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Who Is The Best Player Currently Playing Outside The NHL?

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With Ivan Demidov recently joining the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Nikishin joining the Hurricanes for practice, and Zeev Buium debuting with the Minnesota Wild, the list of top prospects playing outside the NHL has shrunk. This raises the question: Who is the top player in the world not playing in the NHL?

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo tore up the KHL this season, setting a single-season goal record with 49. The 31-year-old also led the KHL scoring with 80 points in 62 games on his way to a career season, and at one point had four hat tricks in a month.

Leivo is no stranger to the NHL, having played 265 career games over 10 seasons, tallying 42 goals and 51 assists. The Innisfil, Ontario, native last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, scoring four goals and adding 12 assists in 51 games with the St. Louis Blues. Since then, Leivo has posted elite numbers in the KHL, but it would be challenging to anoint him as the top player outside the NHL, especially since this was the first season in which he’s played at that level.

Vladimir Tkachev is another KHL star who could make a case for being the best player in the world currently outside of the NHL. The 29-year-old had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2021-22 season, chipping in two helpers in four games. At the AHL level, Tkachev had seven goals and 22 assists in 41 games with the Ontario Reign that season, before returning to Russia.

Since linking up with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Tkachev has been an elite scorer, posting a better-than-a-point-per-game average, including last year, when he registered 20 goals and 55 assists in 58 games. This past year, Tkachev missed seven months after suffering a ruptured Achilles and played in just four games. At 29, Tkachev is what he is in his bid to be the best player outside of the NHL. Still, given that his sample size from last season is so small, and he only has one elite professional season under his belt, it is hard to anoint him as the holder of that title now.

Regarding goaltenders outside the NHL, Sharks prospect Yaroslav Askarov is as good as it gets. The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has had a terrific AHL career thus far and was dominant this season, posting a .923 save percentage with four shutouts in 22 games. Askarov was a highly touted prospect before being drafted, drawing comparisons to Carey Price. He has good size, tracks the puck well, and has terrific athleticism. He is also very calm in the crease, which explains the comparisons to Price.

Askarov has all the makings of a franchise goalie, but at 22, he has yet to break through to the NHL full-time. He did play well in 13 NHL games this season, registering 1.7 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck), and should leap full-time next year. Which begs the question: Is he the best player outside the NHL? The answer is probably no, but he should be included in the conversation. It won’t be long until he plays NHL hockey full-time, and if he establishes his game at the same time as the Sharks’ other top prospects, he could do some pretty remarkable things in San Jose.

The next name that comes to mind is another former NHLer, Nikita Gusev. The 32-year-old Gusev had a solid rookie season with New Jersey back in 2019-2020, posting 13 goals and 31 assists in 66 games. However, he followed it up with a subpar 2020-21 season, which led him to leave the NHL for the KHL. Since departing for Russia, Gusev has been a point-per-game player, even setting a new KHL single-season scoring record with 89 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 season. Given his consistency in recent seasons, a strong case could be made that Gusev is the top player in the world currently playing outside of the NHL until we discuss the last name on the list.

For many people, the first name that comes to mind is 17-year-old Gavin McKenna, and for good reason. McKenna is the projected first overall pick in 2026 and just finished a phenomenal season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, producing 41 goals and 88 assists in 56 games. McKenna has another season in junior hockey before he is drafted, and he will no doubt draw comparisons not just to recent first-overall selections Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, but also to a decade-defining talent like Connor McDavid, as well.

While he undoubtedly has the highest upside of any player currently playing outside of the NHL, it’s hard to say he is the definitive number one, but it is also hard to dispute it. He isn’t playing against men yet, and all the other players are competing in professional hockey in the world’s second- or third-best leagues. The comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples, but there can’t be one.

The debate likely comes down to Gusev and McKenna for being the best in the world outside the NHL. While the title is unofficial, it was previously held by Gusev before he made the move to the NHL. However, given McKenna’s historic season, he has completed arguably one of the best seasons ever in the CHL for a 17-year-old, and he makes the best case for the best player in the world outside of the NHL.

West Notes: Landeskog, Copley, George, Vilardi, Ehlers, Hronek

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After flirting with an official comeback in Games 1 & 2, Gabriel Landeskog will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3. The NHL proudly announced that Landeskog will play in his first game for the first time in 1,032 days.

Landeskog’s return to the NHL minutes is one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sports. After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Swedish winger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which is an operation more inclined to return an individual to a generic standard of mobility rather than professional sports. Through intense willpower, Landeskog was able to overcome.

It’ll be important for the rest of the Avalanche, too. Based on multiple interviews with players on the team, the void of Landeskog has been present for some time, and having him back in the lineup, even for a few shifts, should lead to intense motivation.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have switched up their emergency third goalies for Game 2. The Kings announced they’ve recalled netminder Carter George from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and have reassigned Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. Should George play, which is incredibly unlikely, it would be the first NHL appearance of his career.
  • There are a few injury updates for the Winnipeg Jets as their opening-round series transitions to St. Louis. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that forward Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the team while Nikolaj Ehlers will not. Still, it’s important to note that Vilardi has yet to practice without a non-contact jersey, meaning he could remain a ways away from returning.
  • Team Czechia will have a quality defenseman join them for their IIHF World Championship gold medal repeat bid. Earlier today, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will join his international team for the upcoming tournament. It’ll be the first time since the summer of 2022 that Hronek has played in the tournament when he tallied two assists in 10 contests.

Boston Bruins Notes: Geekie, Sweeney, Zacha, Beecher

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Despite finishing toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Boston Bruins had a few bright spots on the year. One of them, Morgan Geekie, is entering the 2025-26 season on a $2MM salary and had been an oft-mentioned trade candidate for the Bruins throughout the year.

That’s unlikely to happen. Earlier today, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub passed along a blunt statement from General Manager Don Sweeney indicating Geekie would be on the roster next year.

To be fair, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston recoup a haul for Geekie should they trade him. 30-goal scorers don’t grow on trees in the NHL, and certainly not on $2MM salaries. However, as a counterpoint, the Bruins did finish as one of the worst offensive teams in the 2024-25 campaign, and trading Geekie away does nothing to improve that. He’ll look to equal, if not improve upon, this year’s results as a pending restricted free agent, and the Bruins can decide then if they’d like to re-sign Geekie to a longer-term deal.

Other notes from the Bruins organization:

  • Much like Geekie, don’t expect Sweeney to depart the organization anytime soon, either. Speaking with reporters today, team President Cam Neely gave a glowing endorsement of Sweeney, saying, “Don has been a great GM in this league. Has everything gone right? No, it hasn’t. That’s just sports, but there’s been more good than bad. Don and his group, in my opinion, have earned the right to get us back to where we all want to be.” Sweeney has been at the helm of the Bruins’ front office for the last decade.
  • Fortunately, Boston will enter the summer months with a clean bill of health. Sweeney shared that forward Pavel Zacha had a minor, unspecified surgery, and John Beecher may also need one (Tweet Link). Other than that, the Bruins don’t expect any major surgeries throughout the offseason.

New York Rangers Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Chris Drury

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The New York Rangers are sticking with the current leader of their front office. The Rangers announced a multi-year extension with General Manager Chris Drury.

In the announcement, MSG Sports Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan wrote, “I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as President and General Manager. Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic, and a tireless pursuit of excellence. While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”

Despite working for New York’s front office since the 2015-16 season, Drury has spent the last four seasons as the team’s General Manager. Although he cannot be fully credited, the Rangers have appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals under Drury, additionally winning the President’s Trophy last season.

Beginning with the draft, Drury has made three selections in the first round, with his first being Brennan Othmann from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds in 2021. Othmann has yet to break out at the NHL level, but has been extremely successful with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Drury’s most impressive selection came two years later, when the Rangers selected Gabriel Perreault with the 23rd overall pick. After an incredible two-year run with Boston College, Perreault projects to be a quality top-six forward for years to come in New York.

Unfortunately, Drury’s tenure as General Manager becomes checkered when analyzing his trade history. Drury is credited with trading away Brett Howden, Pavel Buchnevich, and Nils Lundkvist, while failing to bring back anything of legitimate value in those deals. Still, Drury can be aggressive on the trade market when he needs to be, acquiring Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and J.T. Miller while being able to move the heavy contract of defenseman Jacob Trouba.

He’s been a toss-up when it comes to perusing the free agent market. Drury signed Barclay Goodrow and Patrik Nemeth to burdensome contracts, but also locked up Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere to long-term deals.

Still, like it is for all of the Original Six organizations, the proof is in the pudding. Although some teams may feel content with two Conference Final appearances in three years, the Rangers faithful are still hungry for their first Stanley Cup banner in 31 years. Despite agreeing to a multi-year extension with the Rangers, the pressure to perform shouldn’t escape Drury.

Philadelphia Flyers Dismiss Three Coaches

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John Tortorella wasn’t the only one on the chopping block from the Philadelphia Flyers’ disappointing 2024-25 campaign. A short while ago, the Flyers announced they were not retaining Rocky Thompson or Darryl Williams as assistant coaches, nor Angelo Ricci as the club’s skills coach.

Williams is the most-veteran coach of the group, having started his professional coaching career as a video coach for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008-09 season. He spent six years in that role, as well as enjoying the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, before becoming an assistant coach for the New York Rangers in 2014-15. He was let go by the Rangers after the 2017-18 season, the same time the organization relieved head coach Alain Vigneault of his duties.  Interestingly enough, Williams became an assistant coach again in the 2021-22 season, this time with the Flyers.

Meanwhile, Thompson has enjoyed his longest stretch as an assistant coach with Philadelphia. He briefly served as the Edmonton Oilers assistant coach in 2014-15 and the San Jose Sharks’ in 2020-21. He served as the head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and AHL’s Chicago Wolves during the in-between years outside of the NHL, and joined the Flyers coaching staff for the 2022-23 season.

Ricci is arguably the least known of the trio, having only served as skills coach for the Buffalo Sabres and Flyers. Before his move to Philadelphia, Ricci was a youth hockey mainstay in Denver, serving as the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 AAA team from 2005 to 2020.

Metro Notes: Ansons, Flyers, Nikishin

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According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Penguins are unlikely to issue forward prospect Raivis Ansons his $813K qualifying offer this summer. Ansons would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and would be a candidate to return overseas to continue his professional career.

The Penguins selected Ansons with the 149th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Ansons scored 13 goals and 35 points in 60 games during his draft year, and Pittsburgh believed he could be a long-term candidate in the bottom-six of the team’s forward group.

After a year in his native Latvia and a return trip to the QMJHL, Ansons signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins in 2022 and played for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Unfortunately, his time in the AHL has been nothing short of a disaster, as Ansons has only managed five goals and 14 points in 87 career contests. Coupled with an undisclosed injury that limited him to nine games this year, the Penguins organization is seemingly ready to move on from one of their recent draft choices.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • Although General Manager Daniel Brière would like to add more pieces than he subtracts this offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers, don’t expect them to be wild spenders. Anthony Di Marco of DailyFaceoff writes that Brière will only look for specific areas of need, rather than go after the market’s biggest fish. The only hypothetical option Di Marco listed was Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year deal, given the Flyers’ need for centers. Meanwhile, although the team may like to improve their disappointing goaltending, Di Marco doesn’t believe Brière will be interested in any of the options on the free-agent market.
  • Despite having his entry-level contract reported two weeks ago, Alexander Nikishin has yet to play a game in the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Much of that can be explained away due to his visa issues, however, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal passed along a note from Carolina General Manager Eric Tulsky indicating Nikishin hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet. Fortunately, Tulsky pointed out they’re merely working out the deal’s finer points, and the organization doesn’t feel rushed to add Nikishin to a lineup that has won the first two games of their Round One series against the New Jersey Devils.

Evander Kane, John Klingberg Will Play In Game 2

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The Oilers suffered a dramatic loss in Game 1 to the Kings, with top-nine forward Evander Kane unavailable as he has been all season, having undergone multiple surgeries. He and defenseman John Klingberg, who’s been out since late March with a lower-body injury, have been cleared by Edmonton’s medical staff and will be in the lineup for Game 2 tonight as they try to even the series, head coach Kris Knoblauch said (via the team’s Tony Brar).

It’s not unexpected – Knoblauch said yesterday there was a strong possibility of both being cleared. Both ended the season on long-term injured reserve and will technically need to be activated. However, that’s an inconsequential move as roster limits and the salary cap are no longer in effect during the playoffs.

Tonight will be Kane’s first game since Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on June 10, so that’s 317 days between games. The 33-year-old played through a sports hernia to end last season and paid the price. He underwent surgery in September and also required corrective action on two torn hip adductors and lower abdominal muscles. He was initially expected to return around January, but a knee issue arose during his recovery that required surgery in early January. That kept him on LTIR for the balance of the regular season, although he’s been skating now for a couple of weeks.

When Kane is healthy, he’s been an impact player for the Oilers in the postseason. He led the playoffs with 13 goals in just 15 games in Edmonton’s run to the Western Conference Final in 2022 and has 20-10–30 in 47 postseason games as an Oiler overall. Edmonton will bank on him being an important secondary scoring option after Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins combined to score 48.3% of the Oilers’ total goals in the regular season.

In a follow-up report from Brar, it appears Kane will join Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman on the team’s second line, while Klingberg will play next to Jake Walman on the second defensive pairing. Although there’s nothing to pull from the 2024-25 campaign, the offensive trio combined for a 60.6% xGoals% last season in 83.1 minutes of action according to MoneyPuck. Should the Oilers receive something similar this evening and for the remainder of the series, the Kings will have a hard time defending against Edmonton’s offense.

Meanwhile, the Oilers have intelligently placed Klingberg next to a capable, defensive-minded blue liner. Despite nearly doubling his career-high in points this season, Walman is best known for his defensive prowess, earning an E +/- of 3.9 in 15 games with Edmonton after the trade deadline and an on-ice save percentage of 92.1% at even strength. In contrast, Klingberg had a lower performance, recording an E +/- of -1.9 over 11 games.

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement

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Longtime agitator Cal Clutterbuck, who spent 17 years in the NHL, has confirmed the end of his playing career. Clutterbuck published a reel on Instagram today announcing his retirement after going unsigned for the 2024-25 season.

“After 17 years, it’s time to hang up the skates,” Clutterbuck wrote. “I’m beyond grateful for every teammate, coach, fan, and moment along the way. Hockey gave me everything — a purpose, a brotherhood, and a lifetime of memories.”

“To Matt and Casey — it was an honor to go to war with you night in and night out. What we built together means more than words can say. And to the Islanders faithful — your passion, loyalty, and love made Long Island home. Thank you all. On to the next chapter.”

Matt and Casey, of course, refer to longtime linemates Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas on Long Island. The trio has essentially served as the Islanders’ fourth line ever since they acquired Clutterbuck from the Wild in 2013, aside from Martin’s two-year stint with the Maple Leafs from 2016 to 2018. One of the more recognizable and feared checking units of the millennium, Clutterbuck certainly played his part. He retires as the league’s all-time hits leader with 4,029, 93 ahead of the second-place Martin.

While Clutterbuck will be most remembered for his time in Nassau County, his NHL career began as a third-round pick by the Wild in 2006, after he dominated junior hockey with 68 points and 139 penalty minutes in 66 games with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. He returned to Oshawa the following year, but thanks to his November birthday, was able to spend the 2007-08 season in the AHL with Minnesota’s affiliate, the Houston Aeros. He didn’t make much of a splash offensively in his first taste of pro hockey, perhaps a sign of things to come, but still managed to make his NHL debut across a pair of early-season contests.

Despite only managing 24 points in 73 AHL games out of the gate, the Wild liked Clutterbuck’s physicality enough to make him a bottom-six fixture as a 21-year-old in the 2008-09 campaign. His 11-goal, 356-hit rookie season meant he never touched minor-league ice again aside from a conditioning stint in 2019-20. A few years into his Minnesota tenure, Clutterbuck looked like he might be able to stick as a true top-nine power forward when he scored 19 goals and 34 points in the 2010-11 campaign while averaging nearly 16 minutes per night, but those numbers would stand as career-highs. Clutterbuck only hit double-digit goals in a season three more times.

Nonetheless, Clutterbuck still carved out a bottom-six niche and played 1,064 games – 718 of which came after the Isles acquired him for then-struggling top-five pick Nino Niederreiter in the 2013 offseason. Niederreiter blossomed into a legitimate two-way top-six winger in Minnesota. Still, Clutterbuck stuck around far longer with his new team, even earning a five-year, $17.5MM extension from the club in 2016, despite his relatively minimal offensive impact.

An alternate captain in New York for the last decade of his career, Clutterbuck retires at 12th on the Isles’ all-time games played list in the regular season. He also added 11-7–18 and 340 hits in 76 games across seven playoff appearances on the Island. The Ontario native recorded a 143-150–293 scoring line with a -19 rating and 698 PIMs in 1,064 career games. All of us at PHR wish Clutterbuck the best in the next phase of his hockey career.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.

Blackhawks Assign A.J. Spellacy To AHL

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The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect A.J. Spellacy to AHL Rockford to finish his season in the Calder Cup Playoffs, the latter club announced.

Spellacy’s Windsor Spitfires of the OHL were eliminated last night in the second round after blowing a 3-0 series lead against the Kitchener Rangers. The 19-year-old missed Games 2 through 5 of that series with injury and only managed to play in five of the Spitfires’ 12 playoff games as a whole, recording a goal and two assists.

Selected in the third round of last year’s draft, Spellacy’s post-draft season was remarkably similar to his draft year. The 6’3″, 205-lb winger is a great skater and heavy forechecker but doesn’t have a particularly high offensive ceiling. He scored 18-19–37 in 62 games with Windsor this year after posting a 21-17–38 scoring line in 67 games last year, slightly upping his points per game pace.

The Ohio native had a strong camp showing with the Hawks last fall and will now get his first taste of professional hockey with Rockford as the IceHogs begin their play-in series against the Chicago Wolves tonight. He’ll presumably head back to Windsor next season for a fourth and final season of major junior hockey unless he makes a surprise run at a Blackhawks roster spot. He’ll still be too young for a full-time AHL assignment in 2025-26. His entry-level contract, which Chicago signed in January, carried a $906,667 cap hit at signing, but that will decrease since his $97.5K signing bonus for 2024-25 was paid out. The deal is slide-eligible for both this year and next if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in 2025-26.

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