Minor Transactions: 08/26/20
Things kick off today with some afternoon hockey between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, before a pair of later games this evening. For more than half the league though, plans are being formulated for the 2020-21 season instead (whenever that starts). Minor, junior, and European leagues are also planning their next steps and like always we’ll keep track of those minor moves right here.
- Ryan Jones has signed with the Rochester Americans after failing to reach an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year old defenseman became a free agent earlier this month after four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will instead join the AHL organization to start his professional career.
- The San Jose Sharks have loaned Josef Korenar to HC Ocelari to start the season, letting him get some game action in the Czech Republic while they wait for the AHL. Korenar posted an .891 save percentage in 33 games this season for the San Jose Barracuda, his second season in North American pro hockey.
- The OHL’s Oshawa Generals have landed a future NHL prospect in a trade with the Erie Otters. Forward Hayden Fowler, expected to be a mid-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft, was acquired by Oshawa for a trio of high picks, the team announced. Fowler, an OHL first-rounder in 2017, recorded 42 points in 52 games this season.
- Former New York Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov won’t be attempting a North American comeback any time soon. Petrov, now 30, was a 2008 selection of the Isles whose stint with the club lasted just 13 AHL games in 2015-16. Yet, in the four seasons since he returned to the KHL, he has put up strong numbers year after year. However, rather than try his hand at the top level, Petrov has signed a two-year extension with Ak Bars Kazan, the team reports.
Minor Transactions: 08/25/20
The playoffs resume with two more games this evening, as the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights look to take commanding 2-0 series leads. For more than half the league though, plans are being formulated for the 2020-21 season instead (whenever that starts). Minor, junior, and European leagues are also planning their next steps and like always we’ll keep track of those minor moves right here.
- Filip Hallander, the Toronto Maple Leafs newest prospect, had already been loaned to Lulea HF for the 2020-21 season. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas told reporters today that the team will honor that agreement, though Hallander will be back to take part in NHL training camp. Should he fail to make the NHL roster, he’ll be on his way back to spend another season developing in Sweden. Hallander suffered a broken leg in the second game of the 2019-20 SHL season, but still managed to put up 14 points in 27 games by the end of the year.
- Jan Bednar, a top goaltending prospect for the 2020 draft, has committed to playing in North America this season, signing with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. Bednar was the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft behind only Matvei Petrov and was ranked second among international goaltenders for the upcoming draft.
- Ryan Bourque, a long-time AHL veteran, has decided to hang up his skates. The 29-year old son of NHL legend Ray Bourque has retired, finishing with just one game at the NHL level. Originally selected in the third round by the New York Rangers, Bourque scored 203 points in 585 career AHL games and represented Canada several times on the international stage, winning gold at both the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships.
Blue Jackets’ Calvin Thurkauf Signs With EV Zug
Just two months after EV Zug of Switzerland’s NLA publicly lamented that alumnus Calvin Thurkauf was working on an extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was unlikely to play for the team again, the narrative has gone in the opposite direction. Zug has announced that Thurkauf has returned to his hometown team and will be ready to start the NLA season.
However, before EVZ fans get too excited or Blue Jackets fans get too worried, it is important to note that Zug’s press release specifically states that Thurkauf is only expected to begin the season in Zug. As an unsigned RFA, Thurkauf could not be loaned overseas like many other NHL prospects and instead needed to sign a contract. However that deal is only valid until Thurkauf signs an NHL or AHL contract for the 2020-21.
Thurkauf, 23, is likely to find work, if not with Columbus then elsewhere in the NHL, after recording 26 points in 53 AHL games this season. He also made his NHL debut, suiting up for three games with the Blue Jackets. A big, physical forward who has proven himself capable in the WHL and AHL, Thurkauf is likely to push for a fourth-line role if he returns to Columbus. Zug fans will simply have to enjoy the homecoming while it lasts.
Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist
The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.
On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.
- When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
- Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.
Eeli Tolvanen Loaned To Jokerit
The Nashville Predators have decided to send another prospect overseas for the time being, loaning Eeli Tolvanen to Jokerit of the KHL. In the release, the team notes that the loan only lasts until the start of NHL training camp for the 2020-21 season, meaning Tolvanen will be back to compete for a spot.
Now 21, Tolvanen has been quite the cautionary tale in prospect over-hyping so far. The 30th selection in 2017, Tolvanen quickly found success at the KHL level, setting records as one of the most successful teenaged-players in the league’s history. He scored 19 goals an 36 points in 49 games for Jokerit during the 2017-18 season, with six more tallies in 11 playoff games. That sharpshooting led to him becoming one of the most talked-about prospects in the world at the time, but after coming to North America things quickly quieted.
Tolvanen ended up playing three games for the Predators at the end of the 2017-18 season, but was held scoreless and did not participate in the playoffs. The following season he spent almost exclusively in the minor leagues, scoring 35 points for the Milwaukee Admirals. This year was more of the same, as Tolvanen did not see a single recall all season, instead playing in 63 AHL games.
While he’s scored at a reasonable clip in those minor league matches, totaling 36 goals in 126 games, Tolvanen has clearly not been the all-world prospect that many hoped for when he first arrived. There is still plenty of time for him to develop the rest of his game around that lethal snapshot, which is exactly why the team will let him get in some extra game action over the next few months.
Philadelphia Flyers To Loan German Rubtsov To Sochi Of KHL
The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have loaned forward German Rubtsov to Sochi of the KHL as teams try to send some of their younger plays overseas to get them some playing time before the expected late start of the NHL’s 2020-21 season.
Rubtsov showed significant promise in 2018-19 when he started his rookie campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring six goals and 10 points in 14 games. However, a shoulder injury ended his season early. He came back this year, but struggled in his second year in Lehigh Valley. He tallied just two goals and 13 points in 42 games, although he was recalled once by the Flyers, appearing in four games, although he failed to register a point.
An early start to the 2020-21 season makes quite a bit of sense for Rubtsov, who is still looking to find his game after suffering a significant injury not that long ago. The team was hoping that Rubtsov, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, would be able to provide a depth option for the Flyers at this point, but he wasn’t included on the team’s postseason roster. It’s believed that he will return to the Flyers team for training camp, whenever that will be.
Snapshots: Stamkos, Gallagher, Slovakia
With the Tampa Bay Lightning preparing to face the rival Boston Bruins in the second round in a collision of arguably the two best teams in the NHL, the Bolts were hoping to be at full strength with face of the franchise Steven Stamkos back in the lineup. However, that won’t be the case. Head coach Jon Cooper told the media, including The Athletic’s Lightning writer Joe Smith, that Stamkos is still not available due to injury. Rather than reiterating the indefinite timeline of Stamkos’ rehab, Cooper merely stated “It’s pointless to keep asking about it.” Stamkos is still battling a core injury suffered back in March and has far exceeded the initial six-to-eight week timeline with the player and team still seemingly having no idea of when he might be ready to return. If Stamkos cannot return to face Tampa’s potentially toughest test in Boston, the odds are that he may not play in the postseason at all.
- Fan favorite Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had his season come to an end prematurely as he suffered a broken jaw on a cross check from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen in Game Five of the teams’ first round series. Gallagher only ended up missing one game, as the Habs were eliminated by a Game Six loss on Friday night. Meeting with the media today, GM Marc Bergevin updated Gallagher’s status, announcing that he underwent successful surgery in Toronto and is returning to his home in British Columbia today. Additionally, Bergevin revealed that Gallagher had been injured long before his run-in with Niskanen, suffering a hip tear in Montreal’s qualifying round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he played through the injury and it was solely that broken jaw that kept him from playing in the Canadiens’ season finale.
- Several other recently-eliminated players could be back in action sooner rather than later. Sport SK in Slovakia reports that several members of the Slovakian Tipsport Liga are expecting active NHLers to be acquired via contract or loan to begin working out and playing prior to NHL training camps beginning in November. HK Kosice may have the largest haul still to come, with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Martin Marincin and Calgary Flames prospect Martin Pospisil to be loaned to the team and Ottawa Senators RFA Christian Jaros and free agent forward Tomas Jurco expected to sign. Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak also has ties to the club, but with the Lighting still alive in the postseason and hoping to sty that way for a while longer, he may not need the early start for next season. Slovan Bratislava, which has already received a handful of prospects on loan, are expecting another in the more high-profile Martin Fehervary, the promising defenseman from the Washington Capitals.
New York Rangers To Loan Vitali Kravtsov To KHL
The New York Rangers have decided to send Vitali Kravtsov back to the KHL, at least for now. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Kravtsov will be loaned back to Traktor Chelyabinsk for the 2020-21 season.
It’s been a very interesting year for Kravtsov, the ninth-overall pick from 2018. Last September it seemed as though he may challenge for a roster spot in the NHL with the Rangers, but after failing to make the team and being sent to the minor leagues things quickly went awry. Kravtsov was a healthy scratch for the Hartford Wolf Pack and played just five minor league games before exercising his European Assignment Clause to return to the KHL.
Less than two months after arriving in Russia though, he ended up back on a plane to Hartford where he spent the rest of the season. In all, Kravtsov played just 11 games for Traktor (scoring three points) while suiting up 39 times for the Wolf Pack. Splitting 50 games between two different leagues (and continents), while scoring only 18 points certainly isn’t the usual path for a top prospect with as much skill as Kravtsov, but that’s exactly what happened in this case.
Brooks does not specify whether Kravtsov will be back for NHL training camp in a few months, but even if he did there’s no telling for certain at this point. What is important, at least for fans of the Rangers hoping for another top offensive weapon, is that he’s going to be getting into game action quickly and (hopefully) consistently. Still just 20 years old, Kravtsov has a long playing career ahead of him and years of development to go.
Joakim Nygard Loaned To Farjestad BK
The Edmonton Oilers continue to loan players out all over the world as they wait for the 2020-21 NHL season to begin. This time it’s Joakim Nygard, who has been loaned to Farjestad BK in the SHL. While the announcement doesn’t indicate he’ll be back for training camp, you can assume that the 27-year old will come back to North America for his second crack at making the Edmonton roster.
This season, Nygard looked like might be a useful piece for the Oilers to retain given his speed and forechecking ability. The undrafted winger had nine points in 33 games playing almost exclusively in the bottom-six, but ended up breaking his hand in January which finished his season. The Oilers obviously felt as though he should get another chance though, as they signed him to a one-year contract extension just a few days later.
Now returning to Edmonton with just an $875K cap hit, Nygard could be a useful piece for the roster as they try to continue building a speedier group around Connor McDavid. Getting back into game action is crucial for the Swedish winger, given he hasn’t played meaningful hockey in six months.
Prospect Notes: Thomson, Mysak, Wilkes-Barre
The Ottawa Senators have loaned Lassi Thomson back to his Finnish club for the start of the 2020-21 season to get the young defenseman playing in meaningful games. Thomson, the 19th overall pick from 2019, signed his entry-level contract last year but spent the season playing in Finland with Ilves. Even suiting up at that level as a teenager is impressive, but Thomson recorded 13 points in 39 games while also logging big minutes for the World Junior club. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explains why he’ll be back in Finland to start the season:
Playing league games is beneficial to any young player’s development. To Lassi’s credit, he expressed a desire to do so and it’s something that we very much support. Starting the year with the same Finnish team for which he (Thomson) played last season provides him with his best preparation opportunity ahead of our next training camp.
The important note is ahead of training camp, when Thomson will likely be back on North American ice to show the Senators up close what he can do. As with any rebuilding team, there will be opportunity galore for young players with the kind of upside Thomson possesses, but with plenty of other names on the depth chart he’ll have to really show he’s ready before they burn a year of his entry-level contract by putting him in NHL games.
- After playing a half-season for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, Jan Mysak will be returning to the Czech Republic for the time being. The 2020 draft prospect scored 25 points in 22 games for Hamilton after coming over midseason and could potentially be picked in the first round come October. NHL Central Scouting ranked him the 28th best skater in North America, but he’ll be back overseas to prepare for his professional career.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Felix Robert and Luke Stevens to AHL contracts for 2020-21, bringing in a pair of prospects that have aged-out of their respective amateur programs. Robert was a linemate of Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin this season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL and led the team in scoring with 92 points in just 46 games. The 21-year old went undrafted but used his experience to dominate the competition this season even standing just 5’8″. Stevens meanwhile was a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 but failed to sign a contract with them and became an unrestricted free agent last weekend. Through his four years at Yale, he recorded 35 points in 101 games.