Metro Notes: Fedotov, Heineman, Bonk
The Philadelphia Flyers sent netminder Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier today, and it was initially believed that the Blue Jackets had acquired Fedotov with the intention of providing additional veteran competition for their two incumbent NHL goalies: Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported today that the club did not, in fact, have that reasoning in mind. Per Portzline, the acquisition of Fedotov “should not be seen as a challenge to Greaves/Merzlikins,” and that Fedotov was acquired to support their AHL squad.
Portzline added the caveat saying “Plans can change, sure” but at this moment in time, the Blue Jackets plan on sending Fedotov to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, when (or if) he clears waivers. At this point, assuming he does not have a brilliant training camp and preseason to upset one of Greaves/Merzlikins and take an NHL spot, it appears unlikely Fedotov would be claimed on waivers. The veteran netminder carries a hefty $3.725MM cap hit and has struggled to the tune of an .874 save percentage across his 29 career NHL games. So, with the dust settled from this morning’s deal, it appears the Blue Jackets have acquired the goalie they’ll pair with 27-year-old Zachary Sawchenko in Cleveland.
In other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- The centerpiece of the New York Islanders’ trade of star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens this summer was undoubtedly the two first-round picks the team acquired. But alongside those picks, the Islanders also added young winger Emil Heineman, who had a sneaky-good rookie campaign in Montreal before an injury suffered via a car accident stifled his momentum. Heineman had 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games before the injury, and he spoke to The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner about his expectations for his first campaign on Long Island. Heineman told Rosner that his experience last year allowed him to learn “how to play in the NHL” and “how to stay in the league,” and added that he’s excited to bring his “200-foot game” to head coach Patrick Roy’s lineup. The 23-year-old is a 2020 second-round pick and will play on a $1.1MM AAV contract that runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
- As Philadelphia Flyers 2023 first-rounder Oliver Bonk is one of the team’s better prospects, recently ranked third in the team’s system by EliteProspects. As he enters his first professional season, the Flyers are setting clear expectations for Bonk related to what he’ll need to do in order to earn an NHL job. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported yesterday that the Flyers’ key focus with Bonk’s development is “maturity,” which Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong defined as “growing up as a person, but also as a player.” Armstrong added that Bonk will likely face “a little bit of an adjustment” related to the pace of the professional game, echoing a comment from former coach John Tortorella, who said at last year’s camp that Bonk has a “bright future” but also “plays too slow.” While it is clear the organization as well as outside evaluators are big believers in Bonk’s game, it would be no surprise to see the 20-year-old start off his pro career with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms rather than in the NHL, to help ease his adjustment to the professional game.
Morning Notes: Roslovic, Bonk, Avalanche
The free agent market for centerman Jack Roslovic is growing richer by the day. In addition to garnering interest from multiple teams across the league, Roslovic has also received multiple offers from teams in Russia’s KHL, per Dylan Griffing of EliteProspects. Those offers will likely ring on deaf ears for a centerman who has spent the last nine seasons in the NHL, but they will ramp up the pressure on NHL clubs to get a deal in place.
Roslovic is certainly worth the late-summer intrigue. He’s filled the role of gritty and responsible bottom-six center through multiple stops in the league. His career began with the Winnipeg Jets, who drafted Roslovic at 25th-overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Jets provided a chance for Roslovic to plant his feet in the NHL, but he didn’t find a true breakout until a 2021 move to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored 34 points in 48 games of the shortened 2021 season with Columbus – or, an 82-game pace of 58 points – then followed it up with 45 points and 44 points in two full seasons. He’s since toured through stops with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, and continues to offer a mix of gritty physical and near-40 points each season. That standing will make him a desirable asset for all leagues, though a stay in the NHL seems all-but-guaranteed.
Other notes from around the league:
- Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk shared that his sights are set high for his first professional season in a motivated interview with Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. He shared that his goal will, of course, be to make the Flyers lineup out of training camp – but that he’s putting equal attention towards making sure he keeps his eyes set on the ultimate goal, no matter the outcome of camp. Bonk is coming off an incredibly successful junior hockey career, capped off with a Memorial Cup win with the OHL’s London Knights. He scored 54 points in 69 games this season, and 73 points in 78 games in the 2023-24 campaign. It will be an uphill battle to jump straight to the NHL, but Bonk will have the upper hand as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender with speed and puck-moving ability.
- The Colorado Avalanche could be searching for depth forwards for the extent of another season. A recent breakdown of their roster by Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reveals a shortage of talent at the center position – a group that the Avalanche have long struggled to stock fully. The Avalanche will have the benefit of getting a full year out of 25-year-old center Jack Drury, who split last season between Colorado and Carolina. But in the mixed year, Drury’s 18 points in 72 games still looks meager. A lack of depth could offer Drury – or a player currently on the outside, like Ivan Ivan – a chance to show his might before the Avalanche have time to bring in another new face. Colorado currently sits with a little more than $2MM in available cap space, per Puckpedia.
NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup
The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.
The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.
If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)
D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)
NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
London Knights (OHL champion)
C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)
Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)
RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)
Saginaw Spirit (host)
C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Oliver Bonk
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Oliver Bonk to a three-year, entry-level contract, according to a team release. Philadelphia didn’t disclose the financial terms for the deal, which locks in their latter of two first-round picks from the 2023 NHL Draft.
The son of longtime Ottawa Senators center Radek Bonk is likely destined for a return to the OHL’s London Knights next season, which would slide the beginning of his ELC to 2024-25. Given his age, the Flyers can execute this move twice, keeping him on his ELC all the way through the 2027-28 campaign – something Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic believes is the likeliest scenario.
Bonk had a slow start to his draft year but slowly rose up draft boards as he regained confidence, leading to the point production you’d like to see in juniors for someone who projects as a shutdown defender. The 18-year-old right-shot defender finished the OHL regular season with ten goals, 30 assists, 40 points, and a +17 rating in 67 games while playing a second-pairing role behind Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux, who was reinstated by the league in 2021-22 from an indefinite suspension after he was charged with and convicted of taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent while playing in Sweden.
After earning second all-rookie team honors in the OHL and all-rookie team honors in the CHL last season, Bonk projects to take over the number-one defenseman role in London next season. He is ineligible for assignment to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms until the 2025-26 season, per the NHL/CHL transfer agreement. If Bonk doesn’t crack the Flyers roster by then, he must be returned to juniors. He will be a restricted free agent upon the expiration of his contract, which could be anywhere between 2026 and 2028 depending on when the Flyers bring him to the NHL.