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New Jersey Devils Interview John Stevens

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The New Jersey Devils may have to play some additional regular season games if the league ever starts up again, but that won’t stop them from doing some offseason work. The team has already interviewed several head coaching candidates including Gerard Gallant, despite the strong job that Alain Nasreddine has done since taking over. Add one more to the list, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team has interviewed Dallas Stars assistant John Stevens.

Stevens was a head coach in the NHL most recently with the Los Angeles Kings, though he lasted only 99 regular season games with the club after taking the top job. His first year went well enough, with the Kings posting a 45-29-8 record and making the playoffs, but a sweep at the hands of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights paired with a slow start in 2018-19 left Stevens without work. He had previously held the head coaching position in Philadelphia too, even taking the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.

It is important to note that the Devils are operating at this moment with an interim GM as well after Tom Fitzgerald took over from Ray Shero partway through the season. There are changes coming in New Jersey, though many have pointed out that Nasreddine is still a contender to keep the job.

KHL Determines Final Standings

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The KHL has arrived at an interesting way of determining their final standings for the 2019-20 season. After canceling the playoffs in late-March and announcing that they would not award the Gagarin Cup this season, the league has progressed normally into their free agent period this month. Today, they have released the final standings with a unique twist.

The eight teams that had clinched the second round of the playoffs before the cancelation have all been awarded an equal “1-8 place” at the top of the standings. The other 16 teams fall into place behind them.

Notably, the “1-8” group includes Jokerit even though the Finnish squad actually pulled out of the playoffs before a decision was made by the league.

The NHL is surely watching how other leagues determine their standings, as they would have to make a similar decision should the resumption of play never actually take place. This kind of a playoff group at the top may not seem prudent for a league that relies so heavily on draft ranking, though given that the draft seems destined to happen next month regardless of whether the season is canceled or not, perhaps that wouldn’t be an issue.

Anaheim Ducks Extend Christian Djoos

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The Anaheim Ducks have come to terms with defenseman Christian Djoos on a new contract, announcing a one-year extension with the 2019-20 trade addition. CapFriendly reports that the deal carries a $1MM AAV. The Ducks also confirmed a one-year deal with fellow defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.

Djoos, 25, hopes next season goes better than this one did. The trouble for Djoos began this past off-season, when he went to salary arbitration with the Washington Capitals. Djoos lost the case to Washington, but the arbitration award still came in $450K above where the team had filed. The cap-strapped Caps were left with few options but to bury Djoos in the minors. After playing in 108 games with Washington, he saw just two games and 16 total minutes of NHL action until the trade deadline. It was then that he was dealt to the Ducks for forward Daniel Sprong. He had only played in nine games with Anaheim for a total of eleven on the year before the season was put on pause.

Fortunately, the early returns for Djoos in Anaheim were strong. In those nine games, he recorded three points and averaged more than 21 minutes per night. This was a major role for Djoos, greater than he had ever played in Washington. Granted, the Ducks were not fully healthy on the blue line at the time, but by taking advantage of the opportunity afforded him, Djoos earned the trust of his new organization. The young defender stands a strong chance of winning  a regular role in Anaheim again next season and at $1MM could prove to be a bargain for the Ducks.

Alexey Marchenko, Others Re-Sign In KHL

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Just a few months ago it appeared as though Alexey Marchenko was considering a return to the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens were suggested as a landing spot, given his familiarity with top prospect Alexander Romanov, who is expected to make the leap to the NHL next season.

Marchenko won’t be coming to Montreal or anywhere else in North America however, as he has signed a new two-year contract with Lokomotiv in the KHL.

The 28-year old defenseman played in 121 NHL contests, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, before returning to the KHL in 2017. Though he never found much success in North America, he has been a key contributor in Russia, taking home an All-Star nod and Gagarin Cup championship in 2019 with CSKA Moscow. He also won Olympic gold with Russia in 2018.

Marchenko isn’t the only familiar name hitting the transaction page in the KHL today. Stephane Da Costa and Alexander Burmistrov have new one-year deals with Ak Bars, Andrei Kostitsyn has a new one-year deal with Neftekhimik and, interestingly, Victor Antipin saw his deal with Mettalurg terminated.

Antipin played in 47 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2017-18 before returning to Russia. It is not clear where his next step lies.

Pontus Aberg Linked To KHL

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After a year spent almost entirely in the minor leagues, Pontus Aberg could be headed overseas. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has been offered a contract in the KHL according to a report out of Sweden, though with the uncertainty of the NHL season he may not be able to sign it at this point. Aberg of course is still part of an organization that has their sights set on a playoff run this summer (fall?).

The 26-year old Aberg was one of several NHL veterans that signed short-term deals with the Maple Leafs last summer without any guarantee of NHL playing time. He ended up on waivers at the end of training camp and then played most of the season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In 55 minor league contests he showed just how dominant he could be at that level, scoring 20 goals and 44 points.

Aberg did get a cup of coffee with the Maple Leafs, playing in five games when the team was dealing with injury. He recorded a single assist during that time, despite even getting a (very) short look beside star center Auston Matthews. For his career, Aberg has recorded 44 points in 132 NHL games.

Selected 37th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2012, there have been flashes of skill from the Swedish forward including a strong performance for the club in the 2017 playoffs. Unfortunately he just hasn’t been able to turn that skill into any consistency at the NHL level and could be trying to get his career back on track overseas. Again, any new deal will likely have to wait on the NHL season being completed or canceled–even though the KHL doesn’t technically have a transfer agreement.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Jani Hakanpaa

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed minor league defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year extension according to CapFriendly. The one-way deal will carry a salary of $750K, keeping the Finn in North America for at least one season.

Originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in 2010, Hakanpaa played parts of three seasons in the minor leagues before returning to Finland for several years. In 2019 the Ducks decided to bring him back, signing him to a one-year deal.

Last season, the 6’4″ defenseman played five games for the Ducks and 47 for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, becoming a major part of the minor league team. Whether he’s ticketed for the AHL again likely comes down to the other offseason moves that the Ducks front office has planned, and perhaps his performance in training camp.

Hakanpaa was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but instead will hit the open market in the summer of 2021.

NHL Still Hoping To Move To Phase 2 In Late May

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We haven’t seen an NHL game since the league decided to temporarily suspend their season on March 12th, nearly two full months ago. Speculation during that time on if, when and how games would resume has run wild, without any real concrete information being given to this point. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN gives the newest update on what the league is hoping:

Well the NHL is hopeful they’ll be able to initiate Phase 2 in later-May, but that’s all subject to a review and it is too early to start the review process. The NHL though is encouraged by the markets that are loosening up but their cautiously optimistic and monitoring carefully to see if there will be any setbacks. The motto is simply: better safe than sorry.

Phase 2 was defined by the league and players’ association as a time “during which Players might return to small group activities in NHL Club training facilities” not, quite importantly, a training camp for the teams (which is Phase 3). That means we are still several weeks away from players even gathering together to start skating in a best-case scenario.

Of course, even that plan would need to be signed off on from the union. Today, Justin Holl voiced some concerns about the American-born players returning to Canada without a concrete plan in place for when they’ll be back in game action. Players do not want to be quarantined from their families for several months, meaning they’ll have to come to some sort of an agreement before any plan is put in place.

As it looks more and more likely that a June draft is on the horizon, even if the season isn’t finished, the league still hopes that that Phase 2 will be underway (or even completed). Whether that will happen is still hard to say as the COVID-19 fallout continues.

Snapshots: Penguins, Toronto, AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins still have their sights set on a Stanley Cup if the season ever resumes, but there are tough decisions coming at some point with regards to their goaltending situation. The writing staff at PHR gave our takes on what the team should do moving forward with Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, but Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) asked Penguins GM Jim Rutherford directly.

Well, I’ll say this: If we are going to keep both of them, we’d have to move a few things around on our team. There is a way to do things and to make that work, yes. There are some very, very tough decisions ahead.

Jarry and Murray are both scheduled for restricted free agency when the season ends and with a stagnant salary cap there won’t be a ton of money lying around. With Jarry outperforming Murray all season long but not having the track record of his Stanley Cup-winning partner, a 2020 playoff run might be the deciding factor. Rutherford isn’t committing either way, but he hasn’t been shy about moving on from key players in the past.

  • Ontario’s premier Doug Ford has discussed the idea of Toronto being a host city for the rest of the NHL season with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Edmonton and Vancouver had previously been discussed as possible host cities in Canada, although Justin Holl of the Toronto Maple Leafs had some interesting thoughts on returning to his team’s country. The Minnesota native told reporters on a conference call today that “the general consensus amongst American players is that we’ll wait until we have a concrete plan before we go back. Because you never know if you go back there and then you’re sitting around for another month or two.”
  • The AHL has a conference call set for Friday afternoon according to Patrick Williams of NHL.com, which could be when the league announces that they have canceled the rest of the season. The minor league generates a huge amount of their revenue from ticket sales, something that won’t be gathered if fans aren’t allowed to attend the event. As Williams points out, if the AHL does cancel the playoffs, it would be the first time since 1937 that the Calder Cup has not been awarded.

Grigori Denisenko Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Florida Panthers will be bringing over one of their top prospects, agreeing to terms with Grigori Denisenko on a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward spent the last two seasons in the KHL, playing for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a short statement on the agreement:

Grigori is an exciting, dynamic and highly skilled young forward who has been a top player on the international stage and served as captain of Team Russia at the World Juniors. We are thrilled for his bright future with the Panthers for years to come.

There are few prospects with more upside than the 19-year old Denisenko, who recorded 12 points in 38 games this season in the KHL. The teenage forward led Russia in scoring at the World Juniors for the second consecutive year, captaining them to a silver medal in the process (they won bronze in his first go-round).

Along with his immense skill, is his willingness to engage physically when necessary, making him a well-rounded fit for several different roles at the next level. He’s not a power forward by any means—Denisenko stands just 5’11” 180-lbs—but he also isn’t just a perimeter player.

Selected 15th overall in 2018, you can bet the Panthers front office and coaching staff are excited to finally get their hands on Denisenko in order to start him on their own development program. He joins quite a talented group of prospect forwards, including other high-end talents like Owen Tippett and Henrik Borgstrom.

Snapshots: Polak, Khokhlachev, Shirokov, Amonte

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At 34 years old, defenseman Roman Polak played in just 41 games this season with the Dallas Stars, his fewest appearances since he was a young prospect back in 2007-08. He also recorded just four points, his fewest since becoming a full-time NHLer. All signs point toward the veteran defender’s time at the top level coming to a close, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is ready to retire. Instead, Czech source Hokej believes that Polak could return home to continue his career. It is believed that the HC Vitkovice Steel of the Czech Extraliga, with whom Polak played before moving to North America and again during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, could be the most likely landing spot for Polak. The physical stay-at-home defender would still be a major boost for the roster, not to mention a fan favorite as a local product returning from a long NHL career. Vitkovice head coach Mojmír Trličík confirms that he has already been in contact with Polak, whose NHL contract has not yet officially expired, and is excited about the prospect of adding the established vet. He does note that Polak could be of interest elsewhere in Europe, but the door will always remain open for a return to the Steel.

  • There was a trade of note in the KHL on Sunday as Alexander Khokhlachev and Sergei Shirokov were swapped one-for-one by their respective teams. Avangard Omsk receives Khokhlachev, 26, a center whose rights are owned by the Boston Bruins. Going the other way to Spartak Moscow is Shirokov, 34, a former Vancouver Canuck and a long-time KHL standout. While Shirokov is in the twilight of his career, he can still be a useful two-way forward for Moscow and just recently signed a two-year contract extension. Meanwhile, Khokhlachev may be the better player right now but is entering the final year of his KHL contract and may be eyeing an NHL return. Moving to a new team for next season may only increase his likelihood of departing. The Bruins retain Khokhlachev’s rights through June 30, 2021, after which he enters his age 27 league year and his RFA rights expire. Boston has openly discussed in the past that they have maintained contact with “Koko” and would be open to bringing him back. The team could also trade away his rights, which would gain more value should he openly admit his plans to return to the league. Khokhlachev could also wait out the expiration of his rights and sign with any team he likes next summer. There are multiple avenues for his return and this trade could be a sign that he is likely to take one.
  • Tristan Amonte will follow in the footsteps famous father Tony, brother Ty, and NHL cousin Charlie Coyle and attend Boston University. The BCHL’s Penticton Vees, who Amonte will again play for next season, announced that their standout forward will join the Terriers in 2021-22. Amonte, who played for his dad and alongside his brother at Thayer Academy before joining Penticton, continues a strong family legacy that he hopes leads to his long-term success in hockey. An intriguing possibility could be that he can once again play with his brother as well. Ty, who also played for Penticton but for just one season, completed his junior season this year but did not play a single game due to injury. Ty thus has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, which he could use to play a fifth year at BU during Tristan’s freshman campaign. It remains to be seen whether an Amonte reunion will occur for the Terriers, but it remains an exciting family development nevertheless. Neither Amonte brother was drafted, but both will still inevitably draw some pro interest when they leave the college ranks.

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