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Stephane Da Costa

Snapshots: Tavares, Bodie, Da Costa

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With John Tavares now resting at home following his scary injury last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs must continue without their captain for the time being. The team confirmed that he suffered a concussion and everyone that watched last night’s frightening episode is just hoping Tavares can get back to full health. The 30-year-old has felt the support from the hockey community. He released a statement this afternoon through Twitter:

The support I’ve felt since last night cannot be put into words. I’m thankful to share that I’m back home and recovering. Thank you to my family, friends, teammates, the Maple Leafs organization, Leafs Nation and the hockey community for being by my side. 

Also, thank you to both medical teams, emergency services and everyone at St. Mike’s Hospital for their exceptional care to help me get back on my feet.

I look forward to when I can wear the Maple Leaf on my chest again. Until then, I’ll be cheering on the boys along with Leafs Nation as we compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The Maple Leafs will bring Pierre Engvall and Alex Galchenyuk into the lineup for game two tomorrow night, scratching newcomer Riley Nash after just one game with the team. Tavares’ absence will be felt throughout the entire lineup, with trade deadline acquisition Nick Foligno taking his spot in the middle of the second line.

  • Troy Bodie, who served as the Maple Leafs’ director of pro scouting, has moved on to the Seattle Kraken organization, taking a position as director of hockey and business operations for their AHL affiliate in Palm Springs. Bodie is married to the daughter of Tim Leiweke, former Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO, and current CEO of the Oak View Group, which is involved in the ownership and management of the Kraken properties.
  • Stephane Da Costa, who last played in the NHL during the 2013-14 season, has once again re-signed in the KHL. The 31-year-old inked a new two-year deal with Yekaterinburg after his outstanding 57-point season for Ak Bars Kazan in 2020-21. Da Costa has been a star in the KHL for several seasons, making the league All-Star Game on three different occasions.

Alexey Marchenko, Others Re-Sign In KHL

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Just a few months ago it appeared as though Alexey Marchenko was considering a return to the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens were suggested as a landing spot, given his familiarity with top prospect Alexander Romanov, who is expected to make the leap to the NHL next season.

Marchenko won’t be coming to Montreal or anywhere else in North America however, as he has signed a new two-year contract with Lokomotiv in the KHL.

The 28-year old defenseman played in 121 NHL contests, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, before returning to the KHL in 2017. Though he never found much success in North America, he has been a key contributor in Russia, taking home an All-Star nod and Gagarin Cup championship in 2019 with CSKA Moscow. He also won Olympic gold with Russia in 2018.

Marchenko isn’t the only familiar name hitting the transaction page in the KHL today. Stephane Da Costa and Alexander Burmistrov have new one-year deals with Ak Bars, Andrei Kostitsyn has a new one-year deal with Neftekhimik and, interestingly, Victor Antipin saw his deal with Mettalurg terminated.

Antipin played in 47 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2017-18 before returning to Russia. It is not clear where his next step lies.

Free Agent Notes: Gionta, Athanasiou, Da Costa

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Winger Brian Gionta is the second highest scoring player from last season that remains an unrestricted free agent as training camps get underway.  However, his agent Brian Bartlett told Leo Roth of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that the fact he remains unsigned is Gionta’s choice and that it may stay that way for a little while longer:

“It’s not for lack of opportunities, teams want to sign him, but he has to decide if it fits into his family situation.  I think we’ll play it out awhile, see if anything changes in Buffalo, and then decide to go elsewhere or not. But it’s not like I don’t have opportunities for him to play, I do.’’

The 38-year-old played in all 82 games last season and collected 35 points (15-20-35) which marked the fourth straight year that he has surpassed the 30 point plateau.  As is the case with any remaining free agent at this time, staying unsigned to potentially play in the Olympics in February is also a possibility.

Other notes from free agency:

  • Talks continue between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou with agent Darren Ferris telling Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that they “are having productive discussions”. However, Ferris was quick to note that those discussions don’t mean that they are getting close to putting pen to paper on a new contract.  It’s believed that Athanasiou has a one-year KHL offer on the table worth around $3MM while Detroit has come in well below that AAV in their offers.  James added on Twitter that GM Ken Holland flew to Toronto today to continue negotiations in person.
  • Center Stephane Da Costa was expected to garner NHL interest over the offseason after a strong showing at the World Championships. However, he has been dealing with a health concern since August that will keep him off the ice for several months according to a report from L’Équipe in France which explains why he isn’t currently at an NHL training camp.  As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign back in the KHL when he’s able to return and then make a run at an NHL roster spot next summer.

Stephane Da Costa Plans On NHL Return

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How much would you pay for a KHL star returning to the NHL in his prime to try and make an impact on a winner? No, not Ilya Kovalchuk but Stephane Da Costa who according to Darren Dreger of TSN “100% intends on playing in the NHL next season.” Da Costa has played the last three seasons in the KHL, but now has interest from multiple teams around the league.

Now 27, Da Costa left the NHL after spending another year toiling in the AHL for Ottawa and made an immediate impact in the Russian league. Scoring 62 points in 46 games as a KHL rookie, Da Costa had found a place to ply his trade and has rebuilt his value. The undersized forward is equipped with a lethal shot, but always showed a lack of straight-line speed and the ability to keep up strength-wise with the rest of the league. Whether that’s changed now will be a key factor in whether he can come back to any success.

Any deal he comes back to will likely be short, as he hasn’t done enough to deserve any real security. He’s still young enough to take a “prove-me” deal and earn a long-term offer next summer, but he’ll have to show that he can be a consistent offensive producer, something he never did in his short NHL career. In 47 career games, he scored just 11 points.

Stephane Da Costa Receiving NHL Interest

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After making another strong impact on the international stage, Stephane Da Costa is on the radar of several NHL clubs according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Da Costa has nine points for the French team at the current World Championships, and is tied for the tournament lead in goals with six.

Playing the last three seasons in the KHL, Da Costa has been effective when healthy. His 62 point effort in 2014-15 rivaled Alexander Radulov among CSKA Moscow players, but he’s been held to just 24 games in each of the last two seasons. The former Ottawa Senators forward scored 11 points in 47 career NHL games before bolting for the Russian league.

Da Costa went undrafted out of the USHL but then excelled for Merrimack College scoring 90 points in 77 games. Turning pro after his sophomore season, he could never find consistent minutes in the Senators NHL lineup and instead spent much of the following few years in the AHL. Now still just 27, Da Costa could return should an NHL team offer a full-time role. Dreger cautions though that there is plenty of interest from around the KHL, accelerating any timeline for NHL GMs to step up and offer him a deal.

While he likely wouldn’t make the same impact in the NHL that he does in Russia, Da Costa could represent a secondary scoring option for a team that is a bit lacking on offense. He’ll have to really want to come back to the NHL—which Dreger says he does—because he’ll likely command more money to remain in the KHL.

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