Calgary Flames
Defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev are each expected to be in the lineup when the Flames host the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SN1, SNW, NESN).
Hanifin and Tanev are due to become unrestricted free agents July 1.
Hanifin, 27, is in the final season of a six-year, $29.7-million contract ($4.95 million average annual value) he signed with the Flames on Aug. 30, 2018. He has 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 56 games and is averaging 23:43 of ice time per game for Calgary, second only to defenseman Rasmus Andersson (23:59).
Hanifin has a modified no-trade clause in his contract and can submit an eight-team no-trade list, which somewhat limits where the Flames are able to trade him.
Tanev, 34, is in the last of a four-year, $18-million contract ($4.5 million AAV) signed with Calgary on Oct. 9, 2020. He also has a modified no-trade clause and can submit a 10-team no-trade list. He has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 53 games and averages 19:45 of ice time per game.
The Flames (26-25-5) have already been active ahead of the Deadline, trading center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 21 for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, Vancouver’s first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, and defenseman prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo. They entered Thursday three points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Jake Guentzel watch grew a little bit more intense Wednesday when Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said the forward’s future in Pittsburgh could depend on how they play up until the Deadline.
The 29-year-old is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He is in the final season of a five-year, $30-million contract ($6 million AAV) and has a modified no-movement clause that allows him to submit a 12-team no-trade list.
“I understand how valuable he’s been as a teammate, person in the community, contributor to helping the team win the Stanley Cup (2017), and so on and so forth. It’s important,” Dubas said. “But at the same time, we have to take stock with where we’re at and be realistic about the fact that one of the issues we have is we need to get younger. We have a lot of guys in their 30s signed, some of them are some of the best players in the history of the franchise.”
Guentzel is out with an upper-body injury sustained in a 5-2 loss at the Florida Panthers on Feb. 14. He was expected to miss four weeks and is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve March 10.
Vegas Golden Knights
Coach Bruce Cassidy announced Thursday that center Mark Stone is out week to week with an upper-body injury and there is no timeline for his return. It remains to be seen how Stone’s injury might affect Vegas’ approach to the deadline. The Golden Knights are tight against the NHL salary cap but could put Stone on long-term injured reserve, giving them more space.
Stone, the Golden Knights captain, leads the defending Stanley Cup champions this season with 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists). He tied for second in goals (11) with William Karlsson for Vegas in the playoffs last season while ranking second in assists (13) and third in points (24).
McCrimmon said Jack Eichel’s rehab is on schedule after lower-body surgery and that the center will play in the not-too-distant future. Eichel has not played since Jan. 11.
Guentzel is second for Pittsburgh with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games behind Sidney Crosby, who has 55 points (31 goals, 24 assists) in 53 games. The Penguins, who entered Thursday eight points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card from the East, have eight games before the Deadline, starting with a home game against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, TSN2, RDS).
Source: https://www.nhl.com/news/