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Blue Jackets Winger Jakob Lilja Signs In KHL

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Blue Jackets winger Jakob Lilja’s stay in North America was a short one.  After one season in their system, he is heading back overseas as Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year contract.

The 26-year-old signed with Columbus last June after a strong season with Djurgarden of the SHL.  He actually made the NHL roster out of training camp and while he spent some time in the minors in November and December, he was basically up with the big club the rest of the way after they were hit with a rash of injuries.

Lilja wound up playing in 37 games with the Blue Jackets, picking up two goals and three assists while averaging 9:54 per night in ice time.  He was much more productive with AHL Cleveland, however, notching five goals and eight helpers in 22 games.

While he is eligible to be part of their extended roster for their upcoming play-in series against Toronto, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Lilja will not be on it.  Instead, he noted that the team gave him permission to seek a new deal overseas which suggests that it’s unlikely that he’ll be tendered a qualifying offer this offseason since he is only a year away from UFA eligibility anyway.

Snapshots: Training Camp, Kravtsov, KHL, AHL Signings

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The return of hockey will soon seem like much more of a reality. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that NHL playoff teams can anticipate having their full rosters in town possibly by the end of the week. Russo writes that the European players for the Minnesota Wild are all expected to be back by Friday in order to meet the league’s mandated two-week quarantine period before Phase 3 training camps open on July 10. He adds that most European players are expected to do the same. While commercial flights from some European countries continue to be a struggle, players are also going the group charter route in order to get back to North America.

Among those making the trek from Europe is New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov, the team announced. The 20-year-old Kravtsov, a first-round pick in 2018, made the jump to North America for the first time to begin this season but was limited to the AHL and eventually returned to the KHL mid-season. In the team’s release, President John Davidson discusses Kravtsov’s early struggles and disappointment with not being used by the Rangers at the top level, but also raves about his ability and notes that the team could use talented depth for an uphill playoff run. The big, skilled Kravtsov will be given a chance to crack the postseason roster in training camp and just maybe will get the chance to play in the NHL that he had been seeking earlier this year.

  • Over in the KHL, COVID-19 continues to complicate plans for 2020-21. League president Alexei Morozov announced that Admiral Vladivostok will not compete next season due to budget restraints and the possibility of limited income due to restricted attendance. Admiral struggled through a grim 2019-20 campaign that ended when they missed the playoffs for the third straight year. They may find it even harder to put together a winning team if and when they return to action after all of their players depart this off-season. Meanwhile, the other 23 teams have submitted their financial records to the league for approval and plan to play next season. However, Kunlun Red Star, the KHL’s lone Chinese team, may need to look elsewhere to open up the season. The Beijing-based club faces strict travel and public event restrictions as of right now that would prove problematic if still in place when the season begins this fall. One of the proposed locations for the team to host home games early on? None other than Vladivostok.
  • There was some rare transaction movement in the AHL today, as the Manitoba Moose extended a pair of players. The Winnipeg Jets’ affiliate has re-signed forwards Brent Pederson and Cole Maier to one-year contracts for next season. Maier recorded 15 points in 59 games with the Moose, while Pederson – a former Carolina Hurricanes prospect – recorded nine points in 36 AHL games and spent some time in the ECHL as well. The San Jose Barracuda also made a move, as Steenn Pasichnuk follows his brother from Arizona State to the organization. The Sharks signed standout defenseman and Sun Devils captain Brinson Pasichnuk earlier this spring and have sweetened the pot by bringing his older brother along, a checking forward who will fight for bottom-six minutes with the Barracuda.

Canucks RFA Reid Boucher Signs In The KHL

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June 23: Boucher has officially signed with Avangard Omsk, the KHL team announced.  Dhaliwal reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $719K which is a little higher than the $700K minimum salary in the NHL if he was to stay in North America on a one-way contract.  The deal also contains $143K in bonuses if he finishes in the top three in league scoring.

June 18: Canucks winger Reid Boucher has been a prominent scorer in the AHL over the past few years but it hasn’t materialized into much time with Vancouver.  As a result, it appears he will be trying something different for next season as Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Boucher is nearing a one-year deal with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.

This season, the 26-year-old was second in the AHL in goals (33) and points (67) in just 53 games; his 1.26 points per game average was tops among qualified players.  Despite that, he didn’t get a sniff of NHL action for the first time in his seven-year professional career so Boucher looking for a change of scenery is understandable.

GM Jim Benning confirmed to Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma (Twitter link) that Vancouver is willing to let Boucher out of his deal now.  That’s particularly notable as it suggests that it’s unlikely that he will be available to the Canucks for their play-in series against Minnesota and any potential postseason action after that.  The KHL is hoping to open up in September and if Boucher was to stay with Vancouver for the playoffs, he could potentially be arriving late.

Vancouver can tender Boucher a qualifying offer this offseason to retain his rights but considering he’s only a year away from being eligible for NHL unrestricted free agency anyway, they could simply opt to non-tender him instead.  With 133 NHL games and 323 AHL contests under his belt, it’s possible that Boucher could make a run at trying to catch on with another NHL team in the 2021 offseason as a free agent.

International Notes: Erat, KHL Rights Swap, Berglund, DEL

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Veteran winger Martin Erat has spent the past five seasons playing overseas after a 13-year NHL stint but he told Zdenek Janda of iSport that he has decided to call it a career.  Injuries limited the 38-year-old to just 16 games with HC Kometa Brno this season but he had been close to a point per game player in the previous three years in the Czech Extraliga.

Erat’s NHL time ended on a relatively quiet note (aside from being part of a trade that Washington would like to forget) but in his prime, he was a reliable and consistent top-six winger, collecting at least 49 points in a stretch of eight consecutive seasons, all with Nashville.  Overall, his career winds up with a total of 163 goals and 318 assists in 723 games between the Predators, Capitals, and Coyotes.

Elsewhere around the international hockey world:

  • A pair of NHL prospect goaltenders have seen their rights traded in the KHL. HK Sochi announced that they’ve acquired the rights to Jets youngster Mikhail Berdin from CSKA Moscow in exchange for Coyotes prospect Ivan Prosvetov.  Both netminders are already under contract to their respective NHL teams for next season but with the start of the 2020-21 AHL campaign certainly in question as long as there are restrictions in terms of allowable attendance, it’s a real possibility that players that are a little lower down the depth chart (Berdin and Prosetov played exclusively in the minors this year) are loaned to the KHL to ensure a full season of development.
  • Although he signed his entry-level contract back on Monday, don’t expect Bruins prospect Victor Berglund to play in North America next season. Reporter Mark Divver notes (Twitter link) that Berglund is expected to fulfill his previous commitment to play in Lulea of the SHL for the 2020-21 campaign and then come to North America after.  It will be his first taste of action at the top level in Sweden after previously playing in their second-tier Allsvenskan.
  • Earlier this week, Germany extended its ban on public events through the end of October due to the ongoing pandemic. Accordingly, as Szymon Szemberg of the Alliance of European Hockey Clubs notes (Twitter link), that places the start of the DEL in jeopardy and will also have an impact on other international events such as the Champions Hockey League which is set to begin its 2020-21 schedule in early October.  A handful of NHL free agents (often those who have been in the minors for most of the year) sign in the DEL each year but that now may be one opportunity that they opt not to pursue this offseason.

Panthers Prospect Emil Djuse Signs In The KHL

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After a good showing in the SHL the previous two seasons, Emil Djuse decided to try his hand at playing in North America this season and signed with Dallas back in April of 2019.  However, after failing to reach the NHL with them or Florida (who acquired him in February), he has opted to head back overseas as Spartak Moscow of the KHL announced that they’ve signed the pending restricted free agent to a one-year contract.

The 26-year old spent the majority of the season with AHL Texas where he collected a respectable 29 points (4-25-29) in 48 games, more points than he had amassed in a single year over his seven professional seasons in Sweden between the SHL and Allsvenskan levels.  That was enough for the Panthers to move a sixth-round pick (Buffalo’s 2020 selection) at the trade deadline to bring Djuse in for extra depth.  He got into five games with their minor league affiliate in Springfield where he had a goal and two assists before the COVID-19 pandemic shelved the rest of the AHL season.

At 26, Djuse is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason but is only a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent so a qualifying offer wouldn’t do much from Florida’s perspective.  Meanwhile, with this deal, Djuse gives himself a guaranteed place to play next season with the fate of the AHL schedule in question and a good showing there could get him back on the North American radar in 2021.

Hurricanes Prospect Oliwer Kaski Signs In The KHL

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Last offseason, defenseman Oliwer Kaski was one of the more sought after players in international free agency.  He was coming off of a stellar performance with Pelicans of the SM-liiga that helped him earn a spot on Finland’s entry into the World Championships which helped lead him to a contract with Detroit, a team that had some vacancies on their back end to fill.

However, things didn’t go quite as planned.  He was sent to the AHL during training camp and never made it up, even after a midseason trade to Carolina.  As a result, Kaski has decided to head back overseas as Avangard Omsk of the KHL announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a one-year contract.

The 24-year-old played in 19 games with Detroit’s AHL affiliate, collecting just five points before being dealt to the Hurricanes for minor league rearguard Kyle Wood.  The swap seemed to get Kaski going offensively as in 35 games with the Checkers, he had 11 goals and nine assists.  Having said that, Carolina has a very deep defense corps so the opportunity to get a chance to suit up in the NHL wasn’t likely coming.

As a restricted free agent this summer, Carolina can retain Kaski’s NHL rights this offseason by tendering him a qualifying offer.  A strong showing in the KHL could certainly get him back on the NHL radar so with there being no downside to qualifying him, it’s a move that the Hurricanes should make when the offseason arrives.

Nikolay Goldobin Signs In The KHL

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June 18: It took more than two months but the deal is now official, as CSKA Moscow announced that Goldobin has indeed inked a two-year contract with the club.

April 11: After spending the majority of this season in the minors, it appears that Canucks winger Nikolay Goldobin is heading overseas.  Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports (Twitter link) that Goldobin is expected to sign a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.  TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal relays (via Twitter) a quick statement from Goldobin who confirmed that he is signing in the KHL (but didn’t specify which team) and that he’s looking forward to trying the NHL again at the expiration of his deal.

The 24-year-old cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and aside from a single NHL game in late November, Goldobin spent the entire year with AHL Utica.  He was quite productive with the Comets, recording 50 points in 51 games.  It was just a year ago that he spent an entire season with Vancouver as the 2014 first-round pick had 27 points in 63 contests back in 2018-19 but that wasn’t enough to generate any interest on the waiver wire or the trade market.

The Canucks can retain Goldobin’s NHL rights by issuing a qualifying offer.   However, it’s at least worth noting that Goldobin told Dhaliwal that Vancouver had no interest in re-signing him for 2020-21, suggesting that a non-tender was probably coming.  However, as he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency at the expiration of his KHL contract, they’re now likely to tender him the qualifying offer now in case he breaks out overseas.  He’ll still count against the 90-player reserve list in that instance but every team is well below that particular threshold.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sabres Sign Oskari Laaksonen To Three-Year, Entry-Level Deal

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The Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year contract, per the team. Laaksonen joins Buffalo on an entry-level contract after the team made him a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

Since being drafted 89th overall by the Sabres, Laaksonen, 20, has spent the past three seasons with Ilves of the Finnish Elite League. Laaksonen recorded 12 points for the Ilves over 46 games this past season. He also won a gold medal with Team Finland at the 2019 World Junior Championship while skating alongside another Sabres’ youngster, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. 

Laaksonen’s stock jumped shortly after the draft, and the young puck-mover has continued to impress during his time in his native Finland. He had signed a two-year deal with the Ilves, putting doubt into whether he’d be ready to make the jump to the NHL. But evidently, he’s ready.

The deal comes on the heels of the Sabres learning that they’d lost defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the KHL. Pilut, 24, looked like a potential building block for the Sabres, who instead now transition the future of their defence to Laaksonen. Included in the press release announcing the signing was a comment from Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill, who said, “The work Oskari has put in to improve his game has paid off during his last two seasons. His success on the international stage and what he’s done as a 19- and 20-year-old playing in a professional league is impressive.”

The Sabres finished the year in sixth place of the Atlantic Division, on the outside looking in for the upcoming 24-team playoff. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2010-2011 season, the second of back-to-back losses in the quarterfinals to the Flyers and Bruins, respectively.

Ilya Sorokin Not Negotiating With CSKA Moscow

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It has been an interesting last few months for Islanders goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin.  The eventual cancellation of the KHL playoffs was going to pave the way to sign his entry-level contract this season.  At 24, his contract would only be for one year so he’d be able to reach restricted free agency and a much bigger payday this offseason.  However, the NHL’s insistence that no more current year contracts can be signed threw a wrinkle in those plans although the NHLPA is believed to be contesting that restriction.

As a result, knowing that the 2020-21 KHL season is slated to start in September while the beginning of the 2020-21 NHL campaign won’t be until December or even January, the idea of Sorokin returning to CSKA Moscow became more plausible.  Earlier this month, CSKA’s team president indicated that the two sides were in early talks for a return, further adding fuel to the fire.

However, Sorokin’s Russian agent Shumi Babaev told Sport 24 in Russia that there have been no discussions with them about a contract for next season.  Instead, all that has happened so far is an expression of interest on CSKA’s part to keep him around.  It’s worth noting that the hiring of Dan Milstein earlier this week was only a change of Sorokin’s North American representation.

Sorokin had quite the year in the KHL, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .935 SV% in 45 games and those were technically a step back from his 2018-19 campaign.  While the Islanders may not want him to make his NHL debut in the play-in round or the postseason, it’s safe to say he’s a big part of their future as soon as next season where veteran Thomas Greiss will likely not be retained to make room for Sorokin on their roster.  They’ll certainly be pleased with this latest development while the waiting game will continue on whether or not he’s ruled as eligible to sign for this season or not.  The end result there may ultimately determine where Sorokin winds up for 2020-21.

Dmitri Samorukov Nearing A Deal In The KHL

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Dmitri Samorukov’s first foray into professional hockey had some tough moments and it appears he’s looking for a change of scenery.  As first reported by Sport-Express’ Michael Zizlis and since confirmed by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Samorukov is closing in on a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow that would see him play there on loan from the Oilers for next season.  Edmonton GM Ken Holland is aware of the plan and has given his approval.

Samorukov’s agent Pat Morris indicated that the current playing landscape in the NHL is playing a factor in this decision:

He wants to play. He doesn’t want to lay dormant for 8-10 months in this current situation. And he, unlike some other players, has this option. We’re exploring it long and hard.

While Edmonton will be participating in the play-in round against Chicago, it would take several injuries for the 20-year-old to get a look in their lineup.  His last AHL action came back in early March before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the schedule and eventually resulted in the cancellation of the remainder of the season and playoffs.  While there’s no firm timeline on when the NHL or AHL 2020-21 seasons will begin, it’s looking like December or January could be the options.  That’s a long time for any prospect to sit.

Samorukov had two goals and eight assists in 47 games with AHL Bakersfield this season and he may have an opportunity to make an immediate impact with CSKA.  Veteran blueliner Nikita Nesterov is drawing NHL interest while Montreal prospect Alexander Romanov has already agreed on his entry-level deal; former NHL defender Alexei Marchenko has signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl so there are certainly some vacancies to be filled.  A chance to get some guaranteed action (with the KHL schedule still on track to start in September) on a quality team may very well be the best move for his development next season.

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