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Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Rinat Valiev

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Fans worried that Rinat Valiev would be heading overseas in 2018-19 have nothing to worry about anymore. The 22-year old defenseman has agreed to terms with the Montreal Canadiens on a one-year two-way contract that will pay him $650K at the NHL level. Valiev had been involved in KHL rumors for the last few weeks, but agent Dan Milstein even tweets that his client was never considering heading to Russia.

Valiev was acquired by the Canadiens earlier this season when they sent Tomas Plekanec and Kyle Baun to Toronto at the trade deadline. Though the deal was mostly about getting a second-round pick for a few months of Plekanec—the veteran center has been clear about his desire to return to Montreal this summer—Valiev and fellow prospect Kerby Rychel both could see time in Montreal next season.

The 23-year old defenseman was a third-round selection of the Maple Leafs back in 2014, but was given just 10 games in the NHL while with the Toronto organization. After being dealt to Montreal, Valiev suited up for two games at the end of the season and could be in line for a more prominent role next year. The Canadiens are desperately looking for help on their blue line, and a player like Valiev is handy depth to have sitting in the minor leagues. Should the team experience injuries or ineffectiveness like in this past season, they won’t hesitate to call-up their latest signing.

That said, Valiev is no long waiver-exempt and won’t be able to pop up and down like in previous years. It’s unlikely Montreal will want to expose him very often, meaning there is a chance he could break camp with the team as a sixth or seventh option. We’ll have to wait to see how it all shakes out, but currently there doesn’t seem to be room for him on the NHL roster.

Poll: Where Will Ilya Kovalchuk Sign?

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One of the biggest question marks this summer is the potential return of KHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Though he’s made it known he wants to return to the NHL this season, there isn’t a clear front-runner to sign the 35-year old winger. The teams in New York and Florida were reported as his preferred destinations last summer, but now that he is an unrestricted free agent there could be any number of teams reaching out. Indeed we heard recently that his new agent J.P. Barry has been discussing Kovalchuk with several teams, but don’t know who those are.

The Rangers were once believed to be interested, though now that they’re heading into a mini-rebuild could avoid going after the veteran forward. After trading Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and more over the last few years, New York is trying to get faster and younger to compete in the new NHL. Kovalchuk doesn’t really fit that mold, but would certainly be a big attraction at Madison Square Garden should he end up there.

Florida could use some more firepower up front and has former teammate Evgeni Dadonov under contract, but might be happy plugging in younger options like Henrik Borgstrom and Maxim Mamin. The Panthers also aren’t flush with cap room, unless Kovalchuk was one of their only moves of the summer. Still, they could be an enticing option if they believe that the team can compete in 2018-19.

The Islanders are probably the most interesting contender right now, as they’re in one of his preferred destinations and just hired Lou Lamoriello, the same man who signed Kovalchuk to a 15-year $100MM contract in 2010. Obviously Lamoriello felt strongly about Kovalchuk’s talent at that point, but there’s no telling what he thinks this time around. The Islanders are working to re-sign John Tavares and compete right away, and adding a five-time 40-goal man wouldn’t hurt either situation.

Where do you think Kovalchuk will land? Does he stay on the east coast as expected last summer, or will he end up out west? Is Lamoriello the one to bring him back to the NHL, or has that bridge been burned? Vote below and make sure to leave your explanation in the comments.

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Ilya Kovalchuk Changes Agency, Discussing NHL Future

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The ongoing saga of Ilya Kovalchuk took another twist yesterday, when Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Russian winger had joined CAA Hockey and agent J.P. Barry. Barry, according to Dreger, is already in discussions with various clubs interested in signing Kovalchuk as he tries to make a return to the NHL. Kovalchuk has repeatedly stated his desire to return, and is now an unrestricted free agent. He can’t officially sign any contract until July 1st, but nothing prevents him from coming to terms with a team prior to that date.

Though Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that he expects Kovalchuk to get a contract filled with performance bonuses, that may not be possible. While Kovalchuk is now 35 years old and could qualify for performance bonuses, he’d have to sign just a one-year deal to be eligible for any incentives. That doesn’t seem likely at this point, especially if there are several teams interested in bringing him back from the KHL.

The former Atlanta Thrashers draft pick has been playing in the KHL for the last five seasons, and had previously been represented by Jay Grossman. After winning the Gagarin Cup with SKA St. Petersburg in 2016-17, he followed it up with a gold medal (and MVP) at the Olympics and a league-leading 63 points in 53 games in the KHL. There’s no doubt that Kovalchuk still has something left in the tank, but after so many years away from the NHL some doubt whether he can be a real difference maker.

If he can’t, teams have to consider the possibility of him leaving for Russia once again. Now that he’s a 35+ player, Kovalchuk’s cap hit would be applied to the team’s salary cap regardless of whether he retired from the NHL or not. A multi-year contract could then be dangerous for a club that is already dealing with a precarious financial position, especially one that doesn’t include performance bonuses. So far we haven’t gotten much on where Kovalchuk could be headed, other than his statements last summer about preferring New York or Florida. While last year negotiations had to run through the New Jersey Devils, this time around Kovalchuk is a clear free agent able to sign with whichever team he chooses.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Karri Ramo Expected To Return To KHL’s Avangard Omsk

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Former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo has his sights set on a return, but not across the Atlantic. Instead, Ramo is expected to remain in the KHL, but sign with former team Avangard Omsk in Russia. Ramo spent this season with Jokerit, a KHL squad in his native Finland, but Russian source Championat reports that Omsk will soon announce that they have brought back the talented keeper.

Ramo, 31, is coming off of such a strong season that there was speculation that there could be interest in the NHL even though he made only 18 regular season starts for Jokerit. Ramo shared the net with U.S. Olympian Ryan Zapolski this year, but made less than half as many starts as the veteran American. However, in his limited action, Ramo was easily the best “backup” in the KHL with a .930 save percentage and 1.94 GAA. Appearances aside, those numbers were good enough for thirteenth and seventh respectively in the KHL, yet somehow just a shade worse than Zapolski. Ramo’s time came in the postseason though; he was the hot hand and made six starts to Zapolski’s five and posted an incredible .954 save percentage and 1.31 GAA.

With Omsk, Ramo will return to the team that he starred for from 2009 to 2013. A sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, Ramo joined the Bolts as a rookie in 2006-07 and spent three years as the team’s primary backup. Ramo then left for the KHL in 2009 and quickly became on of the league’s top keepers, leading Avangard to four straight postseason appearances while posting a GAA of 2.11 or better in each season. Given his renewed value overseas, Ramo returned to the NHL in 2013 and split starts for the Calgary Flames for three seasons, but struggled to find the same success he had in Russia. In returning to Omsk, Ramo will be expected to solve the severe goaltending issues that plagued the team last season with the help of fellow new addition Igor Bobkov. Ramo will also reunite with former Calgary coach and recent Omsk hire Bob Hartley as the pair look to improve on a team that is lacking in high-end talent. A star goalie, strong defense, and experienced coaching could be all that Avangard need to make a run next season though.

Snapshots: Kulemin, Schmidt, Oil Kings

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Nikolai Kulemin’s NHL career is over for the time being, as the 31-year old has signed with Magnitogorsk in the KHL. As TSN relays, it is a multi-year deal worth around $3.2MM per season, which is actually a step down from the salary he’d been earning in the NHL. Kulemin signed a four-year $16.75MM contract with the New York Islanders in 2014, and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ second round pick from 2006 played just 13 games for the Islanders this season, recording three points. A one-time 30-goal scorer, Kulemin was never able to repeat that kind of success and will leave the NHL with 274 points in 669 games. There’s no guarantee his career in North America is finished for good, but it wouldn’t be surprising if we never saw him on this side of the ocean again.

  • Nate Schmidt has turned into an elite defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights, logging huge minutes on a nightly basis and controlling the game during the playoffs. If you were a Washington Capitals fan upset when they lost him in the expansion draft, know that GM Brian MacLellan tried (and failed) to get him back right away. In Isabelle Khurshudyan and Jesse Doughtery’s latest piece for the Washington Post, Vegas GM George McPhee reveals that Washington immediately tried to reacquire the young defenseman, but that the Golden Knights valued him so highly that they made a deal impossible for the Capitals to accept. Schmidt will take on his former club in the Stanley Cup Finals starting tonight, where he’ll be asked to shut down some of the most dangerous forwards in the league.
  • The Edmonton Oil Kings have relieved head coach Steve Hamilton and assistant coach Ryan Marsh of their duties, meaning a new staff will be taking over the WHL team next season. That staff might have to be hired by a new GM too, as the team also announced that GM Randy Hansch will be joining an NHL team as an amateur scout after July 1st. The Oil Kings finished dead last in the WHL this season with a 22-42-8 record, and scored the fewest while allowing the most goals in the league. It was a disastrous year, but as we’ve seen many times at the junior level before they could be in for a quick rebuild. The team selected 15-year old Dylan Guenther first overall in the recent bantam draft, and will hope he can lead the team back to prominence in the coming years.

Bob Hartley Hired By KHL’s Avangard Omsk

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Veteran coach Bob Hartley is headed back to the professional ranks. European hockey insider Igor Eronko reports that Hartley has been hired by Avangard Omsk of the KHL. This marks his first pro head coaching job since he was fired by the Calgary Flames back in 2016.

Hartley has had a highly successful coaching career and brings an immense amount of pedigree to Omsk. After working his way up through the QMJHL and AHL, Hartley was given his first NHL head coaching gig by the Colorado Avalanche in 1998. In his first four seasons with the Avs, Hartley guided the team to four straight conference finals and a Stanley Cup championship in 2001. When Hartley was fired mid-season by Colorado in 2002-03, he was hired almost immediately by the Atlanta Thrashers, where he coached for parts of six seasons. Hartley was out of the NHL for just one season – during which he won the NLA championship with the ZSC Lions – before he returned as the head coach of the Calgary Flames in 2012. Hartley won the 2015 Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the league for his work reinvigorating the Flames. Altogether, Hartley has a .568 winning percentage in the NHL and has reached the postseason six times.

For the past two years, Hartley has been working for the Latvian national team. He was the head coach for each of their past two World Championship entries and also consulted on their junior program. In this most recent World Championships, Latvia surprised many with a 3-1-1-2 record and seventh-place finish. Hartley’s coaching was back in the eye of the mainstream media and it is no surprise that he has landed a new job as a result. With Avangard, Hartley will take over a roster that has some good pieces, including a very solid defense, but is quite far from being a true contender. If he is able to turn the team around and improve on a twelfth-place finish last year without any further additions to the roster, it will be yet another impressive addition to his coaching resume. Don’t be surprised to see Hartley back in the conversation for an NHL job in the near future if he finds success during his KHL tenure.

Eemeli Rasanen, Viktor Loov Sign In KHL

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The KHL presents an opportunity for professional hockey players who can’t seem to get a chance in the NHL, as it will for Viktor Loov. The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has bounced around the AHL the last few seasons, but will now head to Finland to join Jokerit for the 2018-19 KHL season. Loov signed a one-year deal, though at 25 with just four NHL games under his belt it seems unlikely that he’ll get a real opportunity in the future.

It can also be a development league for players who find themselves somewhere between the CHL and AHL, and that’s what Eemeli Rasanen will use it as. The Maple Leafs second-round pick from 2017 has signed a two-year deal with Jokerit and will begin his professional career in the KHL. Rasanen, a towering 6’7″ defenseman with good offensive skills, will get to go home to Finland while continuing his development.

Though he was drafted out of the CHL, Rasanen’s rights are likely now owned by the Maple Leafs for four seasons. As CapFriendly points out, that depends on whether the Maple Leafs extended a Bona Fide offer over the last year, something we can’t be sure of just yet. Still, one can assume that the team had discussed everything with him lately as Rasanen began practicing with the Toronto Marlies after his junior season (and, as we now learn, career) ended earlier this spring.

Ryan Stoa, Andy Miele Sign In KHL

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Two veteran American forwards have signed new contracts to play in the KHL after strong 2017-18 seasons. Ryan Stoa remains in Russia for the fifth straight season since leaving North America but will be switching teams as Traktor Chelyabinsk announced that they have signed the power forward. Meanwhile, Andy Miele will make the jump over from the Swedish Hockey League in just his second season since crossing the Atlantic. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod revealed their signing of the swift center in a team release this week.

Stoa gained significant visibility this year as a member of Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. While Stoa was held scoreless through five games, he saw ample ice time for the Americans. He used his time much better during the KHL season, recording 30 points in 53 games for Spartak Moskva. Stoa formed a potent combination on Spartak’s top line with Boston Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev and recent San Jose Sharks signee Lukas Radil. Now moving to Traktor, a team that made the conference final without him this past season, Stoa will join former AHL rival Paul Szczechura and dynamic young Vitali Kravtsov on an offense that should be impressive. A second-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2005, a member of the U.S. National Development Program, and the captain of the University of Minnesota, Stoa’s performance fell far short of his lofty expectations in the NHL, but he did manage to suit up for 40 games between the Avs and Washington Capitals before developing into a high-end player overseas.

Miele faced far fewer expectations than Stoa as a young player at the University of Miami, but that all changed when he scored 71 points as a senior and won the 2011 Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey. An undrafted free agent who was highly sought-after, Miele signed with the Phoenix Coyotes and the team planned for the dynamic puck-handler to play a top-nine center role. Instead, Miele played in only 15 NHL games over his entry-level deal in Arizona despite dominating the AHL. Miele played another three minor league seasons, all among the AHL’s top scorers, but never got a legitimate chance at the highest level. As a result, Miele joined the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL last off-season and quickly became one of their top forwards. However, Miele’s ability really shined after he was acquired by the Vaxjo Lakers mid-season. With Miele’s help, alongside star Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson, the Lakers went on to win the SHL Championship. Miele earned himself a step up in European pro hockey, as he now heads to Torpedo with a chance to help out a team that exceeded expectations in the KHL last year and has a chance to be even better next season.

Roman Cervenka, Kevin Klein Staying In Switzerland

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Two former NHLers won’t be testing the North American market this summer. The ZSC Lions, the defending champions of the Swiss NLA, announced today that veteran defenseman Kevin Klein has signed an extension with the team and talented free agent forward Roman Cervenka has agreed to join the club. Both players are coming off strong seasons and further strengthen a championship roster that will also return top scorer Fredrik Pettersson and other former NHLers Drew Shore, Robert Nilsson, and Roman Wick next season.

Klein, 33, will return for a second season with the Lions after leaving North America last off-season with 12 NHL seasons under his belt between the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers. Known more for his conservative defensive play in the NHL, Klein impressed in his first season in the NLA with 22 points in 45 games to go along with his typical shutdown game in his own end. Klein was a force on the ice in the regular season, leading the team in penalty minutes and holding down the defensive zone on the team’s first pair. However, it was the postseason that really exemplified Klein’s ability, as he led the team with a +12 rating and trailed only Pettersson with 12 points on the team’s run to the title. Given that exclamation point on the year, it is no surprise that ZSC wanted to re-sign Klein this off-season. It is possible he would have gotten some looks in the NHL after a rebound year in Switzerland.

The rich get even richer though with the Lions’ addition of Cervenka. The 32-year-old has had a legendary hockey career overseas, even if his NHL experiment with the Calgary Flames in 2012-13 didn’t go so well. Cervenka finished his third straight season and the sixth of his career with a better than point-per-game pace in 2017-18. Although injuries limited him to just 32 regular season games with HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Cervenka nevertheless led the team with 37 points and added another team-best five points in the playoffs. In fact, Cervenka led the NLA in points per game among players with at least 25 games played. When healthy, the Czech center is a proven winner who has produced similar results in the NLA, KHL, and Czech League and on the international stage. A smart, two-way pivot who is an excellent play-maker, Cervenka likely would have drawn at least some interest among NHL teams if he had wanted to test the waters of free agency. Instead, he makes ZSC a formidable opponent in the NLA next season as they look to defend their title.

Snapshots: KHL Awards, Sambrook, Middleton

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The KHL announced their award winners today and there were plenty of surprises, not the least of which was their Rookie of the Year recipient. One would think that Eeli Tolvanen, the 19-year old phenom who broke nearly every junior-aged scoring record in the league would have walked away with the award, but instead Vitaly Kravtsov was the winner after scoring four goals and three assists for Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Just playing in the KHL was impressive for Kravtsov, who was just 17 for much of the season, but it does seem unlikely that Tolvanen’s 19 goals and 36 points for Jokerit wasn’t good enough to win. Tolvanen of course bolted for the NHL after his season ended, and played three games for the Nashville Predators down the stretch. Other winners today included Nikita Gusev as league MVP, Philip Larsen as the top defenseman, and Pavel Francouz as the top goaltender.

  • Jordan Sambrook will not be offered a contract by the Detroit Red Wings, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Sambrook, selected in the fifth round in 2016, is one of many players who will see their draft rights expire on June 1st. Sambrook had a good season split between the Erie Otters and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL, recording 39 points in the regular season and helping the Greyhounds make it all the way to the OHL Finals.
  • Keaton Middleton is in a similar situation, as Dhiren Mahiban reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick will not be signed by the deadline. Middleton will instead go back into the draft again, hoping to find another team who wants to bring him into the organization. The 6’5″ defenseman recorded 24 points for the Saginaw Spirit this year, after being selected in the fourth round in 2016.
  • Another Maple Leafs prospect, Nicolas Mattinen, has yet to decide whether he’ll sign or not according to Mahiban. The sixth-round pick from 2016 is still playing in the Memorial Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he continues to show what a long reach and good defensive positioning can accomplish.

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