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Pacific Notes: Gusev, McDavid, Utica Comets

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The Vegas Golden Knights continue to get closer and closer to signing the KHL’s best player, Nikita Gusev. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Gusev is expected to arrive in Las Vegas tonight and could sign his one-year, entry-level deal as soon as tomorrow and should be ready to play not long after that. The Golden Knights are then expected to sign the then-restricted free agent to a long-term deal this summer.

In fact, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) analyzes what kind of impact the 26-year-old might have on the Vegas lineup, especially considering the star winger has little experience playing on North American hockey rinks and considering Vegas’ depth, there is no guarantee that head coach Gerard Gallant would play him when every game is so critical. Gallant said as much:

“I don’t know much about him. George (McPhee) mentioned it today. There are some reports out there. If he can join us then we’ll see what’s going to happen, but I don’t know the player well enough. Hopefully he does join us and he gets some practice time in with us, but I have no idea if that’s going to happen. It was first mentioned this morning to me.”

Granger suggests that Gusev could find himself eventually on the Golden Knights’ third line alongside Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch, but even as the team knows it will bring the great KHLer aboard, there is still quite a mystery surrounding him.

  • The Edmonton Oilers got some good news on star center Connor McDavid who suffered what looked to be a significant injury in their final regular season game last week. While he did suffer a small PCL tear in his knee, the injury will not require surgery and the superstar is expected to be ready for training camp, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Sportsnet’s John Shannon added that the injury will require three months of rehabilitation. The 22-year-old still had a career-high in points as he finished with 116, second in the league.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre wonders whether the Vancouver Canucks might make some changes at the AHL level this offseason. The Utica Comets were considered to be a fascinating team to keep an eye on this season as the franchise was loaded in young talent. However, few of those young players actually showed any improvement and two of them found their way out of the organization as prospect Petrus Palmu opted to return home, while Jonathan Dahlen forced a trade to San Jose. Both were unhappy with the playing time under Utica head coach Trent Cull. In fact a number of prospects struggled under Cull, including 2017 second-rounders Kole Lind (three goals) and Jonah Gadjovich (four goals). That could force general manager Jim Benning to look into the situation in Utica a little closer.

Western Notes: Bennett, Pacioretty, Wilson, Vesalainen, Demko

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The Calgary Flames’ Sam Bennett doesn’t have to worry about anything as Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that forward will not receive any supplementary discipline from the Department of Player Safety for his hit on Radim Simek Monday night.

With the Flames up 8-5 and with 25 seconds remaining in the game, Simek was passing a puck when he took a hit from Bennett. Simek stayed down on the ice for some time before leaving the game. There was no medical update after the game.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights got some good news as winger Max Pacioretty was on the ice for the pre-game skate, according to SinBin.Vegas. The veteran is not expected to return to the lineup today, but it’s an improvement as Pacioretty hasn’t been on the ice since he was injured on Dec. 17. Head coach Gerard Gallant said Pacioretty remains day-to-day, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Pacioretty has missed six games due to his lower-body injury, but the team hasn’t missed beat with Brandon Pirri taking his place in the lineup. The 30-year-old has 10 goals and 19 points in 30 games this season.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN writes that the Colorado Avalanche expect to get back winger Colin Wilson sooner than expected. The winger suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 22, but could be ready to play by next week. Wilson was playing well in a middle-six role and has eight goals and 13 goals this season.
  • Winnipeg Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen was named KHL Rookie of the Month for December, according to Pekka Jalonen of Iltalehti. The 2017 first-round pick started the season with the Jets and played five games, but after eight games in the AHL, opted to exercise a provision in his contract that allowed him to return to the Europe. He has four goals and 10 points in 13 games for Jokerit.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that after watching the impressive play of New Jersey Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who shutout the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 Monday, the Canucks should consider bringing up their own goalie prospect in Thatcher Demko. The 23-year-old is from the same draft as Blackwood and this might be the right time to give him an extended look, especially with the uninspiring play of Anders Nilsson as the team’s backup. Demko did miss the first two months of the season to injury, but he has posted a 2.63 GAA and a .909 save percentage and has little left to prove in Utica. The Canucks could consider moving Nilsson to a team in need of goalie depth before the trade deadline.

Pacific Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Stastny, Roussel

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It’s been a wildly inconsistent year for the Arizona Coyotes who have seen losing streaks like when they went 2-6-2 during one stretch, but have also had a four and a five-game winning streak as well this season. One issue has been the play of defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While his numbers have been similar to his yearly totals, coach Rick Tocchet wants to see more from his new captain, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required).

Tocchet wants to see Ekman-Larsson be the best player on the ice every game, which hasn’t always been the case. In the past 11 games, Ekman-Larsson has just three assists, which just isn’t enough for a team that still remains short on fire power. Tocchet needs Ekman-Larson to take that next step in his development after the team gave him a six-year, $33MM extension last March and named him captain during the offseason.

“There’s no question I want him to take charge,” Tocchet said. “In a 2-2 game when he gets the puck, I want him to walk the blue line with that look like, ‘I’m going to make the play’ or ‘I’m going to shoot the puck.’ When you have those games – and we’ve all seen those games — where you walk off and say, ‘Wow, 23! What a game out there!’ It’s when he’s engaged.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights could be ready to get back one of their injured players as center Paul Stastny, who has been seen getting some skating and practice times in, will join the team on their upcoming road trip which starts Wednesday in New York and may even get into the lineup at some point during the trip, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen.“Don’t be surprised if you see him early next week,” Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant said. Stastny has missed most of the season with a lower-body injury and has appeared in just three games so far this year. Stastny’s return should only add depth to a team that is still missing Erik Haula and has been forced to pair Max Pacioretty with third-liners Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch, although that line has fared quite well over the past few weeks.
  • While there was plenty of criticism during the offseason when the Vancouver Canucks signed forward Antoine Roussel to a four-year, $12MM deal, The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that Roussel is proving his value as he has quickly taken over the role that Derek Dorsett once had with the team. The 29-year-old has produced a bit on the ice as well with three goals, 12 points and 67 penalty minutes and is on-pace to eclipse his career high of 29 points. “The one thing about Roussel is his engine always runs hot and he’s always competing, and that reminds me a little bit of Dorsett,” Vancouver head coach Travis Green said. “They care about their teammates and want to win desperately. That’s part of the culture we’re trying to create.”

Pacific Notes: Pavelski, Schmidt, Carlyle, Juolevi

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Joe Pavelski has seen a number of teammates play through their expiring contracts and not let it affect them. Joe Thornton has done it twice in the last two seasons, while Patrick Marleau did it recently as well, although he opted to find a new home.

Now the San Jose Sharks’ center is in the exact same situation, explains Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The 34-year-old Pavelski is in the final year of a five-year, $30MM contract and so far, there have been no talks of an extension with the long-time Sharks’ veteran. Just like Thornton and Marleau at the time, the lack of a deal isn’t affecting Pavelski’s play as he’s put up 11 goals so far this season, which is already half way to the 22 goals he scored last year.

“(Thornton and Marleau) handled it different times throughout their careers, and they’ve handled it well,’ Pavelski said earlier this week. “Obviously, you probably understand some of the things that they’ve gone through in the past a little bit better. But they’ve never taken away from the group. It’s never been a distraction. You just respect them as people for how they want to contribute to the group.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights should get a defensive boost Sunday night when No. 1 defenseman Nate Schmidt returns to the team after sitting out with a 20-game suspension. However, Adam Hill of The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the return of Schmidt won’t be some magic elixir, however, for a struggling Vegas team that sits at 8-11-1 this season. However, Schmidt should help the team out in two key areas, offense and defense. “He’s one of our best players so he’s going to make a difference all over the ice — I hope,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “Always a solid guy, moves the puck, skates well. You know what kind of player he is and he’s a big part of our group, so hopefully he’s going to make a big difference.”
  • With an 8-9-4 record, many people wouldn’t be surprised if the Anaheim Ducks chose to make a coaching change and move on from head coach Randy Carlyle. However, while that thought is apparent in the Ducks’ locker room, Carlyle isn’t worrying about his job. “We’re at the 20-game mark and we said that you do an evaluation of where you’re at with our group. We’ve been inconsistent and nobody’s going to be here waving the banners but we have some positives within that group too,” Carlyle said. “We have some players that have never played before now (and) have some NHL games and NHL experience. We’re not that far away from the pack. We’re still hanging around. The key is now is to stay with the pack until we can get our group playing at a higher level and having some personnel back that we can grow our group as a team. We haven’t created an identity for our hockey club yet, and that’s been the most frustrating part for us.”
  • Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the play of defenseman Olli Juolevi, who has been putting up quite a few points in his first season with the Utica Comets of the AHL, and wonders when the Canucks may be ready to bring the prospect up to the NHL squad. So far, Juolevi has 13 points in 16 games and the Canucks, who lack any offensive weapons on defense, could really use one for a team that has fared quite well so far this season with a 10-9-2 record so far. However, defense is also an issue as the 20-year-old sports a minus-11. Utica assistant coach Gary Agnew admits that he needs time to develop his game still. “Certainly he’s not fully responsible for all those minuses, Agnew said. “But when there’s a little bit of a trend, there’s a trend. Obviously it’s a part of the game that we’re working hard with him at, and he’s very receptive to coaching. He’s eager to learn and he wants to be better. He’s doing all the things that you hope a high prospect does, in terms of his coachability.”

Erik Haula Out Month-To-Month

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When Vegas Golden Knights forward Erik Haula went down after absorbing a hit from Patrick Marleau of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it immediately looked as though he was facing serious injury. Haula shouted in pain as he clutched his leg, which had been caught underneath him as he fell. A stretcher was brought onto the ice to get him to safety, and today Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant described the injury as “month-to-month.” Haula is on injured reserve, and is facing a long recovery period.

The Golden Knights have gotten off to a rough start in their second season, currently sitting at 7-10-1 and only ahead of the hapless Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. That at least is in part due to the injury troubles they’ve had up front, missing players like Paul Stastny, Alex Tuch and now Haula for long stretches. Add that to Nate Schmidt’s absence from his PED suspension and the team hasn’t been able find the same magic it had all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. That’s a tough position for a team that invested heavily this offseason in their core and went out to acquire players like Stastny and Max Pacioretty at great cost. Every team deals with injury, but they’ll need to find a way around these quickly or risk being left behind in the Western Conference playoff race.

For Haula, it’s a tough break for a player right in his prime. The 27-year old forward scored 29 goals last season after being given a bigger role in Vegas, and was off to a fine start with seven points in his first 15 games. After signing a three-year, $8.25MM deal with the Golden Knights during the expansion draft process, he was setting himself up for a huge contract in the summer of 2020 when he would be an unrestricted free agent still under the age of 30. Now he’ll have to try and work through this injury recovery and rediscover that scoring touch or risk being left out in the cold by a Golden Knights salary structure that is getting more and more crowded.

Pacific Notes: Suomela, Pacioretty, Eaves

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The San Jose Sharks have done a nice job of re-making their roster over the past year, adding players like Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane to an already talented roster, but one area the team still needs help in is that the center position, particularly the third-line center position that was vacated by Chris Tierney when the Sharks traded him to the Ottawa Senators in the Karlsson move, according to Paul Gackle of The Mercury News.

After starting the season with Finnish import Antti Suomela for the first 13 games, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said he intends to sit Suomela and look at other options for that spot.

“I felt good until the last two games about our four-line game,” said DeBoer. “The answer to (the Tierney question) is internally in here. It’s just about guys grabbing that job and that opportunity.”

DeBoer believes that there are three in-house candidates who can take that center spot on the third line, including Suomela, Rourke Chartier and Dylan Gambrell. DeBoer hasn’t given up on Suomela being the answer, but notes that many players struggle after the first exciting stretch of games.

“You hit a little bit of a wall,” said DeBoer. “You take your foot off the gas a little bit. He’s out tonight and we’ll reset. He knows he can play in this league. He knows he can create offense in this league, but there’s a consistency to that compete level every night that maybe in some other leagues you don’t need. That’s something you have to learn.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights believe winger Max Pacioretty is close to returning as the 29-year-old was a full participant in Saturday’s morning skate and while he is not playing in Saturday’s game against Carolina, is expected to join the team on their upcoming four-game roadtrip, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Pacioretty has missed three straight games after taking a severe hit from Tampa Bay Lighning defenseman Braydon Coburn and is still listed as day-to-day. “Everything’s going real well,” coach Gerard Gallant said after practice. “He told me it’s going in the right direction. It’s a good sign.”
  • While Anaheim Ducks forward Patrick Eaves didn’t do anything significant in his first game back Thursday since missing all but two games last year due to illness and injury, but the veteran forward feels that he can make a difference for a struggling Ducks’ team. Even though expectations are low for Eaves, the 34-year-old veteran had a 32-goal season in 2016-17 and is capable of sparking the offense. “It’s hard to put any expectations on him other than, hopefully, he survives, gets through it and gets his feet underneath him,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s going to take him some time, so I’m going to withhold my assessment until maybe after the next game.”

Pacific Notes: Karlsson, Carlyle, Vilardi, Pacioretty

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San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer broke up the defensive pairing of Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the third period of Tuesday’s game. He then changed up all the defensive lines Friday and Karlsson once again was not playing next to Vlasic. It might seem that the merger of two defensive stars might be done, yet The Mercury News’ Paul Gackle writes that this is nothing more than a bump in the road for the Sharks and their elite pairing.

Gackle writes that DeBoer is well known for shaking up lines, either on offense or defense if the team is struggling, and this is no different. The belief is that for Karlsson to be the offensive force that the Sharks need, they need Vlasic to take a more defensive approach to his game and play more like Marc Methot, the defensive defenseman who was paired with Karlsson for many years in Ottawa.

With just a few weeks of the season underway, DeBoer is well aware that Karlsson needs time to adjust as will Vlasic who they still believe is the perfect complement to Karlsson.

  • Josh Cooper of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Anaheim Ducks shouldn’t put too much blame on head coach Randy Carlyle, who has had a successful stint in his second tenure as head coach. However, while Carlyle has done quite a bit with certain key players such as Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler in the last few years, if the team cannot rebound from this, there could be a coaching change in store at some point this season, although the scribe believes that Carlyle will be given every opportunity to right the ship.
  • Fox Sports Jon Rosen writes that the Los Angeles Kings got some good news on the injury front as the team is starting to integrate prospect Gabriel Vilardi into practice last week and although he’s wearing a non-contact sweater, it’s a positive step for the 19-year-old, who missed both training camp and the start of the season with back problems. The team’s 2017 first-round pick struggled through back problems last year at this time and missed the first half of the season before finally being returned to juniors to finish out his season. He contributed 22 goals and 56 points in just 32 games with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. With the Kings in desperate need of offense this year, the team hopes that Vilardi can make a seamless transition to the NHL and contribute at some point soon.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have declared winger Max Pacioretty out for Sunday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Pacioretty, who took a big hit to the head during Friday’s game against Tampa Bay, is listed as day-to-day still. Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen reports that he asked Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant whether the 29-year-old was in concussion protocol. Gallant’s response: “He’s got an upper-body injury.” Tomas Hyka will be in the lineup in place of Pacioretty. He has no points in five games.

Pacific Notes: Gibson, Tuch, Eriksson, Thornton

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The Anaheim Ducks know they can’t keep relying on the play of goaltender John Gibson, who has saved the team with his impressive play. Most recently Gibson sustained a 44-shot performance on Saturday (many of which were high-danger shots) against the Golden Knights, who walked away with a 3-1 win. Gibson wasn’t thrilled with the team’s inability to keep those shots down, according to The Athletic’s Josh Cooper (subscription required).

“I think we just need to be better. It’s getting old,” Gibson said with a little smirk after the 3-1 loss where he made 42 saves and his team managed just 18 shots on goal. “You see the game. You can see what we’re doing. It’s pretty self explanatory. We’re not playing to the level that I think we’re capable of playing and I think we’re just being too satisfied with just being average.”

Anaheim remains in first place in the Pacific Division at 5-2-1, but are dead last in the NHL in shots allowed as they have yielded an average of 37.0 shots per game. Gibson has been able to protect the team with his play as he boasts a .949 save percentage in his seven appearances and has a 1.91 GAA so far, but it’s unlikely he can keep that up.

“We’re not playing the right way,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’re loose in coverage and we’re not competitive enough and when you’re not competitive enough it means they’re starting with the puck and winning more of those battles and they have the puck more than you do.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights finally got winger Alex Tuch back on the ice Sunday as the practiced with the team in a non-contact sweater, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Tuch, who just signed a seven-year, $33.25MM contract, hasn’t appeared in a game for Vegas this season. The 22-year-old has been out since Sept. 30 with an injury. With that new deal in hand, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) wonders how good Tuch can actually be, considering the team only has his rookie season’s numbers of 15 goals and 37 points, which mostly had him on the team’s third line. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder is great at getting into the corners and doing the dirty work and the scribe compares him to a young Milan Lucic, who also put up similar numbers as a rookie and eventually become a consistent 20-goal scorer for years. “We’re expecting him to get better every year, and we’re expecting big things from him this year and he should be back soon,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s a good young player but he has to keep getting better. He’s not elite yet. He’s far from elite, and we want him to get to be elite someday.”
  • With no goals in eight games, there has been quite a bit of criticism that has been thrown at Vancouver Canucks winger Loui Eriksson, the team’s highest paid player at $6MM per year. Regardless head coach Travis Green vigorously defended his veteran forward on Saturday, according to TSN’s Jeff Patterson. “He’s second on our team in 5-on-5 points and second in plus-minus and it’s seven games, not 50,” said Green. “He’s on the second power-play unit and not the first. He has done some good things and it’s not just about goals with Loui. There a lots of guys I want more out of and if I say I want more out of Loui, everyone is up in arms about it. I thought he was playing good with Elias Pettersson. He was good defensively and does some subtle things that people don’t notice — nor does he get recognition for – and I’m not worried about Eriksson, I can tell you that.”
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that center Joe Thornton remains day-to-day after he was placed on injured reserve due to swelling in his surgically repaired knee. However, the 39-year-old is expected to travel with the team for their upcoming three-game road trip. “I don’t know if he’ll play or not,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. Thornton, however, said he hopes to play this week.

Paul Stastny Out Up To Two Months

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The whole league seems to be getting hit hard by injury lately, and the Vegas Golden Knights are no different. Head coach Gerard Gallant revealed today that Paul Stastny will be out up to two months with his latest lower-body injury. Jesse Granger of The Athletic believes it was suffered on a play at the end of the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, though it wasn’t expected to be very severe at the time.

Stastny, 32, was brought in this summer as a replacement for some of the outgoing talent in free agency. With James Neal and David Perron heading for greener pastures elsewhere, Stastny signed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Golden Knights and then saw his friend and international linemate Max Pacioretty added through trade. Things looked set up for success in Vegas, but after being held scoreless through three games Stastny now faces a long recovery period and some diminished totals for 2018-19.

The center hit the 50-point mark last season for the first time in several years, mainly because he finally had remained healthy. Stastny played in all 82 games for the first time since his rookie year in 2006-07, but won’t be able to repeat that feat this season. That’s troubling for the Golden Knights who have quite a bit of money invested in the veteran forward, and were expecting to have their second line built around him this season. Instead, Erik Haula has moved back to the middle of that unit and could get Alex Tuch back on his wing soon. Not exactly the start of the season the Golden Knights were hoping for, but one they’ll have to deal with for at least a little while.

Pacific Notes: Brannstrom, Goldobin, Rattie, Suomela

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The Vegas Goldent Knights are in a much different situation than they were a season ago when there were little to no expectations in front of them. The team made the decision to protect their young prospects, returning them all to juniors as well as sending several key prospects such as Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL at the start of the season to protect as many of their players as possible.

However, this year looks like a whole different story. With the team without Nate Schmidt for 20 games and Theodore, who is holding out without a contract, there are many opportunities available to their young defensive prospects and several of them remain in camp, including Erik Brannstrom, Nicolas Hague and Jake Bischoff and it’s possible the team may keep one of them. Ken Boehlke of SinBin Vegas writes that head coach Gerard Gallant may have tipped his hand when asked about the prospects today.

“It’s always been we’re taking our best players,” said Gallant. “It’s not like the situation we had last year, if that’s what your trying to get to, it’s not like that situation, we want to win it’s a completely different scenario than it was last year.”

At the moment, the scribe writes that Brannstrom, the Golden Knights’ 15th-overall pick in 2017 is the leading candidate to win a NHL job. However, Hague, the team’s second-rounder in 2017, has also been extremely impressive on the power play.

  • J.D. Burke of The Athletic (subscription required) released his stock report and writes that Vancouver Canucks winger Nikolay Goldobin has really impressed the team in the preseason and has his stock soaring high. The winger had a strong end-run with the Canucks late last season and the team had hoped that the 22-year-old might continue that streak this year. Goldobin has thrived on the team’s first line next to rookie Elias Pettersson and veteran Sven Baertschi. He’s improved his play and has proven to be both fitter and faster this season.
  • Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun writes that the Edmonton Oilers should be happy with the impressive play of many of their young wingers, including Ty Rattie, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi. Rattie may be the most impressive player so far as the 25-year-old has potted four goals and three assists in just two preseason games and is expected to play on the team’s first line alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins when the regular season begins.
  • When the San Jose Sharks included center Chris Tierney in the Erik Karlsson trade with the Ottawa Senators, it opened up a spot in the Sharks lineup and two youngsters are quietly fighting hard for that center position, according to The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. Both Antti Suomela and Rourke Chartier have been impressive in recent preseason games as Suomela had two goals and an assist in his second preseason game on Thursday, while Chartier has had a goal and three assists in two games. Suomela came over from Finland’s Liiga after posting 43 goals over the last two seasons there. Cartier suffered through an injury-plagued season with the San Jose Barracuda in which he played in just 28 games, but still produced 21 points in that time.

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