Tampa Bay Loans Alexei Lipanov To The KHL
At least one more Lightning prospect will be playing in the coming weeks as Dynamo Moskva of the KHL announced that Tampa Bay has loaned Alexei Lipanov to them. However, unlike many of the players that have been loaned overseas while they wait for training camps to open, this one is for the duration of the season.
The 21-year-old was a third-round pick (76th overall) back in 2017 but his first full professional season didn’t go as planned. Lipanov played in just four AHL games with Syracuse and instead spent the majority of the year with ECHL Orlando. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the most productive with the Solar Bears either, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 37 games.
This won’t be Lipanov’s first stint in Dynamo’s system as he spent parts of three years in that system before coming to the OHL after being drafted. Perhaps a return home will be enough to get him going offensively again.
Lipanov still has two years left on his entry-level deal with Tampa Bay. As he’s no longer junior-aged, the contract will not slide a year as a result of this loan so assuming he returns for the 2021-22 season, he’ll have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer.
Arizona Coyotes Loan Barrett Hayton To Ilves in Liiga
With loans to Europe getting more and more common with plenty of delays in North America, the Arizona Coyotes will be sending forward Barrett Hayton, the fifth overall pick in 2018, to Finland to play in the Liiga for Ilves, according to Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan and confirmed (translation required) by Ilves themselves. While many of the most recent loans to Europe have been for the entire season, Morgan adds that this is a loan until the NHL training camp begins.
Hayton is definitely a player that would want to take advantage of getting in some early work before the 2020-21 season begins. Hayton had a rough 2019-20 season, playing 20 games with the Coyotes last season. The 20-year-old played 14 games before the World Juniors, however, with limited playing time with Arizona. He then was released to join Team Canada where he dominated scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games, leading Canada to the gold medal.
However, that’s where things went south as he injured his shoulder in the tournament and didn’t return to the Coyotes until Feb. 20 where he only appeared in six games before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus. He did make three playoff appearances with Arizona, but still didn’t earn significant minutes.
The forward could be a key to the Coyotes future if he can earn himself a full-time role with the team next season. However, a stop in Finland could give him some extra-needed playing time. He will be playing alongside division rival Juuso Valimaki of the Calgary Flames on Ilves.
Dominik Bokk Linked To The SHL
A month ago, Hurricanes prospect Dominik Bokk was slated to play with Krefeld in Germany. However, with the start of their season delayed once again, the team announced yesterday that he would be moving on with the hopes of finding somewhere he can play. It appears that location will be Sweden as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the winger is on his way to Djurgarden of the SHL.
This will be Bokk’s third straight year in the SHL but it will be his third different team after playing with Vaxjo in 2018-19 and Rogle last season. He has put up 40 points in 94 games with those two teams, numbers that are quite impressive for someone that was still eligible to play junior hockey. Playing against his peers at the World Juniors with Germany, he led them in scoring with six goals and two assists in seven games while helping them avoid relegation.
It’s unknown how long this loan will be for. While the original plan was to have the 20-year-old return from Krefeld when training camps opened up, Svensson notes that Djurgarden is seeking players to play the full season, not just a couple of months. As a result, it’s possible that Carolina may have to wait a little longer for Bokk, the centerpiece of the Justin Faulk trade last year, suit up in their system.
Olle Alsing Loaned To Graz99ers
The Ottawa Senators have sent another prospect overseas, loaning Olle Alsing to the Graz99ers in the Austrian professional league. Alsing will be recalled ahead of NHL training camp for the 2020-21 season.
Alsing, 24, was signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Senators in the spring of 2019 after excelling in the SHL. The young defender had led the league in +/- and was integral in helping Djurgardens get all the way to the league final. In 2019-20 he played even better, posting 20 points in 36 games in league play and then leading all defensemen in goals, assists and points during Champions League.
Now set to come to North America and push for a role in the Senators organization, Alsing will first get his skating legs back under him in Austria.
Minor Transactions: 10/12/20
The free agent market is still wide open with Alex Pietrangelo and others unsigned, but some minor transactions are also happening behind the scenes. We’ll keep track of some of the deals that don’t get the same headlines:
- Dalton Smith has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, returning to the team for a fourth season. Smith, 28, actually made his NHL debut in 2019-2- with the Buffalo Sabres but will not be eligible for recall on this deal.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have loaned Jan Drozg to HK Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia for the time being, giving him a chance to play while the North American seasons continue to wait. Drozg, 21, was the Penguins fifth-round pick in 2017 and split last season in the AHL and ECHL.
- Logan Day has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, bringing him over from the Edmonton Oilers minor league system after he was not given a qualifying offer. Day, an undrafted free agent signing out of division III college hockey, had 16 points in 48 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2019-20.
Predators Loan Egor Afanasyev To CSKA Moscow
One of the Nashville Predators’ top prospects is headed to one of the best teams in Europe. Egor Afanasyev, the Predators’ second-round pick in 2019, has been loaned to CSKA Moscow of the KHL, Nashville announced. The club did not specify whether the loan is for the entire 2020-21 season or merely until NHL training camp begins.
Afanasyev was born in Russia, but this will be his first time playing at a competitive level in his native country. Afanasyev moved to the United States earlier in his life and came up through the USHL before jumping to the OHL this past season. However, this move to the KHL – short or long term – could be a major benefit to Afanasyev’s development. The 6’4″, 200-lb. winger recorded 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games in his first OHL season and looked like he had already outgrown the junior ranks. Playing against older competition, and some of the best outside of North America, in the KHL will only help prepare Afanasyev to make the jump to Nashville sooner rather than later.
CSKA Moscow is not a bad place to start your pro career either. The 2019-20 regular season champs and 2018-19 Gagarin Cup champs are an elite squad. Afanasyev will be joining a roster that is flush with NHL experience and has made an effort to get younger. While he may not get significant ice time, Afansysev will be able to compete for opportunities and to learn from a number of player who know what it takes to break into the NHL.
Washington Capitals Sign Daniel Carr
The Washington Capitals have added a nice depth piece to the organization in a former AHL MVP. The team has announced a one-year, two-way contract with Daniel Carr. The deal carries a minimum $700K salary in the NHL, but a sizeable $415K salary in the AHL. Carr is currently playing with HC Lugano in Switzerland’s NLA, which will continue after the club announced that a loan agreement has already been reached.
Carr, 28, has always been an elite scorer in the minors, but has struggled to translate that ability to the NHL. In the past with the Montreal Canadiens, he put up good numbers as a part-time player but was never elevated to a full-time role. The past two years, playing with the Vegas Golden Knights and Nashville Predators and their respective affiliates, he has been relegated to a full-year AHL role, making just a few appearances on recall. This is likely the part he will play in Washington as well; the Capitals are deep up front in the NHL, but lack difference-makers in the AHL. Carr will likely play a major role for Hershey will making a handful of appearances in Washington.
Of course, the status quo could shift depending on how the Capitals resolve their salary cap woes. The team is currently over the upper limit and that is accounting for just 20 players per CapFriendly, not including one-way contracts belonging to the likes of Daniel Sprong and recent signing Paul LaDue. Washington also need to re-sign RFA defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. The team must move out some salary before the new season begins, and if that happens to be a top-nine forward then Carr could instead wind up with a permanent place in Washington as an experienced, affordable option.
Rangers Loan Tarmo Reunanen To Mestis
The Rangers have loaned defense prospect Tarmo Reunanen overseas as Tuto of the Mestis in Finland announced that they’ve added the blueliner on loan through December 15th.
It’s the season straight season that the 22-year-old has been loaned out as he spent all of last season with Lukko of the SM-liiga. He put up respectable numbers offensively in his second full campaign with them, picking up 19 points in 51 games along with a +17 rating and 32 penalty minutes.
Reunanen is actually entering the second year of his entry-level deal without ever playing a regular season game on a playing surface inside North America. When training camps get underway, he’ll report back to New York where he’s expected to start the season with AHL Hartford.
Islanders Loan Otto Koivula To HIFK
The Islanders have found a place for another one of their youngsters to play while we wait for NHL training camps to begin. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned forward Otto Koivula to HIFK in Finland.
The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last season, playing in a dozen games for New York where he was held off the scoresheet. However, he fared well at the AHL level with Bridgeport, tallying nine goals and 13 assists in 36 games although those numbers were down from his 46 points (21-25-46) in his rookie season. Koivula was on New York’s playoff roster although he didn’t get into any games.
Depending on what the Islanders do with their fourth line for next season, there could be an opening or two on the roster so a good start for Koivula could certainly give him a leg up heading into training camp. If not, he’ll likely be one of the first recalls during the season when injuries arise.
Detroit Red Wings Complete Loans, Sign Free Agents
The Detroit Red Wings have been checking several boxes on their offseason to-do list today. First, the team has officially assigned Joe Veleno to Malmo of the SHL and have changed Moritz Seider‘s loan from Mannheim of the DEL to Rogle of the SHL. These changes are important, as they signify full-season loans of two of the team’s top prospects. Veleno and Seider are expected to spend the entire 2020-21 season overseas, though the SHL season does usually end in March.
In a rebuilding year for the Red Wings, getting Veleno and Seider playing right away should be considered a benefit for their development. There is no clear schedule for the AHL at this point, and given that the NHL is targeting a January start date that should be considered the very earliest a minor league season could be held. The two first-round picks will instead get to play immediately and will have a full season in one of the best leagues in the world.
The team has also reached agreements with two of their restricted free agents, signing Adam Erne and Taro Hirose to one-year contracts. Both players were not included in yesterday’s qualifying offers, and now we know why. Erne and Hirose will both be back in the organization for at least one more year.
Hirose, 24, was signed out of Michigan State University in 2019 and made an impact down the stretch for the Red Wings, scoring seven points in 10 games. That level of production wasn’t carried into this year, but the entire Red Wings team was brutal and Hirose still did register plenty of offense at the minor league level. With an improved club and higher level of play, perhaps Hirose can still become an impact player for the team.
Erne on the other hand will likely never provide much offense at the NHL level, but can still serve a role as a depth option for the Red Wings this season. In 170 career games he has just 32 points, most coming with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018-19. Detroit GM Steve Yzerman knows Erne well from their time together with the Lightning and obviously feels he can still play a role in the organization.