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Minor Transactions: 01/14/21

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The season has started and minor moves are sure to come down the pipeline in the coming days, especially when AHL training camps get underway tomorrow. Even now professional tryouts are being ended and rosters are being finalized. We’ll keep track of all the notable names right here.

  • The San Jose Barracuda have signed three players to professional tryouts for AHL camp, bringing in Robbie Russo, Chaz Reddekopp, and Samuel Harvey. Russo, 27, is the only one with any NHL experience and actually very surprisingly still a free agent given his AHL history. The right-handed defenseman is a dangerous offensive weapon that routinely scores 30+ points in the AHL, though that number did drop to just 19 in a shortened 2019-20 season.
  • TSN reported yesterday that several NHL PTOs had been ended, including three with the Calgary Flames. Brett Ritchie, Michael Stone and Garret Sparks were all in Flames camp, but it only seems as though Sparks has a real landing spot. The veteran goaltender is back with the Orlando Solar Bears for the time being, where he already played one game in December.
  • Three Philadelphia Flyers prospects are on their way back from overseas, as David Kase, Maksim Sushko, and Linus Hogberg have all been recalled from loan and assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Kase, 23, played in six games for the Flyers last season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process. He’s been dominating in the Czech league for the early part of this season, recording 25 points in 27 games. Sushko, 21, had five points in 30 games for Dynamo Minsk of the KHL so far, while Linus Hogberg had 12 points in 27 games for Vita Hasten of the Swedish second tier.

Free Agency Notes: Krejci, Andersen, Jensen

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While some attention has been on the future of teammate Tuukka Rask of late, the Boston Bruins have another major impending free agent in center David Krejci. Like Rask, Krejci is reaching the end of a long-term, big-money contract and while he won’t get another at 35 years old by next season, Krejci does not appear to be done. The career Bruin matched a career-high 73 points in 2018-19 and last season was a top-five scorer for Boston and trailed only David Pastrnak in shooting efficiency. He capped off the campaign by reminding everyone of his career-long knack for playoff success with a team-best 12 points in 13 games. Krejci looks poised to extend his career beyond this season, likely in Boston, but there has been little public talk of an extension thus far. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta provides an explanation, reporting that Krejci’s camp opted not to open talks this off-season. Krejci’s preference was to hold off on negotiations through the brief off-season as well as through training camp. However, the two sides are expected to begin talks once the season begins. If and when a resolution is reached, the extension could also remain as a handshake agreement, as many might this season given the Expansion Draft ramifications of signing would-be UFA’s. With that in mind, Boston fans should not be discouraged that Krejci is entering his fifteenth Bruins season without a new contract, nor should they worry if a deal is not done during the season; talks will be ongoing and the likelihood of an extension is strong.

  • Unlike Krejci, Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender Frederik Andersen does not appear likely to negotiate an extension during this season. The impending free agent, likely to be one of the best names available in the 2021 goalie market, did not have any extension talks with Toronto this off-season, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. And now that the season is about to begin, LeBrun does not expect those talks to finally occur until next off-season. LeBrun notes that Andersen’s agent, Claude Lemieux, prefers not to discuss contracts in-season due to the distraction it may cause his clients. Obviously, any number of factors could shift the status quo and force the two sides to come together during the year, but it is unlikely. As such, Andersen is expected to head into the summer without a new contract and the Maple Leafs will have a small window of time to review the season and work out an extension before their starter becomes a free agent.
  • Andersen’s fellow countryman and former NHLer Nicklas Jensen was set to be a free agent this off-season but no more. The skilled Danish forward has signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s Jokerit, the club announced. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, as Jensen has re-signed with his current club in-season for the second year in a row, never allowing for NHL teams to make an offer during the off-season. Jensen has shown that he is worthy of a second chance in North America, too. The 27-year-old power forward, a 2011 first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, may not have found much success in the NHL last time around, but now a more mature player, Jensen has been a prolific scorer in the KHL. Jensen led Jokerit and finished fourth in the league in points per game in an injury-shortened 2019-20 with 25 points in 27 games and has never scored below .69 points per game through four KHL seasons, including his current campaign. A capable scorer with size and speed who has established himself in the KHL and previously flashed immense potential in the AHL, Jensen would seemingly be an intriguing target for an NHL team. A two-year extension taking him into his thirties does not completely eliminate the chance of an NHL comeback for Jensen, but makes it all the more unlikely.

Minor Transactions: 01/08/21

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In a few days, the list of daily minor transactions is going to explode, with teams shuffling players up and down to create cap flexibility. For now, things are generally limited to minor league signings and European transactions. Still, these can be important in the right situation, so we’ll continue to highlight the notable ones right here.

  • The Belleville Senators have signed Colby Williams to a one-year AHL contract, ending his run with the Hershey Bears after four seasons. Williams, 25, became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending his entire professional career in the minor leagues to this point. Last season he recorded six points in 31 games for Hershey. Williams was linked to the KHL’s Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk earlier this off-season but has opted to stay in North America. The team has also signed Ottawa prospect Cole Reinhardt to an amateur tryout contract. The 20-year-old forward was an overage selection by the Senators in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft and will look to make the jump from the WHL to the pros with a strong showing in camp.
  • Dean Stewart, a seventh-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes, has signed with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL after finishing his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Stewart served as captain of the team last season and recorded 12 points in 34 games, but failed to sign an entry-level contract with Arizona in the summer. That made him an unrestricted free agent, but he’ll have to start the grind in the low minors for now.
  • Danny Kristo, who was originally selected in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens, will continue his European adventure in Germany after signing with the Augsburger Panther of the DEL. Kristo last played in North America during the 2016-17 season and has now suited up in the KHL, SHL, NLA, and DEL over the last three seasons. Even his KHL stops have taken him abroad, as instead of playing for the Russian-based teams he was with Dinamo Riga (Latvia) and Kunlun Red Star (China). Quite the traveler.
  • Los Angeles Kings standout prospect Jordan Spence has been traded in the QMJHL. The 19-year-old defenseman, a fourth-round pick in 2019, has been dealt to the Val-d’Or Foreurs by the Moncton Wildcats in exchange for young goaltender Vincent Filion, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2022 third-round pick. The undersized defenseman is no small get for the Foreurs; Spence won the QMJHL’s Defenseman of the Year honors last season with 52 points in 60 games. The offensive blue liner is back at it this season with 16 points through 13 games and will be a major asset for league-leading Foreurs.

Egor Afanasyev Loaned Back To KHL

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After finishing in fourth place at the World Junior Championship, Egor Afanasyev is on his way back to the KHL. The Nashville Predators have loaned the young forward back to CSKA Moscow, where he had been playing earlier this season.

Afanasyev, 19, was the 45th overall selection in the 2019 draft after dominating the competition in the USHL. He played for the Windsor Spitfires in 2019-20 and once again showed his impressive blend of power and skill, scoring 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games. The 6’3″ winger is a force when he comes flying down the wall and should be a good fit in the North American professional game when he eventually comes over.

For now, he’ll continue his development in Russia where he had three points in four KHL games and a pair of goals in two MHL games before joining the national junior team. Since Afanasyev won’t turn 20 until later this month, his entry-level contract (signed in 2019), should slide again and kick in for the 2021-22 season. That is of course he makes a late-season debut on the Predators and plays in seven games, but that seems an unlikely scenario at this point.

Vancouver Canucks Plan To Sign And Play Vasili Podkolzin Later This Season

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With top prospect Vasili Podkolzin currently impressing on the international stage as the captain of Team Russia, the Vancouver Canucks want to assure their fans that it is only a matter of time before he’s doing the same for them. Speaking with Jon Abbot of TSN 1040 in Vancouver, GM Jim Benning reveals that the club expects to sign Podkolzin during this season and plans to play him in the NHL lineup immediately. Benning reports that Podkolzin’s KHL contract expires on April 30, at which time the team will look to sign him and bring him overseas.

While late April is typically the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not exactly an ideal time to introduce a teenage prospect to the NHL, the 2020-21 season is of course an exception. The playoffs do not begin until May 11 at the earliest this year, allowing Podkolzin nearly two weeks to settle in. Travel and quarantine could come into play, but the hope is that Podkolzin could see some regular season game action before the Canucks hopefully move on to the postseason.

The 2019 tenth overall pick also has the advantage of being very pro-ready. Podkolzin is already in his third season of seeing at least some KHL action, playing almost exclusively with SKA St. Petersburg so far this year. He also has pro size at 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., not to mention a developed offensive game. Once Podkolzin arrives in Vancouver, it may not take long for him to get up to speed.

Knowing they have Podkolzin in their back pocket for later this season, the Canucks may not feel the need to make any other roster additions this season, at least up front. If Podkolzin actually joins the team on April 30, that would be just over two weeks after the Trade Deadline on April 12. Vancouver may be hesitant to give up trade capital to add a forward with reinforcements on the way not long after. In fact, Benning stated that the team is “done for now” in terms of transactions (outside of a Travis Hamonic PTO becoming a contract), so Podkolzin may very well be the next notable addition that the team makes this season.

Prospect Notes: Lodnia, Khovanov, Kravtsov, Andersson

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A pair of Minnesota Wild forward prospects currently on loan in Russia will go different ways for the rest of the season. Ivan Lodnia, the team’s third-round pick in 2017, will leave the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk to return to North America in time for the Iowa Wild’s AHL camp later this month, reports The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Lodnia is in his first pro season after five years in the OHL and has seven points through 27 KHL games thus far. The skilled American forward is expected to spend the rest of his season in the AHL, but could push for an NHL look late in the year if he impresses with Iowa. Meanwhile, 2018 third-round pick Alexander Khovanov will stay in Russia for the rest of the year. Currently on loan to the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, who in turn have loaned him to the minor league VHL, Khovanov has 15 points in 16 VHL games after getting blanked though seven KHL games. Also a first-year pro, Khovanov scored 99 points in the QMJHL last year but is not as far along in his development as Lodnia and can take the rest of the year to work on his game in his native Russia.

  • As expected, New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has confirmed to the media that prospect forward Vitali Kravtsov will remain in Russia through the end of the KHL season. Kravtsov is currently on loan to his longtime KHL club Traktor Chelyabinsk and he is currently finding success with 12 goals and 17 points in 34 games. Gorton stated that the team felt Kravtsov’s development was better served by letting him play out the KHL season given this success. However, the team will explore bringing Kravtsov back once the KHL season is complete. The 21-year-old Kravtsov, the No. 9 overall pick in 2018, played in 39 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack last season but has yet to make his NHL debut.
  • A teammate of Kravtsov’s in Hartford early last year, Lias Andersson also finished the season in Europe. Andersson tells The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris that he had planned to spend the entire 2020-21 season back in Sweden with the SHL’s HV71. However, an off-season trade from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings changed his mind. Andersson now plans to spend the whole season in North America, regardless of his role within his new organization. For what it’s worth, Andersson notched 11 points in 19 games while on loan to HV71 so far this season and personally feels that his game has improved, so perhaps he can finally carve out a regular NHL role with the young Kings squad.

Nashville Predators Recall Three From European Loans

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The Nashville Predators have recalled Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, and Connor Ingram from their overseas loans, with training camp set to start in a few days.

Tolvanen, 21, had been playing with Jokerit in the KHL once again, this time scoring 13 points in 25 games. That’s a much slower pace than he set in 2017-18 when he was the talk of the hockey world, tallying 25 goals and 43 points in 60 total games with the Finnish club. Given how, for lack of a better term, average his two seasons in North America have gone since, the depressed offensive totals this year are a little bit concerning. Still, the Predators have a lot of faith in the 2017 first-round pick and he should receive another shot at making the NHL squad.

Trenin, 23, is one of the players he might have to beat out, though he doesn’t play the same type of game. The 2015 second-round pick worked his way through several years in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Admirals before making his NHL debut in 2019-20, suiting up 21 times for Nashville. He’s been playing with SKA St. Petersburg this season, where he has seven points in 21 games. Unlike Tolvanen however, Trenin is not waiver-exempt any longer and would need to clear to even head to the taxi squad, perhaps giving him a leg up for the roster competition.

Ingram, 23, is one of the league’s more intriguing goaltending prospects. Despite dominating at almost every level so far, he mysteriously flamed out of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and was sent to the Predators for a 2021 seventh-round pick (in 2019 mind you). He was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL once again last season, posting a 21-5-5 record and a .933 save percentage, leading to a three-year contract extension in March. Ingram has been playing in the Swedish second tier, but will likely be the starter for Milwaukee again as he is still waiver-exempt.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/20

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Training camp is just a few days away and things are heating up in the hockey world. With waivers open and rosters being announced, minor transactions will come fast and furious all across the league. We’ll keep track of them right here.

  • Jordan Schmaltz will be attending training camp on a professional tryout with the Arizona Coyotes according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Schmaltz, 27, last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season, suiting up for 20 games with the St. Louis Blues. The 25th overall pick in 2012, he was never able to really translate his game to the NHL level.
  • Speaking of the Blues, the team has announced that Alexei Toropchenko and Nikita Alexandrov have both been loaned overseas. Toropchenko will stay with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL where he has been playing, scoring eight points in 25 games so far this season. Alexandrov will head to KooKoo in Finland, where he will spend the season at the Liiga level. The Blues’ release notes that both players could be recalled when their European seasons end.
  • Spencer Abbott, who played two games at the NHL level before heading overseas, will continue his playing career in Germany during the upcoming season. The 32-year-old winger has signed in the DEL after spending the last two seasons playing in the SHL.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gabriel Fortier has been traded in the QMJHL. The slick forward, in his final season of junior eligibility, has been moved by the Moncton Wildcats to the Shawinigan Cataractes, the team announced. The return is only a conditional pick, as Fortier could join the Lightning or more likely a minor league affiliate this season, in which case Shawinigan would get their pick back. If Tampa opts to return him to juniors though, then the Wildcats would receive at least a 2022 third-round pick but it could grow as high as a 2021 first-rounder depending on production. Fortier is no stranger to change after initially being acquired by Moncton midway through last season, only to finish the year with better than a point-per-game pace, earning the team’s captaincy to begin this year.
  • Defenseman Ty Murchison of the U.S. National Team Development Program has made his college choice. The young blue liner announced his commitment to Arizona State University today, continuing the program’s pipeline from California. The former L.A. Jr. King is a talented two-way defenseman who plays an aggressive style, currently leading the USNTDP U-18’s in penalty minutes. Murchison is expected to be a middle round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft before beginning his NCAA career next year.

Ilya Kovalchuk Signs In The KHL

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December 26: The deal is now official. Despite a decent 2019-20 season in the NHL, even as he was traded twice, Kovalchuk has decided to return to the KHL. Avangard Omsk has announced a contract with Kovalchuk not only for the remainder of the season, but for next season as well. At 37, this very well could mean that we have seen the last of Kovalchuk in the NHL.

December 19: It appears that Ilya Kovalchuk’s time in the NHL may be coming to an end for the second time (after abruptly leaving New Jersey following the 2012-13 season).  His agent Yuri Nikolaev told Sport24’s Maxim Samartsev that he is working on a deal for his client to join Avangard Omsk of the KHL for the remainder of their season.

The 37-year-old had a rocky 2019-20 campaign.  After being benched in Los Angeles, he eventually agreed to a contract termination and signed in Montreal early in January.  He made an immediate impact with the Canadiens and did well enough that they were able to trade him to Washington for a third-round pick just six weeks later.  Unfortunately for him and the Capitals, things didn’t go as well with his new team, especially in the playoffs where he had just a single assist in eight games.  Between the three teams, he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 46 regular season games, slightly beating his point-per-game average from his first year with Los Angeles.

While it may seem odd that news of this comes just as an agreement on the upcoming NHL season has been reached, it’s worth noting that the KHL trade deadline is next Sunday and players not on a roster by then are ineligible for the rest of the season.  That makes the 27th a hard deadline for Kovalchuk to finalize something with Avangard or another KHL team to ensure he’ll have a spot to play for the rest of year since clearly, there aren’t NHL opportunities arising for him at this time.

Bruins Prospect Pavel Shen Signs In The KHL

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Friday: Sochi has officially announced Shen’s signing.

Tuesday: While many players will be heading to North America with NHL training camps about to open up, Bruins prospect Pavel Shen is heading the other way.  Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the prospect will be signing with HK Sochi of the KHL for the remainder of their season.

The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick of Boston back in 2018 (212th overall) and signed his entry-level deal just one year later.  Last season, Shen played exclusively with Providence of the AHL and had a fairly quiet year offensively, notching just four goals and five assists in 35 games.  Considering the restrictions on skaters allowed at training camp (36), it’s not a guarantee that he would have been among the invites and the AHL season is still another six weeks away at a minimum so his trip overseas will at least guarantee him some playing time in the short term.

This won’t be Shen’s first KHL action as he has spent time with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk and Salavat Yulaev in the past although he has managed just two goals and one assist in 49 games over that span.  Once their season ends, he will be eligible to return to Providence and will be able to play down the stretch and in their postseason.

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