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Los Angeles Kings Officially Sign Oscar Fantenberg

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The Los Angeles Kings have officially announced a signing that has been expected for weeks, inking Oscar Fantenberg to a one-year entry-level contract. The details of the contract were not announced. Fantenberg will become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the one-year deal.

After playing for years in the Swedish professional leagues, Fantenberg tried his hand in the KHL last season and was an immediate success. Named to the league’s all-star team, Fantenberg was actually replaced in the game by Montreal Canadiens recent free agent signing Jakub Jerabek when he had to pull out due to injury. Regardless, his play was good enough for all-star consideration as he scored 23 points in 44 games while logging over 22 minutes a game for Sochi. Jon Rosen for LA Kings Insider recently released a scouting report on Fantenberg, which includes thoughts from Director of Scouting Mark Yannetti:

“One of the overlooked assets of speed is actually how you get the puck up the ice,” Yannetti said. Speed is obviously important in today’s game, but moving the puck quickly is more important than simply possessing speed, according to many in the Kings organization and elsewhere.

Indeed Fantenberg will impress mostly with his smooth exits and quick decisions, and not his physical play. This year for Sochi he recorded just 45 hits in 44 games, but was still relied upon in all situations. Easily producing the most points among defenders for the team, he has an interesting comparable in Nikita Zaitsev who came over from the KHL last season at the same age. Zaitsev easily adapted to life on the Maple Leafs’ blueline, and earned himself a seven-year contract extension after just a single season with the team. While Fantenberg won’t be relied upon in quite the same way—the Maple Leafs don’t have a Drew Doughty to gobble up all the minutes—he could be a big part of the team as they start to transition towards youth and the future.

The Kings may lose a defender through the expansion draft since it currently looks like Brayden McNabb will be left unprotected despite elite underlying analytical numbers. Bringing in Fantenberg should provide some level of comfort to Kings’ fans wondering what the blueline will look like should McNabb head to Vegas. While he’s not the same player by any means, he could have a similar effect on puck possession while providing even more offence.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Andrey Pedan To One-Year Extension

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Andrey Pedan has signed a one-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks for the 2017-18 season. Pedan was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. The deal will be a two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, and will leave him as an RFA again in the summer of 2018.

Pedan spent most of this year with the Utica Comets after making his NHL debut last season, though he was up with the Canucks for multiple stretches without getting into any game action. The 23-year old has yet to really make his mark for the Canucks, despite costing them a third-round pick in 2014 when they acquired him from the New York Islanders. Perhaps he’ll be used more frequently for the team next season as they head into a “rebuild” phase, though they currently have several defenders he’d have to hop over on the depth chart.

Always considered an interesting prospect, Pedan has all the tools to be successful in the NHL. He’s big—6’5″ 215-lbs—strong and fast enough to keep up with smaller players. He also has a good first pass and plays with a physical edge. Something about him hasn’t ever been able to put it all together though, and despite some solid point production last year he hasn’t been able to get into the NHL lineup very much. Perhaps it’s a case of a big defenseman just taking a little bit longer to develop, but as his point totals go down and penalty minutes go up, he’s getting closer to being considered a former-prospect instead of a current one. He’ll turn 24 this summer, and will try to prove he belongs at the NHL level.

Pedan’s agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey was actually the first to break the news on Twitter, while CapFriendly reported the financial details.

Latest On Florida Panthers’ Coaching Search

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While the rest of the hockey world was talking yesterday about the latest concussion suffered by Sidney Crosby, Pierre LeBrun of TSN tweeted out an interesting note about the Florida Panthers’ coaching search. The venerable hockey insider reports that the Panthers have asked for and received permission from the San Jose Sharks to interview Bob Boughner for their vacancy. LeBrun adds that they also may be after assistant coaches still working in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with teams that have yet to be eliminated.

Boughner, one may remember, was a candidate for the Colorado Avalanche job last summer after Patrick Roy left the team in August, a job that eventually went to Jared Bednar who had been coaching in the AHL. Boughner just completed just his second year with the Sharks, after a lengthy tenure with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.

Joining Windsor in 2006, he quickly turned around a franchise that had been to just one Memorial Cup in its history and never won the CHL tournament. Within four seasons, Boughner had led the team to back-to-back championships while guiding young players like Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis to greatness. It earned him a spot on the Columbus Blue Jackets bench as an assistant coach for one season before returning to the Spitfires in 2011.

While Boughner doesn’t have any experience as a head coach at the professional level, he is considered an up-and-coming option that will eventually get an opportunity somewhere, and comes with a much different marketing spin than other “old guard” options like Michel Therrien or Lindy Ruff. Other assistants that may be of interest fall into both of these categories, like the experienced Marc Crawford from Ottawa or inexperienced assistant Phil Housley from Nashville.

Snapshots: Nightingale, Bass, Schmaltz

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The Detroit Red Wings have hired Adam Nightingale as their new assistant video coach, the same role that he held this season with the Buffalo Sabres. Nightingale is currently working with Jeff Blashill at the World Championships for Team USA, likely getting some familiarity before the beginning of next season.

Nightingale joins Blashill as another Michigan native to work in the coaching staff, and previously spent time coaching and playing at Michigan State. The team release doesn’t mention Dave Noel-Bernier who held the video coach position last season for the Red Wings, but he has returned to the University of Nebraska-Omaha as an assistant coach.

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Cody Bass from the Milwaukee Admirals in an interesting move, seeing as he underwent surgery in January that was expected to keep him out the rest of the season. Perhaps Bass has recovered enough for a chance to get into the lineup to add some toughness at some point, but it’s much more likely he’ll just practice with the team and continue to work towards a role next season. The 30-year old is a journeyman enforcer that has more penalty minutes (107) than NHL games (75) in his career and has scored just five points.
  • The St. Louis Blues have made a move of their own, sending Jordan Schmaltz back to the Chicago Wolves for their series opener against the Grand Rapids Griffins tonight. Schmaltz is obviously the Blues preferred insurance policy on defense, but want him to stay sharp and help the Wolves in their Calder Cup run. He’s been bounced up and down between AHL game days to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman in morning skates.

Jason Zucker To Undergo Sports Hernia Surgery

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According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker will undergo sports hernia surgery on Thursday. While it’s expected that he’ll be ready for training camp, core surgeries can often have wide variances in recovery time. The Wild will give a timetable after the surgery is complete.

The 25-year old Zucker broke out with Minnesota this season, scoring 22 goals and 47 points while leading the league with a +34 rating. Amazingly, 46 of those points came at even strength where he, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund formed a dominating trio. One of the reasons the Wild could afford to trade away draft picks at the deadline, Zucker looks like he’ll be an excellent player for the next several years for Minnesota.

On July 1st he will become a candidate for a long-term extension, though the team may wait until they’re confident in his recovery before committing to him. He’ll earn just $2MM next season before becoming a restricted free agent, and would command quite a raise if selling off several of his UFA years. The team also has to worry about extensions this summer for Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, making this quite an important offseason for the Wild.

Ryan Garbutt To Sign With Sochi Of KHL

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After completing the final year of his current contract with the Anaheim Ducks, Ryan Garbutt will begin a new chapter in his hockey career with HK Sochi of the KHL. The 31-year old signed a one-year deal that will come into effect on July 1st when his current contract expires.

It was a tough year for Garbutt, who was placed on and cleared waivers in December after struggling to contribute through much of the first part of the season. In 28 games with the San Diego Gulls after being re-assigned, he scored 10 points. The former Dallas Stars forward scored 17 goals and 32 points in 2013-14, earning him the three-year $5.4MM deal he’s now finishing. He never could get back to those heights, though has still been credited as an effective fourth line player in recent years.

In the KHL, he’ll join Sochi after they missed the playoffs for the first time this season. While he didn’t put up big numbers in the NHL the last few years, he’ll likely find a bit more success in the offensive systems of the KHL. For the Ducks, it never really did pan out after trading Jiri Sekac for him in 2016. Sekac also returned to the KHL this season, but the Blackhawks had already moved on from him as well. Now the two will likely face off at some point next season.

Jason Botterill Meets Again With Buffalo Brass

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After having an interview for the Buffalo Sabres’ GM job last week, Pittsburgh associate GM Jason Botterill has had a second meeting with the club according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That doesn’t make anything clear to him on where the process stands, which is still yet to be decided.

Botterill is an interesting option for the Sabres, as though he doesn’t have the decades of experience some of the other available names posses, he was the interim GM of the Penguins for a time between Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford. He’s also been a big part of the Penguins front office for years, and assumes some of the day to day operations with Rutherford still.

Yesterday, Brian Burke was on Sportsnet radio in Toronto and was asked by John Shannon generally if he believes teams should install systems similar to the one operating in Calgary. That is, to have a President of Hockey Operations—or whatever title given—who is a former GM who can take some of the pressure off the rest of the front office. His point, was that with that situation you can hire a “green” GM who will learn on the job, backed up by someone who has the experience.

For his part, Sabres owner Terry Pegula made clear his feelings on whether the lack of that position was a problem in Tim Murray’s tenure. From his presser:

Q: Do you regret going back to the same model of a general manager without a hockey person above him to answer to when [Pat] LaFontaine was pushed out?

TP: No.

On that note though he did admit that the decisions about organizational structure will be broadly determined with the first hire and where that person stands in their career and philosophies. If Botterill—or any other AGM—is brought in first, it does seem unlikely that they would then install a more experienced manager above him.

Vladimir Tkachyov Re-Signs With Kazan, Will Not Play In NHL

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One of the names bandied about in recent weeks has been that of Vladimir Tkachyov, a young Ukrainian forward who starred for Ak Bars Kazan this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had linked him to the Maple Leafs, Devils and Oilers in a previous column, though mentioned that the NHL’s decision to not attend the Olympics could affect his decision. That seems true now, as Tkachyov has re-signed with Kazan for two years and will not be coming to North America just yet.

The 23-year old forward—not to be confused with the 21-year old Vladimir Tkachyov who is still under contract with Vladivostock—scored 32 points in 53 games in the KHL last season, adding another 11 in 15 playoff matches. Playing parts of the last five seasons in the K, Tkachyov is expected to make an impact at the NHL level should he ever decide to come over. His strength on the puck and two-way game are admirable, and though he doesn’t possess elite skill he has strong enough skating to fit in on any line.

The fact that he is a center who has been capable in the faceoff dot makes him interesting for several NHL teams looking to add depth down the middle without sacrificing any assets, and you’ll surely hear his name again in two years. For now, the league will have to turn its attention back to Evgeni Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov—and perhaps even Ilya Kovalchuk—to try and get some KHL help.

Bobby Ryan Leaves Game 3

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Already without Zack Smith since the first period, the Senators are down a second forward in the third period.

Winger Bobby Ryan took an Erik Karlsson slapshot to the knee as he was standing in front of the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist. Ryan limped to the bench and left down the tunnel shortly thereafter.

Ryan had a season to forget, with just 25 points in 62 games. He’s rebounded nicely in the playoffs, with eight points in nine playoff appearances including an overtime winner in the first round. Ryan set up the Senators’ only goal in Game 3 with a beautiful no-look pass from behind the net to Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

Senators Zack Smith Leaves Game

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The Ottawa Senators will be shorthanded for the rest of Tuesday night’s game.

Center Zack Smith left the Senators’ bench in the first period and will not return with an upper-body injury, per Ottawa’s communications team. Smith took a hard hit from Rangers’ tough guy Tanner Glass and J.T. Miller.

Smith has just two assists in eight games so far this playoff, while averaging 17:33 per game. However, he has been excellent in the faceoff circle at 52% and a big hitter himself, throwing 21 hits in those eight games.

He has posted back-to-back seasons with 30-something points, going 16-16-32 in 74 games this past year. The Senators locked him up four-year contract extension worth $3.25MM per season back in January. At the end of the regular season, Smith missed a handful of games with an upper-body injury.

The Senators are up 2-0 in the series entering Tuesday’s Game 3.

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