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Filip Johansson

Vancouver Canucks Sign Filip Johansson

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The Vancouver Canucks have nabbed one of the more interesting European free agents on the market this offseason. The team today announced the signing of defenseman Filip Johansson, a first-round pick of the Minnesota Wild, to a two-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms are unavailable at this time.

Drafted 24th overall in 2018 by Minnesota, the now-22-year-old’s development in the SHL had stalled over the past few seasons, leading the Wild to the decision to not offer Johansson an entry-level contract as his exclusive signing rights expired on June 1. The 6′ 1″, 176 lb defenseman’s best hockey came in the 2022 postseason, notching five goals and two assists in just nine games with Frölunda HC.

Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin evidently disagrees with the Wild’s assessment of the player, saying in the team’s release that Johansson “plays a solid defensive game and has shown consistent improvement over the past three seasons.” Allvin also noted that the team will loan Johansson back to Frölunda for the 2022-23 season, meaning Canucks fans won’t get a chance to see their new prospect on North American ice just yet. However, Johansson will attend Canucks development camp next month.

Johansson joins a Canucks prospect pool on defense that lacks much to be truly excited about other than Jack Rathbone and Jett Woo, and he’ll become a giant wild card for the organization. If Johansson can regain his development and reach the defensive ceiling he had when the Wild drafted him, it’ll be a gamble worth taking for the Canucks. If not, Vancouver gave up no assets to obtain the player other than a contract slot. It’s a solid bet from Allvin and the Canucks organization to take a chance on the Swedish defenseman.

Full 2022 List Of Expiring Draft Rights

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When drafting a player out of North America or any European country with a transfer agreement, a team acquires their exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and become unrestricted free agents (or choose to re-enter the draft, depending on specific circumstances). This year, even though many other NHL deadlines have been shifted, June 1 will still act as the threshold for expiring draft rights.

Some of the prospects that were previously on this list have signed, and are no longer listed. The rest are all to be considered unsigned, barring any late announcements from clubs.

Buffalo Sabres:

Linus Lindstrand Cronholm (117th overall, 2018)
Miska Kukkonen (125th overall, 2018)
William Worge Kreu (187th overall, 2018)

Calgary Flames:

Ryan Francis (143rd overall, 2020)

Carolina Hurricanes:

Lenni Killinen (104th overall, 2018)

Chicago Blackhawks:

Niklas Nordgren (74th overall, 2018)
Chad Yetman (172nd overall, 2020)

Colorado Avalanche:

Nils Aman (167th overall, 2020)

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Marcus Karlberg (80th overall, 2018)

Dallas Stars:

Albin Eriksson (44th overall, 2018)

Detroit Red Wings:

Jesper Eliasson (84th overall, 2018)
Alex Cotton (132nd overall, 2020)
Otto Kivenmaki (191st overall, 2018)

Edmonton Oilers:

Patrik Siikanen (195th overall, 2018)

Florida Panthers:

Justin Schutz (170th overall, 2018)

Minnesota Wild:

Filip Johansson (24th overall, 2018)*

Montreal Canadiens:

Jacob Olofsson (56th overall, 2018)

New Jersey Devils:

Benjamin Baumgartner (161st overall, 2020)**
Eetu Pakkila (203rd overall, 2018)

New York Rangers:

Jacob Ragnarsson (70th overall, 2018)
Evan Vierling (127th overall, 2020)

Ottawa Senators:

Eric Engstrand (155th overall, 2020)

Philadelphia Flyers:

Connor McClennon (178th overall, 2020)
Marcus Westfalt (205th overall, 2018)

San Jose Sharks:

Linus Oberg (206th overall, 2020)

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Declan McDonnell (217th overall, 2020)

Vancouver Canucks:

Toni Utunen (130th overall, 2018)

Washington Capitals:

Bear Hughes (148th overall, 2020)***

*As a first-round pick, if Johansson is not signed by the deadline the Minnesota Wild will receive a compensatory pick in this year’s draft. That pick would be the 24th selection in the second round, 56th overall. 

**Though traditionally draft picks out of Switzerland saw their rights held indefinitely, the new transfer agreement from 2020 that Baumgartner was selected under (combined with the fact that he was an overage player in the draft) means he will also become a free agent if not signed by the deadline. 

***Hughes has signed an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears but his NHL rights will still expire if not signed to an entry-level deal. 

Minnesota Wild Not Expected To Sign Filip Johansson

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Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise with the deadline set for tomorrow, Michael Russo of The Athletic has confirmed that the Minnesota Wild are not going to sign Filip Johnasson. The 2018 first-round pick will become an unrestricted free agent and the Wild will receive a compensatory pick in this year’s draft, which will be 56th overall.

Johansson, 22, has spent the last three seasons playing in the SHL, where his offensive numbers have never really improved. In 47 games this season the young defenseman had just three goals and 11 points. Not only that but he hasn’t been included in any major international events for Sweden since the U18 World Juniors in 2018 and signed a two-year extension with Leksands in December, which keeps him under contract through the 2023-24 season.

All that adds up to a player that didn’t hold a ton of upside for the Wild, and given the fact that they can now get a solid compensatory pick, leaving him unsigned makes at least some sense.

Still, when looking back at the 2018 draft it is easy to think about what could have been. Just as the Wild’s pick was approaching, the New York Rangers traded up four spots and selected St. Paul native and NHL regular K’Andre Miller with the 22nd selection. While it’s certainly no guarantee that the team would have gone with the 6’4″ Miller, who was committed to the University of Wisconsin, he or one of the many other defensemen that followed (Rasmus Sandin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Alexander Romanov are among the group taken soon after) could have been a difference-maker for the Wild already.

Now, though a second-round pick does hold value, the team will likely have to wait several other years for that player to mature and develop–if he makes it at all. This unfortunate result is just another oddity in the whirlwind 14-month tenure of former Minnesota general manager Paul Fenton.

Wild Notes: Goaltending, Johansson, Free Agency

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The Minnesota Wild look set to begin an offseason where major decisions will have to be made. One of the biggest question marks for this Wild offseason has been their goaltending situation, with much discussion devoted to the feasibility of a Cam Talbot–Marc-Andre Fleury tandem for next season. But yesterday, Fleury spoke on that possibility, stating that a return to Minnesota would be “very appealing,” and it seems that Wild GM Bill Guerin agrees with that sentiment. He was very straightforward when addressing the goaltending, saying that they “want both back,” and that the team “likes both goalies.”

While the Wild’s precarious salary cap situation thanks to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts will likely be the determining factor in whether or not a reunion actually comes to fruition, it’s clear that all parties involved are interested in getting it done. Playoffs aside, both Fleury and Talbot were great this season, combining for a 41-14-4 record, leading the Wild to one of their most impressive regular seasons in franchise history. It remains to be seen if a Fleury-Talbot tandem can be sustainable for an entire playoff run, of course, but it seems given today’s comments that they will likely get another chance to prove it can work.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Wild:

  • The Wild have a decision to make regarding defenseman Filip Johansson, the team’s first-round pick from the 2018 draft. The team can either sign Johansson to an entry-level contract before July 1st or see their exclusive rights to sign him expire. Johansson, 22, has been getting regular minutes for SHL club Frolunda HC for the past two seasons, and just five months ago signed a two-year extension to stay there. What makes this choice interesting is the fact that the Wild stand to gain a second-round pick, 56th overall, as compensation should they choose not to sign him. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that “they’re not” signing Johansson, meaning the team has chosen the pick over the prospect.
  • As previously mentioned, the cost of the Suter and Parise buyouts will cast a shadow on everything the Wild plan on doing this summer. Naturally, the team’s approach to free agency would also be altered, and today Guerin shed some light on his strategy regarding this summer’s open market. Guerin said: “Honestly, we’re pretty set. I don’t know how active we’ll be in the free-agent market.” So, with Kevin Fiala a potential cap casualty, it seems Wild fans should not expect Guerin to target any major free agents when the market opens.

Wild Prospect Filip Johansson Signs Two-Year Extension In Sweden

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The Wild have been waiting for a while to get prospect defenseman Filip Johansson under contract and it appears they’ll have to wait even longer now as his club team in Frolunda announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season.

The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Minnesota (24th overall) back in 2018 but has remained in Sweden since then, spending time at the Allsvenskan level after being drafted before transferring to Frolunda last season.  So far this year, he has seven points in 26 games while his average ice time is up to 17 minutes per game.

What’s particularly notable here is that if the Wild don’t sign Johansson by June 1st of next year, they lose his rights.  In that case, they would receive the 24th selection of the second round in the 2022 draft which would be 56th overall.  However, since Johansson was a first-round pick, the NHL’s transfer agreement with Sweden permits them to sign the rearguard to an entry-level deal and have Minnesota controls where he plays.  At that point, he could be loaned back to Frolunda or kept in North America.  Lots can change over the next five and a half months but this will be a situation to monitor for the Wild.

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