The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks are working on a trade that will send both Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to Alberta. With the full trade details before either team has confirmed, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that Anaheim will acquire a 2024 first-round selection as well as a conditional 2025 fifth-round selection that can be upgraded to a fourth-round pick if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.
Although the Ducks are already retaining 50% of Henrique’s salary in the deal, the Tampa Bay Lightning were also brought in to retain 25% of the salary as well, earning a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from the Oilers in the process. Aside from Henrique and Carrick, Edmonton will also be acquiring Tampa Bay’s 2024 seventh-round selection and goaltender Ty Taylor, who is currently rostered on the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL.
Further reporting has indicated that Anaheim will be retaining 50% of Carrick’s contract as well, bringing his total salary with Edmonton down to $425K for the remainder of the season. Because the Ducks retained money on both players, they no longer have any retention spots available for any remaining trades they may make leading up to the deadline.
With Henrique now in the mix, Edmonton will have the opportunity to get creative in their top six. Understandably, they will likely keep their first line together heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs but now can move either Evander Kane or Mattias Janmark around the lineup to create a more balanced offensive approach.
Speaking of balance, that is exactly what Henrique brings to the table for the Oilers as one of the more consistent two-way forwards in the NHL. Formidable offensively, Henrique has scored 18 goals and 42 points in 60 games for the Ducks this season but also boasts a 52.9% faceoff win rate.
Aside from helping out both offensively and defensively at even strength, Henrique should also be able to improve the Oilers’ pedestrian penalty-kill percentage this year. Centering Anaheim’s top penalty kill unit for much of his tenure in California, Henrique should be able to slide next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team’s top penalty kill unit or be the focal point of the team’s second unit.
Carrick, on the other hand, gives the Oilers an upgrade to a portion of the offensive unit they have been craving for much of the season. Experimenting with Connor Brown and Adam Erne on the team’s fourth line, Carrick gives Edmonton a more bona fide player to utilize in that role.
In 61 games for Anaheim this season, Carrick has scored eight goals and 11 points in total as well as throwing 137 hits against his opponents. Carrick has mostly played down the middle for the Ducks this season but does give the Oilers some flexibility to move Dylan Holloway to the wing on the bottom line.
With the inclusion of a first-round pick going to Anaheim in this deal, General Manager Pat Verbeek has added yet another top selection for the 2024 NHL Draft, with the Ducks now having seven total selections in the first three rounds of this upcoming summer’s draft. With 11 picks in total for 2024, the Ducks will now have added 20 new players to the organization via the draft in the last two years alone.
In Tampa Bay, even by retaining a total of $1.45M of Henrique’s salary, they will still have plenty of cap maneuverability to make a big splash come deadline day. Essentially purchasing a later-round pick from the Oilers, the Lightning could use this extra draft selection as a sweetener of their own in a few days.
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With Mitch Marner gone and several names added by general manager Brad Treliving, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be pressing pause on any further moves. That said, depending on how the season unfolds for several teams, action could pick up midseason, with the NHL trade deadline becoming an important time for Toronto. One report suggests the Maple Leafs could make a major push for Alex Tuch. The Buffalo Sabres winger is legit, but often underappreciated in a market where the team has struggled for years. He’s on the final season of $4.75 million deal and set to hit free agency with a hefty pay raise coming. According to NHL analyst Matteo Giuluano of EditorInLeaf, Tuch is the ideal rental for the Maple Leafs. Why Would the Leafs Go After Tuch This Season? Tuch, a 6-foot-4 winger entering the final year of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres, a team that often surprises everyone by the decisions they make. On the surface, there would be no reason to get rid of Tuch. However, the Sabres often run counter to conventional wisdom. Tuch adds a strong mix of skill and physicality to Buffalo’s top six. He could easily do the same in Toronto. He’s coming off a 67-point season and could slot perfectly alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on the top line—offering a power-forward presence well-suited for Craig Berube’s system. The Sabres have said they don’t plan to trade Tuch, but as Giuluano notes, feelings may change if the team falls out of contention or Tuch hints he’s set to explore the market. Tuch would then become one of the most affordable and valuable rentals in the NHL. For the Maple Leafs, the deal wouldn’t be about extending the forward. Frankly, they probably couldn’t afford to do so. Still, landing Tuch would address their need to find a top offensive producer with Marner out and add someone with playoff experience (he as 66 games on his NHL resume). If he hits the market, Toronto should be ready to pounce.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers only officially joined the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly before their three-day mandatory minicamp in June and, thus, is still learning about his new teammates in the early days of training camp. Rodgers is also using summer practices as a way to introduce himself to members of the Steelers' defense. During a Wednesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Steelers star pass-rusher T.J. Watt detailed what it's been like to go against a Rodgers-led offense on the practice field. "Frustrating, because he talks a lot of smack," Watt said about Rodgers, as shared by Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated. "He really does. A lot of the no-look passes are things that we're getting used to. I like to bat down a lot of passes at the line of scrimmage. He's able to manipulate the defense good, so that's been very frustrating. Hopefully, one day we get the better of him." Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently gushed over the arm talent Rodgers flashed during his first handful of training camp practices with the club. This past Tuesday, Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith mentioned that Rodgers' "release and how he generates power" is still "unbelievable" even though the future Hall of Famer will turn 42 years old this coming December. Multiple injury issues slowed Rodgers last fall when he was with the New York Jets. Current Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams was Rodgers' teammate last season and is convinced the veteran signal-caller can still be among the top half of the quarterbacks in the NFL if he's able to stay healthy through a grueling campaign. "His cadence is deadly," longtime Steelers defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward added about Rodgers during the show segment. "The thing he does best is he knows how to abuse the play clock. It's ridiculous, but it's gonna make us better." It remains to be seen if Rodgers will take even a handful of snaps in Pittsburgh's preseason opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 9. History shows he could give Steelers fans a highlight-reel moment or two if he participates in that exhibition contest.
The New York Yankees have continued to fortify their bullpen, acquiring right-handed reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies, per YES Network's Jack Curry. This trade marks the second recent deal between the Yankees and Rockies, following New York’s July 25 trade for infielder Ryan McMahon. In return, Colorado receives a pair of New York's prospects, second baseman Roc Riggio (No. 10 in the Yankees' system) and left-handed pitcher Ben Shields (No. 28). Both players advanced through the Yankees’ system this season, rising from rookie ball to Double-A. Bird, 29, has posted a 4.73 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings this season. With team control through 2028, Bird represents a long-term asset for New York rather than a short-term rental. Unlike most power arms in the Yankees' bullpen, Bird relies on finesse. His repertoire centers around an 84 mph sweeper — his most used pitch, thrown 39.5% of the time — complemented by an 80.5 mph changeup and a 94.4 mph sinker. Bird will join a revamped bullpen that now includes David Bednar, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates less than an hour prior to the Bird transaction.
With things moving quickly at the trade deadline, a potential target for the Chicago Cubs has come off the board. The Cubs have done a nice job so far of improving their pitching staff, but there have been some notable relievers who have moved so far. While Chicago has already added Andrew Kittredge, he is more of a middle reliever than a potential eighth or ninth inning pitcher. Adding an impact arm like Jhoan Duran or Ryan Helsley would have been ideal yesterday, but they have also now reportedly missed out on David Bednar. According to Jeff Passan, the talented right-hander from the Pittsburgh Pirates is going to be heading to the New York Yankees. After Duran and Helsley came off the board, Bednar was the next best option, and it was the Yankees who won the bidding war. So far this year, he has totaled a 2.37 ERA and 17 saves in 42 appearances. Due to the struggles of the Pirates, there haven’t been a ton of save opportunities for Bednar, but he has no doubt been one of the best closers in baseball this campaign. This would have been the type of impact addition that many are expecting Chicago to make before the deadline. However, with the former All-Star off the board, there aren’t many closers left that can help the Cubs. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Chicago looks to get more in the starting pitcher market to improve the team in that area, rather than the bullpen. The Latest Chicago Cubs News Cubs Refusing To Include Top Prospect In Talks Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline Long-Rumored Cubs Bullpen Trade Target Gets Shipped To Tigers Cubs Among Teams Still Attempting To Acquire Nationals Pitcher Cubs Reveal Special Ryne Sandberg Tribute Jerseys To Be Worn Saturday