Minor Transactions: 07/04/19
We’re now several days into the free agency period for 2019 and things have slowed to a turtle’s pace. After a flurry of moves in the first few hours including Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene finding new homes, there’s been almost no movement at all on the UFA market. Ben Chiarot came off the board this morning when the Montreal Canadiens gave him a three-year deal, but otherwise there have only been depth moves. That’s what teams seem to be focused on at the moment, as there are still more minor league signings coming in:
- The Toronto Marlies have signed Marcus Power, Sergei Sapego and Maksim Zhukov to minor league contracts, adding three more names to fill out the organizational depth charts. Zhukov is a name some Vegas Golden Knights may remember, as he was originally drafted by the team in the fourth round in 2017. Vegas decided not to sign Zhukov this year and had his exclusive draft rights expire.
- Garet Hunt, a veteran of a decade in the ECHL and one of the toughest 5’8″ players in the world, has signed on with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL. Hunt has amassed 2,666 penalty minutes across his ECHL career, fighting as many as 29 times in a single season. The former Vancouver Giants enforcer will join former NHL players like Adam Cracknell, Spencer Foo and Gilbert Brule on the KHL club this season.
Snapshots: Boeser, Cracknell, Jets
The Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser are closer on a new contract according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, though he notes there is still “work to be done and neither side [is] budging.” Boeser is part of the outstanding group of young restricted free agents looking for big deals this offseason, though it is important to note that he is not eligible for an offer sheet. Like Charlie McAvoy in Boston, Boeser is treated like an RFA but doesn’t have all of the same rights because of the way he burned through his entry-level contract, playing through the first year in just nine games after his 2016-17 college season ended.
That, combined with the fact that Boeser is not arbitration eligible, means this negotiation could potentially go on long into the summer if both sides aren’t willing to find some middle ground. The 22-year old forward is one of the most interesting cases this summer thanks to the injury trouble he has suffered through the early part of his young career. Though he has suited up just 140 times, Boeser has already scored 59 goals and 116 points.
- Adam Cracknell will be taking his talents to China, as Kunlun Red Star of the KHL announced a one-year contract with the NHL veteran. The 33-year old forward has played 210 NHL games across a long professional career, an impressive accomplishment for a ninth-round pick. He suited up last season for the Toronto Marlies, San Diego Gulls and Anaheim Ducks, scoring a total of 38 points in 44 games in the minors and zero in his two NHL appearances. He was however a force in the playoffs with the Gulls, and could very well find success overseas playing in the KHL. He’ll join several other familiar names like Jake Chelios, Gilbert Brule, Spencer Foo and Wojtek Wolski on Kunlun.
- The Winnipeg Jets have added a little bit of depth up front this free agent period, adding veteran center Mark Letestu to a one-year deal. They likely aren’t done there, as Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun is expecting the team to add another fourth-line forward at some point. That forward will likely have penalty killing experience and cost the team less than $1MM in salary according to Wiebe, which certainly doesn’t limit the field. There are plenty of free agent forwards still out there looking for work, including Winkler, Manitoba native Eric Fehr, coming off a solid season with the Minnesota Wild.
Adam Helewka Signs In KHL
It’s been quite the last few weeks for minor league forward Adam Helewka. Traded from the Nashville Predators to the New Jersey Devils just after the draft, the 23-year old then saw his contract terminated a few days later. Today, Barys Astana in the KHL announced they have signed him to a one-year deal, meaning he’ll take his talents overseas for the 2019-20 season.
It wasn’t the first time Helewka had been traded in his young career. Originally a draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, he would play two seasons in their minor league system before finding himself on the way to the Arizona Coyotes in the summer of 2018. Then a few weeks before the most recent trade deadline, the young forward was on the move again, this time to the Predators. Despite that midseason move, Helewka managed to post his best professional season with 50 points in 65 games in the AHL.
After such turmoil in North America, a trip overseas may do wonders for the former WHL offensive star. He’ll get a chance to play in the KHL and prove that he can compete at a high level, hopefully earning another NHL deal one day. Because of the termination, the Devils will not retain his negotiating rights.
Overseas Notes: Kiselevich, Mitchell, Rybar, McNeill
As expected, Bogdan Kiselevich has returned home to Russia as soon as he could. The 29-year-old defenseman is back with CSKA Moscow after just one year in the NHL, as the team announced a new three-year deal. Kiselevich was clearly not impressed by his usage in North America, as word got out quickly after the season that he would return to the KHL, before even testing the NHL market. In his “rookie” season, Kiselevich played in 32 games with the Florida Panthers and contributed eight assists. Although some of his other underlying numbers suggested that Kiselevich was being underutilized in Florida, he worked mostly as the team’s No. 7. He was then traded to the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL Trade Deadline, slotting even lower in their depth chart, and did not play a single game in the regular season or postseason. Seeing as a fully healthy Kiselevich played just one game after January, it’s understandable that he was happy to return to a top role for an elite KHL club loaded with former NHLers.
- Count Zack Mitchell as another NHL castoff looking for a larger role in the KHL. After skating in 34 NHL games between two seasons with the Minnesota Wild in 2016-17/2017-18, Mitchell was relegated to the AHL for this entire past campaign after signing with the Los Angeles Kings last summer. Still a relatively young player at 26 who also has consistent AHL production and NHL experience, Mitchell likely felt he could do better. As a result, Mitchell has signed a one-year contract with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL, the team announced. A team that missed the playoffs last season and has few elite players or familiar NHL faces, Neftekhimik needs a elite addition and hopes Mitchell can fill that role. If he can lead them back to the Gagarin Cup stage behind a highly productive season, Mitchell will likely be able to find a deal back in North America next year.
- The Detroit Red Wings took a shot on young Slovakian goaltender Patrik Rybar last season after he had dominated the Slovakian and Czech pro ranks for several years. However, he ended up not getting much use as the fourth-string keeper in the organization. Rybar played in 37 AHL games and did not see any NHL action. In his minor league appearances, he also failed to put up the stupendous numbers that may have attracted another NHL suitor, posting a .908 save percentage and 2.49 GAA. Fortunately, those numbers were enough to turn heads in other major European leagues. Rybar has opted to sign with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga, the team announced. Karpat was the top team in the Liiga last year through the regular season and their play in net from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Veini Vehvilainen and former NHLer Jussi Rynnas played no small role. With both of those keepers now gone, the Karpat net looks to belong to Rybar, with promising young goalie Justus Annunen, a Colorado Avalanche draft pick, as backup.
- Mark McNeill‘s precipitous drop from relevance continued last season and he is taking a drastic measure to rediscover his game. A 2011 first-round pick, McNeill was considered the top prospect of the Chicago Blackhawks for many years. Yet, to date he has just two NHL appearances to his credit. However, the heavy forward still put up good numbers in the minors in the Blackhawks’ and Dallas Stars’ systems. That is, until the past two years, when McNeill bounced around from Dallas to Nashville to Boston and posted back-to-back career lows of 25 points. Now, he must repair his image and show he can be a reliable scorer and has chosen Austria as the place to do just that. McNeill has signed with EHC Linz of the EBEL, the Black Wings announced. Linz counts Bracken Kearns and Justin Florek as their only other NHL veterans, so the opportunity will be there for McNeill to be the teams’s best player next season.
Tyler Wong Signs In KHL
The Chicago Wolves won’t be bringing back Tyler Wong for another season, as the former WHL superstar has signed a two-year deal with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL. Wong had played the last two seasons under an AHL in the Vegas Golden Knights system, but will take his talents overseas.
Wong, 23, scored 198 points over his final two years of junior hockey for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, but was never drafted and failed to earn an NHL entry-level contract. One of the standouts of the first Golden Knights’ training camp, he actually scored a hat trick in the franchise’s first ever preseason game. Unfortunately, that offensive prowess never translated to the professional level where Wong has scored just 21 points in 125 AHL games.
Undersized, Wong may actually be better suited for the KHL where he can continue to develop and try to earn another contract one day in North America. His brother, Austin Wong, was selected by the Winnipeg Jets 215th overall in 2018 and will play for Harvard this season.
Vegas Golden Knights Considering Nikita Gusev Trade
It was a huge acquisition when the Vegas Golden Knights convinced Russian superstar Nikita Gusev to come to North America and sign his entry-level contract last season, even if it did mean he would be a restricted free agent again without ever playing an NHL game. Gusev’s one year deal expired after the 2018-19 season regardless of whether the Golden Knights gave him any playing time down the stretch—which they did not—and now he’s in a contract negotiation with them as an RFA. Unfortunately, that negotiation does not seem to be going smoothly as Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required) reports the gap in salary is still $2MM per season. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express explains on Twitter that Gusev is looking for a two-year, $8MM deal while the Golden Knights want to sign him for half of that total.
Vegas president George McPhee admitted that if they can’t work something out they will look at all the options, and noted that there is interest in him around the league. That’s not a surprise given Gusev’s incredible record in the KHL. The 26-year old forward scored 82 points last season in just 62 games for SKA St. Petersburg, his third consecutive season recording more than a point-per-game. Those kind of totals don’t happen often in that league, leading some to believe that he could have a similar impact as some other Russian imports over the years—Artemi Panarin, who just signed a seven-year, $81.5MM in free agency, is the most common comparison.
NHL success though is not guaranteed. For every success story from the KHL over the years there have been equal numbers of failures, including one that Vegas fans should be quite familiar with. Vadim Shipachyov, who has also been a better than point-per-game player in the KHL several times, failed to find any opportunity with the Golden Knights for one reason or another and ended up terminating his contract in order to return to Russia. Shipachyov recorded 68 points in 61 games for Dynamo Moscow last season in the KHL.
Gusev may be a dynamic offensive player in the NHL, but the Golden Knights simply can’t afford to pay him $4MM as their salary structure is currently constructed. The team already has had to dump good players this offseason to make room for what they already have, and adding another player like Gusev without knowing exactly what his impact will be could be risky. That said, there are plenty of other teams who would be able to take that risk and likely will be lining up to hear what it would cost to acquire him.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Ness, Miele, Bennett
The Arizona Coyotes already made their big splash this off-season, acquiring Phil Kessel, so it comes as little surprise that the team made one unassuming announcement about three players signed to two-way contracts. Defenseman Aaron Ness has signed a two-year deal, as has forward Andy Miele, while forward Beau Bennett has signed a one-year deal. No financial terms have been disclosed.
Ness, 29, is the only one of the trio who spent last season in North America. A depth piece for the Washington Capitals, and before that the New York Islanders, Ness has played in 47 career NHL games and can be a useful minor league piece in case of emergency. The Coyotes have great depth on the blue line, but the team will be happy to let Ness, who scored a career-high 55 points last year with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, play a key role with the Tuscon Roadrunners while acting as deep option should injuries strike at the top level.
Miele, 31, begins his second stint with the Coyotes organization after spending the past two seasons abroad. A player with incredibly impressive numbers in the AHL, Miele branched out to the European ranks in search of a greater role. He enjoyed back-to-back strong seasons, first in the Swedish Hockey League and last year in the KHL, but appears ready to try his hand in the NHL again. Miele has only 15 NHL games to his credit, but he and the ‘Yotes hope that his time overseas has further developed his game to the point that he can contribute in Arizona.
Bennett, 27, was limited to just five games with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk last season, his first outside North America, but that didn’t stop the Coyotes from taking a chance on him. Now in his fourth NHL stop, Bennett is looking to get back to being a regular in the league, as he was in his first five pro seasons. The 2010 first-round pick has skated in 200 NHL games, recording 64 points, and enjoyed the best season of his career just a few years ago in 2016-17 with the New Jersey Devils. If GM John Chayka and company see the residual upside in Bennett, he could be an intriguing option for the Coyotes this seaosn.
Nikita Scherbak Signs In KHL
Though it had been expected for a while, Nikita Scherbak officially signed in the KHL today after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Kings. Scherbak inked a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk, ending his NHL career for at least the time being.
Scherbak, 23, was selected in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens back in 2014 but was never able to live up to that top prospect status. The Russian winger was a strong offensive weapon in the minor leagues, but registered just eight points in his 37 NHL contests. Eight of those came with the Kings after he was claimed off waivers in December, but by January he had been waived again and sent to the minor leagues to finish the season with the Ontario Reign.
An unrestricted free agent now that he was not given a qualifying offer, there is potential for a return to North America one day for the speedy winger. That won’t come for at least a few years, but perhaps if he can develop his game further back home and find some of what made him such a high draft pick in the first place there will be another team that is willing to take a chance on him.
Stefan Elliott Signs With KHL’s Dinamo Minsk
Stefan Elliott surprised many when he left North America as a restricted free agent 2016 and signed with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan. The Canadian defenseman had just finished a season in which he played in 21 NHL games, the second most of his career, and looked like he might be a fit as a depth option for the Nashville Predators after they had acquired him mid-season from the Arizona Coyotes. This time around, coming off a return home that yielded just three NHL appearances, it comes as less of a shock that Dinamo Minsk of the KHL has announced that they have signed Elliott to a one-year contract.
Elliott, 28, was an impending unrestricted free agent with his one-year deal signed last summer with the Pittsburgh Penguins expired. After two years abroad, in Russia and Sweden respectively, the Penguins brought Elliott in as a potential minor league leader and deep blue line depth option. A 2009 second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, Elliott had always been very successful in the AHL and Pittsburgh hoped for the same and possibly more. Instead, Elliott got off to a slow start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and was traded to the Ottawa Senators in a swap of minor pieces. Elliott got to play in three games with Ottawa and also put up strong numbers with AHL Belleville.
Regardless, even with the Senators there did not seem to be long-term opportunity for Elliott to play a significant role, so a move back to Europe seemed like a strong possibility. The ongoing UFA discussion window likely confirmed Elliott’s doubts of finding a suitable NHL offer. He thus returns to the KHL, where he recorded 11 points in 31 games a few years ago, but joins a new team in Minsk. The club is excited about the addition, but so too should be Elliott, who could very likely be the team’s top player next season. Teemu Pulkkinen, Quinton Howden, and Patrick Wiercioch have departed and the aging Kostitsyn brothers, Sergei Kostitsyn and Andrei Kostitsyn, and former collegiate and minor leauge defender Oleg Yevenko are the only other notable players on the roster. As the go-to guy, Elliott could be in for a productive season that once again sparks interest back in North America.
Tomas Hyka, Brooks Macek Sign In KHL
June 25: Hyka’s two-year deal in the KHL is now official, and he’ll be joined overseas by Chicago Wolves teammate Brooks Macek.
May 27: While Tomas Hyka is busy dominating the AHL playoffs, he may have already made some future plans. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Hyka has agreed to terms with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, despite being just one win away from the Calder Cup Final with the Chicago Wolves. Hyka is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer after his one-year two-way contract expires.
If the report is true and Hyka leaves North America, it would be a blow to the Vegas Golden Knights who are going to need inexpensive contributors over the next several seasons. Hyka has only recorded seven points in his 27 games with the Golden Knights over the last two seasons, but is a near point-per-game performer in the minor leagues and has earned himself a bigger opportunity at the NHL level. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, he never signed with the team and instead joined the Golden Knights as the organization’s third player after Reid Duke and Vadim Shipachyov.
The 26-year old Hyka has 14 points in 16 playoff games with the Wolves and could earn a berth in the Calder Cup Final with a win tonight. If he does join the KHL it would be his first stint in the Russian league, after playing previously in Sweden and his home of the Czech Republic. The Golden Knights can retain his exclusive rights temporarily by issuing him a qualifying offer.