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Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Mikko Lehtonen

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Among the most coveted KHL free agents this season was Mikko Lehtonen, who dominated the league in his first season with Jokerit to the tune of 49 points in 60 games. Lehtonen has made a decision on where his career will continue, signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 26-year old defenseman has been widely seen as a potential NHL option for the last few years, especially following his outstanding performance at the 2019 World Championship where he helped Finland take home the gold medal. His single season in the KHL cemented him as one of the best defensemen playing outside the NHL, though he’ll still have to prove it on North American ice.

For the Maple Leafs, going after a player like Lehtonen was a no-brainer given their situation on defense going into next season. Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie are both unrestricted free agents, while a stagnant salary cap will not leave them with much room to add any high-priced talent.

Obviously though, adding another left-handed defenseman isn’t an ideal situation for the Maple Leafs, who have a lopsided depth chart on the back end. If Barrie and Ceci both depart, it would leave Justin Holl as the only established right-handed option on the team. Young prospect Timothy Liljegren is expected to compete for a full-time role, but there will have to be players spending time on their off-side next season.

Bob McKenzie of TSN notes that Lehtonen does have some experience playing on the right, though suggests Travis Dermott would be the most likely candidate to move over.

Mikko Lehtonen Terminates KHL Deal, Expected To Play In The NHL Next Season

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Finnish defenseman Mikko Lehtonen had quite the first season in the KHL where he led all blueliners in scoring.  That was enough to generate some NHL interest as his club team in Jokerit announced that they and Lehtonen have mutually agreed to terminate his contract to allow him to sign in the NHL for next season.

Wherever he signs, Lehtonen will be continuing his recent nomadic journey.  In 2016-17, he spent most of the year in the Finnish SM-liiga before getting released to play in the SHL.  The following year, he went back to Finland before returning to the SHL in 2018-19.  Of course, he went back to Finland for this season but played in a different league.

The 26-year-old (not to be confused with the former Boston prospect who shares the same name) had never really been a prolific offensive player before this season; his career high in points heading into the year was 29 set two years ago in the SM-liiga.  However, he picked up 17 goals and 32 assists in 60 regular season games while adding four points in six playoff contests to set new bests across the board and really get him on the NHL radar.

Given the year he just had, he may very well be able to land some achievable incentives as there should be a fair amount of interest in his services.  Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reports that the Canadiens, Devils, and Kings are among the teams that will be going after him.

Lehtonen will be restricted to signing a one-year, entry-level contract; while North American plays are exempt from the entry-level system at 25, Europeans must be 28 before being exempted from there.  That means his maximum salary (including signing bonus) will be capped at $925K although he will be eligible for performance bonuses in his deal.

Nikolay Kulemin, Corban Knight Re-Sign In KHL

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If you were wondering if former Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders forward Nikolay Kulemin would ever entertain a return to the NHL, you may have received your answer today. Kulemin signed a new two-year contract with Magnitogorsk, which will take him through his age-35 season.

Last playing in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, Kulemin’s career in North America included a 30-goal season as a member of the Maple Leafs. The two-way forward was never a star but did pile up 274 points in 669 NHL games.

Back in Russia playing for his hometown team, Kulemin has rediscovered his goal-scoring touch, tallying 28 over the last two seasons.

He was one of many players who signed new contracts in the KHL today, in their first day of free agency. Another name that will be familiar to NHL fans is Corban Knight, who signed a two-year deal with Avangard. Knight scored 40 points in his first season in the KHL after bouncing between the AHL and NHL for years. The 29-year old played 23 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19, but took his talents overseas where he has already found more success.

Arsen Khisamutdinov Agrees To Terms With Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have convinced one of their draft picks to join the organization, agreeing to terms with Arsen Khisamutdinov on a two-year entry-level contract. Khisamutdinov had been playing in Russia, splitting the 2019-20 season between the KHL and VHL.

Despite being selected in 2019, Khisamutdinov is already 22 years old and was only eligible for a two-year contract. The 6’3″ forward had just three points in his 31 KHL contests after being selected in the sixth round last year.

There’s still a long way to go for the 22-year old Russian, who is still more of a lottery ticket or “project” for the Canadiens development system. While he was a dominant offensive player in junior, it’s difficult to know if that skill will translate to the professional ranks. Montreal obviously believes they can work with him and make him into an asset for the organization, but it may be some time before you hear Khisamutdinov in the NHL lineup.

Snapshots: Phase 2, Melnichuk, Franco

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Yesterday, the NHL and NHLPA released a joint statement on the status of the regular season and the encouraging signs that have started to make engaging “Phase 2” look like a realistic possibility. That would mean a return to their team cities for players spread out around the globe and the resuming of team workouts. On the latest Insider Trading for TSN however, Darren Dreger explains that it won’t be mandatory:

The goal is to initiate Phase 2 at some point around the middle of May, perhaps the third week of May. But it is a recommendation, it’s not mandatory. What is mandatory, assuming there is a go-ahead, is that NHL players report to their NHL cities for the start of training camp—potentially that could be around June 1.

But there are others who say that Phase 2 may not be initiated, there is certainly no guarantee of that and that’s all health-related. Important to note though, there will be no agreement on an NHL resumption unless players have an allowance to visit with their families.

The topic of family access has been brought up by several players in recent days, including Phillip Danault of the Montreal Canadiens and John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even with the hopeful nature of some of the recent reports, there is still plenty of work to do in order to make anything possible this summer.

  • The San Jose Sharks may be landing a KHL free agent, as a report out of Russia has Alexei Melnichuk set to sign with the team. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, however, hears that though the Sharks are a finalist for Melnichuk’s services, there is another team “in the mix” and that nothing is final just yet. Melnichuk, 21, is an up-and-coming goaltender in the KHL who posted a .930 save percentage in 16 games this season.
  • The Rochester Americans have signed Dominic Franco to an AHL contract, following his senior season at West Point. The 24-year old winger scored 23 points in 33 games while serving as an alternate captain, leading the team in scoring for the third season.

Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Stamkos, Romanov

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With plenty of cap room and a major need in the net, many feel that the Detroit Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman might make a splash into the free-agent market this offseason. Longtime goaltender Jimmy Howard is 36 years old, coming off his worst season and is an unrestricted free agent, meaning that a return is extremely unlikely. Throw in the fact that there are several big names that could become available at the time, including Braden Holtby and Robin Lehner, and it’s very likely the Red Wings will be exploring that market.

However, the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes neither Holtby or Lehner are likely candidates to come to Detroit next season. Holtby might not be too interested in joining a rebuilding team and the scribe believes that both players’ price tags are likely to be too rich for what the Red Wings are going to be interested to pay. Holtby is currently making $6.1MM per season, while Lehner is currently on a one-year deal at $5MM. Neither is likely to be willing to take much of a pay cut.

James suggests the team is likely going to look for a player to join Jonathan Bernier in more of a tandem role on a short-term deal, including players like Cam Talbot, Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav Halak.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a major loss back in early March when it was announced that captain Steven Stamkos would miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The recovery time would likely have forced him to miss at least the first-round of the playoffs. However, the suspension of play due to COVID-19 has allowed Stamkos the time he needed to get healthy and recently told Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required), that he’ll be ready to go when play resumes. “With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning because I thought I would possibly be missing some playoff games,” Stamkos said. “And the stoppage happened, and we didn’t know how long it was gonna be. So the silver lining in that was I’ll be ready when we resume. So I’ve been able to still use this time to rehab. I’ve been going to the rink … about three times a week to skate and just start feeling normal again.”
  • Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that while Montreal Canadiens fans are waiting for top prospect Alex Romanov to sign on the dotted line in the next few days, that might have to wait. Despite that fact that his KHL contract will expire on April 30, Romanov doesn’t intend to sign a contract until he knows what is happening in regards to the NHL’s 2019-20 season. He does intend to sign once play is expected to resume, but the 20-year-old wants to make sure he doesn’t sit for a lengthy amount of time. The defenseman has already played two full seasons in the KHL and many hope that Romanov is ready to step into Montreal’s lineup as soon as next season.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Vasili Demchenko

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The Montreal Canadiens have added some more goaltending depth to the organization, agreeing to terms with KHL netminder Vasili Demchenko on a one-year entry-level contract. The deal is for 2020-21. Demchenko recently finished his sixth season in the KHL.

The 26-year old goaltender has a .925 career save percentage through 212 regular season KHL contests, but posted his worst number at .907 in this most recent campaign.

Eric Engels of Sportsnet believes that the team is bringing in Demchenko to give top prospect Cayden Primeau some more time at the AHL level, and expects the team to bring in another NHL veteran as well to compete for time behind Carey Price. Currently, the team is looking at a Price-Charlie Lindgren tandem for next season, but given that Keith Kinkaid will be an unrestricted free agent there wouldn’t be much NHL experience in the system.

Demchenko is certainly experienced, even if it isn’t at the NHL level, but it is also unclear how much real upside he possesses at this point. The 6’1″ goaltender has never really been the best in the KHL and saw all of his numbers really take a hit this season. Perhaps he can take another step in the Canadiens’ system, but given that he does not have a European Assignment Clause in his contract it seems likely he’ll end up filling out the depth chart in the minor leagues.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Mikhail Grigorenko

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UPDATE 11:00pm: The NHL has rejected the Grigorenko contract because the filing window for deals starting next season has not opened yet. Though teams are allowed to sign previously drafted prospects or undrafted players that have never played in the NHL, they are not allowed to sign a player like Grigorenko until the normal free agent period opens.

The Blue Jackets have issued a statement:

Earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced the signing of forward Mikhail Grigorenko to a one-year contract for the 2020-21 National Hockey League season. The contract subsequently has been rejected by the NHL Central Registry due to a misunderstanding with regards to the filing window. We have been in contact with the league and Dan Milstein, Grigorenko’s agent, and the contract will be filed on July 1.

9:54am: The NHL is nothing if not a second-chance league. Mikhail Grigorenko will get another opportunity to show what he can do in North America after signing a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2020-21 season. Grigorenko has played the last three seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moscow. The contract carries a salary of $1.2MM according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who also reports that the young forward was offered twice as much to remain in Russia but turned it down.

Grigorenko, 25, last played in the NHL during the 2016-17 season with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring 10 goals and 23 points. Though that double-digit goal total was the best output of his career, it still wasn’t anywhere near what was expected of him when he was selected 12th overall in 2012. That pick was made by the Buffalo Sabres, who had seen a dominant forward put up 40 goals and 85 points as a rookie for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL. Though his first crack at the NHL didn’t go according to plan, Grigorenko has developed even further in Russia and has been one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players in the last two seasons. He also represented Russia and won a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics and took home a Gagarin Cup in 2019 while leading all players in KHL playoff scoring.

It’s all of those exceptional performances that have earned him another chance in the NHL, and he’ll head to a Blue Jackets team that will likely look different again next season. Columbus already traded away Sonny Milano at the deadline, and now has a tough decision to make on Josh Anderson in the offseason. Grigorenko gives them a cheap option that can potentially play in the top-six, though he’ll have to prove his production will carry across the ocean.

Even though he is only currently 25, Grigorenko will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.

Florida Panthers Expected To Sign KHL’s Artyom Sergeyev

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The Florida Panthers might get a chance to boost their play on the blueline as Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that KHL defenseman Artyom Sergeyev has informed his team, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, that he intends to sign with the Panthers when his KHL contract expires on May 1.

The 27-year-old defensive defenseman has played in the KHL for the past five years. He has played the last two years for Salaat Yulaev Ufa, where he has scored eight goals and 21 points in 110 games. He’s also no stranger to North America as he played three years in the QMJHL with the Val-d’Or Foreurs and then played two seasons with the Syracuse Crunch in the Tampa Bay Lightning system from 2013-15. Unfortunately, Sergeyev never got a chance at the NHL while there and was even sent to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL at one point in 2015, before opting to return to Russia.

The Panthers struggled defensively last season as they were tied for third in the league with the most goals allowed per game, 3.25, while allowing the 10th most shots in the league at 32.3. That didn’t help newly signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who struggled in his first season after signing a seven-year, $70MM contract. He finished the season with a career worst 3.23 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The hope is that Sergeyev can take some of the pressure off Bobrovsky.

Andrei Markov Announces Retirement

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Andrei Markov never will get the chance to reach 1,000 games played in the NHL. The 41-year old defenseman has announced his retirement today, his agent reaching out to various reporters including Richard Labbe of La Presse. Markov hasn’t played in the NHL since 2017 when he left for the KHL, but had been reportedly interested in a return to North America and the Montreal Canadiens as recently as last summer.

It’s hard to climb up the mountain of elite NHL players that have come through Montreal in the history of the Canadiens, but Markov certainly tried. The sixth-round pick from 1998 played his entire career with the organization, racking up 990 games played–second to only Larry Robinson among Montreal defensemen. His 572 career points for Montreal ties him with Guy Lapointe for second (also behind Robinson) and his 119 goals come in third.

Sure, Markov didn’t have anywhere near the postseason success of those two—Lapointe and Robinson each raised the Stanley Cup six times as Canadiens—but he’ll still be remembered as one of the most impactful blueliners the franchise has ever had.

His exploits extended further than the NHL however. Markov suited up at three different Olympics, five World Championships and two World Cups for Russia over his long career. He also won the Russian league title three times, including the KHL’s Gagarin Cup in 2018, the first year back following his return from the NHL.

A savvy, cerebral player that could set up a teammate in the blink of an eye, he received Norris Trophy votes on six different occasions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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