Sasha Chmelevski Signs In KHL
The San Jose Sharks no longer have to worry about negotiations with Sasha Chmelevski but it’s not because they’ve reached an agreement. Instead, the restricted free agent has signed a contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev in the KHL, according to his agent Dan Milstein.
Because they gave him a qualifying offer this summer, the Sharks will retain Chmelevski’s rights for the time being, though it is unclear what his plans are moving forward. The 23-year-old forward played in 19 NHL games this season scoring eight points in the process and was a strong performer at the minor league level.
Originally selected in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, making it to the NHL was already an impressive feat. Now, with a handful of games under his belt, he’ll pursue a bigger opportunity elsewhere.
The Sharks will hold Chmelevski’s rights until his 27th birthday, which is still almost four years away. Whether he returns in that time or gets another chance with them at the NHL level, remains to be seen.
Snapshots: Sharks Coach, Tavares, Top Prospects
As their rebuild continues, the San Jose Sharks unexpectedly had to address a gaping hole in that of their GM position after former GM Doug Wilson stepped down. The organization took its time to find the perfect candidate, eventually hiring former Sharks player Mike Grier. The team was also tasked with finding another head coach after they fired previous head coach Bob Boughner. Like the GM position, the Sharks have taken their time to find their newest hire.
It appears though that the search is over, based on a series of Tweets from the Sharks, which in effect announced that the team will name its new head coach tomorrow at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. The team did not formally announce who it is that they are hiring to fill the position, but several sources indicated late last week that the Sharks were “zeroing in on” David Quinn, formerly the head coach of the New York Rangers. Quinn, who was let go after the shortened 2020-21 season, spent three seasons as the bench boss in Manhattan, his only three as a head coach in the NHL, compiling a record of 96-87-25 for a Rangers team that was working its way out of a rebuild. If it is in fact Quinn that gets the job, he will be placed in a rather similar situation to what he had with the Rangers: bring the team through and out of the rebuild.
- Working with very limited cap space, the Toronto Maple Leafs have done their best to improve this offseason, changing out their entire goaltending duo for a new one and adding a few pieces, most notably headlined by winger Calle Jarnkrok, who signed a four-year deal with Toronto in free agency. To improve further, Toronto will have to look in-house for certain players to step up and one of those is captain John Tavares. In a recent interview, the veteran center told Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star that he has spent this summer training with Maple Leafs development staff, working to be a quicker skater. As Tavares said, “For me, obviously just trying to be a little quicker, a little lighter on my feet. I think that’s really important.” Tavares’ skating has certainly never been revered as his best asset, however the soon-to-be 32-year-old will need to at the least maintain his skating ability to continue to produce at the elite level that is expected of him and his $11MM cap hit that he carries for three more seasons.
- The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has released the latest edition of the NHL’s Top 50 prospects, now incorporating players from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft into the list (subscription required). Interestingly, number one overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky comes in at number ten on the list, behind fellow 2022 draftees Matthew Savoie (No. 9), Logan Cooley (No. 5), Simon Nemec (No. 4), and Shane Wright (No. 3). The list might be most appealing to fans of the New Jersey Devils, who have Nemec as well as Alexander Holtz (No. 17) and Luke Hughes (No. 2). Taking the top spot on Wheeler’s list was last year’s number one overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power.
Latest On Pierre-Luc Dubois
Very few players have had as much discussion surrounding them this offseason than Pierre-Luc Dubois. Even after accepting the one-year, $6MM qualifying-offer the Winnipeg Jets made him, the discussion around Dubois has not quieted down. Recently, The Athletic’s Murat Ates and Arpon Basu had a chance to sit down with Dubois and discuss where he lies with his contract, rumors of a trade request, and his status as an impending UFA in the summer of 2024 (subscription required).
Notably, when asked about his decision to accept the qualifying-offer and his plans for free agency in two years, Dubois explained that this one-year contract at the $6MM rate was what he and his agent, Pat Brisson, believed to be the best fit for him at this point in his career. When asked specifically about his willingness to sign long-term in Winnipeg, the Jets star said that was something to be decided at the conclusion of his current contract.
On attending the draft in Montreal with the expectation that he would be traded to the Montreal Canadiens that night, as reported by Radio-Canada Sports’ Martin Leclerc and confirmed by The Athletic, which has since been walked-back, Dubois contended that he did so because his bank had invited him and he lived close to the area. Lastly, Dubois made it clear that he did not request a trade from the Jets, telling Ates and Basu “If I wanted out, I would have asked for a trade. I didn’t ask for a trade.”
Sitting down for the interview with The Athletic shows Dubois is intent on tidying up what could be seen as a divisive and difficult situation. Regardless of what he and his representatives do and don’t want, the forward is obligated to spend the next two years in Winnipeg if the Jets choose, so keeping the situation as amicable as possible, even if he does not have his heart in Winnipeg would be wise. Dubois’ answers were also rather to the point and not very elaborative, not necessarily clearing all that much up on the situation, outside of making his formal position clear.
Still, the decision to make his position clear, and his views, taken as true, represent a move in good faith to put speculation to bed. With a contract in place, Dubois and the Jets can focus on the season ahead as the team tries to rebound from a disappointing 2021-22 that saw them finish sixth in the Central Division. On top of helping Winnipeg succeed, Dubois will also have the opportunity to build on his 28 goal, 32 assist campaign and build value towards his next contract, as well as his looming free agency. For now, it appears the Dubois rumors will quiet down as the 24-year-old appears intent on going into next season as a cornerstone member of the Jets.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ryan Dzingel
The Carolina Hurricanes have added to their depth with an experienced NHL veteran, signing forward Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season, the team announced. The deal will pay Dzingel $750K at the NHL level and $150K in the minors, guaranteeing $200K. This will mark the veteran’s second stint with the Hurricanes, spending parts of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons in Carolina. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell had this to say on the signing:
“We are obviously familiar with Ryan from his previous time in Carolina. He is a skilled player who can provide an offensive boost to our forward group, and we are excited to have him back in the organization.”
When Dzingel is on, he can absolutely provide an offensive boost, one that is not just depth but true secondary scoring, having tallied as many as 26 goals in a season as a member of the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets. Since his trade out of Ottawa however, Dzingel has been unable to replicate his success, failing to score more than eight goals in a season since. The forward was eventually traded back to Ottawa in February of 2021 and signed with the Arizona Coyotes last summer. Looking to add to their scoring depth, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Dzingel this season, but lost him on waivers to the San Jose Sharks, where Dzingel would finish this season.
With the signing, Carolina figures to have a low-risk, but certainly high-reward option that they can swing between the NHL and AHL and slot up and down the lineup when he does play. The Hurricanes had recently been rumored to be looking at additional pieces and had even been connected to Nino Niederreiter, who had hit the market after parts of four seasons with the Hurricanes. Though Dzingel does not provide the same caliber of offensive Niederreiter does, if he can return to the player he was for Ottawa from 2016 to 2019, he could pose a similar threat. Either way, Dzingel’s two-way contract is far more cost-controlled than the two-year, $4MM AAV contract Niederreiter signed with the Nashville Predators.
Snapshots: Slafkovsky, Tarasenko, Oil Kings
From the moment the Montreal Canadiens took Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick at the draft earlier this month, there has been significant speculation on where Slafkovksy would be playing the 2022-23 season. Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov indicated in his post-draft media availability that Slafkovsky had “learned all he could” from playing in the Finnish Liiga, and when one looks at the first-year landing spots of previous number-one picks it doesn’t take long to see a trend. Typically, a number-one pick will make their team’s opening-night roster, and 2021 number-one pick Owen Power‘s choice to begin 2021-22 with the University of Michigan was a rare break to that trend. So, with that history in mind, many have assumed that Slafkovsky would be playing for Montreal in October.
But it isn’t that simple. Slafkovsky’s so-so production in Liiga has left many wondering if a stint in the AHL or another lower league would be preferable for his development, and some have hoped that Slafkovsky could continue his string of strong performances for the Slovak national team at this summer’s upcoming World Junior Championships. It doesn’t look like that’ll be happening, though, and where Slafkovsky will be spending 2022-23 is becoming more and more clear. Today, Slafkovsky told Tomas Prokop of Dennik Sport that his “main goal” is to play in the NHL in the fall and that he would, as a result, not participate in the World Juniors. The Canadiens have room on the left wing next to their budding stars in Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, so it’s likely that Juraj will spend the rest of the summer preparing to earn a shot on their line to open the season.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko made headlines in the summer of 2021 when he reportedly requested a trade from the St. Louis Blues. At the time, Tarasenko’s health was still very much a contentious topic and it looked as though his NHL future was cloudy at best. After a 2021-22 resurgence that saw him author the most productive season of his career, Tarasenko looks to be in St. Louis to stay, despite recent rumblings. There were those who supposed that Tarasenko would be included in any of the Blues’ offers to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk, but that wasn’t the case. According to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, the Blues never asked Tarasenko to waive his no-trade protection to be traded to the Flames. This report is likely an indication that the Blues have Tarasenko in their plans for next season, and his production could be increasingly important to their success thanks to the departure of David Perron.
- The WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings have a new head coach. The team announced today that Luke Pierce was named their fifth head coach in modern history. Pierce, 38, has been an assistant for the Oil Kings for three regular seasons, stretching from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Pierce has prior WHL head coaching experience, as he was the head coach of the then-Kootenay Ice for two seasons from 2015-16 through 2016-17. His time at the helm of the rebuilding Ice didn’t go well, and he had just 26 wins in 144 games. Pierce will be in a better spot in Edmonton, though, as they just won the WHL title and had an extremely successful 50-14-4 record in the 2021-22 regular season. He takes over for Brad Lauer, who left to become an assistant coach on Rick Bowness’ Winnipeg Jets staff.
Roster Crunch Coming For Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have had quite the offseason. In a span of one month, they’ve lost two pillars of their franchise: Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Yet in the same month, they’ve added a Hart Trophy contender in Jonathan Huberdeau and a top-of-the-lineup all-around defenseman in Mackenzie Weegar. It’s clear from GM Brad Treliving’s actions that the Flames are intent on building on last season’s 111-point campaign and competing for a Stanley Cup, despite the roster turmoil. They certainly look poised to do so, boasting a roster that includes a Vezina Trophy contender in net, a balanced, skilled forward corps, and a stout defense.
Outside of negotiations on a new contract for RFA defenseman Oliver Kylington, the team looks decently set, outside of one crucial area. As things currently stand, there’s a bit of a logjam on the Flames’ defense. The recent addition of Weegar, the extension of Nikita Zadorov, and the signings of Nicolas Meloche and Dennis Gilbert have left the Flames with nine defenders on one-way contracts, with a tenth on the way once Kylington’s contract is settled.
NHL teams typically carry seven defensemen on their active roster, rarely carrying more unless there are special circumstances, typically injury-related considerations, in play.
At a glance, a solid chunk of the Flames’ defense is set in stone. The pairing of Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson is rock-solid, and since Kylington’s breakout season in 2021-22 came next to Chris Tanev, it’s definitely possible coach Darryl Sutter wants to keep them together. And then there’s Zadorov and Weegar, two players who belong in the Flames’ nightly lineup.
So, as things currently stand, the Flames have six proven NHL defensemen on their roster, occupying the six slots in the nightly lineup typically reserved for defensemen. The result of this abundance of riches is that Treliving will need to make a choice about how he pursues the construction of his opening night roster, and each route is not without its risks.
The first route Treliving can follow when it comes to his defense is to simply keep the five of their NHL caliber defensemen on their opening-night roster, (Tanev is hurt and will be on long-term injured reserve for the first few months of the year) carry one defenseman in their sixth slot on the bottom pairing, and then hold a training camp battle amongst the remaining one-way blueliners for the job of seventh defenseman.
This route would be the simplest and would be the route that allows the Flames to hold all of their established defensemen on their roster, something few other teams can boast. But the downside to this route would be only one defenseman in the group of Meloche, Gilbert, and Connor Mackey would be guaranteed to remain with the Flames, the rest would be exposed to waivers.
Season-opening waivers can be the best time to attempt to sneak a player on a one-way deal to an AHL affiliate, as most teams are dealing with a roster crunch and waiving their own players. Then-Carolina Hurricanes goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is a perfect example of this, as he cleared season-opening waivers in 2020-21 before making his way to the Hurricanes’ roster and finishing as a Calder Trophy contender by the time the season concluded.
But even with that in mind, could the Flames reasonably expect to waive three defensemen on one-way contracts and keep them all? It’d be a major risk, especially if one of those waived players is Juuso Valimaki, who is just 23 years old and boasts first-round pedigree.
If the Flames don’t want to leave the fate of the lower half of their defense corps up to chance, they could also opt to subtract from their impressive group of six NHL defensemen in order to add to their forward corps or get their hands on a different type of valuable asset.
Kylington sticks out in this regard. Andersson and Weegar are unlikely to be traded, and Tanev and Hanifin have the right to limited no-trade protection on their contracts. Zadorov is extremely unlikely to be dealt as a new signing. That leaves Kylington as the clear choice for the Flames if they choose to deal a defender to clear their logjam, and his ongoing contract standoff only emphasizes that point.
Kylington was once regarded as a top prospect and has been someone Flames fans for many years had hoped would finally turn his hyped prospect status into tangible NHL results. This year, he just did that. The freedom Tanev’s elite defensive play provided Kylington allowed the 25-year-old to make the most of his tantalizing tools, and he finished 2021-22 with nine goals and 31 points in 73 games. He showed he could be a threat as a transitional defenseman and even flashed improvements to his all-around game. He could net the Flames a strong return, perhaps even a young forward from a team in need of defensive help.
Trading Kylington would be a tough pill to swallow after he finally had the break-out season the organization had been waiting for, but it would also help alleviate the Flames’ (admittedly good) problem of having so many NHL defensemen. If the Flames want Valimaki to see regular minutes next season, this may be the route to take.
Whatever direction the Flames choose, they’ll have to do something. As things currently stand, at least some combination of defensemen in Calgary will be available to other teams, either via a trade or waivers. If Treliving wants to control who stays and who goes, he’ll need to be decisive.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Minor Transactions: 07/25/22
We’re now a few weeks into the offseason and some big-name free agents are still unsigned. While we wait on those players to choose their next team, there are plenty of minor moves happening around the hockey world. As always, we’ll keep track of those right here.
- The Syracuse Crunch have signed Jack LaFontaine to an AHL contract, following the Carolina Hurricanes cutting ties with the free agent goaltender. LaFontaine, who left the University of Minnesota midseason to join the Hurricanes, wasn’t issued a qualifying offer at the end of the year.
- Joey Keane has decided to head overseas following his Calder Cup championship, signing with Spartak Moscow in the KHL. The Hurricanes will retain his exclusive rights after issuing him a qualifying offer this summer. The 23-year-old had 45 points in 80 total games for the Chicago Wolves this season.
- The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, a team that haas yet to be named, has signed forward Mitch McLain to an AHL contract, confirms Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (link). McLain spent four years at Bowling Green State University before turning pro in the spring of 2018, signing with the Iowa Wild. The 28-year-old spent parts of four seasons in Iowa before heading to the Milwaukee Admirals for the 2021-22 season, where he scored 17 goals to go with six assists in 76 AHL contests.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Stelio Mattheos
Two-time Calder Cup champion Stelio Mattheos has re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, inking a new one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $70K and includes a minor league guarantee of $85K. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement:
Stelio has played key roles on championship teams throughout his junior and professional career. He is incredibly resilient and hard-working both on and off the ice, and we are thrilled to keep him in our organization.
Mattheos, 23, was selected 73rd overall in 2017, and has had an interesting experience so far at the professional level. While he is kept almost completely off the board during the regular season, his postseason performances have been excellent so far.
With just 21 points in 92 AHL regular season games it might be easy to write him off as a player who isn’t able to translate his junior production to the pros. But then his energy, forechecking, and tenacity have given the Charlotte Checkers and now the Chicago Wolves a valuable piece as they chased the Calder Cup.
As a restricted free agent this summer with no arbitration rights, there was basically no leverage for Mattheos. But with this new contract in hand, he’ll get another chance to show that he can be a capable, reliable piece, and potentially put his name in the mix for bottom-six action in the NHL.
Mark Pysyk Undergoes Achilles Surgery
Perhaps helping to explain today’s signing of Robert Hagg, the Detroit Red Wings have announced that Mark Pysyk has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. He has been given a recovery timeline of four to six months.
Pysyk, 30, signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Red Wings worth $850K on July 14.
While a fourth-month recovery would still allow him to play a good chunk of the season with Detroit, Achilles injuries are notorious for long rehab times, meaning Pysyk’s year is completely up in the air at this point.
Since it happened this early in the offseason, there is a good chance he is able to return at some point, though the Red Wings are obviously preparing for life without him. Hagg, who actually paired with Pysyk for most of 2021-22, was signed earlier today for a very similar one-year deal, replacing the defensive depth the team lost.
St. Louis Blues Sign Nathan Todd
After an impressive performance in the Calder Cup playoffs, Nathan Todd is back with the St. Louis Blues organization on a one-year, two-way contract. Despite being 26, he did not qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency as his 2021-22 contract was the first of his NHL career, and thus was an RFA this summer.
When teams talk about how the ECHL offers a chance for long-term player development, helping those who slip through the cracks work on their game at the professional level, it’s players like Todd who are the positive examples.
When his draft year came around in 2014, he hadn’t even played in the OHL yet, playing junior with the Brockville Braves of the CCHL to that point instead. After two good years with the Ottawa 67’s he made the jump to pro hockey and eventually found his way to the Brampton Beast, where he became a difference-maker at center.
Now established as a full-time AHLer, he had 11 points in 18 games for the Thunderbirds in their long playoff run and will return as a key part of the group next season. A contract like this means he could potentially even get an NHL call-up, which would be quite the impressive climb for the 26-year-old.