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Nikita Scherbak

Snapshots: Penguins, Forsberg, Peeters, Scherbak, Kiselevich

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While the update on the Phil Kessel situation yesterday drew the headlines, GM Jim Rutherford had another comment of note.  Speaking with reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he indicated that he’s open to moving down from the 21st pick and would like to add another pick or two to their current set of picks (five in total).  Rutherford is no stranger to not picking in the first round as they’ve only picked there once in his previous five years with the team.  (That player, Kasperi Kapanen, was dealt one year later.)  Vensel notes that goaltender Tristan Jarry could be dangled to try to add another selection while they could also look to move a surplus blueliner to accomplish that objective.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Blackhawks aren’t likely to re-sign goaltender Anton Forsberg this summer, reports Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune. The 26-year-old was once viewed as Chicago’s backup of the future but struggled when in that role, resulting in them signing Cam Ward last July and pushing Forsberg back to the minors in the process.  With the emergence of Collin Delia as a potential number two to Corey Crawford and Kevin Lankinen showing that he’s ready for a larger workload in the AHL, there doesn’t appear to be room for Forsberg moving forward.
  • Speaking of Chicago goalies, Blackhawks goalie prospect Wouter Peeters has inked a tryout deal with Tappara, the Finnish team announced (Twitter link). The 2016 third-round pick has not progressed as hoped and will need a big year in 2019-20 to have a shot at getting an entry-level contract.  Chicago holds his rights until June 1st, 2020.
  • Kings winger Nikita Scherbak is expected to sign with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The 2014 first-round pick had a tough season.  He was injured early on in Montreal, struggled in a rehab assignment before getting injured again, and didn’t fare well with Los Angeles after they claimed him off waivers in December.  The Kings can retain his NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer in the hopes that some time overseas can help his development.
  • Meanwhile, from the same report, Eronko notes that Jets defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich is expected to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He parlayed a good showing at the 2018 Olympics into a contract with Florida but played a minimal role with them before being flipped to the Jets at the deadline where he served as injury depth but never got into a game.

Morning Notes: Denver, McDavid, KHL

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The Denver Pioneers were eliminated from the NCAA Frozen Four tournament last night by an overtime goal from Marc Del Gazio of the UMass Minutemen. That means their players are free to sign entry-level contracts with NHL clubs, including top prospect Ian Mitchell. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick told Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) earlier in the year that he wanted to play with them “as soon as [he] can” though nothing had been decided yet on his future. The 20-year old was the 57th overall pick in 2017 and recorded 27 points in 39 games for DU this season.

What the win also means is that Cale Makar is moving on to the NCAA final and can’t join the Colorado Avalanche until at least after tomorrow’s championship game. The young defenseman is expected to join Colorado right away and could potentially jump into their series against the Calgary Flames. That’s still on the back of his mind though, as the Minutemen prepare for Minnesota-Duluth.

  • The Edmonton Oilers sent Connor McDavid for second and third opinions on his leg injury this week according to Sportsnet, though they do not have any information on what exactly is wrong with the superstar forward. McDavid injured the leg when he slid into the post during the team’s last game of the season, and will not be suiting up for Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship.
  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express tweeted some KHL notes this morning, reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Nikita Scherbak could be heading to the KHL next season. The 23-year old forward is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer after his current deal expires, and could potentially bolt for Russia. Scherbak, originally a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, was claimed on waivers this season by the Kings but failed to make much of an impact at the NHL level. The winger has just eight points in 37 NHL games across his career.
  • Eronko also notes that Rushan Rafikov, a seventh-round pick of the Calgary Flames back in 2013, has signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv. The 23-year old defenseman set a career high with 14 points in 48 games last season, and doesn’t appear interested in the NHL at this point. The Flames will maintain his exclusive draft rights indefinitely.

Three Players Placed On Waivers

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Monday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Sunday: The Los Angeles Kings have come to the same decision that the Montreal Canadiens made earlier this season, and have placed young forward Nikita Scherbak on waivers. He’ll be joined by Jordan Schmaltz of the St. Louis Blues and Chris Wideman of the Florida Panthers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Scherbak was claimed by the Kings in an attempt to add some more speed and youth to their lineup in a hope that it would create more offense, but the 23-year old winger failed to do so through his eight games in Los Angeles. Scoring just a single goal, Scherbak struggled to adjust to his new team and will now be available for the entire league once again. If he clears, Los Angeles would be able to send Scherbak to the Ontario Reign and keep him in the organization.

St. Louis too is hoping to sneak Schmaltz through and send him to the minor leagues, given the fact that he hasn’t played in an NHL game since December 14th. The 25-year old defenseman just can’t seem to crack the Blues lineup on a full-time basis, playing in 20 games this season but earning an average of just 11:29 minutes of ice time. Schmaltz was a first-round pick of the Blues in 2012, but has just five points in 42 NHL games and could very well be on his way to another organization to get a fresh start.

Wideman, meanwhile has seemed to get a fresh start every few days this season. After being involved in the infamous Ottawa Senators Uber video earlier this year, he was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers in late November. After just five games as an Oiler, the team decided to ship him out to Florida as part of the package that acquired Alex Petrovic. Wideman made his Florida debut last night recording two shots in just under 12 minutes of ice time, but apparently did not do enough to impress Bob Boughner’s coaching staff. If assigned to the minor leagues, Wideman’s entire $1MM salary would be buried and not count towards the cap for the Panthers.

Snapshots: Lundestrom, Hudon, McGinn

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When the Anaheim Ducks loaned rookie Isac Lundestrom to Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship in the midst of a campaign split between the NHL and AHL, it was a hint that perhaps the experiment was over with the 19-year-old for this season. This has now in fact been confirmed, as agent Martin Nilsson tells Swedish news source Aftonbladet that Lundestrom has returned to Sweden for the remainder of the season. Although the Ducks’ recent first-round pick, No. 23 overall last June, showed signs of promise in his first foray into North American hockey, he nevertheless had failed to produce. Lundestrom, in burning the first year of his entry-level contract, played in 15 games with Anaheim but only recorded two assists. In 12 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, Lundestrom only managed six assists. After half a season with zero goals and limited opportunity to score them, Lundestrom is set to return to his Swedish club Lulea, where he played exclusively with the top team last season. After a WJC in which Sweden struggled but Lundestrom excelled, recording four points in five games, Nilsson says that the youngster is eager to return home and take on a key role for his club. He remains in conversation with Anaheim and, more likely than not, will be back with the organization to begin next season. In the meantime, the Ducks hope to see more of his offensive potential as he takes on the Swedish Hockey League.

  • Another player who could be on the move soon is Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon. Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic recently sat down with Hudon’s agent, Allain Roy, and discovered that the young forward has asked the Canadiens to give him a chance to play. While Godin would not go so far as to say that Hudon demanded a trade, the 24-year-old did allegedly tell the team that he wants a chance and, if it isn’t in Montreal, he would like to be moved elsewhere. “Charlie wants to play in the National Hockey League”, said Roy, “He’s a good player, and we’re still waiting for an answer whether it’s from Montreal or anywhere else.” After a 30-point performance in his first full NHL season last year, it’s fair for Hudon to be discouraged with how this season is going. Expected to be top-nine contributor, Hudon has instead been a frequent scratch and has played the majority of his 23 games on the team’s fourth line with Matthew Peca and Nicolas Deslauriers, despite ample opportunity to line up elsewhere. The trio has combined for just 17 points and Hudon has only contributed four. The Canadiens have opted to hold on to Hudon rather than risk him on waivers, even at the cost of recent claims Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose, but continue to deny him an opportunity to succeed. Godin wonders what the market would look like for a player like Hudon, whose size and skill set are ill-fitted for checking line work but who has yet to truly prove himself as a top-nine scoring option. Hudon would most likely not clear waivers if any team could grab him for free, but will anyone be willing to ante up to acquire the eager winger from the Canadiens? If the team doesn’t start giving him a larger role, we’ll soon find out the answer to that question.
  • Already on his way to a new team is Tye McGinn. Unlike Jamie and Brock, the middle McGinn brother is without an NHL contract this season for the first time in his eight-year pro career. McGinn, 28, had been playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, but yesterday was traded to the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. This ended up being the “future considerations” side of the Jets’ acquisition of defenseman Jimmy Oligny from Vegas. With the Knights looking playoff-bound again this season, the McGinn acquisition could yield an intriguing late-season signing option. The team is sure to take a look at how the veteran two-way forward performs for their farm team and could decide he is worthy of stashing as a deep depth piece for the stretch run and postseason. McGinn was last an NHL regular in 2014-15, but has always produced consistently in the minors and shown good checking ability at the next level. Vegas has only two roster spots open as of now, but depending on how their trade deadline plans shake out, could dedicate one of those slots to McGinn later on.

Kings’ Kovalchuk To Miss A Month After Ankle Procedure

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The Los Angeles Kings just can’t get things going on the injury front as the team suffered another setback as they announced that winger Ilya Kovalchuk will miss four weeks after undergoing an ankle bursectomy procedure this morning. Head coach Willie Desjardins said that injury is more of an infection of the bursa sacs, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. The procedure deals with bursa sacs, which are fluid-filled sacs that cushion high friction areas such as joints. Those sacs have become infected and required a surgical procedure to correct.

Kovalchuk had been struggling lately with the Kings as he had been demoted from a top-line player to the bottom-six for the last few games as many questions had started to arise surrounding new head coach Willie Desjardins sudden benching. Whether the injury had anything to do with it is unknown, but Kovalchuk, who has just five goals and 14 points in 25 games this season. While those numbers are respectable, he has failed to register a point in the past 11 games, quite unlike the 35-year-old star. Throw in the fact that the Kings have just four wins in the last 12 games and none of the team’s losses provided them with even a point and the team sits in last place in the NHL standings.

The surgery could explain the team’s claiming of Nikita Scherbak earlier today as the team is up against the cap and have Carl Hagelin on LTIR currently. The team was expected to have some serious cap issues once Hagelin was to be activated (he’s out three to five weeks with a lower-body injury), the team would have trouble getting below the cap. Scherbak’s contract wasn’t going to improve things in L.A. However, with Kovalchuk going on injured reserve, the team may have some extra means of staying ahead of the cap.

Los Angeles Kings Claim Nikita Scherbak

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After letting Valentin Zykov pass through to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week, the Los Angeles Kings were not going to watch another talented young forward go unclaimed. The Kings have claimed Nikita Scherbak off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.

This is the second high draft pick the Canadiens have lost on waivers this season, following Detroit’s claim of Jacob de La Rose earlier in the year. Scherbak was selected 26th overall in 2014, after exploding onto the CHL scene as a rookie for the Saksatoon Blades. His minor league career was also quite successful, but the 22-year old forward was unable to crack the Montreal lineup on a regular basis and faced injury this season. The Canadiens did try to trade the young forward, but with their obvious roster crunch approaching teams likely just waited them out.

For the Kings, this is a worthwhile gamble given the performance of their own forward group this season. Los Angeles ranks easily last in the NHL in scoring with just 56 goals through 26 games, an amazing 47 fewer than the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. While their goaltending and defensive play has been good enough to keep them from being shelled on a nightly basis, expecting to win while averaging just over two goals a game is impossible. Scherbak doesn’t offer a guaranteed upgrade to that group, but at least has a healthy dose of potential left in him and could just be waiting for an opportunity.

CapFriendly reports that Scherbak will remain on injured reserve for the time being, but the Kings will likely try to get him into the lineup as soon as possible. A restricted free agent at year’s end, he should get every chance to prove he can be a useful contributor going forward, deserved of a new contract.

Canadiens Place Nikita Scherbak On Waivers

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The Canadiens have placed winger Nikita Scherbak on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).  Sportsnet’s Eric Engels adds (via Twitter) that Montreal had unsuccessfully tried to trade him before going this route.

The 22-year-old made the team out of training camp but didn’t see any action before being sent to the minors on a conditioning stint at the end of October.  He got into five games with AHL Laval and struggled, picking up just a single goal in that span.  Scherbak also suffered a lower-body injury in the minors and was placed on injured reserve following his recall.  The fact he’s on waivers suggests he’s cleared to return.

Scherbak was a first-round pick of the Canadiens back in 2014 (26th overall) but has yet to have much success at the NHL level.  He played in 26 games with Montreal last season, recording just six points while spending a lot of time in a bottom six role.  As an offensive-oriented player, he’s someone who is best served playing in the top six but he hasn’t had that opportunity on a regular basis just yet.

Given the offensive potential he has shown at the minor league level, his age, and the fact he’s on a cheap contract (he’s in the final year of his entry-level pact with a cap hit of $863K), there’s a good chance that he will be claimed, similar to what happened on Friday with winger Valentin Zykov joining the Oilers.  If he passes through unclaimed, he’ll be sent back to Laval.

Noah Juulsen Out Indefinitely, Michael Chaput Recalled

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After taking two pucks to the face last night, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Juulsen has been ruled out indefinitely with a facial fracture. He will remain in Montreal while the team heads out on their road trip and will undergo further evaluation. He and Nikita Scherbak have been placed on injured reserve, while the team has recalled forward Michael Chaput to fill one of the roster spots.

Juulsen, 21, looks to have made the jump full-time to the NHL this season after splitting time between Montreal and Laval a year ago. That consistency had resulted in five points through his first 17 games, and increased responsibility for the team. In fact, in his last game before suffering the injury against Washington, Juulsen had logged over 20 minutes of ice time. Originally selected 26th overall in 2015, the former WHL standout has all the makings of a solid top-4 option for Montreal going forward. Unfortunately, key development time will now be missed as he works his way back from this injury.

Chaput meanwhile will try to show that he can still be an NHL option after continuing his successful offensive play at the minor league level. A third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2010, Chaput has played just 135 games over his NHL career and none since signing with the Canadiens in July. He does have seven goals and ten points in 18 minor league contests this season with the Laval Rocket, but needs to translate that offense to the NHL if he wants to stay there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injuries Mounting Up Front For Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens are off to an impressive start this season, with Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin leading an improved forward group that have contributed to the team’s 46 goals in 15 games (not counting tonight). Even as the team deals with the long-term recovery of captain Shea Weber, they’ve kept their heads above water with a 8-5-2 record. With Carey Price still not playing at the level he’s capable of, there is plenty of enthusiasm in Montreal.

Unfortunately, that enthusiasm took a hit today when the team released updates on a pair of forwards. Paul Byron, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, will now be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and is out for the foreseeable future. The 29-year old forward, who was signed to a four-year extension at the end of training camp, hasn’t played yet in November and now seems in danger of missing the rest of the month. A key player given his speed and penalty killing ability, Byron has also been one of the team’s best goal scorers at even strength the last two seasons.

Perhaps even worse than the news on Byron is that of Joel Armia, who suffered a knee injury against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Armia will be out for six to eight weeks, meaning he very well could be out until after Christmas. Armia had seven points in his first 15 games and had logged time on both the powerplay and penalty kill this season. That versatility will be sorely missed over the next couple of months, especially if Byron can’t come back soon.

Tomas Plekanec, who has played only three games this season, is getting closer to a return but isn’t the type of player who can make a huge impact anymore. What these injuries might mean is another chance for Nikita Scherbak, who has been playing on a conditioning stint in the minor leagues. As CapFriendly noted yesterday, the Canadiens can keep him in the minor leagues for another few days but will have to make a decision on what to do with him at some point. The team already lost Jacob de La Rose when they tried to sneak him through waivers, and wouldn’t want to risk Scherbak to the same fate.

Montreal hasn’t been able to deal with injuries very well over the last few years, but with some added depth thanks to the emergence of Jesperi Kotkaniemi and acquisition of Domi perhaps this season will be a different story.

Montreal Canadiens Making Depth Forwards Available

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The Montreal Canadiens are coming up to a roster crunch given the face that Jacob de La Rose and Nicolas Deslauriers are both nearing a return from injury and during the TSN broadcast of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings game today, Bob McKenzie explained that GM Marc Bergevin is “open for business” when it comes to trading one of his depth forwards:

They’re getting into a bit of a crunch here where they’re going to have to move some bodies to the minors, and some of those guys require waivers. So I guess Bergevin is just testing the waters to see what interest there might be in some of his guys and could he get something instead of instead of losing someone potentially on waivers.

Even before de La Rose and Deslauriers come back the Canadiens find themselves with 14 forwards on the roster, and only star rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi is waiver-exempt. Unless they decide to send Kotkaniemi away to continue his development somewhere else, the team is already sitting players like Tomas Plekanec on a nightly basis. That’s not ideal, but the team also doesn’t have a lot of leverage with other clubs knowing they’ll have to put someone on waivers eventually.

If the team can get something for one of their depth forwards, it likely won’t be a big return. de La Rose and Nikita Scherbak, who can’t seem to find a way into the lineup either, are both high draft picks that haven’t quite worked out to this point. Still, a 22-year old first round pick that has only played 29 NHL games and produced well at the minor leagues has to have a little bit of value, if the Canadiens decide that Scherbak is the easiest one to deal away. The decision still probably doesn’t have to be made for a few days, but expect some movement in Montreal in the near future.

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