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Dylan Sikura

Dylan Sikura Signs In Sweden’s Top League

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Dylan Sikura has signed a deal with Skellefteå AIK of the SHL. No details of the contract have been released yet but it’s an exciting move for a player who has spent the majority of the last five seasons in the AHL. Sikura, 28, has appeared in 250 AHL games over that span, recording 93 goals and 207 points. This includes 44 points in 69 games last season, splitting time between the Rockford IceHogs and San Diego Gulls, who he joined partway through the year.

Sikura shared that moving to Sweden has been a long-running goal, saying:

It feels incredible to have signed for Skellefteå. I have always been interested in playing in Sweden and when the opportunity came I was very interested. I have played with two guys who played in Skellefteå (Andreas Wingerli and Filip Roos) and they loved the city and the team. I remember they always spoke highly of it.

Unfortunately, Wingerli and Roos no longer play for Skellefteå. But the team isn’t void of former NHL talent. Pär Lindholm, Oscar Möller, and Oscar Lindberg are all also NHL and AHL veterans that now suit up for the Swedish club. The team also carries a slew of NHL prospects, including the 17th-overall selection in this year’s draft, Axel Sandin Pellikka.

Sikura is optimistic that his style can gel well with this mix of veteran talent and young potential, saying:

I like to see myself as a playmaker who likes to shoot as well. Throughout my career, the power play has been a big part of my game so I hope to be able to make it work when I transfer it to the big ice surface in the SHL as well. I think I can use my speed and understanding of the game to hopefully score a lot of goals.

Skellefteå AIK came just a few games away from an SHL championship last season, losing in the finals to the Växjö Lakers, who won their second title in three years. Sikura will look to help Skellefteå push for a long playoff run again this year, but hopefully with a better outcome.

Anaheim Ducks Acquire Dylan Sikura

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, acquiring forward Dylan Sikura in exchange for Max Golod.

Sikura will immediately report to the Ducks’ AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls, while Golod will report to the Blackhawks’ ECHL affiliate, Indy Fuel. In 52 games so far this season, Sikura has scored 14 goals and 32 points in the AHL. Much like their NHL affiliate, the Gulls’ season has been incredibly bleak, currently dwelling in the basement of the Pacific Division. Last season, Sikura scored over a point per game with the Colorado Eagles, so the Gulls are banking on him finding his scoring pace again.

Golod has spent the last three seasons split between the AHL and ECHL. It wasn’t until this year that he found his scoring touch, now scoring slightly over a point per game with the Tulsa Oilers. Transitioning now over to the Fuel, Golod will look to build on the most successful season of his professional career.

 

 

Waivers: 10/04/22

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After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.

Here are the players on waivers today:

Boston Bruins

Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick

Buffalo Sabres

Sean Malone

Chicago Blackhawks

Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney

Columbus Blue Jackets

Brendan Gaunce

Minnesota Wild

Zane McIntyre

Montreal Canadiens

Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens

New Jersey Devils

Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau

Pittsburgh Penguins

Taylor Fedun

Vancouver Canucks

Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Dylan Sikura

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The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing back a familiar face, signing Dylan Sikura to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level. The deal will pay him a whopping $500K as an AHL salary and includes a minor league guarantee of $550K.

Sikura, 27, was one of the very best players in the AHL last season, scoring 73 points in 60 games with the Colorado Eagles. Scoring at the minor league level has never been a problem for the Northeastern University product, it’s that pesky transition to the NHL that has caused him problems.

In 58 games at the highest level, most of them coming with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, Sikura has just three goals. That would be fine for a big, physical winger who can contribute in other ways, but the slight-framed Sikura has to be producing offense to really be a helpful player.

It will be interesting to see if he gets an extended look with the Blackhawks, given the depleted roster, or spends another year in the minor leagues with the Rockford IceHogs. At the very least, he will probably get some games after the trade deadline, when the Blackhawks will probably be sellers.

Jonathan Toews, Nathan MacKinnon In Concussion Protocol

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Jan 30: Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos was correct when he reported MacKinnon underwent surgery, as Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed today. MacKinnon has been ruled out for the All-Star Game, and Bednar told reporters including Baugh that Mikko Rantanen was “an easy case” as his replacement. That case may be ineffective though, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tweets that it will be Roman Josi who replaces MacKinnon instead, giving the Central Division another defenseman.

Jan 28: Two high-profile centers are unavailable for their teams at the moment because of head injuries. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has been ruled out for the team’s last three games before the All-Star break as he deals with a facial fracture and concussion from Taylor Hall’s hit on Wednesday night. The Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado’s opponent tonight, will be without Jonathan Toews as he is also in the concussion protocol. Toews finished his last game against the Detroit Red Wings, though Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago noticed a hit that could have caused the issue.

With MacKinnon out, the Avalanche will go with a top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Valeri Nichushkin, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Dylan Sikura, recently recalled, will enter the lineup on the fourth line and play in his second NHL game of the season. Sikura has 31 points in 29 games for the Colorado Eagles this season.

Obviously, the loss of MacKinnon is a big one, given his place as one of the top players in the entire league. With 43 points in 31 games so far, he was named to the Central Division All-Star team, a spot that now seems up for grabs. It is unlikely that he would participate after suffering an injury like this, meaning there should be a replacement named in the coming days. Given he was the “captain” of the group, that will also have to be decided if MacKinnon is indeed held out of the event.

For Toews, this is just the latest in what has been a difficult season. Coming back from his missed 2020-21 campaign, the 33-year-old forward hasn’t exactly been himself, registering just four goals in 43 games so far. In 2019-20 he had 18 but had previously never recorded fewer than 20 in any of his first 12 NHL seasons. With just 19 points in those 43 contests, he ranks fifth on the Blackhawks in scoring, well behind Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat who have carried the load thus far. He’s also averaging fewer than 18 minutes a night for the first time in his career and will now potentially miss some time with a concussion.

29 Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 7: The San Jose Sharks have claimed Gadjovich, but the other 29 players have all cleared, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Oct 6: It’s time for teams to pare down their training camp rosters to the last few battles, meaning waivers will be full for the next several days. Today, the list is 30 names long.

Alexander Volkov (ANA)
Steven Fogarty (BOS)
Aaron Dell (BUF)
Jimmy Schuldt (BUF)
Stefan Matteau (COL)
Roland McKeown (COL)
Kiefer Sherwood (COL)
Dylan Sikura (COL)
Michael Pezzetta (MTL)
Andy Andreoff (NYI)
Ken Appleby (NYI)
Cole Bardreau (NYI)
Austin Czarnik (NYI)
Grant Hutton (NYI)
Otto Koivula (NYI)
Paul Ladue (NYI)
Dmytro Timashov (NYI)
Mitchell Vande Sompel (NYI)
Parker Wotherspoon (NYI)
Connor Bunnaman (PHI)
Adam Clendening (PHI)
Gerald Mayhew (PHI)
German Rubtsov (PHI)
Kole Lind (SEA)
Max McCormick (SEA)
Joey Anderson (TOR)
Carl Dahlstrom (TOR)
Brennan Menell (TOR)
Brett Seney (TOR)
Jonah Gadjovich (VAN)

There are quite a few players who could be claimed today, including quite a few depth forwards. One interesting name is Dell, who appears to have lost the battle in Buffalo for playing time to Dustin Tokarski and Craig Anderson. Dell was waived at the end of training camp last season as well, only to be claimed and stuck on the taxi squad for the majority of the season. The 32-year-old posted an .857 in seven NHL appearances and is likely headed for the minor leagues this time around.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Dylan Sikura, Stefan Matteau

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After signing Darren Helm to help the bottom-six, the Colorado Avalanche have signed a pair of additional depth forwards. Dylan Sikura and Stefan Matteau have both inked one-year contracts for the 2021-22 season. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that Sikura will earn $800K at the NHL level and $450K at the AHL level, while Matteau will earn $750K in the NHL and $225K in the AHL.

Matteau, 27, was selected in the first round nearly a decade ago, but has just 91 NHL games and 11 points to his name. The 6’2″ forward has embraced his role as a physical fourth-line presence in recent years though and actually played 18 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. Whether he gets that kind of opportunity in Colorado remains to be seen, but their depth chart at forward is a little deeper with him in the mix.

Sikura too had NHL experience this season, playing six games for the Vegas Golden Knights in the regular season and even suiting up twice in the playoffs. He spent most of the year with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL, scoring 22 points in 30 games, but could be an option if Colorado faces injuries this season. In 53 career NHL games, the Northeastern University star has 16 points.

The Avalanche did say goodbye to several players this summer, but the forward group remains deep and talented. With their eyes set on the Stanley Cup once again, the team may add even more of these fringe players to make sure that they have options if some of their higher-paid players are unavailable. Still, there is enough money left under the cap for Colorado to make another more expensive addition, after missing out on Philipp Grubauer. Even taking into account Tyson Jost’s expected deal, there’s a bit of wiggle room for GM Joe Sakic and the rest of the front office.

Snapshots: Nelson, Schwartz, Sikura

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It’s been six years since Todd Nelson received his only head coaching opportunity in the NHL, but that could change in the coming weeks. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Nelson will interview for the Arizona Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets. The 52-year-old has spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Dallas Stars after serving as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins.

That one NHL opportunity came with the Edmonton Oilers, when Dallas Eakins was fired midseason during the 2014-15 campaign. Nelson was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons at the time and came up to try and salvage the season. In 51 games, the Oilers went 17-25-9, finishing ahead of only the Coyotes in the Pacific Division and missing the playoffs.

  • The St. Louis Blues and Jaden Schwartz agreed before the season to put off any extension negotiations, but they’ll get together now to see if they can work something out. GM Doug Armstrong told reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that they will “figure out if this relationship is going to continue,” noting they have some time until the end of July when Schwartz would become an unrestricted free agent. In the final season of a five-year, $26.75MM contract, the 28-year-old Schwartz put up just eight goals and 21 points in 40 games. He was held scoreless in all four playoff games as the Blues were swept out of the first round.
  • The Henderson Silver Knights are getting a reinforcement for their Pacific Division finals tonight, as Dylan Sikura has been assigned to them from the Vegas Golden Knights. Sikura had 22 points in 30 games for the Silver Knights this season and will get a chance to help them take home the John D. Chick Trophy as division champions. The Silver Knights take on the Bakersfield Condors this evening in the first game of the best-of-three series.

Pacific Notes: Vlasic, Kuemper, Hill, Vegas

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With the Sharks missing the playoffs the last couple of years, it’s fair to wonder if some of the veterans may be hoping for a change of scenery.  Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was among those asked about that today and he told reporters, including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, that he has no intention of going anywhere:

I’m here to the end.  I’ve signed here for 20 years; I’m going to be here for 20 years. I would’ve signed somewhere else if I didn’t want to be here. I want to win in San Jose.

20 years isn’t an exaggeration either.  The 34-year-old just wrapped up his 15th NHL season and still has five years left on his deal with a $7MM AAV.  Between that and a no-move clause that Vlasic acknowledged today he didn’t even know he had until recently, it’s safe to say he’ll be in a Sharks uniform for a while yet.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Coyotes goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill will be Canada’s tandem for the upcoming World Championships, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link). This will be Kuemper’s second time at the Worlds after playing in the 2018 event while Hill will be playing at the international level for the first time.  It’s worth noting that Hill is a pending restricted free agent and several players have declined offers from their respective countries as a result of the nearing expiration of their contract.
  • While meeting with the media to discuss the purchase of his expansion Indoor Football League franchise, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley told the media, including SinBin.Vegas (Twitter link) that a pair of veterans have concerning injuries. Defenseman Alec Martinez has been dealing with a lingering lower-body issue that he was finally unable to play through while winger Max Pacioretty’s upper-body injury is worse than the team initially thought.  Martinez missed Monday’s game while Pacioretty has been out for a week with Vegas having to dress just 15 skaters on Monday due to salary cap constraints.
  • Having played that game shorthanded, the Golden Knights have now been granted cap-exempt recalls. Their farm team in Henderson announced (Twitter link) that forward Dylan Sikura and defenseman Brayden Pachal have been recalled, suggesting they’ll be in the lineup for Vegas on Wednesday in San Jose.  Sikura has been held off the scoresheet in five games this season while if Pachal plays, it will be his NHL debut.

Chicago Blackhawks Trade Dylan Sikura

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The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Dylan Sikura to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a familiar face. Brandon Pirri, who started his career with the Blackhawks, will be coming back to Chicago in the one-for-one deal.

Despite strong numbers in the minor leagues, Sikura never seemed to fit into the Blackhawks plan and has played just 47 NHL games since turning pro in 2018. He’s scored just a single goal in those games and recorded 14 points, not nearly enough for a player of his offensive nature.

In Vegas, perhaps Sikura will be given a bigger opportunity to show what he can do, but that chance wasn’t going to come in Chicago. He’s heading into the final year of his current deal and can become a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he fails to play in 33 NHL games next season.

Pirri meanwhile is a much more proven NHL commodity, though he comes with warts of his own. Now 29, the Blackhawks second-round pick from 2009 has shown an aptitude for scoring goals at the highest level but not a lot else. Pirri has 72 tallies in his 275-game NHL career, but just 49 assists to go with it. In his best offensive year, he scored 22 times with the Florida Panthers and amazingly recorded just two assists.

Technically Pirri will be staying put, given he has spent the last three seasons playing most of his games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The Golden Knights have changed their affiliate to Henderson, Nevada, but Pirri could very well stay in Chicago if he can make the Blackhawks roster. He comes on the final year of his contract and carries a $775K cap hit.

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