KHL Registers Contract For Ivan Fedotov
Last summer, the Flyers thought they were getting top prospect Ivan Fedotov to play for them, inking him to a one-year deal. Instead, he wound up spending the season fulfilling his military obligations and did not suit up in a game. That permitted Philadelphia to toll the netminder’s contract, rolling it over to next season. However, in the meantime, Fedotov agreed to terms on a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow a while back on a deal beginning in 2023-24, hoping to stay overseas.
Earlier this week, Sport-Express in Russia reached out to the KHL for more information and they indicated that they asked the NHL to get clarification on Fedotov’s status. At that time, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that it is their opinion that Fedotov has a valid contract with the Flyers for the upcoming season. The NHL and KHL have previously operated with a Memorandum of Understanding between the two leagues, meaning one league can’t poach a signed player away from the other. The NHL suspended that agreement last year. Meanwhile, the KHL announced today that they disagree with the NHL’s assertion and have registered the contract for Fedotov with CSKA Moscow.
For the first time now, both leagues believe they have a legitimately-registered contract with Fedotov for the upcoming season, meaning they’re entering some uncharted territory when it comes to determining who is correct. The KHL’s announcement indicates that Fedotov’s clearly-stated preference is to remain in Russia.
The 26-year-old was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round back in 2015 (188th overall) and has emerged as one of the top goalies in the KHL while putting up a stellar 1.61 GAA with a .943 SV% in the 2022 Olympics. Last summer, the plan was for him to serve as the backup to Carter Hart and when that option fell through, they turned to internal options Felix Sandstrom and Samuel Ersson.
Now, veteran Cal Petersen is also in the mix after the team took on his contract in a pre-draft three-way trade involving Los Angeles and Columbus. However, with two years and $10MM left on his contract, it’s safe to say that he would pass through waivers successfully next season if they needed to open up a roster spot for Fedotov should the NHL and Flyers prove successful in any hypothetical hearing to determine his fate and get him to North America for 2023-24.
Notably, Fedotov is only one year away from reaching NHL unrestricted free agency so if his long-term intention is to remain in Russia, if the NHL is able to enforce his contract with them, he could simply play out the season in North America and then head back to the KHL for 2024-25 and beyond. Alternatively, Fedotov’s camp may ask Philadelphia to simply do a mutual termination of his contract although doing so would mean that the Flyers would relinquish his NHL rights immediately.
The KHL’s decision today to register Fedotov’s contract is an important next step in the process of determining where the netminder will play next season. But with relations between the two leagues not at their best at the moment, it’d be surprising if this announcement was the end of the discussion as it relates to where Fedotov plays in 2023-24.
Prospect Notes: Carlsson, Clara, Wild
The Ducks drafted center Leo Carlsson with the second-overall pick in the draft last month and he is widely considered to be one of the most NHL-ready prospects of this draft class. However, Carlsson’s agent Matt Keator told Jim Alexander of The Press-Enterprise that there is no rush for him to make a decision on where the youngster will play in 2023-24. Carlsson is under contract for two more years with Orebro of the SHL but as Carlsson is a first-round pick and Sweden has a transfer agreement with the NHL, a contract with Anaheim can supersede that. Carlsson had 25 points in 44 games last season in Sweden’s top division and a decision on where he plays next season will be jointly made between him and the team.
Other prospect news from around the hockey world:
- There were a total of a dozen NHL-drafted players in the recently-completed CHL Import Draft. One name that wasn’t on that list was Ducks goaltender Damian Clara. Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register notes that several CHL squads expressed an interest in bringing over the 18-year-old Italian but that the netminder remained committed to playing on loan in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan next season with Brynas. He has two years remaining on his deal over there but if things don’t go as planned for him next season, Clara would be eligible for selection in the Import Draft next summer as well.
- Wild prospects Danila Yurov and Liam Ohgren both intend to play in North America in 2024-25, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). The pair were first-round picks back in 2022, going 19th and 22nd overall, respectively, and are two of Minnesota’s top prospects. Both are under contracts with their club teams (Metallurg Magnitogorsk for Yurov and Farjestad for Ohgren) next season but the plan is for Yurov to sign once that contract expires while Ohgren, already signed, will have his deal slide once more. The Wild will need an influx of young, cost-controllable talent and these two could push to make the jump to the NHL right away once they sign.
Snapshots: Pettersson, Blackhawks, Draper, Rangers
In an appearance on CHEK’s Donnie and Dhali (video link), J.P. Barry, the agent for center Elias Pettersson, indicated that he doesn’t expect to have any discussions about a possible contract extension for his client until the end of the summer. It’s not a matter of early discussions not going well but rather a decision to just take a break for the summer and reassess closer to training camp. The 24-year-old is eligible to put pen to paper on a new deal now and is certainly coming off a great showing in 2022-23, notching 39 goals and 63 assists (both career highs) while finishing tenth in league scoring. The Canucks owe him a qualifying offer of $8.82MM next summer and his performance last year coupled with an anticipated jump in the salary cap could have his camp looking to surpass $10MM on his next agreement. That’s a deal that is going to take some time to put together.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson indicated he feels that the bulk of the heavy lifting this summer is done although they will need to finalize a deal with RFA Philipp Kurashev who filed for arbitration today. Chicago has been active this summer, adding veterans Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, Corey Perry, and Ryan Donato up front to augment an offense that has also added top pick Connor Bedard (who also needs to sign his entry-level deal). They still have ample cap space so if the opportunity presents itself to utilize it over the coming weeks, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Blackhawks make another move at some point.
- After spending the last four seasons as Detroit’s Director of Amateur Scouting, the team announced that Kris Draper has been named as the Red Wings’ new Assistant GM; Draper will retain his old position as well. As a player, Draper spent 17 seasons with the Red Wings as a key checking center, helping them win four Stanley Cup titles. He retired in 2011 and immediately joined Detroit’s front office, working his way up from Special Assistant to the GM.
- The Rangers have a new affiliate team as the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones announced that they have affiliated with the organization. Previously, the Cyclones had been with Buffalo for the past six seasons while New York had been with Jacksonville since 2021.
Patric Hornqvist Announces His Retirement
It’s a move that has been widely expected and hinted at but long-time NHL winger Patric Hornqvist made it official today, telling Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman that he has retired at the age of 36.
Hornqvist spent last season with Florida, getting into 22 games before being shut down in early December with another concussion although he was skating with the team through their playoff run. Fortunately, this announcement isn’t related to lingering issues from that injury as the veteran confirmed that he’s feeling fine now.
He spent 15 seasons in the NHL between Nashville, Pittsburgh, and Florida and is certainly one of the most successful late-round picks in recent memory as he was picked with the final selection in 2005, going 230th overall. Hornqvist hangs up his skates with the 14th-most games played from that draft class while sitting ninth in scoring with 543 points. His 264 goals are tied for the tenth-most by a Sweden-born player.
Hornqvist also won a pair of Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 plus a World Championship gold medal in 2018. He was Florida Bill Zito’s first acquisition after Zito took over as general manager, wanting to give the Panthers some grit and an improved net-front presence.
Florida is hoping that Hornqvist will remain in the organization in some capacity, something Zito alluded to back at the draft. For the time being, nothing is set in place at this time although Hornqvist acknowledged there was mutual interest in making something happen. However, for the time being, at least, he has moved his family back to Sweden so if he is to remain with the Panthers organization, it’s likely to be in a scouting or part-time development role in the short term.
Kraken Sign Tucker Robertson To Entry-Level Deal
The Kraken have agreed to terms with one of their prospects as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they have signed Tucker Robertson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries a cap hit of $870K and an AAV of $950K and breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $80K AHL salary
2024-25: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $80K AHL salary
2025-26: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $82.5K AHL salary
The 20-year-old was a fourth-round selection by Seattle back in 2022 (123rd overall) after going undrafted in his first year of eligibility. That came on the hands of an impressive 2021-22 campaign. After having a limited role in his rookie season, Robertson broke out with 41 goals and 40 assists that year, cracking the top 20 in scoring.
That was followed up by an even better showing in 2022-23 as Robertson picked up 36 goals and 54 assists in 68 games, good for a tie for 11th in league scoring. He then finished second on the Petes in scoring in the playoffs, helping lead them to a league title and a spot in the Memorial Cup.
Robertson technically could return to the OHL next season for his overage year but after the two years he just had, that seems extremely unlikely. Instead, he’ll get his feet wet in the pros and will likely suit up with AHL Coachella Valley in the fall.
East Notes: Murray, Zadina, Zamula
After signing both Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, the Maple Leafs now find themselves nearly $9MM over the salary cap, per CapFriendly. Even with the LTIR allowance for Jake Muzzin, they’re still more than $3MM over that ceiling. Accordingly, there is an expectation that they will need to move out goaltender Matt Murray. To that end, in his latest post for NorthStar Bets, Chris Johnston notes that Toronto’s preference at this point is to try to trade Murray over using the second buyout window, a move that would open up $4MM in cap space in 2023-24 but add $2MM in dead cap charges in 2024-25. Considering they have pricey extensions on the horizon for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, having dead cap charges on the books won’t help.
The Maple Leafs will get a second buyout window if an arbitration-eligible player files for arbitration. That would be RFA Ilya Samsonov so expect him to be one of many players filing for arbitration by Thursday’s deadline. But that’s Plan B for them. For now, GM Brad Treliving will be shopping around to see who’s willing to take on that contract and just how much it will cost in an incentive to do so.
Elsewhere in the East:
- When Detroit waived Filip Zadina yesterday, the move came as a surprise. However, GM Steve Yzerman told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that the youngster had requested a trade a couple of weeks prior to the draft. Clearly, that didn’t materialize and after he cleared today, it’s back to the drawing board on that front. Zadina has two years left on a contract that carries a $1.825MM AAV and it appears that the Red Wings will need to pay some of that down or take a similar contract back if they want to move him. Alternatively, the fact he cleared now suggests they could waive him in training camp, saving $1.15MM in cap room in the process for any time that he’s in the minors.
- Flyers prospect Yegor Zamula is on the move…in the KHL, that is as Torpedo announced that they’ve acquired his KHL rights from SKA St. Petersburg. The 23-year-old split last season between Philadelphia and AHL Lehigh Valley. With the Flyers, Zamula had four assists in 14 games while logging a little over 13 minutes per night. However, he was more productive with the Phantoms, notching 19 points in 44 contests. Zamula is already under contract for the upcoming season on a one-way deal worth the NHL minimum. Coyotes unsigned prospect Ilya Fedotov was also part of the four-player swap.
West Notes: Bouchard, Stars, Cooley
The Oilers are expected to have to sign Evan Bouchard to a short-term bridge contract to fit him within their cap structure. On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that the deal might fall within the $3.5MM to $4MM range. For comparison, Colorado’s Bowen Byram inked a two-year bridge deal with a $3.85MM AAV and Bouchard has more than twice as many games played as points as Byram. The 23-year-old is coming off his second straight regular season of at least 40 points and led all NHL blueliners in playoff scoring with 17 points in just 12 contests.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Stars haven’t given up on pursuing outside help defensively via the trade route, relays Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (subscription link). However, they are prepared to enter next season with what they have now with the hopes that Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist can take a step forward in their development to help bolster the depth of their unit. Dallas has been quiet with their back end this summer with their only NHL-related moves being the trade of Colin Miller to New Jersey, the signing of Gavin Bayreuther, and the re-signing of Joel Hanley.
- Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley told Jenna Ortiz of the Arizona Republic that he’s not putting a timeline on when he turns pro. The 19-year-old was the third-overall pick last year and had a standout first season at Minnesota, putting up 60 points in 39 games to finish second in NCAA scoring while also averaging two points per game at the World Juniors. As it is, some feel that Cooley doesn’t have much left to prove at that level so while he’s not willing to put a firm expectation in place for when he turns pro, it certainly feels like that should be happening when his college season comes to an end either next March or April.
Canadiens Re-Sign Mitchell Stephens
With the arbitration deadline fast approaching, Montreal has taken care of one of their arbitration-eligible players as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed Mitchell Stephens to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $300K in the AHL with a total guarantee of $385K, a $10K raise on the guaranteed part of his contract last season.
The 26-year-old signed with Montreal last summer after being non-tendered by the Red Wings. However, after spending all of 2021-22 in the NHL, Stephens passed through waivers unclaimed in training camp and was assigned to AHL Laval where he spent the entire season. Last year, he played in 68 games with the Rocket, collecting 20 goals and 21 assists.
Stephens has a total of 72 career NHL games under his belt between Detroit and Tampa Bay, picking up three goals and ten assists. With the Canadiens having somewhat of a forward surplus already, it seems likely that Stephens will be back on waivers in training camp and will look to play his way into a recall during the season. While Montreal retained his rights by issuing a qualifying offer last week, this is Stephens’ final season of eligibility; he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Oilers Re-Sign Olivier Rodrigue
The Oilers have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of goaltender Oliver Rodrigue to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay the NHL minimum salary of $775K at the top level; the team did not disclose the two-way element.
The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by Edmonton back in 2018 (62nd overall) and he just wrapped up his entry-level contract. Last season, Rodrigue played in 29 games with AHL Bakersfield, posting a 2.77 GAA along with a .912 SV%. He has played in 53 career AHL contests, putting up a 2.89 GAA with a .903 SV%. He has yet to see any action at the NHL level but served on their taxi squad in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 while being part of their group of playoff reserves this past season.
Rodrigue is likely to split playing time with veteran Calvin Pickard with the Condors next season with prospect Ryan Fanti also waiting in the wings after spending most of his first professional season at the ECHL level with Fort Wayne. Should an injury arise in Edmonton to either Jack Campbell or Stuart Skinner, it’s likely Pickard would get the short-term promotion to serve as the backup so Rodrigue might have to bide his time a little longer for his first NHL opportunity.
Maple Leafs Sign Max Domi
07/03/23: Toronto has now made their signing of Domi official.
They’ve also added depth center Dylan Gambrell on a one-year, $775k one-way deal, per PuckPedia. Gambrell, a 2016 second-round pick, scored four goals and 10 points in 60 games for the Ottawa Senators last season.
07/02/23 8:40 PM: The Maple Leafs and Domi are closing in on a one-year contract worth $3MM, Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link). PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that the deal will contain a 10-team no-trade clause. Friedman tweets that the deal may not be made official until Monday.
07/02/23 6:26 PM: After adding Tyler Bertuzzi earlier today to help shore up their top six, it appears that the Maple Leafs aren’t necessarily done with their summer spending. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Toronto and Max Domi are in discussions about a contract for next season.
Considering that the Maple Leafs are staring down the cost of two pricey extensions that will be kicking in next season (Auston Matthews and William Nylander, or perhaps Bertuzzi himself if talks with Nylander stall out), it seems likely that the team would want to keep any agreement with Domi limited to a single season which they have accomplished here. That would allow them to have as much flexibility as possible for those upcoming extensions.
The 28-year-old had to settle for a one-year contract last summer, inking a one-year, $3MM deal with Chicago. That proved to be a wise decision for Domi who was moved back to center and responded with his second-best offensive performance, putting up 18 goals and 31 assists in 60 games before being dealt to Dallas at the trade deadline. It took Domi a little while to settle in with his new club; he had just seven points in 20 games following the swap but was more productive for them in the playoffs, tallying 13 points in 19 games.
That was good enough to earn him the 11th ranking in our Top 50 UFA list last month with an expectation that he could finally land at least a medium-term agreement, something that has proven elusive for Domi lately. Since his entry-level contract expired back in 2018, Domi has signed three separate deals, none longer than two seasons while playing for five separate teams during that stretch. However, with this deal with the Maple Leafs, that streak of short-term contracts will continue.
In terms of where Domi might fit on Toronto’s depth chart, it seems like he could wind up taking the place of last year’s deadline acquisition Ryan O’Reilly, who inked a four-year contract with Nashville on Saturday. That could see him centering the third line at times or moving up onto the second line, either as a winger or pushing John Tavares to the wing. That type of versatility could certainly come in handy for the Maple Leafs while also giving Domi a chance to play in an offensive-minded environment in the hopes of bolstering his market for next summer when the salary cap is set to rise.
Fitting in a contract for Domi would appear to be tricky within Toronto’s current cap situation. Per CapFriendly, the Maple Leafs have less than $600K in remaining LTIR room, assuming that Jake Muzzin is out for all of next season as expected. That’s less than the league minimum salary and Domi will cost considerably more than that.
There’s also the matter of re-signing starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov who will be eyeing a considerable raise on the $1.8MM he made last season. Having him file for salary arbitration to trigger a second buyout window would allow them to buy out Matt Murray but the $4MM in savings is likely to be needed to afford Samsonov’s next contract. Accordingly, GM Brad Treliving is going to have to get creative to make the math work as he brings Domi into the fold to help bolster Toronto’s attack.