Minor Transactions: 07/20/22
We’re now a week out from free agency and Nazem Kadri still hasn’t signed. NHL fans are patiently waiting on the decisions of several key free agents, though plenty of other moves are happening around the hockey world. As always at this time of year, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- Jeremy Bracco, a former top prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has signed a one-year contract with Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL after putting up 54 points in 54 games this season in the DEL. The 25-year-old second-round pick has incredible playmaking ability, even leading to a 79-point season in the AHL a few years ago but never did make it to the NHL.
- He’ll actually be joined by another NHL draft pick, Jesse Graham, who is coming over from a different team in the DEL. The 28-year-old defenseman was a sixth-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2012 and last played in the AHL during the 2018-19 season.
- Another player that will be joining Barys is Kirill Maksimov, whose entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers was terminated last October. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers in 2017 and played just 53 games at the AHL level before going back home. He’ll be playing this season on loan from CSKA, who own his KHL rights.
- Fresh off winning the Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades, goaltender Cam Johnson has signed a two-way AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers. The 28-year-old had actually been on an NHL deal the past two seasons in order to provide some emergency depth for the Columbus Blue Jackets but never did enter a game.
More to come…
Two Players Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Oct 19: Both Maksimov and Timashov have cleared waivers and will see their contracts terminated.
Oct 18: While Alex Belzile and Leo Komarov hit regular waivers today, two other players are on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract terminations. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Kirill Maksimov of the Edmonton Oilers and Dmytro Timashov of the New York Islanders will become unrestricted free agents should the termination process go through tomorrow.
Maksimov, 22, is in the final year of his entry-level contract, originally signed in 2018 after the Oilers selected him in the fifth round the year prior. The young forward seems destined to return to the KHL, where he spent last season. In 16 games with CSKA Moscow in 2020-21, Maksimov scored just three points. That’s not all that much different than his production in the minors though, as he had just 13 points in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2019-20 and hadn’t yet suited up this year.
Timashov on the other hand has 45 games at the NHL level under his belt and has been a strong performer in the AHL as well. He signed a new one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders in September, but apparently is going to split ways with the organization just a month later. The KHL is certainly an option for him too, but there have been interested NHL clubs in the past.
One thing to note for the Islanders is that they were previously operating with 49 of their 50 allotted contract slots filled. Terminating Timashov’s deal will open up another, allowing them to make moves in-season to either bolster their current NHL group or add prospects like college free agents. They can’t just cut him, but if Timashov had other offers this termination would make sense for both sides.
Kirill Maksimov Assigned To KHL
The Edmonton Oilers continue to find places for their minor league prospects to play for the next several months, this time assigning Kirill Maksimov to CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Maksimov, 21, played in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors this season, registering 13 points in limited minutes. Interestingly enough, though Maksimov was born in Russia he has played in North America since he was a young teenager, first in the GTHL and then the OHL. The fifth-round pick has plenty of offensive skill but found himself relatively low on the depth chart as a rookie.
That may be a trend, given how talented the CSKA squad normally is. A KHL powerhouse almost every season, they may be losing top names like Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko, but still have loads of skill that Maksimov will have to compete with for playing time.
Like many other prospects, Maksimov will likely get a chance to return for NHL training camp in November, but getting him back on the ice and into game action is obviously the most important goal here.
Oilers Notes: Maksimov, Green
Prospect winger Kirill Maksimov has the opportunity to develop into a potent offensive weapon down the line for the Edmonton Oilers, but he’ll need the right situation to do so, per David Staples of the Edmonton Journal. Maksimov, 21, put up 13 points in 53 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors before the shutdown this season. On his potential moving forward, Staples writes: “Maksimov is never going to be a big driver of the play. He is a true complimentary winger, who thrives with playmaking centres capable of getting him the puck while he finds open spots on the ice. He does have quick hands and underrated playmaking ability, but needs that speedy and/or skilled pivot on his line who can push the pace. Basically, he’s the type of player who plays better with better talent around him.” Luckily for Maksimov, he plays for an organization with no current shortage of star players. Speaking of, let’s check in on the Oilers and their plans for the Stanley Cup Qualifier showdown with the Blackhawks…
- The Oilers are the heavy favorites to advance past the Blackhawks to the Western Conference playoffs after a .585 points percentage during the season. Chicago has an interesting mix of been-there-done-that veterans and undercooked up-and-comers, but they were the last team added to the play-in round and haven’t shown a consistent enough approach to tackle the star-studded Oilers. Edmonton, meanwhile, figures to be fully healthy with defenseman Mike Green the only key injury after an MCL sprain knocked out the veteran blueliner. Green expects to be ready to join Kris Russell on the Oiler’s third pairing, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.
- Green played just two games with the Oilers after being acquired from Detroit in late February. Paired with a veteran like Russell, there would be less concern about finding the right working chemistry, but the Oilers have depth options if Green proves unready. Matt Benning is in his fourth season with the team, and youngsters Caleb Jones and William Lagesson also saw ice time this year. All things being equal, however, Green figures to be the guy on the ice. Green has appeared in 76 career playoff games with the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings, putting up a noteworthy 37 points (10 goals, 37 assists) over that span. Green will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.