Trade Buzz: Kane doesn't practice with Blackhawks, undecided on future
Meier market could be heating up; Capitals looking ahead
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
Chicago Blackhawks
The drama surrounding Patrick Kane continues to grow with one week to go before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3 (3 p.m. ET).
The Blackhawks forward did not practice Friday because of what the team said was a maintenance day. This followed an off day Thursday.
"I think he feels good. He had a smile on his face. He's just a little sore," Chicago coach Luke Richardson said Friday. "I saw him after the game [Wednesday], and you know, I think he's a burning heart, like, I mean, he's going hard right now and he's feeling it. So, I think it's just smart. He doesn't need to practice every day."
Also Thursday, speculation about a Kane trade to the New York Rangers hit a fever pitch when New York announced forwards Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn were being scratched for its game at the Detroit Red Wings for roster management reasons.
But Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, later told Pierre LeBrun of TSN, "Patrick hasn't made any decision at this point."
Kane has a full no-move clause in his contract, meaning he can dictate where he's traded if he decides that's what he wants. He has expressed interest in the Rangers and said he was disappointed when they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9.
The 34-year-old has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak.
The Blackhawks next play Saturday at the San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, NBCSCH, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins remain committed to improving the roster this season despite a four-game losing streak, general manager Ron Hextall said Friday.
"Our intent is to continue to try to make this team better this year and years beyond this year," Hextall said. "We want to stay competitive. We made that commitment last summer with our core."
On Feb. 5, Hextall said he didn't foresee selling leading to the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. The Penguins (27-21-9) are 3-5-0 since, falling one point back for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and to fifth in the Metropolitan Division.
Pittsburgh has qualified for the playoffs in a League-high 16 straight seasons, and Hextall said it could again as currently constructed.
"The hardest part about our team right now is probably the volatility," Hextall said. "It's a tough one, quite frankly, to put a finger on. … Kind of like, some nights, you have to ask yourself, 'What team are we?' But I know this, we've shown that we're capable of being a very good team."
The Penguins are unwilling to trade valuable assets for a rental player, Hextall said. Control into future seasons for Pittsburgh would need to come with any such trade.
Hextall said he would like to upgrade the bottom-six forward group, specifically.
Kasperi Kapanen, who played right wing on the third and fourth lines, was placed on waivers Friday. Third-line center Jeff Carter has one point, a goal on Feb. 10, in his past 18 games; Brock McGinn, left wing with Carter in practice Friday, has not had a point in 24 straight games.
"For some reason, it hasn't quite fit," Hextall said. "Pieces haven't fit. … We're trying to find pieces that fit."
Philadelphia Flyers
Joel Farabee said he is committed to remaining with the Flyers.
He said he heard about a report on DailyFaceoff.com that people close to Farabee had voiced displeasure at how the forward has been treated this season by coach John Tortorella.
"This time of the year, with the trade deadline and all that stuff, a lot of people love to just say whatever they want on Twitter," Farabee said. "For me right now I'm 100 percent committed to being a Flyer. I love being here."
Farabee said his relationship with Tortorella was fine.
"Not many 1-on-1 meetings, I can't say I've had too many of those," he said. "Everything's in front of the team."
Farabee played a season-low 3:52 against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday but is averaging 16:41 of ice time in 59 games, the second-most in his four NHL seasons. But he took an 18-game goal drought into the Flyers' game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
"I've been put in a lot of good spots," Farabee said. "No complaints there. You see all the stuff on Twitter, people think I'm complaining about ice time and all that, it's not true at all."
Tortorella said he isn't giving up on Farabee still being a key piece for the Flyers.
"It's been a hard year for Joel," he said. "Has had some good games. It's hard to evaluate Joel this year.
"I don't know what else to say. I'll keep on putting them out there and see where it goes. ... There's not going to be anything for free. And I really don't give a damn what his agent is saying."
New York Rangers
Kravtsov and Leschyshyn did not participate in the Rangers' optional practice Friday after the forwards were held out of their 4-1 loss at the Red Wings on Thursday for what the team called "roster management reasons."
It's appears unlikely either will play when New York visits the Washington Capitals on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"Nothing changed today," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said when asked about Kravtsov and Leschyshyn on Friday. "Nothing changed."
With the deadline approaching, Gallant acknowledged that outside noise about potential trades might be causing some distraction in their locker room. New York has lost its past three games (0-2-1) following a seven-game winning streak.
"It always does," Gallant said. "I can't say no. It always does. At this time of the year, it's tough on some players, but the at the end of the day, you try to make your team better every day and that's what management does. It's going to be over in a week's time, but you've just got to focus on playing the games and I think we lost a little bit of focus last night and I thought we looked a little bit tired for the first time last night. So hopefully we get ready, we have an optional today and play a real good game tomorrow."
New Jersey Devils
Could the Devils land Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks?
Several reports have linked New Jersey to the pending restricted free agent, with the potential for the 26-year-old right wing to play a top-six role.
However, the Devils may have to act quickly if they want him.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported Tuesday that the St. Louis Blues have also inquired about Meier after trading forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (New York Rangers), Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari (Toronto Maple Leafs) over the past two weeks. St. Louis might be willing to trade two of its three first-round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft as part of the return, according to the report. LeBrun reported the Winnipeg Jets have also reached out to the Sharks. The Jets possess one first-round pick in the 2023 draft but have several young and promising prospects in their pipeline.
Some of the teams inquiring about Meier want to sign him to a new contract before agreeing to a trade, according to LeBrun.
The Devils (38-15-5) are second in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who have one games in hand. The Sharks (18-30-11) are 22 points out of a wild card in the West.
Washington Capitals
It appears the Capitals have decided to focus on the future.
Washington traded defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins on Thursday in a three-team trade that also included the Minnesota Wild. In return, the Capitals acquired a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and center Craig Smith.
The Capitals have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past eight seasons but are two points back for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 22 regular-season games remaining.
Washington has several pending unrestricted free agents, including defensemen Nick Jensen, Erik Gustafsson and Trevor van Riemsdyk, and forward Lars Eller, Conor Sheary, and Marcus Johansson, so Thursday might have been the tip of the iceberg in what could be a busy week.
"It's pretty simple for me ... I've taken the same approach every day, every game and it's gotten me this far," Jensen said. "You show up to the rink and you work as hard as you possibly can and the chips fall where they fall. I always believe luck favors those who work hardest. I'm just going to keep doing that until my last game."
Washington has six picks in the 2023 draft, including two first-round picks and three over the first two rounds.
NHL.com staffs writers Mike G. Morreale, Adam Kimelman and Tom Gulttii and independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report
