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Kristers Gudlevskis

Anthony Peluso, Kristers Gudlevskis Sign In Slovakia

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HC Slovan Bratislava has made a pair of major additions to their roster as they gear up for the stretch run of the Slovakian Extraliga season. The former KHL club, now a powerhouse in the Tipos, lost a number of top young contributors when NHL and AHL training camps opened up, including forward Marian Studenic (NJD), defenseman Cam Lee (PIT), and goaltender Roman Durny (ANA). They also parted ways with former Buffalo Sabres netminder Andrei Makarov due to injury. Yet, the Andrej Meszaros-led team still sits in third place in the Extraliga, three points out of first with a game in hand. With a title in sight and holes to fill, Bratislava has turned to NHL veterans Anthony Peluso and Kristers Gudlevskis.

Peluso, 31, has signed a contract for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, the team announced. Peluso, who is making his first foray into European hockey, was undoubtedly hoping to find a new contract in North America. The former Winnipeg Jets regular, who has also been a member of the St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and most recently the Calgary Flames, has 148 NHL games and 312 AHL games to his credit over eight pro seasons. Last year, spent with the Bakersfield Condors, was the first season in that span in which Peluso did not play on an NHL contract. Nothing short of consistent, Peluso has been a low-scoring, but physically menacing presence up front at both levels and has managed to make a career out of his grinding style. However, by joining Bratislava he may finally have some opportunity to break free of that role and show that he still has some offensive ability left in him. While the team’s press release mentions the benefits of his physical brand of hockey, they also note that he was brought in as scoring depth up front. While Peluso’s aggressive style is surely taxing, he doesn’t have as much tread on his tires as many players with his age and seasons of experience. Perhaps if he can take on a top role with Bratislava, it will open doors for an NHL contract next season.

Gudlevskis, 28, has also signed with Slovan for the remainder of the 2020-21 season after beginning the year with Villacher SV of the IceHL. Although Gudlevskis has not played in North America since 2017-18, he has been linked to an NHL comeback in every off-season since. The former Tampa Bay Lightning backup, who finished his first NHL tenure under contract with the New York Islanders, has played at a high level since moving to Europe. Posting strong numbers first in the KHL and then last season in the German DEL, Gudlevskis has shown that he is a capable keeper and at his age still has plenty of quality years left in him. However, he has never been a workhorse which may be limiting his upside in the eyes of NHL suitors. Will he get that opportunity in Bratislava? With Makarov and Durny gone, the team was forced to bring in another goaltender to pair with Tyler Parks. The long-time ECHLer has actually been stellar so far this season, but Gudlevskis’ experience may make him the go-to guy down the stretch and in the postseason. If that occurs, perhaps he will finally be able to make the jump back to North America this off-season.

Minor Transactions: 10/01/19

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Teams all around the league are setting their opening day rosters to get cap compliant, while minor league clubs are still out finalizing their groups for the upcoming season. We’ll be right here to keep track of all those moves like always:

Kristers Gudlevskis Re-Signs In KHL

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After another solid performance at the IIHF World Championship, Kristers Gudlevskis is staying at home. The Latvian netminder has re-signed with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, ending any speculation that he may revisit an NHL career this season. Gudlevskis became a Group VI unrestricted free agent when his last contract expired in 2018 with the New York Islanders, and decided to return to Latvia after struggling to find much NHL opportunity.

The 26-year old goaltender was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2013, and actually made his NHL debut the following season. Despite that quick entrance into the North American landscape, Gudlevskis battled through five seasons in the AHL and only received two other NHL appearances. Last season he returned to the KHL where he posted a .910 save percentage even on a poor Riga team, before suiting up for the national team in his fourth World Championship.

It didn’t seem likely that there was much of an NHL opportunity for Gudlevskis this offseason, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be down the road. We have recently seen Mikko Koskinen return after several years abroad to land a multi-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers despite little NHL experience. Perhaps Gudlevskis can pull of the same feat, though he’ll need to find even more success in the KHL.

Janis Voris Seeking Opportunity In North America

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Young Latvian goaltender Janis Voris has his heart set on a jump to North America and he’s being proactive about it. KHL squad Dinamo Riga announced today that they have suspended the contract of the 18-year-old netminder so that he may pursue other options overseas. The two sides mutually agreed that he should explore options in North America to further his development.

Voris played in all but six games for Riga’s youth team in the MHL last season, posting a .907 save percentage and 2.81 GAA in 58 contests against some of the best young players in Russia and Eastern Europe. He was also one the major highlights of the U-18 World Juniors 1A tournament, where he turned in an incredible .969 save percentage and 0.67 GAA in three games.

With Latvia’s top pro goaltender and former NHLer Kristers Gudlevskis returning home to man the net at the KHL level for the foreseeable future, as well as two other veteran keepers on the roster, Voris likely did not have much of a path to tougher competition in his current situation. However, his talent demands more of a challenge. Although Voris was not selected this past June in his first year of NHL Draft eligibility, he could be an intriguing option for an NHL team to sign to an entry-level contract and let develop at the junior level for several years. At the very least, the young goalie should find a new home in the junior ranks in no time.

Kristers Gudlevskis Signs In KHL

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The New York Islanders have several free agent goaltenders this summer, and now one of them has left the North American ranks completely. Kristers Gudlevskis has signed with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, returning to the organization he played for as a junior.

Gudlevskis, 25, was acquired by the Islanders from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer but struggled for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. The Latvian netminder recorded just an .897 save percentage and wasn’t given an opportunity in the NHL despite the struggles of the goaltenders there. Because of that lack of opportunity, both in New York and Tampa Bay, Gudlevskis qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer and could sign anywhere he chose.

The Islanders have the same problem with fellow minor league goaltender Christopher Gibson, who is a Group VI UFA himself. Jaroslav Halak is also set to hit the open market, leaving GM Lou Lamoriello an organizational void to fill. That might not be the worst problem to have though, as none of the Islanders goaltenders have been very good the last few years.

For Gudlevskis, it may not be the end of his North American career, but it certainly could be. With World Championship and Olympic experience under his belt, he should continue to be one of Latvia’s top options for international play and will try to prove his talent at the KHL level.

Snapshots: Islanders, Gudlevskis, Lucic, Canadiens

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The New York Islanders have made a coaching move, but not the anticipated one. Still lacking a head coach for his team, Lou Lamoriello has nevertheless made another change to the coaching staff, firing assistant Greg Cronin. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple confirmed the move, but added that no other coaching decisions have been made yet at the NHL or AHL level. Staple also had nothing to say about any of the motivations behind Cronin’s departure. Ironically, if Lamoriello was to tab Boston Bruins’ assistant Jay Pandolfo as his head coach, the Boston native Cronin would be an easy fix to replace him.

  • The Islanders have struggled in net for too long and need to make a change at goalie. That all but rules out recycling any of their unrestricted free agent goaltenders. Jaroslav Halak, Christopher Gibson, and Kristers Gudlevskis are all set to hit the open market and of the three, Gudlevskis faces the lowest chances of finding employment again in the NHL. Once a highly-regarded prospect for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gudlevskis play in the AHL simply never reached an elite level that would have warranted an extended look at the highest level. This past season, he performed poorly and was handily outplayed by Gibson. As such, he may not have many opportunities in North America next season. It is no surprise then that Latvian news outlet OlyBet reports that Gudlevksis has had preliminary talks with Dinamo Riga, the KHL team in his native country. Gudlevskis was brought up in the Riga junior ranks and even appeared in two games with the big league team before coming overseas. Gudlevskis has never returned to Europe since and his preference would likely be to stay in the NHL, but it would be a natural fit with Dinamo if the offers don’t come from NHL teams this summer.
  • In today’s edition of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger have set the record straight about the trade market for Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic. It was previously believed that the Oilers were shopping Lucic in hopes of ridding themselves of his contract, but in speaking with several team executives, LeBrun and Dreger feel that is not the case. Instead, they have heard that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is seeking hockey trades rather than cap dump trades for Lucic. This would indicate that it is Lucic who has requested the trade and Edmonton is simply trying to oblige him.
  • One team rumored to be in on Lucic is actually out, according to LeBrun. The Montreal Canadiens, who pursued the power forward and former Bruins enforcer vigorously when he initially hit free agency, were speculated to again be interested in acquiring Lucic. The Habs could use some size up front and Lucic shared a strong rapport with coach Claude Julien when the pair were in Boston. However, LeBrun states that they are definitively “out” on Lucic.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of New York’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock Nelson – Though all eyes in New York are watching a certain unrestricted free agent (we’ll get to that later), the team still has plenty of work to do with some of their restricted players this summer. One of those is Nelson, who while frustratingly inconsistent at times still has four straight seasons with at least 19 goals.

It’s not that Nelson is an integral offensive piece on a team that has plenty of weapons up front, but scoring goals in the NHL is a daunting task and those who can do it at both even-strength and on the powerplay aren’t that easy to find. For any team, secondary scoring threats like Nelson get paid exceptionally well and are a tough group to hold on to long-term. Even with his slightly reduced totals this season, he’s still heading into the summer in a strong negotiating position as this is his final year before qualifying for UFA status. That means any term the Islanders give is buying out UFA years and sending the average annual value of the contract skyrocketing.

D Ryan Pulock – It’s not just up front that the team has some tough decisions, as Pulock broke out this season and could be looking for a long-term deal. The 23-year old defenseman finally got his full-time chance in the NHL and crushed it with 32 points in 68 games. That came with the best possession stats of any defenseman on the team, while still taking his fair share of defensive responsibilities.

Pulock is only now coming off his entry-level contract and is not yet eligible for salary arbitration, meaning the Islanders could certainly wait to lock him up long-term. That said, he’s so clearly a part of their future on the blue line that the team may want to commit right away.

Other RFAs: F Ross Johnston, F Alan Quine, F Shane Prince, D Brandon Davidson, D Kyle Burroughs, F Kyle Schempp, D Devon Toews

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F John Tavares – It all starts and ends with Tavares, who is basically holding the free agent market hostage at the moment. Though John Carlson and others are fine prizes, no one is a franchise-changing player like Tavares in the prime of his career. The three-time 80-point man is coming off one of his most successful offensive seasons and he has proven time and again to be able to carry less talented wingers to big production.

Every team in the league would love to slide Tavares into their lineup, but it’s still unclear how many would really be able to put together the kind of financial package to entice him. Even that’s only if he ends up hitting the free agent market, something that may not even be likely at this point. Recently, when the Islanders fired their GM and head coach a new bout of speculation arose about Tavares’ connection with the franchise and intention to stick around. No one—except perhaps Lou Lamoriello, who could keep a secret from his son if he needed to—knows exactly where Tavares is headed. We’ll find out in just a few weeks.

D Calvin de Haan – Amazingly, Tavares isn’t the only important free agent the Islanders have. Though they already locked up Josh Bailey, de Haan and Thomas Hickey represent a good portion of their defense corps that is currently scheduled for the free agent market. The Islanders struggled in part this season keeping the puck out of their own net because of injuries to de Haan, who played just 33 games in total.

The 27-year old defenseman has shown flashes of brilliance over the years, like when he suited up for Canada in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, but has struggled to put it all together and become the top-pairing defenseman the team once hoped for. He won’t be paid like it this summer, but there will certainly be a market for him if he ends up leaving the Islanders.

Other UFAs: F Chris Wagner, F Nikolai Kulemin (headed to KHL), D Thomas Hickey, D Dennis Seidenberg, G Jaroslav Halak, D Kane Lafranchise, F Connor Jones, G Christopher Gibson, F Stephen Gionta, D Seth Helgeson, G Kristers Gudlevskis

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Complete List Of Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents

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Back in November, we took a look at some of the potential Group VI free agents that could hit unrestricted free agency early this offseason. Of that group, Josh Leivo was extended and Stefan Noesen eclipsed the number of games played needed to stay with the New Jersey Devils organization. Now, CapFriendly has compiled a complete list of players still at risk of becoming free agents early, including how many games they need. To refresh your memory on how a player qualifies for Group VI free agency, they must meet three requirements:

  1. The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
  2. The player has completed 3 or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19 year old player), or 1 or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
  3. The player has played less than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender.

The entire list of players at risk can be found below, but make sure you check out CapFriendly for more detailed information on how they could avoid the designation this summer.

*Indicates that the player could still play in enough games this season to become ineligible for Group VI free agency

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Training Camp Cuts: 09/24/17

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The more than fifty cuts made from training camps around the league yesterday was only the beginning. Weekend or not, expect the announcements to keep flooding in, and we’ll keep track of it all right here:

Arizona Coyotes
F Michael Bunting – Tucson (AHL)
D Kyle Capobianco – Tucson (AHL)
F Conor Garland – Tucson (AHL)
D Joel Hanley – Tucson (AHL)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Charlottetown (QMJHL)
F Jens Looke – Tucson (AHL)
D Dysin Mayo – Tucson (AHL)
F Lane Pederson – Tucson (AHL)
F Mike Sislo – Tucson (AHL)
D Jalen Smereck – Tucson (AHL)
D Tyson Strachan – released from PTO

Boston Bruins
D Christopher Breen – Providence (AHL)
D Connor Clifton – Providence (AHL)
D Taylor Doherty – Providence (AHL)
F Zachary Senyshyn – Providence (AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes
F Patrick Brown – Charlotte (AHL)
F Julien Gauthier – Charlotte (AHL)
D Brenden Kichton – Charlotte (AHL)
D Roland McKeown – Charlotte (AHL)
F Andrew Miller – Charlotte (AHL)
D Dennis Robertson – Charlotte (AHL)
D Philip Samuelsson – Charlotte (AHL)

Dallas Stars
D Gavin Bayreuther – Texas (AHL)
G Landon Bow – Texas (AHL)
G Philippe Desrosiers – Texas (AHL)
F Sheldon Dries – Released from ATO
F Max French – Released from ATO
F Austin Fyten – Released from PTO
D Shane Hanna – Released from ATO
D Niklas Hansson – Texas (AHL)
D Dillon Heatherington – Texas (AHL)
F Samuel Laberge – Released from ATO
D Matt Mangene – Released from PTO
F Colin Markison – Released from PTO
F Cole Ully – Texas (AHL)

Edmonton Oilers
F Mitch Callahan – Bakerfield (AHL)
F Grayson Downing – Bakersfield (AHL)
D Caleb Jones – Bakersfield (AHL)
F Joey Laleggia – Bakersfield (AHL)
D Keegan Lowe – Bakersfield (AHL)
D Ryan Mantha – Bakersfield (AHL)

Montreal Canadiens
F Daniel Audette – Laval (AHL)
F David Broll – Laval (AHL)
G Zachary Fucale – Laval (AHL)
F Jeremy Gregoire – Laval (AHL)
D Brett Lernout – Laval (AHL)
F Martin Reway – Laval (AHL)
F Nikita Scherbak – Laval (AHL)

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Islanders Sign Goalie Kristers Gudlevskis

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A move that fell way under the radar during the July 1st free agent frenzy was the New York Islanders acquisition of young goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Isles traded a young player of their own, forward Carter Verhaeghe, to secure the restricted free agent rights to the Latvian keeper.  Now, New York has taken the next step toward bringing Gudlevskis in, by coming to terms on a new contract. The team announced a one-year, two-way deal with their new goalie, which is expected to be worth the $650K minimum at the NHL level.

While Gudlevskis has NHL upside, the contract does make sense for both sides. The Islanders still have both Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak under contract for next season and the last thing they want is to have to juggle three goalie like they did in the past with J-F Berube. Gudlevskis is still only 24 as well, and they want him facing shots regularly with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he will likely get the majority of starts over Christopher Gibson, Stephon Williams, or Eamon McAdam.

However, Gudlevskis could have a much greater role than AHL depth as soon as this season. The Islanders have not been shy about the fact that Halak is available in a trade and, should another team lose their starter and be on the lookout for a stopgap, Halak would be a popular choice. This could vault Gudlevskis into the backup role in 2017-18. Even if that doesn’t happen, Halak is in the final year of his deal and will almost surely walk in free agency. Unless the Isles are unhappy with Greiss and are looking to replace him as starter or bring in a “1B”-type backup, Gudlevskis could move into the backup role next year. No one knows exactly when top goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin will cross the Atlantic, so Gudlevskis could be in line for a long-term NHL job. In his three NHL regular season appearances, the young keeper has been phenomenal, posting a .959 save percentage and 1.37 GAA. It’s a small sample size, but Islanders fans hope to see more of the same when Gudlevskis is called upon in the near future.

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