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Snapshots: Samsonov, KHL, Evason

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Nearly two months into free agency, veteran goaltender Ilya Samsonov finds himself still looking for a team to play with this season.  It appears at least one KHL team investigated the potential of bringing him back home as KHL Metallurg Sports Director Evgeny Biryukov told Match TV’s Nikita Maximov that he talked to the 28-year-old about playing for them but Samsonov’s intention is to remain in the NHL for the upcoming season.  Samsonov posted a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% in 29 starts last season with Vegas, numbers that weren’t too much of an improvement over 2023-24 when he was in Toronto.  At this point, he may have to settle for a training camp PTO and hope to land a second-string option from there.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Still with the KHL, player agent Darryl Wolski relayed (Twitter link) the top-five KHL salaries for the upcoming season. Long-time AHL winger Rocco Grimaldi has the highest base salary, checking in around $1.19MM US.  Meanwhile, winger Daniel Sprong has the highest potential pay day when factoring in performance bonuses.  After making $975K last season, his base salary this year is close to that while if he reaches his incentives, he could ultimately wind up with a raise compared to a year ago.  Former NHL winger Dmitrij Jaskin is the only other player with a seven-figure USD salary in that league this season.
  • Dean Evason had a solid first year in Columbus, helping lead the Blue Jackets to an improbable late-season playoff push that ultimately came up just short. It turns out he very nearly didn’t have the opportunity to join them as Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch noted in a thorough profile of the bench boss that it looked like he was going to land the head coaching job in Seattle until they decided to promote Dan Bylsma from the AHL to the top job instead.  Bylsma, of course, was let go back in April after just one season behind their bench.

Minor Transactions: 8/30/25

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With international and junior leagues starting to get their preseasons underway, there have been a lot of minor moves in recent days.  Here’s a rundown of those with some NHL ties.

  • Capitals prospect Miroslav Satan has changed teams as OHL Saginaw recently announced that they’ve signed him for the upcoming season. The 19-year-old forward was a seventh-round pick by Washington in 2024, going 204th overall but struggled considerably at the USHL level last season in his first taste of playing in North America.  In 45 games combined between Sioux Falls and Omaha, Satan managed just three goals and one assist while he also suited up in three games for the Slovaks at the World Juniors.  Washington has until June 1st, 2028, to sign him so there’s still lots of time for Satan to turn things around; he’ll hope a different league will help make that happen.
  • After spending the last decade in Tampa Bay’s organization (primarily in the minors), UFA winger/defenseman Daniel Walcott announced (Twitter link) that he will not be returning to Syracuse. The 31-year-old played in 494 games for the Crunch over 10 seasons while also getting into one game with the Lightning.  The AHL has a restriction on how many veterans a team can dress and that is likely playing a role in Walcott not returning for an 11th year with the team.
  • While the Sabres non-tendered forward Bennett MacArthur in June, he’ll technically remain affiliated with the organization as their ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old split last season between the ECHL affiliates of Pittsburgh and Buffalo, notching 10 goals and 20 assists in 64 games.
  • Meanwhile, another non-tendered Sabres UFA this summer has also secured a place to play for the upcoming year as Dynamo Moscow of the KHL announced that winger Alexander Kisakov’s tryout was successful and that he has been given a one-year deal. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick in 2021 but struggled in the AHL, notching just 25 points in 93 games over the course of his three-year, entry-level contract.

Islanders’ Daniil Prokhorov Signs In KHL

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Much has been made this summer of the New York Islanders’ selections in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, but one of their picks from the second round is on the move today. According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, forward prospect Daniil Prokhorov has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the KHL’s Dynamo Moskva.

Prokhorov has spent the last two years playing for MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg in the MHL, which led to his selection with the 42nd overall pick in this summer’s draft. Over that time, he scored 27 goals and 43 points in 79 games, with most of his goals coming from being an impressive net-front presence.

Due to the structure of his new deal in Russia, Prokhorov will likely spend a significant amount of time in the VHL rather than the KHL, which is the top-affiliated league in Russia. He has the goal-scoring ability to make an impact in the KHL, though his 6’6″, 218lbs frame understandably limits his mobility on the ice, and his foot speed is not up to par with the nation’s top level.

Still, he was arguably one of the best-hitting forwards available in June’s draft. His playstyle has been described as “violent” by many scouts, and he uses his entire frame to level opposing players. The Islanders hope he will be ready to play in North America after his two-year deal expires following the 2026-27 KHL season, helping to develop him into one of the most physically imposing power forwards in the league.

Morning Notes: Kopitar, Marner, Gallant

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In a recent interview with Jaime Maggio from Sports Central LA, Anže Kopitar, long-time star of the Los Angeles Kings, suggested that his upcoming 20th season in the NHL might be his last. He will be playing out the final year of a two-year, $14 million contract with the Kings this season.

The Jesenice, Slovenia native will certainly leave his mark on the franchise if he decides to hang up his skates after the 2025-26 season. He debuted for the Kings during the 2006-07 season and has been a major factor in them winning their only two Stanley Cup championships in franchise history.

He’s unlikely to pass Luc Robitaille as the organizational goal leader, but Kopitar is already the franchise leader in games played and assists. Furthermore, once he scores his 30th point this upcoming season, he’ll become the Kings’ franchise leader in points, passing Marcel Dionne. At any rate, Los Angeles would have a huge hole at center heading into the 2026-27 campaign if Kopitar does retire.

Additional notes from this morning:

  • New star forward for the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner, opened up on his final days with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp yesterday. Marner admitted that he and his family required full-time security at his residence in Canada for nearly two weeks after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in last year’s playoffs by the Florida Panthers. At the press conference, Marner said, “The market’s very passionate. They love their team. I know it, I was born and raised there. I’ve been a part of Leafs nation for a long time. But, when your family safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable.“
  • Despite being several years removed from his tenure as the head coach of the New York Rangers, Gerard Gallant wasn’t ready to retire, despite the lack of interest from the NHL, ultimately leading him to take on the role of head coach of the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons. In a new interview with Daria Tuboltseva of RG Media, Gallant opened up on the questions he got from his friends and family about the move, saying, “‘You are only 61 years old, and you want to coach again?’ It was the best opportunity, and I said, ‘I will give it a try.’ I wanted to try it, it was something new, and it was going to be tough. But I said, ‘I want to try, I want to keep coaching.’ I still do not feel like I am ready to retire.“

KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan Acquire Grigori Denisenko

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A former first-round pick is on the move overseas. According to a report out of Russia, the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan has acquired forward Grigori Denisenko from the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

After an impressive season with the MHL’s Loko Yaroslavl, which saw Denisenko score nine goals and 22 points in 31 games during the 2017-18 season, the Florida Panthers selected him with the 15th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. He went on to spend another two years with the KHL’s Lokomotiv, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in 63 games, including another one goal and four points in 12 postseason contests.

He was limited in playing time throughout his first two years in North America, managing four assists in eight NHL contests with the Panthers, and 14 goals and 27 points in 45 games split between the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch and Charlotte Checkers from 2020 to 2022. He received much more playing time during the 2022-23 season, scoring 12 goals and 36 points in 56 games with the Checkers.

Denisenko was ultimately claimed on the waiver wire by the Vegas Golden Knights after failing to make the Panthers’ roster out of training camp ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. Outside six appearances with Vegas, Denisenko put together his strongest season in the AHL, scoring 20 goals and 56 points in 65 games with the Henderson Silver Knights, though he failed to make either of the AHL All-Star Teams at season’s end.

It was much of the same this past season for Denisenko, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 42 games for the Silver Knights to start the season. He was traded in mid-February to the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations, and concluded the year with the Milwaukee Admirals without appearing for the Predators. Despite mild improvements to his offensive game, Denisenko’s AHL career produced a dismal -56 rating across 231 games.

Although there’s no official confirmation that Denisenko has or will make the move back to the KHL, he remains without an NHL contract heading into September. If he is unwilling to begin the year in the AHL, which is likely where he would end up if he signs with another NHL team, he would be better off returning to Russia, provided that Ak Bars offers him an opportunity.

Oilers Notes: Berezkin, Gregor, Nicholl

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Winger Maxim Berezkin is one of the more intriguing players in Edmonton’s prospect pool.  The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2020, going 138th overall but has become somewhat of a later bloomer after becoming a full-time KHL player three years ago.  He’s coming off his best season at that level, one that saw him produce 15 goals and 27 assists in 66 regular season games while adding 14 points in 21 playoff contests with KHL Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as they won the Gagarin Cup.

Berezkin signed a new one-year to remain in the KHL back in May but that shouldn’t be viewed as a sign that he doesn’t want to come to North America.  In an interview with Daria Tuboltseva for Vseprosport, he indicated that he still intends to sign with Edmonton but that he felt it would be best for his development to spend this season back home over potentially spending this year in the minors with AHL Bakersfield.  Now, whenever he ultimately signs, Berezkin will be capped at a one-year entry-level deal.

More from Edmonton:

  • There has been some speculation that the Oilers will be looking at some tryouts heading into training camp. One player who hasn’t had discussions with Edmonton on that front yet is winger Noah Gregor, according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.  An Alberta native, Gregor has had to go the PTO route to secure a full contract before and after putting up just four goals and three assists in 52 games last season between Ottawa and San Jose, there’s a good chance he’ll have to settle for a tryout in the coming weeks.
  • Prospect Will Nicholl won’t be starting his 2025-26 for quite a while. His junior team, the London Knights of the OHL, announced (Twitter link) that the forward underwent successful upper-body surgery earlier this summer and will miss four to six months.  The 19-year-old was a seventh-round pick back in 2024 and had a solid showing last season, picking up 21 goals and 36 assists in 66 games.  Edmonton must sign Nicholl by June 1st or relinquish his rights so it’s fair to say the few months he does play this season will be crucial.

Mason Morelli Signs With KHL’s Barys Astana

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Forward Mason Morelli has signed with Barys Astana, Kazakhstan’s representative in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, according to a KHL press release. It’s a one-year deal.

Morelli, 29, got into NHL games with the Golden Knights each of the past two seasons. He made 10 appearances over the pair of campaigns, scoring four points and a -3 rating. Only one of those appearances came last year; the other nine were in 2023-24. He averaged 10:26 of ice time per game and controlled just 42.2% of shot attempts at even strength.

The 6’1″, 201-lb lefty was never drafted and only landed his first NHL contract, a two-year, two-way deal with Vegas, after four years on AHL deals with the Stockton Heat and Hershey Bears. The North Dakota native played primarily for the Henderson Silver Knights during his time in the Vegas organization, scoring 48 points in 104 games for them while primarily serving in a checking role. He served as an alternate captain for the minor-league club last year.

While a fine call-up option for fourth-line minutes, Morelli is likely looking for more stability and a potentially larger paycheck at this stage of his career than a two-way NHL contract provides. He’ll look to achieve both those objectives with Barys, which has been busy scooping up North American talent in the past few weeks as KHL training camps get underway. He was an unrestricted free agent after that two-way deal with the Knights expired.

Morelli becomes the sixth player on Astana’s roster with NHL experience, joining Ian McCoshen, Olivier Rodrigue, Tyce Thompson, Mike Vecchione, and Reilly Walsh.

Transaction Notes: Thompson, Korczak, Fusco

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Former Devils forward Tyce Thompson has signed a one-year deal in Kazakhstan with Barys Astana of the KHL, according to a team announcement.

Thompson, 26, is the younger brother of Sabres star Tage Thompson. He was a fourth-round pick by New Jersey in 2019 out of Providence College and appeared in 11 games for the club from 2020 to 2023, recording an assist and a -4 rating.

The speedy 6’1″, 194-lb winger spent most of his time in the Devils organization on assignment to AHL Binghamton/Utica, where he had 50 points in 98 games before he was traded to the Islanders for AHL depth winger Arnaud Durandeau early in the 2023-24 season. Thompson remained in the Islanders organization through the end of last season but saw his offensive effectiveness tumble with their affiliate in Bridgeport. He had just 35 points in 116 games for the Baby Isles after recording over half a point per game in the Devils’ system, taking on more of an agitator/checking role with a team-leading 102 PIMs last year.

As a result of his age and professional experience with a lack of NHL games under his belt, Thompson became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason and was not re-signed by the Islanders. He now lands in the KHL with Barys, where he’ll make more than the $200K guarantee he had on his two-way deal with the Islanders last year.

Here are more minor moves from around hockey:

  • Ex-Rangers prospect Ryder Korczak is headed to Slovakia’s top league on a one-year deal with Vlci Zilina, the club announced on Facebook. Korczak, 23 in September, was a third-round pick by the Blueshirts in 2021. He turned pro out of WHL Moose Jaw at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and had 31 points in 107 games in parts of three seasons for AHL Hartford. He was traded to the Lightning in January for winger Lucas Edmonds. He finished the season with four points in 11 combined regular-season and playoff games for AHL Syracuse before being non-tendered by Tampa in June. With presumably no NHL or AHL offers on the table, the 5’10” center joins a club that gained promotion from Slovakia’s second division just one year ago.
  • Defenseman John Fusco, who came off the Maple Leafs’ reserve list last week, has signed an AHL deal with the Capitals’ affiliate in Hershey, the team announced yesterday. Fusco, 24, was a seventh-round pick by Toronto in 2020 but went unsigned coming off his senior season at Dartmouth last year. The undersized righty had 51 points in 112 career collegiate games with Harvard and the Big Green.

KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Sign Ivan Chekhovich, Three Others

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The KHL’s Shanghai Dragons continue to fill out their roster ahead of their first season under their new name. Today, they announced the signing of four forwards with considerable North American experience – Ivan Chekhovich, Max Ellis, Nate Sucese, and Riley Sutter.

Chekhovich is the only one with NHL experience. The 5’10” winger was a seventh-round pick by the Sharks in 2017 and, after some standout offensive showings with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, looked like a potential steal. Unfortunately, his offense dried up as soon as he reached the pros. He only ever got a four-game call-up to San Jose in 2020-21, recording an assist and a -3 rating in 10:29 of ice time per game.

The Russian native only managed 32 points in 70 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in parts of four seasons. When his entry-level contract expired in 2022, the Sharks issued him a qualifying offer to retain his rights, but he ended up signing in the KHL with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. He’s remained in Russia ever since, and San Jose is set to lose his signing rights on July 1 next year.

The 26-year-old has been inconsistent since returning home, but could be one of the Dragons’ higher-ceiling scoring options. He scored a career-high 36 points in 47 games for Vityaz Moscow Region, which has paused operations due to financial instability, last season.

Joining him on the wing will be the undersized Ellis, a former Maple Leafs undrafted free agent signing out of Notre Dame. The 25-year-old had 34 points in 87 games for AHL Toronto in parts of three seasons before his signing rights were traded to the Stars in June 2024 for the rights to then-pending UFA Chris Tanev. Ellis did not sign with Dallas and instead landed in Finland with Liiga’s Jukurit, where he had 18 points in 25 games last season before going point-per-game in five relegation contests to help them stay in the top flight next season.

Sucese, also a 5’9″ former undrafted free agent signing, has a longer pro track record. The 29-year-old has spent the last five seasons in the AHL in the Coyotes, Wild, Hurricanes, and Rangers organizations on two-way NHL deals and minor-league contracts. He heads overseas for the first time after posting a 52-57–109 scoring line in 276 career AHL contests, including 28 points in 56 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack last year.

Shanghai will be just the second pro team in Sutter’s pro career. The bulky 25-year-old center was a third-round pick by the Capitals in 2018, and while he’s remained under NHL contract with the team up until this summer, he never took the ice for the big club and played exclusively for AHL Hershey. The son of former Flyers captain Ron Sutter is a two-time Calder Cup champion with the Bears and had 65 points in 279 games for them before becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent this year.

Josh Leivo Signs With KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk

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The reigning MVP of the KHL has found a new home. In an announcement from the league, forward Josh Leivo has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk, the most recent Eastern Conference champions.

It’s quite the addition for Traktor as they look to capture the Gagarin Cup for the first time in franchise history. Leivo is coming off an impressive year with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa, scoring 49 goals and 80 points in 62 games with a +26 rating. This MVP season came one year after he scored 15 goals and 38 points in 40 games throughout his first season in Russia.

Leivo’s postseason record the past two years should also benefit Traktor in its pursuit of the Gagarin Cup. The former 86th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft has scored six goals and 24 points in 20 games throughout the KHL postseason. It’s also the second time that Leivo has been honored with a league award for his performance throughout his professional career, winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy during the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs after scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 18 games en route to a Calder Cup ring with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

It’s important to note that his journey to Traktor has been quite unusual. Despite signing a multi-year agreement with Salavat Yulaev Ufa after becoming the first Canadian to win the KHL’s MVP award, his contract was mutually terminated a few days ago. Several theories have emerged regarding this situation, including Leivo’s late arrival to training camp, visa complications, and financial difficulties faced by his former team.

All three theories may contain some truth, and we may never fully understand what happened. Still, the latter theory may have the most credibility as several reports from Russia have indicated that his former team requested he restructure his contract with a reduced salary, something Leivo wasn’t willing to do.

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