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Sunday Snapshots: KHL, Corrado, Schenn

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Minor Transactions: 06/29/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of the day’s minor transactions:

  • The St. Louis Blues have come to an agreement with AHL winger Jordan Caron, reports the team site. The former Boston Bruin had 36 points in 70 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. He has 157 NHL games in his career, tallying 28 points.
  • Former NHLer Evgeny Artyukhin signed on to remain with his Russian club Sibir Novosibirsk, says KHL insider Aivis Kalnins. The 33-year old once was a promising youngster in the NHL, but could never catch on. He played in 199 career NHL games, scoring 19 goals and 30 assists.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off inking Seth Jones to a long-term deal, have also come to terms with third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois on an entry-level contract, per Darren Dreger of TSN. Dubois was a surprise choice at #3, with many expecting the team to draft Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi (who eventually went to Edmonton with the next pick).
  • The Panthers have reached an agreement with recently non-qualified free agent Greg McKegg per General Fanager. It’s a two-way deal worth $700K at the NHL level, and $115K if he’s in the AHL. McKegg played 15 games for the Panthers last season, putting up two points.
  • The Sabres have re-signed RFA Casey Nelson to a two-year deal, the team released. The NCAA standout made his NHL debut last season, adding four assists in seven games down the stretch. He went undrafted and originally signed in March after Minnesota State University’s season ended.

Andrey Makarov Signs Two-Year Deal in KHL

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In a less than surprising move, Andrey Makarov signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva of the KHL. Aivis Kalnins tweets that the 2-year contract is worth about $1.2MM. Kalnins also tweeted that Makarov’s role is undetermined for now.

The Hockey News wrote that Makarov had already decided that the KHL was his next destination. Quoting Makarov from a Russian source,  Makarov was displeased with his treatment by the organization, and went as far to let the Sabres know during exit interviews.  Statistically, Makarov was the better goalie in Rochester, with other goaltender options Nathan Lieuwen and Linus Ullmark posting .909 and .902 save percentages respectively.

At Rochester, Markarov posted a 9-9-2 mark with a .916 save percentage.

Radulov Signs With KHL Salavat Yulaev

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Alexander Radulov has decided to forego an NHL return and instead signs with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev, says Sportsnet’s Elliote Friedman. The Russian winger made waves this spring by seeking to return to the NHL. A deal that met Radulov’s demands, however, never materialized. Whether or not Radulov had honest intentions of returning to the NHL—as opposed to using the NHL as a bargaining chip with KHL contract negotiations—isn’t apparent yet, and is subject to speculation.

Radulov was initially drafted by the Nashville Predators and played from 2006-2008. He managed to rack up 44G and 51A in 145 games in two seasons before bolting for the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev. His move to return to Russia was controversial because he still had one year remaining on his ELC. Radulov eventually played in the KHL until 2012, winning the KHL MVP three times. After Salavat’s season ended in 2012, Radulov made a brief return to the Predators for their playoff run. The winger, however, ran into trouble during that short stint when he was caught breaking curfew before a playoff game. The team suspended Radulov one game, and subsequently declined to extend Radulov’s contract.

After his brief stints in the NHL, Radulov once again returned to the KHL—this time signing with CSKA Moscow. Radulov thrived with his new KHL team and scored 76G and 160A in 181 games over four seasons.

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