Eastern Notes: Flyers Defense, Malkin, Korshkov, Primeau
While the Philadelphia Flyers took a major step this year by reaching the playoffs and showing some success in their playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was also quite obvious the team must continue to improve their roster if they want to compete for an Eastern Conference title at some point in the near future. While the team’s stable of forwards looks solid, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that the team’s defense might be the most important issue on the team.
While the team got some good play from many of their defenders, the team’s lack of depth was critical as players like Brandon Manning and Radko Gudas were exposed as weak links on their defense. Even Shayne Gostisbehere struggled in his playoff series with the Penguins. With Manning not expected back and a reduced role for Gudas likely, finding replacements is critical if it wants to take that next step. The team does expect Samuel Morin to earn a full-time role with the defense, but the team needs more.
With approximately $25MM in cap space, free agency might be the most logical way of filling that need, despite general manager Ron Hextall‘s struggles at signing free agents. However, with players like John Carlsson, Toby Enstrom, Thomas Hickey, Jack Johnson and Ian Cole out there this summer, the team might find what it needs there.
- Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, who missed the first game of their playoff series and is listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game, had a successful practice Saturday and will decide tomorrow on whether he’s ready to play with his team up one game against the Washington Capitals. “I feel so much better,” said Malkin (via the Penguins). “We’ll see how I feel overnight. If I play, I’m ready to play. If I play, I need to go 100%. The team won two games without me, great team. They played so hard. If I’m in I’ll try to do my best and make us stronger.”
- Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Yegor Korshkov will not come over to North America this summer like some people originally thought. The 21-year-old wing has signed a one-year extension to remain with his KHL team, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. “The Leafs were OK with my decision but obviously weren’t glad,” said Korshkov (via Igor Eronko). “My position is I should have a leading role in Lokomotiv to leave the KHL. Who knows, maybe in a year I will reach my goal.” Korshkov did improve his goal and points production this year with Lokomotiv, putting up eight goals and 18 assists, but also played 18 more games this season.
- The Athletic’s Mitch Brown (subscription required) breaks down the Montreal Canadiens prospects and how they fared with 2017 seventh-round pick Cayden Primeau leapfrogging to one of the top of the team’s prospect pick. Taken late in the draft last year after possessing the third-worst save percentage in the USHL, the 18-year-old goaltender rebounded with Northeastern University, putting up the best save percentage by an 18-year-old in NCAA history.
Overseas Notes: Khokhlachev, Kupari, Great Britain
It was no secret that Alexander Khokhlachev and former Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien did not see eye-to-eye. The latter hesitated to trust younger players and the former struggled to play the responsible style that would have earned him some trust under the old regime. The result was Khokhlachev leaving the Bruins organization to return home to Russia in the summer of 2016. Despite very promising offensive totals in three AHL seasons, including 68 points in 60 games in his last year, Khokhlachev was only given nine NHL starts over those three seasons and failed to record a point (though he did score a shootout goal). His decision to head to the KHL came as only a mild surprise given his lack of use despite clear ability. After playing a minor role for the league champions SKA St. Petersburg last year, Khokhlachev moved on to Spartak Moscow this season and led the team in scoring with 50 point in 52 games. Given that impressive production, as well as the stylistic changes and the success of young players in Boston under Bruce Cassidy, there was some thought that perhpas Khokhlachev would return to the Bruins next season to fight for the NHL job he felt he deserved. Instead, “Koko” will remain in Moscow for at least one more year, as the KHL announced that he has inked an extension with Spartak. Boston made a qualifying offer to Khokhlachev when he left as a restricted free agent and will continue to retain his rights, should he decide he wants to return to North America in the future.
- Any team looking to draft Rasmus Kupari in the first round of the NHL Draft this June should know that they’re getting a project player and not a quick fix. Kupari is considered by many to be a top first-round talent and is expected to be drafted anywhere between the #10 and #25 picks or so. He is considered one of, if not the best puck-handling forward in this draft class and seems to be the only right-handed natural center worthy of a pick anywhere in the first round. However, NHL.com European insider Igor Eronko reports that the young Finn is committed to staying at home and playing for Karpat of the Finnish Liiga for two more years, stating that it is his preferred developmental path. In a draft class that is extraordinarily shallow in elite talent down the middle, it’s an interesting conundrum to have perhaps the top center state that he has no intention to cross the Atlantic until at least 2020. Yet, Kupari’s ability is such that a team with less immediate needs will be happy to scoop him up if he begins to fall past the midpoint of the first round this year. The long-term plan for Kupari is likely to pay off.
- The IIHF World Championships for the top division of teams is still a week away from beginning, but the tournament for Divisions 1-A and 1-B will wrap up today. Of all the story lines in those tournaments, none is as interesting as the success of Great Britain. The British squad only earned their promotion to Group A last year with a Group B victory, but already they’re looking to make another leap. After beating Italy yesterday, the British took a commanding lead of the Group and, with one game remaining against host Hungary today, look to have locked up a promotion to the elite division next season. All Great Britain needs is a single point against fifth-place Hungary today or an overtime finish to Italy-Slovenia and they clinch a berth in next year’s top tournament. It would be the first time in 25 years that the British would play against the best in the world should they get a favorable result today. A royal baby, a royal wedding, and now a royal promotion – exciting times in the UK.
International Notes: Koskinen, Yakovlev, Lyubushkin, Yelesin
In the always enlightening 31 Thoughts column by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, he touches on several international players that are on the radar for NHL teams. Starting with goaltender Mikko Koskinen, who he reports recently agreed to a deal with Edmonton, Friedman has also heard—but can’t confirm one way or the other—the $2.5MM/year rumor that has been floating around.
Though nothing has been announced by the team, a deal of that magnitude for the 29-year old goaltender would likely mean the team has plans for him at the NHL level, perhaps as part of a tandem with Cam Talbot next season.
- The Vancouver Canucks could sign Par Lindholm according to Friedman, or at least have the best shot at this point. The 26-year old Swedish center competed at the Olympics this year and was one of the SHL’s most dangerous offensive weapons. With 47 points in 49 games he ranked fourth in league scoring.
- Friedman reports that Yegor Yakovlev is expected to sign with the New Jersey Devils, after another good season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. The 26-year old defenseman played at the Olympics as well, and is heading to the World Championships for Russia.
- Ilya Lyubushkin (24) and Alexander Yelesin (22), two young Russian defensemen are also expected to sign, though Friedman only sources overseas reports that say the former is headed to Arizona. We’ll have to wait to see where exactly they end up.
- Bogdan Kiselevich is also still on NHL radar, with Friedman reporting that “several teams continue to chase” him. Kiselevich, 28, has been playing in the KHL for years and was even selected in the CHL import draft way back in 2008. He was an alternate captain for CSKA Moscow this season, but becomes a free agent in a few days.
KHL Announces Alignment, Schedule Changes For 2018-19
We had already heard that the KHL will contract to 25 teams in 2018-19, losing Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk and Lada Togliatti. Now, the league has announced realignment moving several teams around. For next season, three divisions—Bobrov, Tarasov and Khalamov—will have just six teams competing, while the Chernyshev division stays untouched. The full divisions are as follows:
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Bobrov Division:
Dinamo Riga
Dynamo Moscow
Jokerit Helsinki
Severstal Cherepovets
SKA Saint Petersburg
Spartak Moscow
Tarasov Division:
CSKA Moscow
Dinamo Minsk
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Slovan Bratislava
HC Sochi
Vityaz Moscow Region
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Kharlamov Division:
Ak Bars Kazan
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Traktor Chelyabinsk
Sibir Novosibirsk
Chernyshev Division:
Admiral Vladivostok
Amur Khabarovsk
Avangard Omsk
Barys Astana
Kunlun Red Star
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
The league will also be expanding their schedule to 62 games, up from the 56 games played in 2017-18. Though the league has been notorious for the lack of parity between their richest and poorest clubs, contraction and a longer schedule could work to reduce that performance gap. Just this week, Ak Bars Kazan upset CSKA in the Gagarin Cup Finals to win the KHL championship, a very unexpected outcome given the powerhouse teams CSKA and SKA St. Petersburg iced this year.
The KHL season begins on September 1st.
Oilers Winger Iiro Pakarinen Signs In KHL
Oilers winger Iiro Pakarinen is heading back overseas. A report from Sasha Huttunen and Markku Saarinen of Iltalehti in Finland states that Pakarinen has signed with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL for next season, ending a four-year stint in North America. The term of the contract is not yet known.
The 26-year-old played in 40 games with Edmonton this past season, posting two goals and an assist while logging just over 10 minutes per night in ice time. He was more productive at the minor league level after clearing waivers back in December, recording 13 points (9-4-13) in 18 games with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
While he wound up back with the big club down the stretch, the writing was on the wall that Pakarinen was likely to be a player on the fringes in training camp. As a result, he’s chosen to go where he’ll have a bigger role which could help his chances of landing another NHL look down the road. While Edmonton can retain his rights for one more year by qualifying him in June (his required offer is a little over $760K), he will become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2019.
As Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal notes, Pakarinen was one of the more effective penalty killers for the Oilers and with Mark Letestu, who led all Edmonton forwards in shorthanded ice time per game, dealt to Columbus near the trade deadline, GM Peter Chiarelli will likely be on the lookout for some checking help up front in the months to come.
Rangers’ David Desharnais Headed to KHL
With the New York Rangers in rebuilding mode and the expected full-time roles that are likely to be given to top prospects Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, the writing looked to be on the wall for veteran center David Desharnais. Now, European insider Igor Eronko reports that the 31-year-old Desharnais intends to continue his career overseas with the KHL.
Desharnais was unlikely to return to New York as he will be an unrestricted free agent in July. He signed a one-year, $1MM contract last summer to help offset the Rangers’ losses of Derek Stepan, who the team traded to Arizona, and Oscar Lindberg, who the team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The team had hopes that Andersson might make the team out of training camp, but also wanted insurance in case the 18-year-old didn’t. Desharnais provided that depth after Andersson was returned to Sweden, and played 71 games, but tallied just six goals and 28 points this season.
While there is no word on whether he has a deal in place, Desharnais has spent most of his career in North America, having only played 16 games during the 2012-13 strike in Switzerland. Desharnais played most of his career for the Montreal Canadiens and had several good seasons, including 60-point, 52-point and 48-point seasons between 2011 to 2015 seasons. However injuries have derailed his career and the veteran has struggled to hold onto his roster spot as the Canadiens traded him to the Edmonton Oilers last season for their playoff run, while the Oilers opted not to re-sign him last offseason.
Edmonton Oilers Frontrunners To Sign KHL’s Mikko Koskinen
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED each have linked the Edmonton Oilers with being the frontrunners to sign KHL goaltender Mikko Koskinen as the team’s backup to starter Cam Talbot. Koskinen, who has been playing with the KHL for the past six seasons, made his intentions known a couple of weeks ago that he’d like to take his talents back to the NHL.
The 29-year-old, who was a second-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2009, came overseas and played two games in the ECHL, 41 games in the AHL and four games with the Islanders, but struggled and eventually opted to return to Finland. In 31 games for SKA St. Petersburg, the goaltender posted a 1.89 GAA and a .905 save percentage.
Koskinen could be a good fit with Edmonton, assuming Talbot can rebound after a tough season. The starter went from a 2.39 GAA in 2016-17 and dropped to a 3.02 GAA this year. One key factor is the amount of games the veteran has played. Talbot has appeared in 153 games in two years if you include the 2017 playoffs. If Talbot can return to form, Koskinen could be a solid backup option where the team struggled last year. Laurent Brossoit started the year as the backup, but lost his job when he posted a 3.24 GAA. The team then traded for veteran Al Montoya, who didn’t fare much better with a 2.94 GAA in nine appearances. Montoya is the only backup who is under contract for next year at $1.06MM.
The Edmonton Journal’s David Staples writes that a backup goalie is essential to a team’s success and compares the potential signing to that of Anders Nilsson, who also struggled after being drafted by the Islanders and went overseas before signing with Edmonton. However, Nilsson struggled as a backup as well and was traded away later that same season. However, Koskinen has six years in the KHL under his belt and would be a far more likely option to be successful as a backup with the Oilers.
Friedman reported the news on Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada.
Devils Close To Deal With Defenseman Yegor Yakovlev
Another team eyeing overseas talent this off-season is one whose off-season has yet to begin. Russian news source Sport-Express reports that SKA St. Petersburg defenseman Yegor Yakovlev is planning to sign with the New Jersey Devils. It seems that GM Ray Shero and company have stayed busy on the talent acquisition front for next season, despite the team still being focused on their first-round playoff series.
Yakovlev, 26, is yet another talented member of KHL powerhouse SKA. Teammates like Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikita Gusev, Sergei Plotnikov, and Mikko Koskinen are among many on the roster who could sign in the NHL this summer, but Yakovlev seems to be closest to a concrete deal. Yakovlev lost games due to injury in 2017-18, but last season set career highs with 21 points and a +30 rating in 56 games. He made up for some missed time this year with a strong showing for Russia at the Olympics as well, skating on the team’s top pair. A high-energy two-way defenseman, Yakovlev certainly appears to have the talent to push for a regular role in the NHL.
Where exactly he fits in New Jersey is a different question. The Devils surprised many this season by earning a playoff berth just one season after finishing near the bottom of the league. Part of that turnaround has been the improved play on the blue line, greatly aided by the additions of Sami Vatanen and Will Butcher. On the left side, where Yakovlev plays, New Jersey has Butcher, captain Andy Greene, and – for now – John Moore. While admittedly it’s not as strong as the right side of Vatanen, Damon Severson, Ben Lovejoy, and seventh-man Steve Santini, it’s still a solid group and a consistent one at that, with all three playing in 81 games this year. Even if Moore, an impending unrestricted free agent, was to leave the Devils, Mirco Mueller is a promising lefty in need of some play time. While healthy competition never hurts, it certainly seems like Yakovlev is signing on to a situation where he won’t be guaranteed a starting job without earning it.
Coyotes To Sign Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin
With the KHL season over, there continue to be numerous rumors connecting foreign free agents, young and old, with interested NHL teams. Trusted European hockey insider Igor Eronko of NHL.com says that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is next up. Eronko relays the message that Lyubushkin is set to sign with the Arizona Coyotes.
While no terms of the deal have leaked yet, the 24-year-old Lyubushkin seems to be more of gamble on upside for the Coyotes rather than a player expected to start immediately without issue. The contract will most likely be for relatively little money and may even be of a two-way nature. In 2017-18, Lyubushkin tallied just nine points in 50 games, which was fifth among Lokomotiv defenseman. The stay-at-home defender was more effective in his own zone, posting a +14 rating, but even this was fourth on the team. Lyubushkin’s only noticeable lead on Yarolslavl was in penalty minutes, where he was tops by a wide margin due to his propensity for the physical side of the game.
What the Coyotes likely see in Lyubushkin is a strong, young blue liner who already has extensive pro experience, with five years with Lokomotiv under his belt. A right-shot defenseman under 25 with that much experience doesn’t hit free agency very often and Arizona likely hopes that his more conservative games translates well to the NHL. They could use him sooner rather than later, as Luke Schenn‘s free agency leaves only Jason Demers as a right shot on the Arizona back end. Even in the AHL, there are no better righty options to step in than Lyubushkin, as only college free agent Jordan Gross – a similar style player to Lyubushkin – looks ready to play at the pro level. Of course, this situation could all change this off-season in free agency or if the ‘Yotes land elite defenseman Adam Boqvist in the draft (though they would of course prefer lefty Rasmus Dahlin), but for now Lyubushkin looks to be a sleeper pick to fill a regular role with Arizona in the next year or so.
Rangers Closing In On Swedish Forward Michael Lindqvist
The New York Rangers are already in off-season mode following a disappointing 77-point season that saw them finish last in the Metropolitan Division and trade away several big-name veterans. GM Jeff Gorton and company clearly have at least a restructuring of the team in mind, if not a complete rebuild. With such a process often comes some unique ways of replenishing the talent that is traded away for picks and prospects. While one player already linked to the Rangers this off-season has been KHL star and former NHL standout Ilya Kovalchuk, many have questioned if adding a 35-year-old who thrives when playing with high-end talent was really the right move for a rebuilding team. A new European rumor makes much more sense. According to a Swedish news source, the Kvalls Posten, young Swedish star Michael Lindqvist is nearing a deal to join New York.
Lindqvist, 23, is a sharp-shooting right winger who is coming off a breakout season with Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League. Although injuries limited Lindqvist to just 33 games in 2017-18, the young Swede still finished third on his team in scoring and had the best per-game production on the roster. In fact, Lindqvist’s 34 points in 33 games was the fourth-best points-per-game rate in the entire league among players who skated in at least half of their team’s games. Lindqvist also added three points in two playoff games for Farjestad, which was a quarterfinalist in the SHL this season.
In speaking about Lindqvist’s contract situation, agent Joakim Persson told the Kvalls Posten that there were a number of teams interested in Lindqvist, but that the list has been narrowed down. Persson adds the Washington Capitals to the list of finalists for Lindqvist’s services, but states that the Rangers are the heavy favorite. Persson says that a decision is approaching and that a deal will be official soon. While there will surely be an adjustment period for Lindqvist, the talented forward is a worthwhile gamble for the Rangers, who will look to reconstruct their roster with as much youth and potential as possible during the upcoming summer and beyond.