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Snapshots: Canucks, Tolvanen, Trenin, Zavgorodniy

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The Vancouver Canucks appear to be over the cap as the season approaches, but with Micheal Ferland likely to move to long-term injured reserve at some point in the near future, they actually may have some flexibility. Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic examine exactly how much space the Canucks could potentially create with several roster moves and weigh in on the recent report that Vancouver is interested in Travis Hamonic.

The pair of insiders have also heard of the Vancouver interest in Hamonic, though they believe there has been “no recent momentum” between the two sides. They also note that there was interest in Erik Haula, though have not spoken to his camp recently either. Of course, things can change at the drop of a hat in today’s market so the Canucks are a team to keep an eye on in the weeks leading up to training camp next month.

  • With those camps coming quickly, players from all over the world continue to head back to North America. Today, Eeli Tolvanen and Jokerit have terminated their agreement, allowing the young forward to return to the Nashville Predators for the upcoming season. Tolvanen, 21, is in the final year of his entry-level contract but has still yet to establish himself at the NHL level. Even his KHL numbers were disappointing so far, with just five goals and 13 points in 25 games. The last time Tolvanen was in the KHL, during the 2017-18 season, he scored 19 goals and 36 points in 49 games.
  • Also returning from the KHL are Yakov Trenin and Dmitry Zavgorodniy, who have been recalled from loan with SKA St. Petersburg. Trenin signed a new two-year deal with the Predators in September and will be competing for an NHL roster spot at training camp, while Zavgorodniy is going to start his North American professional career after playing the last few seasons in the QMJHL. The Calgary Flames prospect is on his entry-level deal but has already impressed much more than a seventh-round pick usually does.
  • SKA also announced a trade of Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin back to HC Sochi. Berdin is also expected to return to North America in time for the 2020-21 season, though the SKA release does not actually include that news.

John Gilmour Signs In KHL

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Another former NHL player is headed to the KHL as John Gilmour has signed a contract with CSKA Moscow for the rest of the season. Gilmour became an unrestricted free agent after his one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres expired this summer and will be forced to take his talents overseas for the time being.

Now 27, Gilmour was originally a seventh-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2013 but never did sign with that organization. Instead, he inked an entry-level deal with the New York Rangers in 2016 after a four-year career at Providence College which included a National Championship. The smooth-skating defenseman made 33 appearances with the Rangers over two seasons but spent most of his time in the minor leagues.

In 2019, after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent, he decided to move on from the Rangers and signed a one-year deal with Buffalo. That resulted in another four NHL games, but his time was once again spent mostly in the AHL, this time with the Rochester Americans.

Through 227 AHL games, Gilmour has recorded 38 goals and 118 points including an impressive 20-goal campaign in 2018-19 that earned him an AHL First All-Star Team nomination. In Russia, he’ll bring that same offensive ability and could be an effective weapon for CSKA. Whether he ever returns to the NHL is unclear, but with so few opportunities in this shortened season, perhaps this was the only chance he really had to play meaningful minutes at a high level.

Russia Finalizes World Junior Roster

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Next up, Russia has submitted a final roster for the upcoming World Junior Tournament in Edmonton later this month. As usual for Russia, the roster contains a number of prospect names familiar to NHL fans, but also has a few players who have made their name in their native country but have not been drafted into the NHL. Below is the 2020 Russian entry:

F Mikhail Abramov (TOR)
F Yegor Afanasyev (NSH)
F Rodion Amirov (TOR)
F Zakhar Bardakov (undrafted)
F Daniil Bashkirov (undrafted)
F Yegor Chinakhov (CLB)
F Vladislav Firstov (MIN)
F Arseniy Gritsyuk (NJD)
F Maxim Groshev (TBL)
F Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN)
F Vasili Podkolzin (VAN)
F Vasili Ponomaryov (CAR)
F Ilya Safonov (undrafted)
F Yegor Spirodonov (SJS)

D Roman Bychkov (BOS)
D Daniil Chayka (2021)
D Semyon Chistyakov (NSH)
D Kirill Kirsanov (2021)
D Artemi Knyazev (SJS)
D Yan Kuznetsov (CGY)
D Shakir Mukhamadullin (NJD)
D Yegor Shekhovstov (undrafted)

G Artur Akhtyamov (TOR)
G Yaroslav Askarov (NSH)
G Vsevolod Skotnikov (undrafted)

This is a deeper Russian roster compared to some more recent entries, especially on defense – often a weak area – where arguably every player will be an NHL draft pick by this time next year. The team contains 18 existing NHL selections from 11 different clubs. The Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way with three prospects apiece, including several of the team’s best players. The Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks each have two different members of the squad.

Unsurprisingly, all but four of Russia’s selections are currently playing in the country, participating at various levels including the KHL, VHL, and MHL. Abramov and Ponomaryov are currently playing in the QMJHL. Interestingly, the University of Connecticut notes that teammates Firstov and Kuznetsov are the first ever NCAA selections to Russia’s WJC roster.

Minor Transactions: 12/10/20

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The NHL offseason has come to a standstill, with no unrestricted free agents signed to one-way contracts in a month. Still, the ECHL and many European leagues continue to play or prepare, meaning hockey players signing deals all over the world. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.

  • Among the season-opening rosters that were announced by the ECHL today are a few interesting names, including 26-year-old Nikolai Skladnichenko listed as “immigration pending” for the Orlando Solar Bears. Skladnichenko once won a bronze medal as part of Russia’s World Junior squad in 2014 but hasn’t to this point tested his game in North America.
  • Jonathan Sigalet, who was a fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2005 and played one game in the NHL, was traded in the SHL back to Frolunda HC. Sigalet, now 34, played at Bowling Green State before spending several productive years in the AHL. He left for Europ in 2011 and hasn’t looked back, spending four seasons in the KHL and the last five in the SHL.
  • Colton Beck, who was actually under an NHL contract as recently as the 2019-20 season, has signed with EV Landshut in the German second league. The 30-year-old forward spent five seasons with the Iowa Wild of the AHL but scored just 11 points in 47 games last year.

Overseas Notes: Guskov, Kochetkov, Postma

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Minnesota Wild prospect Matvey Guskov has reversed course on his development plan, and in a big way. The 19-year-old Russian forward, a fifth-round pick in 2019, has spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the London Knights. Even after an off-season trade to the North Bay Battalion, there was no indication that Guskov planned to leave North America. Whether due to the delayed start to the OHL season or for some other reason, that has now changed. Guskov has signed with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow, the top team of the program that he grew up in. However, this is not just until the OHL season resumes or even just for the 2020-21 season. CSKA has announced a three-year contract with Guskov, keeping him in Russia – and away from Minnesota – until at least 2023. The Wild are no strangers to playing the waiting game with Russian prospects; the club was finally able to sign 2015 pick turned KHL superstar Kirill Kaprizov this year. CSKA is one of the KHL’s best clubs and Guskov could very well beneift from his time spent there. However, it has to be frustrating for Minnesota to have another talented player skip out of team control and into the Russian void, especially one that seemed committed to the North American development route.

  • Since he was selected in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, things have not gone according to plan for goaltender Petr Kotchetkov.  The Hurricanes were happy to take the overager early in the second round in 2019 after he dominated the Russian minor league VHL and looked strong in a pair of KHL starts. However, he failed to take a step forward last season; his VHL numbers improved, but he struggled in his KHL opportunities and was eventually traded away by powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. His play improved somewhat with Vityaz Podolsk, but he was still demoted to the junior-level MHL for some time as well, where he continued to struggle. So far this season, Kotchetkov had played exclusively on the KHL with Vityaz, however his play has again failed to live up to expectations. As a result, Kotchektov has been demoted to the VHL. He is headed back to HK Ryazan, the same team he made his name with in his draft year, showing full circle how the prospect has failed to improve since then. With a very weak pipeline in net and questions at the NHL level in the immediate future, the Hurricanes need to decide whether Kotchetkov, 21,  is still their potential goalie of the future and if so may need to bring him over to North America soon to try to get him back on track.
  • Defenseman Paul Postma has been unable to stay in one place for very long since leaving the NHL and is on the move again. The veteran over more than 200 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins, Postma left North America 2017-18 after he was used sparingly by the Bruins. He landed with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, where he was an All-Star and one of the best defensemen in the league in 2018-19. He jumped to Metallurg Magnitogosk last summer on a lucrative one-year deal, but ended up leaving the club early in the season. He eventually signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA where he was again a productive player on the blue line. Yet, Postma opted not to stay in Switzerland either. Possibly waiting for an NHL offer, Postma has remained a free agent well into the seasons of many European leagues. He has finally landed with Austrian club Klagenfurter AC, where he should again be a dominant presence on a one-year deal. What happens after this contract expires is anyone’s guess, but Postma should have his pick in Europe if the interest in North America continues to be underwhelming.

Minor Transactions: 12/08/20

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The NHL offseason has come to a standstill, with no unrestricted free agents signed to one-way contracts in a month. Still, the ECHL and many European leagues continue to play or prepare, meaning hockey players signing deals all over the world. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.

  • Former NHL forward Carter Ashton has signed with Leksands IF for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. The 29-year-old winger played in 54 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs over three seasons before jumping to the KHL in 2015. He spent the next five seasons there, suiting up for four different teams before now making change and joining the SHL. Ashton, a 6’4″ power forward, scored 15 goals and 25 points in 62 games last season for Dinamo Riga.
  • Ryan Culkin, who spent the last two seasons splitting time between the Laval Rocket and Maine Mariners, has agreed to join the Bratislava Capitals of the ICEHL. The 26-year-old defenseman was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fifth round but never made it to the NHL level. In 45 games with Maine last season he recorded 33 points.
  • Alex Lintuniemi, who was under an NHL contract as recently as November 2019, will join Barys Nur-Sultan for the rest of the KHL season. Originally selected 60th overall by the Los Angeles Kings, Lintuniemi never did play a game in the NHL. After signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2019, he played just four games with their AHL team before terminating his contract to return to Finland. The 25-year-old defenseman had four points in 11 games for JYP this season but will try his luck in the KHL instead.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned goaltender David Tendeck to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, the league’s transactions revealed. Tendeck, 21, is finally getting a chance to play in the pros after he was selected in the sixth round in 2018. Tendeck has been given a look in NHL training camp in each of the past two years, but was eventually returned to juniors. This past season, his fifth and final with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, Tendeck was stellar, posting a .920 save percentage and 2.29 GAA. Tendeck hopes to challenge Ivan Prosvetov for the ’Yotes’ AHL backup role at some point this season.
  • Fellow WHL product Bryce Kindopp will also begin his pro career in the ECHL. The Anaheim Ducks have assigned the skilled forward to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers, per the league’s transactions. An undrafted free agent, Kinopp was signed by the Ducks early this spring after finishing his second straight 70+ point season. As the captain of the Everett Silvertips this year, Kindopp showed a goal-scoring punch and clutch gene that should serve him well in the pros.

Chris Terry Signs In KHL

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Another minor league hockey player has decided to take his talents overseas, as Chris Terry has signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. Terry spent the last two seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, where he has been one of the league’s most consistent scoring threats for some time.

Now 31, Terry was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2007 draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and after some outstanding performances in the OHL, jumped into the professional ranks and never looked back. In his rookie season with the Albany River Rats in 2009-10, he scored 17 goals and 47 points, a sign of what was to come over the next decade. Since then, Terry has posted seasons of 64, 59, 60, 69, 68, 71, 61, and 51 points in the AHL, consistently appearing in the league’s All-Star Game and on the leaderboards. He has received somewhat sporadic opportunities in the NHL, suiting up for 152 games over the years and recording 38 points.

With his latest contract expiring and jobs being tough to come by in North America, Terry will continue his hockey journey in the KHL. It seems likely that the minor league weapon will find success overseas, using his excellent hockey sense and finishing ability to add some scoring to the Torpedo lineup.

Minor Transactions: 12/04/20

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The NHL offseason has come to a standstill, with no unrestricted free agents signed to one-way contracts in a month. Still, the ECHL and many European leagues continue to play or prepare, meaning hockey players signing deals all over the world. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.

  • The KHL was especially busy today, with several former NHL players on the move. Trevor Murphy, a 25-year-old defenseman who played eight games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2017-18 was sent from Kunlun Red Star to Ak Bars Kazan. Murphy was never drafted, but after dominating the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires ended up in the Nashville Predators system. The offensive-minded defenseman never stopped producing, scoring 131 points in 257 AHL games, but ended up overseas last year.
  • Zack Mitchell, who had been playing with Dinamo Riga in the KHL, will now suit up for Severstal Cherepovets. The 27-year-old is another undrafted player who once made it to the NHL, playing 34 games with the Minnesota Wild. Mitchell scored 31 points in 61 games for the Ontario Reign in 2018-19 before heading to the KHL.
  • It’s been years since he was in North America, but Sean Collins will continue his KHL career with Kunlun this season. The 31-year-old forward will be spending his fifth year in the foreign league after a successful AHL career ended in 2016. Collins played in 21 NHL games over the years, but never did score a single goal.
  • Another former NHLer who has been playing overseas for several years, Brandon DeFazio is making a mid-season move. The 32-year old, who has spent two of the past three years with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star with a stop with the Liiga’s Lukko in between, began this season with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga. However, Brno has announced today that DeFazio’s contract has been terminated via exit clause, as DeFazio has found a higher paying offer with an unnamed club in Germany’s DEL. This will be the fourth different country that DeFazio has played in since leaving North America in 2017.
  • Although the team never made a formal announcement, today’s ECHL transactions have indicated that the AHL’s Stockton Heat have signed (and reassigned) goaltender Andrew Shortridge. Shortridge, 25, is a former NCAA standout at Quinnipiac who signed a one-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks for last season. However, the Sharks declined to an extend him a qualifying offer in October, making him a UFA. Shortridge struggled in the AHL last season, admittedly in his first pro campaign, but played well in the ECHL and has the size and collegiate production that would imply that he has more to offer.

Snapshots: Liiga, Paajarvi, Bradley

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Just days after the QMJHL announced a month-long pause due to the heightened spread of the Coronavirus, another league is set to make a similar call, but this time it’s a pro league out of Europe. According to a number of sources including The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf, the Finnish Liiga is expected to halt all play through the month of December. This move is expected to carry over to Finland’s junior leagues as well. A number of NHL prospects will be impacted, as will NHL players currently on loan who will return to North America sooner than expected. It does seem as though the shut down will end in January, but the COVID numbers in Finland will ultimately determine when play resumes.

  • Veteran NHL forward Magnus Paajarvi opted to take his talents to Russia last summer, signing a two-year deal with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. His first season fell short of expectations, as Paajarvi played in only 39 games and recorded just 19 points. His second season has started off much better, as Paajarvi already has 11 ponts through 26 games and will far exceed last season if he stays healthy. Yaroslavl decided to take advantage of the success of the impending free agent, as they have traded Paajarvi to Dynamo Moscow in exchange for another name familiar to NHL fans, Teemu Pulkkinen. Given that Paajarvi was still a serviceable bottom-six forward when he left the NHL, is on pace for a superior season this year with his contract expiring, and has now abandoned any loyalty he might have felt to the KHL club he initially signed with, this could all be leading to an NHL comeback for the skilled power forward next year.
  • Detroit Red Wings prospect Chase Bradley has made his collegiate selection. The 2020 seventh-round pick out of the USHL has committed to the University of Connecticut, the program announced. The St. Louis native is a hard-working forward who is expecting to take a big step forward offensively in his final junior season before moving to the NCAA. Bradley becomes the second NHL prospect commitment for the Huskies this month, as fellow 2020 seventh-rounder Ryan Tverberg (TOR) will also join UConn next season.

Snapshots: CBA Talks, COVID Restrictions, KHL

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There have been no serious negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA for more than a week, according to Kevin McGran. The two sides have been near-silent, a tactic that reminds McGran of the previous lockouts, including one in 2012 that he details in today’s piece for the Toronto Star. Other reporters and insiders have expressed the same thing over the past few days, but McGran’s piece includes one potentially jaw-dropping nugget—some league governors may have agreed to the memorandum of understanding on Gary Bettman’s recommendation, which guaranteed player salaries for the upcoming season, without actually reading it first.

It’s not clear at all when the two sides will finally agree on something, but McGran predicts an early-January deal that would have the season starting in February. That would potentially line up with the suggestion that Darren Dreger of TSN made on Twitter this morning, noting that even if a deal is reached soon, postponing training camps until after the holidays “has to be considered.”

  • Part of that consideration will be the varied county, state, provincial, and federal health guidelines. In Santa Clara County, where the San Jose Sharks reside, new restrictions have limited the preparation even further. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relates a statement from the Sharks, which explains that the team is reviewing local options for rehab and training while revising their current voluntary programs. The San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, who are also based in Santa Clara, will hold their “home” games the next two weeks in Arizona. Remember, the Sharks are one of seven teams expected to receive an extra week of training camp before the season begins, after failing to qualify for the bubble postseason this summer.
  • While the NHL tries to get a season underway, the KHL continues to play as if little has changed. Today saw quite the transaction, with Magnus Paajarvi and Teemu Pulkkinen swapping teams. Paajarvi, 29, played nearly 500 games in the NHL before heading to the KHL in 2019 and will be going from Yaroslavl Lokomotiv to Dynamo Moscow. Pulkkinen, 28, has played the last three seasons in the KHL after a short NHL career and had 14 points for Moscow this season.

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