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Snapshots: Denisenko, Gerard, Olympics

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The Florida Panthers are expected to sign prospect Grigori Denisenko on May 1 after his KHL contract expires, according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The young forward apparently “refused” to sign an extension with his KHL club and will instead be coming to North America. That’s not a huge surprise after the Panthers used the 15th-overall pick on Denisenko in 2018, but it should create some excitement in Florida as they wait for hockey to return.

The 19-year old Denisenko has twice suited up for the Russians at the World Juniors, earning bronze and silver medals while leading the 2019 tournament in scoring and captaining the 2020 squad. In 38 games with Lokomotiv this season he recorded just 12 points, but even playing regularly at his age is an accomplishment. Even though they already have a formidable forward group in the NHL, there is a lot to look forward to in the Florida prospect system with names like Denisenko, Serron Noel, Owen Tippett, Henrik Borgstrom, and others upfront.

  • The Colorado Eagles have added a prospect of their own, signing Charlie Gerard to a two-way AHL contract for 2020-21. The 24-year old forward recently finished his senior season at Minnesota State-Mankato, where he recorded 30 points in 37 games. The undersized Gerard will be joining an organization that was one of the strongest in the AHL before the season shut down and has routinely rewarded their minor league players with solid salary guarantees.
  • Usually when NHL commissioner speaks about the Olympics he is referring to the winter variety, but today he spoke to NBC Sports Network’s Mike Tirico about how the postponement of the upcoming Tokyo summer games could potentially be beneficial to hockey. Frank Seravalli of TSN examined the league boss’s comments, and explained how without the Olympics taking up several weeks in the summer there is now a “broader window” for the NHL to resume play. There are no firm plans at this point as Bettman and the league plays the wait-and-see game, but he did confirm that they could play “well into the summer” if need be.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Alexander Barabanov

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have won a battle with several other teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, for the right to sign Russian forward Alexander Barabanov. The team announced a one-year entry-level contract for the KHL star, one which kicks in for the 2020-21 season.

The 25-year old Barabanov has been on NHL radars for quite some time, given his history of success in the KHL and on the international stage. A medalist with Russia at the World Juniors, World Championship and Olympics, he also has taken home two Gagarin Cup titles and has 137 points in 262 career KHL games.

Though his numbers dropped off this season, Barabanov will now get the chance to show he can compete at the NHL level with the Maple Leafs, who have a recent history of bringing over prized Russian free agents. Nikita Zaitsev, Igor Ozhiganov and Ilya Mikheyev have all played for the team the last few seasons—to different levels of success—though many believed that former GM Lou Lamoriello and former head coach Mike Babcock had a lot to do with the recruiting process in those cases.

It seems as though current GM Kyle Dubas still has the ear of some important representatives, which perhaps has something to do with the way he recently dealt with Mikheyev’s injury. After Dubas remained in New Jersey with the injured forward as he recovered, agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey—who also represents Barabanov—said that he had made sure that all of the other KHL free agents were aware of how Toronto dealt with the situation.

In any case, the Maple Leafs have landed another cheap forward to add to their expensive group for next season, giving them options on how to construct a lineup.

Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Fitzgerald, Golyshev

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While the season remains on hold due to COVID-19, many players are getting every chance to get back to full health. In fact, the delay in the season could be  a huge benefit to several teams that lost key players late in the season, which now might make them available if the NHL is able to continue the season or at least the playoffs.

The Columbus Blue Jackets look like they could be huge benefactors to that end as injured defenseman Seth Jones, a crucial linchpin to the team’s shutdown defense announced that he stepped on the ice today for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in which he required surgery to repair a sprain an hairline fracture on Feb. 11. He was given an 8-10 week recovery time after suffering the injury three days earlier against the Colorado Avalanche.

While Columbus had fared well despite suffering numerous team injuries over the course of the year, Jones’ departure from the lineup had quite the effect. The team picked up just three wins after his injury, with a 3-5-6 record.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline adds that while players are not allowed to use their teams’ facilities at the moment, Jones is permitted to do so as part of his rehab from ankle surgery, allowed by deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Injured players are allowed access to team’s facilities since the beginning of the league’s suspension.

  • The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes in his most recent mailbag entry that the longer the suspension goes on, the more and more likely the New Jersey Devils will had the permanent general manager position to current interim GM Tom Fitzgerald. With most candidates still under contract until the season ends, New Jersey has been unable to interview any candidates that are associated with a team. The team has interviewed former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis (twice), but if the season goes deep into the summer, there is a good chance they will keep Fitzgerald, who took over for Ray Shero on Jan. 12 and had a successful trade deadline. Fitzgerald was already a top candidate for the job, but the Devils were interested in a full search, which now may be difficult.
  • With rumors that the New York Islanders are already getting Russian goaltending prospect Ilya Sorokin under contract for next season, Sport-Express’ KHL writer Igor Eronko reports that another Russian prospect is considering coming stateside for the 2021-22 season. According to Eronko, 25-year-old forward Anatoli Golyshev has looked at houses in New York and wants to join the team in 2021. Golyshev, an Islanders’ fourth-round pick in 2016, had an injury-plagued campaign this year with just 11 goals and 25 points in 38 games, but scored 37 goals over his previous two years with Yekaterinburg Automobilist in the KHL.

Calgary Notes: Event Shutdown, Sveningsson, Peters

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Just like Toronto earlier this week, the city of Calgary has announced a shutdown of all public events until June 30. Unlike Toronto however, who said its ban would not affect the Maple Leafs, Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi explicitly said that the Flames will not be allowed to “hold gatherings” during that time, according to Danny Austin of Postmedia.

While the NHL already seemed more likely to be holding whatever remaining 2019-20 games they play in July and August (if at all), this guarantees no action will be held in Calgary for the next three months. The Flames currently sit third in the Pacific Division but would drop to the second wildcard position if the league decided to use points percentage to determine seeding. Either way, it seems like they would be included in this year’s playoffs, meaning this ruling and others like it only complicate things moving forward.

  • One Flames prospect that won’t be taking part in any Calgary games for a while is Filip Sveningsson, who has signed with MODO of the Swedish Allsvenskan (second league) for next season. A seventh-round pick from 2017, Sveningsson played most of his season in the SHL this year but will move back down a level and try to help MODO get back up to the top league. The Flames hold his exclusive draft rights until June 1, 2021.
  • Bill Peters, the former head coach of the Flames who resigned from his position following the investigation of past events brought up by Akim Aliu, is potentially heading overseas for his next job. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal tweets that Peters’ name has come up in Russia as a possible candidate for a coaching job with Yekaterinburg in the KHL. Pavel Datsyuk, who played under Peters when he was an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, spent this season with Yekaterinburg.

Alexander Kadeykin Expected To Sign With Red Wings

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Alexander Kadeykin is trying to prove that it is never too late for a draft pick to pan out. An overage prospect in 2014, Kadeykin was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh round. Now 26, he has decided that it is finally time to make the jump to the NHL. Russian news source Business Online reports that Kadeykin has informed his KHL squad that he intends to sign with the Red Wings.

Kadeykin is a well-traveled KHL veteran, spending the past two seasons with Salavat Yulaev Ufa and previously suiting up for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, SKA St. Petersburg, and Atlant Mytishchi. Formerly a role player, the 6’5”, 218-lb. center has grown into more of a power forward and scoring threat. He set new career highs across the board this season with 11 goals, 29 points, and a +20 rating in 59 games. Kadeykin also looked primed for a strong postseason with three points in six games before the KHL playoffs were canceled.

Given his size and aggressive style as well as seemingly average offensive abilities, Kadeykin seems likely to slot into a checking role for Detroit. He may also begin his North American career in the AHL and work his way up. However, there should be ample opportunity with the last-place Red Wings for Kadeykin to win a spot.

Toronto Maple Leafs Frontrunners To Sign Alexander Barabanov

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March 31: Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas admitted at media availability today that his team is pursuing Barabanov, explaining to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet that the team likes the Russian forward’s ability to make plays under pressure. Johnston also notes that there doesn’t seem to be any rush from Barabanov’s side to make a decision.

March 28: With the KHL playoffs now canceled, many of the league’s top free agents can now consider signing new contracts. One of the more interesting forwards, Alexander Barabanov, has expressed interest in coming to North America and signing with an NHL team with at least 20 teams showing interest in the diminutive forward to this point.

However, a recent report from Sport-Express’ overseas reporter Igor Eronko suggests that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the leading candidate to sign the 25-year-old, although he did report that there are three teams he’s considering, which also includes the Arizona Coyotes. TSN’s Darren Dreger does add that nothing is confirmed. In fact, there are no guarantees he’s definitely coming to the NHL yet. He reports that Barabanov and his agent Dan Milstein will begin interviewing teams next week.

Barabanov has played full seasons for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL for the past five years and has scored anywhere between 10 to 20 goals in each of the last four years. He scored a career-high 17 goals and 46 points in 58 games in the 2018-19 season but saw his numbers dip this past year after suffering a broken hand in December from a slashing incident. He finished his season with 10 goals and 20 points in 43 games. Regardless, the forward is expected to fill a role as a solid bottom-six forward despite his lack of size at 5-foot-8 and 159 pounds.

If Toronto is the front-runner, it wouldn’t be a big surprise as general manager Kyle Dubas has made it a priority to add undrafted talent to his salary cap-strapped team by looking overseas. He added forward Ilya Mikheyev out of the KHL last year, who did make an impact in the first half of the season before suffering a wrist laceration when the skate of New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt ran over his wrist. Mikheyev has eight goals and 23 assists in 39 games this season. Despite the injury, he is expected to play a major role for the Maple Leafs next season. Toronto hopes they can get similar production from Barabanov if he agrees to sign with them.

Arizona is also in the mix. The Athletic’s Craig Morgan confirmed the Coyotes interest as general manager John Chayka talked with Barabanov earlier this season when he visited St. Petersburg. No word on who the third team Barabanov is considering.

Snapshots: Palve, Nakladal, Christensen

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The venture into North American hockey appears as if it will be short-lived for veteran Finnish forward Oula Palve. Palve initially signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer, finally making the jump after a career year in the Liiga. However, he never made it to Pittsburgh, recording a paltry eight points through 37 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins opted to move him to the Dallas Stars in January for defenseman John Nyberg, after which he recorded just five points through 23 games with AHL Texas. Palve’s time in the minors has indicated that it is unlikely he will make it to the NHL, so the speculation is now that he will return to Europe. Only this time, he is set to sign in the Swedish Hockey League, reports national news source Expressen Sport. Palve is expected to be a hot recruit for SHL teams, with Rogle and Farjestad expected to be the top suitors. At 28, Palve’s first season in North America is likely to be his last, especially if he signs a long-term deal in Sweden.

  • Former NHL defenseman Jakub Nakladal is making a career change. Nakladal, 32, spent parts of two seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes and was considered by some to be underappreciated in his time. Nakladal joined the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl midway through the 2016-17 campaign and has been one of their top defensemen ever since. He also shined at the 2018 Olympic Games with the Czech Republic. Despite this success, Nakladal has decided to return home to continue his playing career. Lokomotiv issued a press release thanking the free agent while acknowledging that he has decided to return to the Czech Extraliga, where he last played in 2011-12. There is no indication yet exactly where Nakladal might be headed, but the safe bet is that he will return to HC Pardubice, the organization he grew up in.
  • Over the past few years, American International College has emerged as the star of Atlantic Hockey, which is otherwise the weakest conference in the NCAA. Their leader through this climb has been forward Blake Christensen, who has been nothing if not consistent with 20+ points in each of his four years. Last season, Christensen was a Hobey Baker candidate with 47 points in 41 games. Now that his college career is over, Christensen will look to prove that he can continue to produce in the pros despite what some may think about his Atlantic competition over the past four years. The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors will give him that chance, announcing a one-year deal for the undersized but skilled winger. Christensen could be an intriguing player to watch next season in the minors.

Minnesota Wild Attempting To Sign Kirill Kaprizov Early

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The Minnesota Wild have already fared quite well on the college free-agent market, signing forward Mitchell Chaffee. They also signed 2019 second-rounder Hunter Jones to an entry-level contract. Now, general manager Bill Guerin has focused his sights in on KHL star Kirill Kaprizov, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required).

It has been reported that Kaprizov, the third-leading scorer in the KHL, is expected to sign a contract this summer. However, due to KHL rules, he would not be eligible to sign a NHL entry-level contract until his contract expires on Apr. 30, four days after his 23rd birthday. That would allow Minnesota to sign him to a two-year, entry-level deal by May 1. However, with the KHL playoffs recently having been cancelled and with the World Championships also being cancelled, Kaprizov doesn’t have any remaining obligations remaining to Russia, which might be enough for his team, CSKA Moscow, to release him from his contract.

Kaprizov had career highs in goals and assists with 33 goals and 29 assists in 57 games in his sixth season in the league. Guerin would prefer his two-year, entry-level deal to start for the 2020-21 season, so the team gets the most out of the deal. Guerin is now trying to talk to his agent, Dan Milstein, about the potential of getting a deal done early. Of course, the recent agreement between the St. Louis Blues and college defenseman Scott Perunovich, where he agreed to two different contracts, depending on when the season continues, could be an option as well, especially if Kaprizov wants to force restricted free agency one year earlier.

KHL Goaltender Alexei Melnichuk Drawing NHL Interest

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The premature end to the KHL season combined with the current pause in the NHL season has front offices looking even closer than usual at the free agents coming out of Europe’s top league. KHL free agency opens on May 1 and a number of players will be expected to make the jump to North America on that date. Young goaltender Alexei Melnichuk of SKA St. Petersburg is expected to be part of that group, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger.

According to Dreger, a number of NHL teams have been impressed by the play of the 21-year-old Melnichuk this season. He believes that it is down to three or four teams competing for his services right now. Melnichuk, who is represented by super-agent Dan Milstein, expects to have whittled it down to just one by the end of April. Melnichuk will not have much say in the term and value of his contract, an entry-level deal, but will make his decision based on fit and NHL opportunity. There have been no specific teams linked to Melnichuk at this moment, but there are plenty of potential suitors looking for a young depth and even an heir apparent.

This season, Melnichuk made 16 appearances in his rookie season with KHL powerhouse SKA. He posted a very impressive .930 save percentage and 1.68 GAA, finishing twelfth and fourth respectively among league goaltenders. Of course, Melnichuk made far fewer appearances than the other top KHL goalies above him in the rankings and fellow St. Petersburg keepers Magnus Hellberg and Alexander Samonov were equally impressive behind a stout defense. Yet, Melnichuk also excelled with SKA’s VHL minor league team, recording a .925 save percentage and 1.95 GAA in eight regular season appearances and leading the team on a postseason run with a .937 save percentage and 2.16 GAA in ten starts. His numbers in the VHL last season are also stunningly good. Melnichuk may be young and could be a few years away from an NHL job, but has all the makings of a goalie who can make the jump one day.

Snapshots: Zub, Suspensions, U17

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With the KHL season and playoffs now over, the pursuit of the best players in the league will begin in earnest for NHL clubs trying to add free agent talent. One of the players drawing the most interest is Artyom Zub, who Darren Dreger of TSN reports has narrowed his options to just two teams. The Ottawa Senators, one of the teams chasing Zub the longest, is one of them.

The 24-year old defenseman has played the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, one of the KHL’s powerhouse organizations. He broke out offensively this season with 13 goals and 22 points, though Igor Eronko of Sport-Express points out that he doesn’t see the powerplay and is normally more of a defensive option. For a more thorough scouting report, Scott Wheeler and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (subscription required) recently broke down some of Zub’s tape.

  • Zub’s not the only KHL player with his name in the news today, as Kirill Dyakov was one of three to receive a suspension from the IIHF. Dyakov currently plays for Admiral Vladivostok but will receive a 15-month suspension from IIHF competition after testing positive for cocaine. Michael Budd and Vladislav Nikiforov also received 24- and 15-month suspensions respectively.
  • USA Hockey has announced its U17 roster for the 2020-21 season, a group that is expected to have a strong NHL draft presence down the road. There are some familiar hockey names among them, including Marek Hejduk—son of Colorado Avalanche legend Milan Hejduk.

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