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Flames Notes: Yelesin, Smith, Neal, Stajan

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In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman needed just one “thought” to drop several pieces of interesting information about the Calgary Flames. The insider begins with KHL defenseman Alexander Yelesin. Friedman follows up on his initial report about the Flames’ interest in the Russian rearguard by saying that the question is not “if” but “when” when it comes to a deal getting done. KHL free agency opened today, so it’s only a matter of time before a contract becomes official it seems. The 23-year-old is undersized and not overly productive, but that hasn’t stopped NHL teams from toying with the idea of signing him for several years due to his skating and dependable defensive play. Calgary will finally be the team to pull the trigger, despite their depth on the blue line. As of now, Yelesin would be behind Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, Travis Hamonic, and T.J. Brodie and competing for ice time with youngsters Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimaki, and Oliver Kylington. That’s a lot of capable defensemen in the mix and trade rumors will no doubt swirl this off-season about the Flames moving one of this group.

  • Next, Friedman mentions that the Flames have not yet closed the door on a return for veteran goaltender Mike Smith. The 37-year-old UFA netminder split starts with David Rittich this season, who also needs a new contract as a restricted free agent. Friedman doubts that a new deal to keep Smith in Calgary would be longer than a year, but the team could opt to go with the tandem that led them to the best record in the West this season for one more go-round. Smith put up pedestrian numbers in the regular season – an .898 save percentage and 2.72 GAA – but was significantly better in 2017-18 and could have another strong campaign in him. The postseason showed that, as Smith was arguably the Flames’ best player in their unexpected first-round loss. There will be other options available to Calgary on the free agent market and via trade, but if they are unable to add any of their top options, don’t be surprised to see them go with the devil they know.
  • Finally, Friedman writes that the problematic James Neal is not yet at the point that GM Brad Treliving would entertain attaching a high pick to make a move. After signing a five-year, $28.75MM contract with Calgary last summer, Neal responded with far-and-away the worst season of his career, recording just 19 points in 63 games (his previous low had been 37). It wasn’t just a case of poor PDO for the 31-year-old forward either; Neal often looked slow and lethargic in all three zones all season long and even more so in the playoffs. There’s no telling whether Neal can bounce back next year or whether this is only a sign of things to come, but the Flames will at least wait to find out if a fair trade doesn’t come around this summer. With just late first- and third-round picks in the first 100 selections of this year’s draft, it is no surprise that the team is unwilling to move a high pick this year or next year to rid themselves of Neal’s contract before giving the respected veteran scorer another chance to prove himself.
  • In non-Friedman news out of Calgary, long-time Flames forward Matt Stajan has announced his retirement. Stajan wrapped up a 16-year NHL career split between Calgary and the Toronto Maple Leafs when he departed for Europe last season at age 35. Stajan was actually very productive this season for German club EHC Munchen, registering 33 points in 52 games en route to a finals appearance, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the game. Munchen released a statement today that named Stajan as one of several players leaving the team by way of retirement. Also hanging them up is fellow long-time NHLer and leading scorer John Mitchell and captain Michael Wolf, as EHC has their work cut out for them this off-season. Stajan leaves the game with more than 1000 NHL appearances to his credit, along with over 400 points and his reputation as a reliable two-way winger. Don’t be surprised to see Stajan end up back in hockey in another capacity before too long, perhaps even with the Flames.

 

Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins Recall “Black Aces”

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Recalls and reassignment are few and far between these days, with just eight teams still alive in the NHL and AHL alike. A flurry of activity occurred today though, as two surviving Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders have called up a number of players from their AHL affiliates, who both ducked out of the Calder Cup Playoffs with first-round losses. According to the AHL, both the Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins have recalled their “black aces”, the group of minor league players brought up largely to practice with the NHL team during the postseason once their own season is over. With the salary cap not a factor in the postseason, most big league teams often choose to bring up a large number of AHLers for the experience, as well as emergency depth, and the Avs and Bruins have done just that.

Little more than a paper move for the Avalanche, the team has called up five players from their neighboring affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The group includes goaltender Pavel Francouz, defenseman Anton Lindholm, and forwards A.J. Greer, Dominic Toninato, and Logan O’Connor. Each of these players has logged time with the Avs this season, with Greer leading the way with 15 games while the others all played in at least two. The skaters played minimal roles and combined for just three points, but Francouz, a veteran import from the KHL, was clutch in two relief appearances with a .943 save percentage and 1.96 GAA. Yet, it is Francouz who is least likely to see any playoff action as the third-string keeper. With lineup regular Matt Calvert battling an injury, one of the forwards could in fact make an appearance in this postseason. Greer and O’Connor, who finished second and third respectively in Eagles scoring, would be the top candidates.

Boston’s recruits are not coming from far away either, as they have called up a whopping 13 players from the nearby Providence Bruins. Forwards Anton Blidh – who signed an extension earlier today – Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, Zach Senyshyn, Lee Stempniak, Jack Studnicka, and Jordan Szwarz and defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen, and Jakub Zboril have joined the club. Amazingly, all but Fitzgerald, Studnicka, and Szwarz have suited up for Boston this season and Szwarz played in a dozen NHL games last year. The least experienced name is actually the most exciting, as this will be Studnicka’s first non-training camp experience with the Bruins. The 20-year-old, who most consider the Bruins’ top prospect, is fresh off a 73-point regular season and point-per-game postseason in the OHL and his NHL debut is highly anticipated. However, it is very unlikely to come in these playoffs. In fact, the Bruins are deep at every position as is and it would be a surprise to see any of their “black aces” take the ice outside of extenuating circumstances. On the other had, the team could use some energy and offense in their current series, so who knows.

Snapshots: WHL, Drouin, KHL

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The WHL handed out their awards today, and several NHL prospects took home some hardware. Ian Scott of the Toronto Maple Leafs took home the Goaltender of the Year award, Ty Smith of the New Jersey Devils was named Defenseman of the Year, and Joachim Blichfeld of the San Jose Sharks was awarded the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as Player of the Year.

All three players exceeded expectations this season, but the most interesting may just be Blichfeld who was a seventh-round pick of the Sharks back in 2016. While he will turn 21 this summer and was older than much of his competition, the simple fact that he’s developed so well from his draft day is a huge win for San Jose. The team already signed him to an NHL contract back in late 2017. The Sharks have done extremely well pulling value from the late rounds, as Kevin Labanc (171st overall in 2014) and Joakim Ryan (198th in 2012) are already paying off for them in this year’s playoffs.

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced today that Jonathan Drouin underwent minor surgery yesterday to correct a fractured nose. The 24-year old forward had mentioned an injury that would keep him from playing in the IIHF World Championship, but it wasn’t clear exactly what that was. The release notes that Drouin is expected to resume his training in two to three weeks, meaning he’ll be ready in plenty of time for training camp in a few months.
  • KHL free agency opened today and some familiar names have already re-signed, meaning there won’t be any NHL returns for them this season. Brandon Kozun, Paul Postma, Eric O’Dell, Anton Lander and Stephane Da Costa, have all signed new deals. The previously reported trade of Jiri Sekac to CSKA Moscow in exchange for the rights to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Igor Ozhiganov was also officially filed today.

Morning Notes: Datsyuk, Worlds, Fix-Wolansky

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Pavel Datsyuk’s contract has come to an end with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, but he’s not yet a completely unrestricted free agent. Datsyuk’s NHL rights still belong to the Arizona Coyotes until July 1st after they took on his contract in a cap relief deal. Still, Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News reports that the veteran forward is on his way to Michigan soon to discuss options with his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, and that he would only return to the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings.

That by no means guarantees a return for Datsyuk, who according to Kulfan would also consider playing for his hometown team in Russia. That would be Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, who actually had an outstanding 2018-19 season but were upset in the second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. That option still does seem the most likely, given that Datsyuk will turn 41 in July.

  • Auston Matthews won’t be heading to the IIHF World Championship later this month, but the next potential American-born first-overall pick will be there instead. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs star would not take part in the tournament, but Jack Hughes will join his brother on the USA squad. Hughes has just finished smashing nearly every record possible over the last year in the USNDTP and U-18 tournament, and will now try to show off his skills for the New Jersey Devils who hold the top pick in June’s draft.
  • Team Canada has also added another player to their roster, bringing in Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann. The Canadians have a few spots left for late additions, but will rely on the likes of John Tavares, Sean Couturier and Mark Stone to form the veteran core up front.
  • The Cleveland Monsters have added Trey Fix-Wolansky on an amateur tryout for the rest of the season, after his Edmonton Oil Kings were eliminated from WHL playoff contention. Fix-Wolansky was a seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018 but put up 102 points in 65 games as the captain of the Oil Kings this season, and has already signed his entry-level contract that will kick in next season.

Snapshots: Francis, Maple Leafs, Pavelski

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If you’re looking for someone to credit for the success that the Carolina Hurricanes are having right now, it’s easy to name head coach Rod Brind’Amour, GM Don Waddell or even new owner Tom Dundon. One person who may be deserving of a good chunk of that credit though is former GM Ron Francis, who was let go before this season even started.

No, Francis wasn’t the man to pull the trigger on the Dougie Hamilton or Nino Niederreiter trades, but his fingerprints are still all over the roster. He was the GM who signed captain Justin Williams to a two-year, $9MM contract despite the forward being over 35. He orchestrated contract extensions for Brett Pesce ($4.025MM AAV) and Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM) that look like absolute steals right now, and he was the one who selected Sebastian Aho with the 35th pick in 2015. On Sportsnet radio today Francis admitted that he is interested in returning to management, and John Shannon notes that his contract expires on June 30th. It will be interesting to see where Francis lands, and in what role.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are expecting to add a Russian on Wednesday according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, though it is not exactly clear who that would be. McGran suggests it is likely either Yegor Korshkov, a draft pick of the Maple Leafs who is expected to sign his entry-level contract this summer, or Ilya Mikheyev, who has been linked to the team in recent weeks. With the KHL season officially ending today and contracts expiring, many names will be signing over the next several days.
  • The San Jose Sharks will still be without captain Joe Pavelski when they take on the Colorado Avalanche today, as he did not travel with the team to Denver. The Sharks haven’t listed exactly what Pavelski is dealing with, but he hasn’t played since suffering the scary head injury against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Gustav Nyquist, who flew home for the birth of his child, is expected to play for the Sharks.

KHL Notes: Andrighetto, Mamin, Ozhiganov

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Despite still being in the NHL playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche, Sven Andrighetto has been linked to a different team for the 2019-20 season. A report from Sport-Express has Andrighetto expected to join Avangard Omsk next season in the KHL, after his current contract with the Avalanche expires this summer. Obviously nothing is official yet given that he won’t become a restricted free agent until July 1st, meaning there’s no guarantee he ends up overseas. In fact, AJ Haefele of BSN Denver asked the forward about it and he said he hasn’t had any conversations about next year with his agent yet.

Andrighetto hasn’t played since the first round against Calgary, but actually might draw back into the lineup tonight given his early departure from the morning skate. Still the 26-year old Andrighetto has seen his role with the Avalanche diminish greatly, averaging fewer than ten minutes of ice time since the beginning of March. He played 64 games this season for the Avalanche and is scheduled to be an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer for the final time. His current contract carries a $1.4MM cap hit.

  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express is reporting that Maxim Mamin has signed a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow, where he spent the second half of this season. Mamin was loaned to the KHL club in late November and played 25 games with them during the regular season. The 24-year old forward is a restricted free agent this summer and can sign anywhere, though the Florida Panthers will retain his exclusive rights if they issue him a qualifying offer. Mamin has four points in 33 career NHL games.
  • There has been speculation that Igor Ozhiganov could return to the KHL this season after seeing his role on the Toronto Maple Leafs effectively terminated this season after the arrival of Jake Muzzin, and Sport-Express is now reporting that the defenseman’s KHL rights have been transferred to Ak Bars in exchange for former NHL player Jiri Sekac. That lends some credence to the idea that Ozhiganov is on his way home, but like Mamin the Maple Leafs could retain his rights (at least temporarily) by issuing him a qualifying offer.

Snapshots: Samberg, Moutrey, Mikheyev

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The Winnipeg Jets won’t be signing one of their top defensive prospects this summer, as Dylan Samberg is heading back to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for next season according to Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune. Samberg recently completed his sophomore year and has won consecutive NCAA titles with the Bulldogs.

Originally selected 43rd overall in 2017, Samberg has developed into one of the most feared defensemen in the country and looked ready to make the jump to professional hockey this season. The 6’4″ 215-lbs defender has twice suited up for Team USA at the World Juniors, bringing home silver and bronze medals. That’s a lot of hardware for the young Samberg, who could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021 if Winnipeg fails to sign him.

  • The Rockford IceHogs will have Nick Moutrey around for another year, as the team announced today that they have signed the 23-year old center to a one-year AHL contract. Moutrey was a fourth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013 but has failed to reach the NHL. The 6’3″ forward had just five points in 49 games this season, but will provide another big body willing to go into the corners for the IceHogs next year.
  • Reports out of Russia make it sounds like the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs are the final two contenders for Russian forward Ilya Mikheyev, but he won’t announce his decision quite yet. The 24-year old winger will see his KHL contract with Avangard Omsk expire at the end of the month, making him free to sign with whoever he wants. After scoring 45 points in 62 games this season there were several teams chasing his services.

KHL Notes: Goldobin, Prokhorkin, Langhamer

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There were rumors last week that Nikolay Goldobin was being pursued by the KHL, but even with his recent agent change that doesn’t seem imminent. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet spoke with Goldobin’s new agent Sergei Isakov, who explained that the young forward would be returning to the Canucks next season.

Obviously nothing is guaranteed given that Goldobin is still a restricted free agent that needs a new contract, but his return to Vancouver at least indicates that the two sides are still willing to try and make their relationship work. Goldobin recorded 27 points in 63 games for the Canucks this season but hasn’t been able to fully tap into the huge potential that made him the 27th overall pick in 2014. The 23-year old forward has put up excellent offensive seasons in the minor leagues, but has just 46 points in 124 games in the NHL.

  • Earlier this month Los Angeles Kings GM Rob Blake confirmed that they would offer Nikolai Prokhorkin a contract, and it seems as though the talented Russian forward is going to accept. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express tweets that Prokhorkin himself confirmed he is going to sign with the Kings, giving the organization another offensive option for next season. The 25-year old forward put up 20 goals and 41 points in 41 games for SKA St. Petersburg this season, his sixth full year since returning the the KHL after his contract signed in 2012 with the Kings was voided.
  • Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Marek Langhamer isn’t coming back to North America any time soon, as the 24-year old goaltender signed a two-year extension with Amur in the KHL. Langhamer actually played in two NHL games for the Coyotes but was loaned back to the Czech Republic in 2017-18 and hasn’t returned. His rights still belong to the Coyotes, but after finding such success in the KHL this season—the young goaltender posted a .929 save percentage in 19 appearances—there will obviously be an appetite to stay overseas.

Ville Pokka, Klas Dahlbeck Staying In KHL

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An NHL career never did materialize for former Chicago Blackhawks top prospect Ville Pokka. After a trade last season took him to the Ottawa Senators organization, he bolted for the KHL and signed with Avangard Omsk in the summer. Pokka has now signed a one-year extension with his KHL club, ending any chance he was going to return to North America this year. Klas Dahlbeck, who played for Chicago as well as the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes, has also re-upped in the KHL, signing a one-year extension with CSKA Moscow.

Pokka, 25, was originally selected 34th overall by the New York Islanders in 2012, but was one of the big pieces sent to Chicago for Nick Leddy in 2014. At that point, the young defenseman looked like a potential star after putting up 27 points in 54 games during his final year in Finland. Pokka got off to a great start with the Rockford IceHogs, and continued to rack up points throughout his minor league career. Unfortunately, his foot speed and defensive awareness were just never enough to earn a chance at the NHL level. He was traded to Ottawa without ever suiting up for Chicago.

Dahlbeck meanwhile was also a Blackhawks prospect for a time, selected by them in the third round of the 2011 draft. He made his debut for the club during the 2014-15 season but was sent to Arizona along with a first-round pick to bring Antoine Vermette to Chicago. He would end up playing 170 NHL games before leaving last season for the KHL, and won a Gagarin Cup with CSKA recently.

Nikolay Goldobin Linked To CSKA Moscow

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Canucks winger Nikolay Goldobin had an up-and-down season.  While he spent a fair amount of time on the top line, he was also a frequent healthy scratch.  Accordingly, some have wondered if he’d opt to re-sign with Vancouver or look to go back overseas.  The latter certainly appears to be an option as Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports (Twitter link) that CSKA Moscow of the KHL has interest in Goldobin, even suggesting that a deal with them is likely.

The 23-year-old has shown promise over his career but overall, he has yet to live up to his first-round draft billing after he was picked 27th overall by San Jose back in 2014.  He spent a couple of years in their farm system before the Sharks gave up on him, dealing him to the Canucks for Jannik Hansen back in 2017 who played in the KHL this past season (coincidentally with CSKA Moscow and he is not expected to return for 2019-20).

Goldobin received a lot longer of a look with Vancouver as he played in 38 games in 2017-18 after being acquired plus 63 contests in 2018-19.  However, head coach Travis Green has been critical of his all-around game, something that he will need to improve on considerably if he wants to lock down a full-time spot in the NHL, whether that’s for next season or further down the road.

If Goldobin does indeed go to the KHL, Vancouver will retain his rights assuming they tender him a qualifying offer (a likely occurrence no matter what).  He still has four years of team control remaining through the 2022-23 season so it’s certainly possible that a good showing back home could get him back with the Canucks before he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency.

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