Snapshots: Kunlun Red Star, Las Vegas, Scrivens On Hall
The KHL’s Chinese expansion team, Kunlun Red Star, won their first game on Saturday. Kunlun had previously played and lost their first three games against Traktor, Spartak, and Amur by a combined score of 9-3. They didn’t score until the final pre-season game.
Now, they have moved from playing in mostly empty arenas in Finland to Kazakhstan for the President of Kazakhstan’s Cup. Kunlun opened the pre-tournament action against KHL team Barys Astana in Astana. The game was reportedly very intense, as China and Kazakhstan are rivals in other sports. This game was no different; the teams combined for 196 PIM in a 3-1 Kunlun victory. The two teams meet again on Monday.
More notes from around the hockey world:
- According to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the NHL’s expansion team has narrowed it down to four potential team nicknames. However, the new franchise is having trademark issues: the OHL’s London Knights own the trademark for the name in Canada. Owner Bill Foley told the Review-Journal that acquiring the name Knights is “not economically feasible”. Foley hopes to have the name and merchandise ready for late September or early October.
- Finally, former Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens chimed in on Oscar Klefbom‘s negative comments about former teammate Taylor Hall in late July. In a yet-to-be-posted interview with Russian hockey writer Igor Eronko, Scrivens said Klefbom “would know pretty well, he played with him for a while, and I can’t say he’s wrong”. Scrivens and Hall were teammates in Edmonton for a season and a half, during which the Oilers had a record of 38-59-18.
SKA Saint Petersburg: KHL Super Team
No hockey team has done more to make their roster better and separate themselves from the rest of the pack this off-season than SKA Saint Petersburg. Albeit, the Russian team does play in the Kontinental Hockey League rather than the NHL, but no one could possibly be unimpressed by the talent that SKA has accumulated. While the NHL’s salary cap structure makes it almost impossible for a “super team” to be formed like those in the NBA or MLB, the KHL does not have such a structure and SKA is set to dominate the league in 2016-17.
This summer alone, SKA has brought in four players who played in the NHL last season, not the least of which is newly named captain and Detroit Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk. With one season remaining on his deal with Detroit, Datsyuk informed the team that he planned to play overseas in 2016-17. Not long after, his rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes, but his true destination has always been St. Petersburg. A veteran of nearly 1000 NHL games, Datsyuk had 918 points in his 14 year NHL career. At 38 years old, Datsyuk still has a few years of production left in his homeland, and will look to lead his new team to Red Wings-like success. Joining him will be fellow 2015-16 NHLers Viktor Tihkonov, Sergei Plotnikov, and Alexander Khokhlachev. Tihkonov returns to SKA after a one-year hiatus from the KHL where he tried his hand at another NHL stint, but did not find the success he was hoping for. Plotnikov is also making a KHL comeback, as he had played his entire career in Russia before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Khokhlachev on the other hand, is finally making his professional debut overseas after committing to North American hockey at a young age. He played his junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League and was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2011, but after failing to develop as planned and crack the Boston roster, Khokhlachev chose to return home to Russia rather than likely spend another year with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
The four new additions are joining an already loaded SKA roster that made it all the way to the KHL Western Conference finals last season. KHL superstar Vadim Shipachyov led the team with 60 points in 54 games last season, and former NHL All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk finished just behind him. Young Russians Yevgeni Dadonov and Lightning prospect Nikita Gusev and former University of New Hampshire Wildcats phenom Steve Moses round out what should be a potent top nine for SKA. The top blue line pair is led by highly regarded KHLer and Bruins property Maxim Chudinov and former NHL defenseman Anton Belov, and the net will be well-kept with returning starter Mikko Koskinen.
While SKA may not be good enough to be a contender over an 82-game season against NHL competition, it would no doubt win more than a few games and will certainly win a majority of its games in the KHL in 2016-17. The Russian “super team” will be a story for hockey fans to follow this next year, and could be especially interesting should stars Shipachyov, Gusev, or Chudinov decide to make the trip overseas for a shot at NHL success.
Snapshots: Predators Defense, Elliott, Yakimov
The Nashville Predators bolstered their already-impressive defense on Wednesday with the Matt Carle signing. While Carle is no longer the top-four defenseman he once was, he remains a decent bottom-pairing option. His time in Tampa Bay came to an end after he was passed by younger and cheaper players. Carle said he’s excited by the chance to play under coach Peter Laviolette, with whom Carle enjoyed his best seasons in Philadelphia. He’ll play with younger pros like Petter Granberg on the third pairing of what very well could be the best defense in hockey:
Roman Josi – P.K. Subban
Mattias Ekholm – Ryan Ellis
Carle – Petter Granberg/ Yannick Weber
The top pairing consists of a Norris Trophy-winner and Josi, who has been as good or better than former partner Shea Weber for the last couple seasons. Dynamic offensive defenseman Ellis and the two-way Ekholm form a dependable and competent second pairing, and now the veteran Carle will anchor a third pairing.
In other news from around pro hockey:
- The Calgary Flames introduced new starting goalie Brian Elliott today. Elliott said he’s looking forward to getting settled and playing in front of a young and skilled Flames team on the rise. He went 23-8-2 in 41 appearances with St. Louis last season, posting a 0.930 save percentage and a 2.07 GAA. Elliott will wear number one in Calgary.
- The Edmonton Oilers have loaned prospect Bogdan Yakimov to HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL. The monster center (6’5, 203 lbs) appeared in one NHL game (October 2014 versus Los Angeles) in two pro seasons in North America. He posted 43 points in 93 AHL games in that time, which included an 11-game stint in with Nizhnekamsk last season before returning to the AHL. Yakimov has one year remaining on his entry-level contract. It’s not yet known what the Oilers will do with Yakimov; in the past they retained the rights to KHL-bound Roman Horak and Philip Larsen, but terminated Toni Rajala‘s contract for wanting to play in Europe.
Snapshots: KHL, Burrows, Oilers, Blues, Moore
Former Blue Jackets’ forward Alexandre Picard and former Hurricanes’ defenseman Brett Bellemore, have signed today to play for Red Star Kalunin, the new KHL expansion team in China, according to KHL reporter Alvis Kalnins. Picard, 30, was taken eighth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2004 entry draft, and last played in the NHL in 2010. Bellemore, 28, has played 121 NHL games, all with the Hurricanes, the last of which came in 2015.
Here are some more links from throughout the day.
- Canucks forward Alex Burrows is hopeful for a bounce back season in 2017, writes Dhiren Mahiben of The Hockey News. Burrows had just nine goals, 22 points last year, in what has to be considered one of the worst states of his career. As a 35 year old on the last year of his contract, he may be staring at the end of his NHL career, but Burrows tells Mahiben that he has been assured by management that there remains a spot for him in the lineup.
- Also from The Hockey News, Mike Brophy went over some of his scattered off-season thoughts. Among other subjects, Brophy speculates that Connor McDavid may be soon in line for the Oilers’ captaincy, and questions how long teams will continue to take chances on Buffalo Sabres’ forward Evander Kane. There were reports of the Sabres shopping Kane earlier this summer. Kane was recently charged with harassment after allegedly attacking two women in a bar.
- Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy writes today on the St. Louis Blues, and how they intend to move forward with their young core after losing veteran Brian Elliott, David Backes, and Troy Brouwer. As Wyshnyski discussed, the Blues will rely more heavily this year on their under-25 core, including Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Tarasenko, as well as 26-year old defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
- Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes today about the future of former New York Rangers’ center Dominic Moore. Fox writes that the Rangers appear to have moved on, but that Moore, 35, has multiple offers on the table as he considers his future. Moore’s production has declined in recent years, but data suggests he’s been playing some of the tougher minutes in the NHL as of late.
Sunday Snapshots: KHL, Corrado, Schenn
The KHL’s Chinese expansion team, Kunlun Red Star, has signed three former NHLers prior to their first exhibition game, according to KHL insider Aivis Kalnins.
Sean Collins, a 27-year-old center from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, spent last season with the Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey and appeared in two NHL games with the Capitals; winger Alexandre Picard, a former 8th overall pick by Columbus in 2004, played 67 games with the Blue Jackets over parts of five seasons before spending the last four seasons in Switzerland; former Hurricanes defenseman Brett Bellemore also signed with Red Star after spending last season with Providence of the AHL.
Kunlun played its first exhibition game on Sunday morning versus Traktor Chelyabinsk in Finland.
More snapshots from around the hockey world:
- The Maple Leafs and their RFA defenseman Frankie Corrado have filed briefs ahead of their upcoming arbitration case. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the team’s offers are worth $625K/ $125K on a two-way contract or $575K for a one-way contract. Corrado’s asking price is $900K.
- Newly-signed Coyotes defenseman Luke Schenn told the team’s website that he’s looking forward to being able to grow as a player in a market without as much added pressure as he’s previously experienced. Schenn has played most of his career in major hockey markets Toronto, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
Viktor Tikhonov Headed To KHL
The return trip to the NHL was not a long one for Viktor Tikhonov. The 2008 first round pick of the Coyotes had come back from a four year hiatus in the KHL to sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to play alongside fellow countryman and new addition Artemi Panerin, but was put on waivers after just 11 games in a Blackhawks jersey, and ended up back with the team that drafted him in Arizona. An NHL market did not develop for the 28-year-old who had only six points in 50 games split between two teams, and so he is headed back to Russia. Tikhonov will re-join SKA St. Petersburg, where he played from 2011-2015, the team announced.
While Tikhonov, the grandson of the legendary Russian player and coach of the same name, was born in the USSR, he was raised in the United States. His father, Vasily, was also a coach and the family spent time in California and Kentucky during Tikhonov’s childhood. His American upbringing has not translated to any dedication to playing in North America however. Tikhonov returned to Russia to play hockey at the age of 17, and played for three years before being drafted by the Coyotes in 2008. He made his NHL debut the next season, but failed to meet expectations, scoring only 16 points in 61 games. After starting the 2009 season with the Coyote’s AHL affiliate at the time, the San Antonio Rampage, Tikhonov was loaned to Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL, a team he had previously played for. Tikhonov spent the remainder of the season with Cherepovets, but returned stateside to fight for an NHL spot in 2010. Instead, he spent the entire 2010-11 season with the Rampage and left North America permanently, signing with SKA. Many were surprised by his return to the NHL last year, and his performance showed that this surprise was warranted, as Tikhonov again failed to make a difference at the NHL level. He’ll now return to the KHL, where he has 130 points in 207 games, as compared to just 22 points in 111 career NHL games.
Tikhonov is the 20th player to have left the NHL for the KHL this off-season. SKA St. Petersburg in particular has loaded up, bringing back Tikhonov to go along with the additions of the great Pavel Datsyuk, Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev, and failed NHL experiment Sergei Plotnikov to a roster that already included the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk and Russian stars Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev. However, even if Tikhonov thrives on a loaded SKA team, it seems unlikely that he’ll try his hand at coming back overseas after his one-year deal expires. His NHL playing days appear to be over.
Snapshots: White, KHL, Nugent-Hopkins
The Arizona Coyotes have been a determined franchise since bringing in 27-year old GM John Chayka to captain the ship. The league’s youngest GM in history has already put his fingerprints all over the roster and, according to Sarah McLellan of AZCentral, seems to have targeted Ryan White in free agency due to an attribute many may have overlooked: versatility.
The 28-year old forward has never been much of a scoring threat in his career (though he is coming off a career-best 11 goals), but it’s that versatility that drew Chayka to him. White can play both center and wing equally, and will provide a right-handed faceoff option in the defensive zone. Here are some more notes from around the league:
- The KHL has been aggressively pursuing expansion options across Europe and Asia, as seen from their recent move into China, and they may be headed towards the UK soon. In a couple of tweets this morning from separate sources, the league has reportedly reached some sort of an agreement to eventually put an expansion team in London.
- The Sabres have hired Tom Ward and Adam Nightengale to join their coaching staff, as an assistant and video coach respectively. Ward was last seen coaching the Shattuck St. Mary’s Boys Prep team in Minnesota, where he won nine national championships. Nightengale was previously the director of hockey operations at Michigan State University.
- Amid swirling trade rumors, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins admits that it sometimes gets into his head. On Edmonton’s 630 CHED today (via Chris Nichols), he said “There’s just a lot of talk and really, it’s just guys kind of putting their own opinions out there. It kind of gets carried away, I think, a little bit. But yeah, it’s still in the back of your mind a little bit.” The former first-overall pick hasn’t lived up to his high expectations (or contract) as of yet, scoring only 222 points in 313 career games, including just 34 last season (55 GP).
Minor Transactions: 07/11/16
Here is where we will keep track of all the minor transactions happening today:
- According to Harvey Fiaklov of the Sun Sentinal, the Florida Panthers have inked Denis Malgin to a three-year entry-level contract, after drafting him in the third round in 2015. The 19-year old played for Zurich last season under new Ottawa Senators assistant coach Marc Crawford. Overshadowed by number one pick Auston Matthews, Malgin put up 17 points in the professional league.
- Thomas Raffl is heading back to Austria, instead of signing with a new team in the NHL. After coming over last season to play in the AHL, the unrestricted free agent has decided to take his talents back to Europe, according to Brennan Klak.
- The Minnesota Wild have announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Zach Palmquist to a one-year, two-way deal worth $660K at the NHL level. The 25-year old scored 11 points last season in the AHL, his first full professional season.
- Roman Lyubimov, a 24-year old forward from the KHL has agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Flyers on a one-year entry-level contract, according to a team release. Lyubimov has played six seasons already in the KHL, breaking in as an 18-year old in 2010-11.
- The San Jose Barracuda have inked a quartet of players to one-year, AHL contracts. John McCarthy, Jake Marchment, Matt Willows and Jamie Murray all signed with the team according to a press release. Marchment is a name well known to San Jose fans, as he’s the nephew of former player and current development coach Bryan Marchment, a veteran of 926 NHL games.
Tomas Kundratek Eyeing Return To NHL
After playing in the KHL for the last two seasons, former Washington Capitals defenseman Tomas Kundratek is currently exploring options for a return to the NHL, according to KHL insider Aivis Kalnins. The Czech blueliner came over to North America after being drafted in 2008 by the New York Rangers, and would play for the Medicine Hat Tigers and a handful of AHL teams before making his NHL debut in 2011-12 with the Capitals.
According to the original tweet after being traded last season, Kundratek agreed to an extension through the 2016-17 season, meaning he’d need to be released from that deal or have a built in opt-out clause. Still just 26-years old, Kundratek would be an unrestricted free agent should he be able to come back across the pond, and could be an interesting option for a team willing to take a chance.
In 30 NHL games Kundratek had just seven points, but he showed he was a capable point producer at the AHL level, putting up 94 across 247 games. A right-handed shot, Kundratek split last season between Riga Dynamo and Bratislava Slovan, scoring 24 points in 56 games.
Evgeny Medvedev Heading Back To Russia
After being lured out of the KHL for just a single season, Evgeny Medvedev is headed back, reports Brennan Klak of The Hockey Writers. The 33-year old Medvedev was signed last summer to a one-year, $3MM deal with the Philadelphia Flyers after spending his entire career up to then with Kazan of the KHL.
Medvedev played in 45 games last season for the Flyers, missing time as a healthy scratch and with a concussion early in the season. His play suffered upon returning, and he never got back to the form he showed early on, limiting his contribution to just 13 points on the season.
He’ll be returning to his homeland, but it’ll be in an unfamiliar locker room, as Klak reports that he’ll sign on with Avangard Omsk this time around, the same team that signed former NHL forward Derek Roy earlier today. The team went 33-14 last season, but lost in the second round of the playoffs. Medvedev will join Roy and Martin Erat as veterans with NHL experience as they try to make it back to the KHL playoffs next season.