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Snapshots: Eakin, Gusev, Kane

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The rumblings over who will be selected in tonight’s expansion draft are coming fast and furious, and though many are highly speculative Jim Toth of TSN 1290 is reporting that Cody Eakin will be the selection from the Dallas Stars. While it’s not clear who Toth’s sources are, Eakin would make sense as the Dallas selection. Not only did he show that he’s capable of putting up 35-40 points before this season but he’s only 26-years old and was drafted by new Vegas GM George McPhee back in Washington.

We projected Eakin as the selection out of Dallas in our mock expansion draft, mostly because of the lack of exciting options available among their exposed players. Eakin is coming off a disastrous season in which he scored just 12 points despite spending substantial time with the Stars’ big guns up front. His faceoffs improved and he could still be a valuable piece, but there is no guarantee he’ll ever get back to the highs earlier in his career.

  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times thinks that Nikita Gusev may be part of any trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to either protect young defensemen or move Jason Garrison’s hefty contract. Gusev was a linemate of Vadim Shipachyov last season in the KHL and has shown that he can be an incredible offensive performer despite his relatively small stature. The 24-year old still has one year remaining on his contract with SKA St. Petersburg, meaning it would just be a deal of negotiating rights to the Golden Knights. Gusev could also work out a mutual termination or buyout of his KHL contract and come to North America right away, though the interest in that option is unclear.
  • Darren Dreger of TSN gave us an update on Evander Kane trade talks amid all the expansion news, reporting that there are still ongoing discussions with teams in “win now” mode. While those teams aren’t clear, there is likely quite a bit of interest in the 28-goal man who may have turned a corner after his recent legal drama. Kane was by all accounts a much more consistent teammate this season, and showed it on the scoresheet with his best season since 2011-12. Amazingly still just 25-years old, Kane has one year left on his contract and could be among next summer’s top free agents with a repeat performance.

Latest On Evgeny Dadonov’s NHL Future

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Buried in Elliotte Friedman’s always interesting “30 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet last night was one short note about KHL star and free agent Evgeny Dadonov. The 28-year old forward has been linked to several teams since the KHL season ended, most recently the Vegas Golden Knights who had re-opened talks with him to join Vadim Shipachyov for their inaugural season. Friedman reports differently though, saying that Dadonov is getting close with an Eastern Conference team.

Way back in March Friedman had reported that Dadonov was looking for around $3.5MM in the NHL, a number that would be palatable to many teams around the league. The winger put up 66 points in 53 games this season, his fifth since leaving the NHL in the first place. Drafted by the Florida Panthers 71st overall in 2007, Dadonov never could find much success at the highest level but still has tremendous offensive potential. Now slightly bigger than he was as a young player in Florida, perhaps his game is better suited for the league than it was prior to the last lockout.

Among Eastern teams with some interest, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes have all been very tenuously linked to the Russian forward in the past. In our reader poll last month, over 40% voted that he would eventually end up with the Golden Knights, though Toronto and Montreal were second and third respectively.

Though he can play both sides, Dadonov is left handed and would likely need to play his off-wing in Montreal. The Canadiens are loaded on left wing after acquiring Jonathan Drouin, unless one of he or Alex Galchenyuk is moved back to center. The Maple Leafs have a glut of wingers, but would have an opening if a player like James van Riemsdyk was moved out in trade. Either way, with his flexibility Dadonov could find a position somewhere on nearly every roster in the Eastern conference, meaning several teams have probably expressed interest in bringing him aboard. In what will be another instance of a Russian player coming to the NHL this offseason, it’s becoming more and more clear that the reports that Olympic play would be a factor in decisions was more of a negotiating tactic from the KHL than anything else.

Snapshots: Pokka, Wichita, Kostin

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The Chicago Blackhawks are in negotiations with Ville Pokka on a new contract, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. The young defenseman has still yet to make his NHL debut, but with the Blackhawks facing cap problems once again and Trevor van Riemsdyk likely headed for the Vegas Golden Knights, it might be time for Pokka to make an impact this season.

The 23-year old was selected 34th overall in the 2012 draft by the New York Islanders and is a restricted free agent this summer. It’s not often you see high draft picks make it all the way through their entry-level contract without a sniff of the NHL, but because of it Pokka should be relatively inexpensive on his next deal. That said, he’s a candidate for Group VI free agency should the Blackhawks not get him into 80 games by the summer after his 25th birthday, meaning he’s probably unwilling to sign anything longer than two years without any guarantees at playing time. After three up-and-down seasons in the AHL that showed both his potential and deficiencies, it will be tough to put him right into the NHL to start next year.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have announced their partnership with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL as a new minor-league affiliate. The Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate will work closely with the Thunder to develop their prospects. Though Bakersfield and Wichita are still quite a distance from each other, the Oilers had been affiliated with the Norfolk Admirals last season on the east coast. That team is now working with the Nashville Predators while the Thunder will indeed be much closer geographically.
  • Klim Kostin is clear that he wants to play in North America next season, and he will likely get a mutual termination with his KHL club in order to do so. In a recent translated article with Sovsport, Kostin—a top prospect for the 2017 entry draft, expected to go sometime in the first round—says that even though he has two years remaining on his current deal, their is a good chance the team will “understand me and let me go.” Kostin has previously said he doesn’t want to play in the WHL where the Kootenay Ice hold his junior rights. He instead could go directly to the NHL or AHL if he were to sign an entry-level contract right away.

Matej Stransky Signs In KHL

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After being rumored to be close to a deal with Severstal Cherepovets recently, the team announced that they had acquired Matej Stransky from CSKA Moscow and signed him to a two-year contract. The Dallas Stars prospect was a restricted free agent this summer.

Stransky has played four seasons with the Texas Stars of the AHL, developing into a powerful scoring threat for the minor league squad. With 27 goals this season, the 23-year old easily paced the Stars and he looked like he could have a chance in the NHL before long. His play has matured since being selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, coming out of the WHL where he had dominated for the Saskatoon Blades.

The Czech-born forward is actually a pretty substantial loss for Texas, who already struggled this season and missed the playoffs for only the second time in their history. Dallas too will now have to watch his development from abroad and hope that in two seasons they can coax him back to North America. The team will likely qualify him to retain his rights, and try to bring him back as a 25-year old.

Snapshots: Drouin, Moscow, Fleury

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is one of the most interesting names to follow this summer, as he has continued to be linked in trade speculation all around the league. The latest example comes from Conor McKenna of TSN who while admitting he isn’t a trade-breaker, relayed that he’s heard rumblings of a possible Alex Galchenyuk (plus a first-round pick) for Drouin swap. That would certainly be a substantial kickoff to the trade season, as both players are incredible talents who haven’t quite hit the highs predicted of them.

Drouin especially holds high value after breaking out this season with 21 goals and 53 points, while both former third-overall picks (2012 for Galchenyuk, 2013 for Drouin) are restricted free agents this summer and are candidates for long-term deals. Bob McKenzie chimed in earlier with some thoughts on the Montreal forward, saying that “it’s become clear Montreal doesn’t view [Galchenyuk] as a center.” Keep your eyes peeled for movement on both fronts, as even if they’re not traded for each other they could be moved to other teams around the league.

  • The KHL club Dynamo Moscow has been taken over by new ownership, but with it the players have gone on strike due to unpaid salary. The new owners, according to KHL reporter Slava Malamud are standing firm and saying they are not responsible for the debts. There were previous reports that players haven’t been paid in up to six months, and Jason Brough of NBC adds that the team was raided by anti-fraud police earlier this month. Among the players on Moscow last season was Klim Kostin, a top prospect for the upcoming expansion draft who has already said he plans on coming to North America immediately. After seeing first hand what happened to the more veteran players last season, it’s hard to blame him.
  • Marc-Andre Fleury waived his no-movement clause because it was the “right thing [to do] to help the team, to stay with the team, ” telling Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it gave the team more flexibility. Always considered one of the very best teammates in the league, Fleury’s waiving of his NMC allowed the Penguins to keep him on the roster for their playoff run, something that certainly came in handy when Matt Murray went down in the warm up of the first game. Fleury would lead the team through the first few rounds putting up an incredible performance and allowing Murray to heal fully before returning. If he is now ticketed for Vegas as many have speculated, his final act in Pittsburgh is one for the ages.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Sheldon Brookbank as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, bringing the former defenseman back to an organization where he won a Stanley Cup in 2013. Brookbank was one of the defensemen that Joel Quenneville has played at forward over the years, but didn’t have a huge role on the team in any capacity. He’ll join new Rockford IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton behind the bench next season on what is shaping up to be a very young coaching staff.

Snapshots: Petersen, Kovalchuk, Neal

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The Buffalo Sabres are still patiently waiting on a decision from goaltender Cal Petersen on whether or not he’ll start his professional career with the team, or wait for free agency next month. After Petersen declared he would not be returning to school, the Sabres had a 30-day window in which to sign him. John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that Petersen’s camp is still quiet on his upcoming decision.

The goaltender will become a free agent on July 1st with everyone else through coincidence, and would be highly sought after as a potential future starting goalie. He would be signing a two-year entry-level contract, but after three outstanding years at Notre Dame is considered more polished than many other goaltending prospects. There is a chance he could be in the NHL before that ELC expires, making him extremely valuable to any team that signs him.

  • New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero joined TSN 1050 today and was asked a series of questions about Ilya Kovalchuk’s potential return. Shero told Pierre LeBrun and the other hosts plainly once again that it’s Jay Grossman (Kovalchuk’s agent) that is guiding the ship right now in terms of which teams are in contact with the Russian sniper. He’ll wait until they have a deal worked out before reaching out and seeing if there is a trade to be made with the interested team. Shero did confirm that Kovalchuk still does intend on returning, despite any rumors out of the KHL that he’s re-considering his position.
  • The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers have both given promotions to their player development staff. Florida has upgraded former captain Bryan McCabe from Director of Player Development to Director of Player Personnel, while New York has installed Jed Ortmeyer as Director of Player Development. The Rangers have also hired Steve Eminger as a Pro Scout after last playing in the AHL in 2015-16. Eminger spent three seasons for the Rangers during his playing career.
  • James Neal played most of the playoffs with a broken hand, according to Nashville Predators GM David Poile at the final team press conference (via Thomas Willis of the team site). The power forward broke it in game one of the Western Conference final, and came back to score the overtime winner that game. Neal has just one year left on his contract and could potentially be exposed by the Predators in the upcoming expansion draft, something Poile is trying his hardest to avoid.
  • Karl Stollery has decided to take his talents to the KHL, as the free agent defender has signed on with Dinamo Riga. Stollery played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, registering just three points. The former Merrimack College standout has just 23 NHL games under his belt but will now try to take the next step in the Russian league.

Snapshots: Neal, Beck, No. 1

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Among his morning musings, the venerable Pierre LeBrun of TSN mentioned the possibility of the Nashville Predators, fresh off a Stanley Cup Finals loss, could leave James Neal exposed in the upcoming expansion draft. A few months ago, that would have seemed far-fetched but with Calle Jarnkrok’s increased role in the playoffs and incredibly team-friendly contract it might now be a realistic scenario.

The Predators will almost surely protect their top four defensemen, leaving just four remaining protection slots for forwards. With Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen all being locks, Neal and Jarnkrok are likely battling for the final spot. That is, if the team isn’t working out a side-deal like so many other clubs with Vegas in order to protect more than the allotted number of players.

  • Taylor Beck is headed to the KHL, signing with Avtomobilist today. The 26-year old was set to become a restricted free agent once again, this time with the New York Rangers whose farm team he ended the season with. The once third-round pick of the Predators was traded four times in a two year span, including a deal at the deadline this year. Despite scoring 66 points in 56 games this season in the AHL, Beck got into just five NHL contests and will now try his luck somewhere else. In 92 career NHL games, he has 23 points and always seemed just a step behind what it took to make an impact at the highest level. He’ll try to refine his game in Russia, while possibly returning at some point down the road.
  • In the latest from Mike Morreale of NHL.com, he speaks to New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero about the upcoming entry draft and the possibility of moving the #1 pick. “What would it get me to trade the No. 1 pick outright? I couldn’t even tell you,” Shero tells Morreale. There has been some speculation that the Devils could trade down to take a defenseman, but with the prospect of taking one of Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier staring you in the face, it’s hard to pull the trigger. As we’ve examined before, trading the first-overall pick is a risky business.

Snapshots: Foo, Gavrikov, Panthers

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Spencer Foo joined Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED today and the college free agent confirmed that he has whittled down the interest from “over 20” to “under five” teams on where to sign his first NHL contract. The Oilers remain in that group, the childhood team of Foo growing up in Edmonton. Foo also revealed that he would have been named captain of the Union College team, and his younger brother would be have been joining him this season had he stayed.

The Hobey Baker finalist scored 62 points in 38 games during his junior team before deciding to turn pro this summer, and was one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has delayed his decision so far to finish his school year, instead of signing and playing this season like other NCAA players. At 23, he should compete for a spot in the NHL right away wherever he signs.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have been trying to convince Vladislav Gavrikov to come over to the NHL for some time, and according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express the young defenseman is trying to get a visa in order to come over for a medical. According to Eronko Columbus has offered him a deal with an AHL “out clause” meaning that he would be allowed to return to the KHL should they try to send him down. The report also indicates that the contract would include “full bonuses”, though it’s unclear if that means signing, performance or both. Gavrikov played quite well this season for Yaroslavl, suiting up for 54 games. He also played for Team Russia at the World Championships, logging time against top competition.
  • The Florida Panthers have signed six players to AHL contracts, inking Francois Beauchemin (not the one who plays for Colorado), Matt Buckles, Ryan Horvat, Anthony Greco, Matt MacKenzie and Evan Cowley. All six will report to the Springfield Thunderbirds next season. The biggest name may be Cowley, who finished his NCAA career with an incredible .955 save percentage as the backup at DU. The former fourth-round pick is an interesting goaltending prospect for the Panthers down the line, perhaps capable of developing into at least an NHL backup.

Snapshots: Koytk, Kansas City, Wolski

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Chris Drury has made one of his first signings as GM of the Hartford Wolf Pack, inking college free agent Brenden Kotyk to an AHL contract. The huge defender (6’6″ 240-lbs) spent the past three years with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he continued to develop as a defender. It’s hard to project much for Kotyk as he is already 25 years old and will turn 26 before the season starts, but perhaps he’s turned a corner and can compete professionally.

At the very least he’ll offer a big body who won’t shy away from physical play and could add a presence to the Wolf Pack penalty kill. He’s obviously already big enough to compete at the next level, but whether his skating and decision making is good enough to keep up is still up for debate. In the National Championship game against Denver this spring, Kotyk was on the ice the second Pioneers goal, in which Troy Terry and Jarid Lukosevicius exposed his ability to defend the front of the net. Though it’s just one example, it points to the part of his game that he’ll need to improve and rely upon at the next level.

  • The Calgary Flames have announced a new ECHL affiliation, partnering with the Kansas City Mavericks for the 2017-18 season. Previously known as the Missouri Mavericks, the franchise had been associated with the New York Islanders but will now work with the Flames on a year-to-year agreement. The Flames were affiliated with the Adirondack Thunder last season, who will announce a new affiliation in the coming days.
  • Wojtek Wolski is back in hockey, signing a two-year deal with Kunlun of the KHL. The former NHL forward suffered a career-threatening injury last year when playing with Magnitogorsk, sliding head first into the boards with an opposing player on his back. He suffered spinal cord trauma, fractured vertebrae in his neck and a concussion on the play, and was at risk of never playing again. He’ll return less than a year later, and try to reinvigorate a career that had found new life in the KHL. After several unsuccessful stints with teams in the NHL since his departure from the Colorado Avalanche, Wolski went to the KHL in 2013 and has produced quite well ever since. At 31, there is a chance he could try a comeback to the NHL after this contract expires, but we likely have seen the last of the former first-round pick.

Nikita Nesterov Remains Committed To NHL Future

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Despite rumors that he had signed in the KHL because of his appearance on the Traktor Chelyabinsk roster page, Nikita Nesterov still wants to play in the NHL next season. Dan Milstein, Nesterov’s agent with Gold Star, confirmed as much on Twitter today claiming that the rumors were “absolutely false.” Nesterov remains an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.

Nesterov was acquired by the Canadiens in January for Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round pick, but played just 13 games down the stretch and two in the playoffs. The 24-year old has now played 132 games in his short career, and has generally performed well. While he hasn’t become the top-4 defenseman that Tampa Bay hoped at one point, his play does deserve an NHL contract in the future.

A qualifying offer for the defenseman would cost the Canadiens just over $761K, which would also allow them to retain his rights even if he does head to Russia for next season. He is also eligible for selection in the expansion draft, and doesn’t project to be protected by the Canadiens. He’s at little risk of being selected, as there are other defensemen on the team who would be more appetizing for the expansion team. We’ll see if he reaches an agreement with the Canadiens, as they look to reshape their defense with players like Jakub Jerabek.

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