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Overseas Signings: LaDue, Brooks, Reinke

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A few players with NHL games under their belt have headed overseas within the past 24 hours:

  • After nearly breaking out as a roster regular with the Kings before the pandemic, Paul LaDue’s days in the NHL appear to be over. MoDo of the Swedish Hockey League has signed the 31-year-old defenseman to a one-year deal. LaDue is coming off a two-year, two-way deal with the Islanders that was spent entirely on assignment to AHL Bridgeport. The North Dakota native was once a solid puck-mover at the AHL level during his days in the Los Angeles system, but his offense dried up with the Isles, going without a goal and registering only 16 assists combined over 93 games the past two years. LaDue last suited up in the NHL with the Islanders in 2021-22, his lone appearance in a New York sweater. The other 69 of his 70 career NHL games came in L.A., where he scored five times and added 13 assists for 18 points in parts of four seasons.
  • Center/left winger Adam Brooks is heading to Germany on a one-year deal with EHC Munich of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Brooks, 28, heads to Europe for the first time after spending the first seven years of his professional career in North America, primarily in the AHL. Like Ladue, he hasn’t seen NHL ice since 2021-22, instead suiting up for the past two seasons with AHL Lehigh Valley while under contract with the Flyers. Brooks posted 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 43 NHL games for the Canadiens, Golden Knights, Jets and Maple Leafs from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
  • Still in the DEL, Eisbären Berlin has inked right-shot defender Mitch Reinke to a one-year contract. Injuries limited Reinke to just 25 games with AHL Coachella Valley last season after he signed a two-way deal with the Kraken late in the offseason. The 28-year-old has just one NHL game to his name, coming with the Blues back in 2017-18 after they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech. Since then, the entirety of his pro career has been spent in the AHL, although he did also make one playoff appearance for the Blues in 2021 after spending a good chunk of the COVID-shortened season on the taxi squad. Reinke is a good puck-mover and strong skater and, if healthy, should be able to rehab his value in Germany and potentially earn another NHL contract next summer.

Minor Transactions: 7/13/24

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The hockey summer has entered a standstill, with moves around Europe headlining much of the news. We’ll keep track of the notable signings here:

  • Starting in North America, former St. Louis Blues forward prospect Keean Washkurak has signed a one-year, minor league deal with the Belleville Senators. Washkurak entered unrestricted free agency this summer, after not receiving a qualifying offer from St. Louis. He didn’t have much to show prospective new teams, with just four goals and 10 points in 63 AHL games last season. It was another low-scoring and low-minutes year for Washkurak, who’s totaled a measly 46 points across 176 AHL games since turning pro in 2020. He’s so far spent his career on two two-way NHL contracts with the Blues – a status that he’ll now have to work his way back to with Belleville.
  • Goaltender Zane McIntyre has signed a one-year deal with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL, Germany’s top league. The move ends McIntyre’s nine-year tour around the AHL; a trip that took him through stops with six different clubs, including the Providence Bruins and Iowa Wild. McIntyre has generally filled a backup role throughout his career, ultimately totaling 153 wins and a .908 save percentage in 300 AHL games. He’s now set for his first full year in Europe, though he did spend a brief six games with the KHL’s Dynamo Riga during the 2020-21 season.
  • Kyle Keyser is joining the string of goaltenders moving internationally, signing a one-year deal with the Kunlun Red Star, China’s KHL club. Keyser has spent the last six seasons with the Providence Bruins, though he’s split his time between the roles of AHL backup and ECHL starter. The 25-year-old Keyser has totaled 29 wins and a .902 in 73 AHL games and 16 wins and a .891 in 42 ECHL across his career. He’ll fight for better production in a more prominent role with Kunlun.

* This post will be updated throughout the day.

Morning Notes: KHL, Megna, Damiani

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Legalities in how Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League operates have become important in recent months. Their relationship with the IIHF and Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) left their clubs open to sanctions when KHL side CSKA Moskva signed Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov to a two-year contract last summer despite his having a valid contract with Philadelphia. That will no longer be the case, as the KHL released a statement yesterday announcing that they’ve gained independence from the IIHF and FHR, giving them a similar status internationally as the NHL. In doing so, KHL clubs no longer need IIHF permission or governance to sign players from foreign leagues – likely the biggest reason for the move. In their statement, the league said they’ll “continue to respect the validity of contracts of other leagues” and that “Experience with the NHL shows that both parties continue to fulfill their obligations even in the absence of a signed Memorandum.”

Other updates to kick off your Wednesday:

  • The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have signed UFA forward Jayson Megna to a two-year contract, the team announced yesterday. Megna, 34, spent last season on a two-way deal with the Bruins, which yielded a lone call-up for their final game of the regular season. The Fort Lauderdale native spent parts of four seasons with the Eagles while under contract with the Avalanche from 2019-20 to 2022-23, posting 82 points (41 goals, 41 assists) in 103 games. The Nebraska-Omaha product has 204 NHL appearances under his belt since making his debut with the Penguins back in 2013-14, amassing 12 goals, 21 assists and 33 points with a -28 rating in fourth-line minutes.
  • Former Flames and Stars prospect Riley Damiani is taking his talents overseas on a one-year deal with Augsburger Panther of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga, per a club announcement. The 24-year-old pivot was a Dallas fifth-round pick in 2018, but after parts of five seasons with their AHL affiliate, he was traded to the Flames for Emilio Pettersen at this year’s trade deadline. Damiani finished the season with only one goal in 14 games while on assignment to AHL Calgary and wasn’t given a qualifying offer upon the expiration of his contract last month, making him a UFA. Damiani made seven NHL appearances for Dallas back in 2021-22, posting a goal and an assist while averaging 8:32 per game.

DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg Sign Phil Varone

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The Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga have signed veteran forward Phil Varone to a one-year deal, the team announced. This will mark Varone’s second straight season in Germany after he spent 2023-24 with Düsseldorfer EG.

Varone continued to serve as a top-flight scoring threat in leagues outside the NHL, posting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 34 games for Düsseldorf until his season ended in early January due to injury. His 0.79 points per game were right around his AHL career average and were his best in a single season since taking his talents overseas four years ago.

The speedy but undersized 33-year-old likely could have landed a two-way NHL contract this summer from a team looking to boost its organizational depth and add an experienced call-up option but will instead opt for some more stability in Germany. He hasn’t played in the same country in back-to-back seasons since his two campaigns with the Flyers organization in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

A fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2009, Varone had 415 points in 521 career games in the AHL, playing in the Buffalo, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh organizations before packing up for Europe. He logged NHL time with the first three, scoring eight goals and 17 points across 97 career appearances between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Varone never signed his entry-level pact with San Jose, instead becoming a free agent and later landing with the Sabres on an ELC in 2012.

While he was never a true NHL regular, he did challenge for the role with Philly in the 2018-19 campaign, playing in more than half of his NHL team’s games for the only time in his career with seven points in 47 appearances in a fourth-line role. He was coming off a 23-goal, 70-point campaign in 74 games with AHL Lehigh Valley the year prior that earned him AHL First All-Star Team honors as well as the Les Cunningham Award for league MVP. Since last suiting up in the AHL in 2019-20, he’s played for the KHL’s Barys Nur-Sultan and Spartak Moskva, as well as the Swiss National League’s Lausanne HC and SC Bern in addition to his time in Germany.

Afternoon Notes: Jeannot, Parekh, Bourque

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Winger Tanner Jeannot is once again facing trade rumors, as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to clear enough cap space for a serviceable off-season. The team is facing the loss of their franchise player Steven Stamkos with just $5MM in cap space – not nearly enough to afford the services of the future Hall-of-Famer. That could push them to try and move Jeannot’s $2.665MM cap hit, though Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times shares that there’s been no legitimate discussions of a move just yet. Though Encina did speak to the idea being a tantalizing one for the Lightning, with many teams around the league still interested in acquiring Jeannot.

The Lightning acquired Jeannot from the Nashville Predators ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, sending the Music City defenseman Callan Foote, the picks that turned into Dylan MacKinnon (2023 third-round, 83rd-overall), Jayson Shaugabay (2023 fourth-round, 115th-overall), and Kevin Bicker (2023 fifth-round, 147th-overall), as well as a second-round pick in 2024 and a first-round pick in 2025 in return. Nashville traded the Shaugabay pick back to Tampa four months later, in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick, and moved the Bicker pick to the Detroit Red Wings to move up in the 2023 second-round.

Jeannot scored just four points in his 20 games with Tampa after the trade, though that didn’t dissuade their faith in him, with the Lightning signing Jenanot to a two-year, $5.3MM contract last summer – a deal that avoided the arbitration hearing Jeannot filed for. The rough-and-tumble winger wasn’t able to rekindle his spark on the new deal, though, scoring just 14 points in 55 games this season. He added 75 penalty minutes and a -10 – and tallied just one assist in four postseason games.

There’s still reported interest in Jeannot around the league despite his lacking scoring. Teams like the Calgary Flames have been looped into trade rumors, though Encina emphasized that a trade isn’t likely Plan A. Tampa will need to get a hefty return in any Jeannot trade, if only to hedge their losses from a costly 2023 move.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Saginaw Spirit defenseman Zayne Parekh has won the CHL’s Defenseman of the Year Award, beating out Memorial Cup Finals competition Sam Dickinson. Parekh was dazzling this season, posting a position-leading 33 goals and 96 points in just 66 games this season. He’s just the second OHL defenseman to top 95 points since 2000, joining Ryan Ellis’ 100-point season in 2010-11. But while Ellis was already an NHL draftee, Parekh is headed into his first year of eligibility in the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s seen as one of the top defensemen in the class and should rival a top 10 selection.
  • The Dallas Stars are swapping talented young forwards, with Ty Dellandrea stepping out of the Game 6 lineup in favor of Mavrik Bourque, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Bourque won the AHL’s ‘Les Cunningham’ MVP Award this season after posting 26 goals and 77 points in 71 games this season. Bourque formed a dynamic duo with Stars standout Logan Stankoven in the first half of the season. Dallas will look to use that pairing as their X-factor, as they face elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

Ivan Fedotov Suspended From International Play For 3 Years

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The International Ice Hockey Federation has levied sanctions against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, KHL club CSKA Moskva, and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation for disregarding Fedotov’s 2022 entry-level contract, shares Jonathan Bailey of Philadelphia Hockey Now. Fedotov signed the deal in May of 2022, attempting to join the Flyers ahead of the 2022-23 season. But he was detained by Russian authorities when trying to leave the country, and forced to serve one calendar year of military service. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported that this service came on an aircraft carrier in the Murmansk region, far from the front lines.

He went on to sign a two-year KHL contract with CSKA this season, warranting the sanctions. The official punishments, per an IIHF statement, are as follows:

  • Ivan Fedotov is suspended from playing in any IIHF competitions, including the Olympic Games, for the next three years.
  • Ivan Fedotov will receive a six-month suspension from playing at the club level, should he leave the Flyers to play for an international club.
  • CSKA will be banned from making international transfers for two years, beginning on August 11, 2024 and ending on August 10, 2026.
  • The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has been assessed a fine of $1MM Swiss Francs.

In search of any silver lining, Fedotov can at least be happy with his closing performance in Russia. He recorded 21 wins and a .914 save percentage across 44 games, adding a .916 in five postseason appearances. CSKA terminated his deal following the end of the season, allowing him to move to Philadelphia one year early. Fedotov made that move just before the end of the Flyers season, slotting into the first three NHL games of his career and saving 43 of the 53 shots he faced.

Fedotov stamped his spot in Russian hockey during the 2021-22 season, leading CSKA to the Gagarin Cup and Team Russia to a Silver Medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He posted dazzling stats throughout, setting a .919 save percentage in 26 KHL games and a .943 in six Olympic appearances. While a future Russian Olympics roster would likely turn towards NHL stars Andrei Vasilevskiy or Igor Shesterkin, Fedotov would undoubtedly be on the shortlist of final options.

Morning Notes: Kirk, Chytil, Drouin

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Gritty forward Liam Kirk has agreed to a deal with the Eisbären Berlin of the DEL, Germany’s top league, as announced by the team. The deal continues his journey around Europe, with Kirk playing in Czechia and Finland in each of the last two seasons, following a two-year career in North American pros. The Arizona Coyotes selected Kirk in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft, making him the third Englishman to be selected in the draft.

Kirk was drafted out of the EIHL, England’s top league, but moved to the OHL in the season following his draft. He appeared in 110 games across two years with the Peterborough Petes, recording 47 goals and 97 points. Kirk returned to the EIHL after the OHL canceled their 2020-21 season and once again performed well on home turf. With a strong training camp to boot, Kirk earned his entry-level contract with the Coyotes ahead of the 2021-22 season. But Kirk suffered a season-ending knee injury just eight games (and three points) into the season. He’d return for one AHL game and 15 ECHL games in 2022-23 but moved to Finland midway through the year. His contract was terminated ahead of the 2023-24 season, giving Kirk full reign to pursue a European career.

That’s the path Kirk is continuing with this move, although his production could warrant the attention of North American pros in the future. He scored 19 goals and 30 points in 52 games in the Czechia Extraliga this season, ranking fourth on his team in goals in his first year in central Europe. He now moves to an Eisbären Berlin team coming off their 10th DEL Championship. Berlin is also home to former NHLer Zach Boychuk, as well as former NHL prospects Yannick Velilleux, Frederik Tiffels, Ben Finkelstein, and Ty Ronning.

Other notes from around the league:

  • New York Rangers centerman Filip Chytil is feeling better after missing Game 4 with illness. He is hoping to be an option in Game 5, head coach Peter Laviolette tells NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link). Chytil recently returned from a long absence with a concussion, with Game 3 marking his first game since November. Jonny Brodzinski filled in for Chytil on Saturday, with two faceoff wins marking the only change to his stat line. Chytil will look to add to his 13 points in 31 career postseason appearances with a strong Game 5, likely slotting abck into his third-line role should he be cleared.
  • There is reportedly a chance that Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin is healthy enough to play in Game 4, shares Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now (Twitter link). Drouin suffered a lower-body injury in the final game of Colorado’s regular season. He returned to practices partway through last week but still had no timetable for a return, outside of a hope that he’d be ready at some point in the second round. It seems that time is drawing close – tremendous news for an Avalanche offense that’s given Drouin plenty of platform to thrive. He scored a career-high 56 points through 79 games this season, including 19 goals. It was a statement year after Drouin seemingly flatlined with the Montreal Canadiens. He’ll look to reignite the flame in Colorado’s push for the Stanley Cup – his first playoff appearance since 2020.

Maple Leafs Sign Nicolas Mattinen To One-Year Contract

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Nicolas Mattinen to a one-year, two-way contract that’s set to begin in 2024-25 (Twitter link). The Leafs originally drafted Mattinen in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, though they lost his rights in 2018 after not signing him.

Mattinen has since had a bit of a journeyman career. After four years in the OHL, he moved to USports in the 2019-20 season, playing at the University of Ottawa until 2022, though he lost one season to COVID-19 cancellations. He played eight AHL games with the Laval Rocket at the end of the 2021-22 season, recording three goals in eight games, though he opted to move overseas for the last two years – playing in both Austria and Germany. He’s been incredibly productive in the new setting, recording 16 goals and 46 points in 52 DEL games this season – a mark that led all DEL defensemen in scoring and earned Mattinen the DEL’s Player of the Year award.

Mattinen has now earned his way back into the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, inking a deal that makes him eligible for an NHL call-up, should he earn it. The Leafs have certainly shown no shyness towards their minor-league defenders this season, awarding each of Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, Marshall Rifai, and Maxime Lajoie a chance at routine ice time. Benoit has proven the proudest of the bunch, with his stout defense and play along the boards earning him a daily lineup role. Mattinen will fight to join their ranks next season, playing in his first full year of North American pros.

Morning Notes: Lysell, Quinn, Cumiskey

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Michael Derosa of The Hockey News is reporting that one of the Boston Bruins top forward prospects could miss significant time with an injury. 21-year-old Fabian Lysell suffered an apparent upper-body injury on March 23rd after he fell into the boards in a game against the Charlotte Checkers. The 2021 first-round pick has spent the season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and has heated up recently registering seven assists in his last five games.

Lysell is in his second season of professional hockey and has posted 15 goals and 35 assists in 56 games this year with Providence. The timing of Lysell’s injury is particularly unfortunate as he was making a case for a call-up with his solid numbers this season.

In other morning notes:

  • Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News is reporting that Sabres forward Jack Quinn joined the team this morning to take part in practice as a full participant. Quinn had surgery on January 29th for a lower-body injury and was expected to miss eight weeks. The 22-year-old hasn’t played since January 27th and has five goals and seven assists in 17 games this season for the Sabres. The Cobden, Ontario native was expected to take a big step this season but has dealt with multiple injury issues in what has turned into a lost season for him and the Sabres. Buffalo has 10 games remaining this season and currently sits six points behind the Washington Capitals who for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have 12 games left on the schedule. Quinn did not comment on when he will dress for a game, but based on reports from practice it could happen sooner than later.
  • Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kyle Cumiskey has reportedly signed a two-year extension with Düsseldorfer EG to continue his career in the DEL. The 37-year-old played 139 career NHL games over parts of six seasons with the Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks and has spent the last four seasons in Germany. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native last saw action in North America during the 2019-20 season when he was a member of the AHL’s Binghamton Devils.

Afternoon Notes: Global Series, Athanasiou, Foote

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The NHL has announced their Global Series matchups for the 2024-25 season, with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils slated to face off in Prague, Czechia on October 4th and 5th, and the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars set to play in Tampere, Finland on November 1st and 2nd.

The games will mark homecomings for players on all sides, headlined by Florida star Aleksander Barkov’s return to his hometown of Tampere. He grew up through Tampere’s youth hockey program, playing for the Tappara Tampere (often shortened to just ’Tappara’) at every level from U16 in to his professional debut in the Liiga. Barkov’s father, who shares the same name, ranks fifth in Tappara’s all-time scoring, with 416 points in 517 Liiga games. He also coached for the program, though he never oversaw his son. Top Stars scorer Roope Hintz was born in Nokia, Finland – just outside of Tampere. He and Barkov are two of the eight Finns between the Florida and Dallas lineups. When asked about visiting home, Barkov said, “It’s more than a dream come true because you don’t even dream about this… This will probably be one of the best days in my life.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey Devils winger Ondrej Palat will be able to stay at his house in Prague while the team visits. Palat grew up playing in Vitkovice, just a few hours outside of Prague, and told NHL.com that he’s excited to play in front of friends and family. Fellow Devil Tomas Nosek grew up much closer to Prague, in Pardubice. The pair are the only two Czechs on New Jersey’s roster, with recent recall Lukas Rousek being the only one on Buffalo’s roster. However, the two teams do have plenty of other talents from Central Europe – including Germans Nico Daws (NJD) and John-Jason Peterka (BUF), Swiss skaters Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Timo Meier (NJD), and Slovakia’s Simon Nemec.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Andreas Athanasiou is expected to make his return from injury on Tuesday night, when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Anaheim Ducks. Athanasiou has been out for the last four months with a groin injury, playing just 11 games this season. He’ll re-enter the lineup still searching for his first goal on the year, recording just four assists prior to his injury. Athanasiou has proven to be an effective winger in Chicago, scoring 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games last season.
  • The New Jersey Devils have formally activated Nolan Foote off of non-roster injured reserve. He’s been working his way back from an upper-body injury suffered during the pre-season that’s since delayed his season debut. Foote was primarily a minor-leaguer last season, scoring 20 goals and 37 points in 55 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets. He’s also managed five goals and seven points in 19 career NHL games, dating back to his debut in 2020-21.

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