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Nikita Tryamkin

Snapshots: Williams, Tryamkin, Sorenson, Luukkonen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to getting their former captain back as Justin Williams is expected to return to the ice on Sunday against the New York Islanders, according to News & Observer’s Chip Alexander. While head coach Rod Brind’Amour did state that Williams will go through pre-game warmups before he made a decision on whether to play Williams, the scribe writes that everyone, including Brind’Amour believes that Williams will make his debut on Sunday.

“I’m nervous before every game I play so I’m going to have nerves,” Williams said. “But the one thing you never question is your ability and that’s one thing I’m never going to question. I’m going to go out there and work my tail off and let my instincts take over.”

The 38-year-old Williams signed a one-year deal 11 days ago and has been working with the team trying to get into game shape. Williams is coming off a solid season in which he scored 23 goals and 53 points last season and likely will take a bottom-six role to start.

  • The Vancouver Canucks still remain hopeful they can bring back defenseman Nikita Tryamkin, who left the team three years ago after his dissatisfaction with his playing time and refusal to play in the AHL. The Canucks have hoped to bring back the 6-foot-7, 265-pound blueliner back after several successful seasons in the KHL. The 25-year-old might be open to coming back, according to his agent, Todd Diamond (via TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal. “It’s very much on the table, the goal and desire is to sign in Vancouver, that’s what we have had discussions about,” said Diamond. “I don’t want to disrupt his season. There is plenty of time to talk when his season is over.”
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner changed up the lines of his team, which also included listing forward Marcus Sorensen as a healthy scratch. Boughner used the word “message” when addressing the media, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, suggesting he needs more “relentlessness” and for him to play “more on the inside.” After a 17-goal campaign, the 27-year-old is struggling this season with just five goals and has just one point in the last 19 games.
  • Buffalo Sabres goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made his season debut in the AHL Saturday, stopping 24 of 27 shots in the Rochester American’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters. The Buffalo News’ Bill Hoppe writes that the plan has been to allow Luukkonen to stay with the team for a week before they return the top prospect to the ECHL, where he will play in their all-star game. The team may give him one more start before sending him back.

West Notes: Palmu, Tryamkin, Fiala, Ducks

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Several veteran players are still looking for a place to play but so is one of Vancouver’s prospects.  Winger Petrus Palmu has spent the last two seasons with TPS Turku in Finland (aside from a brief stint with AHL Utica last year) but his agent Todd Diamond told Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston that the 22-year-old is hoping to catch on with a team in the SHL this season to play at a higher level of competition.  Returning to the AHL doesn’t appear to be an option for Palmu at this time although he could join them or the Canucks at the completion of his season overseas.

Meanwhile, Diamond also reiterated that blueliner Nikita Tryamkin remains open to the idea of one day rejoining the Canucks.  That almost certainly won’t happen this season as he’s under contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL and they’re unlikely to release him from his deal early.  Vancouver holds his NHL rights through the 2021-22 season.

Elsewhere around the Western Conference:

  • While Wild winger Kevin Fiala recently signed his bridge contract, he has yet to join the team at training camp. Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that the 23-year-old is currently awaiting his work visa.  The team is hopeful that he’ll be able to join them early next week although it’s likely that this will keep him out of the first couple of preseason games.
  • The Ducks announced (via Twitter) that center Ryan Kesler and winger Patrick Eaves will indeed miss all of the upcoming season. Kesler’s diagnosis was expected but Eaves, who has been dealing with post-viral syndrome since 2017, had not been ruled out for its entirety before now.  He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer while Kesler is signed through 2021-22 at $6.875MM.  Both players will be placed on LTIR if Anaheim needs to free up additional cap space for the upcoming season although they currently sit well under the Upper Limit for the time being.

Snapshots: Capuano, Roslovic, Tryamkin

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New Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith was given full control over hiring his staff, has yet to make any additions. However, a familiar name could be on the way. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that former New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is in talks to join the team. Capuano spent seven years as the Isles’ head coach and was an assistant for the Florida Panthers over the past two years. However, he became a free agent when new Panthers’ hire Joel Quenneville decided not to retain his services. A former AHL head coach as well, Capuano brings experience, but also a familiarity with working with young players, of which the Senators have plenty. Garrioch adds that GM Pierre Dorion stated today that the team hopes to have some assistants in place before the upcoming NHL Draft, meaning Capuano’s official addition could be imminent.

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic has fired long-time agent Ken Robinson. Roslovic was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2015, but has been buried on the team’s organization depth chart and unable to break out. Roslovic has reportedly requested a trade out of Winnipeg several times and he remains unhappy with his current role, despite finally playing a full NHL season last year. With a number of difficult decisions to make this off-season up against the salary cap, the Jets may not be eager to move an affordable piece like Roslovic. Unfortunately, the young forward’s move to a new agent likely implies he wants someone to put more pressure on them to make a move than his last agent did. If Roslovic hits the trade market, expect his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets to be interested.
  • The Vancouver Canucks may have lost prospect defenseman Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL two years ago, but they remain interested in bringing him back. The Province’s Patrick Johnston reports that GM Jim Benning is keeping tabs on the big blue liner and looks forward to hopefully having him back with the team down the road. Tryamkin has one year remaining on his contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, so the reunion won’t be coming this off-season. However, talks have already begun with agent Todd Diamond about a future deal. Tryamkin initially left the team over frustration with role in the season-and-a-half he spent in North America. However, the 2014 third-round pick has improved his play in Russia and has also developed into a locker room leader for Avtomobilist. He would likely play a much larger role for the Canucks in his second time around.

Vancouver Canucks Not Closing Door On Nikita Tryamkin

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In the spring of 2017, just after the Vancouver Canucks finished a disappointing season at 30-43-9 and had fired their head coach Willie Desjardins. The team had plenty to be excited about though, as they’d flipped some assets at the deadline for young forwards Nikolay Goldobin and Jonathan Dahlen while signing Brock Boeser out of the college ranks and seeing him excel right away. The team also had three young talents on defense that were showing promise, in Troy Stecher, Ben Hutton and Nikita Tryamkin. Unfortunately, the latter decided to return to Russia and the KHL after his first full NHL season and has been there ever since.

Now 24, Tryamkin is in the midst of his second season with his hometown Yekaterinburg since returning to the KHL, and is continuing his development. After averaging more than 21 minutes a night last season, his numbers have dropped to a still-repsectible 19 minutes on average. The massive 6’7″ defenseman has just three points on the season, but is still a very interesting player for the Canucks to keep an eye on. Though Tryamkin is signed until 2020 in the KHL, Vancouver GM Jim Benning told Sportsnet radio this morning that they are still hoping he returns to North America at some point and “have not closed that door.”

The Canucks are a team on the rise now, and may be even more attractive to a player like Tryamkin in the 2020-21 season. By then, Chris Tanev, Michael Del Zotto and Alexander Edler will have already reached unrestricted free agency and may not be around, while the team should be very competitive in the Western Conference. The team does still have young defensemen Olli Juolevi and Quinn Hughes on the way, but there will still likely be room for the hulking Russian somewhere on the blue line. Tryamkin’s size and skating ability make him a unique type of player, one that could balance out what should be a very skilled defense corps in a few years.

Canucks Notes: Boeser, Archibald, Tryamkin

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The Vancouver Canucks have had their season turned upside down of late, with Brock Boeser injured for the rest of the year. The star rookie is out for at least four weeks with a small fracture in his lower back, which could cost him more than just the last month of the season.

Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports that it is “highly unlikely” Boeser plays in the World Championships this year, though the Vancouver reporter wouldn’t rule it out entirely. Boeser would be one of the top options for the US squad, but might want to just heal completely before getting back on the ice. The tournament starts on May 4th, about eight weeks from the injury.

  • Dhaliwal also updates on the status of Darren Archibald, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. Apparently the Canucks have not approached the gritty forward with extension talks so far, but his strong recent play has put him in a good position for any future negotiations. The 28-year old has never been given much of a chance at the NHL level, but now has five points in 12 games with the Canucks and doesn’t look completely out of place in this league.
  • Lastly, Dhaliwal also spoke with Alexei Volkov, the GM of Nikita Tryamkin’s KHL team. Tryamkin also likely won’t be heading to the World Championships, and definitely isn’t on his way back to Vancouver. Volkov—who obviously must be taken with a grain of salt since it’s in his interest to keep Tryamkin around—told Dhaliwal there is “zero chance” the hulking defender would be returning next season. Tryamkin has two years remaining on his KHL contract, but could negotiate a buyout to return to the NHL if both sides were open to it.

Five Russian Players Not Invited To Participate At Olympics

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended invitations to 42 of the 47 players submitted by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) for consideration for the upcoming Games. Interestingly though, the IOC did not invite the following players to participate:

D Anton Belov
D Alexei Bereglazov
D Mikhail Naumenkov
F Valeri Nichushkin
F Sergei Plotnikov

The RIHF released a statement following the decision, stating that the five players have not been banned from international competitions and are not guilty of any doping violations. Still, the reasons for the snub have not been given and the RIHF has reached out for some clarity.

These would seem to be fairly important omissions for Russia, especially on defense where the club is relatively thin. By looking at the remaining names that did receive invitations one can start to see how the team will be made up. 25 names that make up the roster will will be released on Thursday.

F Sergei Andronov
F Alexander Barabanov
F Anton Burdasov
D Vyacheslav Voynov
D Vladislav Gavrikov
F Nikita Gusev
F Mikhail Grigorenko
F Pavel Datsyuk
G Vasily Demchenko
D Artyom Zub
D Andrei Zubarev
F Sergey Kalinin
F Kirill Kaprizov
D Bogdan Kiselevich
F Ilya Kovalchuk
G Vasily Koshechkin
F Ilya Kablukov
F Evgeny Ketov
F Pavel Kraskovsky
F Yegor Korshkov
F Roman Lyubimov
D Ilya Lyubushkin
D Alexey Marchenko
F Sergei Mozyakin
D Nikita Nesterov
F Nikolai Prokhorkin
D Yegor Rykov
G Ilya Samsonov
F Andrei Svetlakov
G Ilya Sorokin
F Viktor Tikhonov
F Ivan Telegin
F Vladimir Tkachyov (unclear which one)
D Nikita Tryamkin
F Maxim Shalunov
G Alexander Sharychenkov
F Sergei Shirokov
F Vadim Shipachyov
F Sergei Shumakov
G Igor Shestyorkin
F Dinar Khafizullin
D Yegor Yakovlev

Conspicuously missing is Andrei Markov, who has had a very successful season for Ak-Bars in the KHL after leaving the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 28 points in 52 games. Why he was left off the preliminary list is unclear, though perhaps they wanted to go in a younger direction on defense.

Pacific Notes: Goldobin, Gaudreau, Pirri, Garrison

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The Vancouver Canucks haven’t had a whole lot of luck with some of their most recent overseas players as in the past six months as the team has lost Anton Rodin and Nikita Tryamkin, who each have decided to leave the NHL. However, that doesn’t look to be the case with Nikolay Goldobin, the former San Jose Sharks 2014 first-rounder, who currently sits in the AHL with the Utica Comets.

In fact, News 1130’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that he talked to Goldobin’s agent, Igor Larianov, who states that they are preaching patience and that Goldobin won’t bolt like Rodin and Tryamkin.

The 22-year-old winger has taken his game to a new level after several years of struggles that had him traded to Vancouver back in March. He has put up six goals and 11 assists in 16 games this year, but still hasn’t been recalled by Vancouver, who have instead chosen to bring up older players with more experience to fill in for injuries. Regardless, Larionov states he believes that Goldobin will be just fine.

  • Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun writes that count veterean Jaromir Jagr as a player who sees a bright future for Calgary Flames center Johnny Gaudreau. The 45-year-old veteran has been talking to him, trying to provide the 24-year-old star winger with the confidence he needs. Jagr, like many people, sees Gaudreau as a perennial contender for the Art Ross Trophy and has told him so. “It’s pretty special when someone says something like that to you. Because it’s not every day that someone as good as him says something about a player that has only been in the league four years,” said Gaudreau. He showed some of that potential in the 2015-16 season when he put up 30 goals and 48 assists in just his second full season. He then saw his numbers drop to just 18 goals and 61 points last year. He already has 10 goal so far this year.
  • Emily Polglaze of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the Vegas Golden Knights have two quality and potential call-ups, if needed, in winger Brandon Pirri and defenseman Jason Garrison, who are thriving with the AHL Chicago Wolves. Pirri, who has been in the AHL since the 2013-14 season, has taken off since returning from a month-long injury on Nov. 8. He has six points in his last seven games and five goals and five assists in 10 games this year. Garrison, who was put on waivers on Oct. 28 has fared well in the AHL also in his comeback bid. He had not made an appearance in the AHL since the 2009-10 season. He has a goal and two assists in eight games.

Snapshots: Sproul, Giroux, Tryamkin, Benson

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Detroit defenseman Ryan Sproul has been given the green light to return to the lineup and will make his preseason debut on Monday, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan.  Sproul underwent ACL surgery on April 18th, a procedure that typically requires six months to recover from so it appears his recovery process is a little bit ahead of schedule.  Had that not been the case, he was a potential candidate to land on LTIR to start the season.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland confirmed to Khan that the team plans to carry only seven defensemen to start the season so right now it appears that the 24-year-old is on the outside looking in at a roster spot despite playing in 27 games with Detroit in 2016-17.  Sproul will require waivers in order to be assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The Flyers will experiment with placing long-time center Claude Giroux on the left wing on Monday night, notes CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Giroux has spent time at that position earlier in his career but not very often lately.  The idea of switching positions might allow Giroux a bit less wear and tear on his body but would also allow someone like Sean Couturier – who has been more of a shutdown player so far in his career – to take on more of an offensive-oriented role.
  • Defenseman Nikita Tryamkin’s decision to leave the Canucks to go back to the KHL caught some by surprise. The blueliner told Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko (Twitter links) that a lack of playing time was a big factor in his decision to leave.  Tryamkin averaged 16:44 per night last season, the lowest of any regular blueliner in Vancouver.  He added that he could see himself back with the team but he won’t discuss that possibility while still under contract to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg; he’s signed there through the 2019-20 season.
  • Oilers prospect Tyler Benson will likely start the season on injured reserve but is expected to join his junior team (the WHL’s Vancouver Giants) on October 13th, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Benson, Edmonton’s second-round pick (32nd overall) in 2016, has yet to skate with the team in training camp and has not been cleared for any contact drills after undergoing double sports hernia surgery over the summer.

Snapshots: KHL, Surgeries, Bjork

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Several pieces of news out of the KHL today, including the signing of a three-year contract for Nikita Tryamkin with Yekaterinburg. The news that Tryamkin had left the Vancouver Canucks has been out for a while, but now we know how long the team will have to wait until they get a chance to bring him back to the NHL. The Canucks will hold his rights until 2021-22 season since they plan to qualify him this offseason, meaning that perhaps a reunion is possible after this three-year deal expires in 2020.

Viktor Antipin has officially terminated his deal, meaning he’s allowed to sign with the Buffalo Sabres (or anyone else) as soon as he wishes. Antipin’s teammate and former NHLer Alexander Semin will not be offered a new contract by Magnitogorsk, despite scoring 30 points this season. Semin could potentially return to the NHL should someone want to take a chance on the former 40-goal man, though at 33 his most effective years are likely behind him.

  • SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow were involved in a trade, swapping the rights to Nail Yakupov and Nikita Kucherov for those of Marcus Johansson and David Musil. While Kucherov and Johansson are both under contract and thus unable to be wooed by the KHL, both Yakupov and Musil are restricted free agents this summer. They could theoretically leave for greener pastures, as neither have been able to make much of an impact at the NHL level recently (or ever, in Musil’s case).
  • The Minnesota Wild have announced that both Marco Scandella and Christian Folin have undergone surgery to repair hip and shoulder injuries respectively. Both are expected to be ready for training camp, though it obviously sets some of their offseason work back.
  • Joe Haggerty of CSNNE reports that NCAA prospect Anders Bjork has told the Bruins he’ll make a decision on turning pro after the World Championships. Bjork is currently playing with Team USA at the tournament, which starts on May 5th. The 20-year old fifth-round pick blew up at Notre Dame this year, and Boston has made it clear that they want him to turn pro this summer instead of returning for his senior season. If he were to return, he’d be just a few months away from free agency when he graduated with most of the league ready to put his name on a contract.

Pacific Notes: Tryamkin, Parsons, Kase

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The Vancouver Canucks released a statement on the departure of Nikita Tryamkin, who left for the KHL earlier today. The team apparently offered a two-year deal to the young defender, but couldn’t persuade him to stay in North America. The full statement:

We are disappointed that Nikita chose to sign in the KHL, but also recofnize from what he told us in our exit meetings that this was a family decision first. He has a chance to be an impact player in the NHL and we offered him a two-year extension. But for now he is home and we will move ahead with building this team with other young players.

It is indeed disappointing for the Canucks, who had come to appreciate Tryamkin’s physical style on the back end as a possible future shutdown defender. Instead, they’ll have to hope that other defenders like Olli Juolevi, Jordan Subban and Troy Stecher develop like they expect. The Canucks will also likely hold one of the top few picks in this year’s draft, where they could look to acquire another high-end defender.

  • The Calgary Flames may have been eliminated from the playoffs in part due to poor goaltending, but they have better days ahead in that position. The team announced today that Tyler Parsons will join Stockton for their playoff run after his London Knights were eliminated from the OHL postseason. As Darren Hynes of of Canadian Press points out, Parsons, Jon Gillies and David Rittich form a pretty promising young trio for the Flames. The problem is, none of them look ready to take over NHL duties next season.
  • Anaheim has reassigned Ondrej Kase to the San Diego Gulls after eliminating the Calgary Flames last night, though he may return for round two. The Gulls will start their series with back-to-back games Friday and Saturday before five days off before game three. The 21-year old Kase had 12 points in 14 games for the Gulls this season.

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