Nov 5: The Oilers have officially announced the contract for Kahun, which will be for one year and worth $975K, as Friedman reported. With that deal in the books, Kahun has now been loaned to the DEL until the start of the NHL season. The Czech-born forward group up and developed in Germany, winning the DEL Championship three times before originally signing with the Blackhawks.
Nov 1: It has been a busy offseason for Edmonton with the additions of Tyson Barrie and Kyle Turris plus the return of Jesse Puljujarvi but it appears they’re not done yet. Jiri Poner, the agent for forward Dominik Kahun, told Michael Bauer of Eishockey News in Germany, that his client has signed a one-year deal with the Oilers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the deal will be worth $975K.
Kahun was surprisingly non-tendered by Buffalo last month as the Sabres were looking to avoid salary arbitration with him but that shouldn’t be mistaken for them not wanting to keep him. Poner indicated that Buffalo was the other team showing considerable interest in Kahun’s services but that they’ve opted to go in a different direction.
The 25-year-old only has two NHL seasons under his belt but both have been productive. He had 37 points in 82 games in his rookie season with Chicago before being moved to Pittsburgh as part of the Olli Maatta trade last summer. He was producing at a better pace with the Penguins but they opted to move him to pick up Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues at the trade deadline and Kahun fared well with his new team, picking up two goals and two assists in six games before the pandemic hit. Between the two spots, he had 12 goals and 19 helpers in 56 games and as a result of not being qualified, he was one of the more productive players to hit the open market.
Assuming the deal occurs, Kahun will be reunited with fellow countryman Leon Draisaitl. The two played together in Mannheim’s junior system before coming to North America to play in the CHL; Draisaitl played in Prince Albert (WHL) while Kahun went to Sudbury (OHL).
Notably, while they added him on the open market, Edmonton will be able to retain Kahun’s rights as a restricted free agent next offseason if they so desire although he will be arbitration-eligible once again. The minimum age for outright UFA eligibility is 27 and Kahun won’t be able to get there or have the required seven years of experience to become unrestricted in 2021.
The Oilers have just over $730K in cap space, per CapFriendly, though that number would go up a bit as Kahun’s presence would force someone else off the roster so they’ll still be in compliance after completing the signing. They do have to re-sign RFA defenseman Ethan Bear as well but they will eventually have some extra flexibility on the cap with Oscar Klefbom expected to start next season on LTIR and they’ll need to dip into that to get his deal done.
What a great signing by the Oilers possibly a 20 goal 50 point man or even more…
I do agree I like this signing. I’m going to temper my expectations for 20g,50pts, but I definitely think that potential is there!
Why is he going to be a 20g 50pt player now in Edmonton?
Because they lack top 6 wingers so if he’s given a legit shot to play with Mcjesus or Dri then he’s going to rack up points
@TJECK109 – Being part of actually improved (at least on paper) depth scoring. But, 20G/30A in an 82-game season, which we might not see for a year or so… Of course, if he lights up a 60-ish game schedule like that, he’ll earn the award for “Diamond in the Rough”… And, as @bigdaddyt stated, if he can slot in the top six from time-to-time (or more often), it becomes much more plausible.
i like this signing for the Oil!! we need a real goalie unfortunately though
Next year trade for one of cbj goalies
Big time. It’s going to sink us unless Smith or Koskinen can turn it up a notch
that’s a steal
Also a good friend of Drai’s so there is that too. Drai apparently tried to get management to sign him when he signed with Chicago.
Nice signing by the Oiler’s. Ken Holland is trying. Should pick up 40 pts anyway. Oiler’s bottom 6 look’s to be improved.
This could be a steal for Edm. I think the relationship with Drai is what clinched it, and it may prove very important over time. Kahun is now on his fourth team in three seasons. While I’m not going to cast aspersions based on his frequent moves, it is disquieting. Why did PIT and BUF let him go so easily?
If there was “bad chemistry” behind this then having a good relationship with a star could help stabilize his career. (And it has been whispered that he wasn’t liked in the locker room.)
As a Sabres fan I’m disappointed. He played only a handful of games for Buffalo, so I won’t call myself a fan. But, I will be pulling for him in Edmonton.
@Brian – slight correction needed: “group up” (grew up)
Yeah, Brian doesn’t seem to proofread.
@The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant – Two semi-plausible explanations, neither of which could be true: One, the sun was in his eyes (it seemed pretty bright out there today) or, two, the oven timer went off and he made a beeline for the 5-layer Italian sausage lasagna. @Brian, if number two is correct, I sure wouldn’t mind you emailing me a chunk of that, if you have any left over! :)