Fabian Zetterlund Loaned To HC Vita Hasten
The New Jersey Devils have sent another prospect overseas, loaning Fabian Zetterlund to HC Vita Hasten of the Swedish second league. Zetterlund is heading into the second year of his entry-level contract and coming off his first year of professional hockey in North America. He can be recalled in time for the 2020-21 NHL season.
Just 21, Zetterlund was a third-round pick (63rd overall) by the Devils in 2017 and spent the 2019-20 season with the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. In 46 games there the forward recorded 19 points, a relatively disappointing output that continued a pattern to this point in his career.
Though an excellent skater, Zetterlund has not been able to translate his speed and work ethic into much offense at almost any level, only really impressing during the 2016-17 junior season in Sweden. Even at the World Juniors in 2019 where he was a returning player and wearing an “A” as an alternate captain, Zetterlund was held completely scoreless. In his 66 games at the SHL level he had just 11 points, though he was much younger than most of the competition.
While there is a place in the NHL for hard-working forwards who are excellent on the forecheck, Zetterlund will have to start seeing some offensive improvement if he’s ever to really push for a spot with New Jersey. Perhaps a return to the Allsvenskan, a lower-tiered league than he is used to, will spark his scoring touch and get him back on the right development path.
Washington Capitals Loan Axel Jonsson-Fjallby To Vastervik IK
The Washington Capitals have sent another prospect overseas for the next few months, loaning Axel Jonsson-Fjallby to Vastervik IK of the Swedish second league. Jonsson-Fjallby is expected to be recalled in time for NHL training camps before the 2020-21 season, though it isn’t clear exactly when that will be at this point.
The 22-year-old forward is coming off his first full season in North America in which he played 61 games for the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Scoring 12 times and recording 23 points, the fifth-round pick showed that he can compete at the professional level and potentially be a depth option for the Capitals down the road. Jonsson-Fjallby is heading into the final season of his three-year entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer.
Given that he has already played multiple seasons in the SHL, the Allsvenskan should be even easier for Jonsson-Fjallby. The higher Swedish league decided not to take any more short-term loans of players on NHL contracts, meaning clubs around North America are scrambling to find minutes for their young prospects. The AHL season is completely up in the air at this point, with no concrete dates or plans in place thanks to an ever-changing COVID-19 situation in both the United States and Canada.
Canadiens Loan Hayden Verbeek To Banska Bystrica
After a pair of quiet seasons to start his professional career, Canadiens prospect Hayden Verbeek is getting a short-term change of scenery. The team announced that they’ve loaned the winger to Banska Bystrica of the Slovak league and that he’ll be recalled when training camps get underway.
Montreal signed the 22-year-old as an undrafted free agent in 2018 when he was in the midst of a career year with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL when he had 30 goals in 67 games, more than his the rest of his junior tenure (spanning 183 games) combined.
However, that hasn’t materialized in much success in the minors. Verbeek battled injuries this season and when he was healthy, he spent most of his time with Adirondack of the ECHL where he had five goals and 14 assists in 21 games. Over 54 career AHL contests though, he has just four goals and three assists.
Verbeek has one year remaining on his entry-level deal and through his first two seasons, he looks a potential non-tender candidate in the 2021 offseason. With that in mind, an early start to his season to get some extra game action could go a long way towards determining his future fate.
Hurricanes Loan Dominik Bokk To Krefeld
While Hurricanes prospect Dominik Bokk intends to make his North American debut next season, he’s not finished with his time overseas just yet. Krefeld of the DEL announced via their Facebook page that they’ve added the winger on loan from Carolina for the start of their season.
The 20-year-old was a first-round pick (25th overall) of St. Louis back in 2018 but he wasn’t with the Blues for long. He was moved to Carolina as the centerpiece of the Justin Faulk trade back during training camp in September but remained in Sweden which meant that his contract slid another year and will now expire following the 2022-23 season.
Bokk has spent the last two seasons in the SHL where he has produced well for a youngster. He spent this year on loan with Rogle and managed to pick up a respectable 11 goals in 45 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night of ice time. He was also quite productive in the World Juniors as he led Germany in scoring with six goals and two helpers in seven games while helping to keep them in the top division and avoid relegation.
As has been the case with many of these international moves in recent weeks, Bokk is expected to rejoin Carolina when training camps open up as his deal with Krefeld does contain an NHL out clause. In the meantime, he’ll get a chance to play closer to home and stay in shape while waiting for a chance to push for a roster spot with the Hurricanes a few months from now.
East Notes: Steen, Fenton, Patrick
Another young player will suit up overseas to begin the season as Boston Bruins minor league forward Oskar Steen has been loaned to IF Bjorkloven in the Swedish second league. Steen has one year left on his entry-level contract and has still yet to make his NHL debut, but did have a decent debut in the AHL. In 2019-20 the 22-year-old forward recorded 23 points in 60 games.
Steen will return to North America for training camp, though it’s still not exactly clear when that will be. Given he dominated the SHL the last time he played in Sweden, the sixth-round pick should find the Allsvenskan easy enough as long as he is given quality minutes.
- Bill Zito is in charge of the Florida Panthers now and he may be bringing in a former NHL GM to help. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Paul Fenton is “on the radar” to join Florida, and Chris Johnston points out that the former Minnesota Wild executive worked with Zito in Columbus this season as a scout. The first thing anyone thinks about when Fenton’s name is brought up is that infamous (and incredible) feature by Michael Russo of The Athletic, which detailed the 14-month period when he was in charge of the Wild. It’s easy to forget that before he was hired by Minnesota, Fenton was one of the most well-respected assistant GMs in the NHL, spending close to two decades beside David Poile with the Nashville Predators. Though his time in Minnesota will certainly color many expectations, it shouldn’t surprise many that he is in the mix for another NHL job.
- The Philadelphia Flyers season didn’t come to the end many were hoping for, but there are reasons for optimism moving forward. Namely, the health of Nolan Patrick, which continues to improve according to GM Cliff Fletcher. Patrick missed the entire season due to a migraine issue, but has been skating for the past few months and is apparently on the road to recovery. Still, Fletcher admitted that his future is still unclear until he starts practicing with contact. Patrick is a restricted free agent and will need a contract this offseason, but has just 61 points in 145 career games to this point.
Adam Huska Loaned To HKM Zvolen
While much of the focus this offseason revolves around the New York Rangers three-headed goaltending problem at the NHL level, another one of their netminders will head overseas to get his game in order. Adam Huska, who spent most of the season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has been loaned to HKM Zvolen in Slovakia to start the year.
Huska, 23, was a seventh-round pick of the Rangers in 2015 but has consistently developed his game in various North American leagues. The Slovakian-born netminder first joined the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL where he was named the goaltender of the year, before heading to the University of Connecticut in the NCAA. After an up-and-down collegiate career, Huska signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Rangers in 2019.
With just one year remaining on that contract, the young goaltender will have to prove he can handle the AHL before the Rangers commit to another deal. Huska recorded just an .894 save percentage in 28 games and will have some extra competition from Tyler Wall in 2020-21. For now, he’ll get started overseas and try to take his game to another level as we all wait for the AHL season to get underway at some point in the winter.
Overseas Notes: Hajek, Zboril, Plekanec, Sulzer
Add a pair of young defensemen to the ever-growing list of players heading to Europe to begin their 2020-21 seasons. Michael Kosturik of Czech source iSport reports that the New York Rangers’ Libor Hajek and the Boston Bruins’ Jakub Zboril with join HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga ahead of the start of the NHL season. Hajek, 22, is under contract with the Rangers for the coming season and the two teams are currently hammering out the details on a short-term loan. Zboril has joined the squad on his own accord as an impending restricted free agent. However, Kosturik does add that the Bruins are interested in an extension with the first-round prospect. Zboril has played in just two games for Boston, but has been a steady, consistent defender for the AHL’s Providence Bruins over three pro seasons. Hajek on the other hand played the majority of his games with New York this season and has 33 NHL games total on his resume. While offense has been hard to come by at any level, Hajek is growing into a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. The pair will provide a major boost to Brno to begin the season, who at this point have not been able to recruit any other NHLers on short-term loans or contracts.
- Long-time NHLer Tomas Plekanec played last season in Brno, but will now return to Rytiri Kladno of the Czech 2nd League, with whom he spent part of the 2018-19 season. Due to family reasons, Plekanec announced last month that he would be leaving Brno to return to his hometown of Kladno. However, it was unclear whether he would continue playing or not. Plekanec was very successful last season with 33 points in 50 games, but at age 37 no one would have been surprised to see him opt to retire. Yet, it seems his friend and legendary player-owner of Kladno Jaromir Jagr, 48, has convinced him to give it one last try – or more accurately two – as the club has announced a two-year deal with Plekanec. Plekanec and Jagr worked hard to get Kladno elevated from Czech2 to the Extraliga in 2018-19 only for the team to be relegated this past season in Plekanec’s absence. The duo will undoubtedly have their sights set on getting the club back to the top level again this year.
- One former NHLer who is calling it a career is defenseman Alexander Sulzer. Sulzer, 36, played in 131 NHL games with four teams over seven seasons in North America. One of the best defensemen to ever come out of Germany, representing the country twice at the Olympic Games, Sulzer returned home to play in the DEL in 2014-15. He spent five seasons with Kolner Haie before moving to Dusseldorfer EG last season. However, he never played for the team as he required surgery to remove a tumor on his spine last summer which caused him to miss the entirety of the season. In the year since his operation, Sulzer has come to the decision not to try to return to play and the DEL announced that he has officially retired. A big, balanced defenseman, Sulzer made an impact in the NHL and an even greater impact in his native Germany over a long career.
Jacob Moverare Loaned To SaiPa
The Los Angeles Kings have sent another prospect back overseas, loaning Jacob Moverare to SaiPa in Finland’s top league. Moverare has spent the last two seasons playing for Frolunda HC, but there was recently a ruling blocking short-term loans to the SHL without a previous contract (that’s why there have been so many loans to Allsvenskan, the Swedish second league).
Moverare, 22, had an outstanding stint with Frolunda, twice winning the Champions League title and taking home the SHL Championship in 2019. The big defenseman experienced a breakout in the 2019 playoffs and carried that strong play through this season, recording 19 points in 51 games.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Kings in 2016, Moverare is actually heading into the final season of his entry-level contract with Los Angeles and will be a restricted free agent in the 2021 offseason. While he still hasn’t suited up for a single NHL game, it does look like a roster spot with the Kings is in his future. In fact, he could potentially grab a spot for the 2020-21 season if the team decides to recall him from SaiPa when things get underway.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear when exactly that will be. As Frank Seravalli of TSN explains on Twitter, “hardly anyone” believes the season will be starting in early December as planned.
Snapshots: NHL Draft, Suter, Point
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be held a few days earlier than expected, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that it has been moved up to October 6-7. The change is thanks to a playoffs that is moving along briskly, with the first game of both conference finals already in the books.
An earlier draft only makes it even more imperative for teams like the Arizona Coyotes to get a new GM in place over the next few weeks, though it’s already probably too late for a new executive to really make his mark on the draft process. Even though four teams are still working to win the Stanley Cup, the offseason is fast approaching.
- Pius Suter is headed back to Switzerland for the time being, as expected. The 24-year old Chicago Blackhawks forward has been loaned to GCK Lions of the Swiss second league until training camp starts in North America. Suter signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks a few months ago after winning the MVP in Switzerland’s top league.
- Brayden Point has become one of the very best players in the entire NHL, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet examines his early case for the Conn Smythe trophy this year. Point now has 23 points in 14 postseason games and is an obvious leader on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, but is in just the first year of a contract that carries a $6.75MM cap hit. While he’ll still be a restricted free agent in 2022 when this deal expires, Point will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer and could easily become one of the highest-paid players in the entire league.
Edmonton Oilers Loan Gaetan Haas, Evan Bouchard
The Edmonton Oilers continue to send their young players all over the world, loaning them out to European leagues to get them back on the ice while we wait for the start of the 2020-21 season in North America. Today, they announced that Gaetan Haas and Evan Bouchard will be heading overseas to play for the next few months. Both players are expected to return for training camp.
Haas, 28, will return to SC Bern in the Swiss NLA for the time being, the same club he played two seasons for before coming to Edmonton. A star in the Swiss league, he recorded 38 points in 50 games during the 2018-19 season and won the league championship. In his first taste of North American hockey, Haas didn’t have quite the same offensive impact but still represented a solid depth forward for the Oilers. In 58 games he recorded ten points and in April re-signed for the 2020-21 season. He’ll earn $915K on a one-way deal, whenever the next NHL season gets underway.
Bouchard of course doesn’t come with quite as much NHL experience, given he was only drafted in 2018. The tenth-overall pick played seven games with the Oilers that first season, but has spent the rest of his professional hockey in the minor leagues with the Bakersfield Condors. Bouchard did continue his excellent play in the AHL this season, recording 36 points in 54 games, but it’s not exactly clear when he’ll take that next step and become a full-time member of the Oilers defense. Still just 20, there is plenty of time for Bouchard to develop, which is exactly why it was so imperative that he find a place to play for the next few months. Bouchard will head to Sweden and suit up for Sodertalje SK of the second league.