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Andrey Pedan

Minor Transactions: 05/25/22

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While the North American focus on hockey remains starkly on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, most European seasons have wrapped up by now. That means a lot of players with NHL pedigrees are involved in some foreign transactions. We’ll keep track of those here today:

  • Defenseman Andrey Pedan, a 2011 third-round pick of the New York Islanders and 13-game NHL veteran with the Vancouver Canucks, is on the move in the KHL. SKA St. Petersburg acquired him via trade today from Dynamo Moskva, meaning Pedan will suit up for his third different KHL team since returning to Russia in 2018. Born in Lithuania, Pedan has Russian citizenship but underwent the majority of his development in North America. He came to join the OHL in 2010 and played professionally exclusively in North America through 2018.
  • Former Minnesota Wild and Washington Capital Casey Wellman announced his retirement today via Instagram. The California native was never drafted but made the jump to the NHL after the Wild picked him as a free agent from UMass in 2010. Before beginning a professional career in Europe in 2015, Wellman appeared in 54 NHL games, scoring six goals, 10 assists and 16 points.

Vancouver Canucks Will Not Qualify Derrick Pouliot

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The deadline to make qualifying offers to restricted free agents is still more than six weeks away, but the Vancouver Canucks have given one of their impending RFA’s an early heads up. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the team has informed defenseman Derrick Pouliot and his representation that they will not qualify him this off-season. As a result, Pouliot will now be an unrestricted free agent this summer, free to sign with any team he likes.

This move is both surprising and unsurprising all at once. On one hand, Pouliot’s name is still associated with youth and upside. On the other, he has never lived up to his expectations and that “youth and upside” may have very well passed him by. The 25-year-old was the 8th overall pick in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Penguins and dominated the junior level with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks before turning pro. In his first two pro seasons, Pouliot split his time between playing for the Penguins and putting up major numbers with their AHL affiliate and looked to be on the verge of a breakout in Pittsburgh. Instead, the 2016-17 season was a major disappointment; Pouliot was held scoreless in just 11 NHL games and his production dropped off in the minors as well. The Penguins dealt him to the Canucks that off-season in exchange for a mere fourth-round pick and Andrey Pedan, who never played a game in Pittsburgh and has since bolted for the KHL. Pouliot was handed a starting role in Vanouver last year and responded with a strong campaign. He set career highs across the board, recording 22 points in 71 games and playing second-pair minutes. He even showed he could be an adept shot blocker, knocking down 118 shots despite never previously displaying any ability in that area. However, just like in Pittsburgh, when Pouliot seemed primed to take the next step, it was instead a step backward. This year, he played in only 62 games, registered only 12 points, and saw his ice time and defensive responsibility cut back.

Likely contributing to the decision to move on from Pouliot is also the influx of young talent on the blue line in the Canucks’ system. With Pouliot stalling in his development, the team probably figured they would be better off using the roster space elsewhere. Heading into 2019-20, the Canucks will have ample competition for jobs even without Pouliot. Calder hopeful Quinn Hughes will lead a young unit that could include fellow top pick Olli Juolevi, undrafted free agents Mitch Eliot, Brogan Rafferty, and Josh Teves, mainstays Troy Stecher, Chris Tanev, Ben Hutton, and Alex Biega, and AHL standouts Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois, and that’s not even including unrestricted free agents Alexander Edler and Luke Schenn, both of whom would like to re-sign. There’s too many cooks in the kitchen as there is, so it makes sense that the Canucks have decided to move on from a player they feel was given a fair shot and didn’t make the most of it.

Pouliot isn’t in danger of being dismissed by every other NHL team though. On a Vancouver club that was not very good during his tenure, Pouliot still put up respectable offensive numbers and showed more of his defensive game than he did in Pittsburgh. Still a high-end skater who is only 25, it seems likely that there will be plenty of teams lining up this summer to give Pouliot another chance. This may be the last time that his name value helps him out however, especially after a down year, so look for Pouliot to choose a team where there is both a clear path to ice time, but also enough protection that he can continue to grow and round out his game without being overexposed.

Andrey Pedan Officially Signs In The KHL

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In a move that has been expected for a couple of months now, Penguins restricted free agent defenseman Andrey Pedan has officially signed in Russia, signing with Ak Bars Kazan per a team release (link in Russian).  The 25-year-old received a two-year contract.

Pedan was acquired by Pittsburgh in early October as part of the deal that sent blueliner Derrick Pouliot to Vancouver.  He’s the lone asset remaining from that trade as the fourth-round pick they also added was later flipped to Vegas as part of the three-team Derick Brassard swap.

He wound up spending the entire season at the minor league level where he had his best year statistically with nine goals and 17 assists in 52 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  While he didn’t get into any NHL contests in 2017-18, he does have 13 games under his belt with Vancouver back in 2015-16.

The two-year term is particularly notable.  Pedan will be 26 at the end of the contract which means he will still be under team control so if he fares well, Pittsburgh could still bring him back in time for the 2020-21 season.

Snapshots: KHL, Oilers, Tkachuk

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Recently, Sport.Buisness-gazeta out of Russia published a list of players that were expected to leave the NHL this summer and return to the KHL. The list was made up of Nikolai Kulemin, Victor Antipin, Nikita Soshnikov, Rinat Valiev, Sergey Tolchinsky, Radel Fazleev, Andrey Pedan, Yaroslav Dyblenko, Sergei Boykov, Yakov Trenin and Anton Slepyshev. With the news this morning of Dyblenko’s pending contract termination, another one of the players have been confirmed to be returning. When added to the already confirmed exits of Tolchinsky, Valiev and others, it lends credibility to the entire list, meaning several others will likely be announced in the coming days.

Players like Soshnikov and Antipin were expected to be contributors to their NHL squads in 2018-19, but are both pending restricted free agents meaning they can easily go home if they so choose. For the NHL club, extending a qualifying offer will retain the exclusive negotiating rights with the player going forward, rights that won’t expire because of the lack of a transfer agreement between the two leagues.

  • The Edmonton Oilers are set to select 10th in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, but as Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal writes, GM Peter Chiarelli has made it clear they will explore trading the pick. Connor McDavid is already one of the best players in the league, and the Oilers need to take advantage of these prime years while they have them. Their defense corps just wasn’t good enough this season, and whoever they would take this season likely wouldn’t be ready to contribute until 2019-20 at the earliest. The Oilers have plenty of other tough decisions to make this summer, as they face contract negotiations with Darnell Nurse and Ryan Strome, and the daunting task of providing some support for McDavid up front. The team has already brought in some competition for Cam Talbot in the form of Mikko Koskinen, who cost the team a one-year $2.5MM contract.
  • Speaking of draft picks who won’t make an impact next season, Mike McMahon of College Hockey News is reporting that the plan right now is for Brady Tkachuk to return to Boston University for his sophomore season. Tkachuk is expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming entry draft, and could still obviously be convinced by an NHL team to leave school early. That may change the draft board for some of the top teams who want to compete in 2018-19 and are hoping for a player who can step right into the league in October.

Morning Notes: Denisenko, Pedan, Ferreira

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One of the more interesting names to watch in the upcoming draft is Grigori Denisenko, an extremely talented young player from Russia. The 17-year old winger was ranked seventh among international skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting, but carries the same risk many young Russians do. Namely, there is a chance he could decide not to come over to North America and instead play in the KHL for a large portion of his career.

Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Denisenko will come to the NHL draft combine however, which could assuage some of those fears. The young winger told Eronko that “almost every” team has contacted him already, a good indication of just how highly he is thought of by the front offices around the league. He has two years left on his current contract in the KHL, but has a high offensive ceiling and should go in the first round.

  • Eronko also reports that Andrey Pedan has signed with Ak Bars of the KHL, meaning he won’t be back with the Penguins next season. Pedan was part of the return for Derrick Pouliot earlier this season, and recorded 26 points in 52 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins down the stretch. The big Lithuanian defenseman hasn’t been able to break into the NHL full-time, and will now take his talents to Russia. Scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the NHL, if the Penguins issue a qualifying offer this summer they will retain his exclusive rights.
  • The Minnesota Wild have interviewed Paul Fenton extensively for their vacant GM position, and Jeff Marek of Sportsnet is hearing that if he does get the job he’ll be bringing Jack Ferreira from the Los Angeles Kings up north with him. Ferreira was famously the first GM of both the San Jose Sharks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and would bring plenty of experience to the table for the Wild.
  • Martin Necas has been added to the Czech roster for the World Championship, giving the team another young talent to try and keep up with the other nations. Necas was an absolute force at the World Juniors earlier this year, scoring 11 points in 7 games. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect will likely play in the NHL next season, meaning this tournament is a good warm up for what he’ll see on a regular basis.

Penguins Recall 13 Players From AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have recalled 13 players to serve as Black Aces from their AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who were eliminated from the AHL playoffs Thursday. The AHL team was swept out of the first round by the Charlotte Checkers, with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team falling in a 7-3 defeat in their third game.

The team recalled seven forwards, including Josh Jooris, Daniel Sprong, Thomas Di Pauli, Adam Johnson, Teddy Blueger, Garrett Wilson and Jean-Sebastien Dea. They also brought up four defensemen, adding Lukas Bengtsson, Chris Summers, Jarred Tinordi and Andrey Pedan. The team also recalled goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Michael Leighton.

Sprong stands out amongst the Penguins prospects. The 21-year-old 2015 second rounder got into eight games with Pittsburgh earlier this season while the team was hit with injuries and needed depth help. He scored two goals and an added an assist. The hope is that the prospects gain as much knowledge as possible while being around the Penguins throughout their playoff run.

“Whenever a young player has an opportunity to be around a team like ours and watch how our veteran players carry themselves during and between games – it’s a great learning opportunity,” said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. “Our guys have had a great chance to soak it all in.”

 

Minor Transactions: 01/01/18

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The 2018 portion of the season is underway, and with it teams can try to turn the page on whatever problems they faced last year. In places like Edmonton and Ottawa, perhaps the new year will bring success. As always, we’ll keep an eye on the minor transactions around the league and report them right here.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Maxim Mamin from the minor leagues, giving the 22-year old forward a promotion for his solid play in the AHL this year. Mamin has 15 points in 23 games as a rookie for Springfield, after coming over from the KHL this season.
  • Peter Cehlarik has been sent to the AHL now that he’s healthy and ready to play again, as the Boston Bruins don’t want to mix things up. The team is on a long hot streak and seem to have found a good recipe up front. Cehlarik, who has played in just five games for the Bruins this season, will head back to the minor leagues where he’s been extremely effective since coming over from Sweden.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have called up A.J. Greer from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. With Sven Andrighetto day-to-day with a minor injury, Greer provides another option if he is unable to go. Greer, the Avs’ 2015 second-rounder, has just one point in six games with Colorado in 2017-18, but has ten in sixteen with San Antonio, on pace to set a new career-high in points in his second pro season. It may only be a matter of time before the power forward is a regular in Denver, with this promotion his newest opportunity to make his case.

Penguins Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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A disappointing season for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins just took another tough turn. The team announced this afternoon that defensemen Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel and forward Bryan Rust have all been placed on injured reserve. There had been indications of possible moves such as these earlier in the day when head coach Mike Sullivan stated that Ruhwedel was “week-to-week” with an upper-body injury and Rust was out long-term with an upper-body injury of his own, as well as confirmed that Letang would remain out of the lineup, but the reality of three starters hitting the shelf on the same day could be jarring for Penguins fans.

In corresponding moves, the team has recalled defenseman Andrey Pedan, forward Garrett Wilson, and goaltender Casey DeSmith after previously calling up rearguard Frank Corrado earlier in the day. Pedan could potentially be making his Penguins debut soon after coming over from the Vancouver Canucks this summer in the Derrick Pouliot trade. Between the 6’5″ Pedan and newly-acquired 6’7″ Jamie Oleksiak, the Penguins certainly have some size on the blue line right now. However, with both Letang and Justin Schultz out of the lineup, it will likely be the more offensively-inclined Corrado looked to for a greater impact. Up front, Wilson seems more likely to be an emergency depth option or occasional fourth-line contributor than any sort of replacement for Rust. The 26-year-old has zero points in 34 NHL games. If scoring becomes a problem with both Rust and Letang now sidelined long-term, it could be time for Daniel Sprong to make his much-awaited return to Pittsburgh.

The most interesting impact of these injury moves could be the effect on the trade status of Letang. The All-Star defender’s availability has been a hot topic recently, but these new health concerns added to the career laundry list for the oft-injured defenseman will surely be a factor in talks.

Alex Edler Expected to Miss 4-6 Weeks

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The Vancouver Canucks tweeted that head coach Travis Green announced defenseman Alexander Edler will miss four to six weeks with an MCL strain. He had suffered what then was referred to a “lower body injury” after Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets when he attempted to hit Jets’ forward Mark Scheifele against the boards, but injured himself instead.

Edler is no stranger to injuries. He missed time in November of last season when he fractured his index finger and then missed more time when he fractured his leg in February. He only managed to get into 68 games last year and 52 games in 2015-16 due to a fractured fibula. The blueliner has only managed to play in a full 82-game season once in his career, back in 2011-12.

The 31-year-old defenseman has played in three games, picking up one assist so far this year. He was averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time in each of the first two games before getting injured in Thursday’s game.

Green also said that defenseman Derrick Pouliot will be making his Vancouver debut today to fill in for Edler. Pouliot, acquired at the beginning of the season from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, has not played a game yet for Vancouver. The team decided to roll the dice with Pouliot when they traded for him as the former eighth overall pick in 2012 has potential, but hasn’t been able to carve out a regular role in the NHL yet. He had seven goals and 23 points in 46 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last year, while putting up no points in 11 games for Pittsburgh.

 

 

Pittsburgh Trades Derrick Pouliot To Vancouver

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have finally given up on Derrick Pouliot, trading the first-round defenseman to the Vancouver Canucks for Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick. Pouliot is no longer waiver-exempt, and did not earn a role with the Penguins this fall. Pedan on the other hand cleared waivers today and can immediately be sent to the minor leagues if the team so chooses.

Derrick PouliotPouliot has had a long and disappointing tenure with the Penguins since they drafted him eighth overall in 2012. The 23-year old defenseman has struggled to even crack the lineup, and whenever given a chance hasn’t been able to stay in the NHL. In the minor leagues his offensive upside shines through, but the Penguins time and again haven’t been able to live with his lack of defensive consistency.

He’ll get a new start with the Canucks, who are taking a flier on a player who was once considered a blue-chip prospect. When he was selected out of the WHL, Pouliot was compared to Brian Campbell because of his skill with the puck and elite playmaking ability. It’s what made him the first-overall pick in the WHL Bantam draft, and what helped him rack up points with the Portland Winterhawks (where Canucks’ coach Travis Green was behind the bench) and Canada’s World Junior team. That skill remains, and he’ll be given a chance right away to show it off with Vancouver.

While he may never reach his full potential, the Canucks are hoping that he’ll have a bigger impact than Pedan. Though Pedan is blessed with size and strength, he has barely seen the NHL since being drafted in the third round six years ago, and doesn’t project out to be a full-time defender at the highest level. He does have some upside as a depth player, but isn’t expected to ever reclaim the scoring touch he showed for the Guelph Storm.

In all, the Penguins cut their losses and gain an asset for a player they were likely to lose at some point for nothing, while the Canucks take a home run cut without risking very much. The rebuilding Vancouver club will likely take more of these chances over the next year or two, as it tries to build a core around Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and their other young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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