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Archives for May 2018

Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Mario Kempe To One-Year Deal

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The Arizona Coyotes have decided that Mario Kempe’s contributions last season were good enough to keep him around, and have re-signed the forward to one-year two-way contract. Kempe was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after signing his first NHL contract last spring. Financial details of the new contract were not disclosed.

Kempe, 29, was selected in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Flyers way back in 2007, but played only five games for their AHL affiliate before returning to Europe. Spending time in both the SHL and KHL, Kempe came to North America this season and split his time between the AHL and NHL. In 18 NHL contests he recorded four points, while showing he could easily adapt to life in the minor leagues. 37 points in 47 games was good enough for fifth on the Tucson Roadrunners in scoring, likely where he’ll spend of next season.

The older brother of Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, Mario doesn’t possess the same top end potential and will likely shuffle between the two leagues once again. Unfortunately, he’s not waiver-exempt this season meaning we may see his name bounce around the league if the Coyotes happen to expose him. The veteran forward has enough skill to be valuable depth for any club in the short-term, which only adds risk to any waiver transaction for Arizona.

Aleksi Heponiemi Signs Two-Year Contract In Finland

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When the Florida Panthers selected Aleksi Heponiemi in the second round last summer, he had just finished his first in the WHL where he scored 86 points in 72 games and was named Rookie of the Year. The undersized but extremely skilled center was picked 40th overall, and sent back to the Swift Current Broncos for another year in the CHL. This time around, Heponiemi led the league in assists and registered a staggering 118 points in 57 games. With another 30 points in 26 playoff contests, he was a huge reason why the Broncos won the WHL Championship and attended the recent Memorial Cup.

Now, instead of playing for the Panthers or their AHL affiliate next season, Heponiemi is headed home. The 19-year old forward has signed a two-year contract with Karpat in Finland, meaning Florida will have to wait to sign their prized prospect. Though he was drafted out of the CHL, his return to Europe will extend the Panthers’ draft rights through June 1st, 2021. The team will have to sign him before that point or risk losing him to another team. While that’s not an issue at the moment, the new contract with Karpat does likely mean we won’t see Heponiemi back in North America for at least two years.

Heponiemi is an elite playmaker, able to find teammates and get them the puck through the smallest of windows. His vision and passing ability are among the best in the CHL, and he projects to be an excellent NHL player down the road. Still, he’ll have to prove that he can create space for himself at the next level when players are even bigger and faster, though he’s never had trouble up to this point. Florida will wait patiently, and hope they can bring him over in a few seasons. They may get another good look at him on the international circuit, as Heponiemi won’t turn 20 until January 8th next year, meaning he is still eligible for the World Junior Championship.

Petrus Palmu Signs Entry-Level Contract With Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have inked a very interesting prospect, signing Petrus Palmu to a three-year entry-level contract. Palmu played last season in Finland, where he was named the Rookie of the Year after scoring 36 points.

Palmu was selected in the sixth round last season by the Canucks, after going undrafted in his first two years of eligibility. That wasn’t because of a lack of production, as the Finnish forward had played well at every level including scoring 22 goals as an OHL rookie in 2014-15. Last season he put up 53 goals and 119 points for the Owen Sound Attack in just 79 games, but there was still something holding him back from being seen as a legitimate NHL prospect.

The problem that many scouts had with him is that Palmu stands just 5’6″ 172-lbs. As always with undersized prospects, it’s hard to project that they’ll be able to battle and succeed at the highest level. That still might be true with the newest Vancouver Canucks forward, but he certainly doesn’t play like it. The speedy winger will engage in board battles and go to the front of the net like any other player, and continues to show a knack for scoring different types of goals. He finished second on his club team with 17 goals this season, and added another four in just 11 playoff contests.

It’s not clear if Palmu will come over right away to try and find a role for the AHL’s Utica Comets, but if he does it would be hard to underestimate him this time around. He’s done nothing but produce at every level, including now at the highest level in Finland. We likely won’t see him suiting up for the Canucks this season, but there’s no doubting he has a professional future.

Snapshots: Kulemin, Schmidt, Oil Kings

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Nikolai Kulemin’s NHL career is over for the time being, as the 31-year old has signed with Magnitogorsk in the KHL. As TSN relays, it is a multi-year deal worth around $3.2MM per season, which is actually a step down from the salary he’d been earning in the NHL. Kulemin signed a four-year $16.75MM contract with the New York Islanders in 2014, and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ second round pick from 2006 played just 13 games for the Islanders this season, recording three points. A one-time 30-goal scorer, Kulemin was never able to repeat that kind of success and will leave the NHL with 274 points in 669 games. There’s no guarantee his career in North America is finished for good, but it wouldn’t be surprising if we never saw him on this side of the ocean again.

  • Nate Schmidt has turned into an elite defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights, logging huge minutes on a nightly basis and controlling the game during the playoffs. If you were a Washington Capitals fan upset when they lost him in the expansion draft, know that GM Brian MacLellan tried (and failed) to get him back right away. In Isabelle Khurshudyan and Jesse Doughtery’s latest piece for the Washington Post, Vegas GM George McPhee reveals that Washington immediately tried to reacquire the young defenseman, but that the Golden Knights valued him so highly that they made a deal impossible for the Capitals to accept. Schmidt will take on his former club in the Stanley Cup Finals starting tonight, where he’ll be asked to shut down some of the most dangerous forwards in the league.
  • The Edmonton Oil Kings have relieved head coach Steve Hamilton and assistant coach Ryan Marsh of their duties, meaning a new staff will be taking over the WHL team next season. That staff might have to be hired by a new GM too, as the team also announced that GM Randy Hansch will be joining an NHL team as an amateur scout after July 1st. The Oil Kings finished dead last in the WHL this season with a 22-42-8 record, and scored the fewest while allowing the most goals in the league. It was a disastrous year, but as we’ve seen many times at the junior level before they could be in for a quick rebuild. The team selected 15-year old Dylan Guenther first overall in the recent bantam draft, and will hope he can lead the team back to prominence in the coming years.

2018 NHL Scouting Combine Player List

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The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching on June 22nd, and the league has released the list of 104 players invited to this year’s scouting combine. The group includes top prospects like Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina, along with many others who are just hoping to hear their name called at some point in a few weeks.

Starting today, teams are able to meet this week with potential draft picks for 1-on-1 interviews to better determine the kind of person they are. Though obviously these discussions likely won’t change the first-overall selection, they could bring a player further onto a team’s radar for later in the draft. It’s a chance to impress with your dedication and drive, before getting the opportunity to show them your physical attributes next weekend. The fitness testing will commence on Saturday, with potential top pick Rasmus Dahlin getting involved early (currently scheduled for 8:30am CT).

Below is a full list of the attending players, but for more detailed information check out Scott Wheeler of the Athletic’s Twitter image.

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Montreal Canadiens Sign Michal Moravcik, David Sklenicka

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The Montreal Canadiens have dipped into the European free agent market again, signing Michal Moravcik and David Sklenicka. Both contracts will carry a $925K cap hit in the NHL, though the Canadiens did not reveal any performance bonuses. Moravcik and Sklenicka most recently suited up for the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Championship, recording three and two points respectively.

Though they originally listed it as a three-year contract for Sklenicka, the team has since corrected the error. Both players have signed two-year entry-level contracts, the required term due to their ages. Sklenicka will turn 22 before September 15th, meaning he qualifies as that age when determining his entry-level deal.

Regardless, the Canadiens are adding more depth to a defensive group that struggled this season. Even with the emergence of Victor Mete as a potential top-4 option, the team failed to find much cohesion on the blue line without Shea Weber at his best. Moravcik and Sklenicka are both experienced at the professional and international level despite their relative youth, and could challenge for jobs right away. Like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ signings of Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen last season, they will at least be good depth to keep at the ready in Laval should the team face more injuries.

It’s in Laval that they could play a big role, as the team tries to find a way to pull themselves out of the basement of the AHL. After finishing in last place and losing their final 12 games of the season, the team fired the coaching staff and will have a fresh new look next season. It seems there will be turnover with nearly half the roster, including Moravcik and Sklenicka should they fail to crack the NHL. The former is a big-bodied defender who can do a little bit of everything while the latter is a smaller player who will need to rely on quick decisions and crisp passes. With 16 and 14 points respectively for Plzen HC last year, they led all defensemen on the team in scoring. Though neither projects to be a big point producer in the NHL, it’s early enough in their development that some more offensive talent could emerge.

Acadie-Bathurst Titan Win Memorial Cup

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They say that the Stanley Cup might be the most difficult trophy in all of sports to win. Somewhere near the top of that list is the Memorial Cup, that comes down to a one-game elimination match every year between teams that have barely seen each other before. This time, that game was played last night between the host Regina Pats and the QMJHL Champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan. In a 3-0 shutout, Acadie-Bathurst was able to win the first Memorial Cup in franchise history.

The Titan were able to ride a deep defensive unit that includes projected first-round pick Noah Dobson, and get just enough offense from their underappreciated forward group. Philadelphia Flyers forward German Rubtsov was dangerous all game, only to cleanly hit a post on his best chance. The team that had no 80-point scorers in the regular season went all the way with their well-coached system, relying on depth and hard work more than pure skill.

Regina would see Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Steel win MVP of the tournament, though he couldn’t add to his 13 points in the final game. Steel will be heading to professional hockey next season, after another outstanding year with the Pats. His offensive instincts are exceptional, but he just wasn’t able to break down the Titan defensive unit frequently enough in the final game.

Five Key Stories: 5/21/18 – 5/27/18

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As is often the case in the off days leading up to the start of the Stanley Cup Final, there was a fair bit of notable news around the league.  Here are the top stories from the past week.

Rangers Hire Quinn: It took some time but the Rangers now have their new head coach as they announced the hiring of David Quinn from Boston University.  This comes on the heels of them failing to land Jim Montgomery, another college coach who wound up going to Dallas earlier this offseason.  While Quinn has one year of NHL experience as an assistant under his belt, this will be his first chance at being the bench boss in the pros.  He’ll be tasked with navigating New York through the rebuilding stage that began back before the trade deadline so his experience working with younger players will certainly be helpful.

Kane Stays In San Jose: Following their elimination from the playoffs, Sharks winger Evander Kane said that he was open to remaining in San Jose and he was true to his word as he inked a seven-year, $49MM contract.  The deal also gives him plenty of no-trade protection as he is only required to submit a three-team list that he can be dealt to.  Kane fit in quite well in his limited time with the Sharks after being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline and now he slots in a core forward for them for the long-haul.  The Sabres also benefit from this decision as the conditional 2019 second-round pick they received back at the trade deadline is now upgraded to a first-round selection.

Fenton To Minnesota: The Wild filled a big vacancy in their front office as they hired long-time Nashville assistant Paul Fenton as their new general manager.  He replaces Chuck Fletcher who was relieved of his duties following their first-round elimination last month.   This will be Fenton’s first opportunity as a GM and he will have a pair of prominent restricted free agents to re-sign in the months to come in defenseman Mathew Dumba and winger Jason Zucker.  However, they won’t have much flexibility on the cap beyond that as the team already has more than $67MM tied up for next season per CapFriendly so one of his other tasks early on will likely be to try to free up some more financial wiggle room.

Lamoriello To Long Island: Although Lou Lamoriello had publicly stated his intention to fulfill his role as an advisor with Toronto, many expected him to look for opportunities elsewhere.  That’s exactly what happened as he has joined the Islanders as their new president of hockey operations.  He will have the final say in all personnel decisions which calls into question what GM Garth Snow’s role with the team will be in the new hierarchy.  He wasted little time getting started on his top priority as he has already met with captain and unrestricted free agent John Tavares, doing so before his hiring was even officially announced.

Kesler’s Season In Jeopardy? The Ducks didn’t have center Ryan Kesler in their lineup for a big chunk of this past season as he played in just 44 games after undergoing hip surgery last summer.  The pain continues to persist and Kesler is now giving consideration to an aggressive rehab regimen that could wind up resulting in him missing all of the 2018-19 campaign.  He would be eligible to be placed on long-term injured reserve in that instance which would Anaheim some flexibility to try to replace him.  Adam Henrique was added in a midseason trade but if Kesler is going to be out long-term again, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to add some more depth down the middle this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Los Angeles Kings

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With just two teams still playing, the rest have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Los Angeles Kings.

From the standpoint of making the playoffs versus not making them, 2017-18 was a success for Los Angeles.  They picked up their play down the stretch and landed the top Wild Card spot in the West.  However, the success ended there as they wound up being swept by Vegas in the opening round which has sent them back to the drawing board.  With most of their team already signed, it’s shaping up to be a relatively quiet summer but here are some keys to make it a successful one.

Decision On Rieder

Prior to the trade deadline, the Kings picked up speedy winger Tobias Rieder from Arizona as part of a deal that saw netminder Darcy Kuemper sent to the desert.  They were hoping that he would bolster their bottom six and that his struggles with the Coyotes weren’t a sign of things to come.  That wasn’t exactly the case as he wound up with just six points in 24 games (regular season and playoffs).

At the time the trade was made, it seemed like there was a good chance that Rieder would get a qualifying offer in June but that’s not as much of a guarantee now.  The back-loaded nature of his contract means that he is owed a $2.45MM qualifier and while that’s not bad value for a player who put up 25 points on the year between the two teams, there is probably better value to be had on the open market.

Further complicating things is his arbitration eligibility.  While he’s not going to have a case for a big raise, his award won’t be high enough for Los Angeles to receive walkaway rights.

On the flip side, Rieder is just 25 years old, has hit double digits in goals in each of his four NHL seasons, and can play both wings.  He’s not the type of player that a team builds around but he can certainly be part of a supporting cast on a good team so he’s not someone that they should necessarily want to let go for free either.  Of the players on the bubble for qualifying offers, Rieder’s situation is one of the more intriguing ones.

Free Up Payroll

There aren’t many teams that are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the salary cap for next season than the Kings.  They already have roughly $70MM committed per CapFriendly and while their list of free agents is rather small, by the time they fill out the rest of their roster, they may not have enough left to have another impact player and still leave enough to hedge against injuries or to save for a late-season acquisition.

Considering their move to acquire defenseman Dion Phaneuf last season, it may seem a little odd to think that they may want to deal from their back end to free up some extra flexibility.  However, their top five blueliners cost just shy of $23MM and with the free agent market being relatively weak at that position, they’d be dealing from a position of strength and having rookie Daniel Brickley in the system gives them a youngster with upside to step in.

Add Top-Six Help

The other reason they may want to do something with their back end is to give them the flexibility to add to their top-six.  Youngster Alex Iafallo had a nice rookie season but is miscast in a top-line role and while Dustin Brown had a significant bounce-back campaign, it would be tough to count on a repeat of his 61 points after he failed to average half of that over his previous four seasons.  Rieder (if qualified) doesn’t really fit in a top-six spot either.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, they’re set down the middle with Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter so they can set their sights on the wing where the free agent market is much stronger.  It’s also the easier position to try to acquire in a trade.

If they can free up a little more payroll room (or the salary cap increase is higher than anticipated), the Kings should be able to go after most of the top wingers on the open market.  Adding one of them would force Iafallo to drop into a more optimal spot in the lineup while also providing a shot in the arm to a middle-of-the-pack attack.  Quietly, Los Angeles was the top defensive team in the league in 2017-18 (in terms of goals allowed) so adding one more quality scorer would go a long way towards getting them closer to contention.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Johnson, Nichushkin, Schmidt, Yakupov

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Lightning center Tyler Johnson’s full no-trade clause kicks in at the beginning of free agency this summer, notes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times.  Tampa Bay does not have a lot of payroll flexibility heading into next season and has a possible long-term extension for winger Nikita Kucherov on the horizon so they may want to free up some funds at some point this offseason.  If that’s the case, they may look to do something sooner than later and with Johnson locked up through 2023-24 at a $5MM AAV, he’s someone that they will have to consider moving by the end of next month.  There should be no shortage of suitors considering he’s coming off a strong year with 50 points and plays a premium position that’s in high demand.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • After spending the past two years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, the Stars could have winger Valeri Nichushkin back for 2018-19. Mark Gandler, Nichushkin’s agent, told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) that there is mutual interest in getting a deal done and that he expects his client to be suiting up in Dallas in October.  The 23-year-old put up 16 goals and 11 assists while averaging 16:28 of ice time per night and would likely slot in as a middle-six forward with the Stars.
  • The Capitals explored trying to reacquire defenseman Nate Schmidt from the Golden Knights following the Expansion Draft, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter links). However, Vegas GM George McPhee placed a high price tag for them to do so and they were certainly right to do so; the 26-year-old led the team in ice time while collecting a career-high 36 points.
  • In advance of his next trip through free agency, Avalanche winger Nail Yakupov has parted ways with agent Igor Larionov, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express (Twitter link). While the 24-year-old came to Colorado as an unrestricted free agent, the team can still control his rights with a qualifying offer just shy of $920K next month although he will have arbitration eligibility.  Yakupov suited up in 58 games with the Avs this past season, recording nine goals and seven assists.

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