Jets Loan Artemi Kniazev To KHL
The Jets assigned defenseman prospect Artemi Kniazev to the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday, a team release states.
Kniazev, 22, will play out the remainder of 2023-24 in his home country. It will be his first stint in the Russian top league, as he’s been a full-time player in North America since coming over to play junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens in 2018.
The 6-foot, 181-pound blueliner has one NHL game under his belt, coming with the Sharks in 2021-22. He was a San Jose draft pick, selected 48th overall in 2019, but Winnipeg acquired him last summer in exchange for the signing rights to 24-year-old German defense prospect Leon Gawanke.
Gawanke, who led the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, in points by defensemen last season, was frustrated with the lack of NHL time and signed a four-year deal to return to Germany before the trade to the Sharks. He then signed a one-year, two-way deal in San Jose, voiding his overseas contract. Gawanke hasn’t received an NHL call-up yet with San Jose, but he’s again leading his minor-league team in points by defensemen with 20 in 26 games for the San Jose Barracuda.
It hasn’t gone quite as well for Kniazev in his new home, however. He was a higher-ceiling point-producing prospect, notching over a point per game in his final junior season with Chicoutimi. He’d failed to crack the 30-point mark in two seasons with the Barracuda, however, and has five assists and a -12 rating through 20 games with Manitoba this season. It’s unclear whether Kniazev requested a loan back to Russia, if the Jets wanted to free up a spot on their farm squad, or if the decision was mutual.
The loan marks Kniazev’s first stint in the Nizhny Novgorod organization. He’d spent his mid-teen years developing in the Ak Bars Kazan system, also spending a short time in Kazan on loan in 2020 while the NHL was on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nizhny Novgorod is home to quite a few top prospects for the 2024 draft, none larger (literally) than 17-year-old 6-foot-7 blueliner Anton Silayev. It’s also the team of 21-year-old free-agent winger Vasili Atanasov who, after being passed over in the past few drafts, is reportedly garnering NHL interest after notching 19 goals and 38 points through 40 games.
Winnipeg will retain Kniazev’s rights through the end of the season, at which point his entry-level contract will expire and make him a restricted free agent. If the Jets do not issue him a qualifying offer, he will be eligible to sign with any NHL team. He is not eligible for salary arbitration. If the Jets do elect to issue Kniazev a qualifying offer, but he signs a contract overseas, he will remain on their reserve list. He will need to sign with Winnipeg if he wishes to return to the NHL unless the Jets trade his signing rights elsewhere.
Jets, Sharks Make Minor Deal
Ken Weibe of Sportsnet reports that the Winnipeg Jets have traded the rights to Leon Gawanke to the San Jose Sharks for Artemi Kniazev. Kniazev is the biggest name in the deal, having been drafted 48th overall by the Sharks back in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Over the last two years, Kniazev has been a quality defender for the Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In a combined 121 games at the AHL level, Kniazev has scored 12 goals and 44 assists. Only standing at six feet tall, Kniazev is not a physically imposing force on the blue line by any means but does move the puck very well and possesses strong acceleration, giving him the ability to drive the play. Kniazev has one year remaining on his entry-level contract which will pay him $789K at the NHL level this season.
Gawanke, on the other hand, was a much lower draft pick compared to Kniazev, going 136th overall to the Jets in the 2017 NHL Draft. Even though his rights are now owned by the Sharks organization, it is unlikely he will play in San Jose, given that he has already committed to playing for Adler Mannheim of the DEL next season. However, as the team looks to incorporate exciting young players into its development structure, the team could convince Gawanke to return. Over the past four years playing for the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke has played in a total of 207 games, scoring 35 goals and 79 assists.