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Morning Notes: Walsh, Juniors, KHL

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USA Hockey has made another cut from their World Junior squad, sending defenseman Reilly Walsh back to Harvard. Walsh is a third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, but was one of the younger players in development camp and will have a shot at the team again next year (provided he isn’t in the NHL).

The team is down to 26 players, with the final cuts expected after tomorrow’s final pre-tournament tune up game against Sweden. Walsh, 18, will return to his freshman year at Harvard where he has eight points in his first ten games. The undersized, but elite-skating son of former NHL player Mike Walsh, he’ll be one to watch as his NCAA career progresses.

  • In terms of other World Junior players to watch, Mike Morreale of NHL.com gives us a breakdown of the names eligible for the 2018 draft. Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov obviously lead that group, but there are quite a few other top prospects set to play in the tournament. One to especially keep an eye on is Rasmus Kupari, the 17-year old Finnish forward who is already playing regularly for Karpat. He has his blemishes, but owns one of the highest offensive ceilings in the draft if everything clicks and could go in the top-10.
  • Speaking of offensive upside, KHL insider Aivis Kalnins reports that Admiral Vladivostok has released bought out three key players, Vladimir Tkachev, Ivan Nalimov and Oskars Bartulis. Vladivostok is one of the teams that has had trouble paying its player salaries in the past. Tkachyev, 22, is an extremely undersized forward that has huge offensive skill, and was once heavily courted by the Edmonton Oilers. Kalnins believes that Tkachev has another deal in the KHL already, but Nalimov, a Chicago Blackhawks goaltending prospect, could come overseas. Many will also remember Bartulis from his short stint with the Philadelphia Flyers, after being selected in the third round of the 2005 draft.

KHL Players Going To 2018 Winter Olympics

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9:20am: The KHL has actually retracted their previous statement about allowing players to go, now saying that “participation is not resolved.” We’ll continue to update when the next statement is made by the KHL Board of Governors.

8:20am: When the IOC announced that Russia would be banned from the upcoming 2018 Olympic Games, it wasn’t clear where that left the KHL. The league had previously warned that should Russia be left out of the Games, the entire league may avoid a shutdown and not let players from any country attend. That would have been devastating for Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, relying on professionals playing in the KHL to make up a good chunk of their teams.

For Team Russia themselves, they were given an option to play under a neutral flag as “OAR” or “Olympic Athletes from Russia” but it wasn’t clear if the country would want to pursue that opportunity. After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would support athletes competing under the Olympic flag, many KHL players including Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk spoke to the KHL to try and secure a guarantee that they could go. They’ve done just that according to Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber of Reuters, who reports that the KHL Board of Directors “wished luck to all KHL players” that were headed to Pyeongchang.

It’s not clear how exactly the OAR team will work, but it will likely compete in a similar fashion to the Unified Team in 1992. That year, countries that made up the former Soviet Union iced a team that took home gold in men’s hockey, playing under an Olympic flag. We could see the same thing happen once again, as players like Kovalchuk and Datsyuk take on the relatively weak rosters of the rest of the world.

Washington Capitals Working On Ilya Samsonov

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The Washington Capitals don’t have a goaltending problem. Braden Holtby hasn’t been quite himself this season, but is still one of the more consistent netminders in the league. Behind him, Philipp Grubauer also hasn’t had quite the season some had hoped, but his is a small sample and could turn at any moment.

Ilya SamsonovStill, the team is looking towards their future in goal. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Capitals GM Brian MacLellan is in Moscow to speak with Ilya Samsonov’s representatives, as they try to bring him over to North America after his current deal is up. Samsonov is under contract with Magnitogorsk through April 2018, after which he could sign his entry-level deal with the Capitals.

It’s not often you see teams spend first-round picks on goaltenders anymore, as so many have been burned by the inconsistent development of young netminders. The Capitals weren’t afraid though when they strode up to the podium in 2015, selecting Samsonov 22nd-overall even while other names like Brock Boeser, Travis Konecny and Jack Roslovic were still available.

Samsonov showed why the Capitals were so high on him the next season, when he jumped into the KHL and recorded a .925 save percentage in 19 games. He would even play in six postseason games and help Magnitogorsk win the Gagarin Cup as a rookie. He also took home a silver as part of the Russian World Junior team. All he did the next season was post a .936 save percentage in 27 KHL games and take over the net for the World Junior squad, earning a bronze medal this time around, but being named a tournament All-Star.

It’s clear that Samsonov is a top goaltending prospect, even if this year his numbers are down a bit on a worse KHL team. He stands 6’4″ at age-20, and has the potential to be an elite goaltender in the NHL one day. Getting him signed and into the Capitals development system is the next step, especially with Grubauer a restricted free agent once again this summer and Holtby only signed through 2019-20.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Team Canada, Junior Snubs

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The NHL released its three stars of the week today, with Brayden Schenn leading the group. Schenn has found brilliant success since being traded to St. Louis, already with 37 points in 31 games. Always possessing elite talent, some believed Schenn would never become the dominant presence he was projected to be when the Los Angeles Kings took him fifth-overall. He’s already been traded twice in his career, but looks ready to obliterate his previous career-high of 59 points and become an integral part of any St. Louis success.

Jake Allen and Brian Elliott round out the stars of the week, both posting perfect records and incredible save percentages. Allen and Elliott were teammates just two seasons ago, when the Blues went to just their second Conference Finals in nearly 30 years. With zero Stanley Cup victories in their history, Allen and Schenn will look to change the franchise fortunes this year.

Marek Mazanec On Waivers; Will Sign With New York Rangers

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Wednesday: As expected, Mazanec has cleared waivers and signed with the Rangers. He was immediately assigned to the AHL, along with Alexandar Georgiev who’d been up while Henrik Lundqvist dealt with the flu. Mazanec is likely on a minimum salary two-way contract, meaning he would have $650K cap hit in the NHL.

Tuesday: Marek Mazanec is about to return to North American professional hockey, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that he will sign with the New York Rangers. Mazanec has been placed on waivers today, meaning he’s destined for the AHL once he clears. Mazanec had been under contract with the Nashville Predators this summer, but had his contract terminated to pursue an opportunity in the KHL.

After the Predators added both Matt O’Connor and Anders Lindback, it was expected that the organization would move away from Mazanec. Still though, they issued him a qualifying offer and he filed for salary arbitration, eventually settling on a two-way contract. That deal was terminated when Mazanec found a job with Slovan Bratislava in the KHL, but they’ve now moved on as well. Mazanec struggled for Slovan, posting an .899 save percentage through 23 games this season. The team has KHL veteran Jakub Stepanek to fill the crease for them, who has played better so far this year.

Joel Hanley of the Arizona Coyotes and Matt Moulson of the Buffalo Sabres, on waivers yesterday, have both cleared and can be assigned to their respective AHL teams. The Sabres had been trying to find a taker for Moulson and his $5MM cap hit, but instead will have to bury him in the minor leagues. The team will gain a prorated $1.025MM in salary cap relief from assigning him to the AHL.

Russian Olympic Athletes Forced To Compete Under Neutral Flag

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The IOC announced its decision today on Russian athletes for the upcoming 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games. They have suspended the Russian Olympic Committee from any influence on the games, but will allow clean Russian athletes to compete under the Olympic flag itself.

It’s unclear exactly what that means for the Russian hockey players, as they would need to play on a neutral team instead of for their country. The KHL has warned that they will potentially pull out entirely if a decision like this was made. The decision to pull all KHL players out would affect every country attending, and likely mean that both Hockey Canada and USA Hockey would need to turn to younger players to fill out the roster.

The IOC based its decision on the Schmid Commission which looked into “the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia” and found there was widespread corruption when it came to doping for Russian athletes in Sochi 2014.

In 1992, the men’s hockey event was won by a “Unified Team” of the countries which made up the former Soviet Union. They played under the Olympic flag, and took home the gold medal over Canada. That team included familiar names like Sergei Zubov, Alex Zhamnov, Dmitry Yushkevich, Alex Kovalev and others. It seems unlikely that a similar Russian team would play under the Olympic flag this time around. If they did, they would be known as “OAR” or “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”

Bob McKenzie of TSN spoke with IIHF President Rene Fasel, who will wait “24 to 48 hours to see where things are at.” The IIHF will likely wait for the KHL to make a decision before commenting on how this ruling will affect the Olympic hockey tournament, both for men and women.

Mike Keenan Fired By KHL’s Kunlun Red Star

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Once Mike Keenan was stripped of his GM role this week, it was only a matter of time before the veteran coach was out of a job entirely. The KHL’s Kunlun Red Star made it official today, relieving Keenan of his coaching duties. The KHL’s first and only Chinese team had dropped nine straight games and is struggling to get out of the basement of the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Keenan, who joined the team last month and has been coaching in the KHL since 2013, was clearly not the answer for a team still looking to make a dent as a franchise. The evidence: Kunlun won their first game without Keenan behind the bench today.

Keenan of course is well-known for his time as a coach in the NHL. A tough personality to deal with, Keenan found much success in the NHL, but never with the same team for very long. His first head coaching job in the league was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984-85. Keenan spent four years with the Flyers, the next four years with the Chicago Blackhawks, one year with the New York Rangers in 1993-94, in which he led the team to their most recent Stanley Cup title, then three years with the St. Louis Blues, two years with the Vancouver Canucks, one year with the Boston Bruins, three years with the Florida Panthers, and, in his final NHL job to date, two years with the Calgary Flames ending in 2008-09. Keenan made the jump overseas in 2013 to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk and won a KHL championship in his first season. Keenan joined the Red Star after being fired by Metallurg in 2016.

Keenan’s job with Kunlun now goes to his assistant, former NHLer Bobby Carpenter, with other assistants and former pros Cliff Ronning and Igor Kravchuk sticking by as well. The trio have nearly 3000 games of NHL experience between them and, as almost any coach to ever follow Keenan has found, should be able to relate better to the Red Star players.

Morning Notes: Cole, Keenan, Weber, McDonagh

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Even though trade rumors out of Pittsburgh continue to come out about Ian Cole, Bob McKenzie of TSN doesn’t believe the defenseman’s eventual departure is guaranteed. McKenzie took to Twitter to explain how he views the situation, underscoring that Pittsburgh will only make a deal if it improves their chances at the Stanley Cup this season. As he points out, the team hasn’t worried about losing potential free agents before and why should they? The Penguins are going after their third straight Stanley Cup this season and after a tough start are still in the Metropolitan Division mix.

Cole certainly should command a fairly high trade value even with his recent healthy scratches, as he’s cheap and relatively young (he doesn’t turn 29 until February. McKenzie also feels that a “quality center” is likely what the team is after in any potential deal.

  • Mike Keenan has been removed from the GM role of Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The infamous NHL coach will remain behind the bench for the Chinese club, despite losing their last seven games. Kunlun stands at 12-14-8 so far this season and find themselves out of the playoffs. Keenan won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, but has been coaching in the KHL now for 2013.
  • The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers watched their star defensemen skate this morning, as both Shea Weber and Ryan McDonagh got back on the ice. Neither player is ready to return for their respective teams, but are getting closer with every passing day. McDonagh in particular is expected to return to the Rangers lineup on Friday if all goes well this week. Weber is still working out on his own and has no clear return date.

Danis Zaripov Signs Two-Year Deal In KHL

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Russian winger Danis Zaripov won’t be crossing the pond after all.  After having his two-year KHL suspension reduced to just six months earlier this week that made him eligible to sign as of Thursday, he has inked a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan, the KHL announced (Twitter link).

Zaripov did draw a bit of NHL interest but nothing came of it.  Most recently, the Blues had offered him a PTO deal but he was looking for a guaranteed contract.  Tampa Bay also had interest during the summer while Pittsburgh was known to at least be considering signing him though it’s not known if any offer was ever made.

Interestingly enough, Zaripov opted to not return to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the franchise he spent the past four years with and where he really made his mark on the league, recording just shy of a point per game (227 points in 229 contests) during that stretch.  It won’t be his first stint with Kazan though as he was previously with them from 2001 through 2013.

If Russia and KHL players are allowed to play in the upcoming Olympics (something that appears to be far from a certainty at this point), Zaripov is a candidate to make that team assuming the long layoff doesn’t prove to be difficult to come back from.  If he makes it, it would be his second appearance in that tournament having also suited up in 2010.

Toronto Maple Leafs Have Verbal Agreement With KHL Defender

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As always, Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet is a must-read for fans around the NHL as the scribe goes into situations in Arizona and Montreal. One interesting detail though surrounds the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of Igor Ozhiganov, a 25-year old Russian defenseman playing in the KHL.

Ozhiganov had been previously linked to the Maple Leafs when Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock personally met with him in Russia in a sort of recruitment visit, similar to the one they completed when trying to sign Nikita Zaitsev a year earlier. Ozhiganov was a teammate of Zaitsev’s for several years in the KHL and is clearly the next target for the Maple Leafs as they continue to search for NHL-caliber defensemen around the world.

Friedman states that other teams have been told that Ozhiganov has a verbal agreement in place with the Maple Leafs, and points out that the team could sign him as early as April 30th. Because of his age, Ozhiganov will be signing just a one-year entry-level contract similar to Zaitsev. Earlier this summer the team also reached into the SHL for both Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen, of which the former has immediately worked out for the team. Borgman has been a staple on the Maple Leafs third pairing, registering five points in 22 games.

For a team that is so obviously willing to spend past the NHL salary cap to give themselves every competitive advantage, scouting players around the world who may not be on every team’s radar is a new trend. Ozhiganov will just be the latest in a growing group of undrafted players on the roster, which also includes Nikita Soshnikov and Tyler Bozak.

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