Carolina Hurricanes Sign Seth Jarvis
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed their top draft choice, inking Seth Jarvis to a three-year entry-level contract. Jarvis was recently one of the final cuts from Team Canada for the World Juniors and is awaiting the start of the WHL season. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Seth is an extremely talented player with elite puck skills and scoring ability. He has a very bright future, and we are excited to watch him continue his development into an NHL player.
Jarvis, 18, was the 13th overall selection in this year’s draft after his outstanding 2019-20 season with the Portland Winterhawks. The Winnipeg-born center had 42 goals and 98 points in 58 games, finishing second in WHL scoring behind only Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Beckman. Unfortunately, he’s one of the top prospects that now hasn’t played a competitive game in nearly ten months, unless you count the intra-squad games at Canada’s WJC selection camp.
That long wait is important to remember when considering this contract. Though most top picks are quickly inked to their entry-level deals, it may be even more important for a player like Jarvis. Should the WHL cancel the season at any point, he would likely be eligible to join the AHL. Even before that he could potentially stick around with the Hurricanes on their taxi squad, learning from the NHL players that will one day be his teammates. Of course, his deal will only actually kick in if he plays in seven games with Carolina. It will likely slide forward as he continues his development.
League Notes: OHL, Stadium Series, Schedule
The OHL has pushed back the start of their season even further, with many now questioning whether it will happen at all. The entire province of Ontario will go into a lockdown on December 26, leading to a decision by the junior league to push things back indefinitely.
If the league does eventually cancel the season, it will be a lost year for many prospects trying to further their development. In that scenario, those that are already under NHL contracts could potentially join the team’s taxi squad or report to the AHL (should there be a minor league season). Those that are not signed could potentially also sign amateur contracts with the AHL like they often do after the CHL season ends, but it appears as though many will just lose an entire year of play. For draft-eligible juniors, that will only confuse their stock even more, perhaps leading to some wildly different evaluations come draft day.
- The NHL has postponed the 2021 Stadium Series game that was set to be held at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on February 20. Though that comes as no surprise, it is just another disappointment in a long year of them. The Carolina Hurricanes have never been involved in an outdoor game and will have to wait even longer for their first appearance. The league does say it “intends to return to North Carolina for this signature event in the near future.”
- The league will release the full schedule for the upcoming season later today, which is expected to include short baseball-like series between teams. An earlier report even indicated that there could even be four-game segments between teams, though that seems to be the exception, not the rule. Leaks for opening night opponents have continued to spring up, including one recent report from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet that indicates the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers could play on January 13.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Roland McKeown
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed restricted free agent defenseman Roland McKeown to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $700K at the NHL level, but it doesn’t seem that will ever be paid out. McKeown has immediately been loaned to Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement on the move:
Roland had a solid season in the AHL last season and it is important that he get back on the ice to continue his development. Playing in the Swedish league is a great opportunity for him to do just that.
This is an extremely interesting move, given that so many other AHL-bound prospects are still sitting around wondering where they will be playing this season. If the minor league isn’t able to put together a plan, we could see a hurried exodus of talent to Europe in order to fill the few foreign spots available. McKeown looks like he’ll have a head start and should be able to get in a good chunk of development overseas.
The 24-year-old defenseman has played ten games at the NHL level in the past, but spent both 2018-19 and 2019-20 entirely in the AHL. Selected 50th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, he arrived in Carolina via a trade for Andrej Sekera less than a year later. While he hasn’t been able to crack the Hurricanes blueline, that may be more to do with the strength of the NHL group than his own play, which though inconsistent at times has still been strong for the Charlotte Checkers. In 61 games last season he recorded 24 points.
Sweden’s 2020 World Junior Roster Announced
The last World Junior Championship roster to be announced among the usual top five powerhouse countries belongs to Sweden. The Swedish squad set to take the ice in Edmonton later this month contains a number of talented recent NHL draft picks and has depth at every position. Although Sweden must still cut one player before play begins, here is their all but finalized roster:
F Oscar Bjerselius (undrafted)
F Arvid Costmar (VAN)
F Noel Gunler (CAR)
F Emil Heineman (FLA)
F Simon Holmstrom (NYI)
F Alexander Holtz (NJD)
F Oskar Kvist (undrafted)
F Theodor Niederbach (DET)
F Zion Nybeck (CAR)
F Oskar Olausson (2021)
F Lucas Raymond (DET)
F Albin Sundsvik (ANA)
F Elmer Soderblom (DET)
F Jonathan Wikstrom (undrafted)
D Emil Andrae (PHI)
D Gustav Berglund (DET)
D Tobias Bjornfot (LAK)
D Philip Broberg (EDM)
D Alex Brannstam (undrafted)
D Helge Grans (LAK)
D Ludvig Hedstrom (undrafted)
D Albert Johansson (DET)
D Victor Soderstrom (ARI)
G Hugo Alnefelt (TBL)
G Calle Clang (PIT)
G Jesper Wallstedt (2021)
Sweden’s roster contains 19 existing NHL prospects, including a ton of high 2020 draft picks. With a number of top selections in the mix, this is a talented team that should make a splash. However, the name to keep an eye on may be 2021 prospect Wallstedt, who will look to top fellow WJC participants Spencer Knight and Yaroslav Askarov not only with his play in the tournament but also by cracking the top ten in the draft this year.
It’s hard to miss Detroit’s presence on this roster; the Red Wings account for five members of Sweden’s entry, more prospects on one team than any other NHL club this year. Among the other dozen teams represented on the “Three Crowns” roster are the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings, who each have a pair of difference-makers in play.
Overseas Notes: Guskov, Kochetkov, Postma
Minnesota Wild prospect Matvey Guskov has reversed course on his development plan, and in a big way. The 19-year-old Russian forward, a fifth-round pick in 2019, has spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the London Knights. Even after an off-season trade to the North Bay Battalion, there was no indication that Guskov planned to leave North America. Whether due to the delayed start to the OHL season or for some other reason, that has now changed. Guskov has signed with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow, the top team of the program that he grew up in. However, this is not just until the OHL season resumes or even just for the 2020-21 season. CSKA has announced a three-year contract with Guskov, keeping him in Russia – and away from Minnesota – until at least 2023. The Wild are no strangers to playing the waiting game with Russian prospects; the club was finally able to sign 2015 pick turned KHL superstar Kirill Kaprizov this year. CSKA is one of the KHL’s best clubs and Guskov could very well beneift from his time spent there. However, it has to be frustrating for Minnesota to have another talented player skip out of team control and into the Russian void, especially one that seemed committed to the North American development route.
- Since he was selected in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, things have not gone according to plan for goaltender Petr Kotchetkov. The Hurricanes were happy to take the overager early in the second round in 2019 after he dominated the Russian minor league VHL and looked strong in a pair of KHL starts. However, he failed to take a step forward last season; his VHL numbers improved, but he struggled in his KHL opportunities and was eventually traded away by powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. His play improved somewhat with Vityaz Podolsk, but he was still demoted to the junior-level MHL for some time as well, where he continued to struggle. So far this season, Kotchetkov had played exclusively on the KHL with Vityaz, however his play has again failed to live up to expectations. As a result, Kotchektov has been demoted to the VHL. He is headed back to HK Ryazan, the same team he made his name with in his draft year, showing full circle how the prospect has failed to improve since then. With a very weak pipeline in net and questions at the NHL level in the immediate future, the Hurricanes need to decide whether Kotchetkov, 21, is still their potential goalie of the future and if so may need to bring him over to North America soon to try to get him back on track.
- Defenseman Paul Postma has been unable to stay in one place for very long since leaving the NHL and is on the move again. The veteran over more than 200 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins, Postma left North America 2017-18 after he was used sparingly by the Bruins. He landed with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, where he was an All-Star and one of the best defensemen in the league in 2018-19. He jumped to Metallurg Magnitogosk last summer on a lucrative one-year deal, but ended up leaving the club early in the season. He eventually signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA where he was again a productive player on the blue line. Yet, Postma opted not to stay in Switzerland either. Possibly waiting for an NHL offer, Postma has remained a free agent well into the seasons of many European leagues. He has finally landed with Austrian club Klagenfurter AC, where he should again be a dominant presence on a one-year deal. What happens after this contract expires is anyone’s guess, but Postma should have his pick in Europe if the interest in North America continues to be underwhelming.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Carolina Hurricanes
Current Cap Hit: $80,567,739 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Martin Necas (two years, $863K)
F Andrei Svechnikov (one year, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Necas: $537.5K
Svechnikov: $2.65MM
Total: $3.1875MM
Svechnikov didn’t waste much time becoming an integral part of Carolina’s attack to the point where GM Don Waddell said one of his top priorities this offseason would be trying to sign the winger to an extension. It would come with a significant price tag as he’d undoubtedly be looking for $7MM or more on a long-term deal to sign now, even in this marketplace. It’s hard to see both sides hitting a number they like and accordingly, a bridge contract may be the end result, something Waddell has previously suggested. Necas was eased in much slower than Svechnikov (he became a regular in his third professional season with the first two sliding) and the patience the Hurricanes showed was certainly wise as he was a capable middle-six forward in his first full campaign. If he can emerge as a full-time option in their top six, he could be a candidate to bypass a bridge contract although what happens with other players on their current roster could force their hand.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Ryan Dzingel ($3.375MM, UFA)
F Warren Foegele ($2.15MM, RFA)
D Dougie Hamilton ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($2MM, UFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.1MM, UFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.4MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($3.125MM, UFA)
D Joakim Ryan ($700K, UFA)
Dzingel was brought in to be a capable secondary scorer and wound up signing what looked like a good value contract at the time. What a difference a year can make. He struggled to find his footing offensively and it got to the point where he started out the playoffs as a healthy scratch. With minimal roster turnover, he may not have a better opportunity this coming season so he appears to be a candidate that will be taking a sizable cut in pay. McGinn and Martinook are quality defensive forwards but consistent offense isn’t their calling card. These types of role players have been hit hard this offseason and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of them have to take a dip as well to stick around. Foegele took a step forward in his production last season though his physical play took a step backwards. If he can bring that element back and maintain his output, he becomes the type of power forward that demand always outweighs supply and players like that often do well in arbitration which he’ll be eligible for.
Hamilton is the other big offseason priority that Waddell has frequently spoken about and for good reason. For years, he has shown flashes of dominance but the consistency wasn’t always there. Last season, it was and he appeared to be on his way towards a Norris-caliber season before a broken fibula ended his season prematurely and to make matters worse, a summer training injury stopped him from being ready for the start of the playoffs although he did eventually make it back. When he’s on, he has played like a number one defender and he’ll want to be paid like one to sign now. Alex Pietrangelo’s $8.8MM price tag is the new benchmark in this market and while Hamilton won’t be able to get quite that much, something around $1MM lower is achievable. Ryan logged more than 19 minutes a game in limited action with Los Angeles a year ago but is likely to be the seventh defender, a position that Carolina will likely look to keep as cheap as possible with some big-ticket contracts on the horizon.
The Hurricanes have faced plenty of questions with their choice to go with the tandem of Mrazek and Reimer instead of a more proven option but they received a decent performance from the pair a year ago and with the quality of their back end, not bringing in a high-priced starter makes some sense. Neither netminder has made a strong case for a big raise on their next contracts, nor are they facing a big hit in pay either. As a result, with Carolina’s financial structure, it seems quite possible that the two could be brought back a year from now at a similar price if they can’t land a more proven starter.
Two Years Remaining
D Haydn Fleury ($1.3MM, RFA)
F Nino Niederreiter ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Vincent Trocheck ($4.75MM, UFA)
Niederreiter was a great fit in his part season with Carolina after being acquired from Minnesota in 2019 but his first full year didn’t go as well. He’s a middle-six winger on this team and that’s a bit of a high price tag for someone in that role. However, as he showed after being traded, he is capable of reaching top-line production at times. Trocheck’s acquisition from Florida was largely surprising in that the cost to get him was low. He’s coming off of a couple of quieter years but if they want to continue to ease Necas in and have him on the wing Trocheck could slot in on the second line to start the season and would represent good value in that spot.
Fleury hasn’t quite lived up to his draft billing yet (seventh overall in 2014) but he spent all of last season with the Hurricanes, albeit in a limited role. However, when the playoffs came, he was a regular in the lineup. That helped earn him another short-term contract and if he can work his way into a full-time spot in the lineup, he’ll be in good shape for a small raise two years from now. Having said that, his earnings upside will be limited since he’s going to have a hard time moving any higher than third on the depth chart on the left side of their back end.
Three Years Remaining
F Jesper Fast ($2MM, UFA)
D Jake Gardiner ($4.05MM, UFA)
F Jordan Staal ($6MM, UFA)
Staal’s offensive production has dipped sharply the last couple of seasons to the point where he is best utilized as a checker in the bottom six. That puts his price tag on the high side and he’ll be hard-pressed to come close to that rate when he hits the open market at 35. Fast was one of the better bargains from this free agent class. He’s a good fit on the third line but can move up when needed and getting that for the price that they’re paying fourth liners was some nice work by Waddell.
Gardiner’s deal looked like a possible steal when he signed it last year but no one is calling it that now. He struggled considerably in the early going with the Hurricanes last season and didn’t put up his usual level of production to help offset some of his defensive struggles. The end result was him being on the third pairing and more or less right on the fringe of being a healthy scratch. This is a contract they’d undoubtedly like to move (which would open up a spot for promising youngster Jake Bean) but they’ll have quite a difficult time doing so.
Outdoor Games Being Discussed By Several NHL Teams
It’s about that time in an NHL/NHLPA negotiation (or, not negotiation) where things start to get weird. With the league still trying to figure out a way through the upcoming season, with the financial climate so dire for many teams and with players refusing to budge on the agreement they made a few months ago, all kinds of revenue streams are being discussed.
One of those, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, is the possibility of holding games outdoors where fans could potentially attend. Friedman writes today that at least four teams are “investigating the possibility” of outdoor games, listing the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Kings were apparently the first to consider the idea, though it’s important to note that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told James Mirtle of The Athletic last month that holding more outdoor games was unlikely.
Still, following Friedman’s report came one from Pierre LeBrun, who writes that it’s not just those four teams considering the idea of holding multiple outdoor events. The Penguins, Bruins, and Kings are on his list of teams that would be open to hosting or taking part in outdoor games, but so too are the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators.
It’s important to remember that even if the NHL caves and doesn’t amend the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed a few months ago, the players still would have to eventually pay back any salary that brings them over 50% of the hockey-related revenue. With no fans and very little revenue to be made, it seems likely that both sides would be open to out-of-the-box ideas like outdoor contests if it brought in ticket sales.
Still, those outdoor games also have a substantially increased cost, which is what Daly pointed out to Mirtle last month. As LeBrun writes, commissioner Gary Bettman is also worried that holding so many outdoor games could hurt the Winter Classic brand, which has been a success for the league in previous years. Those negatives may eventually win out in the end, but there is nothing stopping teams from exploring the option at this point.
Mikael Granlund Drawing Interest From Several NHL Clubs
Mikael Granlund is one of the most high-profile free agents still unsigned and his continued availability remains a major surprise. However, while he may not have a deal done, there continues to be interest from around the league. Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes are among the teams that remain interested in employing Granlund for next season.
In PHR’s Free Agent Profile of Granlund, we noted that the Blue Jackets made sense as a landing spot. In fact, they seemed like the best potential fit for the talented forward. Columbus had hoped to add multiple game-changing forwards this off-season and cleared the cap space to do so. Yet, thus far they have only added one impact forward in Max Domi and it cost them Josh Anderson. The Blue Jackets still have more than $9MM in cap space to spend this off-season. Re-signing RFA Pierre-Luc Dubois could eat up a considerable amount of that depending on the term that the two sides settle on, but Columbus could still find some flexibility to bring in Granlund as their second major addition up front.
Granlund would be a good fit in Carolina as well, but the calculus is far more difficult. The Hurricanes have under $1MM in cap space and that is only considering the salary committed to 22 players as it is. Without any LTIR candidates or obvious options to bury in the AHL, the Hurricanes would likely need to make a trade to offload some salary if they want to bring in Granlund. The team may be hesitant to make such a move seeing as their forward corps is already in pretty good shape heading into next season.
Strickland also mentions that the Nashville Predators are keeping tabs on Granlund, but cautions that a return to the team may not be the priority for the Preds as it likely wouldn’t be for Granlund either. Nashville has considerable cap space and the need at forward, but Granlund did not play very well with the club after coming over from the Minnesota Wild in 2018-19. This likely factors in to Strickland’s belief that the Predators are also interested in top remaining UFA Mike Hoffman and are more likely to sign him than Granlund. Granlund also seems more likely to opt for a fresh start outside of Nashville.
One team believed to be a good fit for Granlund but not specifically mentioned by Strickland are the Boston Bruins. Given their existing need for secondary scoring, the injury questions surrounding David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, and some familiarity for Granlund in ex-teamates Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith, the Bruins seem like a strong fit. However, they don’t appear to be at the top of Granlund’s list of suitors right now. Among the “other teams” that Strickland mentions but does not name could include the Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks and cap-comfortable rebuilding teams like the New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. At this point, any team who lands Granlund has a good chance of landing an elite player at a bargain rate.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes
We’ve now gotten past Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.
What are the Hurricanes most thankful for?
Stable(ish) ownership.
Yes, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon does have something of an “out-clause” in his ownership agreement, but as Sara Civian explained in a mailbag for The Athletic last month, it’s not really something for fans to worry about. Dundon has been great for Carolina overall, even if his methods have sometimes garnered negative attention from national media. The team is sitting in a strong position on the ice and he has given the front office the ability to spend right to the cap, even in this financial climate. The Hurricanes got everyone signed and will be paying Sebastian Aho more than $10.5MM this season thanks to his huge, signing-bonus laden contract.
The test will really come next year, when the team will enter negotiations with budding superstar Andrei Svechnikov on his next deal. After a brutal 2020, ownership all over the league will be tightening purse strings to try and balance things out. Will the Hurricanes be able to lock him up to an expensive, long-term deal? So far they’ve shown no sign of slashing player payroll, with more than $80MM committed to this season.
Who are the Hurricanes most thankful for?
At a time when those finances are so tight, one can only marvel at the contract that Slavin is under. He’ll enter just the third season of a seven-year deal signed in 2017 that carries a $5.3MM cap hit, already an incredible bargain for a top-pairing defender in his prime. But because there was a potential threat of a lockout this year, Slavin’s deal is actually structured to have its lowest salary in 2020-21. He’s owed just $3.9MM for this season, giving the team a little more flexibility in a depressed economic climate.
Of course, it’s easy to point to him and say “good and cheap,” but that may undercut just how valuable Slavin has been on the ice for Carolina. The 26-year-old scored 36 points in 68 games this season, all while continuing to be an incredible defensive player and logging more than 23 minutes a night for the Hurricanes. Those impressive numbers earned him a fifth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting, while the incredibly-low total of ten penalty minutes landed him fourth in the Lady Byng vote. Slavin is just entering the years in which defensemen are usually at their best, meaning he could have even more to give on the ice. Locked up for the next five years, he was recently listed as one of the most valuable assets in the league by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic.
What would the Hurricanes be even more thankful for?
A Dougie Hamilton extension.
Because Slavin is so effective at such a reasonable price and the Hurricanes have some money coming off the books after this season, a Hamilton extension is a realistic possibility. GM Don Waddell explained last month that he hoped to reach a deal before this season got underway, though it is not clear if that will actually happen. Even if it doesn’t happen immediately, a new deal for Hamilton would lock in what is one of the most impressive defensive corps in the league long-term. Slavin, Brady Skjei, Jake Gardiner, and Brett Pesce are already signed for at least three seasons, while Haydn Fleury is on a cheap two-year bridge deal and Jake Bean won’t have arbitration rights. Of that group only Gardiner has reached his 30th birthday.
The question is whether or not Hamilton even wants an extension and whether he’d be looking for a long-term deal. The 27-year-old was on track to challenge for the Norris this season before he was injured (he still finished seventh in voting) with 14 goals and 40 points in his first 47 games. An analytical darling for years, Hamilton looked like he took another step offensively and was ready to show he is one of the most effective defensemen in the entire league. The threat of a shortened or even canceled season will be frustrating for both him and the Hurricanes, who are set to part ways without an extension of some sort. Hamilton carries a $5.75MM cap hit for this year, but that number is sure to increase on his next contract.
What should be on the Hurricanes’ holiday wish list?
A long-term answer in net.
James Reimer and Petr Mrazek are not it, simply. They’re both NHL goaltenders and shown an ability to put up very good numbers at times—they combined for a .931 in eight postseason games—but neither one has been consistent enough to hang a long-term extension on. With the strong roster the Hurricanes have put together, a legitimate top goaltender could potentially put them over the edge. They showed interest in Frederik Andersen earlier this summer and could potentially circle back if he hits the open market in the offseason, but what they really need is a younger option that can grow with the core and really put his stamp on the crease.
Cam Ward was that once, leading the team to a Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2006 and locking down the position for the next decade. But even Ward had his struggles and only played in one other postseason run. In a perfect scenario someone like Alex Nedeljkovic, the 2019 AHL Goaltender of the Year would be able to take a step forward and force himself onto the roster, but the Hurricanes may potentially have to look externally for their next netminder.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Shore Brothers To Play Overseas
For at least the next several weeks, Drew Shore will get to play with his brother. HK Dukla Trencin in Slovakia has signed both Drew and Nick Shore until the end of the calendar year.
Drew, 29, has been traveling the world the last few years, suiting up in several different countries after his NHL career petered out. He last played for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17, scoring just two points in 14 games. Though he was a second-round pick in 2009 by the Carolina Hurricanes, Drew ended up playing just 94 NHL games, a number dwarfed by his younger brother. He has a chance to catch up if he can somehow land himself a job with the Hurricanes, who signed him to a one-year two-way contract last month. He would likely return if training camp starts at some point in December.
Nick, 28, wasn’t drafted quite as high but ended up with a longer and more productive NHL career to this point. He played 63 games last season, split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, scoring six points. Nick is one regular season game shy of 300 for his career, though there is certainly no guarantee that he cracks that mark.
This offseason has been difficult for fringe NHL players like the Shore brothers, but Drew did land himself an NHL contract in the early part of free agency. Nick may have to settle for something similar, or perhaps take another year off from North America and search for a job overseas. In 2018-19, Nick played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, scoring 21 points in 43 games.