Minor Transactions: 03/19/21
While the NHL trade market is swirling with rumors and the college free agent market has begun to heat up, there has been far more anticipation than actual transactions of late. Yet, in Europe there are teams already looking ahead to next season and players whose current campaigns are coming to an end. The KHL is already through the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, while the SHL, Liiga, NLA, and others are in the stretch run. Keep up with these notable moves and more with today’s minor transactions:
- After a surprising first-round sweep at the hands of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the off-season has arrived earlier than hoped for perennial KHL contender Jokerit. The Finnish club hasn’t wasted any time with making their intentions for next season known either, quickly re-signing many of their core players who had been on expiring contracts – a group familiar to NHL fans. Jokerit has announced new contracts for four key players: two-year extensions for forward Markus Hannikainen, defenseman Alex Grant, and goaltender Anders Lindback and a one-year deal for forward Henri Ikonen. Hanikainen, 27, just completed his first season in the KHL after spending the past five years with the Columbus Blue Jackets (and briefly the Arizona Coyotes). Lindback, perhaps the most recognizable name, has been in Europe for three years now, but spent eight seasons in North America, totaling 130 NHL games with five different teams. Grant, known more for his status as top defender in the AHL in nearly 500 career games, has spent the past three years with Jokerit since leaving North America. Ikonen, 26, is a former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect who has played in the KHL for the past four years since his entry-level contract expired. With many of Jokerit’s other top players also signed beyond this season, including several more former NHLers, the team will return the bulk of a roster than finished fifth in the KHL’s Western Conference this year and hope that they can take another step forward in 2021-22.
- The season has also ended abruptly for the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novogord, although not entirely unexpectedly as they were swept in the first round by the powerhouse Ak Bars Kazan, the Eastern Conference regular season champions. With his Russian campaign now over, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled young forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev from his loan, writes Mike Davies of the Peterborough Examiner. Rather than rush SDA back from Russia to play in the AHL right away, the Leafs allowed him to complete his KHL season. The 20-year-old forward recorded six points in 17 games for Torpedo as a part-time player, and did play in all four playoff games but was held off the score sheet. He is now ready to return to more consistent, valued role with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, making his North American pro debut. A former standout with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, SDA is an impressive offensive talent who should be able to make an impact in the minors.
- Longtime Montreal Canadien David Desharnais is wrapping up his second season with HC Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss National League, his third season abroad since leaving the NHL. It’s been his best season in Europe by a wide margin, as Desharnais has recorded 36 points in 39 games and has established himself as a veteran leader for Fribourg-Gotteron, who currently sit in second place in the NLA standings with the postseason approaching. Despite this success and many years of NHL experience, the 34-year-old center does not seem too focused on attempting a return to North America. Instead, he has signed a one-year extension to stay in Switzerland, the club announced. Barring another point-per-game Swiss season next year (and even if then), this likely puts an official end to Desharnais’ NHL career.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/19/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list so far:
Boston – Sean Kuraly, Jake Debrusk*, David Pastrnak*, David Krejci*, Craig Smith*
Columbus – Alexandre Texier
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe (plus the coaching staff)
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: None
The news in Boston led to two games being postponed, even though the team played last night against Buffalo. In the release, however, the NHL was optimistic the team would be able to open up their facilities next Wednesday. If these players are not back by then it would be a very difficult test for the Bruins, given how important the group is.
This is the second event that includes the Sabres and has terrible optics for the league, given that all four of the Bruins added today played last night against Buffalo, despite Kuraly being added earlier in the day. It’s key to remember that it doesn’t necessarily mean they have tested positive though and the league has more detailed medical information than it shares with the public.
After being made a late addition to the list, Vegas’ William Karlsson was removed from the list just hours later with a confirmed false positive test.
*denotes new addition
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/19/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Christian Jaros from the AHL, his first recall of the season. Jaros was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in January and has two points in ten games for the San Jose Barracuda this season.
- The Anaheim Ducks have returned Josh Mahura to the AHL, while recalling Kodie Curran and Andrew Agozzino. The Ducks got quite the performance out of rookie Jamie Drysdale in his NHL debut, potentially launching him into the roster full-time.
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Matthew Villalta back to the Ontario Reign, leaving them with Troy Grosenick as the taxi squad goaltender.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Dennis Cholowski from the minor leagues for the first time this season. The 23-year-old defenseman has played 11 games in the AHL, scoring eight points so far.
- Detroit also recalled goaltender Calvin Pickard from Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. This would indicate that the injury suffered by Jonathan Bernier will leave him sidelined for at least a short amount of time.
- In their daily move, the Nashville Predators have recalled Michael McCarron from the taxi squad, while moving Alexandre Carrier and Ben Harpur back to it. The Predators continue to flip players back and forth to save cap and salary on off days.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Josh Currie and Josh Maniscalco to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while moving Anthony Angello, Colton Sceviour, and Radim Zohorna to the taxi squad.
North Division
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Anatoly Golyshev’s KHL Deal Terminated, Signs With Islanders
March 19: The Islanders have made the deal with Golyshev official, signing him to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2020-21 season. He can step directly (once through quarantine protocols) into the NHL lineup if the team deems it best.
March 16: The Islanders have been waiting for quite a while to get winger Anatoly Golyshev into their system. However, the wait may soon be over. The KHL announced today (Twitter link) that Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg has terminated their contract with the 26-year-old, making him a free agent while Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that New York is expected to sign him shortly.
Golyshev was a fourth-round pick (95th overall) of the Isles back in 2016 as a 21-year-old. At that point, he was coming off of a 25-goal, 44-point campaign in the KHL, making him an intriguing selection. Of course, at that time, he wasn’t planning on leaving for North America but with there being no player transfer agreement between the NHL and Russia’s hockey federation, New York was able to hold his rights indefinitely.
Since being picked, Golyshev has been a top performer with Avtomobilist and is now the franchise leader in career goals (109) and points (220) despite coming off one of his quieter years that saw him post 12 goals and 15 assists in 53 games.
Golyshev is still subject to the entry-level system and will be capped at signing a one-year contract. That shouldn’t be much of a deterrent as the two sides will be able to use this season as that one year, paving the way for a bigger contract just a few months from now if things go well.
In the meantime, Golyshev will be an interesting addition to a New York team that is in the middle of the pack offensively so far this season. There’s a vacancy to fill with Anders Lee on LTIR and while the Islanders obviously won’t be expecting him to step into that big of a role, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he gets an NHL opportunity as soon as he gets through the mandatory quarantine period.
New Jersey Devils Sign Michael Vukojevic
The New Jersey Devils have signed one of their draft picks, inking Michael Vukojevic to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in the 2021-22 season. Vukojevic has been playing on an AHL contract with the Binghamton Devils this season as he waited for the OHL to return to play.
Selected 82nd overall in 2019, the 19-year-old defenseman has been quite impressive for Binghamton, recording five points in seven games so far this season. The 6’3″ Vukojevic could be considered a mid-round steal for the Devils, given that at times in the past he’s been considered a top prospect with a lot more upside than you can normally find in the third round. He took part in the 2019 CHL Top Prospects game that included names like Bowen Byram, Kirby Dach, and Dylan Cozens, has competed at both the U18 World Junior Championship and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for Canada, and was ranked 55th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Though there are obvious warts to his game, the Devils obviously believe that Vukojevic was worthy of an NHL deal. He would have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June, but will now be able to return to Binghamton next season and refine his performance. When (or if) the OHL returns this season, he’ll need to be sent back to the Kitchener Rangers.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Vladislav Provolnev
March 19: The Coyotes have officially announced the signing of Provolnev to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season. GM Bill Amstrong released a short statement on his newest defenseman:
We are very pleased to sign Vladislav. He is a big, strong defenseman who skates well and plays a physical style. He also has a good shot and can contribute offensively. He will be another good blueline prospect for us.
March 18: The Arizona Coyotes are adding some depth to their defensive group, as according to Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider, the team has agreed to terms with Vladislav Provolnev. The 25-year-old defenseman will be limited to a one-year entry-level contract that should start in 2021-22 as he is an undrafted free agent, not a member of the Coyotes’ reserve list, though Morgan does not specify and the team has not officially announced it yet.
Provolnev broke out offensively this season in the KHL, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 48 games for Cherepovets Severstal. That number dwarfed his previous career-high of eight points and could well be an outlier in his career. The 6’3″ defenseman certainly isn’t known for his offense, but instead brings a high level of physicality and defensive play.
The Coyotes will have plenty of room on their blue line next season, given the apparent departures of almost the entire current group. Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers, Jordan Oesterle and Ilya Lyubushkin are all scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency after this season. That will leave just Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jacob Chychrun among the regulars, with several prospects vying for full-time roster spots. Provolnev should be one of those, though the transition from the KHL to the NHL has proven difficult for many defensemen in the past.
NHL Postpones Two More Boston Bruins Games
The NHL has announced that the next two Boston Bruins games, one against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow and one against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, have been postponed. Four additional Bruins players have entered the league’s COVID Protocols today after Sean Kuraly was listed yesterday. Despite Kuraly’s placement in the protocol and a Sabres staff member also being placed in them, the game between the two teams went on as scheduled last night.
The league expected the Bruins will be able to re-open their facilities for practice on Wednesday, March 24. The team has not released the identities of the four additional players, though they will be included in the list published later this evening.
Buffalo of course was the organization that was “furious” with the NHL earlier this season after a pair of games were allowed to be played against the New Jersey Devils despite a player entering the protocol. The Sabres then had their own outbreak, shutting down the team’s operation for some time. Hopefully, that sort of thing will not be repeated here.
Joey Daccord Likely Out Rest Of Season
One of the feel-good stories of the year so far was Joey Daccord‘s first NHL win, coming against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this month after the young goaltender was forced into action. Ottawa Senators starter Matt Murray suffered an injury in the warm-up, leading to Daccord being thrown to the wolves against the North Division-leading Maple Leafs without much time to prepare. The 24-year-old goaltender would stop 33 of 36 shots for his first NHL victory, leading to an emotional post-game interview that endeared Daccord to hockey fans across the continent.
Unfortunately, the next chapter of the story isn’t a happy ending. Just when it seemed that Daccord was going to get an extended run as the Senators starter, he suffered a lower-body injury on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks. As relayed by Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion told TSN radio today Daccord will be out long-term, “most likely the season.” Garrioch’s sources have led him to believe that the goaltender is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, though the team has not released any specific information.
Daccord is an easy player to root for, after going 199th overall in the 2015 draft and spending three seasons at Arizona State University. He became the first Sun Devil to play in the NHL when he debuted for the Senators in the 2018-19 season (not to mention being the first Sun Devil to even sign an entry-level contract) and has looked at least relatively capable in his eight appearances this season. An .897 save percentage in those starts doesn’t look like much, but when you realize that Murray has an .880 and Marcus Hogberg an .859, Daccord looks like a Vezina-winner in comparison.
Hopefully, even if he doesn’t return to the lineup this season he’ll be back on the ice before long. Daccord actually signed a three-year contract with the Senators in the fall, taking him through the 2022-23 season.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Michael Houser
The Buffalo Sabres have added some goaltending depth to the organization, signing Michael Houser to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $700K at the NHL level and represent’s Houser’s first NHL deal since his entry-level contract expired in 2015.
With Linus Ullmark out due to injury, the Sabres have Carter Hutton, Jonas Johansson and Dustin Tokarski (taxi squad) all at the NHL level to fulfil the league requirements. That leaves Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the only other goaltender in the organization signed to an NHL deal, something that could become an issue should the team have to deal with any other injuries.
Houser, 28, will be the beneficiary of that situation, earning an NHL deal despite not even having much experience at the AHL level. The undrafted netminder has spent most of his career in the ECHL, including 26 games for the Cincinnati Cyclones last season. Now on this new contract, he can be recalled to the taxi squad if necessary.
As John Vogl of The Athletic points out, it isn’t necessarily injury that the Sabres are preparing for, but potentially a trade of Hutton or Johansson. Both goaltenders are free agents after the season, with the latter qualifying as a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he fails to play 18 more games before the end of the season. If they deal either one, Houser’s contract allows the team to keep Luukkonen in the minor leagues, instead of recalling him to the taxi squad.
Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings
Although we’re now just two months into the season, the trade deadline is less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Detroit Red Wings.
A new division hasn’t yielded new results for the Red Wings as a year after finishing last in the Atlantic Division, they sit last in the Central with no real hope at a playoff spot. It has been a tough rebuild for Detroit over the past few years and coming into next month’s deadline, GM Steve Yzerman’s focus will undoubtedly be on adding more future assets to the organization. Their time to return to postseason contention will come but it won’t be this season.
Record
9-17-4, 8th in Central Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$19.59MM in full-season space ($39.19MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: DET 1st, DET 2nd, EDM 2nd, NYR 2nd, DET 3rd, VGK 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th
2022: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, VGK 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
Trade Chips
Jonathan Bernier has been a decent goaltender for Detroit over the past few seasons. While the overall defensive numbers haven’t been pretty, the 32-year-old has more than held his own between the pipes and actually had a save percentage above the league average heading into play on Thursday. Goaltenders don’t typically move at this time of year but there are a handful of teams that could certainly benefit from an upgraded second option and Bernier may very well be at the top of the wish list. His $3MM cap hit may be a bit tricky to navigate for some of those teams but with no retention slots used yet, Yzerman could pay the contract down to facilitate a move. This is, of course, assuming his lower-body injury sustained in tonight’s game against Dallas isn’t too serious.
While goalies aren’t often in demand, one position that teams always look to upgrade on is the fourth line center. The goal is to get someone who can help the penalty kill and win faceoffs. That’s the basic description of Luke Glendening right there; he doesn’t bring much more than those two elements but is good enough at what he does (including leading the league in faceoff percentage) to carve out a lineup spot. He’s a bit pricey for that role at $1.8MM but again, Detroit can pay up to half of that and there should be several teams interested in his services.
Marc Staal had been viewed as a contract that would be tough to get out of; the Rangers had to part with their second-rounder this year to get the Red Wings to take him on. But he is still a decent defender in his own end and is someone that would fit much better on a contender on the third pairing than he does with Detroit. At $5.7MM, no one will bite but if they retain and/or take a sizable expiring contract back, there should be some interest. Patrik Nemeth ($3MM) also falls into this category for teams that don’t have as much financial wiggle room to work with.
It hasn’t quite been the offensive resurgence that he was hoping for but Bobby Ryan has showed some good moments this season while playing in Detroit’s top six. With 13 points in 27 games, he’d represent an upgrade for some teams in their bottom six and at a $1MM price tag, he’s certainly affordable as well; this isn’t a contract that they should need to provide some sort of salary offset for.
Others to Watch For: F Adam Erne (997K, RFA), F Sam Gagner ($850K, UFA), F Vladislav Namestnikov ($2MM through 2021-22)
Team Needs
1) Picks and Prospects – Yzerman doesn’t necessarily need to overthink things here. The Red Wings have several veteran players who can fill small roles on contenders but none of the players mentioned above are going to bring back significant assets. Instead, they can simply stockpile draft picks and prospects. With this year’s draft not being moved and being such a wild card in terms of some prospects hardly playing, 2021 selections represent intriguing lottery chips; later selections (which is what most of the veterans would bring back) might be a bit more valuable as a result.
2) Core Players – There are some building blocks in place (though some of those have struggled considerably this season) but for a team that isn’t going anywhere, it’s a bit of an older group. Some of those veterans will be replaced by prospects but with the cap room that Detroit has, there’s room to try to add a couple of core players that can be around long enough to help shepherd them through the tough times and into the playoffs. The time for those types of moves may very well be the offseason but given the financial pressures some teams have now, Yzerman would be wise to see if there’s an opportunity to pounce before then.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.