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Nail Yakupov And The Russian Option

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Earlier today it was announced that the rights of Nail Yakupov and Nikita Kucherov were dealt to reigning KHL Gagarin Cup Champions SKA St. Petersburg. While Kucherov sounds like the big name in the deal he—along with Marcus Johansson who went the other way—is under contract in the NHL and unable to return to Russia for several years. In actuality, the biggest name may be that of Yakupov who as of July 1st will not be under contract with any team in the NHL. Nail Yakupov

While St. Louis will still hold his rights as a restricted free agent (as long as he’s not selected by the Vegas Golden Knights or traded before then), there will certainly be an effort from St. Petersburg to entice him to return to Russia. Especially as SKA prepares to possibly lose Ilya Kovalchuk, Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov all in one summer to the NHL, the money waived in front of Yakupov will be substantial. When looking at his career up to this point, and the deal he would likely have to settle for in the NHL—should he even be tendered a contract at all—returning to Russia may be his best option.

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Snapshots: KHL, Surgeries, Bjork

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Several pieces of news out of the KHL today, including the signing of a three-year contract for Nikita Tryamkin with Yekaterinburg. The news that Tryamkin had left the Vancouver Canucks has been out for a while, but now we know how long the team will have to wait until they get a chance to bring him back to the NHL. The Canucks will hold his rights until 2021-22 season since they plan to qualify him this offseason, meaning that perhaps a reunion is possible after this three-year deal expires in 2020.

Viktor Antipin has officially terminated his deal, meaning he’s allowed to sign with the Buffalo Sabres (or anyone else) as soon as he wishes. Antipin’s teammate and former NHLer Alexander Semin will not be offered a new contract by Magnitogorsk, despite scoring 30 points this season. Semin could potentially return to the NHL should someone want to take a chance on the former 40-goal man, though at 33 his most effective years are likely behind him.

  • SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow were involved in a trade, swapping the rights to Nail Yakupov and Nikita Kucherov for those of Marcus Johansson and David Musil. While Kucherov and Johansson are both under contract and thus unable to be wooed by the KHL, both Yakupov and Musil are restricted free agents this summer. They could theoretically leave for greener pastures, as neither have been able to make much of an impact at the NHL level recently (or ever, in Musil’s case).
  • The Minnesota Wild have announced that both Marco Scandella and Christian Folin have undergone surgery to repair hip and shoulder injuries respectively. Both are expected to be ready for training camp, though it obviously sets some of their offseason work back.
  • Joe Haggerty of CSNNE reports that NCAA prospect Anders Bjork has told the Bruins he’ll make a decision on turning pro after the World Championships. Bjork is currently playing with Team USA at the tournament, which starts on May 5th. The 20-year old fifth-round pick blew up at Notre Dame this year, and Boston has made it clear that they want him to turn pro this summer instead of returning for his senior season. If he were to return, he’d be just a few months away from free agency when he graduated with most of the league ready to put his name on a contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets Trying To Sign Vladislav Gavrikov

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Not to be outdone by the other Metropolitan Division teams that have been going after KHL talent, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Blue Jackets have offered a contract to Vladislav Gavrikov. The former sixth-round pick has now played two full seasons in the KHL, and is believed to have an NHL future should he decide to come over to North America. Portzline adds that agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star will meet Gavrikov at the World Championships to discuss the offer in person.

Despite being just 20 when this season started (he has since turned 21), Gavrikov saw his icetime increase to over 18 minutes a night on his hometown Yaroslavl team and was named the top defenseman in the league for March. His development in his own end has been steady, though he still hasn’t flashed much offensive prowess. In 54 games this season he registered just seven points.

If Columbus can get him to make the trip across the pond, Portzline opines that Ryan Murray may be on the move out of town. The former second-overall pick has become somewhat redundant since the successful debuts of both Zach Werenski and Gabriel Carlsson, but retains his tremendous trade value. Should the team move on from Murray, they could likely get a king’s ransom for the 23-year old defender. This season saw Murray’s point totals drop to just 11 through 60 games, mostly because he skated very rarely on the powerplay.

Should another team come calling, the Blue Jackets are in the enviable position of having a stockpile of young defenders still coming, including Gavrikov, Ryan Collins and NCAA draft pick Andrew Peeke. They could move on from Murray and still have one of the deepest groups in the league, and signing Gavrikov would make it even deeper.

Vadim Shipachyov Will Not Sign With Montreal Canadiens

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According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens will not pursue KHL free agent forward Vadim Shipachyov. The Canadiens just inked their own KHL star today in Jakub Jerabek, but have decided to avoid a bidding war over the older Shipachyov. The 30-year old is widely expected to come to the NHL this season, and has been previously been rumored to be looking for a deal worth up to $5.5MM annually.

The Canadiens are clearly looking for upgrades offensively after being bounced from the playoffs by the New York Rangers while scoring just eleven goals in the six-game series. Their best playoff performer Alexander Radulov is a free agent this summer, and though he has been clear about a desire to stay in Montreal, there is no guarantee that a deal is completed before he hits the open market and sees his price go up even further. While Shipachyov is clearly a strong scoring threat—he scored 26 goals and 76 points in 50 games this season, trailing only Ilya Kovalchuk on SKA St. Petersburg—he comes with some of the same problems that they currently have at center, with a less-developed defensive game and lack of physical presence.

With a new contract for Radulov due, and Carey Price’s eventual extension looming over Montreal this summer they’ll likely be looking in the trade market for an upgrade down the middle of the ice. Suddenly with a ton of defensive depth on the  left side, they could dip into their prospect cupboard to find the player they need instead of risking a big contract on an unproven KHL star.

Latest On Sabres’ Pursuit Of Viktor Antipin

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The Buffalo Sabres are one step closer to signing Viktor Antipin as according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, the 24-year old defenseman has indeed terminated his contract with Magnitogorsk and is now a free agent. Antipin had been contracted through next season, but has been rumored for months to be a target of the Sabres. With Dmitry Kulikov, Cody Franson and Taylor Fedun all set to become free agents, the Sabres could use a puck moving defender like Antipin immediately on the back-end.

Antipin is one of the most decorated young players in the KHL, already with two Gagain Cup victories, two World Championship medals and a World Juniors silver under his belt. He’s also been a KHL all-star and won the league’s “Gentleman” award. After 24 points in 59 games this season, Antipin played a huge part in taking Magnitogorsk to the Cup final once again, scoring seven goals in 18 playoff games. Buffalo will likely get him under contract as soon as possible.

Earlier updates…

  • Last week, the two sides were linked by multiple sources with Brayton Wilson of WGR 550 in Buffalo noting that any deal would likely include a clause which would send Antipin back should the Sabres think he’s not ready for the NHL. There will be no AHL time for the young defender, as his goal is to play in the NHL right away. Nikita Tryamkin had a similar clause put into his deal, before heading back to Russia this year.
  • Back in early March, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was one of the first to mention Antipin’s name in connection with Buffalo, while also speaking about his teammate Alexei Bereglazov’s interest in the New York Rangers. Bereglazov signed with the Rangers on April 21st, mainly because he did not have the added obstacle of negotiating a termination of a full year on his KHL deal. If Antipin does sign with the Sabres, it will be interesting to see the two develop for cross-state teams here in the NHL.

Eastern Notes: Shattenkirk’s Struggles, Shalunov

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While the Washington Capitals have received nothing but praise from the press since they made their trade deadline deal to acquire veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, his presence during the playoffs so far have been far from impressive. The veteran defenseman, who was picked up from the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues for a host of picks and players, including their 2017 first-round pick, has struggled in the playoffs with no goals and three assists in eight games this season. He also has a minus-seven rating in that span. Yesterday, he lost a race to 40-year-old Matt Cullen, which allowed the veteran to score a short-handed goal against the Capitals. Later, he took a delay of game penalty to allow Phil Kessel to score in the third period.

Coach Barry Trotz was also disappointed in the 28-year-old blueliner’s performance as he called him out this morning. “That’s not good enough for what we need in that third pairing right now. Minus-7 is hard to recover from,” Trotz said. Shattenkirk and defensive partner Brooks Orpik have struggled together as that third defensive line. In the first series against the Maple Leafs, the two allowed five goals in the series, the most of all the defensive pairings.

These mistakes have been costly enough with the Capitals now down two games and having to travel to Pittsburgh for the next two, but it also may not help him in the offseason when he is an unrestricted free agent, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. While he will undoubtedly will receive a raise from his $2.592MM contract that ends this year, a good playoff performance or a long playoff run by Washington could have improved his value in the free-agency market. However, his struggles will likely not help him if things continue to stay the course.

So, if things don’t continue to improve, could Washington let Shattenkirk walk in free agency? Only time will tell.

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov will not be coming to the NHL any time soon as the 24-year-old wing will sign a three-year contract with Sibir Novosbibitsk of the KHL, according to his agent Shumi Babayev yesterday, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. That means the Blackhawks’ couldn’t bring Shalunov over to the U.S. before the 2020-21 season. He will, however, remain a Blackhawk as long as he stays on their resevered list. The fourth-round pick from the 2011  NHL draft is coming off a season in which he scored 19 goals for Sibir Novosbibitsk this past year. Babayev warned that Shalunov would cut off negotiations with the NHL a few weeks ago after the NHL announced that it would not restructure its season around the 2018 Olympic Games.

Metro Division Snapshots: Connolly, Kovalchuk, Rangers

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After dropping the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal match-up against Pittsburgh, the Washington Capitals have elected to make at least one lineup change in advance of game two. According to a tweet from Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, Paul Carey will draw into the lineup replacing Brett Connolly. As the scribe noted prior to the start of the series, Connolly had his ATOI cut back drastically in the latter half of their six-game series win over Toronto, averaging less than six minutes per contest in games four through six so perhaps a healthy scratch shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Limited ice time is nothing new this season for Connolly. The six-year vet averaged just 10:41 per game yet managed to set a career-high in the goal scoring department with 15. In fact, among all NHL players who reached that threshold, Connolly saw the lowest ATOI per game. The lack of playing time, both during the regular season and playoffs, would appear to inject some doubt as to how interested the Capitals will be in renewing their working relationship beyond the current campaign with the former first-round draft pick. Connolly is scheduled to be a RFA and will likely seek a significant bump in pay over his 2016-17 salary of $850K based on his solid goal scoring ouput. With several key regulars – T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner and Justin Williams among them – approaching unrestricted free agency and with RFA’s Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov also needing new contracts, the Capitals will have a difficult time re-signing or replacing all the talent they may lose with just $20MM in projected cap space. Salary cap considerations may also prompt the team to move on from Connolly this summer, meaning he might be available via trade for any interested parties.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • It’s been reported that Ilya Kovalchuk may be preparing a return to the NHL after four years of self-exile playing in the KHL. As it stands, he is still property of the New Jersey Devils, unless all 30 NHL GM’s agree to allow Kovy to sign with another team. Of course, while the Devils could certainly use the offensive boost Kovalchuk would bring, they likely aren’t close enough to serious contention to justify committing the necessary salary cap resources to an aging, albeit still skilled winger. In fact, they would benefit more by agreeing with an interested club on a sign-and-trade, which would allow Kovalchuk to go to a contending team of his choice with the Devils picking up assets needed to further their rebuild. Whether or not Kovalchuk ultimately returns to the NHL, one thing is certain; the Russian winger will not be representing Team Russia at the upcoming World Championships. According to a report from the Russian sports site SovSport.ru (link in Russian) – H/T to TSN’s Gord Miller for retweeting the link – Kovalchuk has, or will soon undergo knee surgery and is expected to miss the next month to recover. Evidently the knee was an issue throughout the KHL playoffs though it wasn’t enough to prevent Kovalchuk from helping his SKA St. Petersburg club from winning the Gagarin Cup. While he won’t have another chance to showcase his skills for interested NHL teams, it’s unlikely this injury will do much to stunt his market, should he elect to come back.
  • Newsday’s Steve Zipay retweeted a report from the Russian Prospects website indicating that coveted young winger Vladimir Tkachyov is slated to attend prospect camp this summer with the New York Rangers. It should be noted that Zipay had yet to independently confirm the report. Tkachyov, an undrafted free agent, spent last season skating with Admiral Vladivostok in the KHL, finishing with 14 goals and 39 points in 49 contests. Prior to returning to Russia, Tkachyov appeared in 66 QMJHL games split between Moncton and Quebec, tallying a combined 26 goals and 79 points. Scouting reports describe the 5-foot-10, 154-pound LW as a dynamic offensive talent and an explosive skater. Tkachyov has been linked to Toronto and Edmonton previously but at this point it looks like the Rangers may have the first chance to convince the skilled winger to join their organization. The Blueshirts interest is understandable as they favor skill and speed in their roster construction and with the lack of high draft choices in recent seasons due to sacrificing futures in pursuit of a Stanley Cup, adding a talent like Tkachyov helps the team keep the prospect pipeline producing NHL-caliber players.

Viktor Antipin Expected To Sign With Buffalo Sabres Soon

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Originally linked to the Buffalo Sabres by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet back in March, new reports about Viktor Antipin signing with the team have surfaced today. KHL insider Aivis Kalnins reports that the two sides have talked recently, while Brayton Wilson of WGR 550 writes that sources have confirmed Antipin’s intention to sign in Buffalo for next season. The defender is only able to sign a one-year entry-level deal if he can agree to a termination with his club as he’s currently under contract through 2018.

Antipin’s teammate—and the other Magnitogorsk defender that Friedman mentioned in March—Alexei Bereglazov just signed with the New York Rangers, lending credence to the idea that Antipin will also journey to North America for next season. The 24-year old Russian has played in the KHL for six seasons already, and just completed a playoff run that saw him log more than 24 minutes a night for the Gagarin Cup finalists. His performance in the KHL playoffs was among the best, recording 11 points in 18 games and being named the top defenseman in the final series.

It is interesting to note that the Sabres don’t currently have a General Manager, so Antipin’s courtship must now be conducted by someone other than Tim Murray. Should the Sabres land the young defender, he’ll add an interesting option to the team for next year’s blueline. As Wilson reports, it would be likely that the deal would contain a clause for Antipin to return home should the team wish to send him down to the AHL, similar to the one Nikita Tryamkin negotiated into his deal.

Antipin’s success on the powerplay is an appealing factor for the Sabres, who already boasted the top unit in the league this year. Adding another dangerous option on the blueline can only help the team as it looks to rebound from another disastrous season and claw their way back into the playoffs. Antipin will be playing in the upcoming World Championships, where he’ll test himself once again alongside NHL players.

Jakub Jerabek Expected To Sign With Montreal Canadiens

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According to multiple reports, the Montreal Canadiens have come to terms with Jakub Jerabek, a Czech defender from the KHL. Because his current deal doesn’t expire until April 30th, no official announcement can be made as of yet. No financial details have been released. Even though Jerabek will turn 26 in a few weeks he is still required to sign a one-year entry-level contract if he wishes to join the league for next season. Earlier this month, agent Allan Walsh announced that Jerabek had multiple NHL offers and though his decision took a bit longer than expected, he’s now headed to North America and the NHL.

The 25-year old is undersized, but possesses excellent puck-moving ability and is a strong skater. In his rookie season with Chekhov Vityaz he recorded 34 points in 59 games while skating over 21 minutes a night and was named to the KHL All-Star team. The left-handed defenseman had played parts of eight seasons in the Czech professional league prior to this year, debuting when he was just 17. This year he played on the same squad as Maple Leafs’ signee Miro Aaltonen and former NHL star Maxim Afinogenov, but was eliminated early from the playoffs by the eventual Gagarin Cup winners SKA St. Petersburg.

For Montreal, Jerabek offers another option for them that could possibly replace Andrei Markov as he heads into free agency. Though the long-time Canadien has said he wants to play again next year for the Habs, the team may want to go in a younger direction after being eliminated in the first round. Jerabek offers them that youth, though there is no guarantee that it comes with much effectiveness. While Nikita Zaitsev’s rookie season was successful in Toronto, there have been many before him that failed to make the transition smoothly.

Jerabek first will suit up for the Czech Republic in the upcoming World Championships that begin May 5th, where last year he recorded five points in eight games and was among the tournament leaders from the blueline. His resume boasts quite a bit of individual success at international tournaments, including captaining the Czech team at the 2011 World Juniors where he scored eight points in six games.

Aivis Kalnins was first to report the deal on Twitter, while R-Sport has also been made aware of his intention to sign. 

Latest On Ilya Kovalchuk’s NHL Return

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When it was reported on Saturday night’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast by Elliotte Friedman that Ilya Kovalchuk could return to the NHL next season, it caused fans around the league to imagine the Russian winger on their team’s top line and hope he could bring some of the elite scoring ability he showed before bolting for the KHL in 2013. While it is still possible for him to play anywhere in the league, Bob McKenzie of TSN wanted to set the record straight on the requirements for Kovalchuk’s return. Ilya Kovalchuk

Since Kovalchuk is still on the Voluntary Retirement List (VRL) for New Jersey, he is able to sign a contract with only the Devils should he return, unless every single team in the NHL signs off on a contract with someone else. Though nothing is impossible, McKenzie (and we here at PHR) believe that getting the entire league to sign off is incredibly unlikely and isn’t the route for Kovalchuk into the league.

Instead, the 34-year old would need to sign with the Devils and then be traded to whichever team won the bidding, likely resulting in an asset for the Devils in return. The team cannot trade his rights while he is still on the VRL, meaning they would need to do a sign-and-trade should he expect to play for a different team. Of course, that would likely remove several teams from contention since the Devils would not want to watch Kovalchuk play on a rival squad.

Though he’s been away from the NHL for several years, Kovalchuk is still regarded as one of the top scoring wingers in the world and would draw significant interest if he was a normal free agent. Because of the New Jersey requirement however, it may sour some teams on the whole process, unsure of what exactly they’re getting and for how long. Though the NHL and KHL generally respect each other’s contracts, Kovalchuk has been involved in grey-area transactions before and likely doesn’t have all that many more elite-level years left anyway. It will be interesting to see who pursues him, or if it is the Devils themselves that bring him back into the fold. For a team that has trouble scoring goals, but has a lot of money tied up in their aging core, perhaps adding a player of Kovalchuk’s stature would be a last-ditch effort to create a contender in New Jersey with this group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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