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Minor Transactions: 08/11/22

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The hockey world has slowed to a standstill as we wade through the middle of summer, even if there is an international tournament going on. The World Juniors in Edmonton have so far barely registered as far as fan excitement, drawing only a few thousand attendees to Canada’s game yesterday (and fewer still to the other matches). It might not be prime hockey season but there are still moves being made by hard-working front office staff. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.

  • The Tucson Roadrunners have re-signed Tyson Empey and Hudson Elynuik to one-year, AHL contracts for the upcoming season. Elynuik, some fans will remember, turned heads as a 6’5″ powerhouse in the WHL, earning him a third-round selection by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016. He played 22 games with the Roadrunners last season, scoring nine points and registering 44 penalty minutes.
  • Julien Rod, younger brother of former San Jose Sharks forward Noah Rod, is headed back to Switzerland after one year in the QMJHL. The 17-year-old winger is eligible for the 2023 draft but scored just 14 points in 56 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs last season after going 28th overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft. His brother, who was picked 53rd overall by the Sharks in 2014, is back home as well, after terminating his deal with San Jose in 2018.
  • Nicolas Guay, the undrafted forward who played 16 games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season after leaving the powerhouse University of New Brunswick program, has settled for an ECHL deal with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. Guay, 23, captained both the Voltigeurs and the Saint John Sea Dogs during his time in the QMJHL but after going undrafted. His father, Francois Guay, played exactly one game in the NHL but was a legendary junior player in Quebec and starred overseas for many years.
  • Doyle Somerby is off to the KHL, signing with Kunlun Red Star for the next two years. The former Boston University captain split last season between the Iowa Wild and Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 11 points in 55 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day with any further notable transactions. 

Samuel Walker Signs With Minnesota Wild

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August 18: The Wild have officially signed Walker to a two-year, entry-level contract.

August 15: At the end of business today, a number of draft picks will see their exclusive signing rights expire and become unrestricted free agents. One of those names is Samuel Walker, a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning who served as captain at the University of Minnesota the last few seasons. Though it doesn’t look like he’ll be signing with the Lightning, that doesn’t mean Walker isn’t looking at an NHL future.

Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the Minnesota Wild are one of “many teams in the mix” for Walker’s services, and notes that though the 23-year-old forward is technically eligible to return to college for another year, he is unlikely to do so.

If the Lightning and Walker have already decided to part ways, they could have given him the freedom to start looking for options elsewhere. With that in mind, he could be a quick signing when things open up tomorrow as he looks for the next step in his hockey career.

In 144 games for the Golden Gophers, Walker scored 48 goals and 112 points, while earning several Big Ten honors including Rookie of the Year and the Sportsmanship Award. Walker was the 200th overall pick in 2017.

Robin Lehner To Miss Entire 2022-23 Season Following Hip Surgery

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The Vegas Golden Knights are suddenly without a goalie. The team announced today that Robin Lehner will miss the entire 2022-23 season after determining that he will require hip surgery. No timeline for his recovery has been given yet, other than the fact he is no longer an option for the rapidly-approaching campaign.

This news follows Lehner’s previous shoulder surgery in May, which ended his season early. At the time, there were reports that he was dealing with multiple issues, including a serious hip injury, though the decision to have another procedure was certainly not expected at this point in the offseason. The Golden Knights, who have made several cap moves this summer including shedding Max Pacioretty’s deal for no return, are now basically down to Logan Thompson as a realistic NHL option.

Laurent Brossoit, the team’s backup that was signed to a two-year, $4.65MM contract before last season, also underwent hip surgery earlier this year and is not guaranteed to be ready for the start of the year. Thompson and Michael Hutchinson are the only two other netminders in the organization with any NHL experience.

While it means that Lehner’s contract can be moved to long-term injured reserve, something the Golden Knights were already using after acquiring Shea Weber’s contract, there are now just two months left to the start of the season, and not a lot of capable starting options available. Thompson had a late-season breakout this year with a .914 save percentage in 19 appearances but the undrafted netminder’s career experience to just 20 NHL games. There’s no telling how he would react to carrying the starter’s load for a whole year, even if he has performed admirably in the minor leagues.

The question for Lehner now becomes whether or not his career will continue after this lost season, as major hip surgeries can often derail a goaltender’s performance even after they are medically cleared to return.

Leo Komarov Linked To SHL

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At the end of April, SKA St. Petersburg announced several players would not be returning to the KHL club for next season. Among those was veteran NHL forward Leo Komarov, who was suddenly without a team. After some rumors earlier in the summer that suggested he would be heading to Sweden, he once again has been linked to the SHL today.

This time, it’s Brynas who are expected to sign Komarov, the same club that was connected to Johan Larsson yesterday. Now 35, Komarov actually started last season in the NHL, before agreeing to a contract termination in order to find more playing time overseas and compete in the Olympics (where he won gold). Despite his Russian-sounding name, the veteran forward was born in Estonia and grew up in Finland, which is also the country he competes for internationally.

A return to North America always seemed unlikely at this point, given how far his game had declined in recent years. An all-effort-every-time kind of player, Komarov banged and crashed his way through nearly 500 regular season games in the NHL, racking up 1,572 hits in the process. He had a career-high 19 goals and 36 points during the 2015-16 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs but would come nowhere close to those totals with the New York Islanders.

In fact, over parts of four seasons, Komarov had just 11 total goals for the Islanders, despite seeing time alongside Mathew Barzal occasionally. A contract in Sweden would likely close the book entirely on his NHL career, if it hadn’t already been shut. In 491 career regular season games, he scored 63 goals and 170 points.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Jake Walman

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Aug 11: The Red Wings have officially announced the contract, confirming the term and salary.

Aug 10: The arbitration period is over for the 2022 offseason. Jake Walman, who was the final hearing scheduled, has settled his case with the Detroit Red Wings after exchanging figures yesterday. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, one-way, $1.05MM contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Walman had filed for $1.75MM, while the Red Wings had filed for a two-way, $775K contract.

It’s now prove-it time for Walman, who was part of the return for Nick Leddy at the trade deadline and has just 76 games under his belt at the NHL level. The 26-year-old suited up 19 times for the Red Wings down the stretch and recorded four points, seeing more ice time than he had ever received in St. Louis.

Whether that opportunity continues remains to be seen, after the Red Wings added several defensemen this offseason, including Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk, and Steven Kampfer. That’s not even mentioning the young prospects who will soon be pushing for playing time, meaning Walman will have to deliver if he wants to stay in the lineup.

A third-round pick of the Blues in 2014, he notably received time on both the powerplay and penalty kill after arriving in Detroit. As that kind of do-it-all depth option, he could find a nice home on the Red Wings moving forward. This deal will take him right to unrestricted free agency next summer though, meaning he’s playing for his future from the moment training camp starts.

After resolving their arbitration case, the Red Wings will receive a short buyout window later this week.

Minor Transactions: 08/10/22

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As the hockey world watches a junior tournament and waits for Nazem Kadri to officially sign somewhere, there are plenty of minor moves being made to fill out rosters. While they won’t have much of an impact on the NHL, these are still important transactions to keep track of. We’ll do just that below:

  • Luke Johnson has signed an AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda, after playing all of last season in the minor leagues. The 27-year-old forward last saw the NHL in 2020-21 and has 32 games at that level to his name. In 23 games with the Manitoba Moose last season, he scored just ten points.
  • Justin Ducharme has signed a one-year contract with the Texas Stars, meaning he’ll make the jump from the Laval Rocket organization. The 22-year-old undrafted forward had five goals in 19 games for Laval last season, while also racking up 25 points in 35 games with their ECHL affiliate.
  • Jake Gaudet is staying with the Cleveland Monsters, signing a new two-year AHL deal with the club. The undrafted forward managed just three goals and ten points in 40 games with them last season but was obviously good enough to earn another contract.
  • Free agent defenseman Derrick Pouliot has found a home for next season, signing an AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda, the team confirms. The terms of the deal were not disclosed per club policy. The Barracuda serve as the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The deal will give the Barracuda a responsible defenseman and a veteran of not only 239 AHL games, but also 213 NHL games. The eighth-overall selection of the 2021 NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pouliot debuted for the Penguins in 2014-15 and helped the team win two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. His largest sample of NHL action came between 2017 and 2019, where he played in 133 games over two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Most recently, Pouliot got into games with the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in 2021-22.

This page will continue to be updated with any further notable transactions. 

Andrew Hammond, Josh Brook, Cole Schneider Sign Professional Tryouts

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Three more players have settled this offseason, as Andrew Hammond, Josh Brook, and Cole Schneider have agreed to professional tryouts according to CapFriendly. Hammond will be attending training camp with the Florida Panthers, Brook with the Calgary Flames, and Schneider with the Nashville Predators.

As the summer continues, more and more players will be taking tryout offers, as they try to land NHL contracts that have at least call-up eligibility. For a goaltender like Hammond, an NHL at some point seems likely since he saw 11 games this season and has a history at the level. In four games for the Montreal Canadiens, he registered a .920 save percentage, though that was dragged down considerably by the .860 he put up in seven appearances for the New Jersey Devils.

For his career, he actually holds a .916, thanks to that incredible run with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15, when he posted a 20-1-2 record and .941 save percentage to carry the team into the playoffs.

Brook meanwhile is the only one of the three without any NHL experience, though he is just 23 years old and was a second-round pick of the Canadiens in 2017. Last season he split just 12 games between the AHL and ECHL, making it difficult to see how he’ll land an NHL deal even with a strong camp. That doesn’t mean it’s out of the question down the road but for this year, a minor league deal still seems more likely.

Schneider, who last saw NHL action during the 2016-17 season, is an excellent minor league player and has been for a long time. In 71 games with the Milwaukee Admirals last season he scored 30 goals and 60 points but hasn’t been on an NHL contract since 2019. Perhaps he’ll be able to negotiate one, though a call-up for the Predators seems unlikely at this point in his career.

Bruins Notes: Langenbrunner, Front Office, Pastrnak

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The Boston Bruins have given Jamie Langenbrunner a new title, naming him Assistant General Manager – Player Personnel today. The front office executive has been with the team for the past seven years, first joining as a player development coordinator and working his way up. A name to keep in mind for future general manager searches, he has rather quickly made his way through the Bruins system, having only been named director of player development in 2020.

He wasn’t the only one to receive a promotion today though. Here are more notes from the front office announcements:

  • Dennis Bonvie and Ryan Nadeau have been named directors of pro and amateur scouting respectively, while Darren Yopyk is now assistant director of amateur scouting. Brett Harkins is the head college scout, while Parker MacKay is now an amateur and college scout. The team has also named three skating and skills consultants, reformed their medical department, and named a handful of analytics additions.
  • Not to be overlooked was general manager Don Sweeney’s press conference discussing the new contracts for David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron. In it, he was asked about a potential extension for David Pastrnak, and explained that there is an ongoing conversation with the star winger. Sweeney wouldn’t discuss details, though did mention that the Bruins are comfortable going into the season without an extension in place. Pastrnak, 26, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

New Jersey Devils Sign Fabian Zetterlund

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The New Jersey Devils have signed restricted free agent forward Fabian Zetterlund to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $125K, and a minor league guarantee of $175K. Zetterlund was not yet eligible for salary arbitration.

Zetterlund, 22, is poised to take on a bigger role with the Devils this season, after an outstanding minor league campaign that carried over into an excellent stretch at the end of the season in the NHL. Playing 11 games in April with the Devils, he managed to score eight points, after racking up 52 in 58 games for the Utica Comets.

Now, with four veteran forwards on expiring contracts, the path to full-time NHL playing time is right in front of him. Tomas Tatar, Andreas Johnsson, Miles Wood, and Erik Haula will all be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, meaning opportunity is on the horizon for young forwards in the system.

Given that Zetterlund is no longer waiver-exempt, he likely has a leg up on some of his competition. If he can secure a roster spot in training camp, he could be with the big club all season. If not, he will also make an interesting waiver claim candidate for another team with space in the bottom six.

Florida Panthers Announce Coaching Staff

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After adding Paul Maurice as the team’s new head coach earlier this summer, the Florida Panthers have rounded out their staff. Myles Fee, Jamie Kompon, and Sylvain Lefebvre will serve as assistants, joining Tuomo Ruutu and goaltending coach Robb Tallas on Maurice’s staff. The team also announced that Geordie Kinnear will continue as head coach of the Charlotte Checkers.

Kompon’s addition was reported last month, as the veteran coach follows Maurice from Winnipeg to Florida. The long-time NHL coach has served in various roles with the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Winnipeg Jets, while also at one point sitting as the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

Fee, meanwhile, has been a video coach with the Buffalo Sabres for the past two years, and previously served with the Checkers, New York Rangers, and Edmonton Oilers. He also happened to be the video coach for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup, a group that had Maurice as an assistant under Ralph Krueger.

Lefebvre may actually be the most recognizable to hockey fans, given his long playing career that lasted nearly 1,000 games. He has been with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL for the last three seasons, and previously worked in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

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