NHL Notebook: The Oilers might be the frontrunner for Vladislav Gavrikov after Bruins acquire Dmitry Orlov
By Cam Lewis
1 year agoWe’re still over one week away from the trade deadline but the stove is already very hot.
The New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers made major additions in recent weeks and the Boston Bruins got in on the action on Thursday afternoon.
The Bruins, who are well on their way to the Presidents’ Trophy for the league’s top record, shelled out four draft picks in order to acquire Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov from the Washington Capitals while also getting the Minnesota Wild to retain some money to make things work cap-wise…
The Bruins are already the team to beat this year and this trade gives them more depth for their playoff run. The addition of Hathaway gives Boston a quality depth forward who can chip in a little bit offensively and kill penalties while Orlov can slide into the team’s second pairing alongside Brandon Carlo.
From an Edmonton perspective, the interesting thing about the Bruins adding Orlov is that it takes them out of the running for another defender. There had been speculation that Boston was nearing a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Vladislav Gavrikov but adding Orlov would mean that won’t be happening.
There’s no doubt that Gavrikov is going to be moved, as he’s been out of Columbus’ lineup for nearly two weeks now for “trade-related purposes,” and the word from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has a deal lined up but another transaction needs to take place first…
“Gavrikov missed his third consecutive game while the Blue Jackets finalize a trade ahead of the March 3 NHL deadline. GM Jarmo Kekalainen would not say what the holdup is, but it’s believed the Jackets have a trade in place that requires another transaction to take place first.”
Gavrikov’s name has been in the rumour mill in Edmonton for quite some time now as many have noted that the Oilers have a clear hole on the left side of their second defensive pairing. With the Bruins out of the mix, Edmonton seems like the frontrunner to acquire Gavrikov. They could be the team that Portzline mentioned in the quote above that needs to sort out their salary cap situation in order to pull the trigger.
Quick notes…
- The Ottawa Senators spent a second- and a fourth-round pick to dump Nikita Zadorov on Wednesday. He has one more year left on his contract with a $4.5 million salary cap hit so this gives the Sens some room to make an addition. Since they aren’t a playoff team right now, Ottawa would likely be looking to acquire a player locked up beyond this season. Would Jakob Chychrun make sense for the Sens? Their draft picks would be higher than the ones that contending teams could offer to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange and the Sens need help on their blueline. You’d think they have something worthwhile cooking if they spent two draft picks to move a contract in the middle of the season.
- It looks like the Rangers could be closing in on a Patrick Kane trade despite the fact they already recently added winger Vladimir Tarasenko. The New York Post reported on Wednesday that the Rangers were still interested in acquiring Kane. Adding fuel to the fire here, the Rangers scratched Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn for trade-related reasons on Thursday.
- J.T. Miller’s seven-year, $56 million contract hasn’t kicked in yet and the Vancouver Canucks are trying to trade him. Frank Seravalli noted on Daily Faceoff Live on Thursday that the Canucks are looking for a trade partner who’s thinking “would we sign J.T. Miller to this contract as a free agent, as it’s just set to kick in.”
- Bakersfield Condors defender Phil Kemp got suspended by the American Hockey League for one game for instigating a fight in the dying minutes of a game against the San Diego Gulls over the weekend. A Gulls forward crashed into Condors goaltender Calvin Pickard behind the net and Kemp stepped in and dropped the gloves.
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