New York Islanders Sign Otto Koivula, Cole Bardreau
Sep 20: The Islanders have officially announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Andreoff, Bardreau, Koivula, Timashov and Paul LaDue, all players whose deals had been previously reported. The team did not confirm any of the contract details.
Sep 16: Just following the news that Andy Andreoff and Dmytro Timashov are signing with the New York Islanders, CapFriendly reported two other players that are now under contract with the team. Otto Koivula, one of the teams remaining restricted free agents, has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL, $125K in the AHL and carries a $175K minor league guarantee. Cole Bardreau meanwhile has inked a two-year, two-way contract that carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level, pays him an average of $170K in the AHL and contains minor league guarantees of at least $205K.
Koivula, 23, split last season between Finland and the AHL, suiting up 20 times for the Bridgeport Sond Tigers. He had just two goals and nine points in those games, but has been a very strong contributor in the past. In fact, he played well enough to earn 12 games at the NHL level in 2019-20, though he failed to record a single point during them. The 6’5″ forward was a fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2016 and is coming off his entry-level contract.
Bardreau, 28, is a little bit of a different story. The undrafted center has been a long-time minor league staple, first playing five years for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before joining Bridgeport in 2019. He scored ten goals and 16 points for them in 24 games last season and shouldn’t be expected to have much of an impact in the NHL. Bardreau did get ten games with the big club in 2019-20, but is likely getting locked up to be a key part of the Sound Tigers attack for the next two seasons.
Like all of the other reported deals, the Islanders have not yet officially confirmed either Koivula or Bardreau.
Minor Transactions: 09/20/21
Training camps open in just a few days, and though there are still several restricted free agents to sign, the focus for many organizations is filling out their minor league depth charts. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have signed a pair of players, inking Zach Berzolla and Zach Giuttari to one-year AHL contracts. Giuttari is returning to the Wolf Pack after playing 22 games for the club in 2020-21. The 25-year-old defenseman registered six points in his first season of professional hockey. Berzolla, 23, played his senior season with Colorado College before suiting up for the Florida Everblades down the stretch. A Howell, New Jersey native, he’s back on the east coast.
- Luke Moncada, who played last season with the Cleveland Monsters, is on his way overseas to play for the Vienna Capitals. The former North Bay Battalion star had just three points in 17 games for Cleveland, but will add a powerful presence to the ICEHL team as he continues his hockey career in Europe.
This page will be updated with further transactions as they are reported.
Seattle Signs Aaron Ness, Brent Gates To PTOs
Without a minor league squad to draw from, the Seattle Kraken would have a relatively thin group to take part in training camp this season. That explains why they’ve added another two players on professional tryouts today, signing Aaron Ness and Brent Gates according to CapFriendly. The pair join Scott Wilson and Ryan Lohin who had already been reported on tryout contracts.
Ness, 31, is a top minor league defenseman who has continually registered huge point totals over a long career. In 2018-19 with the Hershey Bears, he hit a career-high of 55 in 71 games and has 260 overall in his 536-game AHL career. Last season, he was stuck almost exclusively on the taxi squad of the Arizona Coyotes, playing in just a single game at any level. Ness does have 72 games of NHL experience, and is exactly the kind of defenseman that seemed necessary for the Kraken earlier this summer–one who could clear waivers without much issue but still be a useful call-up if necessary.
Gates meanwhile has still never played in an NHL game, despite being the 80th overall pick in 2015. The 24-year-old center split last season between the Tulsa Oilers, Indy Fuel, San Diego Gulls, and Rochester Americans. He has found some success at the ECHL level, but it seems very unlikely that Gates will earn an NHL contract with the Kraken. Instead, he’ll just be another body to help fill out the camp and get a chance to showcase himself to other organizations around the league.
Boston Bruins Sign Zach Senyshyn
The Boston Bruins have reached an agreement with their final restricted free agent, signing Zach Senyshyn to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will carry an NHL salary of $750K. Of note, the young forward will be 25 at its expiry, meaning he could become a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he fails to land a regular spot in the Bruins lineup this season.
Now 24, Senyshyn was the 15th overall pick in 2015, the last of the infamous three consecutive picks the Bruins held. Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk and Senyshyn have combined for just 146 NHL points, while each of the three picks that followed–Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot, have eclipsed 150.
He’ll never escape that label, and in Senyshyn’s case, it is deserved. The winger hasn’t even had a ton of success at the minor league level, reaching a career-high of 26 points in 2017-18 with the Providence Bruins. His per-game production did take a jump in 2020-21 with seven goals and 13 points in just 18 AHL games, but he still seems very far from making an impact at the NHL level.
In 14 career games with Boston, Senyshyn has just one goal and three points. To be sent to the minor leagues this season he would need to clear waivers, but that wasn’t a problem at the beginning of 2020-21. He passed through in January without a claim.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Cody Goloubef To PTO
The Montreal Canadiens will have some more defensive depth in training camp, as the team announced today that Cody Goloubef has signed a professional tryout.
Goloubef, 31, has bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL for the last decade, totaling 160 games played at the highest level. None of those came last season as he instead spent the entire year with the Belleville Senators, recording six points in 31 games. He split the 2019-20 season between Ottawa and Detroit, suiting up 26 times.
While his NHL career has been unspectacular, Goloubef did get the chance to suit up for Team Canada at the 2018 Olympics, where he registered two points in six games and took home a bronze medal. The same year he won the Spengler Cup but has otherwise not suited up internationally since the 2009 World Junior Championship.
For Montreal, this is likely nothing more than some training camp depth, though Goloubef could certain land a two-way deal to play for the Laval Rocket. It’s unlikely he’ll see much time in the NHL this season.
Travis Zajac Signs One-Day Contract With Devils, Announces Retirement
New Jersey, he’ll always be a Devil. Travis Zajac has signed a one-day contract with the New Jersey Devils before announcing his retirement from a playing career that lasted more than 1,000 games. Zajac will remain with the Devils organization in an on/off-ice player development and consulting role, while also working to grow the club’s youth hockey initiatives. The veteran forward thanked everyone along the way, while Devils managing partner David Blitzer released a statement as well:
During his 15-year NHL career, Travis Zajac’s consistent preparation, commitment and performance epitomized what it meant to be a New Jersey Devil. Win or lose, Travis’ teammates, coaches and fans could always count on him to play the right way. I am thrilled that Travis, his wife Nicole and their children will continue to make New Jersey their home, and they will be a valued part of the Devils organization moving forward.
Originally selected 20th overall in 2004, Zajac would be in the NHL full-time by 2006-07 and never look back. He scored 17 goals and 42 points that rookie season, numbers that would seem routine for him over the next decade. He reached a career-high of 25 goals and 67 points in the 2009-10 season and racked up 552 points in 1,037 career regular season games. All but 13 of those came with the Devils organization, though Zajac did have a short sojourn with the New York Islanders earlier this year, as GM Lou Lamoriello, who drafted him so many years ago, acquired the 36-year-old forward for a playoff run.
Despite having so much personal success, Zajac actually didn’t get that many chances to suit up in the postseason. He managed just 71 playoff games over his long career, only once going deep–the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012. A reliable two-way presence, he did receive Selke Trophy votes in seven different seasons, finishing sixth in 2010.
Now hanging up his skates, he’ll join the same Devils organization that has always been his home and help the next wave of talent reach the NHL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nolan Patrick Signs With Vegas Golden Knights
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights finalized terms with newcomer Nolan Patrick on a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.2MM, paying Patrick $1MM in 2021-22 and $1.4MM in 2022-23. The young forward was a restricted free agent after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Selected second overall in 2017, it has been anything but a smooth ride for the 23-year-old Patrick. Even before he was drafted he had dealt with serious injury, taking away a huge chunk of his final year with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and that injury-prone label has followed him to the NHL. It’s not fair, given the most serious ailment Patrick has dealt with is a migraine issue, but nevertheless, he has heard the chorus of “bust” for several years now.
After two seasons in which he recorded 13 goals and around 30 points, Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 campaign due to his migraine issue. It kept him from skating or participating in any team activity, meaning when he returned for 2020-21 there was obviously a gap in his development. This season was an absolute trainwreck, with the young forward registering just four goals and nine points in 52 games while seeing his average ice time drop significantly. That led to an offseason trade as the Flyers looked to shake up their group and go in a different direction.
Despite recent struggles, Patrick is by no means a write-off in Vegas. The 6’2″ 203-lbs forward still has all the physical tools to be an impact player in the NHL, even if his ceiling as a first-line center looks like an impossibility at this point. The Golden Knights will have to rebuild his confidence and his career, but they obviously have a strong belief in him given they gave up Cody Glass in a one-for-one deal.
The reason for that optimism? Kelly McCrimmon, the Golden Knights’ GM knows Patrick better than anyone, having drafted, developed, coached and managed him in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings. That’s where Patrick turned into a star, including an outstanding 102-point campaign in 2015-16 that resulted in a WHL championship (and playoff MVP).
This two-year deal will still leave Patrick a restricted free agent in 2023, but does mean he will be arbitration-eligible. If he can get his career back on track, there will be more than $1.2MM waiting for him through that process, but more importantly, there should be a real opportunity in Vegas. The Golden Knights have long been searching for another center to complement William Karlsson in the top-six, something Patrick could still do if he can find any of the juice that made him a second-overall pick just a few years ago. Then again, perhaps the lost year has removed any chance of him fulfilling that early promise and he’ll have to settle into a depth role on the loaded Golden Knights roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Detroit Red Wings Prospect Jared McIsaac Leaves Game On Stretcher
A prospect match between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets has been stopped after defender Jared McIsaac was hit along the boards. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports that McIsaac was responsive as he left the game on a stretcher.
The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger tweets that McIsaac’s head hit the glass on a hit from Columbus Blue Jackets forward James Malatesta and fell to the ice. A report from the Detroit Red Wings says that McIsaac is indeed responsive and has feeling in his extremities. He’ll be observed at a local hospital. The rest of the game will proceed, with the 2:54 that was remaining in the first period added onto the second.
McIsaac has spent much of the last two seasons dealing with injury. He played in just one Liiga game and 10 AHL games with Grand Rapids in 2020-21. Expected to take on a full-time role in Grand Rapids this season, McIsaac’s health and well-being are what’s paramount now.
Everyone at PHR offers their best wishes to McIsaac, his family, and the Red Wings during this time.
Bruins Notes: Coyle, Lysell, Injuries
To say it’s been an eventful offseason for the Boston Bruins would be an understatement. With the extensions for Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly and the acquisitions of Linus Ullmark and Nick Foligno came some serious departures. Longtime Bruin David Krejci left the team to continue his career at home in the Czech Republic, while netminder Tuukka Rask remains unsigned amid injury uncertainty. While Krejci’s replacement as the second-line center isn’t entirely clear, the frontrunner in the eyes of most is Charlie Coyle. However, as The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa notes, Coyle’s participation could be limited at the start of training camp. While not ordinarily a huge cause for concern, the news comes after it was revealed Coyle suffered through injury for much of last season and underwent knee surgery in July. It was an inordinately rough season for Coyle last year, who scored just six goals and 16 points in 51 games. An elevated role playing with Hall will likely boost those point totals. The team will be relying on Coyle much more next season to produce, meaning his health as the start of the season approaches could be a real storyline in Boston.
More from the Bruins’ sphere today:
- General manager Don Sweeney, speaking after the Bruins’ development camp games concluded today, says that 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell will likely be playing in North American this season. Lysell signed his entry-level contract this summer after spending last season with Luleå HF in Sweden, but the signing offered little clarity over where he could take the ice in 2021-22. A loan back to Sweden was still possible, but it now appears he’ll be playing junior hockey this season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. It’s important to note that due to his European status and lack of a junior contract, Lysell was indeed eligible to suit up with the Providence Bruins in the AHL this year.
- Shinzawa also notes that a trio of Bruins prospects — Victor Berglund, Josiah Didier, and J.D. Greenway — are all injured and unavailable for the beginning of training camp. The most exciting of these names to follow is undoubtedly Berglund’s. A seventh-round pick of the squad in 2017, he’s developed extremely well in his native Sweden. Loaned out to Luleå this year, sharing a team with Lysell, the 22-year-old impressed in his first season of SHL action with 21 points in 50 games. Likely a candidate to play serious minutes with Providence this year, Bruins fans may have to wait a little while to see him on the ice again.
Edmonton Oilers’ Dmitri Samorukov Out Six Weeks
Edmonton Oilers prospect Dmitri Samorukov suffered a broken jaw during last night’s development camp tilt against the Calgary Flames, the team announced Sunday afternoon. The defenseman will be out six weeks, missing the rest of training camp and the beginning of the regular season.
Samorukov, originally a third-round pick of the Oilers in 2017, is returning to North American this season after spending last season on loan with CSKA Moscow in the KHL. He’s shown solid upside at all levels of the game, scoring 45 points in 59 games with the Guelph Storm in his last OHL season in 2018-19. He continued his development with a successful rookie campaign in the AHL, getting into 47 games with the Bakersfield Condors in 2019-20. Last season’s stint in Russia saw him post eight points in 48 games while exhibiting solid two-way skill.
While it was unlikely Samorukov would crack the roster for the Oilers this season, the injury likely hurts those chances even further. However, he’ll be an important part of the defense core in Bakersfield this season as he enters his third professional campaign. Steps forward there this season could very well lead to an NHL opportunity in the future, possibly as soon as a call-up at the end of this season or next. He likely sits as the second defenseman on the depth chart in Bakersfield behind Philip Broberg, a first-round selection of the Oilers in 2019.