San Jose Sharks Sign Danil Yurtaikin
The San Jose Sharks have inked another international free agent, this time signing Danil Yurtaikin to a two-year entry-level contract. Yurtaikin was undrafted and played this season with Lokomotiv in the KHL. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his newest forward:
Danil is an explosive skater who uses his speed to create and sustain production in the offensive zone. His offensive talents led him to finish in the top three in scoring among players under 22 in the KHL. He has a championship pedigree as a two-time MHL champion and experience with the Russian national team. We’re excited for him to join our organization.
Yurtaikin, 21, was actually ranked 63rd among international skaters for the 2015 draft by the NHL’s Central Scouting but was a relatively unknown talent and ended up going undrafted. He ended up playing in the World Juniors for Russia in 2017, recording three points and helping to secure a bronze medal. Still, the Sharks are taking a chance on a player that doesn’t have a ton of experience at the professional level, with just 58 games under his belt in the KHL.
The Sharks have been aggressive in how they’ve added players from around the world over the last few offseasons, and appear to be following that trend again this year. Yurtaikin and Joel Kellman are just the latest lottery tickets for Wilson, who continues to build an excellent program in San Jose.
Joel Kellman Signs With San Jose Sharks
Wednesday: The deal has been officially announced by the Sharks, who included this statement from GM Doug Wilson:
Joel has consistently proven his skill and hockey IQ, as is evident in his continued improvement in juniors, Allsvenskan, and the Swedish Hockey League. He has proven himself at each level, including over 200 games before the age of 24 at Sweden’s highest level, which is an accomplishment on its own. His intelligence and responsibility on the ice are going to be a huge asset to our organization and we look forward to his joining us.
Tuesday: The San Jose Sharks have signed Swedish forward Joel Kellman, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The deal is a one-year entry-level contract.
Kellman, 24, has played the last four seasons in the SHL and recorded 34 points in 45 games this season for Brynas. The talented offensive player has long been an effective weapon in the Swedish ranks, but never drew much NHL or international attention. That has apparently ended now that he’s on his way to San Jose, where he can battle for a spot with the team in 2019-20.
The Sharks are not new to the European free agent scene, having signed players like Lukas Radil and Radim Simek out of the Czech Republic in recent years. The team knows that with so much capital tied up in veterans like Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture, they need to fill out the fringes of the roster with cheap, effective talent. While there’s no guarantee that Kellman can bring his level of production to the NHL, he does offer plenty of professional experience while still only earning an entry-level salary.
Snapshots: Bouchard, King, Canucks
Evan Bouchard has been named OHL Defenseman of the Year, receiving the Max Kaminsky Trophy for 2018-19. Bouchard put up 53 points in 45 games for the London Knights, captaining the squad after returning from a brief stint in the NHL. Selected tenth overall last June, Bouchard played seven games for the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of the season and recorded his first NHL goal in the process. The 19-year old then returned to the OHL where he routinely logged close to 30 minutes in ice time for the Knights and was a dominant player in the playoffs, recording another 21 points in just 11 games. He is now
Finished his junior career now, it seems likely that Bouchard will spend the 2019-20 season with the Oilers as a full-time member of their defense. The Oakville, Ontario native is an elite puck mover and has excellent offensive instincts. Jumping into rushes or getting pucks through traffic, Bouchard is one of the most dynamic goal-scoring threats in among junior defenseman and will try to carry over that production to the NHL level. Any doubt that he’ll be able to might have been pushed aside when he recorded three points in his AHL debut earlier this week.
- The Rockford IceHogs have removed the interim tag from Derek King‘s job title, making him the head coach moving forward. King took over when Jeremy Colliton was promoted to the NHL and finished with a 29-28-7 record behind the bench. The team has also given assistant coach Anders Sorensen a multi-year extension, providing some stability for the AHL organization.
- Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet provides updates on several Vancouver Canucks prospects, tweeting that Linus Karlsson, Kristoffer Gunnarsson, Artyom Manukyan and Toni Utunen are all expected to stay overseas for next season. As Dhaliwal subsequently points out, Gunnarsson’s exclusive draft rights expire on June 1st of this season meaning he will become an unrestricted free agent if the Canucks don’t get him under contract. The 22-year old defenseman was a fifth round pick in 2017, but has just two points in his 124-game SHL career.
Minor Transactions: 04/25/19
The second round is coming up and all four wild card entries are still alive. The NHL playoffs is a wild and crazy ride this season but hockey fans everywhere are loving it. As the eight remaining teams prepare for action in the coming days, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Clark Bishop is back up with the Carolina Hurricanes as the team prepares for their second round matchup with the New York Islanders. Bishop has bounced up and down during the postseason due to the injuries to Andrei Svechnikov and Micheal Ferland, and will once again be considered an insurance policy for the start of round two.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Zane McIntyre to serve as a third goaltender while they get set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. In addition, the team has assigned Kyle Keyser to the minor leagues after his OHL team was eliminated from the junior playoffs.
- Joe Cannata is on his way to the Colorado Avalanche, recalled today from the minor leagues. Cannata played most of the season at the ECHL level, but can give the team an extra practice goaltender for the time being.
- Dylan Gambrell, Lukas Radil and Josef Korenar are on their way to San Jose, joining the Sharks after their AHL club was eliminated from the playoffs last night. The San Jose Barracuda lost in four games to the San Diego Gulls, meaning the Sharks will have some extra bodies hanging around for their playoff run.
Mitch Marner Contract Negotiations “Priority One” For Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs cleaned out their lockers today and held their final media availability of the season after losing their first round series against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. The team has now been ousted in the first round for three straight years and some tough questions are going to raised about how they can improve in the future while still paying top dollar for players like John Tavares and Auston Matthews. Another one of their expensive forwards will soon be Mitch Marner, who is heading into a contract negotiation this summer as a restricted free agent for the first time. GM Kyle Dubas today called the Marner contract “priority one” when speaking with reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, noting that he is going to do everything possible to try and get it done before July 1st.
That is when Marner’s current deal would officially end, and potentially when he could sign an offer sheet with another team to drive his price up. It also is when the Maple Leafs could start their unrestricted free agent shopping if there is any to do, something that would be extremely difficult without knowing how much Marner will cost next season. Toronto is set to be one of the teams closest to the salary cap ceiling next year given their expensive core, and could very well need to move out some contracts to make room for Marner and the other restricted free agents—a group that includes Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.
The team went through a disastrous negotiation with William Nylander last year that resulted in him missing a good chunk of season, something that Dubas and his front office will avoid at all costs this time around. Nylander never really did get his game back after sitting out for so long, and finished with just seven goals and 27 points in 54 games.
Already committed to around $75MM for next season, the Maple Leafs will also likely not be able to afford to bring back Jake Gardiner. The veteran defenseman has played his entire professional career for the Maple Leafs organization after a trade brought his rights over from the Anaheim Ducks in 2011. As an unrestricted free agent Gardiner will likely draw plenty of interest from around the league despite his notoriety for turning the puck over at times (including one stark example in Tuesday’s elimination game), given his status as a top point producer. Gardiner has registered at least 30 points in a season on six different occasions, including a career-high of 52 in 2017-18.
The biggest focus will be on Marner though, who just finished a 94-point season to put himself into the top echelon of forwards in the NHL. The fourth-overall pick from 2015 has 224 points in 241 regular season games and found immediate chemistry with John Tavares this year. He was also used in a penalty killing role for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, only adding to his versatility and value in the upcoming negotiations.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Fielder, Babcock, Hurricanes
The expansion Seattle franchise doesn’t yet have a single player, but they do have a team award. The management group announced today that the organization will hand out a Guyle Fielder Award every season to the “player that embodies the sportsmanship and leadership of one of Seattle’s greatest hockey legends.” If you don’t recognize Fielder’s name, you’re not alone, as his story is one of the most overlooked in hockey history.
Fielder stands as the fourth-leading scorer in professional hockey history, recording 1,929 points over a long career spent mostly in the minor leagues. In fact, he didn’t register a single one of those points in his 15 NHL games, but routinely led the Western Hockey League—not the junior league it is today, but a minor professional one—in scoring. He played for the Seattle Bombers, Americans and Totems over his career and is a legend in the area for any hockey fan old enough to remember.
- Though there may be some Toronto Maple Leafs fans hoping Mike Babcock would find his way somewhere else today, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic cleared up some confusion about the head coach’s contract. Babcock does not have an out clause in his contract as some had speculated, and “remains as committed as he’s always been” to leading the Maple Leafs. The team was eliminated by the Boston Bruins last night for the third time in six years, and still haven’t progressed past the first round since 2004. Babcock has four seasons left on the massive eight-year, $50MM contract that he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2015.
- The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t hold a morning skate today as they prepare for Game Seven against the Washington Capitals, so there wasn’t a chance for Andrei Svechnikov or Micheal Ferland to get back on the ice. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he isn’t sure whether Svechnikov will be ready to play tonight, but Ferland will probably not suit up in the do-or-die elimination game. The Hurricanes will rely on their captain Justin Williams, who has often been dubbed “Mr. Game 7” for his heroics in these situations, but has also been one of the team’s best players through the first part of the series. If the Hurricanes win it would mean that all four wild card teams have advanced to the second round, showing just how wide open the Stanley Cup playoffs really are.
Jay O’Brien Leaving Providence College
Wednesday: Not so fast, apparently. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to O’Brien, who confirmed he is leaving Providence but denied that he’s heading to the BCHL. The young forward has not yet decided where he will play next season.
Tuesday: It was a frustrating season for Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jay O’Brien, who struggled through injury during his freshman year at Providence College. It now seems as though he’ll be playing in a new league, as Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal reports that O’Brien is in the transfer portal and is expected to play in the BCHL next season. O’Brien would be ruled out of NCAA play in 2019-20 if he transferred to a new school.
O’Brien, 19, recorded just two goals and five points in 25 games for Providence, not exactly the season he was expecting after the Flyers selected him 19th overall last June. While that was a bit higher than many expected—Bob McKenzie of TSN for instance had O’Brien 34th in his final rankings—it’s not like he was a completely off-the-board pick. The offensive forward had dominated the high school level, but was relatively unproven given his lack of playing time with the USNTDP. He did make the cut as a member of Team USA at the most recent World Juniors, but failed to record a single point in seven games.
Cox reports that O’Brien will likely play for the Penticton Vees, a legendary BCHL program that has recently produced NHL players like Ryan Johansen, Troy Stecher, Tyson Jost, Dante Fabbro, and has a history that includes names like Paul Kariya, Duncan Keith and Brett Hull.
The Flyers could also sign O’Brien and bring him into the organization, but if they don’t wish to do that at this point they will still retain his exclusive negotiating rights. They will hold these until June 1st, 2022 even if he leaves school early.
Jacques Martin Linked To Buffalo Coaching Search
The Buffalo Sabres didn’t end up with Todd McLellan after a recent courting process, and have now been linked to several other names including out-of-the-box options. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN was on The Instigators on WGR550 in Buffalo and reported that Jacques Martin is a leading candidate for the job (quote via WGR550 producer Brayton J. Wilson):
This isn’t a news flash because it’s been speculated. I’m told that Jacques Martin is a top candidate in Buffalo, but he may be among them. There’s been speculation of Todd Richards, although a couple of days ago I got the sense that [Richards] is of interest and is certainly a candidate, but things weren’t heating up there. Maybe that’s changed in the last 24 hours, I don’t know that, but yesterday I was told that Jacques is considered a top candidate. We’ll see.
Martin is currently an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and John Shannon of Sportsnet also notes that the Ottawa Senators have asked for permission to talk to their old coach.
It is easy to see why Martin might be on GM Jason Botterill‘s short list, given the connection the two share from their days in Pittsburgh together. Botterill was an assistant GM for the team when Martin joined them in 2013, and the two enjoyed consecutive Stanley Cup wins together in 2016 and 2017. There is also the simple fact that Martin is an extremely experienced head coach, including a near decade behind the bench of the Senators and time leading the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens. His 613 regular season victories put him 20th all-time, though he never did win a Stanley Cup as a head coach.
There is also the idea that Martin could be the type of structured, defensive coach that the Sabres need. The team has struggled in their own end for years and failed to capitalize on their early season success in 2018-19. Rookie head coach Phil Housley is out after just two years, the fourth name that has come and gone without much success since Lindy Ruff was fired during the 2012-13 season.
Kevan Miller Remains Out For Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins will start their second round series in a few days, but won’t be getting a key member of their defense back in time. Kevan Miller has suffered a setback in his recovery and is now “week-to-week” according to Bruins GM Don Sweeney. The veteran defenseman did not play in a single game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.
Miller, 31, played just 39 games for the Bruins this season as he dealt with multiple injuries, but would be a welcome addition if he could find any level of health in the playoffs. The physical defenseman strengthens their right side and would give them an upgrade over the rotation of Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer. While Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo really carried the weight in the first round, Miller would help balance out the minutes as a reliable option.
Still, the Bruins defense was still good enough to hold the Maple Leafs to three goals in the pair of elimination games they faced at the end of the series. The top two pairings were put out time and again across from Toronto’s best players and almost shut them down completely when it mattered. Depending on what happens tonight in Washington the Bruins could head into the second round as the highest seed remaining in the playoffs and enjoy home ice advantage for as long as they keep playing.
Minor Transactions: 04/24/19
Two series came to an end last night as the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs will be heading home. With two more teams eliminated there will be a few minor moves over the next few days to fix rosters and prepare for the second round. As always, we’ll be right here to keep track of them.
- The Maple Leafs have returned Calle Rosen to the minor leagues where he will join the Toronto Marlies for their own playoff run. Rosen has been the Marlies best defenseman at times this season and won a Calder Cup with the team last year. He did not suit up for a game in the NHL playoffs, but may have a role on the team next season as Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey both head to unrestricted free agency.
- The Nashville Predators have sent Niclas Westerholm to the Milwaukee Admirals, after he served as the team’s third goaltender in the playoffs. The Admirals already have starting options, but after allowing 13 goals in the first two games of their series against the Iowa Wild perhaps they’ll consider Westerholm for game 3 on Thursday evening.