NHL Pacific

The NHL's March 3 trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and the Edmonton Oilers (32-20-8) are far more likely to be buyers than sellers.

On Saturday, Edmonton fell 5-6 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but there's a chance that the Oilers can still net a win from the Blue Jackets. Columbus has yet to offload defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, and one recent development could put the 27-year-old in a comfortable price range for Edmonton.

There had been some buzz about a Gavrikov deal involving the Boston Bruins, and according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline, the Blue Jackets believed they had "a deal in place."

On Thursday, however, Boston executed a trade for defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway that sent forwards Craig Smith and Andrei Svetlakov along with four draft picks to the Washington Capitals.

According to Portzline, the Bruins' deal was a "gut punch" to Columbus, which has been sitting Gavrikov in anticipation of a trade.

"Multiple team and league sources confirmed to The Athletic that the Blue Jackets firmly felt they had a deal in place with Boston for more than a week that would have sent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Bruins for multiple picks and/or players."

With Boston pulling out of the deal—if it was ever as close to making it as Columbus reportedly believed—Edmonton may have a chance to swoop in and land Gavrikov at a reduced price.

The Oilers' back line hasn't been a major liability, but Edmonton could use a left-side defender and has shown some interest in Gavrikov. According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, however, Gavrikov's price point has been problematic.

"The Oilers have had a number of conversations with them on him over the past month, but the price was always too high," LeBrun wrote. "Maybe it comes down now. My sense is Edmonton was interested in getting back into the Gavrikov conversation Friday."

While it's unclear what Columbus believed it could get from Boston, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff speculated on Friday that the Blue Jackets have been targeting a package of draft selection that includes a first-rounder:

"I've been saying since the trade deadline period opened that I knew they would be targeting the David Savard return, which was a first a third and a fourth-round pick."

If Oilers general manager Ken Holland pushes for a Gavrikov trade now, he might be able to get something done for significantly less. Columbus is still looking to trade Gavrikov, as evidenced by the fact that he didn't face Edmonton:

evander kane and klim kostin are both out again for the oilers. no vladislav gavrikov for the blue jackets.

— zach (@zjlaing) February 25, 2023

And it seems that Jarmo Kekäläinen was so sure that he would strike a deal with Boston that Columbus simply doesn't have an alternative deal lined up. According to David Ganotta of The Fourth Period, there's nothing resembling an imminent deal in place.

I'm told there isn't anything is close on the Vladislav Gavrikov trade front, at the moment.

We'll chat about his situation and more #CBJ chatter with @Aportzline coming up next on @SiriusXMNHL

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 25, 2023

Holland may be able to essentially swoop in with a lesser offer and get Kekäläinen to bite. Columbus had planned to move Gavrikov, and they still plan to move him, but the proverbial clock is ticking.

Even if Edmonton's offer isn't what Columbus wanted, it's better than nothing. Considering Gavrikov will be a free agent in the summer, that could be enough of a selling point for the Blue Jackets.

However, Holland and the Oilers need to act quickly if they're going to use the Boston situation to their advantage. If they wait until closer to the deadline, another suitor could emerge—and with Orlov off the market, it's probably likely.

Any sort of bidding war would put Gavrikov's trade value back on the upswing. That would be good for Columbus, but not for an Oilers team hoping to land the talented lefty at a relative bargain.

If Columbus won't budge on its asking price? So be it. Holland doesn't have to overpay and can spend the final few days of the trade period eying other options. However, Edmonton's best chance to hold leverage in trade talks for Gavrikov is to negotiate while no other teams are interested.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Pheonix Copley hit the showers early in Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks for throwing a punch while still wearing his blocking glove.

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Copley was assessed a match penalty late in the second period when a fight broke out in front of the Kings' goal.

Copley was initially watching the action unfold when Ducks forward Frank Vatrano skated in front of the net and decided to push Copley's mask. The Kings goalie responded by throwing multiple punches at Vatrano while still wearing his blocking glove and helmet.

Ducks goalie John Gibson seemed like he was trying to get in on the action. He skated to center ice and banged his stick down, apparently signaling to Copley it was time to throw hands.

Copley didn't want the smoke. pic.twitter.com/wZEdU3rzZQ

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) February 18, 2023

Pheonix. Copley. pic.twitter.com/CteOKsvZ4y

— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 18, 2023

The officials intervened to prevent the situation from escalating any further at that point.

"They were going at [Copley] a couple of times earlier in the game, so he had probably just had enough," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty told reporters after the game. "I would have loved for the linesmen to just let 'em go, but Cop has been playing great for us, and we don't need him getting injured."

Wyshynski noted NHL Rule 51 gives referee authority to issue a match penalty if "a goalkeeper uses his blocking glove to punch an opponent in an attempt to or to deliberately injure an opponent."

Jonathan Quick finished the game in goal for the Kings.

Despite Copley's ejection, it was a good night for the Kings. They won the game 6-3 to get within one point of the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

The San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers have reengaged in trade discussions involving defenseman Erik Karlsson, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

There are "considerable financial hurdles" for both teams to make a deal work, Johnston added. However, this is the second time this season the two sides have explored a trade for the veteran.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman initially reported in January that the Oilers and Sharks "had legit conversations" involving Karlsson.

Karlsson is in the midst of a resurgent season following back-to-back disappointing campaigns in San Jose. He ranks first in the NHL among defensemen with 17 goals and 53 assists for 70 points in 53 games.

This is the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, when he was still with the Ottawa Senators, that Karlsson has eclipsed the 60-point mark. The most points he had scored in a season with the Sharks entering this season was the 45 points he tallied during the 2018-19 campaign.

But while Karlsson is producing at an elite level that almost surely will see him capture his third Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, the Sharks sit seventh in the Pacific Division with a 16-26-11 record.

San Jose's struggles have led to questions about how much longer Karlsson will want to remain in Silicon Valley and compete for a team that has little chance to make the postseason.

The problem is, the 32-year-old has an $11.5 million per year cap hit through the 2026-27 campaign after signing an eight-year, $92 million deal in June 2019. His cap hit, coupled with the no-movement clause on his contract, makes him a difficult asset to be traded.

Still, the opportunity to add a revitalized Karlsson to their blue line would be a game-changer for the Oilers, who lack that kind of elite talent in their defensive unit. Veteran Tyson Barrie leads Edmonton's defensemen with seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 53 games.

After reaching the Western Conference Final last season, the Oilers are on the cusp of becoming a true title contender.

Edmonton sits second in the Pacific Division with a 30-18-5 record and are just a few pieces away from being a championship-caliber team. Could Karlsson be one of the pieces to help get the Oilers there?

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife, Donya, claimed debts of $27.3 million in their recent bankruptcy filing, according to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan.

The couple filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Dec. 30, listing debts of up to $50 million. The step came after a company in Wisconsin sued Lehner and his father, Michael, for missed loan repayments. The 31-year-old has also failed to make payments on a rare snake collection he purchased in 2017 for $1.2 million.

Kaplan provided a more detailed breakdown of the Lehners' creditors. He owes $4.75 million to Aliya Growth Fund LLC and $3.9 million to Eclipse Service, Inc., the two biggest creditors listed.

Jeff Burbank of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the Lehners claimed assets totaling $5.1 million, the largest of which was their Las Vegas home ($3.2 million).

Lehner is in the third year of a five-year, $25 million contract with the Golden Knights. The Swede underwent season-ending hip surgery in August, ruling him out for the entirety of 2022-23 before he made a single appearance.

The Vancouver Canucks announced Sunday they fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and assistant coach Trent Cull.

"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Bruce and Trent for their contributions to this organization," general manager Patrik Allvin said. "We appreciate their dedication and wish them nothing but the best moving forward. This was not an easy decision to make, but one that we felt was necessary for this franchise."

Rick Tocchet will replace Boudreau as head coach, with Adam Foote moving into the assistant role.

The moves come amid an 18-25-3 start that has the Canucks sitting sixth in the Pacific division.

Despite the losses piling up, Boudreau didn't lose the support of the fanbase. They chanted "Bruce, there it is!" at the end of Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Bruce Boudreau leaves the ice to a "Bruce there it is!" chant. 💙 pic.twitter.com/RF8OjR2Ngd

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 22, 2023

His firing comes a little over a year after the Canucks hired him. He succeeded Travis Green in December 2021 and guided the team to a 32-15-10 finish. The team wound up just five points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

For many, Boudreau's departure reflects wider issues within the organization that extend beyond his coaching.

This past Monday, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford lamented how he thought "major surgery" was required to get the roster to a playoff level but still isn't committed to executing a rebuild.

"My preference is when we make deals, it's not necessarily for draft picks who may come in and help the team four years or five years from now," he told reporters. "I would prefer to get younger NHL players that may not have worked out well on the entry-level contracts and bring them in to get a second chance."

Canucks president Jim Rutherford addressed the media today and it was a doozy 🎤😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/8ywGVNORb7

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 16, 2023

That's a seemingly impossible needle to thread, and the front office might have little choice but to start all over again in the offseason considering Bo Horvat is due to be a free agent.

The Canucks' treatment of Boudreau drew criticism as well because they left him to twist in the wind with the expectation that he'd eventually get fired. On Jan. 14, CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal reported negotiations were already underway with Tocchet but that a final decision might not come for weeks.

I can honestly say that, in my 15 yrs covering the NHL, I have never seen anything like this Bruce Boudreau fiasco. I have no clue how any organization—even one as apparently as dysfunctional as the Canucks—could operate this way. The cruelty of it aside, it’s just so ridiculous.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 22, 2023

Tocchet brings plenty of experience to Vancouver. He coached the Tampa Bay Lightning for two years before spending four seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. The 58-year-old has a 125-131-34 record as an NHL head coach with one playoff trip under his belt.

Given the dysfunctional state of the Canucks right now and the general goodwill toward Boudreau, Tocchet is inheriting a difficult situation.

Bo Horvat is arguably the biggest name available on the market ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline, and talks "have intensified" for the Vancouver Canucks star, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

On Monday, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said the Canucks had made their best contract extension offer to Horvat.

The Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken, Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild are reportedly among the teams that have asked about the Vancouver captain, Seravalli added.

Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts Podcast on Friday that talks for Horvat have "intensified this week."

"I don't know that it's going to happen for sure, but I believe some teams have stepped up and indicated they're serious," Friedman said, via Sportsnet. "Nobody has denied to me that there has been some intensifications."

Horvat, 27, has a salary-cap hit of $5.5 million this year and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Athletic's Rick Dhaliwal reported in December that Horvat rejected an offer from Vancouver, and TSN's Pierre LeBrun added that the franchise had flipped its focus to the trade market.

The Ontario native has been vocal about wanting to be in a winning environment, and the Canucks are among the worst teams in the Pacific Division with an 18-23-3 record.

That said, Horvat does not have a no-trade clause.

Of the clubs reported to have checked in on Horvat, the Bruins have posted a league-best 36-5-4 record. Boston owns a 12-point lead over 28-9-8 Carolina for the top mark in the NHL. The B's have been dominant, and Horvat could be the extra piece they need to win another title.

Further, adding Horvat could help the franchise ease the transition when Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci decide to retire in the not so distant future.

As for the other teams involved, the Red Wings sit sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 19-17-8 record, the Kraken are first in the Pacific Division with a 27-14-4 record, and the Wild are third in the Central Division with a 25-15-4 record.

Horvat has spent his nine-year career with the Canucks, who selected him ninth in the 2013 NHL draft. He's having the best season of his career, having already notched 30 goals and 19 assists in 44 games.

In 616 career games, Horvat has 200 goals and 215 assists. If he goes untraded, he will be one of the best players available in free agency.

As the Seattle Kraken approached the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, a near-unanimous narrative formed: This was not going to look anything like the Vegas Golden Knights' induction into the league.

The 2018 Golden Knights marked the first instance of NHL expansion since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild became franchises No. 29 and 30 in 2000. That's an entire era of hockey in which the game changed in a number of ways.

This was unprecedented territory for NHL general managers. There was no blueprint to follow. Most decisions made would come with externalities that were tough to anticipate. It's not a surprise that Vegas benefitted from a number of mistakes made by others. Vegas not only built a team superior to past expansion teams, but they managed to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup final in their first season.

Seattle would not benefit in the same way. Four years later, teams had knowledge of what to do and, really, what not to do. Don't overpay to protect certain players, and trust the expansion team would hesitate to select players with big contracts.

Kraken GM Ron Francis did not hold back in tempering expectations for Seattle out of the gate.

"Vegas did a good job taking advantage of the rules and sort of everyone's lack of experience in that environment. Last time where GMs were more willing to, in a sense, overpay to protect certain assets, this time they learned from that and they weren't willing to make the mistakes that they made last time," he told reporters.

The Kraken finished with the third-worst record in the league in their inaugural campaign. Now in their second season, Seattle has found its bearings. The Dave Hakstol-led team sits fourth in the Western Conference by points percentage and just two points behind Vegas (with one game in hand) for first place in the Pacific Division.

Francis had to take a more meandering path than Vegas did, but the Kraken's introduction to the NHL suddenly does not look so different.

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The Sum is Greater Than its Parts

During Vegas' inaugural season, leading scorer William Karlsson finished tied for 23rd among NHL forwards with 78 points. He was nobody's idea of an NHL superstar. Fifteen of the other 30 NHL teams had at least one forward who finished with equal or better production. Yet the Golden Knights scored the fifth-most goals in the NHL. Jonathan Marchessault (T-29th), David Perron (T-44th), Reilly Smith (T-66th), and Erik Haula (T-78th) trailed behind Karlsson. Vegas were one of only four teams with five forwards among the NHL's top 90 by points.

Seattle are also compensating for a lack of high-end talent with across-the-board contributions. André Burakovsky leads the team with 37 points in 44 games; he ranks joint-65th among NHL forwards by points. But the Kraken are the only team in the NHL with 10 forwards with 20-plus points this season; Boston and Calgary are next in line with eight.

The sum result? The Kraken rank fourth in the entire NHL in goals scored and first at even strength. Defensemen Vince Dunn (more on him later) and Justin Schultz have contributed significantly to the cause as well, but Seattle's strength at forward lies within its immense depth rather than one or two All-Star talents.

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Frugal Finds

The biggest explanation for how Vegas found success so early is that other teams self-sabotaged and threw talent at general manager George McPhee's feet. Marchessault, Smith, Karlsson and Shea Theodore are among the players other GMs inexplicably gift-wrapped.

Seattle was never going to benefit equally. Teams were better prepared this time around, albeit Francis was able to bring in quality players such as Jordan Eberle (NYI), Yanni Gourde (TBL) and Carson Soucy (MIN).

But Francis did come away with some steals, too. The St. Louis Blues boxed themselves in with no-trade clauses afforded to defensemen Torey Krug and Justin Faulk, so they had to expose Dunn, who is now producing at a 16-goal, 62-point pace at 26 years old. It was a massive blunder by the Blues.

Elsewhere, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall chose to protect winger Kasperi Kapanen and moved Jared McCann to Toronto. Toronto then left McCann exposed in order to protect Alex Kerfoot. In Toronto's case, it's a more defendable decision. For Pittsburgh, not so much. McCann scored 27 goals last season and leads Seattle again with 22 and is on a 44-goal pace. Kapanen, meanwhile, is frequently a subject of trade speculation due to poor play.

These frugal finds are not limited to the expansion draft. The Columbus Blue Jackets were thrilled to land Johnny Gaudreau in free agency, but it caused a salary-cap crunch that forced them to trade quality two-way winger Oliver Bjorkstrand for third- and fourth-round draft picks.

The Washington Capitals tossed Daniel Sprong to Seattle as a warm body in the 2022 deadline move that sent depth winger Marcus Johansson to Washington. Sprong, 25, has always been a high-end offensive talent but could never find consistency. With his fourth NHL team, the Dutch winger is finally figuring it out. Despite playing limited minutes, Sprong is third on the team with 15 goals and has 13 assists.

The most recent example of Seattle's analytics department succeeding is with the acquisition of Eeli Tolvanen. The 23-year-old was drafted in the first round by Nashville in 2017 and then set the KHL ablaze, but it did not translate into success with Nashville. Tolvanen's value is mainly derived from his elite shot. Yet he tallied just 23 over 122 regular season games for Nashville while he yo-yo'd up and down the lineup. Having finally given up on him, Nashville placed him on waivers on December 11. The Kraken scooped him up, and the Finnish winger sits with five goals and two assists already through 10 games in Seattle.

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What is Next?

Making the playoffs is the primary goal in Seattle. Following that, if the team wants to truly mimic Vegas' early ascent to contention, then reinforcements will be mandatory. As good as Seattle has been, they are the beneficiaries of the Hockey Gods siding with them through the first half of the season. Per Evolving Hockey, the Kraken are 19th in the NHL by expected-goals percentage; based on the shot quantity and quality within their games, Seattle would be expected to have both 136 goals for and against. The league's best shooting percentage (12.3) is thrusting them to the top of the standings. Will that last? Not with the status quo.

So Francis must tap into the final aspect of his build that has lined up with Vegas'; draft pick excess. As part of all of the expansion-draft deals, Vegas gained a ton of draft picks. Seattle didn't have the same luck, but they have accumulated their own arsenal in a different way. With the playoffs out of sight thanks in part to the underwhelming expansion draft, Francis traded six players at the 2022 deadline, most prominently Mark Giordano. For his efforts, he hauled in 10 draft picks.

Aside from all of their natural draft picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts, Seattle is approaching the trading deadline with an additional two second-round picks, plus added selections in Rounds 3, 4, 6 and 7. Cap Friendly currently estimates that the Kraken will have roughly $3.6 million in cap space with which to work at the deadline. The logical dumping of pending UFA Joonas Donskoi's $3.9 million cap hit would open up more. Simply put, Seattle should, and will, generate significant buzz. Multiple trades to reinforce the ranks seem inevitable.

Maybe the most important outcome of the Golden Knights' introduction to the NHL was a long-term product. Vegas has made it to the semifinals (or better) in three of its five seasons and looks to be a playoff contender yet again.

Seattle may not have captured lightning in a bottle initially, but the organization appears on course for a similar long-term trajectory.

Las Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife, Donya Lehner, filed for bankruptcy in Nevada in late 2022, citing up to $50 million in debts and only as much as $10 million in assets.

Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the couple filed Chapter 7 paperwork Dec. 30, months after a company sued them for $3.9 million as it looked to recoup a business loan.

Lehner has made $32 million in his NHL career in salary. The bankruptcy filing estimated the couple have between $1 million and $10 million in assets.

Lehner signed a five-year, $25 million in 2020 and is due $10.5 million the next two seasons, in addition to his remaining 2022-23 salary. He has not played this season due to a hip injury.

The bankruptcy filing includes several details on the Lehners' financial dealings, many of which feature the company Solarcode. The company has business dealings in Arizona and Nevada, among other states, and lists Robin Lehner and his father, Michael, as principal members.

The Lehner family also owns a reptile farm in Plato, Missouri, that features several exotic snakes. Lehner purchased the snakes for $1.2 million in 2017.

Former NHL forward Gino Odjick died Sunday at the age of 52, the Vancouver Canucks announced.

A cause of death has yet to be released.

Odjick was drafted in the fifth round of the 1990 draft by the Canucks and became one of the team's most popular players because of his unmatched toughness. His status as an enforcer earned him the nickname "Algonquin Assassin," which was a nod to his Algonquin heritage.

Per Mike Brehm of USA Today, Odjick was "one of the NHL's most feared fighters" during his 12-year career. His 2,567 regular-season penalty minutes ranked 17th in NHL history, and he led the league with 371 minutes in 1996-97. He had a hand in 148 NHL fights, per hockeyfights.com.

Odjick helped propel the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final with a career-high 16 goals in the 1993-94 season, but they fell to the New York Rangers in seven games.

"Gino was a fan favorite from the moment he joined the organization, putting his heart and soul into every shift on and off the ice," Canucks chairman and governor Francesco Aquilini said in a statement. "He inspired many and embodies what it means to be a Canuck."

Odjick also played for the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Montréal Canadiens before his retirement in 2002. Of his 64 career goals, 13 were game-winners.

After retiring, Odjick spoke about his struggles with concussions. In 2014, he was also diagnosed with a rare condition called amyloidosis, which produces protein deposits in the heart, per Brehm. He went into remission through chemotherapy.

Odjick is a member of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver and has an arena named after him in Maniwaki, Quebec.