Minor Transactions: 07/27/22
It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.
- Over in Germany, Wolfsburg in the DEL could look to add a major name with some NHL experience, per the German-language publication Wolfsburger Nachrichten. 34-year-old Kaspars Daugavins is still floating around in the European leagues after a brief NHL career between 2009 and 2013, where he’s been an all-star caliber player in both the KHL and Swiss NL. It appears SC Bern, his NL club for 2021-22, however, has bought him out after he registered 25 points in 34 games.
- The AHL’s Ontario Reign today announced a one-year extension for defenseman Cameron Gaunce. A second-round pick back in 2008, the 32-year-old is a veteran of 731 AHL games but has seen just 37 games of NHL action in that timeframe. This will be his third straight season in the Los Angeles Kings organization, helping mentor their pack of young defenders that come up through Ontario. Gaunce had seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in 61 AHL games last season.
- The Colorado Eagles have signed forwards Tarun Fizer and Cameron Wright to one-year, two-way AHL contracts. Fizer, 21, was the captain of the WHL’s Victoria Royals in 2021-22, scoring 17 goals, 34 assists, and 51 points in just 35 games. He had an impressive transition to pro hockey, suiting up for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies after the conclusion of his junior campaign, and had 15 points in 18 games during their Kelly Cup Playoffs run. Wright, 23, joins the Eagles after a five-year NCAA career, the last season of which was spent with the University of Denver. A member of this year’s national championship team, Wright had 23 goals and 34 points in 41 games.
- The Milwaukee Admirals have signed right wing Todd Burgess to an AHL deal for the 2022-23 season, per a team tweet. Burgess was drafted in the fourth round in 2016 by the Ottawa Senators, but the team let his rights expire after a disappointing college career and he’s yet to land an NHL contract. In 2021-22, his first professional season, Burgess had seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 35 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
- Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, the Henderson Silver Knights have signed 25-year-old defenseman Darian Skeoch to an AHL contract for the 2022-23 season. Skeoch, a rare breed of enforcer, had a whopping 135 penalty minutes in 52 games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season, registering just eight points in the process. He can play both defense and right wing, but the 6’4″, 220-pound defenseman’s main focus is on physical play.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
John Klingberg Changes Representation
August is just around the corner and the top defenseman on the free agent market still hasn’t signed. John Klingberg was ranked fifth on our Top 50 UFA list two weeks ago but he sits without a contract or a team for 2022-23. Now, likely due to frustration from how things have played out, Klingberg is changing representation. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that Klingberg has parted ways with agent Peter Wallen and will now be represented by Newport Sports Management. PuckPedia adds that Craig Oster, one of the sport’s most influential agents, will take the lead for the free agent defenseman.
Oster has recently been responsible for several long-term extensions, including Matthew Tkachuk, Robert Thomas, Joshua Norris, and Kevin Fiala, and has other high-priced clients like Brady Tkachuk, Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Tomas Hertl. In fact, his roster compares favorably to just about every other agent in the business and is a logical step for someone looking to score a big free agent contract.
Klingberg, 29, has been reportedly looking for a massive extension for months now, leading to frustration and trade speculation throughout the season. Renaud Lavoie of TVA sports tweets that at the start of free agency, the former Dallas Stars defenseman was looking for a seven-year deal with an average annual value of around $6MM. Landing something like that at this point in the summer might be tough but not impossible, as several teams still have the capacity to add that kind of salary.
Still, with Klingberg set to turn 30 in a few weeks and his game still carrying some of the defensive warts it always has, committing that kind of money to him would be a tough decision for any team. While his offensive production is still excellent–he registered 47 points in 74 games this season–a commitment of that length would carry substantial risk for teams looking to contend.
It remains to be seen whether this change will lead to a quick resolution, or if Klingberg will need to wait even longer to find out where he’s playing next season. At any rate, he has one of the biggest agencies in the business behind him now.
Seattle Kraken Re-Sign Ryan Donato
After not being given a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, Ryan Donato is heading back to Seattle anyway. The Kraken have signed Donato to a one-year, $1.2MM contract. General manager Ron Francis released a statement:
Ryan elevated his game last season and we’re happy to have him return to the Kraken. He completed a career year and will hopefully eclipse that in 2022-23.
While Donato’s qualifying offer would have been less than this, it would have opened up the possibility of arbitration which would have almost certainly resulted in a higher cap hit than $1.2MM. The 26-year-old forward reached new career-highs with 16 goals and 31 points in 74 games this season, after signing a one-year, $750K deal with the team in 2021.
It’s been a rollercoaster career for Donato since turning pro in 2018. He registered three points in his first game for the Boston Bruins and looked like he might be a key member of the team in the years to come. Before the end of his first full NHL season, he would be traded to the Minnesota Wild as part of the package for Charlie Coyle, and less than two years later would be sent to the San Jose Sharks for a third-round pick.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, he was left unqualified by the Sharks after scoring just six goals, leaving him without a clear path forward. With the Kraken, he has put his career back on track and now looks to take advantage of his second contract with the expansion franchise.
The Kraken, despite only entering the league a year ago, now have more than $80MM committed for 2022-23, leaving them with just over $2.2MM in cap space. Donato will try to continue carving out ice time in a forward group that has added Andre Burakovsky, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and potentially Shane Wright this summer, depending on what the team does with the latter.
Edmonton Oilers Announce ECHL Affiliation
For the last few seasons, the Edmonton Oilers had been partnered with the Wichita Thunder for their ECHL affiliation, using the minor league team to help develop their prospects. That will change after the team announced a new agreement with the Fort Wayne Komets. The two teams had been previously affiliated between 1988 and 1990.
Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott released the following statement:
On behalf of Ken Holland, Keith Gretzky and the entire Edmonton Oilers organization, we are thrilled to announce our new affiliation with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. As one of the premiere clubs in the ECHL with a rich history of professional hockey in Indiana, we are very excited to have our future Oilers in Fort Wayne.
One of the most notable connections with the two organizations will be Colin Chaulk, who had his number retired by the Komets in 2017 after a long outstanding career with the team. Chaulk was named the new head coach of the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, last month after serving on an interim basis after Jay Woodcroft’s promotion last season.
The Komets won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions as recently as 2021, while partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Tyler Graovac Re-Signs In KHL
After a relatively successful debut in the KHL, Tyler Graovac is going to stay overseas. The free agent forward has signed a new contract with Vityaz Podolsk for the upcoming season, ruling out any return to North America this summer.
Graovac, 29, last played in the NHL during the 2020-21 season, when he suited up for 14 games with the Vancouver Canucks. The 6’5″ forward scored three goals during that short stint, while also putting up nine points in nine games while on loan to the Manitoba Moose. Prior to that, he had played in 70 other NHL games, most notably during 2016-17 with the Minnesota Wild, when he appeared 52 times.
The 2011 seventh-round pick spent last season with Dinamo Minsk, scoring 26 points in 44 games, while averaging over 17 minutes a night. That’s way more playing time than he ever experienced in the NHL, where he was limited to fourth-line duty even at the best of times. It appears as though his time at that level is in the past, with this new contract moving him even further away from his last appearance.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Tanner Laczynski
The Philadelphia Flyers have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Tanner Laczynski, signing him to a two-year contract. The first year of the deal, (2022-23) will be a two-way contract, while the second will be one-way. It will carry an average annual value of $762.5K at the NHL level, meaning it is worth the league minimum in both years. Per CapFriendly, the deal breakdown is as follows:
2022-23: $750K NHL / $125K minors / $175K guaranteed
2023-24: $775K NHL
Laczynski, 25, is an interesting candidate for a bottom-six role with the Flyers this season, after playing six games with them since turning pro. A sixth-round pick in 2016, he played four years at Ohio State University before joining the organization in 2020, and has spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Still, with his versatility–Laczynski can play both center and wing–size, and work ethic, he could be in line for a shot at the opening night roster. That is likely helped by another injury, this time to Bobby Brink, coming down the pipe in recent weeks.
One thing that could hurt his chances is his waiver-exempt status, which will allow him to be freely moved to the minor leagues this season. That status will change in 2023-24 when his contract also switches to a one-way deal, suggesting that the Flyers plan on having him in the NHL by that point. There’s no guarantee that happens though, and Laczynski will still need to fight and claw for ice time if he wants to be a full-time option. If he can accomplish that, he’ll set himself up for a nice negotiation down the road, as this contract will take him right to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.
Janne Kuokkanen Signs In Switzerland
After being bought out by the New Jersey Devils this offseason, Janne Kuokkanen is headed overseas. The free agent forward has signed a one-year deal with Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss National League.
Kuokkanen, 24, will earn $325K from the Devils in each of the next two seasons thanks to a buyout that gave him an opportunity to go elsewhere. It is somewhat surprising that the elsewhere he chose is overseas, given his regular place in the NHL the last two seasons, but it certainly doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of him.
Selected 43rd overall in 2016, the Finnish forward played in 57 games for the Devils this season, recording six goals and 17 points. While the $1.825MM cap hit that he would have carried this year may seem like a lot, there is likely at least some value to squeeze out of him for a lower cost. We’ll see if that happens next year, when he will still be young enough to qualify for restricted free agency–meaning a team signing him to a one-year deal in the summer of 2023 would actually be buying another year of control past that.
This might be a particularly appealing scenario if he performs well at the Swiss level, a league that is drawing more and more in-their-prime foreigners for its increasing competitiveness.
Alexander Khovanov Clears Unconditional Waivers
July 27: Khovanov’s contract has been terminated and he will play with the Ak Bars program this season, starting in the VHL.
July 24: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have placed forward Alexander Khovanov on unconditional waivers today. A third-round pick of the Wild in 2018, Khovanov made his North American professional debut in 2021-22, but struggled to make a real impact, putting up six points in eight games with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and just five points in 22 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Khovanov had one year remaining on the ELC he signed with Minnesota in the spring of 2019.
Once an intriguing prospect for the Wild as a dynamic offensive weapon, Khovanov hasn’t lived up to the promise he had shown in the junior levels in both Canada and Russia. A standout in the Ak Bars development program, Khovanov came to North America prior to the 2017-18 season, spending three seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Khovanov’s best performance came in 2019-20, where he scored 32 goals to go with 67 assists in just 51 games for Moncton. With questions about who would play and when due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Khovanov headed home for the 2020-21 season, once again playing in the Ak Bars organization. The forward spent the majority of that season in the VHL where he again impressed with 24 points in 30 games and was even able to finally make his KHL debut, getting into seven games.
After the 2020-21 season, Khovanov announced he was heading back to North America, splitting this season between the AHL and ECHL in the Wild organization. It’s unclear what the plan is for Khovanov now that he has been placed on unconditional waivers, though a return to the KHL could be likely given his production in the VHL and Ak Bars’ willingness to have him play games at the KHL level just two years ago.
Yauheni Aksiantsiuk Clears Unconditional Waivers
July 27: After clearing and seeing his contract terminated, Aksiantsiuk has signed with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL.
July 23: It will be one-and-done for Yauheni Aksiantsiuk‘s time with the Stars as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Stars have placed the winger on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating the remainder of his contract.
The diminutive 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Dallas back in 2020 after an impressive season with OHL Flint that saw him put up 33 goals and 45 assists in 58 games. He spent the 2020-21 campaign playing back home in Belarus where he struggled and then decided to return to North America, signing a three-year, entry-level deal back in June of 2021.
Aksiantsiuk spent most of last season with ECHL Idaho, notching 19 goals and 15 assists in 40 games with the Steelheads while adding two goals and two assists in eight AHL contests. Overall, those numbers aren’t terrible but when coupled with his tough showing back home the year before, there were certainly questions about whether or not he’d have much of an NHL future. Aksiantsiuk seems to have the same question as this termination – which can be completed on Sunday once he passes through waivers – will likely be followed up by a contract somewhere overseas.
Dallas won’t have any lingering cap charge from Aksiantsiuk’s termination while they will free up a contract slot, bringing them down to 41 out of the maximum of 50. That number will go up at some point this summer with the Stars having a trio of restricted free agents still to sign, winger Jason Robertson, defenseman Ben Gleason, and goaltender Jake Oettinger.
Roman Ahcan, Cole Fonstad Land Professional Tryouts
The number of professional tryouts for Columbus Blue Jackets training camp continues to grow, with CapFriendly reporting that Roman Ahcan and Cole Fonstad will both be invited. They join three other players who had previously signed PTOs as the team gets to work early on their camp roster.
Ahcan, the brother of Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan, played 24 games with the Cleveland Monsters this year after finishing his career at the University of Wisconsin and will now try to land an NHL entry-level contract. The 23-year-old forward went undrafted and is actually already signed to an AHL deal with the Monsters for the upcoming season, though that wouldn’t pose a problem if Columbus wanted to put him on an NHL deal. In his short AHL stint last season, he scored three goals and seven points.
Fonstad, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 and saw his rights expire with them in 2020 after failing to sign an entry-level deal. The 22-year-old forward played this season with the Cleveland Monsters, scoring nine goals and 20 points in 45 games, and will now try to earn a new deal with the Blue Jackets.