Tag Archives: Hockey

Lightning sign Braydon Coburn to 3-year extension

The Tampa Bay Lightning inked defenseman Braydon Coburn to a three-year contract extension Friday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $3.7 million, according to TSN`s Bob McKenzie.

It includes a full no-trade clause starting now and extending over the first two seasons, then a limited no-trade clause in the final year, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

Coburn was a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $4.5 million this season.

The 30-year-old has nine points and a 5-on-5 Corsi For percentage of 50.82 in 60 games with the Lightning.

Tampa Bay acquired him in a deadline day trade with the Philadelphia Flyers last March.

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5 biggest deadline-day trades since 2010

For Stanley Cup hopefuls, the NHL trade deadline is a day to make one last push to build a roster strong enough to capture the chalice, while for others, it may be the first day of a potentially painful rebuild.

Over the past handful of years, the deadline has seen deals that nearly cemented championships before the playoffs began - and other moves that not only crippled teams' chances of success at the time, but derailed potential future glory.

Here are the five biggest deadline-day trades since 2010:

Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers

On March 5, 2014 the Tampa Bay Lightning dealt team captain and leading scorer Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers for forward Ryan Callahan, a conditional pick in the 2014 draft, and the team's first-round pick in 2015.

Beyond the significance of the player, what made the trade so monumental was the building tension between St. Louis and general manager Steve Yzerman that preceded it.

Though it became known that St. Louis had requested a trade to the Rangers earlier in his career in order to be closer to his family, St. Louis was believed to hold a grudge about being the final player cut from Team Canada's 2014 Olympics roster by his very own GM, which didn't bode well.

St. Louis was ultimately added to that squad thanks to a Steven Stamkos injury, but the damage was done, and soon after, his ticket to the Big Apple was punched.

Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators

While this trade did little to aid either team for its playoff push, it had drastic implications later.

On April 3, 2013, the Washington Capitals traded 2012 first-round pick Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for forwards Martin Erat and Michael Latta.

The move was a complete head-scratcher: Why did the Capitals give up on a budding prospect so early for a question mark in Erat?

Erat failed miserably in his tenure with his new club, putting up just one goal and three points in the final nine games of the 2013 season and going pointless in the postseason.

He managed just one goal in 53 games with the Capitals the following season before being shipped to the then-Phoenix Coyotes. He's now playing in the KHL.

Meanwhile, in his first taste of the NHL last year, Forsberg impressed by tallying 26 goals and 63 points - marks Erat never hit in 12 full seasons in the league.

Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Marian Gaborik has become one of the more talked-about bodies at recent trade deadlines.

In 2013, the Rangers traded Gaborik (and defensemen Blake Parlett and Steven Delisle) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard, John Moore, and a 2014 sixth-round pick.

It was interesting to see the Rangers deal Gaborik - who'd tallied 41 goals just one season earlier - as the team was heading into the playoffs.

The trade worked appeared to work out for the Rangers, though: Brassard went on to lead the team in scoring in the postseason, totaling 12 points in 12 games, and remains a key piece of the club's roster to this day. The move also set up Gaborik for success later - but not with Columbus.

Ben Bishop to the Tampa Bay Lightning

The 2013 trade deadline was a fun day.

The Lightning and Ottawa Senators got in on the action as the Senators shipped goaltender Ben Bishop to the Lightning for forward Cory Conacher and a fourth-round pick in 2013, previously acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers.

After setting the American Hockey League on fire, Conacher burst onto the scene in Tampa, potting nine goals and 24 points in his first 35 games. The Lightning appeared to know his capabilities and sold him at his highest value, acquiring their potential franchise goaltender in the process.

Conacher has since been traded twice more and is now producing effectively in the Swiss Elite League, making it fairly easy to name a winner in this transaction.

Bishop, meanwhile, has amassed 104 wins as a member of the Lightning and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final last season, falling just two wins shy of hockey's ultimate prize.

Marian Gaborik to the Los Angeles Kings

After the 34-year-old was shipped out to aid a club in 2013, one year later, Gaborik was the key piece in a move to construct a Stanley Cup champion.

Gaborik was acquired by the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Matt Frattin, the Edmonton Oilers' third-round pick in 2014, and the Toronto Maple Leafs' second-round pick in 2015.

The deal paid immediate dividends for the Kings as Gaborik was reborn on the West Coast, putting up five goals and 16 points in 19 games to conclude the regular season.

However, he truly demonstrated his value during the playoffs when he went off for 14 goals and 22 points in 26 games, making a large contribution to the Kings' second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

-With h/t to Today's Slapshot

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Canadiens’ Beaulieu to be sidelined 2-3 weeks

The Montreal Canadiens' blue line will take a hit as defenseman Nathan Beaulieu will be out two-to-three weeks with a lower-body injury.

He suffered the ailment during Montreal's 2-1 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday, and finished with 24 shifts and 21:25 of ice time.

The 23-year-old is enjoying his second full season in the league and has amassed two goals and 17 points in 56 games.

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Report: Blue Jackets’ Johnson out indefinitely

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without defenseman Jack Johnson for the foreseeable future.

The 29-year-old is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.

Johnson was forced from Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils with the injury in the second period.

He had dressed in 60 of the team's 62 games this season, recording six goals and 14 points. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are expected to call up a replacement from their American Hockey League affiliate.

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Bartkowski’s career night helps snap Sens’ streak

How do you get the best out of Matt Bartkowski? Tell him he might be traded.

One day after it was reported that the Vancouver Canucks had named him as one of seven players available at the trade deadline, the 27-year-old went off for a career-best, three-point night - scoring two goals and adding an assist - in a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Bartkowski picked up a point on the first three Canucks goals, and after his second goal knotted the score at three apiece, the team's Twitter account couldn't help but acknowledge the man keeping them in the game.

"I probably have like eight voicemails from my mom," Bartkowski said post-game about his proud mother, who gained fame watching her son score live during a game earlier in the month. "You're lucky she wasn't here or everyone would have heard her tonight."

Bartkowski now has five goals and 11 assists in 59 games this season.

Emerson Etem also had a two-goal game, adding an empty-netter in the final minute to clinch the win. Jake Virtanen scored the game-winner during a third-period power play, and Ryan Miller made 27 saves to pick up his second consecutive win.

As for the Senators, they saw their four-game winning streak come to an end as they hope to make yet another late-season push for the playoffs. Star forwards Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Bobby Ryan all found the net for Ottawa.

The Canucks have one more game before the trade deadline, as they host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. The Senators will finish their three-game Western Canadian road trip against the Calgary Flames on Friday.

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VIDEO: Mark Stone high-fives fan on the glass after shorthanded goal

Mark Stone was understandably pumped after netting his 20th goal of the season against the Vancouver Canucks, immediately skating to the glass to high-five some traveling Ottawa Senators fans in the corner after the shorthanded tally.

The goal gave the Senators a 2-1 lead as they looked to extend their winning streak to six games.

The 23-year-old needs six more goals to match his career high from a year ago.

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Dan Hamhuis addresses trade rumors in candid radio interview

With his name flying around in trade rumors ahead of the NHL's Feb. 29 deadline, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis gave a candid interview on TSN 1040, reiterating that he hasn't been asked to waive his no-trade clause.

Related - Report: Blackhawks have 'serious interest' in Canucks' Hamhuis, Vrbata

"Everything is in the realm of possibility because there's so many moving parts," the pending unrestricted free agent said. "It's not fun seeing all the speculation."

Hamhuis is in the final season of a contract paying him $4.25 million while carrying a cap hit of $4.5 million. The 33-year-old is from British Columbia, so potentially leaving the team he came home to play for presents an agonizing decision.

"This is not what you play for," he said. "You play to be in a playoff race."

The Canucks are 10 points back in the Western Conference wild-card race. It's all but officially over, and the team's reportedly "open for business" in the trade market.

Hamhuis could waive his no-trade clause, go to a contender to try and win a Stanley Cup, then return to Vancouver as a free agent in the offseason.

"You can argue the pros and cons until you're blue in the face. No one has asked me to waive anything."

The club confirmed the fact on Twitter.

Hamhuis added that he'll assess his options with his family over the next few days, and that he'll head into the weekend with an open mind.

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