Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Skinner, Sustr
It’s draft season, and the final rankings from several of the hockey world’s leading scouts are starting to come out. Today marked the release of Corey Pronman’s first 2019 mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required), and Craig Button’s top-31 prospects for TSN. Pronman’s mock details some of the rumblings he has heard at the draft combine and elsewhere, and interestingly notes there is still no consensus on who the Chicago Blackhawks will be taking at third overall.
While Pronman lists Alex Turcotte there hesitantly, Button has CHL defenseman Bowen Byram as the third best prospect available. More notable than that even is Button’s ranking of Cole Caufield, who has continued to fly up boards as we close in on the draft later this month. The diminutive forward climbs to fourth on the TSN list, with even more lauding of his ability to put the puck in the net.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN will release his final draft rankings a little later in the month, but he did tweet out a note regarding Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner today. McKenzie notes that it is “crunch time” in the negotiations between Buffalo and Skinner, and expects either a deal will get done in the next few days or the sniper will wait until unrestricted free agency. The TSN insider expects an eight-year deal worth $72MM, or something thereabouts. Skinner, 27, is coming off a 40-goal season and has made it clear he does enjoy playing with the Sabres. Still, a $72MM price tag is awfully expensive for any team.
- A report out of Russia has Andrej Sustr signing a one-year deal with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, though there has been no formal confirmation at this point. The 28-year old defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after his current deal expires, and spent last season almost entirely in the minor leagues. Sustr was once a full-time member of the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line, but fell out of favor and never found his footing in the Anaheim Ducks organization.
Snapshots: Capuano, Roslovic, Tryamkin
New Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith was given full control over hiring his staff, has yet to make any additions. However, a familiar name could be on the way. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that former New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is in talks to join the team. Capuano spent seven years as the Isles’ head coach and was an assistant for the Florida Panthers over the past two years. However, he became a free agent when new Panthers’ hire Joel Quenneville decided not to retain his services. A former AHL head coach as well, Capuano brings experience, but also a familiarity with working with young players, of which the Senators have plenty. Garrioch adds that GM Pierre Dorion stated today that the team hopes to have some assistants in place before the upcoming NHL Draft, meaning Capuano’s official addition could be imminent.
- The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic has fired long-time agent Ken Robinson. Roslovic was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2015, but has been buried on the team’s organization depth chart and unable to break out. Roslovic has reportedly requested a trade out of Winnipeg several times and he remains unhappy with his current role, despite finally playing a full NHL season last year. With a number of difficult decisions to make this off-season up against the salary cap, the Jets may not be eager to move an affordable piece like Roslovic. Unfortunately, the young forward’s move to a new agent likely implies he wants someone to put more pressure on them to make a move than his last agent did. If Roslovic hits the trade market, expect his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets to be interested.
- The Vancouver Canucks may have lost prospect defenseman Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL two years ago, but they remain interested in bringing him back. The Province’s Patrick Johnston reports that GM Jim Benning is keeping tabs on the big blue liner and looks forward to hopefully having him back with the team down the road. Tryamkin has one year remaining on his contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, so the reunion won’t be coming this off-season. However, talks have already begun with agent Todd Diamond about a future deal. Tryamkin initially left the team over frustration with role in the season-and-a-half he spent in North America. However, the 2014 third-round pick has improved his play in Russia and has also developed into a locker room leader for Avtomobilist. He would likely play a much larger role for the Canucks in his second time around.
Jori Lehtera, Antti Niemi Sign In KHL
Pavel Datsyuk won’t be the only former NHL player signing in the KHL today. R-Sport in Russia is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera has signed a one-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg, while Jokerit Helsinki have announced they agreed to terms with Montreal Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi on a one-year deal. Both players are technically still under NHL contract through the end of the month, but are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Lehtera, 31, never did work out in Philadelphia after coming over from the St. Louis Blues in 2017, and found himself in the minor leagues this season after clearing waivers. Add that demotion to a drug-related charge in Finland and it’s easy to see why he is leaving the NHL landscape for Russia to continue his career. This won’t be the first time he suits up in the KHL, as Lehtera spent four years dominating the league before ever playing in the NHL. His final season, 2013-14, he registered 44 points in 48 games and will try to get back to that level of offensive production.
Niemi meanwhile struggled last season with the Canadiens and likely wasn’t going to find another NHL backup role. Once a top young goaltender who took the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup victory, the 35-year old’s play has deteriorated to the point where he was bought out by Dallas and played for three different teams in 2017-18. His .887 save percentage in the most recent season wasn’t enough for the Canadiens to retain him, especially when they have Charlie Lindgren ready to compete for an NHL spot behind Carey Price.
Pavel Datsyuk Signs In KHL
There will be no NHL return for Pavel Datsyuk. The veteran Detroit Red Wings forward has officially signed with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, his hometown team in the KHL.
This was always the most likely outcome, even if the 40-year old center had left the door slightly open by mentioning that the Red Wings would be the only team he would return for. It didn’t make a lot of sense for Detroit to bring him back during a short rebuild, especially as they try to establish their next franchise player in Dylan Larkin. Dastyuk, while still effective in the KHL, may have been more of a distraction than anything for the Red Wings this season.
Still, playing another year in his hometown is a nice capstone to an incredible career. Datsyuk was originally selected in the sixth round of the 1998 draft, and wouldn’t make his presence felt in Detroit for another few years. Once he hit the NHL scene however there was no stopping him, as the incredible two-way forward recorded 918 points in 953 regular season games while taking home three Selke trophies as the league’s top defensive forward and leading the Red Wings to two Stanley Cups. As he got older, he returned to Russia to be closer to his family and continued his outstanding production, posting 147 points in 166 KHL contests and taking home the Gagarin Cup in 2017. There is very little that Datsyuk hasn’t accomplished, especially after finally winning an Olympic gold medal last spring as captain of the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
It seems extremely unlikely that Datsyuk will consider an NHL return now, meaning the 2015-16 season will be his last in North America.
Snapshots: Datsyuk, Faulk, Karlsson, Sutter
Despite some initial speculation early this off-season, it seems an NHL comeback for Pavel Datsyuk is unlikely. Speaking to Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press, agent Dan Milstein stated that Datsyuk’s probable landing spot remains his home town of Yekaterinburg with the KHL’s Avtomobilist. A free agent after wrapping up a very successful three-year stint with SKA St. Petersburg, Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving SKA and was hoping to land somewhere more familiar to he and his family. The 40-year-old center’s NHL rights are currently owned by the Arizona Coyotes, but they expire on July 1st with the start of the new league year. As such, there was some thought that he could return to the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent all 14 years of his NHL career. Datsyuk would be joining a team now run by fellow Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and even in his advanced age, Datsyuk would have had the chance to return to a key role for Detroit. Although he recently visited the city and reportedly spoke to Yzerman and company, Milstein maintains that Datsyuk is more likely to settle into a cushy role in Yekaterinburg. “We are meeting in the coming days to discuss options and future plans,” Milstein said, but it seems that the decision is already close to being made. “It’s very likely Pavel will live up to his promise of playing for his hometown team in Russia.”
- In an article offering up some trade suggestions over the waning days of the NHL postseason for those teams no longer in the running, USA Today’s Kevin Allen notes that teams may not want to waste their time trying to pry a defenseman out of Carolina. The Hurricanes succeeded this season largely because of their strength on the back end and GM Don Waddell appears more concerned with maintaining that depth rather than leveraging it. Allen reports that the team is engaged in extension talks with long-time stalwart Justin Faulk, whose current contract expires after next season. Allen adds that the team is not interested in dealing Faulk or any of their top-four defensemen at this time, which certainly includes Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce, but may also include their big free agent addition from last summer, Calvin de Haan. The one defenseman who might have been dangled as trade bait is Trevor van Riemsdyk who, like Faulk, has only one year remaining on his contract. However, a long-term injury that will see van Riemsdyk on the sidelines to begin the season will probably put a damper on any trade talks. van Riemsdyk’s early-season absence will also allow youngsters Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean to see some NHL ice time, keeping all blue line parties content through another season at least.
- Offer sheets remain a rare occurrence in the NHL – the last came in 2013 – but that doesn’t stop talk from spreading every off-season that one of the top restricted free agents could finally land such an offer. One prominent RFA whose name has not been associated with an offer sheet thus far, perhaps should be, writes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Schoen believes that center William Karlsson is a prime candidate for an offer sheet this summer. The Vegas Golden Knights are already buried in payroll and the off-season has yet to begin. CapFriendly estimates that they are already over the projected $83MM ceiling for next season, yet still have Karlsson, Nikita Gusev, Malcolm Subban, and others to re-sign. The Knights will be forced to move out salary regardless, but a substantial offer sheet signed by Karlsson may be too much for Vegas to match. Specifically, Schoen names the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and Detroit Red Wings as potential suitors, citing cap space and need for all four teams.
- While it is not a done deal, the Los Angeles Kings don’t appear worried about losing one of their key free agents. Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Kings are close to extending Brett Sutter, the captain of the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Sutter, 32, is a respected veteran who Rosen states is a “great conduit between the coaching staff and dressing room.” An experienced and productive minor league forward, Sutter is the type of dedicated player that all organizations like to have around and it seems he will be back with L.A. for at least one more year.
Libor Sulak Heading To KHL
The Detroit Red Wings took a shot when they signed Libor Sulak to a two-year contract in 2017, inking the undrafted Czech defender to an entry-level deal. They even allowed him to play in Finland that season to continue his development, before bringing him to North America this year to play in the minor leagues. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear like that will continue, as Sulak has signed with HC Severstal in the KHL. Scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, Sulak’s rights can be retained by the Red Wings if they issue him a qualifying offer.
Sulak, 25, ended up playing in six NHL games with the Red Wings this season but was held scoreless. He contributed 14 points in 61 contests with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but that apparently wasn’t enough to keep him in North America. An experienced international player, Sulak never did seem to click on this side of the pond and couldn’t get his offensive game to match the production he had in Europe.
His departure leaves the Red Wings with even fewer options for the blue line in 2019-20, as they have just five players signed to one-way deals. That means there is plenty of room for competition between some of the other young players, including the recently signed Oliwer Kaski and prospects like Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek. Looking even further, all three of Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley are unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2020, meaning the Red Wings’ defense corps could look very different in the coming years.
Kristers Gudlevskis Re-Signs In KHL
After another solid performance at the IIHF World Championship, Kristers Gudlevskis is staying at home. The Latvian netminder has re-signed with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, ending any speculation that he may revisit an NHL career this season. Gudlevskis became a Group VI unrestricted free agent when his last contract expired in 2018 with the New York Islanders, and decided to return to Latvia after struggling to find much NHL opportunity.
The 26-year old goaltender was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2013, and actually made his NHL debut the following season. Despite that quick entrance into the North American landscape, Gudlevskis battled through five seasons in the AHL and only received two other NHL appearances. Last season he returned to the KHL where he posted a .910 save percentage even on a poor Riga team, before suiting up for the national team in his fourth World Championship.
It didn’t seem likely that there was much of an NHL opportunity for Gudlevskis this offseason, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be down the road. We have recently seen Mikko Koskinen return after several years abroad to land a multi-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers despite little NHL experience. Perhaps Gudlevskis can pull of the same feat, though he’ll need to find even more success in the KHL.
Nikita Soshnikov Signs In KHL
The St. Louis Blues won’t be re-signing Nikita Soshnikov this summer. The oft-injured forward has decided to take his talents back to Russia, and today signed a two-year contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa after the team acquired his rights from SKA St. Petersburg in exchange for those of young forward Vladimir Tkachev. In the release, the team mentions that Soshnikov has not completely given up on an NHL career.
Soshnikov, 25, originally signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 after going undrafted. The speedy forward had excelled as a young player in the KHL and looked to be a legitimate prospect for the Maple Leafs, who allowed him to develop in the minor leagues during his first season in North America. After a late-season taste of the NHL, he ended up playing nearly the entire next year there, but was limited by injury and recorded just nine points in 56 games. In March, 2017, he was hit twice by Zdeno Chara in the same game and suffered a concussion that would torpedo the rest of his time in Toronto.
Eventually finding himself on the Blues in 2017-18 after threatening to use his European Assignment Clause in order to return to Russia, Soshnikov would again miss a good chunk of the season due to injury. He would play just 12 games for them that season, and five this year. Scheduled to become a restricted free agent, the Blues can temporarily retain Soshnikov’s exclusive rights by issuing him a qualifying offer, but at this point he obviously intends on getting his career back on track back in Russia.
Blackhawks Must Decide Whether To Sign Goaltender Ivan Nalimov
The Chicago Blackhawks still have veteran Corey Crawford starting in net next season. After that, there are still quite a few questions. One of those is whether the franchise should bring over one of their top prospects, as The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that goaltender Ivan Nalimov has expressed interest in coming to the U.S. to continue his career.
The team still has Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen, and restricted free agent Anton Forsberg in the system, but Nalimov presents an interesting option. Drafted in the sixth round in 2014, the 24-year-old Nalimov has played in the KHL for five years now, putting up his best numbers in the 2017-18 season when he put up a .938 save percentage in 27 games. Nalimov expressed interest in coming over last year, however with no goaltending openings in their system, the Blackhawks opted against bringing him over, prompting a trade request which he later rescinded. This year has been less impressive for Nalimov, who posted a .917 save percentage in 18 appearances, yet the goaltender has expressed an interest in coming over yet again, according to Powers.
The Blackhawks could have an opening now as the team must first make a decision on what to do with Forsberg. The 26-year-old put up solid numbers once again with the Rockford Ice Hogs, putting up 15 wins and a 2.64 GAA, but most importantly, a .919 save percentage, which tied him for third in the AHL. Unfortunately, for Forsberg, Delia has surpassed him as the team’s No. 1 prospect and is the likely candidate to take over backup duties behind Crawford. No longer waiver exempt, the team could end up losing Forsberg for nothing if a team claims him at the start of the season. The team could place Lankinen in the starting role in Rockford and after leading Finland to the gold medal at this year’s World Championships, he might be ready for that role. That could give Nalimov a chance to be the backup for the Ice Hogs.
Of course, all that depends on what the Blackhawks intend to do this summer. The team could just as easily bring in another veteran back-up goaltender and push their prospects back a spot in the depth chart, which would once again leave Nalimov in limbo.
Islanders Notes: Clutterbuck, Ho-Sang, Sorokin, Prospects
In a detailed piece for The Athletic, Arthur Staple talks to New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and fills the gaps in some of the latest rumors surrounding the team. While much of the discussion is on players who could push for roles with the Isles next season, the main topic is regarding a player whose role is already a lock – if he’s healthy that is. Staple writes that veteran forward Cal Clutterbuck has already undergone off-season surgery, after revealing following the team’s playoff exit that he had been playing through several back injuries, including slipped discs, rotated vertebrae, and a stress fracture. Facing either a regiment of rest and rehab in hopes the pain would subside or instead invasive surgery for a more permanent solution, Clutterbuck chose the later and went under the knife late last month. Lamoriello states that doctors hoped the surgery would still leave Clutterbuck enough time to recuperate before training camp, but there is some doubt. One way or another, it will be close and the physical forward likely won’t be at full strength for the start of the preseason. With Andrew Ladd already expected to miss the start of next season, New York hopes to have Clutterbuck ready for the season opener and Lamoriello expects that to be the case, but it will be a process worth monitoring this summer and into the fall.
- Lamoriello confirmed to Staple that polarizing forward Joshua Ho-Sang will be back with the Islanders next season. A restricted free agent, Ho-Sang requires a qualifying offer to remain Isles’ property and Lamoriello and company will give him just that. Beyond a QO, the GM would not guarantee anything else for Ho-Sang though. Lamoriello said that the 2014 first-round pick, who played in just ten games with New York this season, will “be in camp and like all the young players, he’ll determine his future.” If Ho-Sang refuses to sign his qualifying offer or does so and then becomes unhappy with his role again next season, he will be a prime trade candidate for the Islanders.
- One young player who won’t be in camp and likely won’t don an Islanders jersey at all next season is Russian goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin, 23, has been dominating the KHL for four years now as arguably the best goalie in the league. There is little doubt that he will find success when he does make the jump to the NHL. However, he still has a year remaining on his contract with CSKA Moscow and Lamoriello reports that this makes it next to impossible for him to come over before the end of next season. Yet, the two sides stay in constant contact about the possibilities. “There’s certainly dialogue all the time, but he does have a contract so there are extenuating circumstances. He’s someone we’d love to have come over as soon as possible.” With Sorokin not an option for next season, the Islanders still have a tough decision to make in net, with Vezina Trophy candidate Robin Lehner hitting free agency and in search of a long-term deal.
- Lamoriello and the Islanders are understandably excited by the development of 2018 first-round pick Noah Dobson, who just won his second consecutive Memorial Cup and Memorial Cup All-Star nod. The well-rounded defenseman seems ready for the pros and Lamoriello specifically said that he “can’t get any higher in junior hockey than he’s gotten.” Dobson will be given the chance to break camp with the Islanders, but unfortunately for him he may have a disadvantage again fellow top defensive prospect Bode Wilde. As a teenage Canadian junior player, Dobson is ineligible to play in the AHL next season and would need to be returned to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL if he does not stick with the Islanders. Wilde, a second-round pick last year, also plays Canadian junior but was drafted out of the U.S. junior system and thus faces a different set of AHL eligibility rules. If Wilde, who is also coming off a strong season, shows well in camp, he could be the preferred prospect to stick based on that two-way flexibility. With the Islanders’ depth on defense, it’s hard to see either player having a major role in New York next season regardless, but the team could opt to deal from a position of strength this off-season to open up space for either Dobson or Wilde to have a shot at regular ice time next season.