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Ilya Kovalchuk

Snapshots: Petersen, Kovalchuk, Neal

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The Buffalo Sabres are still patiently waiting on a decision from goaltender Cal Petersen on whether or not he’ll start his professional career with the team, or wait for free agency next month. After Petersen declared he would not be returning to school, the Sabres had a 30-day window in which to sign him. John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that Petersen’s camp is still quiet on his upcoming decision.

The goaltender will become a free agent on July 1st with everyone else through coincidence, and would be highly sought after as a potential future starting goalie. He would be signing a two-year entry-level contract, but after three outstanding years at Notre Dame is considered more polished than many other goaltending prospects. There is a chance he could be in the NHL before that ELC expires, making him extremely valuable to any team that signs him.

  • New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero joined TSN 1050 today and was asked a series of questions about Ilya Kovalchuk’s potential return. Shero told Pierre LeBrun and the other hosts plainly once again that it’s Jay Grossman (Kovalchuk’s agent) that is guiding the ship right now in terms of which teams are in contact with the Russian sniper. He’ll wait until they have a deal worked out before reaching out and seeing if there is a trade to be made with the interested team. Shero did confirm that Kovalchuk still does intend on returning, despite any rumors out of the KHL that he’s re-considering his position.
  • The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers have both given promotions to their player development staff. Florida has upgraded former captain Bryan McCabe from Director of Player Development to Director of Player Personnel, while New York has installed Jed Ortmeyer as Director of Player Development. The Rangers have also hired Steve Eminger as a Pro Scout after last playing in the AHL in 2015-16. Eminger spent three seasons for the Rangers during his playing career.
  • James Neal played most of the playoffs with a broken hand, according to Nashville Predators GM David Poile at the final team press conference (via Thomas Willis of the team site). The power forward broke it in game one of the Western Conference final, and came back to score the overtime winner that game. Neal has just one year left on his contract and could potentially be exposed by the Predators in the upcoming expansion draft, something Poile is trying his hardest to avoid.
  • Karl Stollery has decided to take his talents to the KHL, as the free agent defender has signed on with Dinamo Riga. Stollery played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, registering just three points. The former Merrimack College standout has just 23 NHL games under his belt but will now try to take the next step in the Russian league.

Leafs Notes: Kovalchuk, Nylander, Van Riemsdyk

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Howard Berger praised Leafs’ management and their willingness to “think outside the box” with regards to player movement in a recent article. He revisits the Ilya Kovalchuk speculation and the article does beg the question of whether the Leafs were (or are) seriously interested. They do have a bit of cap room to play with, and are undoubtedly a team on the rise. Without taking a massive paycut, and with the New York area teams reportedly backing away, it does limit Kovalchuk’s potential landing spots were he to make an NHL return. A long-term deal would almost certainly be out of the question, but he could provide a noticeable veteran presence up front and would immediately catapult the Leafs into a dominant offensive team. With youngsters Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews all looking to build upon their immensely successful season, the grizzled Kovalchuk could serve as a stabilizing mentor.

  • Also mentioned in the article is potentiality of trading Nylander going forward. Berger cites the Chicago Blackhawks model of 3 core players – 2 forwards and 1 defenseman (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith) – as what GM Lou Lamoriello should seek to mimic. The core of Marner, Nylander, and Matthews needs a solidifying defensive force to round out the group (so the theory goes) and Berger believes Nylander is the weakest of the three. This would certainly be “outside the box”, but there is little logic in forfeiting an explosive talent up front merely because of contract concerns, at least at this early stage. As the Pittsburgh Penguins are proving this off-season, a solid group of defenseman is enough to overcome the absence of a marquee name.
  • In spite of all the smoke that constantly surrounds the Maple Leafs in their hockey-crazed media market, management has been relatively conservative in their rebuilding approach. It seems unlikely that Toronto will make a massive transaction and will instead quietly build upon last season’s advances. Although they have been known to venture outside the league for help (Nikita Zaitsev, Leo Komarov), Kovalchuk will likely require too much money and term. If the team were to trade a forward for defensive help, it would almost certainly be a non-core piece at or near the age of 30. Komarov is likely too integral to the team’s leadership and mentality to be shipped off for anything short of an overpayment. Fellow 2018 UFAs Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk are the obvious candidates for movement, with van Reimsdyk more likely to attract attention due to his greater goal-scoring prowess.

New York Teams Leaning Away From Ilya Kovalchuk

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As Ilya Kovalchuk continues to try and find a landing spot in the NHL, new reports from Igor Eronko of Sport-Express and Arthur Staple of Newsday have both the New York Islanders and Rangers out of the running. Staple goes so far as to say that both teams had little interest in the first place, as we touched on in the live chat yesterday.

Kovalchuk’s suitors seem to be dwindling by the day, as teams struggle to find room for his expected contract. If the 34-year old is to land somewhere, it would also cost the team an asset to acquire him from the Devils as he’s not allowed to sign directly with anyone else. Giving up an asset and somewhere around $5MM in cap space for a player who is four years removed from playing in the NHL. Ilya Kovalchuk

It’s unclear so far what the Devils would be asking for in trade, but with Ray Shero seemingly washing his hands of the situation until Kovalchuk comes with a real interested party it may drag on much deeper into the summer. No deal can be officially announced until July anyway, when Kovalchuk becomes eligible to sign a new contract with the Devils and then traded to a destination.

The other option that exists for Kovalchuk is waiting until next summer when he will be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign anywhere in the NHL. While that deal would come with restrictions due to his age—contracts signed after the age of 35 count towards the cap regardless of any actions (retirement, buyout, injury) taken—it might be easier to convince a team to take a short-term deal with him without the attached asset. That would also allow him to play in the Olympics, though the relationship between the Russian Hockey Federation and Kovalchuk has been strained for years.

The Rangers are clearly trying to get younger up front, and with Rick Nash already filling the overpriced aging left winger role, have always seemed like a long shot in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes. The Islanders on the other hand could pair Kovalchuk with John Tavares up front, but likely have a better option in Anders Lee already in house. His 34 goals are more than you could expect from Kovalchuk, and they’re already paying Andrew Ladd more than enough to provide some secondary scoring.

Despite reports that Kovalchuk wanted to stay in New York (or Florida), neither team looks like much of a fit for the Russian sniper. These reports shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though they do take a bit of the fun out of the speculation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Ilya Kovalchuk And The Toronto Maple Leafs

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The saga of Ilya Kovalchuk continued this weekend when a report by Larry Brooks of the New York Post stirred up a few fan bases. Brooks listed St. Louis, San Jose and Toronto along with New York in pursuit of the Russian sniper, and today added that Columbus had thrown their hat into the ring. While each of those teams have interesting connections with Kovalchuk in the past, Darren Dreger was on TSN radio in Toronto this morning to dispel speculation about at least one market.

I don’t believe the Maple Leafs are interested. I saw the reports, and did my work in digging through my Maple Leafs sources and I was told that ’it’s BS’.

I think that Kovalchuk is interested in returning to the NHL, but part of me also wonders if he’s just not trying to ratchet up some leverage to stay in the KHL. But I believe that given the right situation, right contract that yes he’d come back to the NHL. 

The connection to the Maple Leafs did seem tenuous at best, seeming to only hinge on the familiarity between Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello and Kovalchuk from their days in New Jersey. While it’s not clear where that relationship stands after years apart, the Maple Leafs have repeatedly said that they aren’t going to deviate from their plan to slowly build into a contender. If Kovalchuk was looking for anything more than a two-year contract, the Maple Leafs would run into some financial issues as Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner all come up for new contracts.

The 34-year old Kovalchuk scored 32 goals and 78 points in the KHL this season and from all accounts still has much to offer an NHL team looking for scoring help. The idea that he is a 30-goal, top line winger is debatable and as Dreger puts it “if he’s not scoring 25 or more, is it going to be worth it?” The answer to that question will be answered in the coming months as his current negotiations come to an end. Next summer, when Kovalchuk would become an unrestricted free agent at age-35 and won’t require an interested team to give up an asset to the New Jersey Devils may be a better time for many teams to get involved.

New York Notes: Kovalchuk, Raanta, Lundqvist

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The list of teams who are lining up to trade for the rights to winger Ilya Kovalchuk continue to increase. New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the Devils have multiple suitors trying to acquire the 34-year-old, including the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. Brooks writes that the most interesting part is that many of those teams have Kovalchuk’s old Devil teammates or personnel in their front office, including Martin Brodeur (assistant general manager for the Blues), Lou Lamoriello (general manager of the Maple Leafs), Pete DeBoer (coach of the Sharks) and Johan Hedberg (assistant coach of the Sharks). That might make it easier for Devils general manager Ray Shero to move the veteran since he has requested to play in New York or Florida, but a friendly face in San Jose, Toronto or St. Louis might change his mind.

Brooks writes that Shero would prefer to move Kovalchuk anywhere but across the Hudson River to the Rangers and no matter what, the cost to trade him to the Rangers would have to be more than for the other teams. However, he points out that Kovalchuk has some power as well. Shero only has until July 1 to get the deal done or Kovalchuk could wait one year and come back and be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. If Kovalchuk wants to play for the Rangers, Shero may have no choice.

Brooks also adds that the Rangers could offer 25-year-old center Oscar Lindberg and 30-year-old defenseman Nick Holden to get a deal done if they want Kovalchuk. Lindberg could easily become a top-six forward in New Jersey, while Holden would help aid a poor Devils’ defense.

  • Brooks also writes in the same story that the Rangers are getting a lot of interest in backup goaltender Antti Raanta. While the Rangers could easily trade him, the fear is that they would then lose a quality forward to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. They have made it clear they don’t want to lose Lindberg (unless they were getting Kovalchuk back), Jesper Fast or Michael Grabner. Fast, 25, showed a lot of promise in the playoffs, scoring three goals and three assists in 12 playoff games. Grabner, 29, is coming off a 27-goal season this year. So unless, the team is overwhelmed with an offer, the Rangers may just allow Raanta to go to Las Vegas.
  • Brooks also writes that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be rehabbing for four to six weeks due to an isolated MCL tear he got early in the IIHF World Championships. He is not expected to miss training camp, however. Lundqvist was the goaltender for Team Sweden who went on to win the championships.

Snapshots: Kovalchuk, Quenneville, Thornton

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Despite rumors out of Russia that Ilya Kovalchuk was now considering staying in the KHL next season, Devils GM Ray Shero told Mike Morreale of NHL.com that the sniper is still pursing NHL opportunities. Shero spoke with Kovalchuk’s agent yesterday, and is waiting on his camp to make a decision.

I can’t go out calling teams because that’s a waste of my time. He’s going to tell [us] where he wants to play and in the end, if that does work out and it’s not the Devils, then I’ve got to see if that makes sense for us to do that.

Kovalchuk would be an interesting addition to many teams around the league, but can’t officially sign a new contract or be traded until July 1st. A sign-and-trade this summer is the most likely scenario, though he could wait another year to become an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team in the league. That said, a contract next summer would come at the age of 35, and with it the restrictions 35+ contracts contain.

  • The New York Islanders have extended a “bona fide offer” to draft pick David Quenneville, in order to retain his rights for another year. This information almost never comes out officially, but in order to keep his exclusive negotiating rights until next June the offer needed to be submitted today. Quenneville, the brother of New Jersey forward John Quenneville and second cousin to Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, was drafted in the seventh round last summer and enjoyed a successful season for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
  • The Florida Panthers have officially welcomed former player Shawn Thornton into their front office as Vice President, Business Operations. It had previously been reported that Thornton was headed for the business side of the game after retirement, and he’ll now work with President Matthew Caldwell. The veteran of 705 NHL games is known for his charitable work in the community with programs like the Shawn Thornton Foundation and the Pucks and Punches for Parkinson’s golf tournament.
  • Vegas has a new ECHL affiliate, announcing a partnership with the Quad City Mallards today. The Mallards had previously been affiliated with the Minnesota Wild who, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, will have a new ECHL team announced next week. The Golden Knights had previously announced their AHL affiliate as the Chicago Wolves, and now will have two minor league teams to fill as they look to build a pipeline of young talent.

KHL Saying Ilya Kovalchuk Now Wants To Stay In Russia

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In the ongoing saga of Ilya Kovalchuk, an interesting new entry has been spoken by SKA St. Petersburg president Alexander Medvedev. As Slava Malamud reports, the executive says Kovalchuk has “changed his mind” and that he “wants to stay now.” That would be an incredible shift after several months of saying he’s set on returning to the NHL.

As always, news from a club should be taken with a grain of salt as we have still yet to hear from Kovalchuk or his representation on the matter. It is interesting though as there has been recent speculation from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the New York Rangers, once thought of as a favorite to land him, may not have much interest. Malamud himself wonders if his interest in staying may be because of the lack of such interest in North America, though it would still be surprising to see him stay in Russia after such public declarations of his intended return.

Either way, it’s clear that the KHL is attempting to keep him there even as they try to bring players like Dmitry Orlov back from their NHL squads. Bringing Kovalchuk home was a big win for the KHL in legitimizing it as an option for players outside of the NHL, and losing him once again would weaken their position as a real competitor. Though they’ve brought back Nikita Tryamkin this spring, they’ve also seen an exodus of many young defensemen and watched one of their top forwards, Vadim Shipachyov head overseas after a long career.

Since it’s expected that Kovalchuk’s camp is after a big-money deal, there is a ton of risk for NHL clubs even on a relatively short-term. There is no guarantee that he’s up to his previous level, in fact his age and relatively poor performance in the playoffs should make many pause before offering anything. The Devils also stand in the way, as they hold the final decision in where the move him to. If they don’t get an asset up to their standards, they could stonewall both sides and force Kovalchuk back to the KHL.

It’s also important to note that should Kovalchuk spend one more year in the KHL, he’ll hit the market next summer as an unrestricted free agent and able to sign anywhere without going through New Jersey. He’d be 35 and because of that would likely have a smaller market due to the restrictions on 35+ contracts, but would at least be able to talk to teams without them having to give up an asset to sign a contract. He’d also get to play in the Olympics, likely a factor of some relevance as he nears the end of his career.

Snapshots: Kovalchuk, Kerfoot, Ruhwedel, Grabovski

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There have been no discussions in the past two weeks between the Devils and Jay Grossman, the agent for winger Ilya Kovalchuk, GM Ray Shero told The Record’s Andrew Gross.  Grossman does have permission to speak with other teams to gauge their interest and potentially attempt to broker a trade.

Kovalchuk retired from NHL and New Jersey back in 2013 but has played in the KHL since then.  He has indicated that he would like to record to the NHL next season but will require a sign-and-trade to do so since it’s unlikely that all 30 teams will willingly sign off on his return.  Although early indications are that Kovalchuk isn’t particularly interested in returning to play for the Devils, Shero hasn’t completely given up on hope on that happening just yet.

Other news and notes from around the hockey world:

  • Still from Gross, there have been no talks between New Jersey and 2012 fifth rounder Alexander Kerfoot since the Frozen Four tournament. The Devils will lose the rights to the 22 year old on August 15th if they are unable to reach a deal.  Kerfoot had a strong senior season at Harvard where he tied for the team lead in scoring with 45 points (19-26-45) in 36 games and would attract a lot of interest if he were to hit the open market.
  • Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel took part in yesterday’s morning skate as he works towards returning to the lineup from a concussion sustained in Game Four against Ottawa, notes Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 27 year old has skated in six postseason games so far and, when healthy, will likely be the first to draw in if there are any more injuries to Pittsburgh’s back end between now and the end of the Stanley Cup Final.
  • Although he was skating on his own during the second half of the season, Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski hasn’t recovered enough from his concussion symptoms to be eligible to be bought out this summer, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple. The 33 year old last played in March of 2016 but carries a pricey cap hit of $5MM though he’ll likely be placed on LTIR once again if he doesn’t get the green light to return from team doctors at the start of next season.

Islanders Notes: de Haan, Buchberger, Kovalchuk

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Though Elliotte Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts” column is packed full with interesting information, the most eye opening news might have to do with the New York Islanders. Friedman thinks that the Detroit Red Wings may come calling for Calvin de Haan before the expansion draft, after his excellent World Championship tournament.

de Haan is at risk of being exposed in the expansion draft, as the Islanders currently have to protect Johnny Boychuk due to his no-movement clause.  With Nick Leddy, Travis Hamonic, Thomas Hickey and Ryan Pulock all eligible for selection as well, de Haan will have a hard time earning a protection slot. The Islanders also don’t have a ton of money to offer de Haan as he becomes a restricted free agent, because of the negotiations that are coming down the pipe in the summer of 2018 for the Islanders—not only is John Tavares a free agent but Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Shane Prince and Alan Quine are all due up.

  • Not only will Luke Richardson join the Islanders’ coaching staff, but Kelly Buchberger will as well. Buchberger was an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers between 2008-14, and has been seen recently with Weight watching WHL games. Buchberger and Weight of course were teammates with the Oilers for nearly a decade.
  • Friedman also touches on one of the hottest-button topics in hockey right now, Ilya Kovalchuk’s potential return. He notes that since Kovalchuk seems to want to play for the Rangers, perhaps he could be swayed to play for the other New York team instead. The Islanders do have a pretty enticing spot open riding shotgun with Tavares, but for the same reason listed above would have trouble giving him anything more than a short term deal. Though the Islanders do have some money hitting LTIR when the season starts in Mikhail Grabovski, that $5MM hurts their cap situation during the summer. It’ll take a lot of work to work Kovalchuk into the current salary structure, but if they were to find a way they’d immediately have one of the most dangerous lines in the league.

Florida Panthers’ Potential Targets

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The Florida Panthers were expected to do far better this past season than they ultimately did. Not unlike their Floridian rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, many were looking to this franchise to dominate a week Atlantic division. Looking back on a season with a coaching change, losing streaks, an lots of turmoil, how does the team recover and adjust their roster going forward?

Florida’s offensive core as of this moment consists of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Vincent Trocheck, with Nick Bjugstad, Reilly Smith, and the surprising Jonathan Marchessault feeling content in their roles. Their defensive core is essentially just Aaron Ekblad, with a decent if unremarkable group surrounding him. Keith Yandle has looked adequate but nowhere near worth his $6.35 MM contract, locked in until 2023. Unfortunately, that contract looks like an albatross that is there to stay. Jason Demers was solid if unremarkable, and the group as a whole struggled with consistency. With Thomas Vanek likely to look for a payday elsewhere, a declining Jaromir Jagr, and a brutal internal cap, it bodes questioning whether Florida will be able to compete for a playoff spot next season. Their youngsters performed above offensive expectations, with the notable exception of Huberdeau. Barkov, Trocheck, and Marchessault all broke 50 points. Yet the team still finished 14 points out of the playoffs, giving up .46 more goals than they scored in an average 60 minute game.

Florida needs to spend a moderate amount of money to acquire solid 3rd-line point producers. Minor league callups can fill the gaps on the fourth line to an extent, but rolling with only two viable offensive forward groups is a recipe for disaster in today’s NHL. They absolutely need a game-changer up front to provide run support for the young core. They might also look to bolster their D. Here are some potential targets the Panthers should consider for 2017-18, instead of spending precious dollars on the fading Jagr:

F – Ilya Kovalchuk – UFA/KHL

As mentioned by colleague Holger Stolzenberg, Ilya Kovalchuk is a definite possibility for Florida. They have the cap space to accomodate the sort of money he will be looking for, and they have a talented young group that could easily compete for a playoff run given the right moves. There are few players more dynamic with the puck on their stick than Kovalchuk. His savvy and remarkably consistent point production would be tailor made for the Panthers team in need of a true #1 threat as Barkov continues to progress. Jagr is that no longer, but replacing his insight and experience would be difficult to do. Kovalchuk hits all the checks in terms of need for Florida, and would help launch them back into the playoff conversation single-handedly.

D – Dmitry Kulikov – UFA

Kulikov had an absolutely awful season for the Buffalo Sabres, but he would be a very cheap reclamation project for his old stomping ground. He didn’t exit the Panthers with a good performance, either, posting only 17 points in 2015-16 and a terrible 46.8 Corsi For Percentage. Kulikov had one year remaining with the Sabres at $4.3 MMl, and posted a 5 points and a -26 through 47 games. And yet, he was part of the group that propelled the team into the post-season and a Game 7 that could’ve gone either way. He’s a smooth skating 26 year-old defenseman who moves the puck with a decent offensive hockey IQ. He makes mistakes in his own zone, but he pushed the pace of the game in a way that is difficult to replace. His contract would be dirt-cheap and there is always the possibility he finds his groove back in the Sunshine State.

F – Matt Duchene – Colorado Avalanche

Matt Duchene is another talented player who had a truly down year. Duchene was rumored to be moved for months, but come deadline, GM Joe Sakic didn’t find the pieces he was looking for. In Florida, there is a definite fit if the Panthers are willing to take the risk. They have the defensive pieces the Avalanche would want in return, and Duchene would provide another dynamic offensive force to a struggling offense. Sakic is almost certain to pull the trigger eventually, so the Panthers GM will simply need to be persistent. Duchene can set up plays with the best of them when he is on his game. His speed and infectious energy would also fit in well with the group of youngsters down south.

F – Justin WIlliams – UFA

WIlliams is almost certain to be a top commodity in a weak UFA class. However, his wealth of playoff experience would come in quite handy for this team and hasn’t showed signs of slowing down. He would add an element of grit to the lineup, as well, rounding out their offense. He would be a wonderful mentor for the likes of Barkov, Trochec, and oothers. He can slot up and down the roster and is practically a lock to score at least 20 goals as a 35 year-old. If the Panthers find their way into the first round, a player of his mold would be certainly welcome in close contests. The main obstacle to this getting done is of course the price, which may prove too steep for a team in rebuild, low-cost mode. He also could want term at this stage of his playing career, and that could be a risky proposal if longer than 2 or 3 years.

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