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Kasimir Kaskisuo, Justin Kloos Sign In Sweden

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Two more veteran minor league players have decided to take their talents to Sweden, as Kasimir Kaskisuo and Justin Kloos have signed with Leksands IF of the SHL. Both players have signed two-year contracts through the 2022-23 season.

Kaskisuo, 27, went undrafted out of the Finnish junior level and only signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs after two years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season, he was completely left out to dry by his teammates, who had seemingly given up on playing for their head coach. Mike Babcock was fired four days after Kaskisuo lost 6-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, not a great memory for the young goaltender. He got into a game this season for the Nashville Predators as well, stopping all three shots he faced in relief of Pekka Rinne, but those two appearances are the entirety of his NHL career thus far.

Two NHL games and a contract overseas is the same story for Kloos, who suited up once for the Minnesota Wild and once for the Anaheim Ducks before heading to the KHL last season. The 27-year-old was once a superstar in the Minnesota high school hockey scene, scoring 103 points in 31 games for Lakeville in 2011-12. That success continued at the University of Minnesota, where he captained the Golden Gophers and recorded 150 points in 155 games. Unfortunately, even with some legitimate minor league success, the 5’9″ forward failed to receive many opportunities at the NHL level and is likely going to finish his career with just those two games. In 48 KHL games last season he recorded 20 points.

Helge Grans Signs Entry-Level Contract

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It wasn’t just Quinton Byfield that the Los Angeles Kings added in the 2020 draft. The team also had two second-round picks, the first of which they used to select Helge Grans at 35th overall. Today, the team has signed Grans to a three-year entry-level contract. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the deal carries an average annual value of $925K.

Grans, 19, spent the season with the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL, recording 12 points in 43 games. Though simply playing a regular shift at his age is impressive enough, Grans’ 12 points actually put him third among defensemen on the team. Still, there were certainly rough patches for the young defenseman, as evidenced by his team-worst -21 rating, but those inconsistencies are certainly not going to derail the Kings’ belief in him as a future NHL option.

The 6’3″ defenseman has strong skating and can shut down rushes quickly when his gap is consistent, but still takes a few too many risks with the puck. At their draft in October, Corey Pronman of The Athletic wrote that he believes Grans has a solid chance to play NHL games down the line and subsequently ranked him the organization’s 12th-best prospect.

Because he is under contract with Malmo, is under 22, and is not a first-round pick, he will likely spend the 2021-22 season in Sweden. That is of course unless he makes the Kings out of camp, something that would be very surprising. If he does return to the SHL, he will not burn the first year of his entry-level deal.

Snapshots: Hyman, Tynan, Rantanen

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Over the last 24 hours, a rumor emerged that Zach Hyman had been offered a long-term contract worth $5MM per season by the Toronto Maple Leafs only to turn it down. Hyman’s agent Todd Reynolds addressed it directly today, telling media members including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that it is “not accurate.”

The idea surfaced because of something Jason Gregor said on the DailyFaceoff Podcast, but even if the specifics of him turning down a deal aren’t true, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet still believes that the 28-year-old is going to get quite the free agent offer. Johnston suggests that Hyman could receive close to a $6MM annual average value, something the Maple Leafs would be hard-pressed to match given their tight cap situation.

  • T.J. Tynan may only have 19 NHL games to his name, but that doesn’t mean his professional hockey career isn’t a glowing success. The 29-year-old was given the Les Cunningham Award today as the AHL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2020-21 season after scoring 35 points in 27 games for the Colorado Eagles. A third-round pick in 2011 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tynan now has 348 points in 436 AHL games. The pure playmaker, only 71 of those points have been goals.
  • Earlier this season Mikko Rantanen was fined $2,000 for embellishment/diving after being dinged on two occasions by the league. According to a report out of Finland, Rantanen had the fine rescinded after sending an eight-point report to the league explaining why it looked like, but wasn’t, a dive. Of course, this was not the first time Rantanen had been fined for embellishment; he also took a $2,000 fine in the 2018-19 season.

Max Domi Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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The hits keep coming for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team announced today that Max Domi underwent successful surgery to repair a labral tear of his right shoulder and has been given a recovery timeline of five to six months. The surgery was performed today in Colorado. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a short statement:

Max had been experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder, which he brought to our attention last week and a subsequent examination revealed a labral tear. It was determined that surgery was the best course of action and we look forward to Max’s return early next season.

As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic points out, this is the same surgery that Blue Jackets forward Gustav Nyquist underwent in November, causing him to miss the entire season. Domi will miss at least the first month of the 2021-22 campaign.

Domi, 26, was supposed to be an answer for Columbus down the middle when they acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens, but it certaintly didn’t work out in his first year as a Blue Jacket. Things quickly deteriorated between Domi and head coach John Tortorealla, who obviously didn’t trust him in the middle of the ice or in the defensive zone. Only three forwards—Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and Cam Atkinson—started a lower percentage of their shifts in the defensive zone and Domi ended up taking fewer than 400 draws on the year, his lowest total since 2016-17.

Tortorella certainly wasn’t the first coach to question whether Domi could handle the defensive responsibility that the center ice positon brings, but it will continue to be an issue for whoever replaces him behind the Columbus bench. The team traded away Pierre-Luc Dubois early in the year and then moved Nick Foligno and Riley Nash at the deadline. While a return to Columbus for Foligno seems like a plausible outcome this summer, even he isn’t a true center. The team doesn’t have a ton of options down the middle, so when Domi does eventually return, he may get another chance to take that role for the team.

Of course, given Domi is set to hit unrestricted free agency after next season, he’ll be motivated to show potential suitors what he can do. He also is another trade candidate for that reason, though the injury complicates things. The Blue Jackets seemingly have several hard decisions to make this summer on who will be the core moving forward.

Latest On Buffalo Sabres Coaching Search

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The Buffalo Sabres are searching far and wide for their next head coach, bringing in candidates from all over the hockey world. That includes, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, Rikard Gronborg of the Zurich Lions. Gronborg has already interviewed for the position according to Dreger.

This is not the first time that Gronborg’s name has been connected to an NHL coaching search, but to this point, the 52-year-old has remained overseas. Serving as a staff member for the Swedish national team for more than a decade, Gronborg has almost countless international medals including Olympic silver as an assistant in 2014. He won the World Championship gold as head coach in 2017 and 2018 and has been leading the powerhouse Zurich team for the last three seasons.

In NHL history there have been only two European-born and trained head coaches, meaning Gronborg would be breaking new ground should he land the gig in Buffalo. It would certainly be an outside-the-box move for an organization desperate for answers, but he wouldn’t be coming in completely blind. Remember, Sabres franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is very familiar with Gronborg from his time with the national program for Sweden, including time together at the 2018 Olympics.

Still, with so much pressure on Buffalo to turn things around, going with a rookie head coach may not be the best idea. The team has not been able to find any sort of stability or consistency over the last several years, switching coaches and managers as quickly as players. Gronborg is just one of many candidates considered for the role, including interim head coach Don Granato.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2020-21 King Clancy Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2021 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team nominated one player for the award, but the finalists are Kurtis Gabriel of the San Jose Sharks, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils.

The selection committee, led by Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, consider the following criteria:

  • Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
  • Investment of time and resources
  • Commitment to a particular cause or community
  • Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
  • Creativity of programming
  • Use of influence; engagement of others

Mark Scheifele Suspended Four Games

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June 4: Speaking with the media today, Scheifele explained that though he had the option to appeal, he has decided not to.

June 3: The Department of Player Safety has reached a verdict in the case of Mark Scheifele, handing out a four-game suspension to the Winnipeg Jets forward. Scheifele will miss games two through five of the Jets’ second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens with his team already down 1-0.

As the accompanying video explains:

Scheifele, moving with excessive momentum gained from travelling a considerable distance, finishes his check violently and with excessive force into Evans, making significant head contact in the process and causing an injury.

The league also acknowledged Scheifele’s argument that the distance was travelled with the idea of trying to break up Jake Evans’ empty-net goal attempt but felt that him not attempting to make a play on the puck meant that he was conceding the goal, leading to the following:

Instead, it is apparent to our department that his intention on this play is to deliver a hard, violent check to an opponent with the outcome of both the play and the game already having been decided.  In short, this is a player who has travelled a considerable distance, is moving with exceptional speed, and is fully aware of his momentum who chooses to charge into a vulnerable opponent with a high, predatory hit that causes an injury.

The incident occurred at the very end of the game as Evans scored a game-clinching empty-net goal, and resulted in the Canadiens’ forward lying on the ice unconscious. Evans was eventually stretchered off the ice but did not require hospitalization. According to Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme, the young forward (who turned 25 last night) suffered a concussion but is recovering.

For Scheifele, it means that he will miss a good chunk of this series should the Jets fail to come out victorious without their star center. Now 28, he recorded his fifth consecutive point-per-game campaign in 2020-21, scoring 63 in 56 during the regular season. In the first-round sweep against the Edmonton Oilers, Scheifele recorded five points but was kept completely off the board by Phillip Danault and company last night.

He received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit on Evans and also did not have a history of supplementary discipline. Still, he’ll now miss four games in the North Division deciding series.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the suspension.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Pontus Holmberg

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The SHL playoff MVP has an NHL deal. Pontus Holmberg has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal will kick in for next season, but Holmberg will be loaned back to Vaxjo in Sweden for 2021-22.

Holmberg, 22, was a sixth-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2018 after he had played just two games at the SHL level. Just a few years later he was raising the championship trophy over his head after posting 14 points in 14 postseason games with Vaxjo. Playoff MVP, league champion, and Swedish forward of the year, it’s been quite a ride for Holmberg this season.

The next step will be taking that playoff dominance and bringing it on a consistent basis in the regular season. Holmberg had just nine goals and 23 points in 45 games during the regular season, well behind other prospects on his team like Jack Drury. If he is ever going to make an impact for the Maple Leafs, he’ll need to bring that offensive presence night in and night out.

Still, for Toronto, signing whatever prospects you can is key at this point. The team went out early again in this year’s playoffs despite loading up at the deadline and now have just three selections (2nd, 5th, and 6th rounders) in the upcoming draft.

West Notes: Grubauer, Rossi, Dahlen

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Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer had a dominant 2020-21 season, earning himself a Vezina Trophy nomination along the way as he posted a 1.95 GAA along with a .922 SV% in 40 games.  That has him extremely well-positioned heading into unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer, even in a flat-cap marketplace.  However, talks on his next deal haven’t started yet as his agent Allain Roy told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that those discussions will wait until Colorado’s playoff run comes to an end.  Grubauer is in the final season of a three-year, $10MM contract and could potentially double that on the open market this summer with a couple of recent comparables at $6MM or higher.

More from the West:

  • Wild prospect Marco Rossi has been given the all-clear and will skate for the first time on Saturday as he works his way back from a bout with myocarditis, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Rossi was initially diagnosed with COVID-19 following the World Juniors and was sent home for the season to recover before the heart issue was later revealed.  With this good news, Rossi should be ready for next season and will still have three years left on his entry-level contract as his deal will slide since he didn’t see any NHL action.
  • Jonathan Dahlen could be making his return to North America. Adam Johansson and Johan Svensson of SportExpressen report that the Sharks are expected to sign the winger for next season.  Unhappy with his situation with San Jose, he signed up for a second year with Timra in Sweden’s Allsvenskan after playing there on the final year of his entry-level deal.  He has been quite dominant in that stretch, notching 77 points in 51 games last year and 71 and 45 contests this season.  The 23-year-old restricted free agent was believed to be seeking a one-way deal to return to North America so it will be interesting to see if he gets it, assuming this eventually comes to fruition.

Offseason Checklist: Vancouver Canucks

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The offseason has arrived with roughly half of the league finished up after missing the playoffs and eight more being ousted in the first round.  It’s time to examine what those teams need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Vancouver.

The Canucks underwent several significant changes over the offseason which made them a bit of a wild card team heading into the season.  However, they didn’t get off to a good start, had injuries all season, and a rough battle with COVID-19 in between.  The end result was a seventh-place finish in the seven-team North Division.  Ownership decided to keep GM Jim Benning around and he was able to get head coach Travis Green signed to a short-term contract, taking one big item off his to-do list.  There is still a lot of work to be done, however.

Free Up Cap Space

This one is pretty self-explanatory.  Benning opted to bring in several veterans over the last few offseasons to try to bolster his roster.  While some improvements were made, it also took away from their salary cap flexibility.  They’ve been into LTIR the last couple of years and are going to be hit with another bonus overage penalty next season.  Yes, they have some contracts coming off the books but those players need to be re-signed or replaced.  That will be tricky to do without creating some more flexibility.

To that end, Benning suggested at the end of the season that he’s open to using a buyout.  However, a lot of those deals (such as Loui Eriksson’s) have a structure that makes the net cap savings minimal.  There aren’t many viable options to choose from.  That’s why it’s not too surprising that Nate Schmidt’s name has surfaced in trade speculation as of late with the veteran having four years left at a $5.95MM price tag.

Keeping the core intact is one thing but finding a way to add to it to help Vancouver take a step forward will be a significant challenge for Benning over the coming months.

Replace/Retain UFA Defensemen

Let’s look at some of those expiring contracts, particularly on the back end.  Alexander Edler has been a fixture on Vancouver’s blueline since the 2006-07 season and he has made it clear on multiple occasions that he wants to remain with the Canucks.  He’s coming off a tough season but before that, he had been a steady two-way defender.  And even though the 35-year-old struggled, he still logged more than 20 minutes a night.  He won’t cost $6MM to sign again but his role isn’t one they can fill from within just yet either.

The other pending UFA that needs to be addressed is Travis Hamonic.  A late signee in the offseason, the veteran received a no-move clause which he used to keep himself with Vancouver past the deadline as there was trade interest in him.  A capable stay-at-home defender, he’s someone that should command more than the $1.25MM he made this season if he wanted to test the open market.  He doesn’t seem to want to so another bargain contract is a possibility.

Of course, dealing with (or replacing) these two doesn’t necessarily add to their roster but it’s still something that will need to happen in the weeks ahead.

New Deals For Young Stars

Adding to the challenges of dealing with the aforementioned defensemen is that most of the money coming off the books will be needed for new contracts for their two top youngsters in defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Elias Pettersson as both are restricted free agents this summer.

Hughes has quickly become one of the more dangerous offensive rearguards in the league.  Over his two full NHL seasons, only three defenders have more points than his 94 – Victor Hedman, John Carlson, and Roman Josi.  (Cale Makar also has 94.)  That’s impressive company to be in and it will allow the 21-year-old to potentially command a significant contract even in this environment and with just 129 career regular season games under his belt, about the equivalent of a year and a half in non-shortened campaigns.  He’s not the strongest player in his own end but offensive stats often drive negotiations and that is certainly in Hughes’ favor.  It’s worth noting that while is a restricted free agent, he doesn’t have enough service time to be eligible for an offer sheet.

As for Pettersson, his platform year was hardly an ideal one.  He got off to a tough start offensively and then missed the final two months with a wrist injury, only managing 21 points in 26 games as a result.  However, the 22-year-old still has plenty going for him.  He had two seasons of 66 points before this one, quickly becoming a fixture on the top line in the process.  Pettersson also has the ability to play down the middle and that can usually boost a players’ value as well.  Unlike Hughes, Pettersson is eligible for an offer sheet (though that’s an unlikely outcome) but also isn’t able to file for arbitration.

In a perfect world, both players would sign long-term contracts that buy out some UFA eligibility, giving the Canucks their two top youngsters for the long haul.  But doing that costs considerably more money than a shorter-term bridge contract.  Vancouver can’t afford long-term deals for both of them while dealing with their UFA blueliners and filling out the rest of their roster (which still only gets them to where they were at the end of the season and not conceivably better as a result).  One could be doable depending on what else Benning has up his sleeve so they’re going to have to choose wisely as to who gets it and who doesn’t.

Extension Talks For Boeser

While they need to deal with Hughes and Pettersson, Benning also has to keep in mind the other big-ticket deal on the horizon as winger Brock Boeser will be a restricted free agent next summer which means he will be eligible to sign a new contract once the calendar flips to the 2021-22 season.  He’ll be a year away from unrestricted free agency at that time and since his deal was signed before the new CBA, the qualifying offer is the salary of the final season which is $7.5MM, well above his current $5.875MM AAV.

Knowing that increase will be coming in a year later, Benning would be wise to see what a long-term extension would cost which shouldn’t be much more than that qualifier in this cap environment.  That type of certainty would also be useful in terms of budgeting whether or not they can afford long-term contracts for their two star RFAs.

Even if they can’t hammer out a new contract now (one of the sides may prefer to wait and see what next year brings), getting an idea of what the framework of a deal would look like would be very useful as Benning looks to map out the rest of his offseason planning.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Cap information courtesy of CapFriendly.

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