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Tim Heed Signs In Switzerland

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After spending one year in the KHL, Tim Heed is heading back to Switzerland. The veteran defenseman has signed a new two-year contract with HC Ambri-Piotta, likely ending any chance of him returning to North America.

Heed, 31, played 38 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2019-20, earning $960K on a one-way contract. With the uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 season, however, he signed in Switzerland with HC Lugano and dominated the NL with 34 points in 47 games, leading the league in goals by a defenseman.

That led to an offer from the KHL, where he played for Spartak Moscow this season, still doing well with 26 points in 45 games. After terminating his contract, Heed is now headed back to Switzerland instead of trying his hand on this side of the pond, despite being a pretty successful depth defenseman during his time in San Jose.

Over 105 career games, Heed racked up 29 points and posted outstanding possession statistics–though those were heavily weighted by the offensive deployment he was given. As an offensive-minded player, he was an option on the powerplay but didn’t draw many tough assignments at even-strength, averaging just over 14 minutes a game during his time in the NHL.

With a two-year deal in place and his 31st birthday passing back in January, a return to North America seems unlikely at this point.

Minor Transactions: 07/20/22

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We’re now a week out from free agency and Nazem Kadri still hasn’t signed. NHL fans are patiently waiting on the decisions of several key free agents, though plenty of other moves are happening around the hockey world. As always at this time of year, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • Jeremy Bracco, a former top prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has signed a one-year contract with Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL after putting up 54 points in 54 games this season in the DEL. The 25-year-old second-round pick has incredible playmaking ability, even leading to a 79-point season in the AHL a few years ago but never did make it to the NHL.
  • He’ll actually be joined by another NHL draft pick, Jesse Graham, who is coming over from a different team in the DEL. The 28-year-old defenseman was a sixth-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2012 and last played in the AHL during the 2018-19 season.
  • Another player that will be joining Barys is Kirill Maksimov, whose entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers was terminated last October. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers in 2017 and played just 53 games at the AHL level before going back home. He’ll be playing this season on loan from CSKA, who own his KHL rights.
  • Fresh off winning the Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades, goaltender Cam Johnson has signed a two-way AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers. The 28-year-old had actually been on an NHL deal the past two seasons in order to provide some emergency depth for the Columbus Blue Jackets but never did enter a game.

More to come…

Sergei Plotnikov Re-Signs In KHL

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There will be no redemption tour for Sergei Plotnikov in the NHL, as the veteran forward has re-signed in the KHL on another two-year deal. The contract keeps him with CSKA Moscow, the team he helped to a Gagarin Cup championship this season.

One of the most notable players in KHL history, Plotnikov has suited up more than 600 times in the league, appeared at five World Championships, and took home a silver medal this season as a part of the Russian Olympic team.

His NHL career, if you can call it that, lasted all of 45 games during the 2015-16 season and failed to result in a single goal. In 2015, he signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins that included massive performance bonuses. By March, he had been dealt to the Arizona Coyotes for basically nothing.

He would leave for the KHL as soon as that one-year deal in the NHL was over, with the Coyotes not even bothering to issue him a qualifying offer. Zero goals and three points are his NHL totals, to go along with 24 penalty minutes–all minor penalties.

With a new two-year deal in place, the 32-year-old has essentially sealed those North American totals.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Lawrence Pilut

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July 15: Pilut has sign a one-year, $750K contract to return to the Sabres.

July 8: When Lawrence Pilut decided to leave the Buffalo Sabres and take his talents to the KHL in 2020, the team still extended him a qualifying offer to retain his exclusive rights. That appears to have paid off, as Pilut’s contract in the KHL has been terminated and the Sabres are now “very interested” in bringing him back to North America, according to Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News.

Pilut, 26, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2018, following his offensive explosion at the SHL level. In his first season with the Sabres organization, he split time between the Sabres and Rochester Americans, making a huge impact at the AHL level with 26 points in 30 games. While his numbers haven’t been quite as good when deployed in the NHL, the 46 games he experienced were sporadic and inconsistent.

Now, after two years in the KHL, the puck-moving defenseman could be a nice addition to give the Sabres some additional depth at the position. Notably, if the Sabres wanted to bring him in and use him in Rochester, he would now have to clear waivers. That would give other teams a chance to claim him if they believed he can contribute in the NHL.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Lukas Klok

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You’ve heard of Ronald Knot, get ready for Lukas Klok. The Arizona Coyotes have picked up their second 27-year-old Czech defenseman of the offseason, bringing in Klok from Nizhnekamsk in the KHL on a one-year, two-way entry-level deal, per CapFriendly. It has a cap hit of $845K, which includes an NHL salary of $750K, $105K in performance bonuses, $95K in signing bonuses, and a minors salary of $82.5K.

Klok is actually a solid under-the-radar candidate to make the Coyotes this fall. He had a strong season in the KHL, notching 31 points in 44 games. He also had three points in four games for Czechia at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Both Klok and Knot, a previous Arizona signing this offseason, played for the same team in Russia and were both on the Czech Olympic squad.

Klok was never drafted, but he does have 29 games of experience in North America. He played 29 games with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms back in 2013-14, registering three points.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Several Players

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July 14: The team has officially announced Manninen’s signing, also announcing that he’ll be joined from the KHL by former Calgary Flames forward Spencer Foo. Both players signed one-year deals worth $750K.

July 13: The Vegas Golden Knights have officially announced a long list of depth signings, to go along with the Max Pacioretty trade and new contracts for Reilly Smith and Brett Howden. The team has also signed Jonas Rondbjerg to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $766,666, Sheldon Rempal to a two-year, two-way deal with an AAV of $762,500, Byron Froese to a two-year, two-way deal with an average annual value of $762,500, and Michael Hutchinson to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $750K.

That’s not all, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Golden Knights will sign KHL forward Sakari Manninen.

These deals are almost all ticketed for the Henderson Silver Knights, with Manninen and Rondbjerg as potential exceptions. The 30-year-old Manninen has spent the last four years playing in the KHL and recently won gold at both the Olympics and World Championship. In 38 games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, he scored 19 goals and 32 games. Standing just 5’7″, it’s hard to see him making a huge impact at the NHL level, though perhaps his game will translate well even at his size.

Rondbjerg, on the other hand, stands 6’2″ and managed to get into 30 games for the Golden Knights this season, scoring his first six NHL points. The 2017 third-round pick was excellent in the minor leagues as well and at 23, stands a good chance at being part of the future in Vegas.

Metro Notes: Penguins, Thompson, Mukhamadullin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins went into yesterday’s free agency frenzy with eight defensemen already under one-way contracts for the upcoming season. Then they made their biggest signing of the day a three-year deal for Jan Rutta. Now, with too many defensemen and not enough spots, it appears a trade is coming.

General manager Ron Hextall admitted as much at a press conference yesterday, explaining there were a “couple too many” defensemen with the team now. It should come as no surprise then when David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that John Marino and Marcus Pettersson are both “out there” in trade talks today. The two defensemen are both signed for at least three years and at least $4MM per season, meaning these won’t be scrap heap buys for anyone who is interested.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to hire Rocky Thompson, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The former minor league enforcer parted ways with the San Jose Sharks last September, explaining that due to a medical exemption that prevented him from taking a COVID-19 vaccine, he was not permitted to continue as the team’s associate coach. Thompson has a strong coaching resume that includes stints as the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires and Chicago Wolves, though as Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes, it is unclear what kind of restrictions his vaccination status will lead to next season.
  • It appears as though Shakir Mukhamadullin could be spending another year in the KHL, as he is listed in the league transfers as signing a new contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev, the club he has spent the last several seasons with. The New Jersey Devils prospect did sign his entry-level contract in the NHL but it includes a European Assignment Clause. It is likely that this new KHL agreement is in case he fails to make the Devils roster out of camp, and will lead to his return overseas instead of assignment to the AHL. There’s no rush for the 20-year-old, though he will burn the first year of his ELC no matter where he plays this season.

Alexander Radulov Signs In KHL

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Though it has been an open secret for months that Alexander Radulov was going back to the KHL, the league only just announced his new two-year contract with Ak Bars last night, after his NHL deal expired.

Radulov, 36, is probably finished on this side of the pond, after scoring just four goals and 22 points in 71 games last season. If that is it for his NHL career, it was an impressive one, if not exactly what was expected.

Selected 15th overall in 2004 by the Nashville Predators, Radulov would immediately come to North America to play for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. It was there where he showed the world just how talented he was, scoring 152 points in 62 games during the 2005-06 regular season, and adding another 55 in 23 games while leading the Remparts to a Memorial Cup championship. He was awarded basically every trophy junior hockey had to offer, including CHL Player of the Year, and created an incredible amount of hype regarding his NHL future.

This wasn’t just another prospect. Radulov was the prospect, expected to quickly join what was already a good Predators team and take them to the next level. It worked, at least for a little while. The uber-confident youngster quickly made an impact at the NHL level, scoring 18 goals and 37 points during his rookie season, and registering even better numbers the following year. Then, it all came crashing down, when a contract dispute led to his return to the KHL in 2008.

For four years, the Predators had to watch him destroying the competition overseas, winning three consecutive KHL MVP awards and lifting the Gagarin Cup. He returned in late 2012 for a handful of games at the end of the season but would bolt for Russia again that summer, signing a new four-year deal with CSKA Moscow that essentially guaranteed his prime years would be lost, at least to the Predators.

Upon his return in 2016, he was given just a one-year deal by the Montreal Canadiens, as the whole hockey world was unsure of what his long-term plans were. It turns out, they were to play the next six years in the NHL, nearly tripling the time he had previously spent there. For the Canadiens and then the Dallas Stars, things went well enough, though Radulov was already 30 when he returned, meaning his real dominating years had passed.

One of the players that will always have a “what if” attached to his name, Radulov’s NHL career ends with 524 games played, and 368 points.

Snapshots: PHF, McLeod, Nesterov

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This morning, the PHF officially announced they are expanding into Montreal for the 2022-23 season, adding a seventh franchise to the women’s league. The new team will be led by Kevin Raphael and Emmanual Anderson. Through a partnership with Center 21.02–a sports complex in Verdun, a Montreal borough–will be the training home for the new club, games for the upcoming season will be played in communities across Quebec in an attempt to showcase women’s hockey to greater audiences.

The schedule for the upcoming season has yet to be announced, while the official team name and logo are expected within the next few weeks. The new Montreal club joins the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, Toronto Six, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps in the growing league.

  • The Minnesota Wild have hired Cody McLeod as a player development coach, effectively announcing his retirement as a player. The 38-year-old tough guy played in 59 games for the Iowa Wild last season and will now make the transition to coaching, along with Matt Harder, who was hired as strength and conditioning coach, and David MacLean, who was named a pro scout. In 776 NHL games, McLeod racked up 72 goals, 127 points, and 1,630 penalty minutes.
  • You won’t be seeing Nikita Nesterov in the NHL anytime soon. The veteran defenseman has signed a new four-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, keeping him at home in Russia instead of attempting any kind of return to North America. The 29-year-old defenseman played in 38 games for the Calgary Flames during the 2020-21 season but never did find much success on this side of the pond. In the KHL, he was one of the most dynamic players in the league this season, logging more than 25 minutes a night and scoring 33 points in 41 regular season games, good enough for third on the entire CSKA roster.

Minor Transactions: McIntyre, Huntington, Dronov

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While the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins were handing out long-term extensions to Valeri Nichushkin and Rickard Rakell respectively, and as the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired their next starting goalie in Matt Murray, a few bits of business were still getting done around the league, with a pair of minor leaguers getting contract extensions, and the Coyotes extending an invite to training camp.

The first of these is the Minnesota Wild extending goaltender Zane McIntyre with a one-year, two-way contract extension to stay in the organization according to CapFriendly. The contract is worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K at the minor league level, but does guarantee the goaltender a minimum of $325K. McIntyre appeared in eight games with the Boston Bruins back in 2016-17, but has otherwise made a solid career in the AHL, most recently splitting the 2021-22 season between the Tucson Roadrunners and the Iowa Wild.

  • Shortly thereafter, the Nashville Predators extended forward Jimmy Huntington on a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level and $80K in the minors, leaving him an RFA at the conclusion of the deal, per CapFriendly. Huntington spent five years in the QMJHL, finishing his career with an incredible 92 point season with the Rimouski Oceanic in 2018-19 before turning pro, spending parts of the previous three seasons between the ECHL and AHL. The undrafted forward spent 2021-22 with the Syracuse Crunch and Milwaukee Admirals, putting up 13 goals and 22 assists in 61 games combined.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have made a move to continue looking at depth options, extending a professional tryout to defenseman Grigori Dronov, according to CapFriendly. An undrafted free agent, Dronov has spent his professional career as a member of Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL, featuring as a steady defenseman, though not much of a point producer. Dronov also appeared as a member of team Russia at the 2017 World Junior Championships, where he had one point in seven games.

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