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Kaapo Kahkonen

West Notes: Chychrun, Clarke, Klingberg, Kahkonen

February 12, 2023 at 3:31 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 10 Comments

Last night, the Coyotes made waves when they revealed that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was being sat for trade-related reasons.  No immediate word came through about the likely destination for the 24-year-old but Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos reports (Twitter link) that the Kings are now viewed as the team that’s likely to land the blueliner which would certainly give their back end a significant boost as they continue to jockey for position in the very tight Pacific Division.

Arizona has long been seeking a package of three first-round picks (players or comparable prospects) and Kypreos notes that defenseman Brandt Clarke is likely to be included should a deal be completed.  The 19-year-old was the eighth overall pick in 2021 and made his NHL debut this season, getting into nine games with Los Angeles before being sent back to OHL Barrie where he has been dominant with 26 points in 14 games.  If the trade does go through, he’d immediately become their top defensive prospect.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against Vegas that defenseman John Klingberg was scratched due to illness. The veteran has been a bit more productive lately, picking up nine points in 15 games in 2023 but has still underwhelmed with 20 points in 45 games on the season.  Klingberg is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $7MM AAV and is widely expected to be traded over the next few weeks.
  • After not having James Reimer available due to illness, the Sharks’ goalie depth got tested further today in their victory against Washington. Prior to the third period, the team announced (Twitter link) that Kaapo Kahkonen suffered an injury and he did not return.  Washington center Evgeny Kuznetsov’s shoulder made contact with Kahkonen’s head and while the team didn’t provide any specifics about the injury, it could be inferred that he is in concussion protocol.

Anaheim Ducks| Arizona Coyotes| Brandt Clarke| Jakob Chychrun| John Klingberg| Kaapo Kahkonen| Los Angeles Kings| San Jose Sharks

10 comments

San Jose Sharks Recall Aaron Dell

November 26, 2022 at 1:29 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Nov. 26: Dell is now back up with the Sharks, giving San Jose three goalies on their active roster for the time being.

Nov 25: After Reimer missed a game this week, he’s ready to go again and will start for the Sharks today. Dell has been returned to the AHL.

Nov 22: In a curious move, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Aaron Dell from the minor leagues, giving them a third goaltender on the roster. James Reimer was present at yesterday’s skate and Kaapo Kahkonen was outstanding in the team’s win over the Ottawa Senators.

Dell’s recall would suggest there might be an injury, though it is unclear which goaltender would be unavailable at this point. The Sharks are scheduled to travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken in a match tomorrow night, before returning to San Jose for a mini two-game homestand over the weekend.

In seven games for the San Jose Barracuda, Dell has posted a .904 save percentage. The 33-year-old netminder is back with the organization that gave him a chance at the NHL level, icing him 107 times over four seasons. Dell has struggled since leaving San Jose, and appears to be nothing more than a third or fourth-string option at this point.

Kahkonen stopped 37 of 38 saves against the Senators, bringing his save percentage up to .894 on the season. Reimer, the team’s starter, has a .906 in 14 appearances so far.

Aaron Dell| James Reimer| Kaapo Kahkonen| San Jose Sharks

1 comment

Examining Trade Options For San Jose’s Goalie Surplus

August 28, 2022 at 6:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 22 Comments

Generally speaking, extra depth is rarely a bad thing to have.  That extra impact forward, carrying more than four top-four defensemen, these are often elements of successful teams.  But that same argument doesn’t apply to goaltending as almost all of the time, carrying three is seen as less than ideal and teams will often move their extra option before too long.

San Jose is presently an exception to that idea as they’re carrying three NHL goaltenders in Kaapo Kahkonen, Adin Hill, and James Reimer.  All three are on short-term deals (Reimer and Hill have one year left and Kahkonen two) and all three make between $2.1MM and $2.75MM.  At least from a contract standpoint, they’re more or less interchangeable.

But Kahkonen was brought in from Minnesota at the trade deadline and then given the two-year deal so it stands to reason that they don’t want to move him.  That leaves the 26-year-old Hill and the 34-year-old Reimer as their two trade options with the latter only making $75K more than the former.  The Sharks might prefer to keep the younger Hill but his trade value might be better depending on who shows interest.

With that in mind, let’s examine some of the teams that might be interested in adding one of San Jose’s netminders even with most of the goalie movement being done for the summer.

Arizona

The Coyotes know they don’t have their backup goalie on the roster yet.  Karel Vejmelka is unproven as a starter so adding a second netminder that could play close to half the games wouldn’t hurt.  Yes, they’re a team with an eye on the future but they can still try to lose competitively.  Would they trade for Hill after moving him to San Jose just over a year ago or would they prefer Reimer?  If not one of them, they’ll be watching the waiver wire in October.

Minnesota

There isn’t a true opening with Marc-Andre Fleury as the starter and Filip Gustavsson as the backup but Gustavsson is coming off a tough 2021-22 campaign with Ottawa.  Playing Fleury heavy minutes would carry some risk so while Gustavsson is the backup of the future, GM Bill Guerin might want to assess if they’d be better off with a more reliable second option even if it forces them to turn around and carry three goalies with Gustavsson now being waiver-eligible.

Philadelphia

Back in May, it looked like the Flyers had their goalie situation figured out as they were able to sign highly-touted prospect Ivan Fedotov to partner up with Carter Hart.  However, the netminder is now serving in the Russian military which will take him out of the equation.  Felix Sandstrom is likely next in line but has just five career NHL appearances under his belt.  Philadelphia is looking for more short-term success so adding a more proven backup is something GM Chuck Fletcher will likely be looking into.

Vegas

Following the season-ending hip surgery for Robin Lehner, GM Kelly McCrimmon came out and said his intention is to go with Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit as their tandem.  Thompson has shown promise but his NHL experience is limited while Brossoit has been hit and miss in his career.  If things don’t go well early on, they could look to turn to San Jose for a chance at an upgrade.

Washington

This might seem a little odd considering that they just signed Charlie Lindgren to a three-year deal to be Darcy Kuemper’s backup.  But Lindgren’s cap hit is right at the line of being fully buriable in the minors if a better option presents itself.  Their LTIR situation with Nicklas Backstrom gives them some extra flexibility to add a short-term deal so if they trust Reimer or Hill over a goalie that has just 29 games of NHL experience and finished up the AHL playoffs as the backup, GM Brian MacLellan will likely check in on what that upgrade would cost.

Winnipeg

They added David Rittich as a low-cost backup early in free agency, handing him a one-year, $900K contract.  That can be fully buried in the minors if a better option presents itself.  The Jets still have considerable cap space at their disposal and are a team with an eye on winning in the present so if they aren’t able to add at other positions, turning around and upgrading Connor Hellebuyck’s backup would be a reasonable backup plan.

Obviously, not all of these teams are going to make a move between the pipes in the coming weeks so the options for GM Mike Grier are going to be limited.  If he wants to get top value – the asking price for Reimer is believed to be a second-round pick – he might have to wait until the season starts to see if injuries force someone’s hand.  Otherwise, it will be a limited market for whichever one he decides to move.  Surplus quality depth at most positions is usually a good thing and could yield a strong return in a trade but for goaltenders, it’s just not the case.

Adin Hill| James Reimer| Kaapo Kahkonen| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| San Jose Sharks

22 comments

San Jose Sharks Sign Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen

July 18, 2022 at 3:24 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The San Jose Sharks have signed Luke Kunin to a two-year contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM. Kunin was eligible for salary arbitration this summer but chose not to file. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also announced Monday afternoon that the team has signed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.

Kunin, 24, was acquired from the Nashville Predators this offseason in exchange for John Leonard (who also signed today) and a third-round pick. The young forward has changed his game in recent years to lean into his physicality, and after racking up a whopping 223 in 2021-22, he offers something new to the San Jose bottom six.

There’s also a bit of offensive skill in the 2016 first-round pick, who has double-digit goals in each of his last three seasons, all of them coming at even-strength or while short-handed. That kind of scoring upside will come in handy as the Sharks start to tear apart the old core and rebuild it under new general manager Mike Grier.

Notably, it will leave Kunin as a restricted free agent at its expiry, giving the Sharks a chance to re-assess whether he can be a long-term solution. He will once again be up for arbitration at that point.

Kahkonen excelled after San Jose acquired him at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. The 2020 AHL Goalie of the Year had just a 2-6-1 record, but that was no fault of his own, posting a more-than-respectable .916 save percentage in 11 games played (10 starts). Kahkonen has a career .908 save percentage through 65 NHL games, 54 of which came with the Wild. He’ll join a crowded crease in San Jose next year that also includes James Reimer and Adin Hill.

The 25-year-old Finn will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when his new contract expires.

Adin Hill| AHL| Arbitration| Elliotte Friedman| James Reimer| John Leonard| Kaapo Kahkonen| Luke Kunin| Mike Grier| Minnesota Wild| Nashville Predators| NHL| San Jose Sharks

4 comments

24 Players Elect Salary Arbitration

July 17, 2022 at 4:26 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 4 Comments

The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

Anaheim Ducks| Andrew Mangiapane| Arbitration| Arizona Coyotes| Boston Bruins| Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| Ethan Bear| Isac Lundestrom| Jake Walman| Jesper Bratt| Jesse Puljujarvi| Kaapo Kahkonen| Kailer Yamamoto| Kasperi Kapanen| Lawson Crouse| Mason Appleton| Mathieu Joseph| Matthew Phillips| Matthew Tkachuk| Maxime Lajoie| Morgan Geekie| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| NHL| Oliver Kylington| Ottawa Senators| Pavel Zacha| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| San Jose Sharks| Seattle Kraken| Vegas Golden Knights| Winnipeg Jets

4 comments

Pacific Notes: Kahkonen, Kolesar, Halak

April 15, 2022 at 4:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Sharks have a couple of decisions to make with their goaltending over the offseason.  The first is deciding who of their three netminders will move and the second is how much to pay Kaapo Kahkonen (unless he’s the one they move which is an unlikely scenario).  Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now provided an overview of what Kahkonen’s market could look like this summer.  As a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility, the 25-year-old is heading for a raise but with just 60 career NHL appearances under his belt, he won’t have a lot of leverage heading into talks.  Accordingly, Kahkonen seems likely to slot in a tier or two below the top backups which would put him in the low-$2MM to $3MM range, depending on how long the deal is.  Moving one of James Reimer or Adin Hill would free up the bulk of the cap room to give Kakhonen that type of deal.

More from the Pacific:

  • Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar will not face any supplementary discipline from the league for his hit on Flames defenseman Christopher Tanev on Thursday, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was initially assessed a major penalty on the play but after review, it was overturned to a two-minute minor.  The league is believed to have reviewed the incident but it was ruled that the head was not the principal point of contact so they’ve deemed that no further discipline is needed.
  • Thomas Drance of The Athletic highlights (subscription link) an interesting factor for Vancouver’s decision-making between the pipes down the stretch. The Canucks will need a lot of help to make the playoffs but they have two back-to-back sets left and Thatcher Demko struggled the last time he played in a back-to-back.  Jaroslav Halak has been better as of late but only needs to improve his save percentage by six points (from .899 to .905) to trigger a $250K performance bonus which, by virtue of Vancouver being in LTIR all season, will count against the cap in 2022-23.  Demko could use the rest but it could come at a cost for next season.

Jaroslav Halak| Kaapo Kahkonen| Keegan Kolesar| San Jose Sharks| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights

0 comments
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