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Konstantin Okulov Re-Signs In KHL

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It’s the same old song and dance for Konstantin Okulov, who has once again signed in the KHL instead of coming to North America. The free agent forward has signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. The contract also includes another option year for 2022-23.

Okulov, 26, has been pursued by NHL organizations for several years, most notably the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Just last month Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote that teams were once again showing interest in him, but that will have to wait at least another year. You can understand why the NHL is coming to call, after another outstanding season in the KHL. Okulov scored 18 goals and 49 points for CSKA, adding another 20 in the playoffs to lead the entire league.

In the absence of Kirill Kaprizov from the Moscow roster this season, Okulov stepped into even more spotlight and led the charge offensively. His 49 points were 14 more than the next highest scorer on the team and he was a force in the postseason. The fact that he only turned 26 a few months ago is important in this case, as Okulov would still be limited to the entry-level contract system in the NHL. For now, teams will have to wait and hope he makes a different decision in the coming years.

Minor Transactions: 06/20/21

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While the NHL rumor mill has certainly been heating up of late, it may still be some time before major moves start to drop and calendar draws closer to the Expansion Draft, Entry Draft, and opening of free agency. In the meantime, there has still been a fairly consistent flow of minor moves out of the minor leagues and European ranks as the off-season has started early for some familiar names. Keep up with all of those transactions right here:

  • A 2021 NHL Draft prospect has cemented his development path. Finnish defenseman Jimi Suomi, who many rankings believe could go as early as the third round next month, will likely be considered a project player anyway. That project will be monitored from afar, as Suomi has decided to stay in Finland. Liiga club TPS has announced a three-year contract with the young blue liner, who spent this past season with the U-20 team for Jokerit. The move is significant, as Suomi had been drafted into the USHL and was on NCAA radars. Instead, he will go the pro route and try to crack TPS’ Liiga roster next season.
  • Another name staying in Europe, perhaps also to the surprise of some, is veteran forward Nick Shore. Shore, 28, has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, the team announced. The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes forward Drew Shore and older brother of Harvard forward Baker Shore, Nick is a veteran of nearly 300 NHL games. However, he played this past season in Europe, starting the year in Slovakia and then jumping to Switzerland when the NLA re-opened. He recorded 37 points in 27 games across the two leagues, one of the better offensive seasons of his pro career. It is unclear if Shore spent the year in Europe due to financial and convenience concerns due to the COVID pandemic or if there was simply no NHL interest. He has played in 63 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets the season prior, so it at least seemed as if he was still valued in North America. However, his early decision to sign in the KHL rather than test the NHL market could be indicative to the contrary.
  • T.J. Brennan is another NHL veteran staying overseas. The journeyman defenseman left for Switzerland this season after four consecutive seasons in the AHL without any NHL action. He found success with HC Thurgau, recording 24 points in 22 games and leading the team to the playoffs. He will try again next season in Austria, signing a one-year contract with EC Salzburg of the IceHL. The team’s release notes his previous scoring success in the AHL and touts him as a major addition to the roster.
  • Texas Stars free agent Derek Barach is leaving the AHL for Europe. The 26-year-old forward has signed with Liiga club Assat on a two-year deal. A productive college player at Mercyhurst, Barach is still trying to find his footing in the pros after stops with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and the Stats this past season.

Latest On Kirill Kaprizov’s Contract Talks

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There’s a long list of things to do this offseason for Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, but more important than anything is getting Kirill Kaprizov signed. The odds-on favorite for the Calder Trophy had an outstanding first season in the NHL, breathing life back into a franchise that was desperate for excitement. Because he took so long to come to North America after being drafted in 2015 and burned the first year of his entry-level contract in 2019-20 without actually playing, the 24-year-old forward is a restricted free agent this summer.

It has already been reported that the Wild have offered Kaprizov an eight-year contract, trying to lock him up for as long as possible right now. Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote a week ago that he didn’t think that would actually be signed, given the hesitation from the player to commit that much of his playing career to the organization. Russo explained that Kaprizov’s camp wants a “clear plan to upgrade the middle of the ice” in Minnesota and noted that it is a “big risk” if the team doesn’t significantly upgrade at the center position.

Now, Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network tweets that talks between the two sides have cooled. In fact, according to Weekes Kaprizov is currently in Moscow and that CSKA of the KHL is still trying to sign him. Of course, just traveling back to Russia doesn’t necessarily mean anything in regards to contract negotiations (in fact, Russo tweets that Kaprizov is there to attend a friend’s wedding and his agent informed the Wild of it ahead of time).

One thing to keep in mind with Kaprizov though is that now that he has played in North America, the Wild do not indefinitely hold his rights. When they selected him in 2015, they could wait as long as it took for him to try his hand at the NHL. The lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and KHL meant that Kaprizov’s draft rights would never expire; if he wanted to play in the NHL, it had to be with Minnesota unless they traded him. But now that he has played out his entry-level contract and reached restricted free agency, that’s no longer the case. He would become an unrestricted free agent in three years when he turns 27, whether he plays in North America or not.

That makes this summer an absolutely crucial time for the Wild if they want to retain the services of the dynamic forward. Kaprizov scored 51 points in 55 games this season, 11 more than the team’s second-place scorer Kevin Fiala. Joel Eriksson Ek was the team’s highest-scoring center with just 30 points, though 19 of those were goals. The team does have an elite center prospect in Marco Rossi coming up the pipe, but after he missed the entire season with COVID-19 health complications, there’s no telling exactly how long it will take for him to break into the NHL. Matthew Boldy is also in the system but failed to make an NHL appearance after signing his entry-level deal in April.

There’s absolutely nothing more important for Guerin this offseason than keeping Kaprizov in the organization, and Wild fans shouldn’t panic just yet. The threat of a return to the KHL has been used many times in the past during contract negotiations but is rarely actually followed through on. It’s not clear which side this specific case will come down on, but it’s certainly a situation to keep an eye on this offseason.

Sharks Forward Fredrik Handemark Signs In The KHL

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It will be a one and done term in North America for Sharks winger Fredrik Handemark.  The pending unrestricted free agent has decided to not try his hand in NHL free agency and will head back overseas.  He won’t be returning to the SHL, however, as SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL announced that they’ve signed Handemark to a two-year deal.

The 27-year-old joined San Jose a little over a year ago, inking a one-year, entry-level contract in May 2020.  It took a while for him to get his first taste of North American hockey though due to the delayed start to the pandemic.  Handemark made the most of that time, returning to Malmo on loan and recorded 15 points in 25 games before being recalled.

Handemark made frequent appearances in our Taxi Squad Shuffle posts this season as he was involved in 25 separate transactions over the span of four months.  Despite that, he still got into 14 AHL games where he had four goals and four assists plus eight NHL contests with the Sharks where he collected a goal while averaging 9:27 per night of ice time.

That’s not the type of production that would allow him to command a one-way deal on the open market so instead of seeking out a two-way pact, Handemark will now join one of the top KHL franchises.  If he plays a big role there, perhaps he will be able to get another NHL opportunity when his deal is up in 2023.

Minor Transactions: 06/16/21

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The further into the summer it gets, the busier the transaction wire becomes. While the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, there have been a fair share of confirmed moves as well that include names familiar to NHL fans and impacting NHL fans. Take a look:

  • So much for the Alexander Khokhlachev comeback. The former Boston Bruins prospect whose NHL rights finally expire this off-season had previously hinted at a return to North America following five years in the KHL. When he walked away from the reigning Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk, it only added fuel to the fire. However, it was all for not. Khoklachev has returned to former KHL club Spartak Moscow, the team has announced. It is only a one-year deal, so the speculation of an NHL return for the 27-year-old scoring center return next season. Yet, if Khokhlachev was ever going to make the jump, it seemed that this was his chance given years of sustained success capped off with a title and his newfound free agency. It could be Khokhlachev simply stays in Russia for the rest of his career.
  • Jori Lehtera is also not returning to North America, though it should come as no surprise. Lehtera’s production decreased continually through his NHL career and fell off immensely following a move to the Philadelphia Flyers from the St. Louis Blues in 2017. Between poor play and off-ice issues, he seemingly wore out his welcome in North America. Upon returning to Europe last season, he immediately re-discovered his scoring touch in the KHL and scored at better than a point-per-game pace for Spartak this year, leading the team. Spartak has rewarded him with a one-year extension. The 33-year-old will take that short-term commitment, especially with the likes of Khokhlachev and Vasili Ponomaryov joining him in Moscow next season to potentially make the team could be a surprise contender.
  • Cole Clayton has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and while you might not know his name yet, you could soon. The big, mobile, two-way defenseman from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers led all league defensemen with nine goals and 30 points this season in just 23 games. At 6’2″, 210 lbs. but able to skate at a high level, Clayton is an impact player all over the ice and surely had some NHL interest before settling for a job with Cleveland. If his play translates to the pros, it is a safe bet that the Columbus Blue Jackets will have him signed to an entry-level deal sooner rather than later. The Monsters also announced the signings of veteran forwards Brett Gallant and Adam Helewka for next season.

Otto Leskinen And Kalle Kossila Sign In KHL

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A pair of pending free agents have decided to not wait to test NHL free agency and have instead opted to sign overseas.  Jokerit of the KHL announced today that they’ve signed defenseman Otto Leskinen and center Kalle Kossila to two-year contracts.

Leskinen signed with Montreal as an undrafted free agent back in 2019 and has spent the majority of his two seasons with them at the AHL level, only getting into six NHL games along the way.  However, the 24-year-old had 17 points in just 33 games with Laval which was enough to earn a recall to their reserve squad for the playoffs.  The Canadiens will be able to retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer and considering that Leskinen won’t be UFA-eligible until 2024 (a year after this contract expires), they likely will do so.

As for Kossila, he last saw NHL action back in 2018-19 when he was with Anaheim and he has 19 career NHL contests under his belt.  While he hasn’t been able to lock down an NHL job, the 28-year-old has been quite productive in the minors which was enough to earn a two-year deal from Toronto back in 2020 with this season being a one-way deal.  While he led the Marlies in scoring this season, he may not have been able to command another one-way deal so he’ll instead try his hand back home with Finland’s lone KHL squad.  He was set to be an unrestricted free agent late next month.

Lucas Wallmark Signs In KHL

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The Florida Panthers won’t be bringing back trade deadline acquisition Lucas Wallmark, at least not next season. The restricted free agent forward has signed a one-year deal in the KHL with CSKA Moscow, ending his NHL career for the time being.

Wallmark, 25, was half of the return the Panthers received from the Chicago Blackhawks for Brett Connolly, Henrik Borgstrom, and Riley Stillman. The team used him just four times down the stretch and didn’t dress him in the playoffs, meaning they’ll receive very little in the trade. His rights can be retained with a qualifying offer, but it’s not clear whether he’ll actually be back in time for them to actually receive any benefit from that. Wallmark will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022, regardless of where he spends the next two seasons.

It was an interesting move at the time, given how little the Panthers seemed to value Wallmark the first time they acquired him in 2020. Part of the deal that saw Vincent Trocheck head to Carolina, Wallmark played seven games for the Panthers that season, played twice in the bubble qualification round, and then was left without a qualifying offer. He became an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks, and ended up back in Florida by the end of the year. It’s not really like anything changed during that time; in fact, Wallmark failed to score even a single goal in his 16 games with Chicago.

The fact that he has signed a deal in the KHL this early could suggest that he already knows the Panthers were going to leave him unqualified once again. While this could change that decision, it doesn’t appear as though he has much of a future in Florida. In 187 regular season games, Wallmark has 23 goals and 59 points.

Josh Currie, Philippe Maillet Sign In KHL

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Two more players that saw NHL action this season are headed overseas, as both Josh Currie and Philippe Maillet have signed with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL. Each was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer and spent most of the 2020-21 season in the minor leagues.

Currie, 28, was on a one-year, two-way deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins and suited up just once for the NHL squad. A veteran minor league performer, he added 23 points in 24 games and served as captain for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The former Edmonton Oilers prospect now has 22 NHL games to his name, but will continue his playing career overseas where a new opportunity is waiting.

Maillet, 29, has a very interesting hockey story to this point. Undrafted out of the QMJHL, he signed with the Ontario Reign in 2017 after spending several years at the University of New Brunswick and earned himself an NHL contract with the Capitals in 2019. That two-year, two-way deal is set to expire with just two NHL games played for the minor league forward. Another successful AHL scorer, Maillet recorded 21 points in 16 games for the Hershey Bears this season but failed to register an NHL point in his two appearances with Washington. He’ll also be headed overseas to continue a career that has already been one of determination and perseverance.

Hurricanes Loan Vasili Ponomaryov To Spartak Of The KHL

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Back in October, Carolina signed prospect forward Vasili Ponomaryov to a three-year, entry-level contract.  At the time, it was expected that he’d return to Shawinigan of the QMJHL next season before turning pro in 2022.  Instead, Spartak of the KHL announced today that they’ve added the winger to their roster for the 2021-22 campaign, signing him to a contract that runs through April 2022.

The 19-year-old was a second-round pick (53rd overall) last year following his first season with the Cataractes that saw him impress with 18 goals and 31 assists in 57 games in his first taste of hockey in North America.  While that league had some starts and stops this season, the QMJHL was able to get through a shortened season where he managed 10 goals and 28 helpers in just 33 games while picking up four points in five playoff contests.

Staying with Shawinigan certainly would have made sense but now Ponomaryov will have an opportunity to get his feet wet at the professional level and play closer to home for a year as well.  His contract slid this season since he didn’t see any NHL action and will do so again in 2021-22 for the same reason for Carolina will still have him signed for three years if he returns to North America for the 2022-23 campaign with AHL Chicago.

Bob Hartley, Yegor Chinakhov Win KHL Awards

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It’s been two decades since Bob Hartley lifted the Stanley Cup over his head as the victorious head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, but don’t think that means he stopped winning. The former NHL bench boss was named KHL Coach of the Year today after taking home the Gagarin Cup with Avangard Omsk.

This championship season continues a winning tradition for Hartley. In 1990 and 1991 he took home the title in the CJHL with the Hawkesbury Hawks. In 1993 he was a QMJHL champion with the Laval Titan. In 1997 he won the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears. Then came the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Avalanche and some lean years, but he was back on top as an NLA Champion with the ZSC Lions. Now champion of the KHL, there’s little Hartley hasn’t accomplished (his Latvian World Championship squad even recently downed the Canadians in an incredible upset).

Hartley’s name has been brought up in talks of NHL vacancies, but it’s not clear if he is ready to return to the NHL just yet. If he does decide to put his name in the ring, it’s hard to find a more impressive overall resume at this point.

That wasn’t the only award handed out by the KHL today though. The league named Eddie Pasquale the top goaltender, Chris Wideman the top defenseman and Yegor Chinakhov the top rookie.

Chinakhov may be a familiar name now thanks to the draft day confusion that followed his selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Seen as an “off-the-board” pick by Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, the 20-year-old proved he was worth the 21st overall slot when he scored 17 points in 32 games for Hartley’s team and added another seven in the Gagarin Cup playoff run. Chinakhov signed his entry-level contract at the beginning of May but didn’t have time to get into any games with the Blue Jackets down the stretch.

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