defenseman heard some boos from Colorado Avalanche fans as he was introduced as part of the Detroit Red Wings alumni team at Coors Field on Friday, and it clearly didn't rattle him one bit.
This rivalry appears alive and well, at least among the old-timers.
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Shayne Gostisbehere took on an unusual request Friday, sketching the "Ghost Bear" emojis under a signed helmet for a member of the military invited into the Philadelphia Flyers room.
And with hope and a Sharpie, Gostisbehere did a pretty bang-up job.
Ghost signing for military. He was asked to draw a 👻🐻 for his signature: "Sorry if it looks like an angry bird" pic.twitter.com/n2yEVYeaKg
— Kyle (@Kyle_Phillippi) February 26, 2016
- With h/t to Yahoo Sports, Reddit
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These old-timers have still got it.
As the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings get set for Saturday's Stadium Series game at Coors Field in Denver, an esteemed group of hockey legends from both sides gathered to renew acquaintances and pay homage to a great modern rivalry in the alumni game.
After Valeri Kamensky opened the scoring, a pair of Hall of Fame centers got in on the action, beginning with Steve Yzerman's rebound goal past Patrick Roy.
Soon after, Joe Sakic displayed his still deadly wrist shot, beating Ty Conklin up high.
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Stan Bowman's roster re-making and cunning ability to maneuver around the salary walls that are constantly closing in on his empire is the stuff of legends.
Now, this isn't to say he's bamboozled every executive brave enough to seal an agreement with a firm handshake. Brandon Saad's doing just fine in Columbus, thanks. But the Chicago Blackhawks general manager seems to make the most advantageous decision for his dynastic franchise every single time out. Even moves that prompt a few head scratches, work.
So there's really no reason to suggest his latest stroke, the acquisition of the rental market's presumably most-expensive asset, Andrew Ladd, won't be another shrewd decision. One looked back at and lauded, all over again.
It's a former subordinate, though, a man who won a title with Bowman and Ladd almost six years ago, that deserves a heaping slab of credit in the fallout from Thursday night's blockbuster.
Because Kevin Cheveldayoff's come a long way since he tabled a lucrative long-term contract offer to the 10-year veteran who'd recently rolled off a surgical table, and whose signature would have probably victimized the singular, and most unique asset on the Winnipeg Jets' roster.
The Jets GM was met with the greatest plight of his career this summer. Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien, the organization's senior pillars - who though sewn through the fabric of the organization are on the wrong side of 30 - came up for new contracts, and raises, at the same time.
At first, the plan appeared to involve retaining both. However, contract talks in the summer, and even into the start of the season, seemed to focus primarily around Ladd. He was the Jets' captain, a player who recently set a career high in points, and performed valiantly through a sports hernia for a chunk of last season.
Still, to someone outside the market, it seemed misguided. Ladd remains a useful top-six player with 50-point potential. And his role as captain, and in turn his value, transcends point production to a certain extent. But he's a depreciating asset playing a subsidiary position, and a player showing his 10 seasons of on-ice battles.
Simply put: a long-term deal with Ladd would most certainly see the Jets paying for what he's done, not what he will do.
To Winnipeg's benefit but despite its efforts, things would change. Byfuglien, who's actually a few months older than Ladd but has appeared in about 100 fewer games, emerged as Cheveldayoff's priority.
And, he turned out to be a far easier sell.
The Jets signed the best deal for the organization under the circumstances Feb. 8, inking Byfuglien to a five-year extension worth $38 million.
Though a veteran, Byfuglien is still raw and prone to the blunder. But his footprint, overall impact, and combination of skills he'll bring over the next five years is so much greater, and so much more valuable than that of Ladd's.
Limiting the term on Byfuglien, a player that's either at, fast approaching, or now passing the peak of his career was most important in Chevy's dealings. But the timing of his pact with the rover, and clarity gained when the captain was pinched with weeks still leading up to the deadline shouldn't be understated.
It was that defined direction that helped drive up the price over the weeks that Ladd was peddled on the open market, and Cheveldayoff received tremendous value on his asset as a result.
Barring a deal, the Jets will select twice in the first round in back-to-back drafts, while Marko Dano - a former first-round pick in his own right - joins Hobey Baker challenger Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, Joel Armia, and a surplus of quality prospects assembling under the Jets' banner.
It wasn't without a few clumsy first steps, and assistance from Ladd's staunch negotiation, but in retaining Byfuglien and manufacturing a return on their captain, Cheveldayoff made the most of a difficult situation.
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