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Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Play In World Championship

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After a disappointing season in Vancouver, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is set to head overseas for a few weeks. The team announced today he’ll join Team Sweden for the upcoming 2022 IIHF World Championship.

Ekman-Larsson had a near career-low season, although his lows were previously set in shortened seasons. While he did improve defensively from his last few years in Arizona, he had just five goals and 29 points on the year, the only time he hasn’t hit 30+ points when playing 50+ games.

The veteran defenseman will look to reset this offseason, as the Canucks are still on the hook for his retained-salary $7.26MM cap hit through 2027.

Ekman-Larsson joins fellow NHLers Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Gustafsson, and Adam Larsson on the blueline. Other NHLers slated to join team Sweden are Rasmus Asplund, Emil Bemstrom, and Magnus Hellberg.

The tournament will run from May 13 to May 29.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Alexander Pashin To Entry-Level Contract

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May 3: The team has officially announced the contract, confirming the terms. General manager Don Waddell released a short statement on his newest prospect:

Alex is a high-end, skilled player and a proven point producer. We feel he’s ready to make the transition to North America and look forward to watching his continued growth next season.

May 2: On the same day their 2022 playoffs began, the Carolina Hurricanes also signed one of their prospects, Alexander Pashin, to a three-year, entry-level contract, according to CapFriendly (link). The contract is set to begin with the 2022-23 season, and carries an average annual value of $827K. Pashin was the Hurricanes’ seventh-round selection, 199th overall, in 2020.

The 19-year-old forward brings with him a balanced scoring approach but is rather undersized, listed at just 5’8″ and 154 pounds. Pashin has played his career to date in Russia, but has only played four career KHL games, one in 2019-20 and three in 2020-21, and none this season.

Despite limited time in the top league, Pashin has plenty of experience in the MHL and VHL in Russia, all in the Ufa organization, putting up 17 goals and 22 assists in 37 MHL games in 2019-20 along with 19 goals and 26 assists in 41 games in the MHL in 2020-21. Moving to the VHL in 2021-22, Pashin again impressed with 17 goals and 13 assists in 34 games. Pashin was part of this year’s World Juniors team for Russia, but played in just one game before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. What the next steps are for Pashin as he comes over to North America are unclear, however without much experience in the highest levels, one would expect him to be slated for additional development before he makes an appearance in the NHL.

Del Zotto, Dries, Petan All Clear Waivers

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All three players placed on waivers yesterday, Michael Del Zotto (OTT), Sheldon Dries (VAN), and Nic Petan (VAN), cleared waivers today and can be assigned to their respective AHL clubs (link). Though these three do not belong to playoff teams in the NHL, their being sent to the AHL is not necessarily insignificant, as both the Belleville Senators and the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliates of the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks, respectively, have made the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.

On Del Zotto, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia says that even though Del Zotto cleared and could join Belleville, it’s not entirely clear if he will actually join the team (link). A veteran of 736 NHL games, the 31-year-old Del Zotto has been an NHL regular since his rookie season in 2009-10 with the New York Rangers, last seeing AHL time in 2010-11. This season, however, has been a different story. Del Zotto managed only 26 games with the struggling Ottawa Senators, though when he was in the lineup, he impressed, posting 13 points in those 26 games. The defenseman did see his first AHL action in over a decade as well, dressing in as many games (26), but had an impeccable 27 points for Belleville. Having Del Zotto suit up for Belleville to help their run would not only benefit Belleville of course, but would help Ottawa as well, with Del Zotto providing a major boost to a team full of young, future Ottawa Senators getting experience with meaningful professional playoff games.

Much of the same sentiment can be placed on Petan and Dries, who also made contributions to the NHL team this season, but could provide a major impact in the Calder Cup playoffs. Petan played in 18 games this season for Vancouver, recording just two assists, but was a star in the AHL, where he had 12 goals and 32 assists in just 37 games. Dries, like Petan, suited up in a few games with Vancouver (11), recording two goals and an assist, but was a critical piece in Abbotsford’s playoff berth, scoring an impressive 35 goals and 27 assists in only 54 games.

Notably, because these three players were in the AHL in some capacity, even if just on paper as in Petan’s case, on March 21st, the NHL’s trade deadline, they are all eligible to participate in the AHL playoffs.

Anton Stralman Hopes To Continue Playing, Open To Arizona Reunion

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In talking with Jose Romero of Arizona Central Sports, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Anton Stralman emphasized his desire to continue playing, adding that he is open to returning to the Coyotes (link). Stralman, who just finished the final year of a three-year, $16.5MM contract that he signed with the Florida Panthers prior to the 2019-20 season, was traded this past offseason to Arizona in what amounted to a salary cap dump, with Arizona also receiving a second-round pick and prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok in exchange for just a seventh-round pick.

The veteran defenseman told Romero that he came to the Coyotes hoping to prove he could still play in the NHL, and he believes he did that this season. It would be hard to disagree with Stralman’s assessment of his season, as the 35-year-old turned in a 23 point campaign over 74 games, the most points he has had since 2015-16, combining that with steady defense and veteran leadership on a young and rebuilding Coyotes team. He may not be the player he was when he helped lead the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning in consistently deep playoff runs between 2012 and 2018, but Stralman has shown this season that he still has something to offer.

As a free agent for the first time since 2019, it’s hard to say what Stralman’s next contract could look like, or what kind of team would pursue him. It’s unlikely he would get more than a year or two max given his age and recent decline, however given his presumptive affordability, Stralman could parlay his free agency into an inexpensive contract with a team looking for depth and leadership as it pursues a Stanley Cup. On the other hand, Stralman could maximize his potential, signing with a team that is looking for leadership for its young players as they rebuild, trying also to hit the salary cap floor, such as a reunion with Arizona.

As for Arizona, it’s not insignificant that Stralman would want to return. The Coyotes are slated to play their home games at Arizona State University next season in a much smaller arena, not necessarily desirable for NHL play. Having a veteran like Stralman, who also has the option to retire or perhaps chase a Stanley Cup, express desire to stay with the team through an uncertain time, in an odd situation, and during a rebuild, speaks to the upsides of the organization from a player’s perspective.

Snapshots: Yandle, O’Connor, Keller, Merzlikins

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Despite a disappointing season for the Philadelphia Flyers, there were several highlights, including veteran defenseman Keith Yandle, who broke Doug Jarvis’ ironman consecutive games played streak, setting his own mark with 989. At the Flyers season-ending media availability, Yandle notably chose not to speak to the media, reports Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (link). O’Connor points out rumors that Yandle could in fact choose to retire this offseason, citing circumstantial evidence and comments from his Flyers teammates.

There’s reason to think Yandle could continue to play, but also reason to see why he may not. For one, Yandle is no longer the player he used to be. Once a defenseman that regularly topped 50 points per season, most recently hitting a career-high 62 points in 2018-19, he has seen that number consistently drop since, with just 19 points in 77 games this season. The veteran also saw his playing time limited this season, culminating in the ending of his ironman streak, even on a struggling Flyers team. On the other hand, Yandle is just 35-years-old, and while far from a rookie, there could certainly be something left in the tank, especially as a defenseman. To that end, Yandle continued his ironman streak into this year and was poised to continue it, but for the Flyers choice to sit him in lieu of younger talent.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have recalled forward Drew O’Connor from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins of the AHL (link). The 23-year-old O’Connor has split time between Pittsburgh and Scranton this season, playing in 33 AHL games and 22 NHL games. Nearly a point-per-game player in the AHL, O’Connor has just five NHL points this season. Per Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, bringing up O’Connor could be an answer for Pittsburgh in the wake of Jason Zucker’s uncertainty due to injury (link). Pittsburgh is set to begin its first round playoff series against the Rangers in New York this Tuesday.
  • Moving out west, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller could resume skating in three weeks (link). This might not seem like big news, with Arizona’s season ending and approximately five-and-a-half months until opening night, but consider that Keller fractured his leg on March 31st, forcing him to be stretchered off the ice and taken to the hospital, where he would have surgery on his leg. At that point, Keller’s status for not only next season, but perhaps his career, seemed to be in question. While an opening night return for Keller was later confirmed, seeing Keller back on the ice in three weeks, roughly seven weeks after the injury and surgery, is a huge step forward and reason for optimism for the Coyotes.
  • From Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is expected to play at the upcoming World Championships in Finland (link). Not a favorite to win the championship, Merzlikins’ home country of Latvia carries with it a passionate group of players and supporters, including Merzlikins. The goaltender recently opened up more about the loss of his close friend and fellow Latvian and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender, Matiss Kivlenieks, who passed away this summer. Playing for their home country could surely be a way for Merzlikinis to honor his late friend.

Taro Hirose Clears Waivers

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According to CapFriendly, Detroit Red Wings forward Taro Hirose has cleared waivers after being placed on them yesterday (link). Hirose will now report to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, who play their final game of the season tonight on the road against the Cleveland Monsters. The Griffins however, are not headed to the AHL playoffs, so if Hirose plays tonight, it would be his last game action of the NHL and AHL seasons.

The 25-year-old Hirose has bounced between the NHL and AHL the past four seasons, spending all of them in the Detroit organization. A standout at Michigan State for three seasons, Hirose turned pro in 2019, joining the Red Wings for 10 games down the stretch, putting up an impressive seven points. In the three seasons since, Hirose has played in 47 NHL games, tallying just 13 points in the process.

The forward has found success though in the AHL, where he has been one of the Griffins key players. This season, Hirose has 15 goals and 38 assists in 59 games for Grand Rapids, his highest points and games played totals in his AHL career. What’s next in his career remains to be seen, as Hirose is projected to be a Group 6 UFA this summer, during which he will turn 26. A good skater with playmaking ability, he could be valuable to a number of teams as a low-cost depth option with NHL experience.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Brendan Brisson To Three-Year Entry Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced that they have signed one of their top prospects, forward Brendan Brisson, to a three-year, entry-level contract (link). The signing does not come as much of a surprise, as Brisson had recently been signed to an amateur tryout with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL after his sophomore season at the University of Michigan came to a close. With Vegas’ season having concluded and Henderson in the AHL playoffs, Brisson will obviously not see any NHL action this season, but could be a strong candidate to see serious time for Vegas next year.

The son of prominent NHL player agent Pat Brisson, Brendan has quickly made his own name for himself, beginning his career as a first round draft pick, 29th overall, of Vegas in 2020. The forward played two seasons for Michigan, dominating the NCAA with 63 points in 62 games over those two seasons. Prior to college, Brisson played parts of two seasons in the USHL, including an impressive 24 goals and 35 assists in 45 games with the Chicago Steel in 2019-20. After turning pro, the forward again dominated the competition. Albeit a small sample size, Brisson showed he was ready for the competition, scoring three goals to go along with five assists in six games.

After a rollercoaster, and ultimately disappointing season for Vegas, signing one of their top prospects gives the organization a positive note to end on and something to look forward to in 2022-23. Still in a cap crunch, the team is clearly going to have to look towards low-cost options to produce at a higher rate and Brisson may be the best option available in that regard. Stepping up when the competition gets tougher has never been an issue for the 20-year-old and though the NHL is the toughest league in the world, he has yet to give anyone reason to doubt him.

NHLPA Begins Search For New Executive Director

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While the seasons of many NHL clubs end tonight, the work for the NHLPA is just beginning. The Players’ Association has announced that their Executive Board has voted to form a search committee to begin the process of finding a new executive director of their union. The union released a statement to go along with their announcement:

The many players who have played in the NHL over the last eleven years greatly appreciate the significant accomplishments under the leadership of Don Fehr.  Don joined the NHLPA after a long and successful career as Executive Director of the MLBPA and quickly stabilized the union following a very difficult period.  He led the NHLPA through the owners’ 2012-13 lockout and negotiated a new CBA that created a defined benefit pension plan which will greatly benefit players for generations to come. Don played an important role in reviving the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. After Covid-19 forced the suspension of the 2019-20 season, Don led the bargaining that resulted in an extension of the CBA in July 2020 and allowed for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs to be played. We look forward to continuing to work with Don as we go through the succession process.

While this news comes at an unexpected time, it is not entirely out of the blue. Fehr’s future was already under scrutiny, with Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff previously reporting that there was a level of discontentment regarding Fehr’s leadership that could necessitate a change. The timeline of this move is a bit shocking, though, as many believed the process would be left for the summer, including TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

But as is made obvious by this announcement, the NHLPA decided now was the time to make a change. While Fehr’s role may not put him into the attention of most NHL fans, his job is one of major importance. As the leader of the NHLPA, he is the highest-level executive who represents the players as a whole, and he leads their charge in any contentious labor negotiations with the league. There will undoubtedly be many who will vie for this coveted position, and who the players choose could signal the direction they go in their future negotiations with the league. The NHL has been lucky to avoid a lockout similar to the one Major League Baseball faced this winter, so perhaps one major priority for the players will be finding a candidate who can maintain labor peace, but of course, only time will tell.

Frederik Andersen Expected To Miss Beginning Of First Round

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There have been many conflicting reports over the past few days regarding the health of the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltenders, and while there’s largely an optimistic tone around the health of their top netminders, it may not be all sunshine and roses just yet. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported today that the “current expectation” is that Frederik Andersen could miss the first few games of Carolina’s First Round series, which likely looks to be against the Boston Bruins. The report comes after sources suggested to The Athletic’s Sara Civian just yesterday that Andersen would be “good to go” for Game 1.

An undisclosed injury has sidelined Andersen since April 16, when he left the late third period of a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He’s run away with the starter’s crease in Carolina this season with a Vezina-consideration-worthy campaign, compiling 35 wins (7th in NHL), four shutouts (tied for 5th in NHL), a 2.17 goals-against average (2nd among qualified goalies), and .922 save percentage (tied for 3rd among qualified goalies).

With backup netminder Antti Raanta becoming injured a few days ago, it put Andersen’s potential return under the spotlight to shut down any goaltending issues for Carolina ahead of the playoffs. Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina’s 36th overall selection in 2019, entered the game in relief and started the team’s game the night prior as well. While he’s earned a victory in both games, he has just a .889 save percentage in his now 89 career minutes of NHL ice time.

Especially as the Bruins have caused Carolina fits during their last two playoff meetings, continued stellar goaltending will be essential for the Hurricanes to avoid an upset. They’re just 1-8 in their last nine playoff games against their most likely First Round opponent.

Maple Leafs Notes: Bunting, Tavares, Muzzin, Liljegren

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In talking to TSN’s Mark Masters, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe gave several updates on his team, which has several players banged-up. One of those players is rookie Michael Bunting. The breakout forward suffered an undisclosed injury in last night’s game, and while he did take a puck to the face, the belief is that the injury is in fact to Bunting’s leg. According to Keefe last night, he expected Bunting to miss some time, but did not disclose how much. Today, Keefe reiterated that Bunting would certainly miss some time, but did add that he woke up feeling a lot better than expected (link). Still, the team will wait until they get back to Toronto after their road trip to further evaluate Bunting and get a more clear picture of how much time he will miss.

Bunting’s absence, especially at this juncture, is of concern for Toronto. The team has several formidable offensive weapons, but Bunting’s breakout season, which has seen him score 23 goals along with 40 assists in 79 games has helped to take some focus off of Toronto’s other weapons. Tonight’s game at the Washington Capitals will be the first Bunting has missed this season.

  • John Tavares, the Maple Leafs’ captain, will also miss tonight’s game, his second of the season and first since November (link). Tavares’ absence should be of no concern to Maple Leafs fans, as Keefe assured that this was merely a case of load management, acknowledging that despite being injured, Matthews’ absence from the lineup provided him with a break heading into the playoffs, something Tavares has not had.
  • Defenseman Jake Muzzin will also be out of the lineup tonight, missing his sixth straight game (link). The exact nature of Muzzin’s injury is not clear, however it is not believed to be connected to the concussion that saw him miss significant time in February and March. Keefe did not provide any timeline for Muzzin on a return or any further absence. Muzzin has played in just 45 of the Maple Leafs’ 79 games this season, but getting him back in the lineup would be a key addition heading into the playoffs.
  • Also missing tonight’s game is defenseman Timothy Liljegren, though his injury is considered a minor one (link). Keefe did not elaborate on the nature of Liljegren’s injury, or mention any timetable, however it does appear that the recently recalled Carl Dahlstrom will draw into the lineup in his place. The 27-year-old Dahlstrom has played in just two games at the NHL level this season for the Maple Leafs, recording an assist. In 47 games at the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies, Dahlstrom has 14 points, all assists.

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