Jori Lehtera, Antti Niemi Sign In KHL
Pavel Datsyuk won’t be the only former NHL player signing in the KHL today. R-Sport in Russia is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera has signed a one-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg, while Jokerit Helsinki have announced they agreed to terms with Montreal Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi on a one-year deal. Both players are technically still under NHL contract through the end of the month, but are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Lehtera, 31, never did work out in Philadelphia after coming over from the St. Louis Blues in 2017, and found himself in the minor leagues this season after clearing waivers. Add that demotion to a drug-related charge in Finland and it’s easy to see why he is leaving the NHL landscape for Russia to continue his career. This won’t be the first time he suits up in the KHL, as Lehtera spent four years dominating the league before ever playing in the NHL. His final season, 2013-14, he registered 44 points in 48 games and will try to get back to that level of offensive production.
Niemi meanwhile struggled last season with the Canadiens and likely wasn’t going to find another NHL backup role. Once a top young goaltender who took the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup victory, the 35-year old’s play has deteriorated to the point where he was bought out by Dallas and played for three different teams in 2017-18. His .887 save percentage in the most recent season wasn’t enough for the Canadiens to retain him, especially when they have Charlie Lindgren ready to compete for an NHL spot behind Carey Price.
Early Notes: Karlsson, Hall, Vehvilainen
When the end of the San Jose Sharks season came, the biggest question immediately became ‘what would happen to Erik Karlsson?’ The star defenseman is a free agent this summer, but was limited by injury at the end of the year and comes with plenty of question marks, including the draft pick compensation San Jose would need to send Ottawa if he re-signed. Karlsson tweeted out a cryptic thank you to the San Jose area, and immediately many started speculating that it would be the end of his time there. Speculation erupted, with landing spots like New York and Tampa Bay seeming the most likely.
Now in a new column, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun suggests the unthinkable—a return to the Senators. Brennan reports that a source tells him Karlsson “hopes to receive competitive offers” from the Senators and Montreal Canadiens, in order to get closer to his wife Melinda’s family who are in Ottawa. That would certainly be a shocking development, given how Karlsson exited the Senators organization last summer and the way they have failed to sign any top talent over the years.
- Rumors have surfaced lately that Taylor Hall isn’t interested in signing an extension with the New Jersey Devils, but his agent Darren Ferris threw some cold water on that when speaking with Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Ferris called the report “fictitious” while Devils GM Ray Shero also doesn’t know where it came from, given his recent conversations with the Hall camp. Still, both admit that there is no rush to sign a deal despite their regular communication and that Hall won’t feel pressure when he is eligible for a deal on July 1.
- A report out of Finland from Sasha Huttunen has the Columbus Blue Jackets signing Veini Vehvilainen in the coming days, though obviously nothing is official just yet. Vehvilainen is a 22-year old goaltending prospect that the Blue Jackets drafted last year with a sixth-round pick, who dominated Finland’s Liiga for the second straight season. The report notes that the young goaltender could return to Finland to continue his development on a loan from the Blue Jackets, which makes sense given the number of netminders already under contract with the team in the minor leagues.
Snapshots: Eriksson-Lucic, Markov, NWHL
The rumor that just won’t go away early this off-season is a potential swap between Western Canada rivals Vancouver and Edmonton of Loui Eriksson for Milan Lucic. Originally thought to just be a hypothetical deal – one that readers were split over – it turns out that the possible exchange of bad contracts has actually been discussed. TSN’s Jason Gregor reports that sources within the Canucks organization say that GM Jim Benning and company did actually sit down with the Oilers to discuss a trade centered around the two former Boston Bruins. However, Gregor notes that these talks took place in April and May and does not specify whether new Edmonton GM Ken Holland has been involved in any of those discussions. On paper, there is a discrepancy between the term and contract structure of Lucic and Eriksson, making Eriksson the lesser of two bad contracts. Yet, Lucic has been slightly more productive and brings a consistent physical edge. Eriksson arguably has the higher ceiling though, if he is able to stay healthy. Any deal between the two sides would likely have to provide an additional benefit to the Canucks, beyond just bringing home the Vancouver native Lucic, likely in the form of a pick or prospect. But the idea that the two sides have actually had talks about a trade takes this rumor from a convenient hypothetical talking point to an actual trade that could, and may even be likely, to go down this summer.
- A rumor that did go away has surprisingly resurfaced. TSN’s Andrew Zadarnowski reports that former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov is drawing considerable attention on the open market. Markov, 40, is a free agent after his two-year deal with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan expired and he is considering all of his options. No sooner did Markov leave for the KHL than did word get out that he was eyeing an NHL return, but nothing came of it. Now, Zadarnowski states that he has already received three NHL offers, as well as a KHL offer, while Kazan has publicly stated that they would be open to re-signing the veteran leader. The NHL interest may come as a surprise, but Markov has stayed productive even in his older age, recording 47 points over two seasons in the KHL and 36 points in 62 games in his final season with Montreal in 2016-17. Surely no team in North America is willing to offer Markov a multi-year deal at age 40, but a one-year flier may work out well in the right situation.
- “Unless there is a change of heart soon”, don’t count on women’s professional hockey in Canada in 2019-20. After the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded earlier this spring, the National Women’s Hockey League announced a planed expansion into the Canadian market with teams in Toronto and Montreal. However, with 200 of the game’s best female players on strike, the Associated Press reports that the NWHL is likely to hold off on expansion talks until next year. The league will continue operating with five American teams and will keep working toward a resolution that is best for the game of women’s hockey.
AHL Notes: Popugaev, Jevpalovs, Weinger
As NHL teams prepare their rosters for the pending free agent frenzy, AHL teams are doing the same. The clubs are trying to retain as much talent as possible to set themselves up for a strong 2019-20 campaign without necessarily having to rely on their parent club. With that in mind, here are some minor transactions that have taken place today:
- The Binghamton Devils signed Nikita Popugaev to a one-year AHL deal, meaning he won’t be heading back to the KHL just yet. Popugaev came over from Russia this season and played 17 games for the Devils, recording five points and finishing a -9. The Russian winger stands 6’6″ and was an interesting prospect coming out of the CHL in 2017 when the Devils decided to use the 98th overall pick on him. His stint in the KHL went poorly from a production standpoint, but he’ll hopefully take the next step in his development for the Devils next season.
- The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Nikita Jevpalovs on a one-year AHL contract. Jevpalovs went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite his 100-point campaign in 2014-15, and first signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately he was not issued a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season and decided to go overseas to the KHL. Following a disappointing season there, Jevpalovs joined the Rocket last season and recorded 25 points in 69 games.
- The San Jose Barracuda have signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the 22-year old forward back for another season. As a rookie in 2018-19, Weinger posted 22 points in 60 regular season games and was one of the team’s best players in a first round playoff loss. Born in Los Angeles, Weinger will get a chance to keep playing close to home next season.
Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Xavier Ouellet
The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed Xavier Ouellet to a one-year, two-way contract that pays him $700K at the NHL level. Ouellet was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Now 25, Ouellet has had quite the odd start to his NHL career. After being selected in the second round by the Detroit Red Wings in 2011, he quickly made his way through their system and debuted in the NHL during the 2013-14 season. By 2017, he signed a two-year $2.5MM extension with the Red Wings after spending the entire year in the NHL, but saw that contract bought out just a year later. It’s rare you see a player that young bought out, and it actually comes with different rules. The Red Wings were forced to pay out just one third of the remaining salary, ~$433K spread over two years.
Ouellet, then an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year two-way contract with the Canadiens to continue his career. While he played 19 games for Montreal, his real impact came at the minor league level where the Laval Rocket named him captain in February after a trade took Byron Froese out of town. Oullet ended up with 28 points in 47 games for the Rocket as their primary puck-mover on the blue line, and now heads into next season as the young captain of a squad trying to make their way in the AHL.
He also represents some important depth for the Canadiens, given that he does have 160 games under his belt at the NHL level. Ouellet will be waiver eligible, meaning he’ll have to clear after training camp if the team wants him to reclaim his position with the Rocket to start the year.
Offseason Keys: Montreal Canadiens
With the postseason down to just two teams, many squads are now well into their offseason planning. What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason? Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Montreal Canadiens.
At this point last year, Montreal was looking like they were heading into a rebuild. They had just finished with the fourth-worst record in the league (moving up to third in the Draft Lottery) and there were all kinds of questions surrounding their roster. They then dealt their top two goal-scoring threats in separate trades that brought back players that had underachieved considerably the year before (and in the case of Max Pacioretty, added prospect Nick Suzuki as well). Instead, the Canadiens turned things around rather quickly and were in the thick of the playoff race until the final two days of the regular season. Now, instead of selling off assets for younger players, GM Marc Bergevin will be looking to add pieces to help them get back into the postseason. Here’s what they need to accomplish this summer.
Add Left Side Defensive Help
With Shea Weber and Jeff Petry in the fold plus prospect Noah Juulsen being nearly NHL ready and veteran Christian Folin under contract as well, the right side of Montreal’s defense is in pretty good shape. Not a whole lot of work, if any, is going to be done there.
However, the same can’t be said for their left side. Over there, their depth consists of largely unproven players, fringe players looking to hold onto a roster spot, and Karl Alzner, whose contract was buried in the minors early in the season and still has three years remaining. The recently re-signed Brett Kulak and Victor Mete are Montreal’s best left-shooting options and both of them are better served as complementary players, not big-minute impact ones.
Accordingly, Bergevin will certainly be on the lookout to add a top-four, left-shot rearguard to the fold. However, there aren’t many of those in free agency; the list basically starts and ends with Jake Gardiner and Alex Edler with many expecting the latter to remain in Vancouver. As a result, this is a void that will probably need to be filled via the trade market. Bergevin has shown he’s willing to make big moves leading up to the draft over the last couple of years and it wouldn’t be surprising to see this be his top priority in the weeks to come.
Backup Goalie Decision
The decision to add Antti Niemi back in 2017-18 actually worked out relatively well for Montreal. The choice to give him another contract based on how he performed down the stretch that season didn’t have the same outcome. His continued struggles forced Montreal to almost exclusively call upon Carey Price down the stretch and with teams realizing the benefits of not playing a goaltender over 60 games per season, asking him to play in 66 contests is far from ideal. The team announced after the season that Niemi will not be retained so they will have to find a new backup for Price moving forward.
They have an internal option in Charlie Lindgren but his stock has taken a hit over the past couple of seasons. He has posted save percentages of .886 and .884 over the last two seasons with AHL Laval, results that don’t exactly scream ‘NHL ready’. On the other hand, he has had some success with Montreal when called upon in the past over his 18 NHL appearances. He’s signed for two more years with an AAV that’s just above the league minimum ($750K) which is important considering Price and his $10.5MM price tag is the richest deal in league history among goaltenders. Since they’re paying that much for Price, picking a cheap option in Lindgren to back him up would certainly be justifiable although it would carry some risk.
Considering that they have considerable cap room (more on that momentarily), Bergevin could also turn to the free agent market. There are several veteran backups that will be available that would provide some extra stability behind Price. However, he will have to decide whether that extra security is worth paying two to three times more for that netminder than what it would cost to promote from within with Lindgren.
Utilize Their Cap Space
It wasn’t that long ago that the Canadiens were a team that routinely spent to the Upper Limit but they have come up well short of that mark over the past two seasons. They currently have just over $71MM tied up in a full 23-man roster for next season, per CapFriendly so they have the ability to spend this summer. They’ll probably use some of that on the back end and they could certainly stand to add some more offense up front as well. If they strike out on one of those though, they’re going to be right where they were the last two seasons with lots of room and not much to spend it on.
Bergevin tried to get creative last season by taking on and buying out Steve Mason’s contract and picked up winger Joel Armia plus a pair of draft picks. With several teams looking to be in tough when it comes to the cap, Montreal could try to get involved in that market to use some of their room. However, with several core players in need of new contracts following the 2020-21 campaign, they’ll be looking to only take on short-term money. Given that they wound up just missing the playoffs this past season, it will be tough to justify being well under the cap for the third straight year so if they can’t spend to add core pieces, Bergevin will have to get creative once again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Canadiens Re-Sign Brett Kulak To Three-Year Contract
Brett Kulak was a pleasant surprise on Montreal’s back end this past season and he has been rewarded for his efforts. The team announced that they have signed the defenseman to a three-year contract with an AAV of $1.85MM. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:
2019-20: $1.95MM
2020-21: $1.4MM
2021-22: $2.2MM
The season didn’t get off to a great start for the 25-year-old. He cleared waivers at the end of training camp with Calgary, the second time that had happened for him after went unclaimed in advance of his salary arbitration hearing back in July. Shortly after passing through, the Flames flipped him to the Canadiens for a pair of minor league defenders in Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina.
Montreal opted to keep Kulak in the minors to start the season where he collected 11 points in 19 games before being recalled for good in November. He started out on the third pairing but by the end of the season, he was frequently featured in their top four. Overall, he played in 57 games with the team, recording 17 points (6-11-17) while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night of playing time.
The Canadiens don’t feature a lot of depth on the left side of their back end with only Kulak and Victor Mete seemingly being pencilled in for roster spots next season. If they don’t address that weakness over the summer, it’s quite possible that Kulak will be in a top-four role for 2019-20 which would make this contract somewhat of a bargain if he can handle the extra minutes over an entire season.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Alex Belzile
The Montreal Canadiens have signed minor league forward Alex Belzile to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level.
This will be Belzile’s first NHL contract despite having played seven years of professional hockey. The 27-year old forward went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite an impressive 92-point season in 2011-12, and ended up playing in the ECHL for several seasons. Bouncing around from club to club in the minor leagues, Belzile has suited up for the Gwinnett Gladiators, Hamilton Bulldogs, Alaska Aces, Idaho Steelheads, Fort Wayne Komets, San Antonio Rampage, Colorado Eagles and most recently the Laval Rocket.
It was with the Rocket that Belzile really found a home, scoring 19 goals and 54 points last season and being rewarded with an appearance in the AH: All-Star game. That kind of recognition is a long time coming for the veteran minor league forward, who has had great seasons in the ECHL but was rarely given a long opportunity in the higher levels.
That’s not to say that he will play a role on the Canadiens next season. Almost certainly Belzile will be sent back to the Rocket to begin the season and likely will spend the entirety of the contract in the AHL. Still, he provides some experience and depth for the Canadiens if they desperately need an injury replacement for next season.
Eastern Notes: Williams, Canadiens Trade Options, Pettersson
With the Carolina Hurricanes season over a little quicker than they would have hoped for after a quick four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference champ, there are now a bunch of questions surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, with one question about what to do with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Justin Williams.
The veteran captain will turn 38 years old early on in the season next year, but he was a key piece for Carolina’s success, posting 23 goals and 53 points last season as well as four goals and seven points in 15 playoff games. The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander writes that after signing a two-year deal at $4.5MM turned out great for Carolina two years ago and believes that Williams would be willing to come back on a one-year deal at roughly the same price.
“I know how much he’s put into this and I know there’s only so much gas in the tank, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I’m going to make sure he takes a couple of months before he makes a decision.”
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that with the top two free agent defensemen that Montreal Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin can add this offseason in Jake Gardiner and Alexander Edler (both of whom may not be worth the money it would take to sign them), the Canadiens might have to solve their need for a top-four defensemen via trade. The scribe suggests the team might have to move some of their top young prospects to improve its blueline and might have to consider moving either Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling, Cayden Primeau, Jesse Ylonen or Alex Romanov for help. One idea would be to try to pry Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere away with one of those top prospects as the 26-year-old could be moved to add more long-term help. Gostisbehere might immediately upgrade a defense which still needs help on their top-four. The scribe adds that Florida’s Mike Matheson could also be a candidate if the Panthers need to move out some salary to sign top free agents, which is expected.
- TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie writes that with Jake Guentzel‘s new contract kicking in this season as his salary goes from $925K to $6MM next season, the team must be real careful in their negotiations with their five restricted free agents. The team expects that defenseman Marcus Pettersson should walk away with the biggest raise, as the team projects that Pettersson’s salary should increase from $794K to somewhere under $2MM per season. The 23-year-old defenseman established himself in Pittsburgh’s crowded defense after the Penguins acquired him in December for forward Daniel Sprong. Pettersson had two goals and 19 points in 57 games in Pittsburgh and had a plus-13 ratio on the ice.
Morning Notes: Bruins’ Long Wait, Kapanen, Kakko, Svechnikov
During his press conference on Saturday, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the team would go outside the organization for advice on how utilize their time correctly considering they don’t play again until May 27, which is still eight days away. The Athletic’s Joe McDonald (subscription required) adds that Sweeney was talking about consulting the New England Patriots of the NFL, a team that has spent quite a bit of time playing in Super Bowl games.
In fact, Boston’s four major franchises have combined for 12 titles this century, but with six Super Bowl Championships, the Patriots may know how to stay sharp more than anyone. The team hopes to take some of Bill Belichick‘s tips to heart. “Hopefully they’ll be able to share some information with us,” Sweeney said.
There was initially some talk of an intra-squad game, but there is no real way to simulate a Stanley Cup Finals game, nor is the team thrilled about opening up their players to possible injury. In the end, rest might be the best course of action.
In the short term, it’s really beneficial for our group. We’ve been pedal to the metal here, mentally and physically, for a while. I do believe in the short term it will help us a lot. Then it’s incumbent upon us to simulate the best we can with what’s going to be required going forward.
- TVA Sports (translation required) suggests that while there are plenty of rumors surrounding the Montreal Canadiens being interested in putting together an offer sheet to pry Mitch Marner away from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the writer suggests instead the team should use an offer sheet instead to get Kasperi Kapanen, which would have a much higher chance of success. If the Canadiens offer Kapanen a deal anywhere from $4.23MM to $6.63MM for at least three years, the compensation would only be a first and a third-round pick, which would likely be worth the acquisition.
- The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski reports 2019 draft prospect Kaapo Kakko said that his goal is to become the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft to the New Jersey Devils. Kakko is currently expected to be the second-overall pick in the draft, slated to go to the New York Rangers with prospect Jack Hughes expected to end up in New Jersey. However, an impressive showing so far at the World Championships for Finland might be enough to push him one notch higher. “This is a big thing for me for the draft,” Kakko told NHL.com through a translator. “I think I can be the first [pick]. “I’ve played well. I haven’t paid much attention to Jack Hughes and his game, but I’m confident I’ve been able to let everyone see my skills and the level of my game. It’s not going to be an easy choice for the teams.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press looks back at the Detroit Red Wings’ 2015 NHL draft, analyzing its success. The team drafted Evgeny Svechnikov that year, who lost some valuable development time last season when he was forced to undergo ACL surgery in September. While the team still has a few pending prospects from that draft, the key to the draft will be Svechnikov, who so far has just two goals in 16 games and needs a bounce-back season if they don’t want to look at that draft as a failure.