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Oilers Sign Jordan Oesterle

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The Edmonton Oilers re-signed prospect Jordan Oesterle to a one year deal.  The contract is a two-way pact worth $585,000 at the NHL level and $85,000 in the AHL according to Cap Friendly.

Oesterle initially signed with the Oilers in 2014 as an undrafted free agent after playing for the Western Michigan Broncos in the NCAA. He had 4G and 25P in 44 games last year with the AHL Bakersfield Condors while adding 5P (all assists) in 17 games with the Oilers.  In 23 career NHL games, he has a total of six assists.

Boston Bruins Interested In Shattenkirk; Kulikov

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UPDATE 4:40 PM CST: Jimmy Murphy of VICE Sports adds that in their search for defencemen, the Bruins have offered their first round pick (29th overall) to the Florida Panthers for Dmitry Kulikov as a “starting point”.

4:35 PM CST: In a tweet that assuredly caused panic in St. Louis, Darren Dreger reports that “The Shattenkirk watch is on” and that Boston among other teams are heavily interested in the blueliner.  Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds a quote from Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong: “I don’t think either of us are naive. I’d love to find a way to keep Shatty here and we’re going to work toward seeing if there’s common ground. But you just can’t keep everybody.”

Kevin Shattenkirk is owed $4.25MM in the final season of his current deal, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.  He’s basically a lock for 40 points from the back end, as he’s eclipsed that mark in the last four full seasons (and was on pace to do so in the lock-out shortened 2012-13).

If Boston was to acquire Shattenkirk, he’d immediately become the second highest paid defenceman on the team behind Zdeno Chara, and would seemingly join Chara on the top pairing. With the Bruins being rumored as trying to trade away Dennis Seidenberg and his $4MM cap-hit before a potential buyout, they would be creating room for Shattenkirk under their current payroll.

Buffalo Acquires Jimmy Vesey From Predators

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UPDATE 3:52 PM CST: Bob McKenzie throws a little water on the fire of Vesey signing, with a couple of quotes from Sabres GM Tim Murray: “Why not us? Why not give it a shot? We have a spot in our Top 6 for him. We had four 3rd-round picks.” and “If I could’ve traded (rental) Jamie McGinn for Vesey’s rights at deadline, I’d have done it. We’ll give it our best shot.”  While it still seems likely that Buffalo will sign him, perhaps it’s not quite as certain.

3:48 PM CST: In addition to being close with Eichel, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune adds that he’s been skating with him for a month already.

3:33 PM CST: According to Nashville Predators’ Twitter, the team has dealt the rights to NCAA winger Jimmy Vesey to Buffalo for a third round pick in this year’s draft.  Tom Gulitti of NHL.com adds that it is Minnesota’s pick that is being dealt, 76th overall.

After much speculation that the Harvard winger would wait until August 15th, when he would be come an unrestricted free agent it seems Buffalo is certain they can get him signed before then.  Vesey is close with Jack Eichel, the Sabres’ top pick from a year ago.

If the Sabres can get him signed, it’s a big addition to a club already brimming with young talent. Vesey 46 points this past year for Harvard, coming third in overall scoring in the ECAC. Now 23-years old, Vesey will be expected to step right into the Buffalo lineup and contribute.  His size and skill will lead him to a top-six role quickly in the NHL, though there may be some doubt in his ability to become an elite winger.

For the Predators, it’s a fairly decent return for a player who was clearly not going to sign with them. Vesey was determined to become a free agent in August, meaning that the Predators would have lost him for nothing. Instead, they replace the 66th overall pick they spent on him with a 76th a few years later. While obviously not as good as getting Vesey for themselves, they’ll take what they can get at this point.

Wild Notes: Kuemper, Centers, Granlund

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After losing in the first round to the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have turned their attention to next year and the attempt to getting back into the playoffs. Today, GM Chuck Fletcher spoke to reporters and gave some interesting information.  In a series of tweets, Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press reports:

  • Fletcher was impressed by what he saw from Mikael Granlund on the wing this season, and might go that way again next season.  Up until now, Granlund had always been regarded as a center and had performed well in that role. With Charlie Coyle’s emergence, and Mikko Koivu’s continued strong play perhaps a slide to the wing is the best fit for the 24-year old playmaker.
  • He adds that Granlund’s fit on the wing has prompted a search for a third center, with Fletcher being quoted: “If we can find a guy, we’ll do it.” Presumably this would be in a third line role, something that could probably be found on the cheap in this year’s free agency.
  • The team has already begun fielding calls on restricted free agent Darcy Kuemper, though Fletcher admits he’s “a little hesitant” to trade the 26-year old goaltender. Kuemper has performed admirably as the Wild backup for the last few seasons, logging a career .912 save percentage and 2.47 GAA in 84 games.
  • Asked about the possibility of buying out Thomas Vanek – something we profiled here on PHR yesterday – Fletcher said “Everything has to be on the table after the season we had.”. Vanek is owed $7.5MM ($6.5 cap-hit) for 2016-17.
  • Michael Rand of the Star Tribune adds that while they’ve already had calls on many of their young defencemen, new coach Scott Stevens would love to keep them all. Fletcher seems open to the idea of trading one, saying “We would certainly look at trading from our strength — our defense — for a forward”

Sharks Acquire Letunov From Coyotes

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1:35pm: General Fanager gives us this great little tidbit about the trade: Arizona can now fulfill a condition of the previous Sam Gagner–Nicklas Grossmann deal from 2015. Since they’ve acquired a 2016 fourth round pick, they can now choose to send Philadelphia that one instead of the original 2017 third rounder that was originally included.

1:25pm: Craig Morgan of AZ Sports gives us a quote from 27-year old Arizona GM John Chayka: “Signing an NCAA player with lots of development still left is always a concern. That becomes compounded when you have depth at center like we do with our prospects. It’s a good fit for San Jose.”

1:06pm: According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the San Jose Sharks have acquired Maxim Letunov from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2016 fourth round pick (120th overall), and 2017 third rounder.  San Jose will also be sending back a sixth round pick in 2017.

Letunov, 20, was a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues back in 2014 and was dealt to the Coyotes in the Zbynek Michalek deal last year’s deadline.  He put up a huge season in 2015-16 for the University of Connecticut with 40 points in 36 games as a freshman. The 6’2″ winger possesses an outstanding shot can score from anywhere in the offensive zone.

With the deal, Arizona will replace the fourth round selection that they dealt with Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers this past season. They’ll now have eight selections this weekend.

For the Sharks, they’ve added another young forward prospect and dealt away draft currency. The team will now have only five selections at this weekend’s draft, including only one in the first three rounds (60th overall).

Six Teams Have Interest In Bryzgalov

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According to agent Rich Winter, via The Hockey News, there are currently six teams interested in the Ilya Bryzgalov comeback story. A decision could come within the month, as the 35-year old tries to make it back to the NHL after a period of more than a year.

Bryzgalov last played on February 10th, 2015 for Anaheim, in a game which he was pulled after allowing three goals on just eight shots.  He was released just two weeks later.

A veteran of 12 NHL seasons, Bryzgalov was an all-star in 2009-10 and finished second the Vezina trophy voting. He finished that season with a 2.29 GAA and .920 save percentage on an excellent Phoenix Coyotes team.

If a comeback is made, Bryzgalov has been clear that he would play for a “modest salary” and that he’s just interested in coming back to the NHL.  That willingness to play for league minimum (or close to it) might come from the fact that he’s still being paid $1.64MM by the Philadelphia Flyers following his 2013 buyout, and will continue to until 2026-27.

Snapshots: Anisimov, Mrazek, Gaudreau

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The NHL released the home openers for many teams on Monday morning – Ben Whyte of The Score compiled a list of those announced. Among the highlights is the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins raising the 2015-16 banner in front of their rival Washington Capitals on October 13th. The league is set to release the full schedules for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday morning.  Here is some more news from around the league:

  • Cap Friendly reports that Artem Anisimov of the Blackhawks actually has a no-movement clause (NMC) for the next two seasons. Not only does this limit the options Chicago has this offseason, but makes Anisimov an automatic protection in next year’s expansion draft.
  • While speaking to Torie Peterson, Flames’ GM Brad Treliving intimated that he’ll eventually get deals done with top RFAs Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. “We’ll continue to bang away at it. We’ve got to get to something that makes sense for them and for us…I have every confidence that we will.”
  • TB Times writer Joe Smith says that UFA Jonathan Marchessault “loves the place” and “wants to stay” in Tampa Bay this summer. Marchessault put up 18 points last season and is only 25.
  • Matt Brown, producer of Sportsnet’s Hockey Central @ Noon reports that Ken Holland said Petr Mrazek will be the Red Wings’ #1 goaltender coming into camp this season. Mrazek played in 54 games for the Red Wings this past year, but is sure to earn less than Jimmy Howard’s $5.29MM this season.

Top Draft Prospects: Jesse Puljujärvi

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The NHL draft is now less than a week away with the first round set for this Friday.  Over the next several days, we will be taking a closer look at the prospects who will hear their name called early on Friday night.

We’ve already published the profiles on Auston Matthews (link) and Patrik Laine (link), so let’s take a look at the expected #3 pick, Jesse Puljujärvi.

Bio

Position: Right Wing
Birthdate: May 7, 1998
Hometown: Älvkarleby, Sweden
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 200 lbs

2015-16

Puljujärvi suited up for his second season in the Finnish Elite league, and showed he belonged, helping Karpat to a second place finish and putting up 28 points as a 17-year old.  As Karpat hit the playoffs, Puljujärvi was actually still recovering from an injury but upon his return he seemed to hit his stride, putting up 9 points (4-5) in just 10 games before eventually losing to Laine’s Tappara Tampere squad in seven games.

Puljujärvi led all players at the World Junior Championships with 17 points in just 7 games on the winning Finnish squad. Not only did he take home the tournament’s top forward award (beating out Laine and Matthews in the vote) he was crowed the tournament MVP as well.

Statistics

Karpat: 50 GP, 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, 22 PIMS, +5 rating
Playoffs: 10 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 10 points, 2 PIM
WJC: 7 GP, 5 goals, 12 assists, 0 PIM, +8 rating

Scouting Report

Puljujärvi has been reported as one of the best skaters in the draft, despite his 6’3″ frame. His long stride and efficient motion lets him get around with ease, and allows him to get into prime offensive positions.  While he’s known as a scoring winger, his two-way game is advanced for such a young player and is ahead of Laine on the defensive end.

His offensive game comes not only from an above average shot, but his playmaking abilities with the puck on his stick. Many scouts think this is the attribute most likely to set Puljujärvi apart in the NHL, allowing him to ride shotgun with an elite goal scoring talent, while covering up some defensive liabilities. His elite skating ability allows him to get back quickly and he almost never coasts when chasing an opponent, using his long wingspan to take pucks away.

If there is one complaint about Puljujärvi it’s that he doesn’t use his large frame to throw enough body checks.  While using it as a leverage tool down low, he sometimes shies away from the physical side of the game. If he continues to learn how to use his size he may eventually develop that edge, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever be a dominant physical presence.

Projected Future Role

Top six, two-way winger with elite playmaking ability.

NHL Timeline

After establishing himself against Men in the Finnish Elite League the past two years, Puljujärvi will be heading directly into the NHL next season.  He may start on a lower line, due to his ability to contribute defensively but will crack the top six before long. Knee surgery has limited his ability to take part in camps this summer, but he should be ready for the start of the regular season.

Minor Transactions: 06/20/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions, updating as they happen.

  • The Penguins have re-signed F Kevin Porter to a one-year, two-way deal worth $575,000 at the NHL level. Porter is coming off a season where he played 41 games for the Penguins, in a bottom six and penalty killing role. He’s put up 58 points across 247 career NHL contests.
  • After playing in 13 contests this season for the Canucks, the team has sent a qualifying offer to Andrey Pedan reports Cat Silverman of Today’s Slapshot.  The former third round pick has progressed well the past year, and put up 21 points in just 45 AHL games this season.

Mirtle’s Latest: Chayka, Demers, Yandle

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The busiest time of the year is starting over the next few weeks, with the Entry Draft and July 1st free agency. Rumors are swirling already about almost every player in the league and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail mentions that the salary cap isn’t going to rise much more than $1.5MM even if the NHLPA exercises their 5% bump.  That’ll give a lot of teams pause about locking in long-term to free agents, while their own cap situation isn’t settled. Here’s more from Mirtle:

  • Youngest GM in NHL history John Chayka (only 27-years old) has already begun to make an impact on the Arizona Coyotes, moving to acquire the rights to Alex Goligoski last week, and Mirtle believes he’s aiming at a return to the playoffs as soon as next season.  Martin Hanzal, his biggest trade chip has been dangled recently and doesn’t look like a long-term option in the desert.
  • Jason Demers, one of three exceptional Dallas blueliners that are reaching free agency this summer has apparently priced himself out of the Stars’ market, asking for an annual value close to $5.5MM. Demers, along with Goligoski and Kris Russell are three of the top five defense options this offseason.
  • Number 1 on that list, Keith Yandle is believed to be seeking a seven-year deal on the open market, Mirtle suggests. The Avalanche are an option for the Rangers’ blueliner, as they look to add to their team coming off a disappointing 39-39-4 season.
  • Mirtle mentions that despite the Jets best efforts to re-sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba, teams around the league still believe he is available for the right price.  The former 9th overall pick has been a steady presence on the Jets back-end and is only 22.

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