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Minor Transactions: 07/21/20

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As the NHL gets ready for their upcoming postseason, minor league clubs are preparing for next season. As some minor signings come in we’ll keep track of them right here.

  • The Manitoba Moose have signed Trent Bourque to an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season. Bourque, 22, spent the vast majority of last season in the ECHL with the Brampton Beast after finishing his OHL career, recording 20 points in 42 games with the minor league club. A sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2017, he became an unrestricted free agent in 2019 when the team decided not to sign him to an entry-level contract.
  • Ryan Strome’s name came across the KHL newswire today, but that doesn’t mean the New York Rangers forward is heading to Russia. His KHL rights were dealt in a trade involving Alexander Polunin, a two-time World Junior medalist who spent last season with Yaroslavl. Should Strome ever decide to head overseas to the KHL, that’s who would have exclusive rights to sign him.
  • After three years with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL, Bryce Reddick is coming back stateside. He has signed with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL along with Cody Sylvester, who has been playing in Germany for the last several seasons. Sylvester, 28, was actually a star for the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL before performing quite well at the ECHL level in 2014.

Morning Notes: Hall, KHL, Romanov

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The Arizona Coyotes and Taylor Hall have re-engaged in contract talks, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic, but with an interesting twist. Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez is “running point” on the talks instead of GM John Chayka, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Chayka was not even present at a recent dinner meeting between the team and their star forward.

Hall’s agent Darren Ferris told Friedman that the plan is still to wait until the end of the season to begin any negotiations. The 28-year old former Hart Trophy winner had 52 points in 65 games when the season was ended early and will be one of the biggest names in free agency should he reach it in October.

  • Avangard Omsk has withdrawn from a KHL preseason tournament after 20 positive COVID-19 tests from players and staff. According to an Associated Press report, GM Alexei Volkov explained that most are not experiencing “obvious symptoms.” Omsk is coached by former NHL bench boss Bob Hartley and has several former NHL names on the roster including Reid Boucher, Corban Knight, Jiri Sekac, and Alexei Emelin. The identity of the players who have tested positive was not revealed.
  • Alexander Romanov, who will burn the first season of his entry-level contract without playing for the Montreal Canadiens, will also not be getting a chance to take part in the Phase 3 training camp. The Russian defenseman will report directly to Toronto and serve his quarantine there before joining the team. The Canadiens hope to get Romanov acclimated to teammates and the organization this summer before he competes for a roster spot next season.

Florida Panthers To Loan Vladislav Kolyachonok To KHL

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Florida Panthers defensive prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok is headed home to Belarus, at least for the time being. Dinamo Minsk of the KHL has announced that they have come to terms on a contract with Kolyachonok for the the 2020-21 season. This would indicate that the Panthers have agreed to loan the young defenseman overseas, as Kolyachonok signed his entry-level contract with the club earlier this season.

Kolyachonok, 19, is the best prospect out of Belarus in some time. A second-round pick of the Panthers in 2019, Kolyachonok was the highest-selected Belarussian since 2003 and the first player from his country to be selected earlier than the fourth round in that time as well. An aggressive two-way defenseman who is known for his fast tempo and intensity, Kolyachonok made great strides in his game this season, both improving his offensive ability and solidifying his defensive game while starring for the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. While the teen blue liner could return to the junior ranks this season, it could be that Florida saw so much growth this season that they think continuing to challenge Kolyachonok by letting him face pro competition could be the better route.

Having played in the developmental ranks for Dinamo before jumping to North America, Kolachonok’s return to Minsk is a homecoming in more than one way. The team is desperately in need of a boost as well after finishing dead last in the KHL this season with just 14 wins in 62 games and a -97 goal differential. Kolyachonok will have his work cut out for him on a roster largely devoid of top talent and that has also lost three of their top four scorers in Ryan Spooner, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Teemu Pulkkinen, as well as leading defensive scorer Marc-Andre Gragnani. Fortunately, Kolyachonok won’t be alone; fellow NHL prospects Maxim Sushko of the Philadelphia Flyers and Yegor Sharangovich of the New Jersey Devils have also been loaned to Minsk for the 2020-21 season.
Should Kolyachonok continue in his upward developmental trend through his first pro season, one would think that he would have a strong case to follow it up with an NHL roster spot in 2021-22. Defensive depth and talent are not strong suits of the Panthers, in the NHL or in the pipeline, and they are in need of an upgrade. Kolyachonok is their top prospect defender and if he can prove himself in the KHL, considered by many to be the best league outside of the NHL, and especially on a poor roster, Florida would have little reason not to test him out at the highest level and hope that they have found a new, young cornerstone for their defense.

Morning Notes: Kovalev, Penguins, Roman

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Kunlun Red Star of the KHL has a new head coach for the 2020-21 season, and it is someone NHL fans will recognize immediately. Alexei Kovalev, a veteran of more than 1,300 NHL games, will take over behind the bench in his third year with the organization.

The enigmatic Kovalev was both loved and hated during his time in the NHL depending on which fan base you were a part of, but there was no one who ever doubted his skill. With more than 400 goals and 1,000 points along with a Stanley Cup in 1994, Kovalev was one of the most dominant offensive players of his era. He also famously clashed with coaching staffs, including an incident with Mike Keenan that resulted in Kovalev staying on the ice for more than five straight minutes (before scoring).

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that the nine players held out to start training camp have been cleared and will re-join the team. The group missed a full week of Phase 3 and will need to work even harder to get ready for the start of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team did not have Sidney Crosby at practice again today when they held a full team scrimmage.
  • Calgary Flames draft pick Milos Roman will be spending 2020-21 playing in the Czech Republic according to a Facebook post from the team. Roman was selected 122nd overall in 2018 and has yet to sign with the Flames. He spent the last three seasons playing with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, but will return to the Czech league where he actually debuted as a teenager back in 2017.

Nikolai Prokhorkin Returns To KHL

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After just one season in the NHL, Nikolai Prokhorkin is going home. The Los Angeles Kings forward’s entry-level contract is set to expire, but he won’t be re-signing with the team. Instead, he has inked a two-year deal in the KHL with Magnitogorsk.

The 26-year old forward has had quite an interesting relationship with the Kings over the years, dating back to their selection of him in 2012. Prokhorkin quickly signed with the organization a few months after being drafted and actually came over to play eight games with the Manchester Monarchs at the start of the 2012-13 season. Unfortunately, his contract was then ruled invalid, sending him back to the KHL and starting a long breakup between the two sides.

Prokhorkin would spend the next seven years in the KHL, playing for three different organizations before coming back to the NHL this past season. He signed his new entry-level contract in May of last year and ended up playing 43 games for the Kings. With four goals and 14 points, he at least will get to say that he held his own at the highest level in North America. Whether he ever comes back is a different story.

Normally with restricted free agents that leave for other leagues, the NHL team is able to retain their rights with a qualifying offer and try to sign them again down the road. Unfortunately in this case given his age, those rights will expire before the Kings have a chance to re-sign Prokhorkin, meaning this is ultimately going to leave him an unrestricted free agent in 2022 able to sign with any NHL organization.

Devils UFA Julian Melchiori Signs In The KHL

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After spending the last three seasons exclusively in the minors, Devils defenseman Julian Melchiori has decided not to wait for another crack at the NHL free agent market.  Instead, he has decided to head overseas as Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they have signed Melchiori to a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old spent most of this season on a minor league deal with New Jersey but did well enough that the Devils converted Melchiori to an NHL contract just before the trade deadline to give them the option to recall him down the stretch.  However, the pandemic put an end to those plans.  Overall, he played in 61 games with Binghamton this season, picking up a career-best 17 points (6-11-17).

Melchiori has played in parts of three NHL seasons over his career with Winnipeg, the franchise that drafted him back in the third round (87th overall) back when they were in Atlanta.  But with just 30 games with the Jets being all of his experience over eight professional seasons, his decision to take a guaranteed deal overseas seems like a sound one over testing the NHL market a few months from now.

Markus Granlund Officially Signs In KHL

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When the Edmonton Oilers announced their Phase 3 training camp roster last week, there were several veteran names left off. Mike Green was among them after opting out of the return to play format, while Markus Granlund was another.

It was easy to see why the latter wasn’t included. Granlund had been sent to the minors in March before the season was suspended and didn’t look like he had much of a future with the organization. That idea was furthered when reports surfaced at the end of May that Granlund would be signing in the KHL after his contract with the Oilers expired, but at that time it appeared as though he would still be available for the club should the 2019-20 season resume.

Now that he has been left off of the roster, Granlund has indeed signed a contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL. The deal is for two seasons and may effectively mark the end of the 27-year old’s NHL career.

Granlund at one point actually looked like quite an impressive prospect. A second-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2011, he put up huge numbers playing in Finland before eventually making the jump to North America. In the minor leagues, Granlund quickly became a star, tallying 25 goals and 46 points in 52 games as a rookie for the Abbotsford Heat. The NHL wasn’t quite as kind however and that promising young prospect was shipped to Vancouver in 2016 for Hunter Shinkaruk.

While he did have a 19-goal campaign for the Canucks, Granlund never has really fulfilled his potential on a consistent basis. In 2019-20 he split the year between the NHL and AHL, recording only four points in his 34 games for the Oilers.

He will be an unrestricted free agent again after this two-year pact expires, but it is hard to believe Granlund will ever be an impact player in the NHL again.

Philadelphia Flyers Loan Maksim Sushko To KHL

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Like the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers before them, the Philadelphia Flyers have decided to send one of their prospects over to the KHL. Maksim Sushko has been loaned to Dynamo Minsk, giving him the chance to play right away instead of waiting for the eventual 2020-21 season here in North America.

Sushko, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017 and spent the 2019-20 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Belarussian winger recorded 11 goals an 21 points in those 53 AHL contests and will now continue his development overseas.

This option, of sending a player to the KHL to get him into game action, will likely be taken by several teams around the league as they try to figure out how to best serve their prospects. Sushko will still be under contract with the Flyers through the end of the 2021-22 season and can be recalled if the AHL season does get underway. In fact, this may actually give him a leg up on the rest of the AHL competition whenever that training camp does get underway.

Maxim Shalunov Re-Signs In KHL

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If you’re a Chicago Blackhawks fan waiting to hear that Max Shalunov has finally decided to come to North America, you’re going to have to wait a while longer. The Russian forward has re-signed with CSKA Moscow for another season.

Shalunov, 27, was originally drafted by the Blackhawks back in 2011 but has never signed an NHL contract. He did play one season in the minor leagues, mostly with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, but has been back in Russia ever since. The Blackhawks own his exclusive NHL rights indefinitely, which could mean that he never ends up seeing a North American rink.

In a bizarre story from Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required), Shalunov’s agent Shumi Babaev explains that he hasn’t heard back from Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman since the end of the KHL season. He put into words what so many of us are feeling these days, telling Powers “everything is so strange right now.” If Shalunov did sign, he’d have to wait until the 2020-21 season to begin, something that his agent doesn’t recommend.

The fourth-round pick has had plenty of success in the KHL, scoring at least 25 points in each of the last five seasons. But the Blackhawks obviously don’t seem to be in any rush to sign him, instead bringing over other European players like Dominik Kubalik. For the moment, Shalunov remains a Blackhawks draft pick. Whether we’ll ever get to see him play for the team is another story.

Devils Loan Yegor Sharangovich To The KHL

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With the pandemic delaying the start of the 2020-21 season, some teams are trying to make arrangements for their prospects to play elsewhere.  The Devils are one of those as Dinamo Minsk of the KHL announced that they have reached an agreement with New Jersey that allows prospect Yegor Sharangovich to start next season with them.

The winger is no stranger to the Belarusian program as it is his hometown team and he spent a season with them in 2017-18.  He did well enough with them to convince New Jersey to use a fifth-round pick on him (141st overall) to secure his NHL rights in the 2018 draft.

The 22-year-old has spent the last two seasons with their AHL affiliate in Binghamton where his offensive progression has been limited.  Sharangovich managed 10 goals and 15 assists in 57 games this season which represented an improvement on his 17 points (9-8-17) in 68 contests in his rookie year.  However, he’ll need to take a big step forward on the final year of his entry-level deal to get an NHL opportunity.

Going this route certainly won’t hurt his chances.  Sharangovich will get the opportunity to get into playing shape during the KHL season which should give him the chance to hit the ground running when AHL training camp eventually opens as Minsk has already committed to allowing him to return to North America.  If the AHL season winds up starting around the same time the NHL is projected to start, he’ll have more than two months worth of games under his belt by then.

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