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Archives for August 2021

Snapshots: Stalberg, Wisdom, Schedule

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After a long, productive professional career, Viktor Stalberg is hanging up his skates. The 35-year-old forward last played in the NHL during the 2016-17 season and has been suiting up in Switzerland for the last several years. Originally selected 161st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2006, the Swedish forward took the unusual route (especially 15 years ago) of playing for the University of Vermont to continue his development, passing up the opportunity to play pro hockey at home.

After three years in the NCAA, he signed and quickly stepped into the Maple Leafs lineup, recording nine goals in his rookie season. A few years later he would be hoisting the Stanley Cup overhead with the Chicago Blackhawks. In all, he played for the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Ottawa Senators over an eight-year NHL career spanning 488 regular season games.

  • Philadelphia Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom has undergone shoulder surgery and will be out indefinitely. The 19-year-old forward played 28 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season when the OHL failed to hold a season, and impressed everyone with an excellent 18-point campaign. Wisdom was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2020, but has already shown an ability to score at the minor league level. He would be one of the players that could potentially become eligible to return to the AHL next season on a one-time exemption, even though he would normally be required to return to the CHL. That obviously also now depends on his recovery from shoulder surgery.
  • The league has announced the start times for the 2021-22 regular season, which will kick off with a banner raising in Tampa Bay on October 12 before the Lightning take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. That game will be followed by the Seattle Kraken’s first contest, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in the late slot. The regular season will conclude on April 29.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Three Draft Picks

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced deals for three draft picks, inking Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger and Sasha Pastujov to three-year entry-level contracts.

It was reported yesterday that Pastujov would be signing, as his plans for next season have changed. The young forward took back his commitment to the University of Notre Dame and will instead play for the Guelph Storm of the OHL. A player in the NCAA isn’t able to ink an NHL contract, but that’s not the case for someone in the CHL. Pastujov can continue his development in the junior league while also being under contract with the Ducks, receiving his signing bonus in the process.

The 18-year-old was a big-time offensive threat for the U.S. National Team Development Program, but dropped to the third round of the recent draft. The Ducks snapped him up with the 66th pick, and will hope that he can continue that development path in the OHL. Pastujov’s contract will slide forward should he spend the year in junior, meaning the first season will not be burned in 2021-22.

For Zellweger, it’s much of the same story. The 34th overall pick from this year’s draft, he’ll be heading back to the WHL to refine what is an intriguing package of tools. Just 5’10”, Zellweger is one of the youngest players in the 2021 draft class and won’t even turn 18 until next month. He flew up draft boards this year, going from C-rated to the start of the second round. There’s no doubt that size will be a challenge, but scouts rave about Zellweger’s maturity, work ethic, and hockey IQ, not to mention his obvious skating ability.

The big fish in this group though is McTavish, the third-overall pick from last month’s draft. Physically, McTavish could likely handle the grind of an NHL season right now. The Swiss-born, Canadian center spent this year overseas playing for Olten EHC where he scored nine goals and 11 points in just 13 games. His physical, bang-and-crash style makes a fan of every coach he plays for, as McTavish regularly engages down low and comes out with control of the puck. That’s not to say he lacks offensive flair, though there may not be the same kind of scoring upside in McTavish as future teammate Trevor Zegras.

That’s likely exactly why the Ducks are so excited by the pick, as the 18-year-old can provide a stylistic complement to the slick Zegras down the middle in Anaheim. While those days still may have to wait for a little while, there’s little doubt that McTavish will climb the ranks quickly and become an NHL talent before long. If he does return to junior this season for the Peterborough Petes, it will be more about letting him dominate a level offensively and perhaps play at the World Juniors. His contract–like the other two–would slide if that happens, meaning the Ducks would have McTavish signed through at least 2024-25.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Samuel Helenius

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Aug 13: The deal has been officially announced and though the Kings include an average annual value of $850,833, that doesn’t include the performance bonuses that are part of the contract. Helenius can earn $82,500 in each of the first two years of the deal, and $57,500 in the third, taking the contract total to $2,775,000 and the cap hit to $925K as CapFriendly reported.

Aug 12: The Los Angeles Kings have signed draft pick Samuel Helenius to a three-year, entry-level contract according to CapFriendly. The deal will carry an NHL cap hit of $925K.

Helenius, 18, was selected 59th overall by the Kings and is still expected to play for JYP in Finland next season. The huge forward–standing 6’6″–spent the full year in Liiga, playing pro against men sometimes more than a decade older than him. He also took part in the World Junior Championship for Finland, scoring four points in seven games.

The Kings prospect pool is deep and wide, with stars and depth players alike. Helenius will be just another name on that list but is certainly one to monitor over the next few years. The son of former NHL defenseman Sami Helenius, the young forward isn’t quite the same type of player but is still more than willing to throw his huge frame around and engage physically. If he can consistently use that size and wingspan to create offensively, he could be a valuable piece for years to come.

Boston Bruins Announce Front Office, Coaching Updates

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The Boston Bruins have announced several changes in their front office and coaching staff, starting with Chris Kelly who has been named an assistant coach. Kelly previously served as the player development coordinator for the Bruins the past two seasons. Taking his place will be former teammate Adam McQuaid, who will serve in that coordinator role. The team also announced that Ryan Mougenel has been named the head coach of the Providence Bruins.

Kelly, who Boston fans best remember as an important deadline addition during the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship, returned to the Bruins in 2019 after spending a year as a development coach with the Ottawa Senators. He will now move from the development team to the coaching staff in Boston, joining Bruce Cassidy’s group. Kelly suited up for 288 regular season games for the Bruins during his playing career, recording 101 points.

McQuaid meanwhile was also on that 2011 team, offering his brand of physical play on the blueline. The 6’4″ defenseman was actually drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but found his way to the Bruins in time for his NHL debut in the 2009-10 season. Over a ten-year NHL career, McQuaid played 462 of his 512 games in a Bruins uniform, racking up 652 penalty minutes along the way.

Mougenel has been with Providence for three seasons, serving as an assistant for former head coach Jay Leach. With Leach off to join the Seattle Kraken, there was an opening behind the bench for the AHL Bruins. That spot will be quickly filled by an internal candidate, and one that has plenty of head coaching experience already. Mougenel served as the head coach for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL for four seasons, the same league where he spent most of his playing career.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Zac Rinaldo

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed free agent forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will be worth $750K in the NHL, $275K in the AHL, and comes with a $300K minor league guarantee.

Rinaldo, 31, has carved out a 374-game NHL career despite never being anything more than a fourth-line presence. In a league that is almost completely devoid of enforcers, there’s still Rinaldo, playing NHL games every year and racking up penalty minutes. In 2020-21 he played four games with the Calgary Flames, averaged fewer than six minutes a night, and fought former teammate Austin Watson.

With 42 career points and 748 career penalty minutes, it’s clear what Rinaldo’s job will be with the Blue Jackets, whenever they put him in the lineup. The 31-year-old forward has never had more than five goals or nine points in a single season. With Columbus going through something of a transition period, trading away Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones, among others, the team will look very different this season. Perhaps Rinaldo will find his way into the lineup more often as they look to establish an identity under new head coach Brad Larsen.

Florida Panthers Sign Joe Thornton

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Jumbo is on his way to Sunrise. The Florida Panthers have signed Joe Thornton to a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season. The deal is worth the league minimum of $750K. GM Bill Zito released a statement explaining the move.

With more than 1,600 games played in the NHL, Joe will bring a wealth of experience to our locker room and lineup. His drive to succeed is unmistakable and we are thrilled that he chose to sign with our club and that he believes in what we are building here in South Florida.

Thornton, 42, continues his chase for the elusive Stanley Cup with another contender, joining the loaded Panthers forward group as a potential depth option. Last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs the former Hart Trophy winner started on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but was barely playing by the time the team was eliminated from the postseason. In 44 regular season games, Thornton recorded five goals and 20 points, while he added just one goal in the playoffs.

There are certain things that Thornton can still do well, but overall his game has diminished considerably over the last few years. Even in 2018-19 he recorded 16 goals and 51 points for the San Jose Sharks, totals he has barely matched in the two seasons since combined.

In Florida, he won’t be asked to play top-six minutes given their impressive depth. Even players like Anthony Duclair, Frank Vatrano or Patric Hornqvist might find themselves in the bottom-six depending on how things shake out, meaning there won’t be many minutes left for the grizzled Thornton.

Still, he certainly brings no lack of experience to the table. Thornton sits sixth all-time in games played and could potentially reach third if he plays in the majority of games next season. At some point, things will have to end for the legendary forward, but it’s not just yet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Kaprizov, Elias, Robert Morris

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While no one wants to see dynamic and entertaining talent Kirill Kaprizov leave the NHL after just one year, especially after waiting so long for his arrival, the ongoing negotiations between he, the Minnesota Wild, and allegedly the KHL’s CSKA Moscow has been an intriguing storyline to say the least. However, the recent report that CKSA has an eight-figure offer out to Kaprizov is almost certainly a farce. As first pointed out by Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland, the KHL salary cap is equivalent to about $12MM, making an eight-figure offer one that eats up at least 83% of the team’s payroll on just one player. Even if they did want to make that kind of unrealistic commitment to Kaprizov, the perennial contenders are already flush with talent, including recent NHLers Joakim Nordstrom, Lucas Wallmark, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and several others. There is no possible way that CSKA can afford Kaprizov for anything more than Minnesota’s best offer, leading Strickland to call this “one of the worst bluffs in sports history.” So, rest easy Wild fans. Minnesota maintains all of the leverage in this negotiation and isn’t about to lose Kaprizov and certainly not to an imaginary KHL offer.

  • Following a strong performance at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Sports Illustrated’s Steven Ellis reports that talented young Slovakian goalkeeper Rastislav Elias has decided to make the move to North America and will play in the USHL this season. Unlike the past few draft classes, which have featured elite goaltending prospects that were long considered first-round picks, the title for top goalie prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft is still up for grabs. Elias hopes that by joining the Green Bay Gamblers and testing himself in a new league, having only played in Slovakian juniors to this point, will earn him some consideration for that label. The spotlight will be on Elias in 2021-22, who is already considered one of the top prospects in net alongside Canadian Tyler Brennan and Russian Sergei Ivanov in particular. Not only will NHL teams be eying Elias, but NCAA programs will also be heavily scouting the talented prospect, who is still eligible to go the college route if he so chooses.
  • Robert Morris University made waves this spring – and not the good kind – when they shockingly terminated their men’s and women’s hockey programs. The decision spurned numerous outside efforts to raise money to bring the programs back before the coming season, but there had been no update as to whether those attempts had been successful. That official word came down today, as the Pittsburgh-area university announced that they will not be icing hockey teams in 2021-22. Robert Morris reports that they have raised $1.34MM in contributions and pledges, but would require $1.4MM in immediate contributions and another $1.4MM in future pledges in order to reinstate the programs. The school notes that it is “eyeing [a] comeback in 2022-23” if fundraising continues, but by then the players from both teams likely will have transferred and the program will be starting from scratch. It is a disappointing result and seeming lack of dedication and effort on the part of Robert Morris, especially as schools around the country are adding Division I hockey programs, not subtracting them.

Ducks’ Sasha Pastujov To De-Commit From Notre Dame, Sign In OHL

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A top American prospect is expected to make a major shift in his development plan. Forward Sasha Pastujov, who stunningly fell to the Anaheim Ducks in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft when some had him pegged as a first-rounder, is about to be the subject of another surprise. ESPN’s John Buccigross reports that Pastujov is giving up on his college commitment to the University of Notre Dame. Instead, Pastujov will sign an entry-level contract with the Ducks and then sign in the OHL with his rights-holder, the Guelph Storm.

Pastujov initially committed to the Fighting Irish back in 2018, which has always drawn some scrutiny with Notre Dame serving as a rival to the University of Michigan, where older brothers Nick and Michael Pastujov played their college hockey. Sasha was expected to enroll at Notre Dame this fall and looked like the crown jewel of the incoming freshman class. A product of the U.S. National Team Development program, Pastujov recorded 30 goals and 65 points in 42 games this season, leading the team by a wide margin. It was the second straight season that Pastujov has scored at better than a point-per-game pace for the USNTDP, which led many to believe that his offensive skill and instinct would lead to an early selection in the draft. It also set him up well to make an immediate difference in the NCAA.

Well, now that impact will occur in the OHL, as Guelph has suddenly been gifted a top prospect as they get set to return to action. There has been no word as to what caused Pastujov’s sudden charge of heart, though there was no indication of such a move until after his selection, suggesting that perhaps Anaheim had some input. On the other hand, Pastujov is also the third member of the most recent USNTDP U-18 team to break his commitment to a college program in favor of major junior. Tampa Bay Lightning third-round pick Roman Schmidt abandoned Boston University in favor of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, while San Jose Sharks sixth-rounder Liam Gilmartin opted for the OHL’s London Knights over Providence College. It’s a strange trend for this year’s American crop, counter to the massive growth of the college game in recent years. For whatever reason, Pastujov has made the decision that he thinks is best for his development and now he and Ducks just hope it works out.

 

Minor Transactions: 08/12/21

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While the NHL tinkers around the edges, the minor leagues are still filling out roster spots in many cases. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here:

  • Chris Bigras, the 32nd overall pick in 2013, has signed a new minor league contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the upcoming season. Bigras has played just 46 NHL games in his professional career, bouncing around the AHL instead. Last season he recorded eight points in 21 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • The Abbotsford Canucks have added a British Columbia boy for their first season, inking Jarid Lukosevicius to a one-year AHL deal. Lukosevicius was a start for the Powell River Kings of the BCHL before going on to the University of Denver, and has spent the last two seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • The Rochester Americans have beefed up their depth chart, signing five different players to AHL contracts. Ryan Scarfo, Lukas Craggs, Brendan Warren, Peter Tischke and Mat Robson have all signed one-year deals with the Americans.

Maxime Lajoie Agrees To Terms With Carolina

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The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with defenseman Maxime Lajoie, signing him to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $750K at the NHL level, $75K at the AHL level and comes with a minor league guarantee of $100K.

Lajoie, 23, notably stepped into the Hurricanes lineup in the postseason, making his debut with the team against the Nashville Predators in the first round. The young defenseman had played just six NHL games since his breakout season in 2018-19, when he surprisingly made the Ottawa Senators roster out of camp and played in 56 games.

Though he has been limited to mostly minor league duty since, there’s still NHL upside in the young defenseman, as shown by the strong performance he had with the Chicago Wolves this year. In 27 AHL games, he posted 21 points, leading all Wolves defensemen.

There’s little chance that Lajoie finds his way into the NHL lineup this season unless massive injury troubles hit the Hurricanes—they added Ian Cole, Ethan Bear, Anthony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith in the offseason—but he can keep developing in a strong AHL program and potentially push for a spot down the road.

Of course, there are waivers to consider, as Lajoie is not exempt and would need to clear in order to be sent to the minor leagues. That wasn’t a problem last season, when he cleared for the Ottawa Senators (only to be traded a day later), but there’s always a chance that someone decides he’s worth a claim this time around.

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