Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips

February 12, 2020

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02 The Columbus Dispatch: Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 1, OT | 3-2-1 Breakdown

PAGE 06 The Columbus Dispatch: Seth Jones out 8 to 10 weeks for Blue Jackets

PAGE 07 The Athletic: Seth Jones’ injury provides Zach Werenski with a big test

PAGE 10 NHL.com: Jones surprises youth hockey player before Blue Jackets game

PAGE 12 ESPN.com: NHL Trendspotting : How do the Columbus Blue Jackets just keep winning games

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 15 The Athletic: ‘They firmly see me as one of the best 26 broadcasters in the league’: ECHL play-by-play voice only wants to be heard

PAGE 20 The Athletic: NHL Trade Big Board 2.0: 23 players who could move before the deadline

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The Columbus Dispatch: Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 1, OT | 3-2-1 Breakdown

By Brian Hedger – February 11, 2020

There were positives for the Blue Jackets to take away from their 2-1 loss to the on Monday night at Nationwide Arena, but one big concern too.

The positives?

Well, those included another solid game for rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins (28 saves) and another disciplined defensive effort against one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams. Another rookie, Liam Foudy, made his NHL debut in a game the Jackets played seven rookies, and at the end Columbus earned another point to pull even at 70 with the third-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.

That was all good, especially the point earned – which was the 25th time the Jackets have done that in the past 28 games (20-3-5).

The concern, other than Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones both out with injuries, was again in the offensive zone. The Jackets only got one puck past the opposing goalie again, which was the second straight game that’s happened and fourth time in six games since returning from their nine-day break in January.

In fact, had it not been for an empty-net goal in a 2-0 victory Friday against Detroit, the Jackets would have scored just one goal in five of those six games.

It’s getting to be a problem and only 25 games remain to fix it.

“Obviously, we need to be able to put the puck into the net a little bit more,” said Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored the Jackets’ lone goal to tie it 1-1 early in the second period. “It’s kind of been a theme the last few games. We’ve got to help Elvis out a little bit and score a few more goals ... I thought we played a good game. Just got to score a little bit more.”

Lately, that’s been easier said than done – and it’s probably not a simple fix with defenses becoming stingier the deeper into a you get. Along with Atkinson and Jones, who is out indefinitely and needs ankle surgery, the Jackets are also missing Josh Anderson, Alexander Wennberg, Ryan Murray and rookie Alexandre Texier – all of whom contribute to offensive production in separate ways.

Getting one of more of them back, healthy, could be part of the solution – but getting more goals from their current lineup is the other. It didn’t happen Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and was a problem again Monday.

“I thought we showed them way too much respect in the first period, way too much,” coach said of the Lightning, who outshot the Blue Jackets 15-8 and took a 1-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. “ We caught ahold of ourselves (in the second) and then I thought we played a really good hockey game.”

They just didn’t score enough. Again.

Here’s the 3-2-1 breakdown of it … three takeaways, two questions and one more thing:

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Three Takeaways

1) Magnified mistake

Nothing exposes mistakes in this game like the open ice of 3-on-3 overtime, which we’ve seen quite a bit in the past couple seasons for the Jackets.

The past two years, the Jackets were the team that often pounced on mistakes or forced them with great plays that led to winning goals. Those teams started most overtimes with Artemi Panarin, Pierre- Luc Dubois and Seth Jones, then rolled out Cam Atkinson, Zach Werenski and offensive-minded forward.

Panarin is a New York Ranger now, replaced in OT by Gustav Nyquist, and that’s been another good mix with Dubois and Jones. Losing Jones is noticeable in all facets, but it’s really going to sting in these OT games.

Jones’ calmness and strength carrying the puck, combined with his vision and elite skating, are all irreplaceable tools – at least the combination of them in one player, that is. Werenski has a lot of those same tools at his disposal, but he’s now stepping into Jones’ role as the quarterback of the Jackets’ top 3-on-3 unit.

Those are big skates to fill, literally and figuratively, and his first crack at it didn’t turn out well. Brayden Point’s swipe of the puck behind the net – in which he muscled it away from Werenski – led directly to the tic-tac-toe play that Kucherov finished for the winner, which Werenski owned up to it afterward.

“Yeah, I (screwed) that one up,” Werenski said. “It’s about it pretty much.”

2) Bjorkstrand’s latest

It was the only goal the Blue Jackets scored, but that was the only negative about Bjorkstrand’s 18th goal of the season.

Otherwise, it was a beauty.

Taking advantage of Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak’s stick breaking in the neutral zone, Bjorkstrand sped toward the Tampa Bay blue line to receive a pass from Dubois that sprung him in alone against goalie Curtis McElhinney.

A slick forehand-backhand move later, the puck was in the net and the game was knotted at 1. The arena was also energized, coming back to life after the Lightning controlled most of the action in the first period.

The Blue Jackets need more than Bjorkstrand scoring goals, but him continuing to score them is also important. After scoring five in a three-game goal streak in his return from a 13-game injury absence, Bjorkstrand had been held without a goal in the previous four games.

Barring another injury, he’s on pace to finish with 28 goals – which would surpass his current career-high of 23 by five.

3) Foudy’s debut

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It was an odd move to pull a player out of a junior season, using an emergency recall to bring Liam Foudy up for his first NHL taste. It was even more curious that he made his debut Monday night against the Lightning – one of the NHL’s best teams.

It doesn’t usually happen that way, but it will definitely be a 24-hour period Foudy will remember. He went from getting some rest in London on Sunday straight to Columbus after a conversation with Dale Hunter – a former NHL player, coach and the Knights’ owner/coach.

Foudy, who turned 20 last week, skated at left wing on the second line and put a couple shots on net. He nearly scored his first NHL goal in the second period, but didn’t get on the scoresheet – playing 10:23 on 13 shifts. The Jackets’ first-round pick in 2018 (No. 18) also showed a couple impressive speed bursts.

“Right away, it was one of the fastest games I’ve ever played in my life,” Foudy said. “They were right on us, right away, and I think after the first couple shifts and halfway through the first period, I got adjusted to the speed – and just tried to settle down and use my speed the best way I could, as well.”

Following the game, Foudy was returned to the Knights – who have a game Tuesday – and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson was returned to the .

“Showed really good poise,” Tortorella said of Foudy. “I don’t think (he) was tentative at all and his skating sticks out. He is a fast player and I liked his game. Watching it from the bench without doing video, I liked a lot of things about his game.”

Two Questions

1) Why was Foudy recalled?

Tortorella was asked during the morning skate Monday why Foudy was tabbed for his NHL debut rather than recalling one of the Jackets’ forward prospects in Cleveland.

It came down to Atkinson and other offensive contributors sitting out with injuries plus Foudy’s combination of speed and skill. Foudy has 20 goals, 23 assists and 43 points in just 32 games for London and helped Canada win the gold medal with three goals and four points at the world junior championship in January.

“Cam goes down, it’s another offensive guy,” Tortorella said. “With (Alexander) Wennberg out, (Josh) Anderson out, Cam out and so many offensive people out, why not look at an offensive guy and give him a chance? He’s played very well in the reports that we’ve got from the Hunter brothers (in London).”

Tortorella made sure to mention rookie center Ryan MacInnis and forward Jakob Lijla, who’ve each played fourth-line roles for the Jackets. Both are with Cleveland now after MacInnis was reassigned there Saturday night.

The Monsters also have forward prospects Kole Sherwood and Trey Fix-Wolansky they could tap.

“I don’t want to downplay Mac and Lils or other people in Cleveland,” Tortorella said of the decision to go with Foudy. “This is a situation where we checked in (with) London to see how he’s playing, had a good (world junior) tournament and all that, and let’s see if we can get an offensive guy in a position that we need some people.”

2) Who was Kucherov shouting at?

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After scoring the first goal of the game just 2:29 into the game, Kucherov had a few choice words and a gesture for somebody – but it was unclear on video replays whom he singled out.

Could’ve been a fan or group of fans. Could’ve been a Blue Jackets player. Could’ve been stinger. Apparently, according to multiple accounts, it was Dubois – who has a habit of getting under the skin of opposing star players.

One thing is for sure, though. Kucherov, and his teammates, wanted to win this one badly.

After the Blue Jackets shut his line down in the playoffs last season, the Russian star lost his cool and injured Markus Nutivaara with a cheap shot at the end of Game 2 in Tampa Bay that resulted in his being suspended for Game 3 in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets won that one plus Game 4 to pull off the shocking sweep, which left a mark on the Lightning.

This was only a regular-season game, but Kucherov appeared to relish both of his goals – especially the OT winner. He also led all skaters with eight shots, so it’s fair to say he was out to prove a point.

The Lightning played without Steven Stamkos, their captain and leading goal-scorer. He missed the game with an undisclosed injury, which immediately attracted the attention of Blue Jackets fans online.

Stamkos was involved in one of the most memorable moments of the playoff sweep last season, when he threw a gloved sucker punch at Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno during a scrum with 31.2 seconds left in Game 3 at Nationwide Arena.

Foligno vowed to get even, but didn’t exact any revenge in the Jackets’ Game 4 victory – saying after the series that his memory was long and would last into this season. Stamkos apparently told Foligno after his punch that he mistook him for Riley Nash – whose hit on Stamkos near the Columbus bench sparked the whole thing.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said there is a chance Stamkos could play Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

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The Columbus Dispatch: Seth Jones out 8 to 10 weeks for Blue Jackets

By Brian Hedger – February 11, 2020

Now we know what "a while" means in regard to Seth Jones’ right ankle.

It means that the Blue Jackets’ top defenseman, a four-time All-Star, is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks — probably covering the remaining 25 games of the regular season — after undergoing surgery Monday to correct a fractured ankle.

Jones, 25, needed the surgery — performed at Orthopedic One by Drs. Greg Bellisari and Scott Van Aman — after he crashed into the net during a rush Saturday night at Nationwide Arena. His right skate got caught in the netting and twisted awkwardly, leaving Jones with a sprain and hairline fracture.

He left the 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche afterward, but he returned for the start of the second period and finished the game, scoring the lone goal for Columbus, on a power play. That, however, might be Jones’ final game of the season if the Blue Jackets don’t qualify for the playoffs.

"I knew he was hurting," said Zach Werenski, Jones’ defense partner. "We talk quite a bit on the ice, and I could just see it in his facial expressions. Even after his goal, you could tell he was hurting a little bit. I don’t know the extent of it. I don’t even think he knew at the time."

Well, now everyone knows, and the prognosis isn’t great for the Blue Jackets (30-17-10).

Jones leads them in ice time (25:17), which is the sixth-most in the NHL, and his 30 points (six goals, 24 assists) have him tied with Oliver Bjorkstrand (18 goals, 12 assists) for fourth on the team. He also has blocked 123 shots, second-most behind David Savard’s 129, and plays in every situation.

If there’s a bright side, it’s the Jackets’ defensive depth.

Markus Nutivaara moved from the third pairing into Jones’ spot on the top unit Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and drew positive reviews.

"I knew I (could) do that," said Nutivaara, who had previously played with Jones while Werenski was injured. "I can stay up to that challenge, and I want to be better. I want to stay up there, so I’ve just got to make the most out of it."

Parting words

Coach John Tortorella was impressed with rookie forward Liam Foudy, who made his NHL debut Monday. The Jackets’ first-round pick in 2018 (18th overall) was reassigned to the London Knights, his junior team in the Ontario Hockey League, but not before Tortorella gave him a sendoff.

"I said, ‘You’re playing Tuesday in London … get your (stuff) out of here and go — hope to see you again,’" Tortorella said. "I’m not sure how it all works out (for a second recall), but I certainly have interest because I like the way he played."

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The Athletic: Seth Jones’ injury provides Zach Werenski with a big test

By Tom Reed – February 11, 2020

COLUMBUS, — It was a glaring mistake made seconds into overtime. The kind of error that seems to play out in slow motion because fans can see what’s going to happen next if the puck gets turned over with so much open ice.

“It’s just a bad play,” the Blue Jackets defenseman said. “… this is a risk I shouldn’t have (taken).”

The player making the comment was not Zach Werenski, but Seth Jones, whose turnover a week ago led to a breakaway on the first shift of overtime against the Panthers. The miscue was forgotten, however, because Vincent Trocheck failed to convert the breakaway and Werenski rescued the Blue Jackets a minute later with a great shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.

Jones and Werenski. Werenski and Jones. For the past 3 1/2 seasons, they have been nearly inseparable. One always picking up the other. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, when Werenski entered the NHL, no two defensemen have played more minutes together (3,923) at five vs. five, according to MoneyPuck.com.

“He’s a great partner,” Werenski said of Jones last week. “He’s a full 200-foot defenseman, a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman.”

Now, Werenski and the Blue Jackets will have to endure without Jones for at least eight weeks as the three-time All-Star recovers from a fractured ankle he suffered Saturday in a loss to the Avalanche. It’s a huge blow with the club fighting to qualify for a fourth consecutive playoff appearance, and it casts a spotlight on his longtime partner who must prove he can thrive in Jones’ absence.

Monday night, Werenski showed he was ready for the challenge — right up to the moment his own mistake in overtime cost the Blue Jackets a point in a 2-1 loss to the Lightning.

The defenseman’s brutal turnover on the first 3v3 shift, one normally reserved for Jones, led to Nikita Kucherov’s game-winning goal.

“I fucked that one up. That’s about it, pretty much,” said Werenski of his decision to casually retreat with the puck behind the Blue Jackets’ net before having it stripped by the Lightning’s Brayden Point.

The loss of Jones is not only massive for an organization that’s defied odds by overcoming a raft of injuries. It’s also an individual test for Werenski, who must adjust to a new partner in the crucible of a postseason race.

The 22-year-old Werenski is enjoying the best season of his young career. His 17 goals lead all NHL defensemen, and he entered Monday’s action as the only blueliner to hold a share of his team’s goal- scoring lead. (Oliver Bjorkstrand has since scored his 18th goal.)

In the past 12 months, Werenski has shed the label of being a one-dimensional player. He’s more reliable in the defensive end and stronger along the wall, using his 6-foot-2, 212-pound to its full advantage.

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Werenski is playing with the confidence of someone who’s been in the league for four seasons and knows what to expect. You can argue he was every bit as deserving of an All-Star nomination as Jones.

But until Saturday, the majority of Werenski’s growth had come alongside Jones, one of the NHL’s most complete defensemen. To go a step further, the Blue Jackets have been blessed with top-four defensive pairings that fit together as well as any in the league.

The talents of David Savard and Vladislav Gavrikov complement each other splendidly. The same has been said of Jones and Werenski, a partnership of smooth-skating, offensively gifted defensemen, who read off each other so well.

“It’s like losing your right arm,” one Blue Jackets insider said. “It’s going to be an adjustment, but (Werenski) is a premier player and those kind of players always find a way.”

While potentially playing the rest of the regular season without Jones is a gut punch, it’s also a significant chance for Werenski to step outside his shadow.

Don’t forget there was a time when some around the league attributed Artemi Panarin’s success in Chicago to playing on a line with Patrick Kane. That take aged about as well the ’ rebuild.

“He’s a huge part of this now,” coach John Tortorella said of Werenski. “Jonesy is going to be out for a while. Z will probably get a lot of time on both power-play units depending on how many breakouts we have on the power play and so a lot more falls on his shoulders.”

The overtime gaffe overshadowed what otherwise was a solid performance from Werenski, who led the Blue Jackets with 24:16 of ice time — most of it alongside Markus Nutivaara. The pair was out against the Lightning’s top two lines on a night the Blue Jackets estimated they allowed just 12 scoring chances.

Werenski made a few nice defensive reads, including a beautiful strip of Mitchell Stephens as he cut across the offensive zone one-on-one in the first period. He also picked his spots as to when to jump into the rush and when to lay back. Werenski led the Blue Jackets with five shots on goal and eight attempts overall.

Tortorella wants Werenski to remain aggressive. The Blue Jackets really have no choice given the fact they rank 26th in scoring and have tallied just five goals in their last four games (2-1-1).

With 7:33 left in regulation, Werenski created a chance out of nothing, circling with the puck in the offensive zone, cutting down the slot and faking out a Lightning defender before firing a shot.

The Blue Jackets simply don’t have many players with that skill set.

“He’s gotta go, he’s gotta play,” Tortorella said Tuesday. “I put Nuti with him last night and I’m not sure if we stay with it, (but) we’re not taking anything away. He’s one of our leading goal scorers. So we are not taking any of that push offensively away from him.

“A big part of his defense is carrying the puck and not letting (the other) team have the puck. … There’s no talk, no conversation with him. We’re going to let him play.”

The only defensive pairing likely to stay intact is Savard and Gavrikov. It means Werenski could cycle through several blueliners as the coaching staff looks for the right mix and Ryan Murray eventually draws back into the lineup.

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For a player who had developed such a trust and comfort level with Jones, the next few weeks could be unnerving for Werenski. Such is the burden he must bear.

“Me and (Jones) have built some good chemistry this year and have been playing really well,” Werenski said. “It will be a little different to start, but as deep as we are as a team. … I don’t think it will be too hard for me to get used to that.

“You can’t replace a guy like Seth Jones. At this time of year, … everyone has to step up a little bit more and give a little more.”

Werenski must live and learn from his game-ending blunder, understanding any mistake in 3v3 could end up in the back of the net. During his rookie season, he watched Jones commit several such mistakes on the way to becoming one of the league’s best overtime closers.

A week ago, Jones made another miscue that almost cost the Blue Jackets a game, demonstrating again how arbitrary overtime can be when it comes to either wearing the goat horns or the kepi.

Werenski gets another chance Thursday in Buffalo. He won’t have Jones to guide him. Only his own experiences. That will need to be enough if the Blue Jackets hope to make the playoffs and welcome back Jones in April.

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NHL.com: Jones surprises youth hockey player before Blue Jackets game

By Craig Merz – February 11, 2020

COLUMBUS -- Seth Jones enjoys answering fan mail, but the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman took it to a new level.

Jones, in New York to face the New York Rangers on Jan. 19, surprised Dominik Rivera, a player for in Harlem. It left the 14-year-old nearly speechless.

"He was pretty quiet, but it was awesome to share that experience, to put a face behind that letter," Jones said.

The letter in question was one Rivera sent to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Jan. 31, 2019. In it, Rivera expressed his admiration for Jones: "He is someone that makes a real impact on the game. In my opinion he is an inspiration to many people. … That is why he is one of my favorite hockey players in the NHL."

The note was passed to Jones.

"It was pretty cool, and I was touched by it," he said. "It just kind of goes with Hockey in Harlem and trying to grow the game.

Jones, who is black, embraces the role of being an ambassador for people of color in a sport seeking more diversity but said, "In general I want to grow the game in all areas.

"Obviously, Dominik's letter tied in with Black History Month and Hockey is for Everyone. That's very important for me as well. Any kid that I can be a role model to, or they can look up to me in different ways, off the rink as well, that's obviously a plus and something that I want to continue to do."

Commissioner Bettman made a video inviting Dominik and his family to see the Rangers against the Blue Jackets, but there was no mention of meeting Jones.

But Jones surprised Dominik when he snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder when he was being interviewed about Jones being his role model.

"He was obviously in shock and didn't say too much," Jones said.

He made the experience memorable throughout the game.

"He was sitting along the glass, so there were a few times I hit my stick on the glass a couple times right in front of his face," Jones joked. "I tried to scare him a little bit. You could see his excitement watching the game up close."

Dominik received a Jones' signed No. 3 jersey and his stick used in defeating the Rangers 2-1.

"I told him hopefully one day he gets to play out there at MSG," said Jones, who was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury on Monday.

However, Jones was not sure if he was able to switch Dominik's allegiance from the Rangers.

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"I hope he's a Blue Jackets fan," Jones said. "We'll see how much he's wearing my jersey in that stadium. He's a Seth Jones fan. That's obviously pretty cool for me."

Dominick's father, Raul Rivera, said he and him family will root for both.

"We'll always be Rangers fans," Raul Rivera said, "but we'll also be Seth Jones fans."

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ESPN.com: NHL Trendspotting: How do the Columbus Blue Jackets just keep winning games?

By Dimitri Filipovic – February 12, 2020

One of the best stories in the NHL is happening in Columbus, where the Blue Jackets keep losing players but keep winning games anyway.

Since coach John Tortorella's volcanic eruption at the expense of the officials (and his bank account), which happened to coincide with the loss of their starting goalie, the Jackets have had a 13-3-2 stretch. If you extend it to include their most recent 25 games, they're a remarkable 18-3-4.

Just how have they managed to keep defying the odds and churning out these impressive results? It's twofold, although the two components are almost inextricably linked.

An outstanding debut in the crease

Elvis Merzlikins has been nothing short of electrifying. It was a slow build after a bumpy start that saw him give up seven goals in his debut while starting just six times in the first two months, but since the Jackets handed him the car keys following Joonas Korpisalo's injury, he has been every bit as fun as advertised. The postgame celebrations have been well-earned because of his play.

For the year, Merzlikins boasts the following ranks in the most important goalie categories:

Overall save percentage: .931 (first)

5-on-5 save percentage: .940 (third)

Goals saved above average: plus-16.2 (third)

Goals saved above expected: plus-5.0 (sixth)

Shutouts: 5 (first)

As sparkling as those yearlong numbers are, they don't do proper justice to the run he has been on since taking over as the starter. He has won 12 of those 16 games, shut out the opposing team five times in an eight-game stretch, stopped 95% of the shots he has faced and saved nearly 20 goals above what we'd expect a league-average goalie to have done.

It's a run reminiscent of Jordan Binnington's debut act with the Blues in the second half of last season, and it has propelled Merzlikins into a Calder conversation that seemed as if it was reserved for the two young Western Conference rookie defensemen.

As tends to be the case with any hot goalie over a small sample of games, we need to tread carefully in making any sweeping declarations. That said, he looks every bit the star in the way he plays the position and handles himself between the pipes, and it's not as if it's coming out of nowhere. Sure, Merzlikins certainly has never done this at a level like the NHL, and you never know how a goalie will adjust to the increased shooting talent he'll face when coming from overseas. But he dominated a pro league for

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years in Switzerland, looked as though he belonged with the world's best in international competitions and is currently smack dab in his physical prime as he approaches his 26th birthday.

Still, and with all due respect to Merzlikins and his unique performance, this kind of goaltending hardly ever occurs in a vacuum. We find ourselves at a fascinating crossroads in the goalie landscape -- both in terms of how we evaluate their performance and with how teams value them. Similar to what's happening in the NFL with the running back position, the way goalies are being used (and therefore compensated) is changing.

By now, everyone who is paying attention knows that the workhorse netminder who flirts with 70 appearances in a season is a dying breed, as more teams transition toward splitting starts between tandems to exceedingly positive returns.

As things stand, there are only four goalies on pace for north of 60 starts: Carey Price (66), Sergei Bobrovsky (63), Connor Hellebuyck (63) and Frederik Andersen (62). It's no surprise that the names on the list are the same ones whose teams have heavily invested in them and are trying to squeeze the most bang for their buck (even if it comes at the potential detriment of their own performance).

A defensive-minded strategy

Teams leery of putting all of their eggs in the basket of one goalie is partly due to the volatility at the position, but also because of how the individual's success is tied to his environment and the defensive system in front of him.

The Blue Jackets are the prime case study for that idea in action, after they saw their Vezina-caliber goalie walk in free agency. They replaced him with a trio of goalies making a combined $3 million. To say they haven't missed a beat would be an understatement, since they currently sit behind only the Bruins in terms of goal suppression (and first at 5-on-5). Whereas the Blue Jackets sport the lowest expected goals-against rate in the league, Bobrovsky's new team in Florida has the seventh-highest rate, which is a big reason behind his unseemly save percentage below .900.

Credit in large part goes to Tortorella's masterful coaching job. He recognizes that the Blue Jackets have to play a certain way against any of teams that are objectively more talented offensively. After losing so much fire power up front when Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel left in free agency, the Blue Jackets acknowledged that they couldn't afford to play an open style that involved trading chances. Instead, they strategically tightened their defensive system.

Their underlying shot profile can best be described as Barry Trotz-ian, taking after the method the Islanders' coach employed in various stops around the league, most notably and most recently with New York. The Blue Jackets are right there with the likes of the Islanders, Bruins and Stars as the stingiest 5- on-5 teams in the league, and that's by design. Here's how they rate in the various shot-share metrics:

All shot attempts: 48.7% (21st)

Unblocked shot attempts: 50.7% (14th)

Shots on goal: 51.8% (ninth)

High-danger chances: 51.7% (12th)

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It's interesting to see how much better Columbus looks from one category to the next as you increase in level of quality. Their ability to dictate the terms of play by winning that cat-and-mouse game is a big reason why their 5-on-5 expected goal share is 52.2%, which puts them in the neighborhood of teams such as the Avalanche, Leafs, Stars and Capitals as the 11th-best in the league.

The Jackets do it by tactfully picking and choosing what they'll allow the opposition to have offensively, guiding them further and further to the perimeter by clogging the dangerous areas, such as the middle of the ice and around the net.

They purposefully block shots, not necessarily as a survival tactic as teams who never have the puck do, but because they're willingly trying to control what their goalie has to face. At 5-on-5, the Blue Jackets block a whopping 27.8% of the attempts opponents take, which is the highest figure in the league. In all situations, they're second in that metric, sandwiched between the Islanders and Stars.

In terms of the percentage of attempts they give up that are actually considered 'dangerous' by definition, the 14.9% they give up at 5-on-5 and 15.6% they give up across all situations are both second best in the NHL. By taking away the cross-seam pass that every team would like to execute, they make life so much easier for their goalies by allowing them to focus on squaring up shooters without fear of being beaten laterally or through the back door.

As good as the shooters are in today's game, if an NHL goalie can cleanly get set and line up the attempt, they'll usually stop it. The Blue Jackets do a wonderful job of affording their goalies that luxury.

Is it sustainable?

Whether they can continue that trend and maintain their status remains to be seen following the news of Seth Jones' injury and accompanying surgery. Battling through injuries with that "next man up" mentality is hardly a new thing for this Blue Jackets team, which was up there in terms of most meaningful man games lost even before losing Jones. It has gotten to the point where it's markedly easier to list the players who have been healthy rather than those who have been out, with the list of skaters who haven't missed at least five games being Pierre-Luc Dubois, Gustav Nyquist, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner, David Savard and Vladislav Gavrikov.

Although they are getting used to it, life without Jones is an entirely different reality. Before going down, he led the Blue Jackets in usage at even strength, the penalty kill and overall by a significant margin. The only players who play more in the entire league are Thomas Chabot, Roman Josi, Drew Doughty, Kris Letang and Oscar Klefbom. Jones is everything that makes the Blue Jackets effective as a collective group, from his defensive awareness to his skating. His absence leaves an inescapable void, especially in an unforgiving Metropolitan Division that currently contains six of the top 10 teams in point percentage.

The Blue Jackets appear uniquely equipped to try to patch that hole, thanks both to their unheralded blueline depth and the defensive infrastructure that's already in place. They just have to hope that removing the Seth Jones block from the equation isn't the one move that ultimately sends the Jenga stack tumbling to the ground.

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The Athletic: ‘They firmly see me as one of the best 26 broadcasters in the league’: ECHL play-by-play voice only wants to be heard

By Ryan S. Clark – February 11, 2020

No one person is ever and truly the smartest individual in the room. Unless they are talking about sports in a barbershop. Then, everyone is a genius unless they are not.

A 12-year-old Everett Fitzhugh never claimed to know more than anyone about sports. He just tried to make reasoned arguments in a room full of grown men who were not having it from someone a fraction of their age. Until Super Bowl XXXVII happened, Fitzhugh informed everyone in the shop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would win only to be told he had no idea what he was talking about because the Oakland Raiders were simply better.

Yeah. About that.

“Sure enough, Tampa Bay won and I told Everett, ‘When you go back into the barbershop, don’t rub it in,'” Denise Fitzhugh said of her son. “He went back to the barbershop and he’s smiling and they are saying, ‘Shut up. Don’t even start.'”

Everett Fitzhugh is still talking about sports. At 31, he is the radio voice for the Cyclones – a minor-league affiliate for the Buffalo Sabres – who play in the ECHL.

He just also happens to be the only black play-by-play broadcaster throughout any level of professional hockey in North America. The NHL has seen growth when it comes to having more diversity over the last decade or so. David Amber is a studio host at Rogers , while former players such as Anson Carter and Kevin Weekes serve as analysts who can be watched on NBCSN or the NHL Network. Then, of course, there is : Punjabi Edition, which has introduced the world to voices like Amrit Gill, Randip Janda and Harnarayan Singh, among others.

But in terms of a black play-by-play announcer calling a professional hockey game on a full-time basis? It’s Fitzhugh.

“When I was a kid growing up, I knew I wanted to work in sports,” Fitzhugh said. “I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. My goal was to be Stuart Scott. I wanted to be the SportsCenter anchor was that guy delivering the news when I was growing up.”

Denise jokes how she still has no clue how her son grew up loving sports considering she never had an interest. Everett grew up in Detroit at an interesting time in the city’s sports landscape.

He liked , and football. He could also tell you the name of every arena or stadium, who was coaching or managing every single team while possessing the knowledge of every single statistic imaginable. In short? He was a sports encyclopedia.

Growing up in Detroit at that time meant the Red Wings controlled the landscape in a way that would go on to influence Fitzhugh for the rest of his life.

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“The whole city just rallied behind the Red Wings,” he said. “The Pistons hadn’t won a championship yet. The Tigers still haven’t won since ’84 while the Lions are, well, the Lions.”

Fitzhugh said he was already something of a hockey fan but really got into it in third grade. Everyone at his school was really into the Red Wings and hockey as a whole. That just made him openly admit he wanted to know more so he fit in and seem cool to the rest of his classmates. Hockey being a predominantly white sport was not a deterrent for Fitzhugh when it came to taking an interest in the game.

But there was one moment that opened his eyes as a youth. The Red Wings were playing the Edmonton Oilers. He saw the Oilers had two black players in Mike Grier and Georges Laraque, which made him take notice.

“I was like, ‘Whoa! There are people who look like me who play the sport?'” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Mom! Mom! Look!’ This is how I became an Oilers fan. Luckily, living in Detroit and being across the border from Windsor, we watched ‘Hockey Night In Canada,’ and Edmonton was on every other week. I started watching the Oilers play the Flames and that is how I was introduced to Jarome Iginla and Freddie Brathwaite. Then, Anson Carter joined the team.

“I made my mom buy me an Oilers jersey and Oilers t-shirts. To this day, I am still an Edmonton Oilers fan.”

He went to Bowling Green and worked at the campus radio station. His first game was as a color analyst for the hockey team. Doing that broadcast was what made Fitzhugh decide he wanted to be a hockey announcer. He did baseball and basketball play-by-play over the next few years before landing the hockey play-by-play job over his last two years of college.

Finding a broadcasting job out of college, however, proved to be challenging. He was among the finalists to be the new play-by-play voice for the Bakersfield Condors, which is now the AHL affiliate for the Oilers. But there’s the thing. Anyone starting out at that level has to be more than a broadcaster. They must also operate the team’s public relations’ arm while knowing how to write game recaps for press releases in addition to being capable enough to run the team’s website. He spent eight months working as a headhunter, and he “hated it with a passion.”

The turning point was getting a job with the United States Hockey League’s league office in Chicago. Being there gave him a chance to obtain those skills that eluded him in job searches. He worked there for a year-and-a-half before staying in the USHL to become the play-by-play announcer for the . Fitzhugh only lasted for one season because he was hired by the Cyclones and has been with the team since 2015.

“Whenever you have an opening, you get flooded with resumes and sound bites, and I was listening to Everett, and there was something different to him,” said Kristin Ropp, who is the Cyclones’ general manager and vice president. “I think it was his energy and enthusiasm. It was contagious. He impressed me on paper, and back then, he sent a DVD of his sound bites and calls. Then, when we brought him in for the interview, he was just dynamic. There were only people who are perpetually in a good mood and who are positive.

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“In terms of hockey, it is easy to say they make a difference in the locker room. He makes a difference in the front office.”

Ropp continually raved about Fitzhugh’s work ethic and attributed that trait to being raised by his mother. She also remarked how Fitzhugh had shown an unselfish, team-first approach that fits into how the Cyclones operate as a franchise. Minor-league teams – regardless of sport – are always finding ways to do more with limited personnel compared to what is in place at the professional ranks.

Fitzhugh has taken that to heart. He came up with a “70’s Night” concept in Youngstown, where he wore a white polyester suit with an afro wig. When the Cyclones held a St. Patrick’s Day game, Fitzhugh wore a bright green leisure suit and called the game as if it were just a normal regular-season game. Ropp rattled off several examples of what makes Fitzhugh a driven team player, and she went into detail about his selflessness when the team hosted its annual 5K/10K race.

She said Fitzhugh showed up at 5 a.m. for a 9 a.m. race so he could meet with local media and accommodate them with whatever they required. Fitzhugh had a game later in the day and could have left the race to go sleep. Instead? He stayed and cheered all the runners as they crossed the finish line to made sure they felt supported.

“He goes to the schools. He talks to kids, and they think, ‘I can do this. He looks just like me,’ and that’s a good thing,” Ropp said. “We pride ourselves on being an all-inclusive organization. My assistant coach is black. I’ve tried to, again and again, walk the walk. I try and say, ‘It isn’t just the NHL mantra of ‘Hockey Is For Everyone. You can’t put that on a shirt and not do it.’ He knows that. He recognized what he brings to our organization and what he can bring to future fans and guys and girls who want to work in pro sports. He does not take that lightly.

“Eventually, I will hear him on an NHL game on a regular basis. I know I will lose him eventually. It will be bittersweet, but he is certainly someone who has earned that opportunity.”

Reaching the NHL and becoming the play-by-play broadcaster for an organization is a life-long dream Fitzhugh seeks to achieve by the time he is 40.

He has already experienced a little bit of what the future could hold. Washington Capitals play-by-play broadcaster John Walton has a reputation for helping the next wave of young broadcasters. One of the methods he has used is inviting them to call a preseason game. He extended that invitation last season to Fitzhugh when the then-defending Stanley Cup champions were playing the Boston Bruins.

“I was terrified and excited,” Fitzhugh said. “He was like, ‘No. You are going to do play-by-play for the whole game.’ I was like, ‘Uh, what? Play-by-play for the whole game?’ That was when I had my first moment of, ‘Do I belong here? Why me? Am I good enough for this? You’re about to be on an NHL broadcast.’ I got to do the game, and it was to me, professionally speaking, it’s 1A and 1B with getting my first pro job here in Cincinnati.”

Everett called Denise to tell her the news, and let’s just say Denise was not going to miss that moment. She flew to D.C., where she and a few of her long-time friends all went to Capital One Arena. They watched the game but pulled up Everett’s broadcast on their smartphones.

“We are all sharing our phones and listening to him,” she said. “I have a friend from college who has been in D.C. for the last 30 years, and she was telling anybody that would listen. The maintenance staff.

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The vendors behind the hot dog stand that her nephew was broadcasting the game. I was so touched. That was one of the highlights of his career.”

The day an NHL club hires Fitzhugh to become their play-by-play announcer will become a landmark moment for a sport that has grappled with constructs like diversity.

“When he was growing up, I always instilled upon him you can do whatever you want to do regardless of race, gender, or anything else,” Denise said. “Don’t set limits on yourself based on what boxes people want to put you in. It seems to me that it has been a strength he has had since a child. He does not put those limits on himself.”

Fitzhugh is aware his path is different than those who have gone the conventional route in that he did not grow up playing the game. He did not learn how to skate until he was a 21-year-old student at Bowling Green. He took a beginning ice skating class in his last year at college, and his actual playing experience amounts to a lone men’s league game. That night, he won seven faceoffs but admitted, “I looked like Bambi” while going from blue line to blue line.

He has worked around that by becoming stronger in certain areas. Like when the Cyclones call a timeout. He may not relate to the experience of being in a timeout on the bench but has made a point to notice certain tendencies to provide listeners even more insight into those situations.

Such an approach runs counter to the “they’ve never played the game” argument some fans would use to poke a hole in a broadcaster’s credentials, and Fitzhugh believes that narrative is starting to change.

“You still have some old school folks. I’ve even had comments back in the day where it’s like, ‘You never played the game. What do you know?'” Fitzhugh recalled. “I consider myself a student of the game even though I never played it. The sports world and hockey world is now opening itself up to a wide variety of different opinions, different people, and different personalities that you may have never known were out there. I know people want to chastise AJ Mleczko (Griswold) because she never played in the NHL. Who cares? She knows her stuff. She played it at the international level.

“Those same people say Doris Burke has never played in the NBA and Beth Mowins has never played in the NFL. How can they comment on a men’s sport? It’s because they are students of the game. They know their stuff. If you are dedicated to learning, you are just as qualified to talk about this and to have this as your career as anyone else is out there.’

Now comes the question Fitzhugh has been asked time and again: What is it like to be a black hockey announcer?

“I’ve been very, very fortunate in my close to 10 years in being a broadcaster in hockey media that all of my colleagues, all of my peers and anyone I have ever interacted with on an NHL, AHL, ECHL, NCAA or USHL level has been nothing but kind, welcoming and encouraging,” Fitzhugh said. “I’ve gathered that they view me as the director of public relations and broadcasting for blank team and not the black public relations and broadcaster for blank team.”

But that is not to say there have not been moments.

He was a college student calling Bowling Green games when he was at the morning skate, and a fan approached him to ask what he was doing there.

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“I was like, ‘I work for the ,’ he recalled. “The guy said, ‘Oh, really?’ I said I was the broadcaster, and his response was, ‘Huh. You don’t see too many of you guys in hockey, huh?’ That was the first time. I told him, ‘You’d be surprised. We have players, broadcasters and other folks on TV. There are more than you think. He said to me, ‘Eh, I don’t think so.’ I was like, ‘Wow. He just said that.'”

Fitzhugh said he had those bizarre exchanges when people tell him he does not look like how he sounds on the radio. He describes them as funny moments, but it is not enough to dissuade him from reaching the NHL or continuing to pursue his goal.

“Have I found it difficult? I don’t think so because I have always felt like I belonged here,” Fitzhugh said. “When I do critique myself and get inside my own head like we all do, it’s not that, ‘Aw man. This is tough. I don’t belong here because I am a black man.’ I look at it as, “I don’t sound like Jim Hughson.” I compare myself to broadcasters in the NHL and AHL. It is asking myself, ‘What do I need to do to get to the AHL or the NHL?’ I ask myself what is it about broadcasting that makes this difficult. I am blessed the people that matter have always been welcoming to me.

“The Cyclones has never seen me as a black man in hockey. I am not some quota to them. They firmly believe in me and firmly see me as one of the best 26 broadcasters in the league. The people I have worked for and worked with have always been there to support me. My career is still young. There is still time.”

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The Athletic: NHL Trade Big Board 2.0: 23 players who could move before the deadline

By Craig Custance – February 11, 2020

Sometimes, all it takes is one. On Monday afternoon, before the Jason Zucker trade, an NHL GM lamented the lack of action on the market.

“It’s very quiet,” said one GM on Monday.

The frustration level was even higher for another executive.

“It’s the same bullshit,” he said. “Nothing is going to happen until the deadline.”

Ah, never underestimate Jim Rutherford. The Zucker trade kicks things off for the 2020 trade deadline and that’s exactly the kind of deals GMs seem to want to make right now. The rentals may have to wait while GMs explore the opportunity to add a player who helps them now and beyond this season.

“I look at ’s acquisition of Jake Muzzin, which to me, was a great trade. That player wasn’t a rental. They got really good service out of him last season, real good service out of him this season,” said the GM of a buying team. “And yet, there are certain players who are rentals that you might only be able to put on your team salary cap-wise for a short period of time, they’re not players you could consider having the following season because they would put pressure on your cap … because of that, it’s case by case.”

So with a couple of pieces off the market and the deadline closing in, here’s an updated look at The Athletic’s NHL Trade Board, version 2.0:

1. Chris Kreider, New York Rangers – As it stands now, there continue to be seven or eight teams with a serious interest in the best rental on the market. Make that nine if you include the Rangers. There appears to be momentum for him staying in New York, especially if the rental market remains lukewarm. And for a team that is turning the corner in its rebuild, there’s a strong case to be made to keep Kreider around.

“As much as I like their young players, all these guys take time. Unless you’re a first or second overall, it’s a hard league for young players right now,” said one talent evaluator who was making the case that the Rangers should keep Kreider.

Another executive said he wouldn’t give up a first for nearly any rental out there but felt like Kreider was worth the exception. With a caveat.

“I would trade a (first-round pick) for Kreider only if you’re comfortable you can re-sign him,” he said. “Then it makes all the sense in the world.”

2. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ottawa Senators – He’s the best center available. He’s also having a career year, cracking the 20-goal plateau for the first time. Teams like him but there are some who are leery of overpaying. “He’s a good player,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “The problem you have with

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those guys is he’s putting up such good numbers but he’s on a bad team. He’s going to put up more numbers because of the opportunity.”

3. Alec Martinez, Los Angeles Kings – There are a bunch of teams looking for defensemen – Carolina, Vegas, Toronto, Winnipeg – and Martinez is an attractive option. He’s playoff experienced. He’s reasonably priced. He’s a left-shot who can play on the right side. He has a year left.

What gets it done? One source suggested it may not include a first, but the Kings could expect two seconds and a prospect in a possible package. There’s not a lot of supply on the top-four defenseman market.

“There are probably at least eight teams going for a defenseman,” said an executive. “How many are out there? There’s going to be teams left without one.”

4. Tyler Toffoli, Los Angeles Kings – A lot of teams like Toffoli, which may be why one source said GM Rob Blake is “maintaining a relatively high asking price.” Calgary and Boston are the two teams that have consistently been connected to Toffoli but the interest extends beyond that. He also loves Los Angeles and would probably be open to an extension if the Kings don’t move him.

5. Sami Vatanen, New Jersey Devils – While everybody seems to be hesitant to deal for a rental right now, the Devils are actually in a good spot here because of market scarcity. Right now, there are six or seven teams in on Vatanen and it’s easy to see why. How many legitimate top-four defensemen who can move the puck like Vatanen are there available? Not many. New Jersey can sit and wait on the best offer and that’s the plan for the Devils.

6. Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild – Bill Guerin is certainly a person of interest right now. One NHL source wondered just how much Minnesota ownership would actually embrace the true rebuild that would be signaled by moving Zucker and a top defenseman, but there is interest in Brodin. “He’d get a first. He’s good,” said one source. Another isn’t convinced Minnesota will ultimately do it. “I don’t think they’ll move Brodin,” he said. “They like him a lot.”

7. Brenden Dillon, San Jose Sharks – Dillon seems to be universally liked and respected as a player. He’d be a good fit for just about any team searching for defense. It’s just about the price tag. “The Vatanens and the Dillons – if teams are going to do it, they’re not going to pay the ridiculous rental prices they’ve paid in the past,” said an executive. A second-round pick and a good prospect might get it done for Dillon but even that price seemed steep to one source. “I don’t think anyone is willing to pay it right now,” he said. We’ll see if this remains the attitude when the deadline is closer.

8. Ilya Kovalchuk, – Kovalchuk has won everybody over in Montreal – including our own Arpon Basu. “It’s crazy, it’s really crazy,” said one NHL source of Kovy-mania. “A week and a half ago, it was ‘They’re going to trade him.’ But now, they might have to keep him.” It’s worth watching, but at the very least Kovalchuk has shown he can provide energy, goal scoring and a lot of juice to a team. And teammates love him.

9. Mike Hoffman, – The Panthers want to upgrade their defense. They also have a talented player in Owen Tippett who is ready to make an impact at the NHL level. So Florida is at least considering a scenario where they trade their UFA-to-be in Hoffman, especially if it’s going to cost Jeff

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Skinner money to sign him long term, and then use assets and cap space to upgrade the defense. That’s a lot of moving parts around the deadline but GM Dale Tallon can certainly pull it off.

10. Mikael Granlund, – One NHL scout recently pointed out what is fair to say is the common opinion on Granlund: “I like him but his play in Minnesota hasn’t translated to Nashville for some reason.” That might be changing. Colleague Adam Vingan recently wrote about his surge under John Hynes. Sometimes it takes a while for a new player to fit in. And a coaching change.

It may come down to how GM David Poile feels about his team at the deadline.

“They’re another team sitting there and thinking, we have three or four games in hand,” said an executive. “‘Do we have a chance?’”

11. Josh Anderson, Blue Jackets – He’s the kind of player contending teams love to add. He’s got size. He’s under team control. And if you’re Columbus and not necessarily eager to dive into contract negotiations again, he’s expendable. “They’re winning without him,” said one source. He’d be a great fit for Boston, Calgary and Vancouver among others looking for help up front.

12. Alexandar Georgiev, Rangers – The Rangers are willing to stick with the three-goalie situation as long as they have to, which is understandable. You’re not giving away young talent. But it’s definitely not ideal, especially for a veteran like Henrik Lundqvist who is accustomed to regular work. “For almost 14 years, I was used to being out there playing,” he said after a recent game. “Now, it’s different. You try to adjust to it. In the end, you want to be out there to help the team … it’s different, that’s for sure. In the end, you try to understand the big picture.”

13. Andreas Athanasiou, Red Wings – If you’re looking for speed, offense and don’t want to use valuable assets on a rental, Athanasiou is a fascinating option. Still just 25, he’s back from injury and the Red Wings have a little bit of an opportunity here to showcase him. The challenge is getting him signed after this season, a concern raised by one NHL source. “A team is going to want to know if they can sign him before giving up anything,” he said. Imagine his speed on a line with Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby, players from two teams that have been connected to Athanasiou.

14. Erik Haula, – His name has surfaced in trade talks in part because of his pending free agency. He has appeal because he can play up and down the lineup and at center along with the wing. One source suggested Haula wouldn’t mind sticking with the Hurricanes. “He’d be happy to stay,” said one NHL source. “He wants to make it work there.” Other teams believe Carolina would also move defensemen Jake Gardiner or Joel Edmundson even though they’re in the market to add on defense.

15. Josh Manson, – We’ll put Manson on here because the Ducks should do something at the trade deadline and some team might ante up because of the lack of options elsewhere. But one executive put this one as a long shot: “It’s wishful thinking,” he said. “If someone gives (Ducks GM Bob Murray) a crazy offer for Manson, he might do it. But I don’t think he will.” Ondrej Kase might be the more realistic trade option for the Ducks.

16. Kasperi Kapanen, – Contending teams don’t typically subtract from their NHL roster in the middle of the season. Those trades don’t usually get done until the offseason. But if Toronto would like to upgrade defensively, this is one avenue to do it. Even though it makes much more sense in the summer.

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17. Jeff Petry, Montreal Canadiens – This is another case where a team would have to be swept away to make the deal but the lack of available options might make it worth GM Marc Bergevin’s time to listen. “They like him,” said one exec of Petry. “They probably think they’re still in the hunt. But they’d get a good haul for him. There’s such short supply.”

18. Jimmy Vesey, Buffalo Sabres – He’s got some size. He’s not expensive. He can play with your top players and probably wouldn’t cost all that much to acquire. Conor Sheary is another option from the potential Buffalo UFAs. “He’s got experience,” said one talent evaluator of Sheary. “He brings speed.”

19. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks – It might take a goalie from a playoff team getting hurt for the Blackhawks to really get value for one of their goalies, but it’s worth noting that they have the best potentially available in Crawford or Robin Lehner.

I’m not a huge fan of suggesting a player is traded and then re-signs in the summer because it never seems to happen. But that would certainly make some sense for Lehner. Chicago could move him, keep Crawford in the short term and then bring back Lehner. It’d be threading the needle a bit but, then again, that’s always the case when trading goalies during the season.

20. Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers – As long as the Oilers are sitting in a playoff position and playing well, GM Ken Holland is going to look for opportunities to upgrade his team. Moving Puljujarvi would be one way to do it. He’s producing at a point per game pace for Karpat (44 points in 44 games) and looking for a fresh start for when he returns to the NHL next season. “He’s playing well over there,” said an NHL source. “He just wants a fresh opportunity.”

21. Dylan DeMelo, Senators – He’d be a depth defenseman on a contender. “I think he’s a nice player,” said an NHL executive. “He’s an average skater, average (hockey) sense but a reliable competitive player.”

22. Andy Greene, Devils – Greene controls this situation and if he waives his no-trade clause it’s because it’s a scenario he believes gives him a good chance at winning a Stanley Cup. He’s not a big name but he’s a pro’s pro on defense and someone teams can plug in without causing a ripple. “He’s no- nonsense,” said an NHL source. “Just does his job. He doesn’t have to be the center of attention.”

23. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks – Thornton is only on this list because his name has popped up elsewhere as a desired target, not because the Sharks are actively looking to move him. They’re not. Knowing Thornton, he probably still believes the Sharks can get in the playoffs and as long as that’s the case, he’s not going anywhere. He loves San Jose. If anything happens, it’ll happen closer to the deadline. “Any speculation is just speculation,” said one NHL source.

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