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Snapshots: China, Malkin, Letang, Viveiros

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China has revealed the roster that will take part in the upcoming Olympics, a group that includes 12 players born in North America. Some of those have NHL experience in the past, including Spencer Foo, Ryan Sproul, and starting goaltender Jeremy Smith. These players are allowed to participate even without Chinese heritage given how long they have been playing for Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, which served as a proxy for the national team, according to the Associated Press.

Brandon Yip, a 36-year-old forward that played nearly 200 games in the NHL, will serve as captain of the club, which gained entry to the tournament as host nation. Yip scored 32 goals and 62 points in his 190-game NHL career, which ended after the 2013-14 season. After a stint in the AHL and another in Germany, he joined Kunlun in 2017. China will be in tough at the event, as they find themselves in a group with the U.S., Canada, and Germany. They open the tournament on February 10.

  • When Jeff Carter’s two-year extension was announced yesterday, some immediately wondered what it meant for Evgeni Malkin’s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that representatives for the star forward and Penguins GM Ron Hextall have discussed a new contract, and Malkin is “eager” to remain in Pittsburgh. For teammate Kris Letang things aren’t so rosy, as the defenseman believes he will get a raise on the current $7.25MM cap hit he currently carries, according to Yohe.
  • Henderson Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros has been medically cleared to return to his duties, effective immediately. Viveiros was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and has been away from the team for much of the season. In a statement, the veteran coach notes that his “prognosis is very good” and thanks his family, coaches, players, medical team, and Golden Knights organization for all the support he received over the past few months.

Jake Virtanen Charged With Sexual Assault

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The Vancouver Police Department has charged former NHL forward Jake Virtanen with one count of sexual assault, stemming from an incident in 2017 while he was playing for the Vancouver Canucks. Virtanen, 25, is currently playing for Spartak in the KHL where he has 16 points in 36 games.

In May of last year, the Canucks placed Virtanen on leave following the original allegations. In July, they bought out the final year of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. The team will carry a $500K cap hit next season as a result of the buyout, after carrying $50K this season.

A civil lawsuit was filed in May 2021 and in a response, Virtanen denied the allegations. The Canucks have issued a statement today:

We have been made aware of the charges laid by the Crown against Jake Virtanen. When the allegations first came to our attention, we immediately placed Jake Virtanen on leave. He is no longer a member of the organization. 

We have been in contact with the Vancouver Police Department throughout their investigation and will continue to provide support as needed. Our organization is committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment and will not tolerate sexual misconduct of any kind. We will not be commenting further on this matter.

Virtanen is not currently in custody.

Russia Announces Final Olympic Roster

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Jan. 23: Russia released their final 25-man Olympic roster today, per The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. The following names were cut from their training camp roster:

Forwards: Anton Burdasov, Artyom Galimov
Defensemen: Dmitry Vishnevsky, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Daniil Pylenkov
Goalie: Yaroslav Askarov

Six additional players will attend as reserves. This includes forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Stanislav Galiev, Alexander Kadeikin, and Vladimir Tkachyov; defenseman Semyon Chistyakov, and goalie Dmitry Shugaev.

Jan. 17: The 2022 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, with the men’s hockey tournament kicking off on February 10. There will be a handful of pre-tournament games in the days before that, but for the Russian national team, training camp starts even sooner. The roster for camp in Novogorsk was announced today and it includes many names that will be familiar to NHL fans.

The full training camp roster:

G Yaroslav Askarov
G Alexander Samonov
G Timur Bilyalov
G Ivan Fedotov
G Dmitry Shugaev

D Dmitry Vishnevsky
D Alexander Nikishin
D Slava Voynov
D Alexander Yelesin
D Artyom Minulin
D Yegor Yakovlev
D Shakir Mukhamadullin
D Nikita Nesterov
D Daniil Pylenkov
D Sergei Telegin
D Semyon Chistyakov
D Damir Sharipzyanov

F Sergei Andronov
F Mikhail Grigorenko
F Pavel Karnaukhov
F Sergei Plotnikov
F Anton Slepyshev
F Artem Anisimov
F Artur Kayumov
F Anton Burdasov
F Nikita Gusev
F Andrei Kuzmenko
F Kirill Marchenko
F Artyom Galimov
F Dmitry Voronkov
F Stanislav Galiev
F Vadim Shipachyov
F Arseniy Gritsyuk
F Kirill Semyonov
F Alexander Kadeikin
F Vladimir Tkachyov
F Andrei Chibisov

While there is a good core of veterans that have seen international play before, the group also includes many prospects and young players that the North American hockey world may not be familiar with. New Jersey Devils fans especially will be keeping a close tab on the Russian team, and not only because of 2020 first-round pick Mukhamadullin. Gritsyuk, a fifth-round pick of the Devils in 2019, has been lighting up the KHL this season with 16 goals and 28 points through 39 games. That’s his first full season at the highest level in Russia, making the undersized forward someone to keep an eye on when his KHL contract expires in 2023.

There’s plenty of other young talents here too, with one being another Tampa Bay Lightning late-round find. Pylenkov was selected 196th overall in 2021 as an averaged draft pick and is in his third full season in the KHL. While the 21-year-old might not come over right away (though his KHL contract does expire at the end of this season), the Lightning will hold his NHL rights indefinitely after using the seventh-round pick.

NHL Prospects Moved At The 2021 KHL Trade Deadline

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The NHL’s trade deadline is still nearly three months away but in the KHL, the deadline for player movement was today.  There were several deals completed including a few involving players whose rights are held by NHL teams.  Here’s a rundown of those moves.

  • Senators RFA winger Vitali Abramov was moved from Traktor Chelyabinsk to CSKA Moscow. The 23-year-old has five career NHL games under his belt but opted to head back home in the summer.  He has 17 points in 41 KHL contests this season and his contract overseas runs through the 2022-23 season.  Ottawa retains his RFA rights through the 2024-25 season.
  • Blackhawks goaltender Ivan Nalimov is on the move from Admiral Vladivostok to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The 27-year-old came to North America for the first time last season, getting in five games with AHL Rockford down the stretch on an AHL deal before returning to Russia this season.  The 2014 sixth-rounder has a 3.50 GAA along with a .891 SV% in 10 games this season and Chicago holds his rights indefinitely since he never signed an NHL contract and there is no transfer agreement in place between Russia and the NHL.
  • Golden Knights center prospect Ivan Morozov was dealt to HC Sochi from SKA St. Petersburg. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick (61st overall) back in 2018 but after spending all of last season in the KHL, he split this season between that league and their lower-tier VHL.  The swap should allow him to play a larger role with Sochi.  Vegas also holds Morozov’s rights indefinitely.

Other names of some note that were on the move were former Stars defenseman Julius Honka who went from Dinamo Minsk to Ak Bars Kazan, former Maple Leafs and Canadiens blueliner Rinat Valiev who went the other way in the Honka trade. Former Bruins prospect Pavel Shen was moved from HK Sochi to Admiral Vladivostok; his NHL deal was terminated back in May while former Jets winger J.C. Lipon was dealt from Sochi to Sibir Novosibirsk.

Russia, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany Name 2022 WJC Captains

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While there may not be any NHL hockey left to look forward to for the next few days, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships are just around the corner. Pre-tournament play is imminent, while the round-robin slate of games begins on December 26. With the tournament approaching, the Russian, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, and German contingents have all named their captains for their teams, supplementing the announcements for Canada (Kaiden Guhle) and the United States (Jake Sanderson). Their captains are as follows:

Russia: Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN)
Finland: Roni Hirvonen (TOR)
Czechia: Jan Mysak (MTL)
Slovakia: Samuel Knazko (CBJ)
Germany: Florian Elias (2022-eligible overage player)

This is Khusnutdinov’s second World Juniors appearance for Russia. Drafted in the second round by Minnesota in 2020, he impressed last year with five points in seven games. Now, in his last year of eligibility, Khusnutdinov is tasked with leading the team in hopes of a medal. The skilled two-way center has four goals and seven assists in 29 KHL games this season with SKA St. Petersburg, impressive numbers for a young player on such a deep team. He’s medalled once before internationally for Russia, winning a silver medal at the 2019 U-18 World Juniors.

Another good defensive center finds his way onto this list with Hirvonen. Also a product of the 2020 Draft’s second round, it’s also Hirvonen’s second and final chance at a World Juniors medal. He had six points in seven games last year as Finland took home the bronze medal. He’s also performing well in his home country’s top league this season, posting six goals and 10 assists in 28 games with HIFK in the Liiga.

Mysak, playing with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, is the third second-round draft pick in 2020 on this list. Unlike Khusnutdinov and Hirvonen, though, he made the U-20 team as a 17-year-old, meaning this is his third chance at a medal. It’s his second straight year serving as the captain, with three goals and two assists in 10 games combined. He has 17 goals and 14 assists through 25 OHL games this year.

Knazko breaks the chain, as Columbus drafted him in the third round in 2020. Like Mysak, though, it’s Knazko’s third WJC and his second as the captain. The mobile two-way defenseman has two assists in nine games at the tournament. Now with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, he has a goal and two assists through five games.

Playing with Adler Mannheim in the DEL, Elias was passed over in last year’s draft. Playing with Ottawa’s Tim Stützle at last year’s World Juniors, though, he exploded for four goals and five assists through five games. He’s got four points through 21 games in the DEL this year, and now it’s his turn to lead the German squad.

Eric Fehr Signs In KHL

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Just like Jason Demers yesterday, another Canadian Olympic hopeful has found a new job overseas. Canada withdrew from the Spengler Cup yesterday, forcing players that were preparing for it to find other work. Eric Fehr will join Demers with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL through the end of the 2021-22 season after spending the last two seasons playing in Switzerland.

A veteran of more than 700 NHL games, Fehr was last active in North America during the 2018-19 season. He had seven goals and 15 points that year for the Minnesota Wild before taking his talents to Switzerland where he has become a star. In 94 regular season games with Geneve Servette, Fehr has scored 36 goals and 76 points, while racking up an incredible 199 penalty minutes.

A member of the last Spengler Cup-winning Canadian team, Fehr is a likely candidate to go to the Olympics should the NHL officially withdraw participation. In the meantime, he’ll hit the KHL for the first time in his career to continue his preparation. Fehr had previously played in Finland during the 2012-13 lockout, but this will be his first stint in Russia.

Jason Demers Signs In KHL

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After Hockey Canada announced that they will no longer be participating in the Spengler Cup, players were left scrambling for other opportunities to stay in game shape. For Jason Demers, that means a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. The veteran defenseman has signed a deal for the rest of the season, one that will presumably still allow him to take part in the Olympics for Canada should the NHL officially pull the plug.

Demers, 33, has 699 regular season NHL games under his belt but was surprisingly left unsigned in last summer’s free agent frenzy. Perhaps the Olympics were a consideration in that regard, as he will almost certainly be on the team if it’s being made up by players from outside the NHL. Once a reliable two-way defenseman that would put up 20-30 points every single season, Demers had just four in 41 games during 2020-21.

The KHL deal is interesting, as it suggests that Demers also won’t be an option down the stretch for an NHL club. There was at least some speculation that a player like him could attend the Olympics and then sign an NHL deal before the March 21st trade deadline, allowing him to join a club for the last few months of the season. A contract with Ak Bars though will prevent that, unless there is a buyout or termination at some point.

For now, Demers will get back on the ice and play at a competitive level, even if it will be a brand new experience for him. A regular in the NHL since the 2009-10 season, his only overseas action was during the 2012-13 lockout, when he racked up 21 points in 30 games for Karpat in Finland.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/21

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It was another day of a string of unfortunate events in the NHL, with the unofficial number of players on COVID protocol reaching over 100. There were some other items of note from the other side of the pond, however, as two players who recently had their contracts mutually terminated have officially found their new homes overseas.

  • Andreas Borgman, who was with the Dallas Stars on a two-way deal until it was terminated earlier this week, won’t be back in the NHL anytime soon. The former Star, Maple Leaf, and Lightning defender signed a deal with Frolunda HC of the SHL through the 2025-26 campaign. Considering Borgman will be 30 at the end of the deal, an NHL return is unlikely for the undrafted Swedish defender. He had three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 55 career NHL games.
  • After being drafted in 2019 by the Montreal Canadiens, Arsen Khisamutdinov is heading back to the KHL with Dinamo Riga. Khisamutdinov’s deal was terminated last week after notching just one point in 15 AHL games last year and getting assigned to the ECHL this year. Khisamutdinov had three points in 31 games during his last KHL stop with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.

Marat Khusnutdinov Re-Signs In KHL

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Minnesota Wild fans. A Russian prospect has re-signed in the KHL before he participates in an international tournament. Marat Khusnutdinov has signed a new deal with SKA St. Petersburg that will keep him under contract through 2023-24, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Khusnutdinov, 19, was the 37th overall pick in 2020 and looked to be developing quite well in the KHL. As Russo points out, his ice time was slashed recently, which is often a tactic used against young players that are considering leaving for North America. Instead of signing with the Wild this summer, he’ll stay overseas for at least two more seasons, where the team has no control over his development or playing time.

This case isn’t quite as drastic as what happened with Kirill Kaprizov, given Khusnutdinov will only be 21 when this contract ends, but there’s no guarantee he signs at that point either. The young forward is about to take part in his second World Juniors–on North American ice–where he should star once again. In 29 KHL games this season he has four goals and 11 points.

Because the NHL and KHL do not have a transfer agreement, Minnesota will retain Khusnutdinov’s draft rights indefinitely. The two leagues do respect each other’s contracts though, meaning the Wild will have to wait until this one expires to ink him to an entry-level deal. There are mechanisms (namely player-driven buyouts) to break a KHL contract, though that is unlikely with such a young player.

Montreal Canadiens To Terminate Arsen Khisamutdinov’s Contract

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Dec 10: Khisamutdinov has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated.

Dec 9: The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Arsen Khisamutdinov, presumably placing him on unconditional waivers today to do so. Khisamutdinov is in the second season of a two-year, entry-level contract signed in 2020. A termination would make him a free agent and clear the way for a return to the KHL.

It’s easy to see why the 23-year-old forward would want out, given he’s been playing at the ECHL level so far this season. After 15 unspectacular appearances for the Laval Rocket last season, Khisamutdinov has five points in 10 games for the Trois-Rivieres Lions in 2021-22. That’s not going to keep many KHL talents in North America, though the young forward hasn’t really even proved himself at that level either. Selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft (after going undrafted previously) he has 41 games of KHL experience under his belt, with eight points.

For Montreal, this is actually a positive, as it gives them an extra contract slot to work with moving forward. The team is currently at 48 of their 50 allotted contracts, with one more to be opened once Khisamutdinov clears and the termination is executed tomorrow.

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