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Julius Honka

Five Key Stories: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

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With the quarter pole of the season in the rear view mirror, teams have had plenty of time to evaluate their rosters and early performances and changes are starting to be made. That has been the overarching story of the week, as some clubs made moves – both long- and short-term – while others are preparing to do so.

Flames Fire Bill Peters: Well, not technically. Calgary accepted the resignation of their head coach, who was mired in scandal following an investigation into allegations of racist comments made while serving as an AHL head coach in the Chicago Blackhawks organization and further accusations of physical abuse while head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. The league will continue its investigation, but Peters days as an NHL coach are likely over regardless. While the veteran coach offered an apology for the incident in Rockford, the victim of the attack, Akim Aliu, called it “misleading, insincere and concerning”, which was likely the nail in his coffin. Geoff Ward takes over as interim head coach for the Flames, an under-performing team that had enough concerns of their own without dealing with off-ice controversy.

Bruins Extend Coyle And Wagner: The league-leading Boston Bruins signed a pair of local products to contract extensions, inking 2019 trade acquisition Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $31.5MM deal and 2018 free agent addition Chris Wagner to a three-year, $4.05MM deal. The 27-year-old Coyle, who won over the home crowd with a dominant playoff run last year, is now in place to likely succeed David Krejci and/or Patrice Bergeron as a top-six center for the Bruins, unless the versatile forward shifts to the right wing long-term instead. Meanwhile, the Bruins have always shown a willingness to invest in their fourth line and clearly feel Wagner can continue to be an effective checker and penalty killer for years to come. The team can now solely turn their attention to re-signing Torey Krug with these deals complete.

New Jersey Willing To Move Hall: The 2019-20 season has not gone as planned for the New Jersey Devils, who added considerable talent this off-season but have yet to see the on-ice impact. As a result, 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, the top impending free agent in this summer’s class, has become the most talked-about name on the trade market. The team is officially listening to offers, with most pundits expecting that he will be traded and perhaps sooner rather than later. Hall has had the misfortune of never playing for a true contender thus far in his career, but could wind up participating in a playoff run this year as a highly sought-after rental target. His former team, the Edmonton Oilers, are considered a possible landing spot, as are the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, and defending champion St. Louis Blues. More teams are sure to be in the running as the Hall sweepstakes heat up.

Dumoulin Out Eight Weeks: The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered yet another injury blow on Saturday as defenseman Brian Dumoulin sustained an ankle injury that required surgery and will leave him sidelined for eight weeks. The Penguins lead the NHL in man-games lost this year and the loss of Dumoulin is a major blow. The underrated defenseman is one of the premier shutdown defenders in the league and allows for pair mate Kris Letang to truly play his game. With Justin Schultz already out, not to mention Sidney Crosby and Nick Bjugstad, and Erik Gudbranson recently traded, Pittsburgh will be shorthanded on the blue line for a while.

Also in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost dynamic defenseman Zach Werenski to an upper-body injury that will keep him out of action for at least four weeks.

Puljujarvi, Honka Not Playing This Season: The December 1 5:00PM ET deadline came and went and restricted free agents Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers and Julius Honka of the Dallas Stars had not been signed. As a result, neither young Finn can play in the NHL this year. Both the Oilers and Stars have been trying to find a trade partner for their disgruntled young players, but to no avail. Neither team was willing to give their RFA away, even if that meant potentially not being able to trade them until the off-season. Both Puljujarvi and Honka have yet to live up to expectations in the NHL, but are playing well in Finland this season. This is likely not the last we’ve seen of either player in North America.

RFA Signing Deadline Passes

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The signing deadline for all restricted free agents has come and gone, meaning they will not be eligible to play in the NHL this season. The group is headlined by Jesse Puljujarvi and Julius Honka, who are both currently playing in Finland and will have to wait for another chance in North America.

The Dallas Stars were rumored to be looking at potential offers today for their young free agent, who was described as “an asset” earlier this weekend. Despite being a relatively high first-round pick, Honka never really found a fit with Dallas and played just 87 NHL games over his entry-level contract.

An elite offensive weapon at the minor league level, Honka would be an intriguing option for any team looking to add some skill to the back end. Apparently any interest shown wasn’t enough to convince Dallas GM Jim Nill however, who will now have plenty of time to work out a deal before the 2020-21 season. Though Honka is playing in Finland currently, his agent Todd Diamond told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that there is a chance he could move to another league at some point.

Puljujarvi meanwhile has been very clear with his desire to be sent out of the Edmonton Oilers organization. After three disappointing and frustrating seasons since he was the fourth overall pick in 2016, Puljujarvi decided not to sign as an RFA and is instead spending the year dominating Liiga back in Finland. The big winger has 24 points in 25 games for Karpat and is improving his value daily for Oilers GM Ken Holland.

It doesn’t appear as though either player will ever suit up again for their current organizations, and this deadline guarantees they at least won’t this season. It doesn’t however completely end trade speculation, as their rights could still be swapped at any point. The young free agents are no longer eligible to play in the 2019-20 season, but that doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of either one.

Latest On Julius Honka

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Sunday: With a 4 p.m. deadline to sign a contract for Puljujarvi and Honka, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that while it looks unlikely that a Puljujarvi trade could happen, a Honka trade is quite possible. McKenzie reports that talk between other clubs and Dallas are ongoing and a trade/signing is possible.

Saturday: There are a pair of restricted free agents whose fates will be determined one way or the other this weekend.  The deadline for signing an NHL contract as an RFA is December 1st and while Edmonton winger Jesse Puljujarvi has drawn most of the attention, Dallas defenseman Julius Honka is in the same situation.  Speaking with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, GM Jim Nill indicated that there hasn’t been much movement on the trade front in terms of improved offers from around the league:

We’re still talking to teams, but I’m going to do what’s right for the team, for the Dallas Stars. He’s an asset, and right now, I’m not comfortable with what’s been offered to me. The good thing is, for Julius’ sake, is he’s over there playing. He’s playing a lot. He’s on a good team, he’s in a good situation. He’s going to have a chance to make their national teams.

Honka has spent the season with JYP Jyväskylä of the Finnish SM-liiga, his hometown team, but the deal does contain an NHL out clause.  He has certainly taken advantage of the opportunity and has logged 19:44 per night in 14 games so far, well above the 13:43 he averaged with the Stars last season.  However, his offensive numbers (three goals and three assists) have been a little underwhelming considering his team is the top-scoring group in the league.  Nonetheless, Honka told DeFranks that he’s pleased with how things have gone this season and that he’s still seeking an NHL change of scenery:

I felt maybe like it’s good for my health and everything to move on and try to find something where I can enjoy it more, and be in a good situation for me. I’ve been really happy to play here. I feel like it’s going in a better direction here than my last month in North America. It’s going the right direction and positive, and my mindset is better. I’m really happy for it.

If Honka isn’t signed by 4:00 PM CST on Sunday, he’ll be ineligible to suit up in the NHL this season but Dallas will retain his rights heading into next summer.  In that case, he’ll remain with JYP (where his brother Anttoni, a Carolina prospect, also plays) and look to earn a spot on Finland’s entry to the World Championships in May in the hopes of boosting his trade value that way.

Ottawa Senators Seeking A Defenseman

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Heading into this season, few would have expected the Ottawa Senators to be active buyers on the trade market. Few would have expected them to be a .500 team on November 23 as well, though. The Senators are playing well and their first substantial acquisition of the season, former New York Rangers forward Vladislav Namestnikov, has worked out nicely (although he’s currently injured). The team has been open about their desire to add more veteran pieces and, while previous reports indicated their preference was to acquire another forward, The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is now hoping to trade for a defenseman.

The Senators were not overly strong or deep on the blue line when the season began. Behind Thomas Chabot, it was mostly a unit composed of role players and unproven prospects. However, the situation has become even more dire due to injuries. Young Erik Brannstrom remains sidelined with a hand injury, depth defender Cody Goloubef left Friday night’s game with an undisclosed injury, Andreas Englund suffered an injury in the minors, and Christian Wolanin has yet to play this season as he returns from a shoulder injury. Nikita Zaitsev is also currently in his native Russia tending to personal matters. Garrioch writes that this left Ottawa no choice but to recall both Maxime Lajoie and Christian Jaros from the minors on Friday, leaving AHL Belleville with just two NHL prospects – first-year AHLers Lassi Thomson and Olle Alsing – and a defense corps otherwise composed of tryout players and ECHL call-ups. Clearly, Ottawa could use a blue line addition purely from a numbers perspective.

However, performance is also an issue on the blue line, particularly when it comes to scoring. Zaitsev, who is expected to return soon, has not contributed much offensively despite considerable ice time. Fellow former Maple Leaf Ron Hainsey and 2018-19 standout Dylan DeMelo have also been non-factors in the scoring department. This has left Chabot carrying the load and Mark Borowiecki contributing on offense, which has not typically been his strong suit. If the Senators are going to trade for a defenseman, they may as well target a player who can take on a regular role and assist the team offensively.

With that said, don’t expect Ottawa to target any of the big names on the rumor mill. While it would be comical for the Senators to add yet another former Toronto player, Tyson Barrie is likely not a target. Nor is New Jersey’s Sami Vatanen, Pittsburgh’s Justin Schultz, or Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin. The Senators will likely target upside at a low cost. Unsigned RFA Julius Honka of the Dallas Stars seems like an intriguing option, so long as they can swing a deal before the December 1st signing deadline. An impending UFA, like Namestnikov, would also make sense for the Senators, who could flip that player at the trade deadline if need be. Chicago’s Erik Gustafsson, L.A.’s Ben Hutton, and San Jose’s Radim Simek are all interesting options. Detroit’s Mike Green, who has name value but disappointing numbers so far this season, could also be a potential buy low/sell high candidate if he could turn his game around. There are plenty of options available for the Senators to make a move, but the question remains when and who.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Sandin, Defense Market

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for the second week of the season, led by Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid. The 22-year old superstar recorded seven points in three games to help the Oilers get off to a fast start and has an early lead in the league scoring race with 12 points in his first five games.

While Sidney Crosby isn’t much of a surprise in the third star spot, many may have not been expecting such a strong start for Patrik Laine who came in second. The Winnipeg Jets sniper had eight points in four games last week and is showing the entire league that last year’s disappointing totals were an aberration.

  • It may have come as a surprise when the Toronto Maple Leafs sent top prospect Rasmus Sandin back to the minor leagues today, but as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet explains, the team wants him to log bigger minutes to continue his current development path. Sandin was sent to the Toronto Marlies after six games with the NHL club, most recently one on Saturday night that included a high hit from Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader. The Maple Leafs have high hopes for Sandin as a future NHL star, and will try to protect their young asset while developing his full potential. For now, it doesn’t appear as though a return to the NHL is coming anytime soon–meaning Sandin’s entry-level contract may slide once again.
  • In Pierre LeBrun’s most recent column for The Athletic (subscription required) the hockey insider examines the trade market for defensemen around the league. Most notably perhaps is that the Dallas Stars are still “actively taking calls” on Julius Honka, who signed a contract in Europe with an NHL out clause. LeBrun suggests that Honka situation isn’t helping the Pittsburgh Penguins who continue to try and unload one of their own defensemen.

Julius Honka Signs In Finland

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The final unsigned restricted free agent has found a home, at least for now. Julius Honka has signed a contract with JYP in Finland, though the deal includes an NHL out clause that could bring him back to North America if there is a team that wants to take a chance. The Dallas Stars have been looking for a trade partner all summer to unload Honka, but haven’t been able to find the right return. Because they issued him a qualifying offer however, the Stars continue to retain his rights.

Honka, 23, needs to get playing again if he’s to prove that he can still be a puck-moving force on the blueline, and returning to Finland was one of his only options at this point. Unable to find a fit with the Stars over the last several years, the 14th overall pick from 2014 has just 87 games played at the NHL level. That includes sitting out a huge number of matches last season even while healthy, stunting his development and career.

There have been reports that the Stars are looking for a second- or third-round pick for the young defenseman, though it’s not clear at this point what discussions have taken place. An offensive juggernaut in the minor leagues, Honka has only recorded 13 points in the NHL and there is no guarantee that he can handle a full-time roster spot at this point. Still, his potential must be intriguing to some teams around the league.

Trade Rumors: Honka, Hickey, Eriksson, Schenn

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Julius Honka is the last remaining unsigned restricted free agent and it doesn’t seem like the Dallas Stars are in any hurry to come to terms on a new deal. However, they may have to wait a while longer to find a trade partner as well. In separate radio appearances today, TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman both confirmed that the asking price for Honka remains high. Stars GM Jim Nill is seeking a second- or third-round pick or a young player with a similar early-round pedigree. The 23-year-old is himself a first-round pick and was once a highly-regarded prospect, but given his lack of production over the past few years has seen his stock plummet. Honka played in just 29 games with Dallas last season and recorded only four points. Without any guarantee that he can be more than that at the NHL level, teams will likely wait for the price to drop to take a chance on trading for Honka.

  • A surprise placement on the waiver wire today was New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey. Hickey is a career Islander who just signed a four-year, $10MM extension with the team last summer. Yet, just one season into the contract, he’s now a candidate to be buried in the AHL if not claimed. To many, this somewhat of a betrayal came out of the blue. However, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that New York has been trying to trade Hickey since last season. The 30-year-old veteran was relegated to a part-time role last year, playing in just 40 games, and now has seemingly been forced off the roster altogether by the emergence of top prospect Noah Dobson. Should Hickey clear waivers, he still remains a prime candidate to play elsewhere this season via trade. In all likelihood the relationship between player and team has been tarnished beyond repair.
  • Many in Vancouver are commiserating with Hickey’s situation given the equally shocking waiver placement of Sven Baertschi. A fixture in the top-six for the Canucks for several seasons (when healthy), many had Baertschi pegged for the same role this season, now that he has returned from battling concussions. However, Vancouver opted to place Baertschi on waivers due to both a roster and salary cap crunch. Meanwhile, Loui Eriksson remains on the team despite clashes with the coaching staff and poor production on a hefty contract. The Canucks were working to trade Eriksson all summer and it is likely their failure to do so that forced out Baertschi. If Baertschi or Nikolay Goldobin are indeed claimed on waivers, it could also make Eriksson a necessary piece for the team this season, all but ending their attempts to trade him. That’s not to say that GM Jim Benning won’t still listen to offers though.
  • Meanwhile, the Canucks opened up a roster spot by waiving three players today and there is some thought that they could be looking to bring back a familiar face. Responding to colleague Rick Dhaliwal’s pondering, Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah reports that the team is considering a waiver claim for defenseman Luke Schenn. Schenn was acquired in-season last year by the Canucks and played well in a shutdown role for the team down the stretch. Vancouver tried to retain his services, but Schenn opted to chase a title with an affordable deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he failed to make the opening night roster in Tampa and is up for grabs. Vancouver is well-staffed on the blue line and Schenn would seemingly be no better than the No. 7 or 8 defender, but that might not stop them from taking a chance on him yet again.

Atlantic Notes: Honka, Juulsen, Chabot, Stralman, Nordstrom

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Despite rumors that the Dallas Stars were looking for a taker for once prized prospect Julius Honka, the 23-year-old finally requested a trade Friday with several teams immediately showing interest in the blueliner. Now Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that the Montreal Canadiens have expressed interest in the defenseman.

Engels writes that a couple of teams are in on Honka with Montreal being at the top of the list (Elliotte Friedman added that Carolina is interested as well) and Montreal has expressed interest in making a player-for-player swap rather than just send a draft pick for Honka. A former first-rounder in 2014, Honka has failed to earn a regular spot in Dallas lineup. Montreal could use some more depth on their blueline despite adding Ben Chiarot this offseason.

  • Sticking with the Canadiens, Engels also reports that a pair of defensemen remain day-to-day in Montreal. Karl Alzner is out with a groin injury, while Noah Juulsen has been dealing with a headache and the Canadiens are holding him out for precautionary reasons after having dealt with head injuries last season. Juulsen played just 21 games for Montreal last season and three for the AHL’s Laval Rocket due to those head injuries.
  • Asked if any Ottawa Senators players caught his eye on the first day of training camp, new head coach D.J. Smith had a quick answer, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. “Chabot … he was really good and he could really skate. There’s good players out there and guys were working, but when you see up close, a guy like that, you see his skating and it really wows you a bit.” It looks like Smith has opted to pair Chabot with newly acquired Nikita Zaitsev and the belief is that those two may stay together. Chabot spent last season paired with Dylan DeMelo, but with several players coming over with Smith from Ottawa, the defense should be somewhat stronger this season.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) writes that Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman says that he intends to be ready for the regular season after dealing with a sports hernia injury that has ended his season last year and one that required surgery again oer the summer, which he’s been rehabbing from all summer. Stralman says that he is done rehabbing, but now must get used to on-ice drills, which his body is only starting to adjust to. “I’m not 100 percent yet. We still have some more work to do, but I am getting there,” Stralman said. “I like the plan we have as a medical team, and it means working long hours to get where I need to be. But there is no rehab anymore. It’s about repetition, getting onto the ice.” Stralman looks to be paired with Mike Matheson on defense this season.
  • NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty writes that despite all the injuries that the Boston Bruins are dealing with, the team got some good news as Joakim Nordstrom, who fractured his foot at the end of the Stanley Cup Finals, is back on the ice skating after spending the summer rehabbing the injury. While his 12 points in 70 games may not seem impressive, the 27-year-old uses his skills on the penalty kill and providing grit on the bottom line.

Julius Honka Requests Trade

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Like many of the other teams around the league, the Dallas Stars are currently dealing with an unsigned restricted free agent. Unlike many of those teams however, there seems to be no desire for either side to get something done with Julius Honka. In fact, Stars GM Jim Nill told media including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas News that Honka has requested a trade. The 23-year old was issued a qualifying offer earlier this offseason so that the Stars would retain his exclusive RFA rights, but there doesn’t appear to be much opportunity in the NHL for him.

Nill was actually quite candid with DeFranks when discussing the trade talks:

Teams that I’ve talked to might have interest but until they know what they can do with their RFAs, they can’t make any moves. They’re capped out. We’ll play this out, see where it goes.

Originally selected 14th overall in 2014, Honka has been unable to ever really find a role with Dallas and saw more healthy scratches than games last season. A dominant presence in the minor leagues, he’s played just 87 games at the NHL level and has 13 points. The young defenseman can move the puck quickly and effectively, but has warts in his game that aren’t being fixed by sitting in the press box. Reaching a deal with Dallas seemed far-fetched all offseason, and Honka’s agent Todd Diamond made it clear today to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic:

We’ve known for a little while and Jim more recently have all come to the conclusion it wasn’t going to happen in Dallas for Julius.

There are certainly risks to acquiring a player like Honka that hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup, but there should also be no lack of interest. In the short times he has been on the ice there has been enough positive signs that a rebuilding team could take a chance on him, especially as a relatively cheap option. Honka has little leverage for a big contract and likely just wants a chance to get into the lineup on a regular basis. Diamond also explained that Europe is not an option at this point, meaning any acquiring team would be definitely getting his services.

RFA Notes: Honka, Perlini, Boeser

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The Dallas Stars are still expected to move on from young defenseman Julius Honka at some point, it’s just not clear when that will be. The 23-year old spoke to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) and explained that he is trying to stay positive about the next chapter of his hockey career, despite not knowing exactly where that will be.

Honka is unsigned, one of the large group of restricted free agents still without a contract for the upcoming season. The Stars meanwhile have their defensive group filled out for 2019-20 thanks to the emergence of Miro Heiskanen and solid contributions from depth options like Roman Polak, Jamie Oleksiak and newcomer Andrej Sekera. With a lack of opportunity there have been trade rumors floating around Honka for quite some time, though it’s not clear when a move will actually be made.

  • One other young RFA that is expected to sign soon is Brendan Perlini of the Chicago Blackhawks, who continue to discuss a new contract according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Powers relays news from a source that says a deal will get done “over the next week or so.” Perlini is the final restricted free agent left to sign for GM Stan Bowman, who has rebuilt the Blackhawks roster over the last several months by bringing in names like Andrew Shaw, Zack Smith, Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan.
  • Though a deal for Perlini is imminent, that doesn’t sound like the case for Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Canucks GM Jim Benning won’t have anything new to say about Boeser when he speaks to the media today about his own extension. Boeser is one a dozen high profile restricted free agents waiting for the market to be set by someone else—with most pointing to Mitch Marner or Brayden Point as the flag bearers for the class.

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