Julius Bergman Returning To Sweden
As expected, prospect Julius Bergman has decided to return to Sweden and play for Frolunda during the 2019-20 season. The 23-year old defenseman is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer and will not be re-signing with the New York Rangers.
Amazingly, Bergman was involved in three different trades since the end of the 2017-18 season. After three seasons with the San Jose Sharks he was included in the original Mike Hoffman deal with the Ottawa Senators along with Mikkel Boedker. After just 33 games for the Belleville Senators of the AHL, Bergman was flipped along with Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Since he had already indicated to the Senators that he wasn’t going to re-sign, the Blue Jackets also felt they had no need to keep him around and included him in the deal to acquire Adam McQuaid from the Rangers just a few days later. In ten games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, Bergman recorded two points.
Originally drafted 46th overall by San Jose in 2014, Bergman actually quickly came to North America to continue his development in the OHL. He recorded 42 points in 60 games for the London Knights during the 2014-15 season, while also suiting up for Sweden at the World Juniors and making his AHL debut at the end of the year. The young defenseman has shown some exciting offensive ability over the years but failed to really climb the depth chart in San Jose, and now will return to continue his development overseas. The Rangers can retain his rights for the time being by issuing him a qualifying offer, and hope that he changes his mind down the line.
Morning Notes: Flyers, Nutivaara, Duchene
The Philadelphia Flyers will have an entirely new look behind the bench next season, with head coach Alain Vigneault and assistants Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo. Vigneault explained today to reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer how the assignments will be divided, indicating that Therrien will handle the powerplay and forwards while Yeo will construct a penalty kill and run the defensemen.
That leaves Ian Laperriere, who was retained from the previous staff, as the “eye-in-the-sky.” Laperriere will no longer coach the Flyers’ penalty killing unit, which has not performed very well under him in the past. The last three seasons the Flyers have ranked 22nd, 29th and 26th in the league a man down, never cracking the 80% mark.
- Markus Nutivaara is dealing with a torn left oblique, suffered when Nikita Kucherov hit him in the first round. Kucherov received a one-game suspension for hitting Nutivaara from behind into the boards while he was already down, but the defenseman would not return to playoff action. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that it is normally a four to six week recovery time for this type of injury, which would obviously allow Nutivaara to be ready for training camp later in the summer.
- Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Matt Duchene was once again asked about his pending free agency today and explained to team reporter Jeff Svoboda that he will explore his options but keep Columbus involved. Duchene experienced more playoff action this season than his entire combined career previously, but it still wasn’t enough to get a real sniff of the Stanley Cup. With 727 regular season games now under his belt, the 28-year old has suited up just 18 times in the playoffs.
Antti Niemi Linked To KHL
The Montreal Canadiens are likely ready to give Charlie Lindgren a chance at the NHL in 2019-20, given that he will no longer be waiver-exempt. The team would need to expose the young goaltender to the rest of the league in order to send him down to the minors, meaning he very well could serve as Carey Price‘s backup. That would mean there isn’t much room for Antti Niemi to re-sign with the team, which is why a report linking him to the KHL today doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Finnish newspaper Satakunnan Kansa is reporting that Niemi will join Jokerit for next season, though he is technically still under contract with the Canadiens until July 1st.
Niemi, 35, played in just 17 games with the Canadiens this season and struggled once again to the tune of an .887 save percentage. That poor performance comes after the Stanley Cup-winning goaltender rejuvenated his career in Montreal in 2017-18, going 7-5-4 with a .929 after failing to catch on with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers. Niemi is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after his one-year, $950K contract expires.
Mason Shaw Undergoes Knee Surgery
After already missing nearly the entire 2017-18 season, Mason Shaw has more rehab to do. The Minnesota Wild announced that Shaw underwent a successful ACL revision procedure on his left knee yesterday and will miss the rest of the AHL playoffs. The Iowa Wild are in a second round series against the Chicago Wolves, with game four set for tomorrow evening.
This is not the first time Shaw has gone under the knife to repair an ACL injury. As Micheal Russo of The Athletic points out, the young forward tore the ligament in his right knee last year and this left one the year before that. Even getting back to full health in time for the 2018-19 season was a battle, but one that Shaw won. The 20-year old ended up playing in all 76 contests for Iowa this season, recorded 33 points in his first year of professional hockey. That was a great season for a player who was so far removed from playing at a high level, and one that should have fans of the Wild organization excited about him.
It’s not clear how long Shaw will be out this time, but Russo tweets that recovery timelines for these injuries usually sit around six months. That would put the beginning of Shaw’s 2019-20 season at risk, and remove any possibility of him making a case for an NHL spot at training camp.
One player that Shaw may be able to look at for inspiration is St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri, who tore the ACL in his left knee twice and also missed the entire 2017-18 season. Fabbri is back playing with the St. Louis Blues in these playoffs, suiting up eight times through the first two rounds. The 23-year old is certainly not back to where he was before the injuries, but just getting back into NHL action was a long time coming.
Shaw was originally selected in the fourth round by the Wild in 2017, after having a huge season for the Medicine Hat Tigers. His potential was clear when he scored 94 points in 71 games that year, and will hopefully be able to show itself again after this most recent injury. He is under contract for two more seasons before being scheduled for restricted free agency in 2021.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Barber, Davidsson
The Columbus Blue Jackets went all-in at the trade deadline this season by adding several pending unrestricted free agents in Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid. The reasoning was likely in part due to the fact that Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, two of the team’s best players, are also heading to free agency and had already turned down extension talks. GM Jarmo Kekalainen knew this was his last shot with those two on the roster and took it, but now faces an offseason where he will watch several top names depart. If Panarin, Bobrovsky, Duchene and others do leave, he’s not losing sleep over it. In conversation with Tom Reed of The Athletic (subscription required) Kekalainen explained what he’s looking for out of his players:
I think it’s important moving forward that we have guys who are proud to be Blue Jackets, proud to be living in Columbus and loving it here. It’s really important that they bleed blue or whatever you want to call it. … Guys who want to be here are going to be here and the guys who don’t want to be here — good luck.
Kekalainen admitted that he would “do it in a second again” but the Blue Jackets now face the reality that their team will look very different come September. That might not be the end of them though, as there are several bright spots still on the roster. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski still represent two of the game’s top young defensemen, and players like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexandre Texier have proven they are capable of providing real contributions at the NHL level. Not to mention the likes of Boone Jenner, Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand who are still in their mid-twenties and under contract for reasonable amounts. As always, Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets will be one of the most interesting teams in the league to watch this offseason as they try to move on from this chapter of their history.
- Speaking of moving on, Washington Capitals forward Riley Barber appears to be ready to do just that. Barber spoke to J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington, and explained that given his lack of opportunity in Washington he isn’t likely to return to the organization next season. The 25-year old is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer after playing just three NHL games since signing with the team in 2015, but is coming off an impressive 60-point season in the AHL.
- Marcus Davidsson was selected 37th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2017 but they have been happy so far to let him continue to develop in Sweden. That doesn’t appear to be changing, as Davidsson has signed a two-year deal to remain in the SHL, this time with the Vaxjo Lakers. The 20-year old center could actually become an unrestricted free agent if the Sabres don’t sign him by June 1st, 2021.
Edmonton Oilers Introduce Ken Holland, Start Search For New Head Coach
The Edmonton Oilers have officially announced the hiring of Ken Holland as the team’s new general manager and president of hockey operations. CEO Bob Nicholson and owner Daryl Katz introduced the former Detroit Red Wings executive in a press conference today, explaining how thrilled the organization is to bring in a manager with Holland’s resume. The contract has been reported as a five-year deal worth $25MM, and Holland will have full autonomy in running the team.
While Holland is the big news of the day for the Oilers organization, the team also confirmed that Ken Hitchcock will not return as head coach next season. A search has begun to find his replacement, one which Holland will lead. Hitchcock was always expected to be a short-term fix, coming in to try and push the Oilers to the playoffs last season after a poor start under Todd McLellan. They didn’t make it in the end, and Hitchcock will remain with the organization in an advisory role.
Holland now has plenty of work to do. The Oilers have floundered in mediocrity for decades and have now missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons even with one of the league’s best players contributing every night. Connor McDavid has won the Ted Lindsay award twice already and is a finalist again this year after putting up 116 points in 78 games, but has failed to get much support from the rest of the roster. In fact, only two other forwards recorded more than 38 points this season, with players like Milan Lucic (20 points), Jujhar Khaira (18) Tobias Rieder (11), all playing huge chunks of the season without much offensive contribution. That scoring depth will be one of Holland’s first priorities, but it won’t be his only task on the way to a building a contender.
The Oilers also have nearly $23MM committed to a defense corps next season that is underwhelming at best, with Andrej Sekera set to lead the group with a $5.5MM cap hit. Sekera has played a total of 60 games over the past two seasons due to injury, and though he looked better than expected down the stretch he was still playing an average of only 16:29. Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson and Kris Russell are all earning at least $4MM for the next two seasons, and totaled 64 points this season in 215 games played.
Goaltending too is a concern, despite the three-year $13.5MM contract extension that the team handed Mikko Koskinen earlier this season. Koskinen had made just 31 NHL starts when he signed the contract, and finished the season with just a .906 save percentage through 55 appearances. While his size and previous experience in the KHL are good indicators that he can play at a better level, Holland will need to find a way to upgrade in net if he really wants to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Calgary Flames Sign Carl-Johan Lerby
The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Carl-Johan Lerby to a two-year entry-level contract. Lerby was an undrafted international free agent, who has played in the SHL the last several seasons and will remain there for the 2019-20 campaign. The Flames expect Lerby to come to North America in 2020-21.
Adding Lerby, 21, while still leaving him in Sweden to develop for another season is a play right out of the Edmonton Oilers handbook. The team did the same thing with Joel Persson last year, and extended him with a one-year $1MM deal in January after he continued to develop. That’s the same outcome the Flames are likely hoping for with Lerby, who broke out this season after finally getting some consistent playing time in the SHL.
The left-handed defenseman has apparently grown in recent years and is now listed at 6’0″ 182-lbs, removing any real concerns about his size at the next level. He recorded 21 points in 47 games this season with the Malmo Redhawks and will likely play an even bigger role for the team next year. That will mean the Flames don’t have total control over his development and deployment, but they will be able to get their hands on him in 2020-21 at which point he should be ready for North American professional hockey.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Teemu Kivihalme
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed another international free agent, inking Teemu Kivihalme to a one-year entry-level contract. Kivihalme played the last two seasons in Finland after leaving Colorado College in 2017. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star reports that the deal is worth $800K at the NHL level and does not include any performance bonuses.
Kivihalme, 23, was originally a fifth-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2013 but never ended up signing with them. The left-handed defenseman was actually born in the United States when his father was playing at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, and played in the Minnesota high school system and USHL before heading to the NCAA. Three years at Colorado College saw Kivihalme record 36 points in 107 games but he left before his senior season. In Finland’s top league playing for a much stronger team than the one he had in Colorado, the young defenseman put it all together and became a legitimate two-way threat.
In his rookie season, Kivihalme recorded 20 points in 44 games and helped Karpat secure a league championship. This season he recorded 30 points in 60 games before adding another nine in 16 playoff contests, but was unable to topple HPK in the finals. Still, there were few defensemen more effective than Kivihalme in the playoffs this season and it is obvious why there was NHL interest.
With another defenseman added to the roster, the Maple Leafs now have several young options to choose from in trying to replace the outgoing Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey (provided neither of them re-sign with the team). Kivihalme, Calle Rosen, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Andreas Borgman will all have a chance to prove themselves in training camp if the team doesn’t add any more veteran options. These young players are going to have to perform for the Maple Leafs if they want to contend for the Stanley Cup, as the top-heavy roster will need contributions from players on entry-level—or close to it—contracts.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Otto Leskinen
The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with Otto Leskinen on a two-year entry-level contract. The undrafted defenseman has spent the last several years playing in Finland’s Liiga, but did attend development camp with the Canadiens in 2018.
Leskinen, 22, broke out this season with 31 points in 57 games, more than he had scored in his previous 141 contests at the highest level in Finland. That was obviously enough to convince the Canadiens that he has NHL potential, something they’re still desperate to find on the back end. The Canadiens have done well to create a stable blue line with some relatively unheralded names like Jeff Petry, Brett Kulak and Mike Reilly, but still need to add depth to the position as they try to climb back into the playoffs. Given the restricted free agent status of several players, Montreal actually only has four defensemen under contract with legitimate NHL experience (not counting Karl Alzner, who was banished to the minor leagues this season).
Another left-handed option that can move the puck effectively, Leskinen will likely compete for an NHL spot right away come training camp. That spot is obviously not guaranteed, but with his experience at the professional level in Finland there’s reason to believe he could be at least a part-time contributor right away. It’s not clear if his contract includes a European Assignment Clause that would stop the team from sending him to the minor leagues.
Alexandre Texier Assigned To AHL
The NHL playoffs are over for the Columbus Blue Jackets after losing to the Boston Bruins last night, but it won’t be the end of the season for at least one player. Alexandre Texier has been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters who are battling to stay alive in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Texier, 19, has been a welcome surprise for Columbus after they selected him 45th overall in 2017. While there was hope he would one day develop into a legitimate NHL option, Texier had only played in France and was untested against top competition. In the two seasons that followed he grew into one of the most dangerous offensive players in Finland’s Liiga, recording 41 points in 55 games this season before coming to North America. When he joined the Monsters he picked up right where he left off, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games. A call-up to the NHL got him into action right away, and in the playoffs he showed that he will likely be ready to join the Blue Jackets full-time next season.
That’s an impressive player to add to a Monsters playoff run that is on shaky ground. Cleveland is down 0-3 against the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies, and will need some magic tonight to even stay alive. Toronto has outscored Cleveland 11-5 in the series so far and have yet to lose a single playoff game this season.