Atlantic Division Snapshots: Radulov, Holland, Larkin, Kempfer
One of the summer’s more interesting free agent signings, winger Alexander Radulov, met for the first time with the Montreal media and Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette transcribed the event. It’s worth a read in full but here are some of the highlights.
- Radulov talked about how “things change,” as you grow older, implying he feels is a more mature player than the one who left Nashville. Of course Radulov, along with then teammate Andrei Kostitsyn, is notoriously remembered for missing curfew the night before a playoff game in Nashville’s second round series against the Coyotes in 2012. After the Predators were eliminated, Radulov left the NHL to return to the KHL.
- He addressed where he might fit into the Canadiens lineup and gave an answer typical of a player by deferring to his coaches.
- Even though Radulov had other options, Florida and Detroit were both rumored to be interested in the skilled winger, his experience as a junior player in Quebec led to him choosing to sign with Montreal.
“We played and we won the Memorial Cup. It was a lot of fun and I saw those fans when they were the happiest people in the world. What can be better than when you make people, fans happy, and that’s the best time.”
Radulov has the skill to be one of the elite offensive wingers in the game and ordinarily securing a player of his ability to a one-year deal worth $5MM would be considered an absolute steal. But given his baggage, no team wanted to go beyond a one year commitment in case it doesn’t work out. Montreal made a similar addition in the summer of 2015 when they signed Alexander Semin to a cheap contract, one which didn’t work out. It’s possible the Radulov signing won’t work out either but it’s a good gamble to take for Montreal given their need for more offensive firepower.
More from the Atlantic Division…..
- Ansar Khan of MLive opened up his mailbag and answered an array of reader questions. Of particular note was the sense of frustration fans are feeling about longtime GM Ken Holland. Not only is Detroit not considered serious Stanley Cup contenders at this point, there is also the impression that some of Holland’s recent re-signings for veteran Red Wing players will serve to hamstring the club’s salary cap situation in future seasons. Again, there’s plenty of insight in the post so feel free to give it a read in its entirety.
- Writing for the Sun Sentinel, Harvey Fialkov discusses the upcoming battle veteran defenseman Steve Kampfer faces to make the Florida roster despite coming off a career-best season with the Panthers. Kampfer appeared in 47 games in 2015-16 and told Fialkov that if not for a late-season injury he would have been in the lineup during the playoffs. Florida made several notable additions to their blue line this summer, bringing in Keith Yandle, Jason Demers and Mark Pysyk to add skill and puck-handling ability to the defense corps. Joining the new trio is young superstar Aaron Ekblad. Jakub Kindl and Alex Petrovic round out the top six on the team’s depth chart. Kampfer is going to face an uphill battle to earn playing time but it’s a battle the veteran depth defender is fairly accustomed to.
East Notes: Hall, Trocheck, Radulov, Gibson
New Jersey left winger Taylor Hall met with local media for the first time since being acquired from the Oilers in June for blueliner Adam Larsson. NHL.com’s Cristina Ledra had a chance to sit down for a one-on-one with the 24 year old. Despite there being speculation dating back several years that one of Edmonton’s top young forwards would need to be moved, Hall didn’t expect it would be him that would get dealt away:
“There were definitely rumors, but you don’t actually think it’ll happen. You get attached to a team and to a city, and I’m sure the same thing will happen here, I’ll have the same connection to this team in a matter of months, but it was just shocking to hear those words and to be traded, but once you get over that and once you start looking at the team and the city and the situation, you get pretty excited, and that’s where I’m at now.”
Hall is expected to be the centerpiece of New Jersey’s attack in 2016-17 after putting up a 26 goal and 65 point campaign with the Oilers last season. He will likely form a line with junior teammate Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri to start next year, a trio that each had at least 50 points in 2015-16.
More from the East:
- Panthers center Vincent Trocheck has accepted an invite to be an alternate forward for Team North America at next month’s World Cup of Hockey, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. The North American squad is comprised of Canadian and American players aged 23 and under. Trocheck will only be able to play if one of the current members of the team gets injured before the beginning of the tournament.
- Canadiens right winger Alexander Radulov sat down with Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express to discuss his offseason (link in Russian). Among the highlights, courtesy of Igor Eronko of Sport-Express (all Twitter links), Radulov turned down more money to stay with CSKA Moscow of the KHL to take an NHL contract. He also noted that Detroit and Florida were other realistic options he considered while he also spoke with the Devils. Radulov was seeking a long-term deal but teams weren’t willing to take a risk on that at this time.
- The Islanders announced the re-signing of goaltender Christopher Gibson to a one year, two-way contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Gibson made his NHL debut last year, getting into four games with the Isles, posting a 1-1-1 record with a 3.40 GAA and a .882 SV%. He also played in 42 games with their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, going 19-11-6 with a 2.70 GAA, a .909 SV%, and two shutouts.
Canadiens Sign Alexander Radulov
12:48pm: The Canadiens have confirmed the signing for one year. Pierre LeBrun reports it’s for $5.75MM.
9:46am: Montreal will reportedly sign Russian superstar Alexander Radulov, as first reported by TSN’s Travis Yost. The signing has not been confirmed by the team, and the terms of the deal have not been disclosed thus far.
Radulov has spent the majority of his career overseas, playing in his native Russia, home to the KHL. However, he was drafted into the NHL, going 15th overall to the Nashville Predators in 2004. In his first two years in the NHL, Radulov totaled 95 points in 145 games over the course of the ’06-’07 and ’07-’08 seasons. Despite having success at a young age in the NHL, the talented winger returned home to Russia following his second season. Radulov made a brief return to Nashville towards the tail end of the ’11-’12 season, scoring seven points in nine regular season games and six more points in eight playoff games, as the fourth-seeded Predators beat the Detroit Red Wings, but fell to the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round. Despite intrigue from around the league, Radulov again returned to KHL following the 2012 playoffs.
Often considered the best player not in the NHL, Radulov now makes his return to the world’s premiere hockey league and, for the first time, not as a member of the Nashville Predators. Despite early reports that NHL teams were balking at Redulov’s contract demands, the exit of Steven Stamkos from the free agent pool may have changed the perception. Early indications were that the Detroit Red Wings were considered the front-runners for Radulov’s talents, but Yost now reports that it is the Montreal Canadiens who have swooped in and signed the 29-year-old power forward . Radulov offers a high ceiling and a low floor, but his offensive talents are greatly needed in Montreal, making the signing worth the risk. Radulov will also join former Nashville teammate Shea Weber, who was just recently dealt to the Habs in exchange for P.K. Subban.
Radulov Signs With KHL Salavat Yulaev
Alexander Radulov has decided to forego an NHL return and instead signs with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev, says Sportsnet’s Elliote Friedman. The Russian winger made waves this spring by seeking to return to the NHL. A deal that met Radulov’s demands, however, never materialized. Whether or not Radulov had honest intentions of returning to the NHL—as opposed to using the NHL as a bargaining chip with KHL contract negotiations—isn’t apparent yet, and is subject to speculation.
Radulov was initially drafted by the Nashville Predators and played from 2006-2008. He managed to rack up 44G and 51A in 145 games in two seasons before bolting for the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev. His move to return to Russia was controversial because he still had one year remaining on his ELC. Radulov eventually played in the KHL until 2012, winning the KHL MVP three times. After Salavat’s season ended in 2012, Radulov made a brief return to the Predators for their playoff run. The winger, however, ran into trouble during that short stint when he was caught breaking curfew before a playoff game. The team suspended Radulov one game, and subsequently declined to extend Radulov’s contract.
After his brief stints in the NHL, Radulov once again returned to the KHL—this time signing with CSKA Moscow. Radulov thrived with his new KHL team and scored 76G and 160A in 181 games over four seasons.