NHL Suspends Agreement With KHL
After the NHL cut business relations with Russia recently, they’ve taken things even further in a memo sent to teams yesterday. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to report that the league has cut ties with the KHL following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, telling teams to cease contact and suspending the memorandum of understanding between the two leagues.
Bill Daly told clubs in the memo that they will now “have only limited contractual information regarding players who are currently or last played in the KHL.” Teams will now have to go through the Central Registry to request contract information on a player’s contractual status and produce “independent written evidence” that shows a player is entirely free of KHL obligations, before signing them for the 2022-23 season.
Previously the two leagues did not operate under a transfer agreement but had an MOU indicating that they would respect contract terms. According to Seravalli, the NHL has told the KHL that it will continue to respect existing and future contracts, though communication will now be cut off.
This will certainly complicate not only free agency but the upcoming draft, which was already a point of discussion given the possibility that young Russian athletes would be denied work visas to enter Canada and the United States. Danila Yurov, for instance, was expected to go near the top of the 2022 draft but is still under contract with Magnitogorsk for the 2022-23 season at least. Without continued communication, it’s hard to know whether an NHL team that drafts him will be able to even speak with the young forward, though the memo does indicate that teams are still allowed to work with North American-based agents.
There are also several pending KHL free agents like Andrei Kuzmenko who were expected to sign after the KHL playoffs are completed. Kuzmenko was drawing the attention of many NHL teams around the league after an outstanding season, where he scored 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games. It is now completely unclear whether his immediate future lies in North America or if he will re-sign in Russia and stay with SKA.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Billy Sweezey
All the hard work for Billy Sweezey has finally resulted in an NHL contract. The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed the undrafted defenseman to a two-year, two-way contract that will kick in for the 2022-23 season. Sweezey is currently playing for the Cleveland Monsters on an AHL contract.
In 2015-16, the 6’2″ Sweezey was an overage player for the USHL’s Chicago Steel, where he racked up 131 penalty minutes in 55 games, mostly there for his size and toughness. He took his talents to Yale after that and played four years, never scoring more than one goal in a single season. He’d leave college in 2020 with just three goals and 29 points in 127 games. Last season he played with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he once again was just a depth player scratching and clawing for playing time.
This year with Cleveland, that’s changed, at least somewhat. Sweezey, now 26, has four goals and ten points in 45 games to go along with 68 penalty minutes as one of the toughest defenders in the league. Playing regular minutes, his size, strength, and physicality have now made him a legitimate call-up option for the Blue Jackets, though he won’t be eligible until next season.
A deal like this certainly isn’t a franchise-altering move, but it does reinforce that players can work their way up the Blue Jackets depth chart if they work hard enough. That helps encourage other undrafted talents to join the organization and meanwhile, provides some extra defensive depth for the NHL club.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Six, Chychrun
The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Dallas Stars phenom Jason Robertson taking the top spot following his back-to-back hat trick efforts. Robertson had seven goals in three games for the week and now has 46 goals and 100 points in his first 100 NHL contests. While he’s shooting an incredible 20.4 percent this season, the 22-year-old is proving he’s no fluke and should be among the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons for years to come.
The second and third spots went to Nick Schmaltz and Igor Shesterkin respectively, with outstanding weeks of their own. The Arizona Coyotes forward had an incredible seven-point night against the Ottawa Senators and has been playing huge minutes over the last few weeks, really stepping back into the offensive role he carried earlier in his career. Shesterkin meanwhile continued his historic season with three more wins and actually raised his save percentage to .942 on the year. Shesterkin leads in almost every goaltending category so far and has a 28-6-3 record to go with it.
- The Toronto Six, a PHF franchise that came into existence in 2020, has been sold to a new ownership group that includes former NHL player Anthony Stewart, Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James and former NHL coach Ted Nolan. The Six are currently in first place in the PHF with a 13-2-1 record on the year and are next in action on March 12.
- The Coyotes still prefer to not trade Jakob Chychrun, according to general manager Bill Armstrong who spoke with The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco, but they won’t be turning down any calls. Armstrong admitted that “if someone were to offer the right assets” they would be interested in moving Chychrun, even if the “preference” is to not. Earlier this season, reports emerged suggesting that the asking price was quite high, an ask that obviously hasn’t been met to this point.
Tyson Barrie Placed On Injured Reserve; Stuart Skinner Recalled
The Edmonton Oilers have officially recalled Stuart Skinner from the AHL, as Mike Smith continues to deal with an illness. To make room, Tyson Barrie has been placed on injured reserve.
Barrie, 30, was injured in a game earlier this month against the Chicago Blackhawks and was recently listed as “day-to-day” by head coach Jay Woodcroft. Given that his placement on IR is retroactive to March 5 and he has to miss at least seven days, he’ll miss at least the next few games while he recovers.
Skinner meanwhile is set to serve as the backup tonight behind Mikko Koskinen, though many believe he should be getting a chance to play for the Oilers given their goaltending issues. The 23-year-old goaltender has a .913 save percentage in 13 appearances this season, including a 20-save shutout in his most recent game–almost a month ago against the San Jose Sharks.
Since then, he’s been playing in the minor leagues where he continues to find success. In his most recent game with the Bakersfield Condors, Skinner stopped 26 of 27 shots to earn an overtime victory against the Stockton Heat. Overall, he has a .919 save percentage in the AHL this season.
AHL Shuffle: 03/07/22
Five games grace the NHL schedule this evening, as we get closer and closer to the March 21 trade deadline. Sam Reinhart will return to Buffalo to take on his old team as a member of the Florida Panthers and in the midst of a career year. With 18 goals and 52 points in 52 games, he’s on the verge of recording his first point-per-game campaign, while helping the Panthers become one of the most feared offensive juggernauts in the NHL. As they and other teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Veleno, with the team back in action tomorrow night. The 22-year-old rookie has five goals and ten points in 40 appearances for Detroit this season, but still isn’t quite living up to the hype that made him the 30th overall pick in 2018. To make room, the team has moved Carter Rowney to injured reserve.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Islanders have recalled Otto Koivula from the AHL, his third transaction in just a few days. The 23-year-old forward has played four games for New York this season but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Jean-Francois Berube to the minor leagues, meaning their goaltending situation is likely clearing up in the NHL. Berube, hadn’t played since the 2017-18 season before his recent stint with Columbus, making his 3-1 record and .924 save percentage even more remarkable.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Louis Domingue from injured reserve, but he’s headed back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The third-string goaltender has played in just one game for Pittsburgh this season, stopping 40 of 41 shots for a win against the San Jose Sharks partway through January.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned Alex Lyon to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lyon, 29, has played in 23 games for the Wolves this season and has a .911 save percentage. He has also appeared in 2 games for the Hurricanes and owns a .908 save percentage with the team.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Mackenzie MacEachern and Alexey Toropchenko from the AHL, while reassigning Dakota Joshua and Klim Kostin. The Blues have lost three in a row–two of those against teams well out of the playoff race–and obviously are looking for a change upfront. MacEachern, 27, has yet to play at the NHL level this season but does have over 100 games of experience with the Blues.
- The Minnesota Wild have activated Jordan Greenway off of injured reserve, and reassigned Mason Shaw to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in a corresponding move, Michael Russo of the Athletic reported. Greenway had been suffering from an upper-body injury, and has 14 points in 41 games this season. Mason Shaw, a 2017 4th round pick, has 33 points in 41 AHL games this season and has played in 3 NHL games for the Wild.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Sheldon Rempal from the AHL, loaning Phil Di Giuseppe down in his place. Di Giuseppe was recalled last month but didn’t actually get into a game at the NHL level, meaning he still has yet to make his Canucks debut. In the AHL though, the 28-year-old has 32 points in 35 games, the best offensive season of his career.
- Lukas Dostal has been returned to the AHL, this time without seeing any action with the Anaheim Ducks. The young netminder has appeared three times this season, posting a .929 save percentage and securing his first NHL win.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Latest On P.K. Subban
While the New Jersey Devils aren’t exactly true sellers, as we outlined in our Trade Deadline Primer last month, there is one name that appears to be on his way out. P.K. Subban met with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald over the weekend according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and was told that the team wouldn’t be extending him. That means as Fitzgerald put it, “if the move makes sense for the New Jersey Devils…I have to do what’s best for the organization.”
Subban of course comes with a huge $9MM cap hit, meaning that it would need to be a perfect fit and would likely require the Devils to retain 50 percent. But with the number of depth options that are moved at the deadline each year that don’t possess anywhere near Subban’s upside, it does seem like some teams will at least inquire about the veteran defenseman.
There’s no doubt that a 32-year-old Subban is a shadow of the player that won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and was a finalist two other times, most recently in 2018. He is averaging fewer than 20 minutes a night for the first time in his entire career and still provides risky, inconsistent play in his own end. He does have 18 points in 53 games though–none of which have come on the powerplay–and can contribute offensively when put in the right situations.
Not to be overlooked is the simple fact that Subban is right-handed, a trait that seems to be in higher demand at the NHL trade deadline than at any other time in history. There are simply not very many NHL-level right-handed defensemen available at any given time, and contenders are always looking to add an extra one for a potential long playoff run.
For his own part, Subban does have a long successful history in the NHL postseason. He’s suited up in 96 playoff games during his career and has 18 goals and 62 points in those contests. That includes a run to the finals with the Nashville Predators in 2017 and several other lengthy runs, usually logging more than 25 minutes a night. That’s not the role he would play on any acquiring team, but the experience is still valuable as the games get tighter.
An unrestricted free agent in the summer, it’s unclear what the future holds for Subban. It won’t be in New Jersey though, something that seemed obvious when the team went out and signed Dougie Hamilton to a massive seven-year, $63MM contract last offseason. With Damon Severson still in place on the right side for at least one more year (unless he too is dealt at some point) and more youth coming through the pipeline, Subban will have to find somewhere else to play next season; he’ll potentially get a sneak peek at a new market in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images`
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The NHL trade deadline is now three weeks away, meaning the playoffs are starting to crest over the horizon. Five teams in the league have already reached the 55-game mark, and only the New York Islanders have yet to play 50. Trades have started, sort of, with Tyler Toffoli easily the biggest name dealt so far. But that won’t last long, as things are heating up all around the league as teams realize whether they’re really in the playoff hunt or just pretending at this point.
With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag. If you missed the last one, it was broken into two parts. In the first, our Brian La Rose examined the surging Los Angeles Kings, how the Boston Bruins might approach the trade deadline, and New Jersey’s goaltending situation moving forward. In the second, the New York Rangers’ deadline plans were discussed, along with the Philadelphia Flyers players that are pending free agents.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend and answer as many questions as possible.
Snapshots: Knight, Maple Leafs, Canadiens
One of the most interesting notes in Frank Seravalli’s latest for Daily Faceoff is a report that the Arizona Coyotes brought up Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers in negotiation for Jakob Chychrun earlier this season. The Panthers have turned down anything regard Knight, according to Seravalli, as the top prospect continues to play in the minor leagues.
It’s natural to wonder about Knight’s future in Florida, given the presence of Sergei Bobrovsky and his contract that extends through 2025-26, but the 20-year-old netminder is still an incredibly valuable asset that’s just getting his feet wet in professional hockey. Through 18 games with the Panthers this season he has a .898 save percentage but his time will come before long.
- Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas met with media today in Hamilton, at the site of the upcoming Heritage Classic game against Buffalo and cleared up some of the trade speculation around his team. The executive is not considering a goaltender addition at this point despite Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek‘s recent struggles, and his focus is still on a defenseman, not a forward. With Jake Muzzin still hopefully coming back before the end of the season, Dubas explained that the team isn’t likley to make multiple moves at the deadline.
- The Montreal Canadiens have made another addition, hiring Adam Nicholas as director of hockey development. The founder of Stride Envy, a skill and skating development company, he has a resume that includes time with the Maple Leafs, the Chicago Steel of the USHL and UMass-Lowell.
Austin Poganski Placed On Waivers
March 4: Poganski has cleared waivers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN, and can now be assigned back to the minor leagues.
March 3: The Winnipeg Jets have placed Austin Poganski on waivers, according to CapFriendly. This is the second time he has appeared on waivers, after clearing just before the season began. Because of the number of games he has played in since then, he now has to clear again before being assigned to the minor leagues.
The placement of Poganski on waivers is another positive move for the Jets, who had Nikolaj Ehlers back at practice today in a regular jersey. The 26-year-old Ehlers hasn’t played since January 18, but appears to be on the precipice of a return to the lineup. The team will need to make some cap-related changes in order to be able to activate him from long-term injured reserve, likely including moving Poganski off the roster.
There’s a chance the 26-year-old is claimed, but not a big one. The former St. Louis Blues forward has played in 16 games this season and 22 for his career, yet is still looking for his first NHL point. They haven’t been as hard to come by at the minor league level, where he has 21 in 31 games this season, but things have been much more desolate in the NHL. Of course, he wasn’t really given much offensive opportunity in Winnipeg, averaging just over nine minutes a night mostly in defensive-zone situations.
Though normally he would be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, Poganski is actually one of those who will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agent status, given how few games he has played to this point.
Trade Deadline Primer: Seattle Kraken
As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Seattle Kraken.
It hasn’t been the year that Seattle expected, with brutal goaltending and an anemic offense sinking the ship almost immediately. With Vegas the gold standard for expansion teams right in their face, the Kraken have been unable to find their sea legs to this point and now face a deadline as pure sellers. General manager Ron Francis has been open about the fact that he’ll have to move on from some of the names he picked in the expansion draft, including the first captain in franchise history. The word is also out that they will happily take on bad money or be third-party in a trade to add draft picks, something that may be extremely valuable to contenders looking to squeeze the most talent under a flat cap.
Record
17-34-4, 8th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$7.13MM today, $25.02MM in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 3rd, SEA 4th, CGY 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th
2023: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, WPG 2nd, SEA 3rd, SEA 4th, COL 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th
Trade Chips
The most notable piece that the Kraken have to offer is captain Mark Giordano, who is on an expiring contract and carries a cap hit of $6.75MM. Earlier today it was reported that Giordano hasn’t even submitted his partial no-trade list, knowing that wherever he goes will be a contending team. He’s going somewhere though, as both the veteran defenseman and general manager have agreed on that already. Giordano could be a pretty substantial addition for anyone, especially if the Kraken are willing to retain half his contract so that more teams can fit him in financially. Last season, pending free agent David Savard landed the Columbus Blue Jackets a first- and third-round pick, while they also had to give up a fourth in order for a third party to retain salary. Some would argue that Giordano can still make a bigger impact than Savard, meaning that potentially could be the starting point, depending on how the market works out this season.
Beyond the captain though, there are many other expiring deals. Calle Jarnkrok, Marcus Johansson, Riley Sheahan, and Colin Blackwell could all carry varying levels of value for contenders, with the former two being the most intriguing. Jarnkrok and Johansson are both extremely versatile players with history at center (though both are likely better wingers at this point) and could slide into a team’s bottom-six with ease. While they may not be the most impactful acquisitions, they also probably won’t cost much in terms of assets.
Then there are players like Jared McCann, who is a pending restricted free agent and could potentially make a much more thorough impact on a contender this season. Seattle’s leading scorer, McCann has 21 goals and 33 points in 48 games. Obviously, that’s a player who could continue to help the Kraken in the future, but given he is a pending RFA just one year away from unrestricted free agency, they might want to cash in now.
Others, like Joonas Donskoi and Carson Soucy, are signed through 2022-23 but will hit the open market after that. The 29-year-old Donskoi is having a brutal year with just one goal in 54 games, but has proven in the past that he can be a nice complementary player if given the right linemates. Soucy too is an effective defenseman who probably shouldn’t be playing in a contender’s top-four, but could add some pretty nice depth on an inexpensive $2.75MM cap hit (before potential retention).
Others To Watch For: G Chris Driedger, F Mason Appleton, D Haydn Fleury
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks: It’s simple, the Kraken need to load up and build through the draft. Their expansion experience wasn’t good enough to make them a playoff contender right out of the gate and the free agent splurges were misplaced entirely. Matty Beniers is going to be the first true face of the franchise when he turns pro, but he’s going to need help. By the time March 21 is over, the Kraken should have another 2022 first-round pick in their hands, or the day might very well be considered a failure.
2) Flippable Contracts: There will be an opportunity though, to acquire players this deadline who are having a bad season and potentially flip them down the line when they are closer to expiring. You can see the Arizona Coyotes trying this tactic with names like Shayne Gostisbehere and Nick Ritchie–take them now with a sweetener, and send them out later for another asset. They’ll have to dig for the opportunities, but they are out there if you look hard enough.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images