Ivan Chekhovich Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Sep 1: Chekhovich has cleared waivers and is no longer a part of the Sharks organization. He has signed a new deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL, meaning you can forget about him joining a different NHL organization for the time being.
Aug 30: The San Jose Sharks have placed Ivan Chekhovich on unconditional waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This likely indicates a contract termination, allowing the young forward to pursue other opportunities this season.
Chekhovich, 22, was set to enter the final year of his entry-level contract signed in 2018. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21, playing four games for the Sharks, but recorded just a single point. He spent the early part of the season in the KHL, where he found a lot more success, before joining the San Jose Barracuda for a stretch run.
Originally selected 212th overall in 2017, it’s an impressive accomplishment that Chekhovich even made it to the NHL at such a young age. A termination will make him an unrestricted free agent able to sign anywhere, though a return to the KHL seems likely.
A huge scoring talent at the QMJHL level, Chekhovich recorded 105 points in 2018-19 with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The talented forward has struggled to bring that level of offense to the minor leagues, however, with just ten goals and 32 points in 70 AHL contests. Still young enough to develop, he’ll be a name to keep an eye on down the road.
New York Islanders Sign Four Players
The New York Islanders have officially announced multi-year contracts for Anthony Beauvillier, Casey Cizikas, Kyle Palmieri, and Ilya Sorokin. Though they have not released any further information, some details had been previously reported. The deals are expected to be:
- Beauvillier – 3 years, $4.15MM AAV
- Cizikas – 6 years, $2.5MM AAV
- Palmieri – 4 years, $5.0MM AAV
- Sorokin – 3 years, $4.0MM AAV
Beauvillier, 24, already has five full seasons under his belt in the NHL after being the 28th overall pick in 2015. During that time he has been one of the team’s most consistent offensive producers, racking up at least 15 goals and 28 points in each of the last four seasons. This year those totals were hit in just 47 games, giving him a strong 26-goal pace over a full 82-game season. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, in an Islanders system that suppresses scoring on both sides, it represents a very important player.
In fact, Beauvillier was fourth on the team in goals this season and one of the players ahead of him, Jordan Eberle, is now a member of the Seattle Kraken. That means there will likely be even more offensive opportunities for Beauvillier moving forward, especially with a new $4.15MM cap hit in place. That number moved him into sixth among forwards on the New York roster until Palmieri trumped it with his $5MM AAV.
For Cizikas, 30, a six-year deal essentially buys out the rest of his career, given the physical, in-your-face style that he brings to the rink every night. That kind of play is exactly why he fits so well in the bottom of the Islanders lineup, but it’s also not likely he could have secured that term elsewhere. The simple fact is that Cizikas can’t really play up in a lineup, but that doesn’t matter in New York where he is an essential part of their four-line structure. He’s relied on for important faceoffs and gets pummeled with defensive zone starts, given one of the hardest deployments in the entire league. All of that leads to poor overall possession numbers and just a handful of points every year, but there’s no doubt that the Islanders value him just as much as anyone else on their team.
Palmieri meanwhile is the newest member of the group, having only made his Islanders debut in April. He played 17 games down the stretch for the team after a midseason trade from the New Jersey Devils, and scored just two goals. It looked like that trade may have been a mistake until the moment the Islanders took the ice in the postseason, where Palmieri showed up and scored seven goals in 19 games. There’s obviously a history between the 30-year-old forward and New York GM Lou Lamoriello, who originally traded for him in New Jersey, and this new deal secures the last big payday of Palmieri’s career.
Overall, he is coming off his worst offensive season in some time, having scored just ten goals and 21 points in 51 games. Those numbers are a far cry from the consistent 25-30 goal man he had been over the previous five seasons, and it’s that production that the Islanders are hoping to return. The thing about Palmieri, like basically every other player on the Islanders roster, is that he is also a capable defensive forward that drives possession at both ends of the rink. He fits perfectly into their structure and with a full training camp could very well become one of the team’s most important players next season.
Speaking of important players, the 26-year-old Sorokin was an interesting case to follow this offseason. After a brilliant rookie season that saw him post a .918 save percentage in 22 appearances, he could have potentially filed for salary arbitration as an RFA. When he didn’t, there was technically a possibility he could sign an offer sheet somewhere else, though that speculation was misguided from the start. A deal with the Islanders was likely signed some time ago, and Sorokin will now be locked up for three years at a reasonable amount. While he has just a handful of NHL starts under his belt, there’s a much larger body of work to rely on when evaluating the 6’3″ netminder.
Selected in the third round in 2014, Sorokin stayed in Russia until 2020, playing season after season in the KHL. In fact, he completed seven full years at the professional level there, starting as a teenager and quickly becoming one of the league’s most dominant goaltenders. There is little doubt that he can be a starting-level option in the NHL, which he proved once again with seven games in the postseason. Sorokin posted a .922 in those playoff appearances, a number he’ll likely add to as this contract progresses.
At $4MM though, he actually still comes in below partner and friend Semyon Varlamov who will continue to take some of the load. The Islanders will be spending $9MM combined on their goaltending tandem, but it should be one of the best in the league.
Even with all of these new deals in place, the Islanders are expected to have more up their sleeves. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac for instance have also been linked to the team, though it’s a complete guess as to when they would potentially announce those deals, if signed.
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweeted details on each contract.
Henderson Silver Knights Hire Tim Speltz
The Henderson Silver Knights finally have a general manager. The Vegas Golden Knights announced today that Tim Speltz has been hired as GM of the AHL squad, after they did not have someone holding that specific title last season. Kelly McCrimmon, GM of the Golden Knights, explained exactly why Speltz was the choice:
We are very excited to have Tim join our organization. I’ve known him for a very long time, dating back to our days in the Western Hockey League, and he has an outstanding hockey mind. As our organization has developed, we believe that it is important to our staff, players and fans to have a dedicated manager who will be involved in the day-to-day business of the Silver Knights. Tim will do an incredible job leading our efforts in Henderson.
Speltz comes to Henderson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he had served as head of amateur scouting the previous three seasons. He and McCrimmon had plenty of battles in the WHL, as leaders of the Spokane Chiefs and Brandon Wheat Kings respectively. Speltz served for 26 years as the GM of the Chiefs, winning two Memorial Cups and the WHL Executive of the Year award twice.
There aren’t many people who are more familiar with the WHL landscape than Speltz, who originally joined the Maple Leafs as the director of western area scouting in 2016. Now he’ll be taking on a brand new role as the GM of an AHL team, but he certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of experience in the hockey world. The Silver Knights went 25-13-1 in 2020-21, finishing first in the Pacific Division. They lost in the division’s tournament playoff final to the Bakersfield Condors, missing out on the John D. Chick Trophy.
St. Louis Blues Agree To Terms With Tanner Dickinson
The St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with prospect Tanner Dickinson. CapFriendly reports that the deal will carry a cap hit of $848K.
Dickinson, 19, is a fourth-round pick, 119th overall, of the Blues from the 2020 draft. He was picked out of the OHL after scoring nine goals and 40 points for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but may be better known from his recent World Junior Summer Showcase performance with Team USA.
In 2020-21, since the OHL was not in session, Dickinson played three games with the Utica Comets of the AHL. He was held scoreless and still has quite a bit of work to do before he’s really to be considered an NHL prospect. The undersized forward was last listed at 6’0″ 170 lbs, but that’s very generous and it remains to be seen how he will handle the grind of a full professional season.
For now, he’ll likely head back to junior hockey–he’s not yet eligible for the AHL–where he can continue to build on the performance he showed this summer. His entry-level deal will slide forward should he fail to play in the NHL.
Latest On Casey Cizikas
No, the New York Islanders have not officially announced any contract for Casey Cizikas, but details of the expected deal are starting to drip out. Earlier this month, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet heard that the Islanders had a six-year deal with Cizikas that would carry an average annual value of $2.5MM. The insider was clear that he couldn’t confirm it though, something that has become par for the course in the Lou Lamoriello era.
Today, Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that the report from Friedman appears to be accurate, he is also hearing that Cizikas has signed a six-year contract with an annual average value of around $2.5MM. Staple notes that the AAV could end up being slightly higher, something that won’t be known until the contract is actually filed (and even then there’s no guarantee from this Islanders front office).
Cizikas, 30, is pretty obviously not leaving the Islanders, given there would have been plenty of interest in him elsewhere on the open market. Though he is a true bottom-six option, likely unable to play any higher than that on a contending club, there’s real value in what he brings to the ice every night. A strong defensive presence, a physical player, and a lynchpin of the Islanders’ four-line structure, he represents a fixture of the team even scoring just a handful of points each season.
In 2020-21, he had seven goals and 14 points in 56 regular season games but was a huge part of the team’s success in the playoffs. Cizikas won 142 of his 232 postseason faceoffs (61.2%), including a huge chunk of them in the defensive end. His presence frees up the team’s more talented offensive players to do exactly that–play offense–while neutralizing the opposition’s best as much as possible.
A six-year deal may seem like a lifetime for a player that resides near the bottom of the lineup, but it’s likely the only way that the Islanders could keep his cap hit down. A $2.5MM salary will allow the team to spend money elsewhere, like on free agents Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise, who are both expected to also have deals signed with the team but not announced.
Even if Cizikas’ play falls off a cliff, there’s not a ton of risk here for the Islanders. Nearly half of his expected cap hit could be buried in the minor leagues if necessary, leaving around $1.35MM each season on the books near the end of the deal. That obviously doesn’t cripple a team’s finances, but keeping his cap hit relatively low over the next few years will only help the Islanders in this window of Stanley Cup contention they have opened.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Patrick Sharp To Join UVM Coaching Staff
Another former NHL forward is joining the coaching staff of his amateur team, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Patrick Sharp is joining the University of Vermont program as a coaching advisor. Sharp played two seasons for UVM before turning pro in 2002.
Now 39, Sharp retired in 2018 after 939 regular season games in the NHL. A third-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2001, he is best known for his long tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks, which saw him set career highs with 36 goals and 78 points while hoisting the Stanley Cup three times. His two-way ability led to four different seasons of 30+ goals and Selke Trophy votes in five consecutive seasons including a fourth-place finish in 2008.
For the last few years, Sharp has been with NBC as a studio analyst but now appears to be taking a different path in his hockey career. In his 65 games with Vermont as a player, he scored 25 goals and 53 points, earning ECAC All-Rookie honors in 2001. He’ll now try to help his alma mater develop the next wave of college prospects.
Poll: Should The Canadiens Match The Jesperi Kotkaniemi Offer Sheet?
The biggest news in the hockey world right now is the offer sheet that the Carolina Hurricanes signed with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Montreal Canadiens have just a few more days to decide whether or not to match the one-year $6.1MM contract and keep Kotaniemi or let him go to the Hurricanes in exchange for first- and third-round picks.
The decision, some say, is an easy one—it’s the answer that many disagree on.
The Canadiens could just wave goodbye, collect their picks and go after another center, knowing that Kotkaniemi is not worth anywhere near that $6.1MM price tag this season. The deal would force either team to extend a qualifying offer of the same amount moving forward, though if the player is willing, an extension could also be worked out at a lower number. Two picks could help Montreal in a search for a different player, with many pointing to Jack Eichel as the name they could pursue with some added draft capital.
Because he has disappointed up until now, it’s easy to forget just how young and talented Kotkaniemi is. He turned 21 just last month and already has 200 NHL games under his belt. He has scored just 84 points in those games, including 12 in 29 postseason appearances, but there is obviously room to grow. Even if he was perhaps a mistake at third-overall in 2018–the existence of Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes would certainly argue so–that doesn’t mean he’s a worthless asset. In fact, it seems likely that the Canadiens could have gotten at least a late-first and a third for him had they decided to trade Kotkaneimi this offseason, probably more.
But now that the Hurricanes have forced their hand, it’s one or the other. Overpay a player who has not lived up to the hype to this point and is obviously not fully trusted by the coaching staff, or take that package (and only that package) as compensation. If they do match it, Montreal can’t trade Kotkaniemi for a year, meaning there’s no sign-and-flip coming.
For whatever you think of the player, it’s not easy to watch a third-overall pick walk out the door just six weeks after his 21st birthday. There’s a very real chance that Kotkaniemi not only lives up to his billing as a top-six center, but he could still be exactly what the Canadiens are looking for as a long-term complement to Nick Suzuki down the middle.
It’s not an easy decision for Montreal GM Marc Bergevin, but perhaps it is for you! Cast your vote below and explain your thoughts in the comment section.
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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 08/31/21
It’s the last day of August and training camps are right around the corner. European, minor league and junior teams continue to finesse their rosters with an eye on opening day, meaning there are still lots of minor transactions happening daily. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable ones right here.
- You know James van Riemsdyk and Trevor van Riemsdyk, but today another brother signed a new contract. Brendan van Riemsdyk, 25, signed a deal with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He was supposed to play for Reading in 2020-21 as well after leaving Northeastern University, but the Royals opted out of the season, leaving him playing for the Knoxville Ice Bears of the SPHL.
- Matthew Wedman, a seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019, has signed a new contract with the Atlanta Gladiators for 2021-22. The Panthers never did sign him to an entry-level contract, meaning he is an unrestricted free agent after never quite taking the next step in the WHL. Last season for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, he posted eight points in 34 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Chicago Blackhawks Extend Connor Murphy
With just one year left on his current deal, Connor Murphy was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. No more, as the Chicago Blackhawks defenseman has inked a four-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2025-26 season. The deal comes with a $4.4MM cap hit. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman explained exactly why he did the deal now:
When we acquired Connor in the summer of 2017, we had visions of him growing as both a player and leader in our organization for many years. He has transformed into a defenseman capable of matching up with the opponent’s best players and someone we trust to help us preserve a lead in the final minutes. Connor’s voice carries weight in our locker room as a veteran presence and we’re thrilled that his development and leadership will continue as a Blackhawk.
Murphy, 28, has come so far since arriving in Chicago that a $4.4MM cap hit now appears to be a bit of a discount for the Blackhawks. The former Arizona Coyotes defenseman was acquired in a deal for Niklas Hjalmarsson and was already making $3.85MM per season. That small raise is a win for Chicago given how much responsibility Murphy has taken on over the last couple of years, including averaging more than 22 minutes a game in 2020-21. He led the team in both even-strength and shorthanded ice time, being matched against the opponent’s best every night.
A four-year extension buys out his age 29-32 seasons, meaning there likely isn’t a steep decline during the contracted years, though any long-term deal does come with some obvious risk. Murphy has never been a very effective offensive player and has a career-high of just 19 points, meaning his entire value comes from his defensive ability. If that falters at all, the Blackhawks would be paying a healthy contract to a player with little impact on the game.
It seems obvious that the Chicago management team wasn’t completely sold on some of the young players that have come through the system in recent years. Henri Jokiharju and Adam Boqvist have both been traded, while this summer they brought in veterans like Seth Jones and Jake McCabe on long-term deals. Murphy will be expected to be the third member of that core group of defenseman as they look to get back into playoff contention. Those three-Murphy, Jones and McCabe–will now carry a combined cap hit of $17.9MM in each of the three seasons after this one.
Matt Calvert Joins Brandon Wheat Kings Coaching Staff
Earlier this offseason, Matt Calvert announced his retirement after injuries cut his playing career short, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the game of hockey. The veteran forward has been hired by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL as a development coach. Doug Gasper, Wheat Kings GM, released a short statement:
Matt is someone that we want in our organization. He was a model Wheat King and more importantly he is a great person from a great family. It was an easy decision to have him working with our players and staff.
As you might have guessed, Calvert is from Brandon and played his minor and junior hockey careers for the Wheat Kings organization. After dominating the U18 AAA level with 83 points in 30 games, he made the jump to major junior and immediately became a difference-maker for the CHL squad. By 2008 he was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth round, but that was drastically underestimating his ceiling.
Quickly, Calvert became the best player for the Wheat Kings and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact at the NHL level. Over 566 regular season games, he recorded 203 points.
Now he’ll start the next chapter of his hockey journey as a coach with his hometown team, but it will be interesting to see if Calvert pursues a career behind the bench at a higher level. Only 31, he is getting a quick start on his coaching tenure just a few months after playing in the NHL.