Playing matchmaker: The best fit for the top remaining NHL free agents

By Adam GretzOct 11, 2020, 7:05 AM EDT

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As we enter the third day of the NHL Free Agent signing period there are still some significant players that remain unsigned, including the top two players to hit the open market this offseason (defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and forward Taylor Hall).

Let’s take a quick look at some of the more noteworthy players still available and try to figure out which team would be the best, most sensible landing spot for them.

These are not predictions on where each player will end up. They are suggestions on the teams that might make the most sense.

Alex Pietrangelo

It seems like a foregone conclusion that Pietrangelo is going to sign with the Vegas Golden Knights in the coming days. They have major interest, he visited them in person this weekend, and the book is closed on him returning to St. Louis. Along with dramatically improving the Golden Knights’ defense, it is also going to further complicate their salary cap situation and almost certainly necessitate a couple of trades (Marc-Andre Fleury? Nate Schmidt? Alec Martinez?) to create room.

So while this may not be the best fit, it is definitely the most likely spot.

But as long as we are talking of ideal fits and total hypotheticals, Boston would be an absolutely perfect fit for Pietrangelo, would it not? The Bruins just lost Torey Krug in free agency, missed out on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade, and still have a massive hole in their top-four. Even if Zdeno Chara returns to the team he is 43 years old and barely even a fraction of his former self. The Bruins need another top-pairing player and still have a ton of salary cap space to work with.

Taylor Hall

This could go a few different directions.

Even after acquiring Brandon Saad on Saturday Colorado could still go all-in on a big-ticket free agent if it really wanted to in an effort to chase after a championship.
Columbus has salary cap space and a massive need for an impact forward.
Boston could still use a little more scoring depth to balance out its lineup and has the salary cap space to sign him.
Nashville lost lost Craig Smith and presumably Mikael Granlund, bought out Kyle Turris, and traded Nick Bonino. Yes, that created a lot of salary cap space, but it also took away a ton of offense that has to be replaced.
Philadelphia is way too quiet and has too much salary cap space to be this inactive. They have to be up to something, and for as good as the top of their lineup is they could still use a little more scoring depth.

So which team is the perfect fit?

It has to be Nashville, with Columbus coming in a close second place.

The Predators need offense, their general manager loves big moves, and it would give Hall (in theory) the chance to play for a contender for the first time in his career.

UPDATE: Taylor Hall said forget all of that and signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Tyler Toffoli

The New York Islanders.

They need more offense and Toffoli actually seems like he would be a really good fit to play in Barry Trotz’s system. He is a smart, defensively sound player that also has the talent that can make an impact offensively. That should be everything the Islanders need and want.

There is just one problem with this plan: The Islanders only have around $8.5 million in salary cap space at their disposal and you have to assume that Mathew Barzal (restricted free agent) is going to take most, if not all, of that space.

For the Islanders to add another outside player a trade might have to happen to shed some salary.

It might be worth it.

Mike Hoffman

Hoffman is going to be the Plan B for a team that wants Taylor Hall but does not get Hall.

On the plus side, he will score 30 goals for the team that signs him.

The downside is that he will be 31 years old at the start of the season and if he is not scoring goals you are probably not noticing him in a positive way.

It is going to come down to how desperate an offensively-starved team is for goals and how much they want to pay for them.

This has the Montreal Canadiens written all over it.

Evgenii Dadonov

The ideal fit here is probably right where he has been the past three seasons — Florida.

The Panthers are a sneaky good offensive team, and Dadonov has been a big part of that since returning to the NHL prior to the 2017-18 season. He’s a good player, they have the space for him, and I am not sure there is a better fit available to them at a better price.

Anthony Duclair

Duclair was the most stunning restricted free agent to not receive a qualifying offer, and it still does not really make much sense from the Ottawa Senators’ perspective.

Will Duclair ever duplicate his first half performance from this past season? Probably not. And do you know what? That is okay! He has very quietly proven that he is a 20-goal scorer in the NHL (scored at a 20-goal pace in three of his five full seasons), is still in his prime, is full of talent, and has some finishing ability.

The best fit: The Calgary Flames, an otherwise solid team that still probably needs another goal-scorer.

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Blue Jackets’ Patrik Laine out 2-4 weeks with triceps injury

Associated PressMar 24, 2023, 1:12 PM EDT

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is out 2-4 weeks after straining a triceps muscle in practice, yet another blow to the last-place team in the NHL that has been hampered by injuries all season.

The Blue Jackets announced Laine’s absence before their home game against the New York Islanders.

They already have 454 man-games lost to injury, one of the highest numbers in the league, and have a record of 22-41-7.

Laine missed two separate stints with elbow and ankle injuries in the fall. The 24-year-old Finn is the team’s second-leading scorer with 52 points in 55 games.

Columbus has been top defenseman Zach Werenski since November because of a torn labrum and separated shoulder. Forward Sean Kuraly recently went on injured reserve with a strained left oblique muscle that will likely keep him out the rest of the season.

Tortorella earns 700th career win, Flyers top Wild 5-4

Associated PressMar 24, 2023, 12:33 AM EDT

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PHILADELPHIA — John Tortorella needed one word to sum up if 700 career wins meant anything to the Flyers coach.

“No.”

OK, then. Good thing the brusque Stanley Cup winner isn’t paid by the word.

James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal in a shootout, and Philadelphia beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Thursday night for Tortorella’s 700th victory.

Tortorella is 700-573-181 in 1,454 games as an NHL head coach. His 700 wins rank 12th in NHL history and his career games rank ninth in NHL history. He led Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004. In his first season coaching the Flyers, Tortorella joined Peter Laviolette as the second American-born coach to win 700 games.

“I think the culture’s kind of changed around here,” Flyers forward Joel Farabee said. “I think he’s done a really good job of keeping the group together.”

Farabee, Scott Laughton, Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyson Foerster scored for Philadelphia. The Flyers have two straight games for the first time since Jan. 9-14 when they won three straight. Yeah, it’s been that kind of season.

“Farabee’s starting to pop, he’s looking real good. Tyson is looking real good,” Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo said. “This is all about laying the foundation for next year but we get a lot of money to do this job. It’s something we love, so we’re gonna go out and give it our best every night.”

Matt Boldy had two goals for the Wild, and Oskar Sundqvist and Marcus Foligno also scored.

“We weren’t very good. They were good,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We knew they were playing well, they played well tonight. We were loose. We were not firm, turnovers, it didn’t look like our hockey club.”

The Flyers and Wild were tied 1-all at the end of the first period, 3-3 at the end of the second and 4-4 headed into OT.

The rebuilding Flyers have been plucky of late. They had won two of three coming into the game, with the lone loss in overtime. They showed some of that grit in the final two periods, scoring late tying goals.

“It’s a credit to their group, to their coaching staff, that they’ve got them playing the right way,” Evason said.

Boldy poked a backhander past Carter Hart with 6:28 left for a 4-3 lead. The Flyers, playing more for the No. 1 pick and for pride, tied the game on Foerster’s second goal of the season.

Farabee tipped in Cam York’s shot early in the second for a 2-1 lead.

The Wild got going when Boldy ripped one top shelf past Hart for his 24th goal of the season that tied the game 2-all. Foligno scored his seventh goal for the 3-2 lead.

Ristolainen buried a hard slapper from the blue line on the power play for the tying goal with 23 seconds left in the second.

“I think it’s good to try to lay this foundation, kind of get ready for next year. You see guys getting confidence,” DeAngelo said.

The Flyers only played ahead in the first period.

Laughton scored off the rush for his 17th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead. Sundqvist celebrated his birthday with a deflection for the tying goal with 3:24 left in the period.

The Flyers had been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL until the start of this seven-game homestand (3-2 so far). They have scored at least three goals in every game and at least four in the last four.

“We have definitely gotten to the net better,” Tortorella said. “We have spent a lot of time on the ice and with tape as far as getting to that area.”

UP NEXT

Wild: Host Chicago on Saturday.

Flyers: Host Detroit on Saturday.

Crosby reaches 30-goal mark, Penguins knock off Avalanche 5-2

Associated PressMar 23, 2023, 12:06 AM EDT

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

DENVER – Sidney Crosby wasn’t even aware of reaching yet another milestone. He’s simply locked in on helping the Pittsburgh Penguins make a 17th straight postseason appearance.

Jeff Carter had a pair of goals, Crosby scored on a nifty backhand shot in the second period to reach the 30-goal mark for an 11th season and the Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2.

Crosby moved into a tie with Hall-of-Fame center Mario Lemieux for the most 30-goal seasons in Penguins history. Another milestone reached – it came as news to him.

“I think the most important thing for me is just try to be consistent and if that reflects that great,” said Crosby, who turns 36 in August.

Even more, Crosby’s the first player in league history to post a 30-goal campaign at 18 years old and again when he was 35-plus, according to NHL Stats.

“It means I’ve been in the league for a while,” Crosby cracked. “That’s been the thing that’s driven me since since I got into the league – in your first year, you want to prove that you belong. Even at 35, I still think you want to prove you belong, because it is a younger league.”

Jake Guentzel also scored and Bryan Rust added an empty-net goal for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game slide and moved back into a wild-card spot in the East.

“It’s definitely a big one for us, for sure,” Guentzel said. “Defending champs, coming to their building, you know how good they are. Top to bottom, we defended hard and that’s what we have to do at this time of the year.”

Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots in improving to 11-4 this season against teams from the Western Conference.

J.T. Compher and Devon Toews had goals for the Avalanche, whose six-game winning streak was halted. Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his home points streak to 18 games.

It was a missed opportunity for Colorado, which could’ve pulled into a three-way tie with Dallas and Minnesota in the Central Division with a victory.

“We knew they were going to play with urgency,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “But I didn’t feel like there was any reason why we couldn’t, either. … We didn’t get it done. Hopefully we get another one.”

Alexandar Georgiev made 40 saves, including several critical ones in a second period controlled by the Penguins, who outshot the Avalanche by a 21-9 margin. It could’ve been more than a 3-1 deficit heading into the third period.

Toews’ power-play goal made it 3-2 with 9:32 remaining. But Carter wrapped up the win with his first multigoal game in the regular season since Jan. 11, 2022.

“I’m thrilled for him. We’re all thrilled,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Carter. “He cares about the Penguins. He wants to win, and he wants to contribute in helping us win so we couldn’t be happier for him.”

BEDNAR’S DEAL

Bednar was appreciative of the three-year extension he signed Tuesday that goes through the 2026-27 season. In his seventh season, he’s the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper (March 2013) and Sullivan (December 2015).

“It’s not a forgiving league or sport, for the most part, but obviously that’s part of the reason why I’m so grateful and thankful,” Bednar said. “Because there were times over my tenure that got a little hairy and management could have made another decision. But obviously they didn’t.”

AROUND THE RINK

Avalanche D Cale Makar missed a second straight game with a lower body injury. “I still have him as day-to-day,” Bednar said. … F Darren Helm returned after missing 64 of 69 games this season with a lower-body injury. … Penguins D Jeff Petry (upper body) skated in the morning but sat out his third straight game. … The Penguins are 11-1 against the Central Division this season. … Penguins standout Evgeni Malkin assisted on Guentzel’s goal to reach the 50-assist mark for a seventh time in his career.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At Dallas on Thursday night.

Avalanche: Host Arizona on Friday night.

Report: Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed jerseys

Associated PressMar 23, 2023, 12:04 AM EDT

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday’s Pride Night game against Vancouver because of security concerns involving a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country.

The decision was made by the NHL organization following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move.

The Blackhawks have worn Pride warmup jerseys previously and donned special warmup jerseys on some other themed nights this season. There had been ongoing conversations about a Pride jersey with the players, according to the person who talked to the AP, but the organization made the decision to hold Pride Night without the jerseys this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law in December that significantly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country. Chicago defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, and there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country.

The decision by the Blackhawks comes after San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take part in warmups with Pride-themed jerseys. The New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan.

Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the Sharks on Saturday.

While Chicago will go without Pride warmup jerseys this year, the team has planned a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday’s game. DJs from the LGBTQ community will play before the game and during an intermission, and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus also is slated to perform. There also are plans to highlight a couple of area businesses with ties to the LGBTQ community.