CarterHud

          The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2020 3rd round draft pick. The Canadiens retained 50% of Kovalchuk\’s league minimum salary.

          Kovalchuk started 2019-20 with the Kings, in his second season since returning from the KHL. It didn\’t work out in L.A., and he was bought out. He signed a league minimum deal with Montreal and has been solid since. He is old, and a pending free agent. He is a decent middle-six winger. While the player who scored 40 goals six times and 50 goals twice doesn\’t exist anymore, Kovalchuk has connections to the Capitals. Head Coach Todd Reirden was a teammate of Kovalchuk during Kovalchuk\’s rookie season of 2001-02. That was Reirden\’s only season in Atlanta. Kovalchuk was also teammates with captain Alex Ovechkin at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, among other international competition. The Canadiens retain some of Kovalchuk\’s salary, as the Capitals are up against the salary cap, and anything helps. They get a third round pick for him, decent for a midseason free agent signing.

           Kovalchuk, 36, has scored nine goals with 13 assists for 22 points in 39 games for the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings this year. In his NHL career for the Canadiens, Kings, New Jersey Devils and Atlanta Thrashers, the 2001 1st overall pick has scored 442 goals with 430 assists for 872 points in 919 games.

From The Athletic

          The Winnipeg Jets have acquired center Cody Eakin from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a conditional 2021 4th round draft pick. If the Jets make the playoffs or Eakin re-signs with the team at the end of the season, then the Knights receive a 2021 3rd round pick instead.

          The Golden Knights recently acquired Alec Martinez from the Kings. To shed salary and get back some draft picks (they traded two second rounders to L.A.), they decided to trade away an expiring contract. When Vegas was shedding salary in the offseason, it was a surprise that they didn\’t trade Eakin, who had one more year left with a cap hit of $3.85 million. It hurt them, as Eakin would have gotten a much better return in July than he did now. Then, he was fresh of his first 20 goal season. Now, he is in his worst season since 2016-17, his last with Dallas. A 2009 third rounder, Eakin is an expensive bottom six center, but for half a season it is okay. He can also play on the penalty kill. He has averaged two minutes and three seconds a game on the penalty kill this year. That is the second most for a Vegas forward, a second behind William Karlsson. While his scoring is down, Eakin is a fine defensive center and they did not give up much to get him. He is also from Winnipeg.

          Eakin, 28, has scored four goals with six assists for 10 points in 41 games for the Knights this year. In his NHL career for the Knights, Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals, Eakin has scored 102 goals and 130 assists for 232 points in 578 games.

           The Boston Bruins have acquired forward Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward David Backes, defenseman Axel Andersson and a 2020 1st round draft pick. The Bruins also retained $1.5 million, or 25% of Backes\’ contract.

           The Bruins need a right winger. Behind superstar David Pastrnak, the Bruins do not have a pure right winger worthy of top-nine minutes. Danton Heinen and Charlie Coyle can play on the right side, but they aren\’t primary right wingers. Chris Wagner and Karson Kuhlman aren\’t really second or third liners. Kase is very underrated, but always injured. He has missed the last five games, not with an injury but with an illness. While he likely won\’t be able to play tonight, he should be healthy to play in Boston\’s game tomorrow in Vancouver. He is having a down season this year, was hurt in 2018-19, but scored 20 goals in a breakout 2017-18 season. Trading a first round pick and a prospect for Kase may seem harsh, but he is just 24, and has another season left under contract at a reasonable $2.6 million cap hit. When his contract is up, he will still be an RFA. Plus, sacrificing a first round pick was necessary for getting rid of Backes\’ contract. I see it as Andersson for Kase, and the first to get rid of Backes. Andersson was Boston\’s second round pick in 2018. He adds to the Ducks\’ stash of defensive prospects that has seen NHLers come out of it like Shea Theodore, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Montour in recent years. The young defenseman went from the Swedish League to the QMJHL this offseason. Backes signed a five year, $30 million contract with Boston in the 2016 offseason, and has significantly under-performed during it. He has one more year left with a cap hit of $4.5 million after the salary retention. He was with the AHL\’s Providence Bruins before the trade, but was not playing with them, due to an agreement with management. However, Backes is healthy and ready to play in the NHL.

            Kase, 24, has seven goals with 16 assists for 23 points in 49 games for the Ducks this year. In his NHL career, all in Anaheim, the former 7th rounder has scored 43 goals with 53 assists for 96 points in 198 games. He has just 44 penalty minutes in that time.

            Backes, 35, has scored one goal with two assists for three points in 16 games for the Bruins this year. In his NHL career for the Bruins and St. Louis Blues, the former second rounder has scored 245 goals with 309 assists for 554 points in 944 games. Unlike Kase, Backes has racked up over 100 penalty minutes in a season five times, with a career total of 1138.

           Andersson, 20, has scored two goals with 20 assists for 22 points in 41 games for the QMJHL\’s Moncton Wildcats this year. For the Swedish League\’s Sodertalje SK last year, Andersson had five points, all assists, in 41 games.

From the LA Times

         The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired defenseman Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2020 and 2021.

         This trade will really hurt for Kings fans. Martinez is a defenseman who has played top-4 minutes consistently for the team, has only played for them in his 11 year career, and has scored double-digit goals twice in his career with solid defense. Plus, his overtime goal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals won the Kings their second Stanley Cup. Now he is with a division rival, looking for his third Stanley Cup. Martinez played for both teams. The Kings traded both Tyler Toffoli and Kyle Clifford, who assisted on that goal, earlier this season. While Clifford and Toffoli were pending UFAs, Martinez still has a season left under contract after this year. His play has declined this year. He has played in just 41 games after playing in only 60 last year. He is on pace to finish with his lowest point total since 2012-13, when he played in just 27 games. He is now 32 years old as well. While Kings fans would have liked a first round pick in return, two seconds will do. The team had to use Martinez\’s non-expiring contract as leverage to get a better return than other rental defensemen that were traded such as Andy Greene, Brenden Dillon and Marco Scandella. Like those three, Martinez is left handed. That actually is not a good thing for Vegas. Their only right handed defenseman is Deryk Engelland, who is arguably their worst defenseman. They traded for Martinez because he can play on both sides. Getting Martinez will push either Engelland, Jon Merrill or Nick Holden out of the lineup. Those three are all pending free agents, so the team could trade one of them and keep a younger, less expensive guy like Zach Whitecloud or Jimmy Schuldt, both of whom were recalled after the trade, an unusual thing following an addition.

           Martinez, 32, has scored one goal with seven assists for eight points in 41 games this year. In his NHL career, all in L.A., Martinez has scored 62 goals with 136 assists for 198 points in 597 games.

      The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward Denis Malgin from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Mason Marchment.

     I like this trade a lot for the Maple Leafs. Malgin is a young forward with four seasons of partial NHL experience. While he has only scored double-digit goals once, he\’s good and fast enough to play bottom six minutes. He is a year and a half younger than Marchment, who just debuted this year. I\’m surprised there wasn\’t a late pick attached to Marchment. The plus for Florida is that Malgin seems to have peaked and is not a fit in their system. Marchment could be. The undrafted forward has been a decent AHL forward and has earned his way up the Toronto ranks to get little playing time in the NHL.

     Malgin, 23, has scored four goals with eight assists for 12 points in 36 games this year. In his NHL career, all in Florida, Malgin has scored 28 goals with 32 assists for 60 points in 184 games.

     Marchment, 24, has one assist in four career NHL games, all this year. In the AHL for the Toronto Marlies, Marchment has scored 13 goals with five assists for 18 points in 24 games.