Pacific Notes: Kahkonen, Bear, Lavoie

It has been a bit of a rough go so far for goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in San Jose.  When then-GM Doug Wilson picked up the 26-year-old at the 2022 trade deadline, he was hoping that the Sharks might have their goalie of the future.  The results haven’t been great, however, as Kahkonen had a 3.85 GAA with a SV% of just .883 in 35 games this season.  Despite that, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that there are a few teams around the league that view him as a worthwhile reclamation project which could give him some trade value this summer.  Kahkonen has one year left on his deal with a $2.75MM cap charge but at the moment, he is the only goaltender with meaningful NHL experience under his belt so it’s not a guarantee that GM Mike Grier will be open to moving him.  If he is though, it appears that there will be some suitors.

More from the Pacific:

• Canucks defenseman Ethan Bear might need shoulder surgery as a result of the injury sustained while playing for Canada last month at the World Championship, reports CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link). The procedure, if eventually completed, would carry a recovery time of multiple months.  The 25-year-old is owed a $2.2MM qualifying offer later this month, one that is already on the high side for someone on the third pairing, especially on a team as cap-strapped as Vancouver is.  Accordingly, it’s possible that this injury and possible surgery could affect their decision on whether to tender Bear that offer in a few weeks.
• With Edmonton almost certainly needing to rely on several cheap players to round out its roster next season, Postmedia’s Robert Tychkowski suggests that prospect Raphael Lavoie could push for a spot in the lineup in 2023-24. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2019 (39th overall) but has yet to see NHL action over his first three professional seasons.  However, Lavoie bounced back from an early injury to have a strong second half, allowing him to post 25 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with AHL Bakersfield.  A pending restricted free agent, Lavoie will likely be asked to sign for below his qualifying offer to increase his chances of breaking camp with the Oilers.  If he doesn’t make the team though, Lavoie would have to pass through waivers to get back to the Condors next season.