TORONTO — The NHL’s general managers gathered Tuesday for their traditional meeting after the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, a four-and-a-half-hour session that was low on news but provided a chance for some managers to plant early seeds in trade talks.
“I had 29 friends here that were really trying to help me out,” joked Senators GM Pierre Dorion, accounting for the two GMs who didn’t attend (the Capitals’ Brian MacLellan and Blue Jackets’ Jarmo Kekalainen, the latter of whom had a flight issue).
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“These meetings are a bit different than the ones in March because at the March meetings you can’t make any more trades (it’s post-deadline),” he added. “Here you do see guys huddling together and trying to figure out things.
“You figure out what’s going on, if anyone’s on the market, and you have an idea with injuries or whatever, who’s talking to who. We’re all trying to talk to each other and trying to better our teams.”
How active has Dorion been as far as checking out the marketplace right now?
“Very active,” Dorion said. “Very active to see what’s out there and what’s going on.”
The March 3 trade deadline is still a long way out, but it’s never too early to start contemplating scenarios.@PierreVLeBrun names some of the top players who could be on the move this season and where they might fit in best.https://t.co/Av1O823ajd — The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) November 10, 2022
Dorion feels his team is playing better than its record shows, so he wants to be patient. But to a point.
“I think at this time of the year, we’re all gauging to see where we’re going to be, where everyone will be in the next couple of weeks, where everyone will be by Christmas,” he said. “We have to be somewhat patient, but at the same time, we can’t let this continue on for too long.”
Dorion also doubled down on his belief in head coach D.J. Smith, sending the message again that that is not the kind of change he has in mind.
“Coaching is not the issue. Simple as that. Not at all,” Dorion said. “For me, it’s the first time we’ve given a team to D.J. that can compete for a possible playoff spot. So I think we’ve got to be patient there.”
But watching his team lose so many close games in the opening month has not been easy to digest.
“(It’s been) tough, for anyone that knows me,” he said, smiling. “It can be very tough to remain patient, but it’s a process. If we were getting outplayed and outshot every night, then you have to do something.
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“But right now we don’t feel that’s the case. We’re close every game. …
“Hopefully we can start getting a little bit of puck luck. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to start winning games.”
A blue-line boost is the obvious need, and Dorion reiterated what he’s said before, that he feels it’s the hardest position to trade for. But that’s obviously where he’s looking.
Speaking of which …
The Senators, as discussed before, have shown interest in Jakob Chychrun, and it just so happens that the 24-year-old blueliner is finally set to make his season debut next week. Or at least that’s the current plan.
There are a number of teams eager to finally see Chychrun play again before deciding whether to get more serious in trade talks with Arizona.
“He’s coming back Nov. 21,” Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said after the GMs meeting. “He’s going to join the team to practice starting, I believe, tomorrow. That is the plan.”
And I think it’s clear if a team steps up with a serious offer, the Coyotes don’t feel the need to drag this out forever.
“There’s been a lot of injuries to a lot of defensemen (around the NHL) this year, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity that will come our way,” Armstrong said. “We’ll just be patient with it. Obviously, that has to do with how well he plays when he comes in the lineup.”
Armstrong also has no intention of dropping his asking price, which I believe includes a pair of first-round picks as part of any package.
“I don’t know if it’s a high bar. I think other GMs feel that way,” Armstrong said of his asking price. “But I think they’d ask for the same thing if they were me, you know? I think he did lead the league in goals for a defenseman, and he’s 24 with a pretty good contract.
“I think they would probably ask for the same.”
Erik Karlsson trade market?
Mike Grier was attending his second GMs meeting after going to one at the draft in Montreal in July just days after his appointment as Sharks GM.
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What I was eager to know after Tuesday’s meeting was how Grier felt about the excellent play of veteran blueliner Erik Karlsson and what it potentially could mean for the trade deadline.
We’ll get to his hefty contract in a moment, but specifically, I asked Grier if he could see a situation where teams called on Karlsson.
“I don’t know. He’s a dynamic player,” Grier said. “To me, he’s probably one of the best three offensive defensemen in the league, and he’s been great for us. He’s done everything we’ve asked as far as preparation and practicing.
“Maybe there’s a scenario where a team comes asking for him, because I do think he’s a difference-maker. He’s someone who can go out there and win you a game or win you a series, for that matter. Maybe something will come up down the road. We’ll see.”
Any potential trade would require the Sharks massaging that contract somehow. Karlsson after this season has four more years at an $11.5 million average annual value.
How much of it would the Sharks be willing to eat to make a move possible?
Erik Karlsson’s play has been one of the best stories in the first 20 percent of this season. It’s not just the goals – he’s earning praise for many different aspects. He’s also playing … a lot, lately, which might be something to monitor. https://t.co/gN73WFTr1v — Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) November 15, 2022
And of course, this is all up to Karlsson. He’s got a full no-move clause. He calls the shots. Maybe he doesn’t want to go anywhere, even if teams call closer to March 3.
“I would listen (if a team called), but at the end of the day, a lot of it depends on Erik, too. He’s got the no-trade protection,” Grier said. “And what he wants to do … I know right now he’s happy in San Jose, his family is happy there and we’re thrilled with how he’s playing.”
Why the bounceback in Karlsson’s game this season, a media colleague asked.
“I think health is a big part of it, but I think he’s just in a good state of mind, mentally,” Grier said. “From the moment I got the job, we’ve had good conversations. Quinny (head coach David Quinn) did a good job of going out to Ottawa (last summer) and visiting with him.
“I think it’s been an open line of communication. If he needs a day off or if there’s things hockey-wise he wants to discuss, we’ve had open doors with him. I think he feels good about where things are at personally in his life, with his family, and I think where he’s at with our relationship, where it’s a pretty open back and forth, give and take.”
MacFarland’s first GMs meeting
I don’t think they made him do a lap around the room on his own before things got rolling Tuesday, but it was indeed the first GMs meeting for Chris MacFarland after his summer promotion with Stanley Cup champion Colorado.
“It was exciting for me,” MacFarland said afterward. “It was old hat for a few other guys, but you know, for me, it was another new moment. Something I enjoyed.”
I’ve always been told that rookie GMs know not to speak a whole lot at their first meeting or two.
“I didn’t say anything,” MacFarland laughed. “I don’t know if there’s rookie rules, but it was very welcoming and a very good day.”
It was a chance to speak to other GMs in person, especially for an Avs team hit hard by injuries, perhaps looking to upgrade at some point. For now, his team just has to grind through with a depleted lineup.
“I think the coaches are doing a great job, the players are doing a great job. I think 20 teams are in LTI, so it’s a challenge,” MacFarland said. “As always, if there’s an opportunity to make us better, we’ll always look at anything. Whether it’s now or months from now.”
(Photo of Pierre Dorion: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)