David Ullstrom Returning To KHL
Sometimes European free agents don’t work out in the NHL. That’s the case with David Ullstrom, who spent last season in the Arizona Coyotes organization but is heading back to the KHL. Ullstrom has signed a contract with Dinamo Riga, the league’s Latvian team, for 2019-20. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 when his one-year deal with the Coyotes expires.
Ullstrom, 30, signed a one-year, two-way contract last spring with the Coyotes after an excellent season for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League, but failed to crack the NHL roster. He was injured to start the season, and eventually spent the year in the minor leagues with the Tucson Roadrunners. In 29 AHL games he recorded 23 points, but will be heading back overseas after not receiving any time with the Coyotes.
Originally a fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders back in 2008, Ullstrom did play parts of two seasons in the NHL but never made a huge impact. His skating ability for a 6’4″ forward is excellent, but it has led to much more success in the KHL than in North America. That’s where he’ll continue his career, though it is not out of the question that he could look for another NHL opportunity at some point in the future if a team is willing to take a chance on him.
Oskar Sundqvist To Receive Hearing From Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety has some work to do, as they have announced a hearing for St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. Late in the first period, Sundqvist hit Matt Grzelcyk behind the Boston Bruins’ net, earning himself a two-minute boarding penalty. Grzelcyk was forced from the game with an injury and taken to hospital for further evaluation.
Sundqvist has been a force for the Blues this postseason, registering nine points and (perhaps more importantly) 63 hits in the 21 games the Blues have played so far. The 25-year old forward has been part of a formidable fourth line alongside Ivan Barbashev and Alex Steen, providing a physical presence while also chipping in offensively. Given that Robert Thomas was held out of game two due to injury already, a suspension for Sundqvist could mean the entrance of Zach Sanford.
The Stanley Cup Final has already proven to be one of the most physical series of these playoffs, with two teams more than willing to engage each other and deliver some huge hits. Unfortunately for St. Louis, it looks like they’ll be forced to play without one of those physical players for game three when they travel home to try and take the early lead.
Latest On Anaheim Ducks Coaching Search
The Anaheim Ducks still don’t have a head coach for the 2019-20 season, even as the NHL Entry Draft is now just a few weeks away. The combine is already underway, meaning whoever does take the reins of the team next season won’t get to be part of the prospect interview process. While that obviously isn’t a devastating problem, it is somewhat uncommon, as seen by the several other vacancies that have been filled in recent weeks.
In a column today by Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) the top candidates for the job are examined, with special emphasis put on San Diego Gulls coach Dallas Eakins, and why he hasn’t yet been given the job despite many around the league expecting it to go to him since Randy Carlyle was fired mid-season. Stephens lists New York Islanders assistant coach Lane Lambert, Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent and Dallas Stars assistant Todd Nelson as other candidates that have been mentioned recently.
Bob McKenzie of TSN has also heard Nelson’s name, and reports that he will be interviewed this week for the job. It wouldn’t be the first time that Nelson has taken a job once ticketed for Eakins, as he was the coach that eventually took over when Eakins was fired in Edmonton back in 2014. Also of interest is another tweet from McKenzie, who suggests that there may be a job for former Los Angeles Kings head coach John Stevens in Dallas on Jim Montgomery‘s staff. If Nelson does leave, that would provide an option for the Stars to replace him with.
The Ducks are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 35-37-10. The core that led them to so many playoff runs is getting older—to the point where speculation of a Corey Perry buyout isn’t unreasonable—but there is help coming through the pipeline in the form of several top forward prospects. The job isn’t a full rebuild, but it also needs someone who can develop the next wave of talent quickly.
AHL Notes: Popugaev, Jevpalovs, Weinger
As NHL teams prepare their rosters for the pending free agent frenzy, AHL teams are doing the same. The clubs are trying to retain as much talent as possible to set themselves up for a strong 2019-20 campaign without necessarily having to rely on their parent club. With that in mind, here are some minor transactions that have taken place today:
- The Binghamton Devils signed Nikita Popugaev to a one-year AHL deal, meaning he won’t be heading back to the KHL just yet. Popugaev came over from Russia this season and played 17 games for the Devils, recording five points and finishing a -9. The Russian winger stands 6’6″ and was an interesting prospect coming out of the CHL in 2017 when the Devils decided to use the 98th overall pick on him. His stint in the KHL went poorly from a production standpoint, but he’ll hopefully take the next step in his development for the Devils next season.
- The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Nikita Jevpalovs on a one-year AHL contract. Jevpalovs went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite his 100-point campaign in 2014-15, and first signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately he was not issued a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season and decided to go overseas to the KHL. Following a disappointing season there, Jevpalovs joined the Rocket last season and recorded 25 points in 69 games.
- The San Jose Barracuda have signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the 22-year old forward back for another season. As a rookie in 2018-19, Weinger posted 22 points in 60 regular season games and was one of the team’s best players in a first round playoff loss. Born in Los Angeles, Weinger will get a chance to keep playing close to home next season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Jeffrey Viel
The San Jose Sharks have decided that Jeffrey Viel has done enough to deserve an NHL deal, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. Viel had been playing on an AHL deal for 2018-19. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the young forward:
Jeff parlayed his first professional contract into a very successful season with the Barracuda and earned this NHL contract thanks to a mixture of hard-nosed play along with the ability to play a skilled, team-first game. He has a long track record of proven leadership qualities, having captained his team to the 2018 Memorial Cup and we are excited to watch his continued development with our organization.
Viel, 22, went undrafted through his junior career but ended up captaining the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the Memorial Cup in 2018 after being named QMJHL playoff MVP. The physical winger was as equally effective scoring a goal as laying a hit, and seemed like a perfect fit for professional hockey. He signed with the San Jose Barracuda in 2018 and finished with 22 points and 94 penalty minutes in 68 games this season.
The Sharks will hope that Viel is a typical late-bloomer, that can develop into a legitimate bottom-six player for them at the NHL level. His first taste of professional hockey went well enough to earn an NHL contract, and now he’ll try to build on that moving forward. San Jose his always proactive in finding talent outside of the draft, and Viel is just the latest lottery ticket worth taking a chance on. He’ll be waiver-exempt to start next season, meaning he can rejoin the Barracuda right away—provided he doesn’t wow head coach Peter DeBoer in training camp.
Morning Notes: Madden, Canucks, Thomas
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that John Madden will not return as head coach of their AHL affiliate next season. The announcement states that the parting was mutual, and that Madden will pursue other opportunities around the league. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic suggests that a role may already be in the works for Madden elsewhere, and mentions how he had previously been an assistant with the Florida Panthers.
Columbus ended up hiring Madden in 2016 after a string of events that left the Monsters without a head coach just a few months after winning the Calder Cup. First, Patrick Roy stunned the Colorado Avalanche by resigning not long before training camp was set to open, leaving them scrambling to fill the role. They landed on Jared Bednar, the Monsters’ coach that had just gone 43-22-11 in the AHL before taking home the league title. Madden was hired as a replacement just a few days later at the end of August, but was never able to duplicate Bednar’s success at the minor league level.
- The Vancouver Canucks will not be signing Kristoffer Gunnarsson or Matt Brassard according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, meaning both will see their exclusive draft rights expire on June 1. Gunnarsson will become an unrestricted free agent, but Brassard will be re-entering the draft this year. The Canucks already have 31 contracts for next season and still have 12 restricted free agents to sign. Given Gunnarsson and Brassard would both count towards the 50-contract limit, they were deemed expendable. The pair were late round picks in 2017, and part of a large group of players that will see their rights expire this weekend.
- Robert Thomas will not play tonight in game two of the Stanley Cup Final, but head coach Craig Berube says it’s not because of the Torey Krug hit that was the talk of the hockey world over the last few days. Vince Dunn will also not suit up just yet, meaning Robby Fabbri likely draws in as the 12th forward for the Blues, playing on a line with Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak.
San Jose Sharks Hire Bob Boughner
Bob Boughner wasn’t out of a job long. The former Florida Panthers head coach has landed on his feet in San Jose, where the Sharks today announced his hiring as an assistant coach. Boughner was hired out of San Jose in the first place to take the job in Florida, meaning this should be a seamless transition back onto Peter DeBoer‘s staff. His replacement at that time was Rob Zettler, who will now not be returning to the Sharks’ staff in 2019-20.
A former NHL defenseman that played in 630 regular season games, Boughner was a hugely successful coach with the Windsor Spitfires after retirement, leading the team to consecutive championships before taking his first NHL coaching position in Columbus for the 2010-11 season. Those Windsor teams were powerhouses led by Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis, Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique and others, but Boughner was credited for building a program that those talented youngsters could thrive in. When he eventually left Windsor a second time for San Jose, he was tasked with getting the most out of Brent Burns, something that may have helped him get the job in Florida given their young developing core.
Though it didn’t work out for Boughner with the Panthers, he’ll return to and organization that he is extremely familiar with to continue his coaching career. It will be interesting to see how the assignments are divided though, as the Sharks shuffled the coaching responsibilities in December and put Steve Spott—who seems to be remaining in San Jose—in charge of the defense.
Dominik Kubalik Signs With Chicago Blackhawks
As expected, the Chicago Blackhawks have signed Czech forward Dominik Kubalik to a one-year entry-level contract. Kubalik most recently suited up for the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Championship where he recorded 12 points in 10 games.
Kubalik, 23, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings back in 2013 but saw his rights traded to the Blackhawks in January. Perhaps the Kings knew they wouldn’t be able to sign him, but it is still surprising that they would give up on a player performing as well as he was overseas. Kubalik destroyed the competition in Switzerland this season, recording 57 points in 50 games for Ambri-Piotta to lead the NLA in scoring and was named both the league’s best forward and most valuable player.
It’s not the first time that Kubalik had found success in a European league, as he had previously dominated in the Czech Republic recording seasons of 25 and 29 goals despite playing only 48 and 51 games in those respective seasons. His performance at the World Championship shouldn’t shock anyone, as he performed well there and at the Olympics last year as well.
The 6’2″ winger will immediately compete for a spot on the Blackhawks next season, but it won’t be the first time he’s suiting up in North America. Kubalik played parts of two seasons in the OHL after being selected 27th overall in the 2012 CHL Import Draft, but didn’t find enough success to really cement himself as a potential NHL prospect.
Kubalik will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Anders Nilsson Re-Signs With Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have secured one of their goaltending positions for the next little while, re-signing Anders Nilsson to a two-year contract. Nilsson’s deal will carry an average annual value of $2.6MM. GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the signing:
We’re very happy to have Anders back for two more seasons. He is a competitive, talented veteran who played very well after being acquired last season. In addition, Anders is a great teammate and hard worker, which makes him an excellent fit with our growing team. This signing provides us with stability at the goaltending position, which is very important to our success as our team continues to develop.
The re-signing of Nilsson is interesting to say the least, given that the Senators are already paying Craig Anderson and Mike Condon a combined $7MM next season (with a slightly bigger combined cap hit). The team had basically parted ways with Condon during the year, burying his contract in the minor leagues, but Anderson appeared set to be the starter again in 2019-20. With Nilsson signed the question now becomes whether the team will look to move Anderson out as a rental piece, given that he is only under contract for one season.
That’s not to say that Nilsson hasn’t deserved a contract like this. After coming over from the Vancouver Canucks in a trade, the 29-year old behemoth registered a .914 save percentage in 24 games, better than any other goaltender to suit up for the Senators last season. Originally a third-round pick of the New York Islanders, Nilsson has bounced around the league over his career, playing in New York, Edmonton, St. Louis and Buffalo in addition to his two teams from last season. He’s shown flashes of brilliance during that journeyman career, but has never really staked a claim to the starting position for very long.
In Ottawa, perhaps he will get that opportunity if they decide to move Anderson this year, or move on from him next. The Senators have a few young goaltenders in Joey Daccord, Filip Gustavsson and Marcus Hogberg that will all be pushing for NHL playing time in the near future, but it’s not clear if the team wants to put them on the ice while the group in front of them are in such a drastic rebuild. Instead, they may use Nilsson as a short-term bridge while continuing to develop their young netminders in the minor leagues.
Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Joseph Gambardella
The Edmonton Oilers have locked up a huge part of their minor league team, signing Joseph Gambardella to a two-year contract extension. Gambardella was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, but will now be with the organization through the 2020-21 season. The contract is a two-way deal that carries a $700K salary in the NHL.
Gambardella, 25, signed with the Oilers out of UMass-Lowell in 2017 as an undrafted free agent after an impressive senior season with 52 points in 41 games. Though it took him a season to really get his legs under him at the AHL level, this year he was one of the Bakersfield Condors best offensive players. Scoring 29 times in 50 games made him one of the most efficient goal scorers in the league, and he continued that production with six more tallies in the postseason. Gambardella also suited up 15 times for the Oilers throughout the season, registering three assists.
While his contributions so far have mostly been limited to the minor leagues, there is a chance that Gambardella could see extended time in Edmonton next season if he can make an impression on new head coach Dave Tippett. The Oilers are starved for offensive production outside of their big three up front, and need to find a way to lengthen out their lineup if they want to compete for the playoffs in 2019-20.