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Devils Closing In On Signing Yegor Yakovlev

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While there has been rumors of the New Jersey Devils intention of signing KHL defenseman Yegor Yakovlev this offseason, no deal has happened. However, international journalist Igor Eronko spoke to New Jersey’s general manager Ray Shero, who confirmed that the team hopes to sign the defenseman after the IIHF World Championships.

“We haven’t officially signed him yet, but once IIHF Worlds is over, we’ll see coming back on Monday. Hopefully we can finalize something,” Shero said.

Yakovlev also said that he is eager to sign with the Devils, according to Eronko.

“The Devils have scouted me for 3 years,” Yakovlev said. “They really wanted to see me on the team. That’s why I chose New Jersey and I’m really happy to join the organization. I know they play a fast smart hockey and I like it.”

The 26-year-old defenseman could continue to add depth to a team that more than a year ago had little defensive options. In the last year, the team has upgraded some of its defenders with college free agent Will Butcher, who had a solid rookie season, as well as trading for Sami Vatanen from the Anaheim Ducks.

Yakovlev has spent the last three years playing for KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. He tallied five goals and nine points in 35 regular season games and also played in the Olympics this year in Pyeongchang for the Russian team that won the gold medal.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Juuso Riikola

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Friday: The Penguins have made the signing official. Riikola has signed a one-year entry-level contract, and will join the Pittsburgh organization for the 2018-19 season.

Thursday: According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to terms with undrafted European free agent Juuso Riikola. Riikola was eliminated along with the rest of Finland today from the IIHF World Championship. The 24-year old is eligible to sign a one-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.

Riikola has been a fixture with KalPa in Finland’s top professional league for several years, and put up another solid season this year with 24 points in 59 games. The left-handed defenseman will enter a Penguins system that is relatively void of defensive prospects, and could get a chance quickly with the organization.

There’s no telling when the team would try him out at the NHL level, but for a club that is always fighting the salary cap due to big commitments to several forwards, adding cheap defensive depth is a positive. There is a chance the Penguins will buy out Matt Hunwick’s contract this summer, leaving another roster spot open for someone to come in and fill. Riikola could potentially be that player if he adapts quickly to the North American game, especially now that Andrey Pedan is heading to the KHL.

Semi-Finals Set For IIHF World Championship

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In an incredible upset, Switzerland defeated Finland 3-2 today in the IIHF World Championship quarter-finals. Finland was the top seed in the tournament after handing both the USA and Canada losses during the group stage, but lost to the upstart Swiss squad that had received reinforcements like Roman Josi in recent days. Switzerland will have to take on Canada, who outlasted Russia and scored in overtime on the powerplay.

In the other semi-final, Team USA will meet Sweden in a clash of tournament powerhouses after they dispatched the Czech Republic and Latvia earlier today. That game will feature a matchup of some of the tournament’s best forwards in Patrick Kane and Cam Atkinson taking on Sweden’s tough defensive unit that includes Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Klingberg, Hampus Lindholm, Adam Larsson and Mattias Ekholm.

The schedule for Saturday is as follows:

  • USA (7-1-0) vs Sweden (8-0-0) – 8:15am
  • Switzerland (5-2-1) vs Canada (6-1-1) – 12:15am

(times in CT)

While international tournaments may have no bearing on Stanley Cup results, these tournaments are huge moments in a player’s career. For teenaged skaters like Tyson Jost, Pierre-Luc Dubois or Quinn Hughes, it’s a chance to really show what you can do against the best players in the world.

The gold medal and bronze medal games will be held on Sunday, May 20th.

Snapshots: Trouba, Worlds, Subban

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Jacob Trouba was a big hockey story in the summer of 2016, when he held out on the Winnipeg Jets and asked for a trade. Trouba wouldn’t sign a new contract as a restricted free agent until November 7th of that year, missing a month of the season before settling on a two-year $6MM deal. The prevailing thought at that point was that Trouba wasn’t happy with his role or future on the team since the Jets already had Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers locked in on the right side, but things seemed to have changed in the years since.

Today, Jim Toth of TSN 1290 reported that Trouba has told his agent he wants to be with Winnipeg long-term, meaning signing a new contract this summer when he’s scheduled to become a restricted free agent once again. The 24-year old defenseman has developed into quite the player for the Jets, and has logged the second-most minutes in the postseason for them (behind only Byfuglien, who is averaging a ridiculous 26:15 through 14 games). Signing Trouba long-term would certainly be a win for the Jets, but the team has to be careful with how much money they hand out this offseason, as there are even more extensions—namely Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor—coming down the road.

  • The quarter-final matchups are set for the IIHF World Championships, with Sweden facing Latvia, Russia facing Canada, the Czech Republic matched up with the USA and Switzerland taking on Finland. The games will be held on Thursday, with Saturday and Sunday holding the semi-final and medal rounds. Denmark, the hosts of this year’s tournament, were dramatically eliminated in the final game against Latvia despite winning three games in the preliminary round. That included a 3-2 upset of Finland, who ended up winning the group.
  • Though it never had much merit in the first place, any rumors surrounding a trade of P.K. Subban out of Nashville were summarily shut down today by the club. As Joe Rexrode of the Tennessean writes, despite never having a full guarantee that a player won’t be traded, the Predators are about as far from dealing their Norris-trophy finalist as they ever have been. The relatively early exit at the hands of Winnipeg notwithstanding, the Predators had an outstanding season and Subban was a big part of that. He’ll almost assuredly be back in a Predator uniform to start next season.

Canucks’ Pettersson Out For World Championships With Fractured Thumb

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The Vancouver Canucks injuries keep coming. After a season in which the team lost several of their key players for chunks of time, including Brock Boeser, Sven Baertschi, Chris Tanev, Markus Granlund and Erik Gudbranson among others, the Canucks now have learned that 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson, who was playing for Sweden at the IIHF World Championships in Denmark, will miss the rest of the tournament after suffering an injured thumb against Switzerland today, according to international correspondent Uffe Bodin.

ESPN’s Chris Peters reports the injury is a fractured thumb. It’s a setback for Pettersson, who many expect to join the Canucks next season after a monster rookie season in the SHL last season. The 19-year-old center scored 24 goals and 32 assists in 44 regular season games with Vaxjo. However, he even outdid himself in the SHL playoffs by putting up 10 goals and nine assists in 13 games. Combined, he put up the best rookie season in the SHL in the history of the league.

Still unsigned by the Canucks, there is no word or timetable on how long the injury will take to heal or whether this changes the Canucks plan to bring him to the U.S. after the tournament. It was believed the team intended to bring the youngster over this year and move him to the wing to acclimate him to the NHL. Pettersson was the fifth-overall pick in the 2017 draft last year. In five games so far at the World Championships, he had a goal and two assists.

 

Several Nashville Predators Heading To IIHF World Championship

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8:05pm: Roman Josi and Kevin Fiala will both also be journeying to Denmark to play for Switzerland, raising the total to seven Predators who will be in the tournament. The huge contingent of players just reiterates how talented the Nashville roster is, especially with others likely turning down offers.

4:15pm: After facing elimination at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets last night, several Nashville Predators players will be heading to the IIHF World Hockey Championship. We learned earlier today that Eeli Tolvanen would continue his whirlwind season with Team Finland, while Nick Bonino will join Team USA. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet also reports that Viktor Arvidsson, Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg will all join Sweden.

All four new additions will be huge for their respective countries, as the tournament heads towards the elimination rounds next week.

Bonino hasn’t represented the USA at the tournament since 2015 when he was still with the Vancouver Canucks. That year, he registered four points in 10 games en route to a bronze medal. He’ll join a team that just crushed Korea 13-1 to win their fifth-straight game to open the tournament. That’s a feat the team hasn’t accomplished since 1933, and one that bodes well for their chances in the medal round.

Ekholm and Forsberg have both appeared in the tournament on multiple occasions, but this will be Arvidsson’s first time around. The 25-year old winger last represented Sweden at a major international tournament in 2013, when he helped their World Junior squad to a silver medal. All three should increase Sweden’s odds of a medal tremendously, as three All-Star level talents from the NHL.

Eeli Tolvanen Headed To World Championships For Finland

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Eeli Tolvanen must like flying. The 19-year old sniper has been added to the roster for Team Finland at the ongoing IIHF World Championships, just the latest chapter in an incredible season. Tolvanen played a full season in the KHL before signing and making his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, he also suited up for Finland at the World Juniors and Olympic Games.

Selected 30th-overall last June, Tolvanen has had quite the year. He broke several recorded for scoring in the KHL, and performed well at both previous international tournaments. Though he wasn’t able to make an impact in Nashville during their playoff run, he should carve out a full-time role there next year. Joining Finland at the World Championships, he has another chance to win an international medal before finishing his year.

The Predators will not be heading to the Western Conference finals this season after being knocked out by the Winnipeg Jets, but should contend for the Stanley Cup again next season. With players like Tolvanen and Dante Fabbro set to make an impact at the NHL level in the coming years, there doesn’t appear to be a lull coming in Nashville anytime soon.

Charlie McAvoy Joins Team USA For World Championships

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As Team USA prepares to duel against Latvia this morning at the IIHF World Championships, they’ve announced a huge addition for the rest of the tournament. Charlie McAvoy will join the squad tomorrow in Denmark, fresh off his recent elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. The club’s biggest weakness on paper has been a shaky blue line, something that McAvoy should strengthen tremendously after an outstanding rookie season in the NHL.

McAvoy put up 32 points in his first full season with the Boston Bruins, but was part of a shutdown unit with Zdeno Chara that was one of the league’s best. The 20-year old defenseman has always looked poised beyond his years, even as a freshman at Boston University or leader on the US World Junior team. Rarely rattled or thrown off his game, he’ll no doubt be one of the best players on the international stage once again.

It’s not clear whose spot he’ll take on game day, but it could mean the end of a run for young Quinn Hughes. The 18-year old draft-eligible defenseman has actually played more than many expected so far in the tournament, logging two points through the first three games. As well as Hughes has played so far, McAvoy would obviously be an upgrade in the defensive end. Neal Pionk could also lose some time on the US powerplay, as though McAvoy isn’t known exclusively for his offense he certainly can contribute with the man advantage.

Overseas Notes: Cameron, Lewis, Huska

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Dave Cameron did not stay unemployed for very long, though his new position is far from where he has made his living for the last thirty-odd years. The Erste Bank Liga (EBEL), a lower-tier European league based mostly in Austria, has announced that Cameron has been named the new head coach of the Vienna Capitals, the league’s reigning regular season champions. Cameron had been working as an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames for the past two seasons, but was relieved last month alongside head coach Glen Gulutzan. Prior to that position, he has served as the head coach for the Ottawa Senators after working his way up from long-time assistant. Even before that, Cameron was showing the breadth of his hockey mind as both the head coach and GM of several OHL franchises. Yet, this new job is his first outside of North America and brings with it the challenges of a brand new market and caliber of player. However, Cameron is an experienced coach and should find his way in no time at all in Vienna.

  • Another coach has not been so lucky. Dave Lewis, most well known for a long stint as assistant and head coach of the Detroit Red Wings from the late 80’s through the mid-2000’s, has lost his job with the Belarus national program, per insider Igor Eronko. Lewis, who also had a short-lived stint as Boston Bruins head coach and brief stops as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes, has been working for Belarus in various roles since 2014. He had guided four IIHF World Championship teams, an Olympic qualifying bid, and the team’s World Juniors appearance this season. However, just three games into the ongoing Worlds, national officials have clearly decided that they have had enough with the lack of success out of their long-time coach. Lewis has struggled to find results as a head coach over the years and the next step for the 64-year-old is a mystery.
  • Although Adam Huska likely has two years left at the University of Connecticut, HK Sochi of the KHL may have made a shrewd move in acquiring the KHL rights to the Slovak goaltender today. The team reported this morning that Huska’s rights had been transferred to Sochi from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in exchange for forward Dmitri Lugin. Huska was a seventh-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2015, but given the team’s depth in goalie prospects – Alexandar Georgiev, Brandon Halverson, and mostly Igor Shestyorkin – it’s quite possible that Huska could choose to return home to Europe, in which case Sochi will gain a talented, young netminder. Huska posted a .912 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 27 starts last year and should only continue to thrive in net for UConn before he makes his decision on turning pro.

Nashville Predators Sign Filip Pyrochta

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The Nashville Predators have added another undrafted European free agent, signing defenseman Filip Pyrochta to a two-year entry-level contract. Pyrochta has spent the last two seasons in the Czech professional league, and is on the roster for the current IIHF World Championships.

Pyrochta is an odd case for an undrafted player, as it’s not like he was an unknown to teams in North America. Ranked #87th by Future Considerations for the 2014 draft, he had been a top performer for the Czechs at the U18 World Juniors for two consecutive years. After going undrafted the first time around, he came across anyway and joined the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres where he recorded 31 points as a rookie. Still, he wouldn’t be selected and eventually found his way back to the Czech Republic where he has success.

A prototypical puck-moving defenseman, Pyrochta may still have trouble adjusting to the North American game when he jumps to the AHL next season. The NHL could even be out of reach for him if he proves he can’t handle the grind of his defensive responsibilities. Still, at the very least the Predators have added more skill to their minor league system for relatively no risk. For a team that is already finding success at the highest level, moves like this only strengthen their organizational depth.

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