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Nikolai Kovalenko Could Join Avalanche After KHL Season

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Colorado Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland spoke with the DNVR Podcast recently regarding forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko. During the interview MacFarland spoke about the team’s excitement when the Russian signed his two-year entry-level contract, and that they were going to be paying a lot of attention to his play over the next few months. MacFarland said the plan is to have Kovalenko come over at the expiration of his current season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and where he ends up is wide open.

The 23-year-old is on a tear to start the season with three goals and five assists in six games and is coming off a season in which he posted 21 goals and 33 assists in 56 games. He has been dressing as a regular in the KHL since 2017-18 but hasn’t been much of an offensive threat until the past two seasons. His case could be that of a late bloomer as teams didn’t really project this much offensive upside for Kovalenko, which might explain why he fell to the Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL entry draft.

Kovalenko was born in the United States when his father Andrei Kovalenko was an NHLer with the Carolina Hurricanes but was ultimately raised in Russia and has played hockey there throughout his career. From 2015-2018 Kovalenko played in the MHL which is Russia’s junior league. He dressed in 72 games notching 17 goals and 33 assists while helping Yaroslavl win back-to-back MHL championships.

Kovalenko may be a long shot to make the Avalanche when he does come over to North America next year. Colorado identified their forward depth as an area of concern this summer and made several moves to address it by acquiring Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and Tomas Tatar through free agency, as well as Ross Colton and Ryan Johansen via trade.

International Check-In: Lindbom, Lekkerimaki, KHL Scoring Leaders, Michkov

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Top international leagues such as those in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia often play a crucial role in NHL player development, but many of those storylines don’t get much coverage outside of teams’ local media. PHR is aiming to change that by shining a light this season on some notable stats and trends concerning NHL-affiliated talent suiting up overseas this season, keeping tabs on some potential future stars.

Vegas Golden Knights 2021 seventh-round pick Carl Lindbom has seen a sharp rise in stock since draft day, and his start to the 2023-24 campaign can only be described as meteoric. The 20-year-old netminder is on loan from Vegas to SHL club Färjestad BK this season after signing his entry-level contract earlier in the summer, and he’s stolen the starting role from overseas veteran (and former Golden Knight) Maxime Lagace thanks to a strong pre-season showing, posting a 2-0-0 record and .936 save percentage in two Champions Hockey League tournament appearances earlier this month. That translated into Lindbom getting the start for Färjestad in their first two games of the SHL league calendar, conceding just one goal in each of their games against Växjö and Skellefteå en route to a 2-0 start to the season with a .952 save percentage to back things up.

Sticking in Sweden, many watchful eyes will be on Vancouver Canucks 2022 first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimäki after an inconsistent 2022-23 campaign. He’s on loan from Vancouver to the SHL’s Örebro HK this year after spending last season in the second-tier Allsvenskan, and he looks like he’s fitting right in to start the year. Assuming a top-six role out of the gate, the right winger has two goals through his first two outings, both coming on the power play.

Moving over to Russia, it’s been a strong start to the season for three players with NHL ties: Nikita Gusev, Ivan Morozov and Nikolay Goldobin, who currently occupy the top three on the KHL’s points leaderboard. Gusev, who remains under contract with Dynamo Moscow through this season, is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game and leads the league with 11 points through seven games, helping the squad to a 5-2-0 start. After a disappointing end to his NHL tenure with the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers in 2020-21, the 31-year-old could be looking at an NHL comeback next summer after what looks to be three strong campaigns in his home country.

Morozov was the Golden Knights’ second-round pick in 2018, and they’ve loaned him out to Spartak Moscow for this season after an underwhelming performance with AHL Henderson last season, in which he netted just 17 points in 58 games. He’s got three goals and ten points through seven games to start the season, however, including a three-assist performance in Spartak’s season-opening loss against Kunlun Red Star.

Rumors have also swirled about a potential NHL return for the 27-year-old Goldobin in recent months, but nothing came to fruition this offseason. He obviously hasn’t let that affect his play, recording eight goals through seven games for Spartak to lead the KHL. His last full NHL season came in 2018-19 with the Vancouver Canucks.

Finally, things are looking up once again for future Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov after KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg loaned him out to bottom-dweller HK Sochi for the consecutive season. After playing a combined 6:12 through SKA’s first four games of the campaign, Michkov has assumed a top-six role once again in Sochi and is delivering the goods with two assists and a combined 12 shots on goal through his first two games, helping Sochi win back-to-back games. Their record is 3-3-1 through the first seven games of the season after winning just nine games throughout all of the 2022-23 campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Jagr, Kirk, Poulin

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Being 36 years old in the NHL for an average player generally means retirement is on the horizon. Don’t tell that to Jaromir Jagr, who confirmed today he’ll be playing his 36th straight season of pro hockey, suiting up with his hometown team, Rytiri Kladno, in the Czech Extraliga. Jagr, the team’s majority owner, doesn’t ride the bench at age 51, either. His 14 points in 26 games last season still placed him top ten on the team in scoring as Kladno narrowly managed to avoid relegation to the 1. liga for the second straight season. This season, he’ll be once again joined by team captain Tomas Plekanec, as the longtime Montreal Canadiens pivot is still active overseas at age 40. Longtime NHLer Michael Frolik is also suiting up for Kladno in 2023-24 after playing last season in the Extraliga with Bili Tygri Liberec. Jagr has played for Kladno ever since his NHL career ended in 2018 with the Calgary Flames.

Other notes from around hockey on this Saturday night:

  • Groundbreaking British prospect Liam Kirk spoke to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan recently after mutually terminating his entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes. Last season was a roller coaster ride for Kirk, who was healthy after a knee injury sidelined him for most of 2021-22. Loaned to ECHL Atlanta and then overseas to Jukurit in Finland, Kirk says he “didn’t really hear from the Coyotes” throughout the campaign and was even more confused after AHL Tucson was still active after his season in Finland ended without recalling him. Kirk, the first player born and developed in England to be drafted by an NHL team, has a one-year deal with HC Litvinov in Czechia next season, where he’s expected to play a top-six role. The 23-year-old remains in pursuit of another NHL opportunity down the line.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins 2019 first-round pick Samuel Poulin is back on the ice with the team during rookie camp after taking a four-month leave of absence to deal with his mental health last season, telling NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale he “feel[s] great” and is looking forward to competing for a roster spot. It’s been a tough transition to pro hockey for Poulin, who put up strong numbers in the QMJHL but had just four goals and no assists in 15 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Laval product can play all three forward positions.

Seattle Kraken Sign Jaxon Castor To PTO

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The Seattle Kraken have signed netminder Jaxon Castor to a professional tryout, as their training camp roster (announced yesterday) confirmed he’ll be at the Kraken’s main camp starting next week.

Castor is beginning his pro career a tad late at age 26 but does so after a spectacular final collegiate season with St. Cloud State in 2022-23. It was quite a rise for Castor, who spent five seasons at the university – the first of which was spent playing club-level hockey in the ACHA II division. He would serve as the main team’s backup for three more years before finally getting a shot as a starter.

He took advantage of the opportunity, capturing an NCHC tournament championship with the Huskies and earning an All-Tournament Team nod. Castor played in 23 games for St. Cloud last season, posting a 2.02 goals-against average, .924 save percentage, four shutouts, and a 14-8-1 record. At the end of the season, he made his pro debut, appearing in two games for the ECHL’s Florida Everblades and recording a .912 save percentage.

No matter the outcome of his camp, Castor will be suiting up in the Kraken organization next season. He’s already signed an ECHL contract for 2023-24 with the Kansas City Mavericks, Seattle’s second-tier minor-league affiliate behind the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. He could go so far as to earn a two-way AHL contract from Coachella Valley if he impresses in Kraken training camp, though, which would improve his odds of a recall to the reigning AHL Western Conference champions.

Castor will supplement Joey Daccord, Chris Driedger and Philipp Grubauer as the fourth goalie listed on Seattle’s main camp roster. Currently, he sits sixth on the Kraken organizational goalie depth chart behind the three aforementioned netminders, European free agent signing Aleš Stezka, and former University of Minnesota starter Jack LaFontaine, who is under AHL contract with Coachella Valley.

Injury Notes: Manson, Francouz, Clarke, Avon

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Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland told reporters today that he expects defenseman Josh Manson to be ready for the start of training camp after an offseason procedure. Manson missed the last two games of Colorado’s first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken with an undisclosed injury, likely related to the procedure MacFarland mentioned.

Last season was a trying one for Manson, who appeared in just 27 regular-season games due to two lower-body injuries. It was his first full campaign in Colorado after inking a four-year, $18MM deal with trade protection when free agency opened in July 2022 after playing a crucial role in the team’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup. Coming over from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, Manson notched eight points in 20 playoff games, adding a +6 rating. Even when in the lineup last season, it wasn’t a smooth start to Manson’s hefty new deal – most commonly paired with Bowen Byram, the pair controlled just 40% of expected goals when on the ice together, per MoneyPuck, a figure Byram far exceeded with his other partners. With mainstay Erik Johnson moving on for the Buffalo Sabres in free agency this summer, the Avs will need a rejuvenated and healthy Manson to play a key role as their second-best right-shot defender behind Cale Makar.

Elsewhere in the realm of injury news tonight:

  • Reports earlier in the week surfaced that Colorado was looking to add a goaltender with backup Pavel Francouz’s health uncertain. Today, MacFarland also confirmed that Francouz is not yet cleared to return after undergoing offseason adductor surgery and remains “banged up” without a timeline to return. He did note, however, that Francouz has returned to Denver and Avalanche team doctors will evaluate him next week. While often injured, Francouz has given the Avs solid play when cleared to occupy the crease, going 8-7-1 with a .915 save percentage last season in 16 starts.
  • Unfortunately, top Los Angeles Kings defense prospect Brandt Clarke won’t get to join the team on their preseason excursion to the 2023 NHL Global Series in Melbourne, Australia, next weekend. That’s because he’s sustained an undisclosed injury which requires seven to ten days without contact, per Mayor’s Manor. Clarke, who looks to make the Kings out of camp after a nine-game trial last season, will continue skating in LA and rehabbing his injury while the travel squad, presumably made up of the team’s expected NHL roster, is away. The eighth overall pick in 2021 was named to the OHL’s and CHL’s First All-Star teams in 2022-23 after recording 61 points in 31 games after his mid-season return to junior hockey with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. The 20-year-old right-shot defender projects to begin the season in a third-pairing role behind Drew Doughty and Matt Roy.
  • Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect Jon-Randall Avon sustained a PCL sprain in his left knee just before rookie camps got underway, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor. The 20-year-old center will miss between four and six weeks, keeping him out of the remainder of Flyers rookie and training camp. A free agent signing in 2021 after going undrafted, Avon recorded 60 points in 59 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes last season and will likely make his pro debut with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season when healthy.

Paul Stastny Looking For Guaranteed Contract, Not Interested In PTO

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Veteran free agent center Paul Stastny isn’t interested in proving his worth to potential suitors on a PTO during training camp and is only interested in firm contract offers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on yesterday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Stastny, 37, was relegated to a bottom-six role for the first time in his NHL career last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. It took him quite a while to ink a deal last summer, too – he ended up signing a one-year, $1.5MM contract with Carolina on August 23, but that was still well in advance of training camp. There’s now less than a week remaining before this year’s camps kick off, and Stastny still finds himself on the outside looking in. He’s coming off a 2022-23 season that saw him notch nine goals and a career-low 13 assists for 22 points in 73 games while averaging just 11:52 per game.

Playing a fourth-line role for Stastny was quite a change of pace. Colorado’s second-round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft had never averaged less than 17 minutes per game in a season during his career. Injuries aren’t a concern for him heading into next season – he didn’t miss any time with Carolina last season due to injuries and hasn’t missed significant time since the 2018-19 season with the Vegas Golden Knights. While his offensive ability and foot speed may be diminished from his peak, he’s still the reliable two-way presence he’s been throughout his career and would carry value as a fourth-line center. This isn’t anything new, either. His offensive pace has largely seen a linear path downward since his age-30 season back in 2015-16.

With Stastny likely to reprise a fourth-line role next season, however, his options for any contract much above the $775K league minimum are slim to none. Most teams with vacancies at the petition have gone the PTO route to evaluate options for the role – namely, the Edmonton Oilers, who have brought in Sam Gagner and Brandon Sutter as veteran options on tryouts in addition to free agent acquisition Lane Pederson. Most of the teams that do still have openings also have younger centers in play to make the team, and likely wouldn’t want to box them out of a job by giving Stastny a guaranteed contract.

It’ll be interesting to see if Stastny changes his tune by this time next week if he remains without an NHL home. He likely still has at least one solid season of hockey left in him and is still chasing a Stanley Cup after suiting up in 1,145 regular-season games across 17 seasons.

East Notes: Nylander, Rangers, Knight

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The contract status of Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is sure to draw plenty of attention this season as he enters the final year of his contract.  In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that there probably isn’t going to be a resolution soon and that discussions will likely occur throughout the season.  Notably, he adds that there have been talks about testing Nylander down the middle, a position he played earlier in his career.  Nylander is already eyeing a sizable raise that would push his AAV into to the $10MM range but if he is able to see some time at center and play well, his market value would only increase given the high demand for impact middlemen.  If that happens, he could very well price himself out of what Toronto can afford.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • At the moment, the Rangers don’t have any players on PTOs heading to training camp with them. However, Arthur Staple of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that GM Chris Drury hasn’t ruled out the idea of bringing one in over the coming days.  New York doesn’t have many openings on their roster and they have a handful of forwards and blueliners that should contend for a spot so unless there’s a proven upgrade willing to come to camp on a tryout, it might make more sense for the Rangers to stay with what they have.
  • Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight spoke with Ken Campbell of The Hockey News to discuss the events that transpired that ultimately resulted in him stepping away from the team in February to enter the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program. Knight didn’t return during Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final but participated in their development camp this summer and is expected to be a full participant in training camp next week when he’ll look to reclaim the other spot in their tandem with Sergei Bobrovsky.

2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Thirteenth Overall

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall:  Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall:  Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
10th Overall: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Edmonton Oilers (6)
11th Overall: Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators (11)
12th Overall: Dmitry Orlov, New York Islanders (55)

After our readers assigned the Islanders a franchise defender in Hedman instead of Tavares, they wind up with another impact blueliner here with Orlov receiving nearly 36% of the votes.  The Isles are a team that has really built around a team defense concept in the past and with those two anchoring the back end in this exercise, it’s interesting to wonder if their presence would have been enough for that strategy to work.

It’s not common now for Russian-born players to come over and play in the minors but that’s what Orlov did as one year after being picked, he was in Washington’s system with AHL Hershey.  One year later in 2011-12, he was a regular most nights in the lineup for the Capitals.

However, it took a while for Orlov to really establish himself as an impact defender.  He took a big step toward that in 2015-16 when he played in all 82 games and notched 29 points; Orlov followed that up with four more seasons of at least 27 points.  Between that and his strong defensive play, he emerged as a legitimate core two-way defenseman who could log more than 20 minutes a night.

Orlov was in the midst of another one of those years last season before the Capitals sold at the trade deadline with the blueliner going to Boston.  He found another gear offensively with the Bruins down the stretch, collecting 17 points in just 23 games while adding eight assists in their first-round loss to Florida, really allowing him to hit the open market this summer on a high note.

But in this cap environment, a long-term big-money deal just wasn’t there.  Instead, Orlov opted for a short-term deal, signing a two-year contract with Carolina with a $7.75MM AAV.  This was the highest cap hit for any UFA this summer while giving him a chance to get another multi-year deal in 2025 when he’ll be 34.  It took a little while but Orlov has certainly emerged as one of the top blueliners from the 2009 draft class; he’s the fifth one off the board in this exercise.

Now, we shift gears and look at the 13th pick from that draft, which was held by Buffalo.  They opted to draft a power forward, selecting Zack Kassian out of Peterborough of the OHL.  Was he the right pick for the Sabres or should they take someone else in our redraft?  Make your pick by voting in our poll below.

2009 Redraft: Thirteenth Overall
Anders Lee 29.83% (139 votes)
Tyson Barrie 12.23% (57 votes)
Darcy Kuemper 10.52% (49 votes)
Reilly Smith 10.30% (48 votes)
Tomas Tatar 7.08% (33 votes)
Mike Hoffman 4.08% (19 votes)
Kyle Palmieri 3.86% (18 votes)
Robin Lehner 3.22% (15 votes)
Jakob Silfverberg 2.79% (13 votes)
Marcus Foligno 2.36% (11 votes)
Marcus Johansson 1.72% (8 votes)
Erik Haula 1.29% (6 votes)
Nick Leddy 1.29% (6 votes)
Sami Vatanen 1.29% (6 votes)
Calvin de Haan 1.07% (5 votes)
Brian Dumoulin 1.07% (5 votes)
Zack Kassian 1.07% (5 votes)
Brayden McNabb 1.07% (5 votes)
Kyle Clifford 0.86% (4 votes)
Mikko Koskinen 0.64% (3 votes)
David Savard 0.64% (3 votes)
Craig Smith 0.64% (3 votes)
Casey Cizikas 0.43% (2 votes)
Dmitry Kulikov 0.43% (2 votes)
Cody Eakin 0.21% (1 votes)
Nick Jensen 0.00% (0 votes)
Total Votes: 466

If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Prospect Notes: Voronkov, Boucher, Bichsel

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Blue Jackets prospect Dmitri Voronkov’s European Assignment Clause is a little different than most.  While for most players who have one, it means that get sent back if they’re assigned to the minors, that’s not exactly the case for Voronkov.  As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link), Voronkov’s clause is for him to return to Russia if he’s not with Columbus by the end of December.  This gives the Blue Jackets a chance to stash the 23-year-old in the minors to start the season if they so desire to get him better acclimated to playing on the smaller North American rinks while also allowing him to play down the middle, an option he might not have if he breaks camp with the big club.  Voronkov had 18 goals and 13 assists in 54 games with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL last season.

Other prospect news from around the NHL:

  • Senators prospect Tyler Boucher was notably left off their prospect tournament roster. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the winger tweaked his groin during fitness testing on Wednesday so they’re opting to be cautious and give him a few days to rest.  He is expected to be ready for the start of main camp.  The tenth pick in 2021, Boucher will be turning pro this season and should play a prominent role with AHL Belleville where he’ll be looking to make up for lost time after injuries limited him to just 21 games with OHL Ottawa last season.
  • Stars blueliner Lian Bichsel tweaked his knee on Thursday against Toronto and is being shut down for their rookie tournament, notes team reporter Mike Heika. The 2022 first-rounder (18th overall) dealt with an ankle injury late last season but this knee issue isn’t related to the ankle one which he has since fully recovered from.  Bichsel was a regular in the SHL last season, getting into 42 games with Leksands while logging a little under 12 minutes a night.

Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, Teravainen, DeAngelo

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Hurricanes blueliner Brett Pesce has switched agents, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.  After working with Edge Sports Management, the defenseman is now represented by Wasserman’s Judd Moldaver.  The timing of the change is notable since the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract.  Pesce has emerged as a quality top-three defender over the past few years and set a new career-high in points last season with 30.  He’s undoubtedly in line to land a sizable raise on his current $4.025MM AAV but with Brady Skjei also in need of a new deal, Carolina probably won’t be able to afford to keep both.  Pesce made it clear that his preference is to remain with the Hurricanes but earlier this summer, GM Don Waddell noted that the team wasn’t close to re-signing any of their pending UFAs.

Elsewhere in Carolina:

  • Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer wonders if Carolina would be better off just letting winger Teuvo Teravainen play out the final year of his deal and then move on next summer. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year that saw him score just 12 goals in 68 games but has a good enough track record that it would still cost more than his current $5.4MM AAV to extend him.  With Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis both restricted free agents next summer, they may need Teravainen’s money to get those two locked up to long-term agreements.
  • In his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Cory Lavalette sat down with blueliner Anthony DeAngelo, a mid-summer signing after his contract was bought out by Philadelphia. Despite their strong defensive depth, he opted to go back to an organization that he was comfortable with over one where he would have had a better shot at a bigger role and more playing time.  After what he called a season full of inconsistent play with the Flyers, he’ll be looking to stabilize things somewhat before testing the market again next summer.

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