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Central Notes: Klingberg, Koivu, Morrissey, Kayumov

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While many people may not have noticed as much with the impressive play of rookie Miro Heiskanen, the Dallas Stars have been missing their top defenseman John Klingberg for an entire month after suffering a hand injury. The team’s top defenseman, however, is closing on a return and is expected to be back somewhere around Christmas, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski.

“The latest we would think would be Dec. 27, the game after Christmas,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said earlier this week. “But he might be right before Christmas.”

Klingberg has already missed 13 games and is not expected to join the team for their upcoming four-game road trip starting on Sunday. However, the 26-year-old hopes to begin practicing with the team when they return from that road trip. While his hand has been improving, he still has trouble of doing specific things with his hand, which includes tying his skates. However, he has gotten clearance to do more with his hand.

“It’s been tough because I haven’t been able to lift anything with this hand,” Klingberg said. “I saw the hand doctor [Thursday], and they said they you are good to go and try as much as you can and no sharp pains. So, I am going to grab a stick next week and when the guys come back home we will see where I am.”

  • Sarah MacLellan of the StarTribune writes that with Minnesota Wild Mikko Koivu returning to Minnesota to get his lower-body injury looked at, the team hopes that other players might step up with more minutes available. Koivu led all forwards this season in ATOI with 18:32. That could mean more minutes for guys like Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter as well as youngsters Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway. “Mikko’s obviously a huge part of our team,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said. “He’s irreplaceable, but that’s a good opportunity for people to fill some different roles and get some more ice time. When we’re winning, we’re winning because we’re deep and everyone’s chipping in. That doesn’t change when somebody goes down.”
  • While sitting out for the last week, Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey has been doing nothing but studying film in his off time, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. Morrissey has watched more than a dozen NHL games, including some of his own to see what’s missing from his game, while keeping an eye on future opponents. In the meantime, the defenseman has passed all of his tests, while recovering from a lower-body injury, and hopes to return to the Winnipeg lineup on Sunday.
  • While the Chicago Blackhawks have liked what they see on the ice from 2016 second-round prospect Artur Kayumov so far in his early career, the 20-year-old picked up some negative publicity recently as the KHL announced that Kayumov has been suspended for 13 games after a hit to the head to Jokerit’s Jesper Jensen as well as punching a referee in the process. Kayumov, playing currently for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, has 11 points and 55 penalty minutes this season.

 

Sergei Shumakov Clears Unconditional Waivers, Signs A Minor League Deal With Florida

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Saturday: In a somewhat surprising move, Shumakov has inked a tryout deal with Springfield of the AHL, Florida’s minor league affiliate, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express.  That suggests he hasn’t given up on playing in the NHL just yet and will now try his luck in the Panthers organization.

Friday: Shumakov has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.

Thursday: The season of contract terminations continues, this time with the placement of Sergei Shumakov on unconditional waivers according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post and Chris Kuc of The Athletic. The Washington Capitals only signed the Russian forward in September, but obviously things have not worked out as planned between the two sides. Shumakov will likely be headed back to the KHL provided his termination goes smoothly.

Shumakov, 26, signed a one-year entry-level contract this offseason to try his hand at the NHL, but couldn’t crack the Capitals roster out of camp. After a career-high 40 points in the KHL last year, even his play at the AHL level wasn’t exceptional with just four points in ten games. Those ten sound like the only games he’ll play in North America, though after terminating his deal he could technically sign elsewhere around the NHL.

On the one-year deal, if Shumakov expressed a desire to return to Russia there was little reason for the Capitals to keep him around. Unless they had plans on recalling him soon, there’s little chance he would have agreed to a new contract in the summer, despite being a restricted free agent. Washington will give up those rights by terminating the deal.

It will be interesting to see if Shumakov returns to CSKA, where he played last season for the first time. There is always a chance that we see him back in North America down the line, but he’s no longer an asset of the Washington organization.

David Booth Signs In KHL

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Though he hasn’t played in a North American professional league since last season, David Booth’s career is certainly not over. The veteran NHL forward has signed on with Dynamo Minsk of the KHL for the remainder of the season. Booth played 28 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2017-18, and has previously played in the KHL for two other teams.

Booth, 34, was once a high-flying forward that could do a little bit of everything and be relied on for lofty offensive totals. Unfortunately that 30-goal ceiling was destroyed by several injuries, including a major concussion suffered in 2009 with the Florida Panthers. Booth was knocked unconscious by a brutal head shot from Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards, and would never reach the same offensive heights. His career continued through Florida and Toronto before heading overseas, where he first recorded 16 points in 23 games for Vladivostok in 2015-16.

For Detroit last season the former Michigan State University star scored just five points in those 28 games, and it was obvious that his NHL journey was nearly over. Still, he will try to continue his playing career in the KHL and show that he still has some of that offensive talent to contribute. Dynamo Minsk is having a terrible season at 9-22-4, but has plenty of NHL pedigree with players like Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Teemu Pulkkinen and Patrick Wiercioch leading the way.

Overseas Notes: Burmistrov, Svedberg, Austin

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Former Atlanta Thrashers top prospect Alexander Burmistrov really tried to make things work in the NHL. He committed to developing in North America with the OHL’s Barrie Colts, put up decent numbers as a young pro with the Thrashers/Jets, and even after a brief stint in the KHL, returned again and worked hard to find a fit in stops with Winnipeg, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Vancouver Canucks over the past two seasons. Burmistrov’s effort was there, but things just didn’t pan out and he returned to the KHL last season. Unlike in the NHL, teams in Russia are excited to have Burmistrov and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt even when his production doesn’t match the hype. Case in point: after returning to Ak Bars Kazan last year, Burmistrov registered six points in ten games, just three points in 17 playoff games, and has just five points in 27 games this year. Yet, Salavat Yulaev Ufa announced yesterday that they had acquired Burmistrov from Ak Bars for a trio of promising young players. The centerpiece is 24-year-old center Vyacheslav Osnovin who, at five points through 32 games, isn’t far off Burmistrov’s scoring pace. 19-year-old defenseman Alexander Lyakhov has been held scoreless in ten KHL games this season, but has the size and skating to make an impact down the road. Saveli Kuvardin, 17, is the final piece; a draft-eligible forward without any KHL experience, but with strong numbers in Russia’s junior ranks. A similar trade of this magnitude would never have been made to acquire Burmistrov in the NHL, but those are the perks of playing in your home country as an established pro. Now Burmistrov can get a fresh start in Ufa and hopefully make the deal worthwhile for his new team.

  • Viktor Svedberg was once considered to be a future fixture on the Chicago Blackhawks blue line, but after spending the past two seasons exclusively with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, he returned to his native Sweden this off-season. That stay didn’t last long, as Svedberg has left the SHL’s Linkoping HC after just seven games to sign with the KHL’s Barys Astana, the league’s entry in Kazakhstan, per a team release. Svedberg is far from a flashy player, but even as a 22-year-old rookie back when he first signed with Chicago in 2013, was a solid stay-at-home defender in the AHL. A reliable presence on the back end, Svedberg should help out Barys, a top ten team in the KHL, in their pursuit of a title.
  • Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brady Austin was unable to turn his PTO with the AHL’s Stockton Heat into a contract this year, despite accomplishing the same goal on a tryout with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters before last season. Without an opportunity in North America, Austin has signed on with the Esbjerg Energy of the Metal Ligaen in Denmark, the team announced. A low-level pro league, the Metal Ligaen has attracted very few NHL veterans. Yet, Esbjerg has managed to sign Austin and Brett Bellemore in the past week, boasting a blue line with two experienced North American pros. This would seemingly vault the Energy to one of the favorites to win the league championship this year.

Florida Panthers Loan Maxim Mamin To KHL

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Friday: Mamin has been officially loaned to CSKA Moscow.

Monday: Though their news release earlier today stated that Maxim Mamin was on his way to the Sprinfield Thunderbirds, Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Florida Panthers are doing something different with their young forward. Mamin will instead be loaned back to the KHL and join CSKA Moscow for the remainder of the season. Mamin’s NHL contract includes a European Assignment Clause, meaning he could force a move like this if the Panthers tried to send him to the minor leagues.

Mamin, 23, came over to North America last season and split the year between the Thunderbirds and Panthers, showing off his high-end playmaking skills at the minor league level especially. The sixth-round pick from 2016 had already found success in the KHL, but couldn’t replicate it during his short NHL experience. This year he was still without a point through seven games, and had been a healthy scratch more times than not. The fact that he was in the NHL for as long as he was may have been because the Panthers knew they would lose him if they tried to send him down, but they eventually needed to make a decision given their place in the standings.

Florida is now tied for last in the entire Eastern Conference and have just seven wins on the season, in a year which they were expected to challenge for a playoff position in the Atlantic Division. The team has oodles of young talent in the way of Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad, Mike Matheson and more, but haven’t been able to put things together this year. Mamin was assigned to the minor leagues earlier today alongside Denis Malgin in order to get Micheal Haley back into the lineup, to hopefully provide some physicality and spark to a listless group.

The question for the Panthers now is whether they’ll be able to convince Mamin to come back next season. Though he’ll remain under contract with the Panthers for the rest of this season, the young forward is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer and could very well choose to re-sign and stay with CSKA. His entry-level contract is set to expire, and he is not eligible for salary arbitration. The Panthers will retain his rights by issuing him a qualifying offer, but given the fact that there is no deadline for a deal to be signed the lure of the KHL will be tough to compete with.

Kristian Vesalainen Officially Assigned To KHL

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Though it had been expected since he was sent back down to the minor leagues, Winnipeg Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen has now officially been assigned to the KHL. Vesalainen’s rights were acquired by Jokerit recently, meaning he’ll be heading back to Finland to play this season and continue his development.

The 19-year old will now see his entry-level contract slide forward by one year, assuming that he doesn’t return to the Jets at the end of the season. He ended up playing five games for Winnipeg this season, scoring one point but showing that he’s not quite ready. In the AHL, where he spent eight games, he was a force scoring eight points and using his physicality and puck skills to create offense on nearly every shift. That’s the kind of production the Jets will hope he can muster in the KHL, where he is joining a solid organization in Jokerit. The team is off to a 20-5-3 start, and have plenty of former NHL talent in players like Sami Lepisto, Nicklas Jensen and Viktor Loov.

Even though he’ll be going back to Finland to play in arguably the second best league in the world, this isn’t a perfect situation for the Jets. They’ll have no control over Vesalainen’s development or ice time, and will have to hope that the organization gives him a strong opportunity to play. That’s not always a guarantee with players who are not committed long-term, something that Vesalainen surely isn’t. Next season you will almost certainly see him back in the Jets organization and trying to crack the NHL roster out of camp, something that seems very possible for the 24th pick from 2017.

Shane Prince Signs In KHL

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Despite the announcement that he would be returning to North America after his recent contract termination in Switzerland, veteran forward Shane Prince has instead signed with Sibir Novosibirsk in the KHL. The former New York Islanders player will spend the rest of the season with his new club, after which he could once again pursue opportunities back in North America.

Prince, 26, became an unrestricted free agent in the most recent offseason after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Islanders, and decided to take his talents overseas. After signing a two-year contract with HC Davos in the NLA, he recorded six points in 16 games before requesting his release. The team granted it and terminated his contract to allow him the opportunity to return to North America, something that clearly has not happened. After the season with Sibir, he will once again be an unrestricted free agent.

Once a promising prospect in the Ottawa Senators program, Prince failed to translate his huge minor league offense into much at the NHL level and was routinely bounced between the two levels. His career high came in 2016-17 with the Islanders when he registered 18 points in 50 games, but still couldn’t find much consistent playing time. After an injury plagued 2017-18 campaign, the team bid him farewell instead of risking salary arbitration.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Martinsson, Kovar, Niagara

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Eric Martinsson’s days with the Minnesota Wild seem to be numbered, but he’s not likely to be too upset about it. Swedish new source “Hockey News SE” reports that the Martinsson and the Wild have come to a mutual agreement that the recent free agent signing is to be placed on unconditional waivers in the near future for the purpose of terminating his contract. Martinsson, 26, signed with Minnesota back in May, looking to make the jump overseas after a successful stretch in the Swedish Hockey League with the Vaxjo Lakers. Instead of earning a spot on the NHL roster, Martinsson was in fact a relatively early cut from training camp. While the puck-moving blue liner has nine points through 13 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, he seems no closer to pushing for a chance in Minnesota than he did before the season began. As such, Martinsson would like to return home to Sweden and the Wild are expected to oblige him. Eric Martinsson is just the latest in a stream of players departing the North American minors to return to Europe this season, although Hockey New SE speculates that Martinsson’s return will be of considerable interest to many teams in the SHL.

  • Veteran forward Jan Kovar is also pondering a return to Europe. Kovar signed with the New York Islanders this summer after years of success in the KHL and in his native Czech Republic. Kovar was expected to not only compete for a job with the Isles, but potentially even center a scoring line. Instead, Kovar proved to be a poor fit with the team in camp and did not crack the starting lineup. His contract was quickly terminated, but in holding out hope for another NHL opportunity, he signed with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Kovar has nine points in ten games with Providence, while their parent club, the Boston Bruins, have struggled with injuries and consistency, but no contract offer seems to be coming. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver now reports that Kovar has not practiced with the team in two days and is supposedly weighing overseas contract offers. Divver believes that Kovar has offers in the KHL and NLA, as well as back home in the Czech Republic, but no such opportunities in North America. Divver additionally questions whether Kovar plays with the requisite pace to succeed in the NHL, a criticism that has come up frequently during his brief efforts this season.
  • Less than 25 games into the season doesn’t seem to be too early for a blockbuster trade in the Ontario Hockey League. The Kingston Frontenacs, with just seven win thus far the second-worst record in the league, have cashed in on two of their best assets. The Niagara Ice Dogs announced today that they have acquired Jason Robertson and Jacob Paquette from Kingston. Robertson, a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2017, has back-to-back 80+ point seasons and is currently fourth among OHL scoring leaders with 38 points and second in goals with 23. Paquette, a seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2017, is a big, physical defender and a locker room leader as well. Niagara is currently tied for second in the Central Division and tied for sixth overall in the league, but will almost certainly see a considerable boost from this trade. Yet, Kingston also received a king’s ransom in the deal. The Ice Dogs surrendered a total of eleven future draft picks, including three second-rounders and three third-rounders, as well as promising draft-eligible defenseman Billy Constantinou and forward Ian Martin. The Frontenacs may have disappointed their fans by virtually giving up on the season less than halfway in, but will reward them with a solid flow of talent for years to come.

Kristian Vesalainen Recalled By Winnipeg Jets

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November 20: Vesalainen has been reassigned to the Manitoba Moose once again, meaning he will likely use his contract clause to return to Finland and join the KHL.  It’s an extremely tough situation for the Jets, who obviously want him to remain in North America if possible.

November 16:  With reports surfacing that Kristian Vesalainen was set to leave the minor leagues and go back to the KHL after his rights were acquired this week by Jokerit, the Winnipeg Jets instead have recalled him from the AHL. It’s not completely clear if Vesalainen forced the recall with a threat of exercising his contract clause, but he’ll be in the NHL either way for the time being.

The Jets now find themselves in something of a predicament. Vesalainen can exercise the assignment clause at any point if they try to send him back to the minor leagues, but if he’s not ready to play on a full-time basis they risk wasting a year of his development just sitting him in the NHL press box. It’s clear they don’t want him returning to the KHL at the moment, but it’s hard to imagine they’d keep him on the sidelines for very long. After all, the 19-year old forward is a huge part of the Jets future after selecting him 24th overall in 2017 and already giving him his NHL debut this season. He recorded one point in that five-game NHL stint, and has eight in eight with the Manitoba Moose.

A strong, skilled forward, Vesalainen has already dominated the Finnish league and could do the same to the KHL if given the chance. Jokerit is also an excellent program, and is off to a great start this season at 18-5-3. The problem the Jets may see is that a team as strong as Jokerit might not give Vesalainen extensive ice time, especially if they know he won’t be back the following season. For now, the young forward will be in the NHL, but this is a story to follow closely in the coming days.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Rieder, Vesalainen

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The World Junior Championship is just over a month away, and the selection camp for Team Canada will begin on December 10th in Victoria, British Columbia. That camp will decide who takes part in the top junior tournament in the world, and there are already projections being made on who will be attending. Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet breaks down who he believes will be there battling for roster spots, and the group includes plenty of already drafted NHL prospects. Evan Bouchard (Oilers), Noah Dobson (Islanders) and Ty Smith (Devils) highlight an impressive blue line, while Alex Formenton (Senators), Cody Glass (Golden Knights) and Morgan Frost (Flyers) appear in a forward group that is going to have to cut some extremely talented prospects.

Perhaps most notably is the appearance of Alexis Lafreniere, who isn’t eligible for selection until 2020 but is the early favorite to go first overall. Even though he only turned 17 last month, Lafreniere already has 54 goals and 116 points in 81 regular season QMJHL games. Players as young as him often get left out of tournaments like this given they’ll have other chances in the future, but the Canadian brain trust may just have to bring him along like they have other exceptional talents in the past.

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