Central Notes: Blackhawks, Fabbri, Nichushkin, Greenway, Johnson
With a significant amount of cap space remaining to them, the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in an unusual position. The team has been very quiet this offseason, not including the trade that sent Marian Hossa to Arizona or signing Cam Ward to be the backup goaltender. However, with almost $5.5MM in cap space available to them, the Blackhawks have a number of options in front of them, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required).
The scribe writes that one option is to spend some of that money on current free agents, but aside from Rick Nash, there are few options there. With Brandon Davidson agreeing to a PTO, the team could look to add a couple more of those to bolster their roster as they do have a number of youngsters expected to make the team. If one should struggle, the team could lean on those free agents. The team could also make a deal for a player a team is looking to unload before the season starts.
Powers also adds one of the better possibilities would be to wait for the trade deadline and acquire a player then. The only issue there is that there is no guarantee that Chicago will be heading back to the playoffs. Another down season could send them back to the lottery, which means they wouldn’t want to spend that money on deadline acquisitions. Of course, the final option would be to do nothing, but regardless, the team is better off with cap room than in past years. It’s now just how they intend to spend it.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) profiles the recovery of St. Louis Blues’ winger Robby Fabbri, who missed the entire 2017-18 season after enduring a setback in his recovery during training camp last season from ACL surgery that he had after suffering a knee injury on Feb. 4, 2016. Now after two surgeries and a full year to recover, Powers shows what the 22-year-old has gone through and how he is finally ready to compete for a top-six role for the Blues this year.
- The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) studies the film of Valeri Nichushkin, who had a impressive rookie season back in the 2013-14 season, then missed most of the following season. After just an average showing the next year, Nichuskin left the NHL for the KHL, but now is returning after a pair of average seasons there. Now back, Shapiro suggests that his more developed 6-foot-4 frame should be a major factor in front of the net, but that a 30-point season would be a realistic expectation for the 23-year-old as he isn’t considered to be a great finisher in front of the net.
- The Minnesota Wild may have been quiet all offseason, but the team may make multiple lineup changes this season. One person who is likely to benefit will be Jordan Greenway. The 21-year-old signed with the Wild after a three-year stint with Boston University and is expected to jump right into the lineup, according to the StarTribune’s Sarah MacLellan. “I think he’s ready,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “ … It’s his job to lose.” Greenway appeared in 11 games for Minnesota last year, posting an assist in six regular season games, and a goal and an assist in five playoff games.
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that considering the strength of the team’s defense, new backup goaltender Chad Johnson should thrive in the Blues system and be able to put up solid numbers. Johnson, who struggled immensely in Buffalo last year, posting a .891 save percentage in 36 games, is likely to have a bounce back season. In fact, Thomas writes that Johnson’s career numbers are actually quite a bit better than former backup Carter Hutton, who is now in Buffalo.
Snapshots: Dallas Trades, Milano, Armia
The Dallas Stars have been deep in talks with the Ottawa Senators for the right to trade for Erik Karlsson this offseason, although negotiations seems to have died down after Ottawa supposedly insisted on Dallas including top defensive prospect Miro Heiskanen in the deal. However, Dallas, who has been rather quiet this offseason looks to be still working the phones on adding talent through the trade market, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski.
The scribe writes that general manager Jim Nill said in an interview that he is still talking to teams about potential trades.
“I can’t name things, but there is still lots out there,” Nill said. “We’re talking to teams. There is still a lot of movement happening within the business. I can’t say there is anything happening overnight, but there is a lot of dialogue still.”
Nill has said that he likes the team, which has added former first-rounder Valeri Nichushkin, Heiskanen, Blake Comeau and backup goaltender Anton Khudobin. However, with many big names still available in trades, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dallas was looking to make one more big move.
- The Hockey Writers’ Mark Scheig writes that if the Columbus Blue Jackets must part with Artemi Panarin, the team will likely have to look in their own organization for a potential replacement player who can take that next step on offense for them — namely Sonny Milano. While a year ago, the fans were ready to move on from the prospect after two long years in Cleveland with the AHL, Milano is the team’s best left wing offensive talent who could step in and replace Panarin. However, the scribe writes that the problem is that his defense has been holding him back, but if Milano shows that he can improve on that aspect of his game, he might thrive in a top-six role. The 22-year-old averaged just 11:39 ATOI per game last year and still managed to score 14 goals. If he could find better minutes, he might be the breakout player many thought he would be years ago.
- With a new team and new opportunities in front of him, NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski interviews Joel Armia, who was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens a month ago from the Winnipeg Jets. The 25-year-old Armia said while his goal is to always improve on the season before, he is concentrating his training on improving his speed. “I’ve been working a lot more on my skating and speed,” Armia said. “I think that’s going to help me more and more on the ice. The game is getting faster every year, so skating and speed have been the main focus. I’m training with a couple of guys in Pori who play pro in Finland. I’ve also been working in Helsinki with Teuvo Teravainen and Esa Lindell, and a couple of young guys who’ve been drafted. In Helsinki, they have some good skating coaches. That’s where I go every other week to work. I’ll spend about three days there at a time. I also get my off-ice workout programs there and train in Pori.”
Dallas Stars Leading Chase For Erik Karlsson
After the Ottawa Senators offered superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson a contract that was not well-received, the team gave interested competitors the permission to speak to him about contract terms. NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen reported that the Senators’ offer was for eight years at $10MM per season, an amazing amount of money to a layperson but truthfully an insult to Karlsson in light of recent contracts signed by Drew Doughty and John Tavares. As such, Tappen and others have added that other teams are now in hot pursuit and serious trade talks are underway.
As of this evening, the leader in those talks are the Dallas Stars. The Athletic’s Chris Stevenson has heard from a source in the NHL that the Stars have emerged as a front runner for Karlsson and that Dallas and Ottawa are deep in talks about a trade that would include the Norris Trophy winner but not overpaid forward Bobby Ryan, a major hindrance in many teams’ acquisition plans. Stevenson is based in Ottawa and is allegedly close to the Senators and his The Athletic colleague in Dallas, Sean Shapiro, says that he has also heard that the Stars are legitimately interested and that a hypothetical deal is a real possibility.
Immediately, the question is what the potential return for the Senators could be that would both pry Karlsson out of Ottawa but also keep Ryan there. Shapiro believes that any deal for Karlsson would have to include young defenseman Julius Honka, while Ottawa may actually prefer a more established name like Esa Lindell. It would also make sense for the Sens to target the Stars top blue line prospect, 2017 third overall pick Miro Heiskanen. Others who could be part of the package include young two-way centers Radek Faksa or Devin Shore, recently re-acquired winger Valeri Nichushkin, and project forward Riley Tufte. While only time will tell if a trade is completed and what the pieces will be, this is the first time that any specific team has been confirmed to be in real trade talks for Karlsson and it now seems like only a matter of time before the all-word defender is traded, to Dallas or elsewhere.
Valeri Nichushkin Signs Two-Year Contract With Dallas Stars
The wait is over for Dallas Stars fans, as Valeri Nichushkin is back in the NHL. The Russian forward has officially signed his two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $2.95MM. Nichushkin is returning after two years in the KHL, and will add another dimension to the Stars offensive group.
The 23-year-old and former 10th overall pick back in 2013 started out his NHL career well as he scored 14 goals and tallied 34 points in his rookie campaign immediately after being drafted. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound forward is referred to as a freight train, but a hip injury derailed his second year and he was never able to recover and saw his playing time decrease the year after that. The moment he hit restricted free agency, Nichushkin took his game back to the KHL, where he posted 11 goals and followed that up with a strong 16-goal performance this past year for CSKA Moscow, which was good enough for third on his team in goals scored.
Now back in the fold in Dallas, Nichushkin hopes he can continue along the career path that he started at. He will be given every opportunity to take a second or third-line spot on the wing this season with the Stars.
Klas Dahlbeck Signs In KHL
June 1st: The contract is now official, as CSKA announced the signing this afternoon. It is a one-year deal for Dahlbeck, opening the door to an NHL return in the near future if his season goes well in Moscow. For their part, CSKA seems excited for the potential that the veteran defender brings in their efforts to strengthen the blue line next year.
May 22nd: According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, Carolina GM Don Waddell has confirmed Dahlbeck’s departure to the KHL.
April 27th: It was a forgettable 2017-18 season for Klas Dahlbeck. The 26-year-old defenseman re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes expecting an expanded role, only to lose his job to rookie Haydn Fleury. Dahlbeck proceeded to suit up for just 33 games, spending much of his time watching from the press box. In what little action he saw, Dahlbeck recorded just five points and had the worst possession numbers of any Hurricanes defenseman. It was a disappointing campaign for the 2011 third-round pick and former AHL standout who at one time carried much promise.
Now it seems Dahlbeck is looking to move on the next stage of his hockey career. According to the Sports Business Gazette out of Russia, Dahlbeck is preparing to sign in the KHL this season (link in Russian). Dahlbeck won’t be joining just any team, but one of the league’s most elite organizations, CSKA Moscow. CSKA is fresh off the second-best regular season record in the KHL and an appearance in the Gagarin Cup final. They’ve been collecting displaced NHLers in recent years, including the likes of Valeri Nichushkin, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and Alexey Marchenko, and the Swedish-born blue liner Dahlbeck appears to be next in line.
While the contract has yet to be signed and neither CSKA nor Carolina have confirmed the move, this is a deal that seems logical and likely to happen. Dahlbeck has shown capable two-way play in the past and will likely step in and be a solid presence on the CSKA back end. Meanwhile, it’s no loss for the Hurricanes, who have one of the most talented young defensive corps in the league, with six bona fide starters under 27, and could still add to that group with top prospect Jake Bean next season.
Valeri Nichushkin Expected To Sign With Dallas Stars
Recently, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) reported that Valeri Nichushkin and his agent were confident that a deal would be worked out with the Dallas Stars to allow the 23-year old forward to return to the NHL. After leaving for the KHL two seasons ago, Dallas has maintained that they would like Nichushkin to return one day when he’s ready to help the Stars win. Now the team, well known for their dramatic Twitter reveals, has tweeted out “Choo Choo” along with a picture of Nichushkin in a Dallas uniform and a quote from GM Jim Nill:
I think in the end, Val’s going to come back as a Dallas Star here this year.
If Nichushkin does return to the NHL he’ll have to sign a new contract after leaving as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2016. By extending a qualifying offer the Stars retained his exclusive rights, and would be able to sign him to any deal the two sides felt comfortable with (within the confines of the CBA, that is).
Selected 10th overall in 2013, Nichushkin got off to a brilliant start in Dallas by scoring 14 goals and 34 points in his rookie season. The big forward is a freight train on skates, and proved to be a difficult player to handle even at such a young age. Unfortunately, a hip injury robbed him of most of the next season and after a disappointing 2015-16 under Lindy Ruff—a head coach that reportedly clashed with the young Russian winger—he was off to the KHL. His return to the NHL maybe wouldn’t be as impactful as Ilya Kovalchuk‘s impending signing, but would certainly give the Stars another impressive young talent to build around.
Finishing third on CSKA Moscow in goals this season, Nichushkin was held out of the Olympics as one of the banned Russian players. He had to watch as his countrymen took home the gold medal, before injuring his shoulder in the KHL playoffs and missing out on the IIHF World Championship as well.
Snapshots: Johnson, Nichushkin, Schmidt, Yakupov
Lightning center Tyler Johnson’s full no-trade clause kicks in at the beginning of free agency this summer, notes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay does not have a lot of payroll flexibility heading into next season and has a possible long-term extension for winger Nikita Kucherov on the horizon so they may want to free up some funds at some point this offseason. If that’s the case, they may look to do something sooner than later and with Johnson locked up through 2023-24 at a $5MM AAV, he’s someone that they will have to consider moving by the end of next month. There should be no shortage of suitors considering he’s coming off a strong year with 50 points and plays a premium position that’s in high demand.
Elsewhere around the league:
- After spending the past two years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, the Stars could have winger Valeri Nichushkin back for 2018-19. Mark Gandler, Nichushkin’s agent, told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) that there is mutual interest in getting a deal done and that he expects his client to be suiting up in Dallas in October. The 23-year-old put up 16 goals and 11 assists while averaging 16:28 of ice time per night and would likely slot in as a middle-six forward with the Stars.
- The Capitals explored trying to reacquire defenseman Nate Schmidt from the Golden Knights following the Expansion Draft, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter links). However, Vegas GM George McPhee placed a high price tag for them to do so and they were certainly right to do so; the 26-year-old led the team in ice time while collecting a career-high 36 points.
- In advance of his next trip through free agency, Avalanche winger Nail Yakupov has parted ways with agent Igor Larionov, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express (Twitter link). While the 24-year-old came to Colorado as an unrestricted free agent, the team can still control his rights with a qualifying offer just shy of $920K next month although he will have arbitration eligibility. Yakupov suited up in 58 games with the Avs this past season, recording nine goals and seven assists.
Dallas Notes: Seguin, Nichushkin, Heiskanen, Spezza, Lehtonen
With the Dallas Stars season coming to an end today, the Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) spoke with Dallas general manager Jim Nill in a Q&A about the team’s disappointing season which resulted in a second-straight season in the lottery (three out of five, if anyone is asking), despite the team’s offseason efforts to compete for a Stanley Cup immediately.
Nill says while the team is still trying to figure out what went wrong, the team’s top priority is to focus on re-signing center Tyler Seguin, who is coming off a career-high 40 goals this season. He has one year remaining at just $5.75MM and can sign an extension on July 1. The question no one is certain of is what does Seguin want? Regardless, the team intends to stick with Seguin whether or not he signs an extension on July 1st.
“I know some people are worried, but he’s got a year left and I anticipate he’s going to come in and play well and get going,” Nill said. “I hope to have him signed before that year starts, but if it doesn’t we’ll go through that process. There are some things that are an advantage, we can offer eight years compared to seven, so there are a lot of factors that come into play.”
- In the same mailbag, Nill said that he believes that 2013 first-rounder Valeri Nichushkin will be back in Dallas next season. The former 10th-overall pick played three seasons in Dallas, but struggled at times and opted to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL for the past two years. With two more years of experience, the 23-year-old could make big contributions to the team next year if they can bring him back, according to Nill.
- Nill also said, in Shapiro’s column, that he believes that 2017 first-round pick Miro Heiskanen looks ready to contribute to the team and is likely to come over next year. “I watched him closely in the Olympics, we’ve had scouts over there watching him,” Nill said. “He’s right there. He’s ready to come over. There will be a little transition time, living in a different country and stuff, but he’s very close.” The fourth-overall pick could change the state of their defense quickly if he’s as good as advertised. The 18-year-old has put up improved numbers in his second year playing in Finland’s top league, as he 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games this year.
- Mike Heika of SportsDay writes due to the contracts they have acquired over the past year, the team is all in on trying to win a Stanley Cup soon and will be forced to reload as opposed to rebuild their team. The scribe believes that the Stars should look to trade veteran forward Jason Spezza, who will have one more year at $7.5MM and retain half his salary. Spezza struggled this year under head coach Ken Hitchcock, scoring just eight goals this year, his lowest number since his rookie season. Heika believes that with another coach on another team, Spezza could still be a productive second or third-line center and at $3.75MM, there could be a lot of takers.
- Heika, in the same column, writes that Stars’ fans have likely seen the last of backup goaltender Kari Lehtonen. The scribe believes that with starter Ben Bishop always dealing with minor injury issues, the team needs a backup who is capable of controlling a game. Lehtonen, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has not been that guy. He put up decent numbers this year with a 2.58 GAA and a .911 save percentage, but Heika believes the team needs a young goalie with more potential.
Andreas Athanasiou Heading To Switzerland
Detroit Red Wings restricted free agent forward Andreas Athanasiou remains unsigned… for now. The latest news on the league’s last remaining RFA comes from TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who shares that Athanasiou is on his way to Switzerland to skate with HC Lugano of the NLA. McKenzie was quick to add that Athanasiou has not signed Lugano and is still evaluating his options, but his commitment to going overseas for the time being raises more doubts that he will suit up in the NHL this season.
A recent poll revealed that most fans felt Athanasiou and former holdout Josh Anderson would each re-sign with their respective teams. The second most popular answer was that the pair would both play overseas. Anderson has done his part to prove true the majority, re-upping with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Athanasiou has not made any similar progress with Detroit and seems more likely to join in the dissenting opinion. Interestingly, it was Anderson who had been connected to the NLA this off-season, with Athanasiou reportedly fielding offers from the KHL. Athanasiou may still end up in Russia, but with an influx of talent heading to the NLA in recent years and the the past success of Lugano, who has not missed the playoffs in six years, the team is far from a poor fit. Athanasiou would be skating alongside former Red Wing Damien Brunner, as well as NHL veterans Maxim Lapierre and Bobby Sanguinetti should he sign with Lugano and the talented group could very well make a title run in 2017-18.
Still, the best thing for Athanasiou and for hockey is for the skilled 23-year-old to stay in North America. In just his second NHL season, the young center scored 18 goals and defied expectations for a Detroit team with few bright spots. The Red Wings may not want to overpay – in salary or term – for Athanasiou, who did have an unsustainable 15% shooting percentage in 2016-17 and is only in the early stages of developing a defensive game, but the best decision is always to work things out. Just ask the Dallas Stars, who missed the playoffs last season and had to go on a spending spree this summer in hopes of righting the ship. They would love to have Valeri Nichushkin back, the talented young winger who left the team in the summer of 2016 to head to the KHL, where he remains, after failing to come to terms in restricted free agency. Maybe the Red Wings would rather trade Athanasiou or maybe they’ll realize their mistake and work out a contract. Either way, there seems to be little upside to simply losing the scoring youth for this season (or longer). Athanasiou skating with Lugano may just be the straw that finally breaks Ken Holland‘s back.
Valeri Nichushkin Will Return To NHL In 2018-19
Though it’s been expected for some time, due to the year remaining on his contract in the KHL, the Dallas Stars have announced that Valeri Nichushkin will not return to the NHL until the 2018-19 season. Instead, he’ll play his final year for CSKA Moscow and hope for even better results.
Nichushkin, 22, signed in the KHL last fall after a falling out with then head coach Lindy Ruff but immediately hinted that he hoped to return to the Stars one day. Now, with Ruff gone and Ken Hitchcock in place the team hopes to bring him back in and nurture the immense talent he brings to the table. Selected 10th-overall in 2013, Nichushkin brings size, speed and a nose for the net but hasn’t been able to put it all together just yet. In 34 games with CSKA last season, the 6’3″ winger 24 points. Showing flashes of brilliance at times, he needs to bring more consistency to his game if he’s to fit into the rigid Hitchcock system and fulfill his potential in the NHL.
A return to the league this year would have required a buyout of his contract, but instead he’ll take the opportunity to suit up with one of the best teams in the Russian league. It will be interesting to see how he’s deployed, but North American onlookers would certainly hope he and Kirill Kaprizov could be put together to form an immensely talented duo. The pair would bring incredible youth and skill to the team, and fans in Dallas and Minnesota would be sure to get some interesting highlights to watch.