Snapshots: Chiarelli, Devils, Broberg, Laaksonen
The recent parting of ways between the Arizona Coyotes and former President and CEO Ahron Cohen leaves a big opening in Arizona for an executive. That could be a chance for former Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli to get back into an executive role.
Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if Chiarelli was a finalist for that role in Arizona. It is believed that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not happy with Arizona’s alleged tampering of NHL draft prospects and could have enough influence over new owner Alex Merulo to suggest a reliable candidate to take that open role with the Coyotes. While his success in Edmonton as their general manager wasn’t overly successful, Chiarelli might be a better fit in a president’s role and has a good working relationship with Bettman.
- In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that with a number of prospects closing in on bigger roles in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup, the team may look to unload a player or two during the offseason. The team has a lot of AHL-ready players who might get a chance to break into their lineup, including Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley, Nolan Foote and the potential of a 2020 lottery pick being ready to go, that could cause a logjam if the team holds on to all their veteran players. While not all of them are expected to make the Devils’ squad, the scribe writes that it would make sense to move a player with the two most likely trade candidates to be Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. Both would be valuable to other teams as versatile quality depth players. Of course, much will also depend on future contract negotiations between Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev, who both will be unrestricted free agents in 2021.
- TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Edmonton Oilers are considering putting 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg on their 30-man roster if/when the playoffs begin. Each team will need a group of black aces with the AHL season having been cancelled. Rather than having the 6-foot-3 blueliner sitting at home, it might be a learning experience if he was to join the team during their playoff push. It’s unlikely he would see any action, but the 18-year-old did spend his first full season playing against adults in the SHL this season. He is expected to continue honing his skills in the SHL for one more year before the Oilers bring him over.
- NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton is considering the possibility of bringing Finnish prospect Oskari Laaksonen to North America as soon as next season. The 2018 third-round pick was considered a steal shortly after the draft due to his impressive skating and passing skills. The 20-year-old has become a leading defenseman on Liiga’s Ilves Tampere squad and could prove to be a key addition for the Sabres. Of course, the question comes down to whether Buffalo could bring the blueliner over as he hasn’t signed an entry-level deal with the Sabres yet and he signed a two-year extension with Ilves Tampere back in 2018 and has only played out one of those years so far. No word on whether there was an out-clause in the contract.
Ales Hemsky Announces Retirement
Veteran NHL forward Ales Hemsky announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 36. This may come as a surprise to many, who likely assumed that Hemsky had retired years ago as he has not played since 2017-18. However, often a player’s final season of play and the point in which he gives up the pursuit of getting back to the pro game come at two different times. Such is the case with Hemsky; after more than two years of trying to work back from a concussion suffered early in the 2017-18 season, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro relayed that Hemsky officially called it a career today.
Hemsky quietly did very well for himself in his career. A first-round pick of the Oilers in 2001, Hemsky played 15 NHL seasons, including 11 in Edmonton. In over 800 career games, Hemsky recorded nearly 600 points and established himself as a slick and creative play-maker. He had an unforgettable 2005-06 season, recording a career-high 77 points despite just modest ice time and adding an additional 17 points in the playoffs during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
However, Hemsky could never quite shake the injury bug and it is worth wondering what kind of player he might have been if he could have stayed healthy. Hemsky started strong, playing in 70+ games in four of his first five full NHL season, but only did so three more times over the rest of his career. He missed all but 22 games due to a shoulder injury in 2009-10 and struggled to stay on the ice the following season to the tune of just 47 games. Then, later in his career, back-to-back injuries effectively ended his playing days. Coming off a strong season with the Dallas Stars in 2015-16, Hemsky suffered a major hip injury early the next season and missed all but 15 games. He then signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the off-season and suffered the aforementioned concussion just seven games into the year.
In a recent piece by The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, he writes that Hemsky battled depression following his injuries, but held out hope that he could return to the NHL. Back in Dallas, he was working out and participating in alumni activities, but could never quite make it back to game shape. A career of physical damage was simply too much to overcome. He tells Nugent-Bowman that he has made peace with his career and happy to be focused on his family and his health.
Edmonton’s Markus Granlund Expected To Sign In KHL
After spending a significant amount of time with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL this past season, many people in Edmonton knew that Markus Granlund‘s time with the team was short. Now a Russian website, al.hockey.ru reports (translation required) that Granlund has reached an agreement to head overseas and sign with Ufa Salavat Yuleaev of the KHL. No terms have been reported.
Granlund signed a one-year deal on July 1 last season for $1.3MM. The Oilers, desperately in need of inexpensive depth due to their salary cap, signed a number of NHL veteran forwards to low-cost deals, including Josh Archibald, Riley Sheahan, Gaetan Haas, Joakim Nygard, Tomas Jurco and Granlund. While some of those players were successes last season, Granlund was not. Archibald, Sheahan and Nygard won permanent jobs, while Granlund was eventually sent to Bakersfield, the first time he’s played in the AHL since the 2015-16 season.
The 27-year-old appeared in just 34 games for the Oilers, posting three goals and four points while averaging a career-low 10:50 of ATOI. He rarely played on the penalty kill and was eventually made expendable. He played 20 games for the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL, scoring six goals and 15 points in that time.
Granlund will likely will take a much bigger role on his KHL team and might be able to take his game to a new level there and earn a chance to return to an NHL team. He has appeared in 335 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and the Oilers.
Oilers Have Interest In Re-Signing Riley Sheahan
The Oilers clearly like what they’ve seen from some of their depth players this season and have already handed out extensions to center Gaetan Haas and winger Joakim Nygard. They may not be done there yet either. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that the team has interest in re-signing center Riley Sheahan although he’d have to take an amount close to his current $900K price tag even though he has spent a fair bit of time on the third line this season. While his production has tailed off in recent years, he still takes a lot of key faceoffs and can help on the penalty kill. Matheson also suggests that there’s interest in re-signing Tyler Ennis, who didn’t look out of place after being acquired at the trade deadline. However, after putting up 37 points between Ottawa and Edmonton and no longer being paid by Minnesota on his buyout, he may be seeking a fair bit more than his $800K salary.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Filip Berglund
The Edmonton Oilers have locked up another one of their draft picks, signing Filip Berglund to a two-year entry-level contract. Berlund recently completed his fourth full season in the SHL, playing for Skelleftea AIK. Just over a month ago, Berglund joined Linkoping HC on a two-year contract. It’s not clear if that’s where he’ll spend next season now that he’s under contract with the Oilers or if he’ll join the organization here in North America. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports that he is expected to stay in Sweden until the 2021-22 season.
Berglund, 22, has been a steady two-way presence for years now in Sweden, showing flashes of an offensive ceiling that could help him reach the NHL one day. Though he’s not at all the small, skilled puck-mover that the NHL has been trending towards—Berglund stands 6’3″ and is not an elite skater—there is still enough promise in his game to believe that he could one day be suiting up for the Oilers.
The question now becomes how the Edmonton blueline shakes out over the next several years. Ken Holland has been hoarding defensemen ever since taking over the GM role, but very few of them are signed long-term. It’s obvious that he is trying to build a young core on the back end, but who rises to the top is still to be determined.
Markus Niemelainen Signs With Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have finally convinced one of their 2016 draft picks to come back to North America, signing Markus Niemelainen to a two-year entry-level contract. The hulking defenseman has spent the last three seasons in Finland’s top league after playing two years of junior hockey in the OHL. Had the Oilers not been able to get him under contract, Niemelainen would have become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
There’s a lot to like about the 6’6″ Niemelainen, who is actually an incredibly good skater for his size. While there still isn’t a ton of offensive upside in his game, the Oilers would likely be happy with a rock-solid stay-at-home option after taking him in the third round.
Whether he can translate that strong defensive play to the NHL level is another question entirely, but Niemelainen has all the tools to be an effective bottom-pairing presence that logs heavy minutes on the penalty kill.
Brad Malone Signs AHL Deal To Remain With Bakersfield
Journeyman forward Brad Malone may not be playing on an NHL contract for the next two years, but he will be content to stay in the same place for a while longer. The 30-year-old forward will remain in the Edmonton Oilers organization by signing a two-year AHL deal with the Bakersfield Condors, the affiliate announced. After playing with four different organizations over five year span, Malone has now spent three years with the Oilers and has two more years with their farm team to look forward to.
Malone, a standout college player at the University of North Dakota, has always been a productive AHL player. A fourth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, he recorded 36 points in 67 AHL games as a first-year pro in 2011-12. The mark still stands as a career-best, but eight years later Malone was poised to break that mark this season with 31 points through 49 games prior to the suspension of the season. Over his career, Malone has also been a valuable NHL depth piece, contributing 85 points in 161 games with Colorado, Edmonton, and Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he scored a career-high 15 points in 2014-15.
However, Malone did not see any NHL action this season (so far) for just the second time in his pro career. He will be on the wrong side of 30 as of next month and it is clear that he is not going to become an NHL regular at this point in his career nor do the Oilers see him as worthy of a contract slot as a depth piece either. He remains a valued veteran presence in Bakersfield and can still produce and perhaps he can earn another NHL contract if he keeps his play up. For now though, he will settle for a familiar place to play and will have to work to prove that he can still be an Oiler in addition to a Condor.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Theodor Lennstrom
After playing the last three seasons in the SHL, Theodor Lennstrom is ready to make the leap. The Edmonton Oilers have signed the free agent defenseman to a one-year entry-level contract.
Lennstrom, 25, has been a reliable contributor during his three years at the highest level in Sweden, recording at least 15 points in each. The smooth-skating defenseman can move the puck quickly and effectively, though there are still questions about his overall game.
For the Oilers, there’s nothing wrong with taking a swing at a player that has shown he can compete at a high level, given how they have only just started to build the depth required to contend for the Stanley Cup. A one-year deal presents very little risk, but will leave Lennstrom a restricted free agent and under team control next summer.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Gaetan Haas
The Edmonton Oilers have made it official, signing Gaetan Haas to a one-year extension for the 2020-21 season. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that the contract will carry a salary of $915K. Haas was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Haas, 28, was signed out of Switzerland last year after a strong showing at the IIHF World Championship. Though he had dominated the NLA for several seasons, it wasn’t clear exactly what he would bring to the NHL. The Oilers were pleasantly surprised when they got a reliable depth forward they could plug in every night, as Haas recorded 10 points in 58 games.
Along with Joakim Nygard (who notably defeated Connor McDavid in the Oilers fastest skater competition), Haas provided some more skill and speed to a group that desperately needed to keep up with their star players. His return gives the team another option down the middle for next season on a more than reasonable cap hit.
Oilers Expected To Re-Sign Gaetan Haas
While there won’t be many big contracts handed out during this current stoppage in the schedule, some teams haven’t shied away from handing out smaller deals. It appears that the Oilers could soon be one of them as TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports (Twitter link) that the team is expected to re-sign center Gaetan Haas. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The 28-year-old joined Edmonton as an undrafted free agent last summer after spending the previous decade in the Swiss NLA. While he showed some offensive potential in that league by picking up at least 33 points over his final three seasons there, that failed to translate to much NHL success as he has just five goals and five assists in 58 games while averaging 9:42 per night.
However, as someone that’s already familiar with Edmonton’s system, there would be some value to bringing him back for a deal that’s close to his $925K price tag. Their cap situation means that they will need to have several players on low-priced deals and they already know that he can hold his own on the fourth line or serve as injury insurance. However, after being waiver-exempt this season which Edmonton used to get him in a couple of games early on, he would need to clear waivers to go to AHL Bakersfield in 2020-21.