Pontus Aberg Linked To KHL
After a year spent almost entirely in the minor leagues, Pontus Aberg could be headed overseas. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has been offered a contract in the KHL according to a report out of Sweden, though with the uncertainty of the NHL season he may not be able to sign it at this point. Aberg of course is still part of an organization that has their sights set on a playoff run this summer (fall?).
The 26-year old Aberg was one of several NHL veterans that signed short-term deals with the Maple Leafs last summer without any guarantee of NHL playing time. He ended up on waivers at the end of training camp and then played most of the season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In 55 minor league contests he showed just how dominant he could be at that level, scoring 20 goals and 44 points.
Aberg did get a cup of coffee with the Maple Leafs, playing in five games when the team was dealing with injury. He recorded a single assist during that time, despite even getting a (very) short look beside star center Auston Matthews. For his career, Aberg has recorded 44 points in 132 NHL games.
Selected 37th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2012, there have been flashes of skill from the Swedish forward including a strong performance for the club in the 2017 playoffs. Unfortunately he just hasn’t been able to turn that skill into any consistency at the NHL level and could be trying to get his career back on track overseas. Again, any new deal will likely have to wait on the NHL season being completed or canceled–even though the KHL doesn’t technically have a transfer agreement.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Jani Hakanpaa
The Anaheim Ducks have signed minor league defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year extension according to CapFriendly. The one-way deal will carry a salary of $750K, keeping the Finn in North America for at least one season.
Originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in 2010, Hakanpaa played parts of three seasons in the minor leagues before returning to Finland for several years. In 2019 the Ducks decided to bring him back, signing him to a one-year deal.
Last season, the 6’4″ defenseman played five games for the Ducks and 47 for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, becoming a major part of the minor league team. Whether he’s ticketed for the AHL again likely comes down to the other offseason moves that the Ducks front office has planned, and perhaps his performance in training camp.
Hakanpaa was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but instead will hit the open market in the summer of 2021.
NHL Still Hoping To Move To Phase 2 In Late May
We haven’t seen an NHL game since the league decided to temporarily suspend their season on March 12th, nearly two full months ago. Speculation during that time on if, when and how games would resume has run wild, without any real concrete information being given to this point. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN gives the newest update on what the league is hoping:
Well the NHL is hopeful they’ll be able to initiate Phase 2 in later-May, but that’s all subject to a review and it is too early to start the review process. The NHL though is encouraged by the markets that are loosening up but their cautiously optimistic and monitoring carefully to see if there will be any setbacks. The motto is simply: better safe than sorry.
Phase 2 was defined by the league and players’ association as a time “during which Players might return to small group activities in NHL Club training facilities” not, quite importantly, a training camp for the teams (which is Phase 3). That means we are still several weeks away from players even gathering together to start skating in a best-case scenario.
Of course, even that plan would need to be signed off on from the union. Today, Justin Holl voiced some concerns about the American-born players returning to Canada without a concrete plan in place for when they’ll be back in game action. Players do not want to be quarantined from their families for several months, meaning they’ll have to come to some sort of an agreement before any plan is put in place.
As it looks more and more likely that a June draft is on the horizon, even if the season isn’t finished, the league still hopes that that Phase 2 will be underway (or even completed). Whether that will happen is still hard to say as the COVID-19 fallout continues.
Snapshots: Penguins, Toronto, AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins still have their sights set on a Stanley Cup if the season ever resumes, but there are tough decisions coming at some point with regards to their goaltending situation. The writing staff at PHR gave our takes on what the team should do moving forward with Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, but Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) asked Penguins GM Jim Rutherford directly.
Well, I’ll say this: If we are going to keep both of them, we’d have to move a few things around on our team. There is a way to do things and to make that work, yes. There are some very, very tough decisions ahead.
Jarry and Murray are both scheduled for restricted free agency when the season ends and with a stagnant salary cap there won’t be a ton of money lying around. With Jarry outperforming Murray all season long but not having the track record of his Stanley Cup-winning partner, a 2020 playoff run might be the deciding factor. Rutherford isn’t committing either way, but he hasn’t been shy about moving on from key players in the past.
- Ontario’s premier Doug Ford has discussed the idea of Toronto being a host city for the rest of the NHL season with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Edmonton and Vancouver had previously been discussed as possible host cities in Canada, although Justin Holl of the Toronto Maple Leafs had some interesting thoughts on returning to his team’s country. The Minnesota native told reporters on a conference call today that “the general consensus amongst American players is that we’ll wait until we have a concrete plan before we go back. Because you never know if you go back there and then you’re sitting around for another month or two.”
- The AHL has a conference call set for Friday afternoon according to Patrick Williams of NHL.com, which could be when the league announces that they have canceled the rest of the season. The minor league generates a huge amount of their revenue from ticket sales, something that won’t be gathered if fans aren’t allowed to attend the event. As Williams points out, if the AHL does cancel the playoffs, it would be the first time since 1937 that the Calder Cup has not been awarded.
Grigori Denisenko Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Florida Panthers will be bringing over one of their top prospects, agreeing to terms with Grigori Denisenko on a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward spent the last two seasons in the KHL, playing for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a short statement on the agreement:
Grigori is an exciting, dynamic and highly skilled young forward who has been a top player on the international stage and served as captain of Team Russia at the World Juniors. We are thrilled for his bright future with the Panthers for years to come.
There are few prospects with more upside than the 19-year old Denisenko, who recorded 12 points in 38 games this season in the KHL. The teenage forward led Russia in scoring at the World Juniors for the second consecutive year, captaining them to a silver medal in the process (they won bronze in his first go-round).
Along with his immense skill, is his willingness to engage physically when necessary, making him a well-rounded fit for several different roles at the next level. He’s not a power forward by any means—Denisenko stands just 5’11” 180-lbs—but he also isn’t just a perimeter player.
Selected 15th overall in 2018, you can bet the Panthers front office and coaching staff are excited to finally get their hands on Denisenko in order to start him on their own development program. He joins quite a talented group of prospect forwards, including other high-end talents like Owen Tippett and Henrik Borgstrom.
PHR Panel: We Miss Hockey
We’re now more than a month into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.
With that in mind, we’re happy to continue our new feature: The PHR Panel. Our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments.
To catch up on the previous edition, click here.
Today, as the hockey world focuses on the upcoming draft and whether or not it will be held in June, we discuss what we miss most about the sport we love.
Q: Which part of hockey do you miss the most?
Brian La Rose:
The first round of the playoffs which, from an entertainment perspective, is the best one in my books is what I miss the most.
Depending on the schedule, there would be three to five games basically every night for the first week or so until some series ended early. Between the different time zones, you could always watch a couple of games each weeknight and on the weekends, they’d be staggered out even more which basically made each Saturday and Sunday ‘hockey day’ for a couple of weeks.
The first round often features some of the best matchups, especially with the current format. Teams are fresher; the wear and tear of the playoff grind isn’t there yet so the physicality can be higher than it is later on. And of course, the first round of the NHL playoffs is always good for an upset or two…or more.
The day-to-day grind that is the regular season is fun in itself. But mid-April often represents the most exciting time of the season.
Holger Stolzenberg:
Having spent the last 15 years in Vegas, I have really grown attached to the Vegas Golden Knights franchise and what I miss more than anything is the day-to-day life of the hockey world. I miss games, I miss everything about hockey. However, it’s the stories, the injury updates, the scores … life in the hockey world that I really miss.
I was just walking by a Golden Knights poster in my home when I remembered that the team is still sitting in first place in the Pacific Division. I had basically forgotten that the season is still going on and the playoffs, in theory, aren’t that far off. Yet at the same time, it definitely feels like these things are unlikely to happen for so long that I forget what it’s like to be a hockey fan, which I find quite disturbing.
It’s bad enough being shut up in your home, but having no games and little hockey news is definitely making this shutdown order even more challenging.
Zach Leach:
At this time of year in particular, the part of hockey that I miss most is playoff hockey. Even back in mid-March when the season was initially paused, the focus had already shifted toward the postseason for many clubs. Of course, the stretch run can be exciting for those teams on the bubble, but a number of top contenders were already closing in on locking up playoff seeds and a picture of how playoff match-ups might play out had begun to form. Instead of currently enjoying the fruits of the regular season, gearing up for Conference Finals, more than a month has passed since the last regular season game and we’re still left to wonder whether the playoffs will even occur this year and if so, in what form or fashion.
Playoff hockey is unlike anything else in sports; a pace and intensity that is unrivaled. The importance of each game and even each goal in the playoffs places immense emphasis on every second, leading to triumphant victories and heartbreaking losses. It is hard not get caught up in the excitement, regardless of whether your favorite team is involved or not. Fortunately, the NHL’s competitive balance is such that only the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes have not made a playoff appearance in the past five years, so fans of nearly every team know how it feels to have recently had playoff success on the line. To have the opportunity to enjoy that experience stripped away this year without any concrete plan for a postseason revival down the road is a tough pill to swallow and is definitely what I am missing most as an avid hockey fan.
Gavin Lee:
Other than my own beer league games being canceled—which is killing me—the thing I miss most about the hockey season is actually the playoffs at the amateur level. The Frozen Four and the Memorial Cup are some of my favorite hockey every year, giving me a chance to see the next wave of talent headed to the NHL.
More than the scouting aspect though is the emotion these young kids exhibit. I’ve always leaned toward amateur sports because of how the athletes seem to wear their successes and failures right on their sleeves. A championship is a memory not only for them but everyone that has ever attended or cheered for the program, while a defeat is a bitter reminder of how difficult those titles are to win.
It’s also the finality that a loss brings which makes the stakes that much higher. Sure, getting eliminated from the NHL playoffs must be heartbreaking, but for most of the players involved they know they’ll have another chance next year. For anyone that has played amateur sport at a high level, the feeling of emptiness that follows the last game of your last season is unlike anything else. It’s the knowledge that feeling is coming that makes the games so much more important.
Snapshots: Draft Odds, Blackwood, Canucks
The Detroit Red Wings would be the beneficiaries of the revised draft lottery the league suggested in a memo over the weekend, given that they are currently the team last in the NHL standings. Not only would they have the highest chance to win the lottery themselves, but with the winner only allowed to move up four spots Detroit would have a good chance at losing the lottery but maintaining their first-overall selection.
Travis Yost of TSN broke out the numbers today, showing how Detroit went from having a 51% chance of selecting fourth in the regular format to a 57% of selecting first in the revised one. That kind of change is huge for a club like Detroit who are looking for another star to build their next competitive team around. The entire set of odds is in Yost’s article, but it is important to note that this format has not yet been officially adopted by the league.
- MacKenzie Blackwood is scheduled to become a restricted free agent for the first time after this season comes to an end, but it doesn’t sound like he’s going to be a tough negotiation for the New Jersey Devils. The young goaltender told Mike Morreale of NHL.com that he loves playing in New Jersey and hopes the two sides “can figure something out” to keep him there for a long time. The 23-year old Blackwood posted a .915 save percentage in 47 appearances this season and looks to be the Devils’ starter for the foreseeable future.
- Edmonton isn’t the only western Canadian city that is offering to host games should the NHL resume this summer. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that Vancouver has also submitted a proposal to the league to be a host city. There is obviously nothing decided yet by the league on where games will be held should they be played at some point in the next few months.
San Jose Sharks Sign Fredrik Handemark
The San Jose Sharks couldn’t stop at just one free agent signing for the day. After it was reported earlier that the team had signed Russian goaltender Alexei Melnichuk to a two-year entry-level contract, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that the Sharks have also added Fredrik Handemark on a one-year entry-level deal.
Handemark, 26, has been playing in the SHL for the past seven seasons, captaining Malmo for the last three. He was among the league leaders in scoring this past year, recording 38 points in 52 games. The big-bodied center comes with plenty of polish as a two-way force, even if he hasn’t ever really been one of the most dynamic offensive weapons. Handemark has led the SHL in faceoff percentage in two of the last three seasons.
Adding an established pro like Handemark is another sign that the Sharks aren’t interested in the rebuilding path, despite their struggles this season. The team is reloading for another run at the playoffs, given that their core is still made up of aging veterans on long-term contracts. Introducing some more center depth with a cheap signing can only help those playoff prospects, though it’s still to be determined whether Handemark can contribute enough to help the NHL squad.
San Jose Sharks Sign Alexei Melnichuk
The San Jose Sharks have won the race for KHL goaltender Alexei Melnichuk, signing him to an entry-level contract according to his agent Dan Milstein. San Jose had been one of several teams pursuing the young goaltender, who is coming off an excellent debut in the KHL.
In 16 appearances this season, Melnichuk recorded a 1.68 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. Though KHL save numbers are often higher than those in the NHL, the 21-year old still more than held his ground as a rookie for St. Petersburg and obviously has a bright future.
Because Melnichuk turns 22 this summer the deal will be a two-year entry-level contract. The Sharks already do have a few goaltending prospects in their system, but because of his pro experience in Russia Melnichuk may actually jump to the top of the line.
It’s important to remember with this signing that Aaron Dell, who has served as an NHL backup for the last several seasons, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. There will likely be an opportunity with the team in the short term, perhaps one that the young Russian will get a crack at.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Mikko Lehtonen
Among the most coveted KHL free agents this season was Mikko Lehtonen, who dominated the league in his first season with Jokerit to the tune of 49 points in 60 games. Lehtonen has made a decision on where his career will continue, signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 26-year old defenseman has been widely seen as a potential NHL option for the last few years, especially following his outstanding performance at the 2019 World Championship where he helped Finland take home the gold medal. His single season in the KHL cemented him as one of the best defensemen playing outside the NHL, though he’ll still have to prove it on North American ice.
For the Maple Leafs, going after a player like Lehtonen was a no-brainer given their situation on defense going into next season. Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie are both unrestricted free agents, while a stagnant salary cap will not leave them with much room to add any high-priced talent.
Obviously though, adding another left-handed defenseman isn’t an ideal situation for the Maple Leafs, who have a lopsided depth chart on the back end. If Barrie and Ceci both depart, it would leave Justin Holl as the only established right-handed option on the team. Young prospect Timothy Liljegren is expected to compete for a full-time role, but there will have to be players spending time on their off-side next season.
Bob McKenzie of TSN notes that Lehtonen does have some experience playing on the right, though suggests Travis Dermott would be the most likely candidate to move over.