CarterHud

 

       The Los Angeles Kings have acquired defenseman Olli Maatta from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Brad Morrison.

       A former first round pick, Maatta\’s career has taken a dip, and a lot of it is thanks to injuries. Maatta has played in 82 games just once (2017-18), and the only other season that he appeared in at least 70 games was his rookie year of 2013-14. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Maatta was in danger of being bought out by the Blackhawks because of his $4.083 million cap hit, and the Blackhawks facing a goaltending issue, plus Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome\’s expiring contract with little cap space. Chicago does retain about $750k from Maatta\’s contract, but having a cap hit of $750k is better than a $4.083 million hit. Maatta is still a quality player, but when you are desperate, a team can take advantage of you. That is what the Kings are doing. They have a weak defense, especially on the left side after trading away Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez in recent seasons. Getting Maatta, who has a manageable $3.33 million cap hit (after the Blackhawks retained salary) for two more seasons is worth it. In return, they give up Morrison, an ECHL player who was a 4th rounder in 2015 by the Rangers, but didn\’t sign. It would be a surprise if he makes the NHL. Maatta\’s stock also increased after a strong playoff run, scoring three goals with three assists in nine games, with only one less goal than his regular season total. 

       Maatta, 26, scored four goals with 13 assists for 17 points in 65 games for the Blackhawks in 2019-20. In his NHL career for Chicago and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Maatta has 29 goals with 95 assists for 124 points in 427 games. 

       Morrison, 23, scored six goals with 13 assists for 19 points in 17 games for the ECHL\’s Fort Wayne Komets this past season. In 2018-19 for the AHL\’s Ontario Reign, Morrison had 10 goals with 10 assists for 20 points in 50 games. 

 

       The Ottawa Senators have acquired defenseman Josh Brown from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2020 4th round pick (95th overall).

       The Senators have a need for a right-handed defenseman. While Brown isn\’t a game changer, Nikita Zaitsev is the only right-hander on the roster with more experience. It wouldn\’t be a surprise if the Senators signed a depth defenseman, or if they let top prospect Erik Brannstrom play on the right side. Unless that happens or 2019 first round pick Lassi Thomson makes the roster, then Christian Jaros would be the bottom pairing defenseman. Standing six feet and five inches tall, Brown has played for the Panthers over the past two seasons, playing in a decent amount of games. Brown is going to be an RFA, and it isn\’t guaranteed that he would be back with the Panthers anyway if this trade wasn\’t made. Brown can be a bigger version of Dylan DeMelo, the defensive defenseman the Sens traded to Winnipeg in February. The Senators don\’t have a fourth round pick after this trade, but they have 9 picks in the first three rounds, so they will be fine. For the Panthers, Brown was being passed on the depth chart by MacKenzie Weegar and Brady Keeper. They could either upgrade on the right side, but most likely they will look for an improvement on the left side after trading away Mike Matheson to Pittsburgh. Getting a 4th round pick for Brown, a 2013 6th rounder who hasn\’t shown much in the NHL is good value.

       Brown, 26, scored three goals with five assists for eight points in 56 games for the Panthers in 2019-20. In his NHL career, Brown has four goals with six assists for 10 points in 93 games. 

 

       The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired F Brandon Pirri from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for F Dylan Sikura.

       Throughout his career, Pirri has always been a player who just couldn\’t stay as a regular for a team. That was true with his first team, which was, well, the Chicago Blackhawks. A 2009 2nd rounder, Pirri played in 35 games over parts of four seasons for Chicago, including one game in the championship 2012-13 season. Right as he started to get a chance with the Blackhawks, he was traded to the Panthers, and in 2014-15 he put up one of the weirdest stat lines in NHL history, scoring 22 goals in 49 games, but recording just two assists. He has bounced from team-to-team since, and has appeared in games over the past three seasons for Vegas. His Golden Knights career started off strong, with 15 goals in 33 games, but he couldn\’t score in his stint this year. Pirri has proven that he can score at the NHL level, as he has averaged about 21 goals per 82 games in his career. He also has gaudy AHL numbers, with 230 points in 226 games dating back to 2012-13. If he plays for the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, he will add to his 200 career points in Rockford, the most ever for an IceHog. Sikura is like Pirri, as he has had success at the AHL level (although it doesn\’t match Pirri\’s numbers) but hasn\’t stuck around with the NHL club. However, he is still young but hasn\’t shown that he can score in the NHL yet.

        Pirri, 29, had two points, both assists, in 16 games for the Golden Knights this past season. He also had 15 goals with 20 assists for 35 points in 38 AHL games. In his NHL career for the Golden Knights, Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks, Pirri has 72 goals with 49 assists for 121 points in 275 games.

       Even though the Golden Knights wouldn\’t give Pirri a chance, they might give Sikura a look. While Pirri is more of a goal scorer, Sikura is a playmaker. He dominated at Northeastern University before making the jump to the NHL in 2017-18. He hasn\’t been able to prove that he\’s an NHL player, and his big shot came in 2018-19, when he appeared in 33 games. But, he had just points, all assists. The Blackhawks, a team that has often had weak depth, is a team that is much easier to crack than the stacked Golden Knights, so the Ontario native will face a bigger challenge.

        Sikura, 25, scored one goal with two assists for three points in nine games for the Blackhawks this year and 14 goals with 19 assists for 33 points in 45 AHL games. In his NHL career, all in Chicago, Sikura has one goal with 3 assists for 14 points in 47 games. 

 

       The Detroit Red Wings have acquired defenseman Marc Staal and a 2021 second round pick from the New York Rangers in exchange for future considerations. 

       Even though Ryan Strome and Tony DeAngelo are RFAs, the Rangers aren\’t in a terrible cap situation.  But, after this trade, they are able to clear up $5.7 million in cap space. While they give up a second round pick, it isn\’t that bad compared to last year\’s Patrick Marleau trade, when the Hurricanes got a first rounder for taking on Marleau\’s $6 million cap hit. After this trade, the Rangers have just over $20 million in cap space. They could possibly fit in a top free agent, plus Henrik Lundqvist\’s $8.5 million cap hit is coming off the books after this next season. Having two first round picks this year, including the first overall pick, and eight overall picks next year will ease the pain of losing the second rounder. Staal has been with the Rangers since he was a first round draft pick in 2005, and nearly played in 900 games for them. The veteran will be missed in the locker room, although his play has diminished over the years. 

       The Red Wings have been busy today, signing both Sam Gagner and Turner Elson to deals and now making this trade. Even after the deal, they are still around $6 million under the cap floor, although they will easily get over with Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and more becoming RFAs. The Wings could decide to buyout Staal, but with veteran defensemen Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson all but officially gone, they could use Staal\’s leadership on the blue line. Getting a second round pick for a cap hit of $5.7 million for one year is not a bad idea for the Red Wings.

       Staal, 33, scored two goals with nine assists for 11 points in 52 games for the Rangers this past season. In his NHL career, all in New York, Staal has 43 goals with 145 assists for 188 points in 892 games. 

from Getty Images

 

       The Florida Panthers have acquired F Patric Hornqvist from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for D Mike Matheson and F Colton Sceviour. 

        Right when this trade was originally announced as a possibility yesterday, before Sceviour was reported to be a part of it, the hockey world collectively felt confusion. Hornqvist might not be the player he once was, and his contract situation may not be ideal for the cap-strapped Penguins, but Matheson is on a worse deal, and even at his age, he is not a good player. In the second year of an eight year deal with an AAV of $4.875 million, Matheson played poorly in the return to play, and that is an understatement. In one exhibition game in late July against Tampa Bay, Matheson was on the ice for all five goals against in a 5-0 loss. And in the play-in round vs the Islanders, Matheson had eight penalty minutes in the first two games, before coach Joel Quenneville had enough, benching Matheson for Florida\’s last two games of the season. Not being able to play for a borderline playoff team and the six years remaining on his contract are both major red flags for the Penguins, but they are blowing right past them. While the plus/minus stat is flawed, Matheson is a -30 in his career, and in 2018-19, was a -24. While he is a good skater and scored 10 goals in 2017-18, Matheson just is not a valuable player to acquire in a trade, especially when the Penguins give up a quality player in Hornqvist. Sceviour isn\’t much an addition to this deal, either. With one more year left on his contract and a $1.2 million cap hit, Sceviour profiles as a right handed shot, bottom-six winger. Scoring double-digit goals just twice in his career, Sceviour will take Hornqvist\’s right wing spot, but move down a few lines. New addition Kasperi Kapanen will be asked to step up after this trade.

       Matheson, 26, scored eight goals with 12 assists for 20 points in 59 games for the Panthers this past season. In his NHL career, all in Florida, Matheson has 33 goals with 58 assists for 91 points in 299 games. 

       Sceviour, 31, scored six goals with 10 assists for 16 points in 69 games for the Panthers in 2019-20. In his NHL career for the Panthers and Dallas Stars, Sceviour has 59 goals with 82 assists for 141 points in 454 games. 

       This is a great trade for the Panthers. Not only do they unload Matheson\’s contract, they did it by not retaining any money, not giving away a \”sweetener\”, and getting a quality player back in return. Plus, by adding in Sceviour, they actually saved over $700k in cap space. Hornqvist isn\’t on the best deal right now; he has three years left with an AAV of $5.3 million. But, he is still a great net-front presence who has won two Stanley Cups and scored at least 20 goals in eight different seasons. While he hasn\’t accomplished that feat since 2017-18, and is frequently injured, Hornqvist is a good addition to the team. After six seasons in Pittsburgh, this is a disappointing end to the era. 

       Hornqvist, 33, scored 17 goals with 15 assists for 32 points in 59 games for the Penguins this past season. In his NHL career for the Penguins and Nashville Predators, Hornqvist has 238 goals with 242 assists for 480 points in 770 games.