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Victor Soderstrom

International Notes: Larionov, Hållander, Söderström

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The KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod will seek a new head coach for the 2025-26 season. Earlier this morning, the organization announced they had mutually terminated their agreement with NHL Hall of Famer Igor Larionov as the team’s head coach.

Larionov had a positive run in his first role as a head coach in the KHL. Hired before the 2022-23 season, he’ll end his tenure behind the bench with a 107-75-22 record in 204 contests, making it as far as the Western Conference semifinals in his first year at the helm.

His exploits in the NHL are well-known. Larionov and former teammate, Viacheslav Fetisov, were outspoken critics of the Soviet Union’s policies regarding the defection of athletes in the 1980s, and wouldn’t be allowed to play in the NHL until the 1989-90 season despite being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1985 NHL Draft.

After 921 games and 644 points, “the Professor” finished his NHL career at 43 years old after the 2003-04 season. He was an integral part of the famous “Russian Five” line deployed by the Detroit Red Wings and helped Detroit win three Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, and 2002.

Other international notes:

  • Former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Filip Hållander, could return to the team for the 2025-26 season. After an impressive season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23, Hållander returned to his native Sweden to join the SHL’s Timrå IK. The organization recently announced that Hållander has departed the team after scoring 26 goals and 53 points in 51 contests, finishing second in the league in scoring.
  • In an unconfirmed report from Jennifer Engstrom of Expressen, there is a growing belief that defenseman Victor Söderström will join the Chicago Blackhawks next year. Söderström has reportedly been in dialogue with the Blackhawks since the SHL playoffs started, having been acquired from the Utah Hockey Club in a salary dump trade involving Shea Weber’s contract at the recent trade deadline. Söderström would be a massive addition to Chicago’s blue line, as he recently won the Salming Trophy as the SHL’s top defenseman, scoring nine goals and 37 points in 49 games for Brynäs IF.

Blackhawks Notes: Donato, Soderstrom, Sorensen

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On Friday, the Blackhawks rekindled discussions about a possible contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Donato and while an agreement wasn’t reached, Chicago elected to hold onto him anyway.  Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the deal that the team put on the table was a three-year offer worth somewhere around $4MM per season.  That would effectively double his current price tag while the term is low enough that he’d be off the books when some of their younger core will be heading toward pricey second contracts.  The 28-year-old has a career-best 23 goals and 25 assists through 62 games this season despite not even averaging 16 minutes a night.  He’ll now have to weigh if he can do better than that on the open market or if he’s better off staying in a place he knows he fits with.

More from Chicago:

  • Also from Powers’ piece, he notes that the Blackhawks will look at signing defenseman Victor Soderstrom for next season. Acquired as part of the trade that saw Chicago pick up Shea Weber’s contract earlier this week, the 24-year-old returned to play in Sweden this season and has fared quite well, tallying 36 points in 48 games with Brynas.  Soderstrom has 53 career NHL games under his belt with Phoenix (who drafted him 11th overall in 2019) and 170 outings in the AHL.  But if Chicago views him as more of a depth option on a two-way deal, Soderstrom could elect to stay and play a prominent role at home.
  • During his post-deadline press conference (video link), GM Kyle Davidson noted that with the deadline now gone, they will turn their focus to a decision on their head coach. Anders Sorensen is the interim bench boss following the early-season dismissal of Luke Richardson but the team doesn’t have an inclination of what route they intend to go with Sorensen just yet.  The team has played to a 12-19-7 record, good for a .408 points percentage compared to the .346 they were at before the change.

Utah Trades Shea Weber’s Contract To Blackhawks

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The Utah Hockey Club is trading the contract of retired defenseman Shea Weber to the Blackhawks, per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports. Chicago has also acquired the signing rights to defenseman Victor Söderström and right-wing prospect Aku Räty for taking on the final year-plus of Weber’s deal. Houston later reported that Utah is sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to Chicago.

From Utah’s perspective, the deal is simply salary cap management for next season. Weber has effectively been retired since skating in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. It’s the third time his contract has been traded since becoming dead weight in 2021-22. Although his $7.857MM salary wasn’t a hurdle for Utah this year, it would have been next year as the team looks to make significant additions to the roster.

On the other side of the trade, the Blackhawks essentially purchased a pair of younger players from Utah. Söderström is the most notable of the two, being the former 11th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Still, he has yet to pan out at the NHL level.

Söderström debuted in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2020-21 campaign. Since then, he’s scored one goal and 11 points in 53 contests, averaging 16:10 of ice time per game. Chicago is likely interested in Söderström’s past performance in the AHL and his current production in the SHL with Brynäs IF. The Skutskär, Sweden native has recorded nine goals and 36 points in 47 SHL contests this year, tying for third in scoring on the team.

It’ll be a solid acquisition for the Blackhawks should Söderström replicate that performance with Chicago. However, it’s important to note that although the Blackhawks now own Söderström’s contractual rights, he’s under no commitment to return to the NHL.

Meanwhile, Räty is another prospect who has yet to break out meaningfully. He scored 15 goals and 44 points in 55 games for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season but has followed it up disappointingly with four goals and 19 points in 50 games this year. Räty will now have a fresh start in AHL Rockford with the IceHogs, where he can help the team compete for a berth in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Victor Soderstrom Signs Two-Year Deal In SHL

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Sunday: TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the deal is finalized and Soderstrom will join Brynäs on a two-year agreement. It will mark the first time since the 2019-20 season that Soderstrom has suited up for the Swedish squad. The Utah Hockey Club will retain his signing rights as a restricted free agent should he choose to return to North America after the end of the contract.

Saturday: Should the deal get finalized, it will be a two-year agreement for Soderstrom in Brynäs, Abrahamsson and Rose report.  There is no word if the deal contains an NHL out clause should Utah move Soderstrom’s NHL rights.

Thursday: One of the remaining restricted free agents around the NHL is Utah defenseman Victor Soderstrom.  He has made it known that he wasn’t a fan of how things went last season when he only got into three games with the Coyotes after playing in 30 in 2022-23.

While the plan seemed to be for him to remain in North America for the upcoming season, that may not be the case anymore.  Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Rose report that Utah is not inclined to part with the 2019 first-round pick.  Meanwhile, while Soderstrom’s preference would be to sign an NHL deal, it appears as if he’s unwilling to do so with Utah at this time, resulting in him looking into overseas options.

Abrahamsson and Rose note that quite a few Swiss League teams and SHL squads have shown interest in the 23-year-old with his old team in Brynäs believed to be finalizing a deal with him.  In doing so, Soderstrom will be leaving some money on the table compared to other offers out there but it would allow him to return to the program he spent several years in before being drafted by Arizona.

Last season, Soderstrom played in 62 games with AHL Tucson, notching nine goals and 23 assists, both career-bests at that level but it didn’t seem to help his fortunes for a recall.  Now, with Utah overhauling its back end with the additions of Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole, securing a roster spot to start the season will be even more difficult.

It’s worth noting that Soderstrom is now waiver-eligible so had he signed an NHL deal, he’d have had to go through waivers to return to the minors, giving other teams an opportunity to add him.  Instead, it appears as if he’ll return home at least for the upcoming season.  Utah will retain his rights as a restricted free agent and the stalemate between the two sides will continue for the foreseeable future.

West Notes: Boeser, Soderstrom, Edstrom

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The 2023-24 season was a breakout showing for Canucks winger Brock Boeser.  He reached the 40-goal mark for the first time while his 73 points were also a personal best.  Despite that, a contract extension doesn’t appear to be on the horizon as Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that there have yet to be any discussions about a new deal.  The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his existing contract which makes him extension-eligible.  He’s bound to be eyeing a raise from his current $6.65MM AAV with some potential comparables starting with a seven.  For now, it appears that Vancouver’s management wants to see if Boeser can have a repeat showing in 2024-25 before committing to what will be another long-term, big-money agreement.

More from out West:

  • In an interview with Mattias Ek of Hockey News SE, Utah RFA defenseman Victor Soderstrom expressed some frustration with how he was continually passed over for recalls with Arizona last season despite a solid performance that saw him put up 32 points in 62 games with AHL Tucson. The 23-year-old played in just three games for the Coyotes in 2023-24, giving him 53 career appearances at the top level.  Soderstrom didn’t rule out the possibility of signing overseas but acknowledged that a return to Brynas (where he spent most of his time before coming to North America) was unlikely for the 2024-25 campaign.
  • New Predators prospect David Edstrom spent last season on loan to SHL Frolunda after signing his entry-level deal with Vegas. However, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case this time around.  In an interview with 102.5 The Game (audio link), Nashville GM Barry Trotz indicated that he envisions his new center playing big minutes with AHL Milwaukee.  Since Edstrom wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he is AHL-eligible despite being just 19.  He played in 44 games in Sweden last season, picking up 19 points and should be counted on to produce a bit more than that in his first taste of action in North America.

Utah RFA Victor Söderström Changes Representation, May Sign In Europe

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Utah RFA defenseman Victor Söderström is switching representation as he tries to land a contract for next season. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports he’s dropped his agent, which PuckPedia shows was Darren Ferris at Quartexx Management. Morgan also reports that Söderström, whom the Coyotes drafted with the 11th overall pick in 2019, may opt to play in a top-level European pro league this season rather than re-sign with Utah.

Last week, Morgan reported that Utah was also examining trade options for Söderström’s signing rights. Like his other Coyotes teammates last season, Söderström’s contract was bought as part of the deal that saw the Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group officially acquire all of the Coyotes’ hockey operations assets last month.

It’s the second time Söderström has changed representation. The Swedish blueliner was originally represented by JP Barry at CAA when he signed his entry-level contract five years ago but switched to Ferris at Quartexx early last year.

Söderström, 23, failed to land a full-time NHL role with the Yotes despite having ample opportunity over the past few years. Arizona had one of the league’s thinner blue lines in its final years of existence, but Söderström actually saw his NHL time dwindle last season. He played a career-high 30 games in 2022-23, all coming in the back half of the campaign, leading most to believe he’d at least work his way up to steadier bottom-pairing duties in 2023-24. However, he was demoted to AHL Tucson to begin the season and was recalled just twice throughout the year, logging three appearances with a -1 rating while going without a point.

The 6’0″, 190-lb defender has been a stable offensive presence in Tucson since coming to North America. He had a career-high 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 62 games with the Roadrunners last year, but it wasn’t a big breakout. His 0.52 points per game average was in line with what he’s put up since arriving in 2021.

Once projected to be a defensively sound, cerebral talent, Söderström’s unexpected one-dimensionality has largely been what’s kept him from landing more NHL minutes. He’s posted a career -47 rating in 170 games with Tucson, and while that differential has improved every season since joining the Roadrunners, it only culminated in a career-high -8 last season. It was still the worst rating among Tucson defenders and second-worst on the team behind right-winger Austin Poganski’s -11.

But if he believes he’s ready for regular NHL action and will get buried by Utah next season, it makes sense why he’d look for more minutes in Europe or prefer a trade elsewhere (although an official trade request hasn’t been reported). After general manager Bill Armstrong traded for John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev and picked up Ian Cole in free agency, Söderström likely won’t have a spot in Utah’s opening night lineup. He’d have to leapfrog one of Michael Kesselring or Juuso Välimäki during training camp, which is an unlikely scenario.

Because they issued him a qualifying offer last month, Utah would retain Söderström’s NHL rights if he opted to head overseas. They’ll control his rights until his 27th birthday, which isn’t until February 2028. He could likely find a home with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League, whose system he played in from 2015 to 2020.

Utah Exploring Extension Or Trade With Victor Söderström

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The Utah Hockey Club is reportedly exploring the possibility of either an extension or a trade of defenseman Victor Söderström, shares Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). Söderström is Utah’s only remaining restricted free agent after the team extended both Barrett Hayton and Egor Sokolov last week.

Söderström’s contract is a bit harder to work out. The 2019 11th-overall pick failed to earn a consistent NHL role on his entry-level deal. He’s instead muddled between the NHL and AHL lineups, with his playing time becoming somewhat of a spectacle for Coyotes fans. Söderström has spent plenty of time with the NHL roster since his debut in 2021, though routine healthy scratches have limited him to just 53 games since. He’s done little with the chances, netting just one goal – scored in his third career game – and 10 assists at the NHL level. He similarly struggled to score in the AHL early in his career, with just 50 points through his three seasons and 108 games in the minor leagues. Söderström started to buck that trend this year, though, playing through his first full season spent in one spot since 2019-20. He posted nine goals and 32 points in 62 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners this season – career-highs in every category.

It was a promising year for the 23-year-old defender, even if his stat line didn’t jump off the page. Still, fans got a strong glimpse of what Söderström offers at a top level. He showed a strong ability to champion transition up the ice, with heads-up passing and strong positioning, helped along by an improving ability to close down opponents as they enter the attacking zone. While not high-scoring, Söderström showed he could bring those positives on a nightly basis, underlined by added confidence in stepping into space in the offensive end.

Söderström showed glimpses of a former blue-chip prospect this season, though he still seems far off from vindicating his top-15 draft selection. There are reasons to hold onto hope, though, as he showed distinct improvement under a consistent role. Matching that at the NHL level could pay dividends – and Utah has an open spot on their second pairing that Söderström could push for. But he’ll face distinct competition from Michael Kesselring, Juuso Valimaki, and top prospect Maveric Lamoureux for the role – having already lost a fight for minutes with the former two last season.

That competition is enough to have Utah gauging that Söderström may garner on the open market. It’s hard to think many teams would be quick to pay up for a former top prospect yet to vindicate his draft capital – nor is Utah likely too eager to make a move that won’t favor them with a signing still a possibility. This has all of the makings of trade winds bound to drag on for a while, but with an attractive offer, a new team could land the talents of a former top pick with plenty of room to grow next season.

Central Notes: Hayton, Soderstrom, Kumpulainen, Stars

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After an aggressive start to the offseason the Utah Hockey Club still has some work to do regarding a pair of restricted free agents. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports Utah is closing in on a deal with forward Barrett Hayton and there has been no progress towards a new contract for defenseman Victor Soderstrom.

Hayton looked to be moving into the second-line center position for the 2023-24 NHL season after posting strong numbers in 2022-23. The former fifth-overall pick scored 19 goals and 43 points for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes in 82 games while achieving a 51.1% success rate in the faceoff dot. Unfortunately, the 2023-24 season was not as kind to Hayton as he wasn’t able to get much consistency while dealing with injuries. In a major step backward in his development, Hayton posted three goals and 10 points in 33 games even while starting his shifts in the offensive zone 56.6% of the time.

Soderstrom spent most of the year with the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In 62 games at the AHL level, Soderstrom scored nine goals and 32 points which tied him in fourth on the team in scoring and first amongst defensemen. The former 11th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft may be serviceable as an extra defenseman on a revamped Utah blue line for the 2024-25 NHL season but could become a trade candidate towards the end of the offseason. Soderstrom has proven to be a quality offensive defenseman in the minor leagues and may be looking for a legitimate opportunity at the NHL level which has not come yet.

Other Central notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild have loaned prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen to the Lahden Pelicans of the Finnish Liiga where he is also signing a two-year contract according to the team. Minnesota drafted Kumpulainen with the 53rd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft out of the Pelicans’ farm system where he had spent all of his professional career. The young Finnish prospect spent last year with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League where he scored 28 goals and 56 points in 58 games and will now return to his hometown team to continue his development.
  • In a ’first-of-its-kind’ move from the Dallas Stars organization; the team announced it had severed its ties with Diamond Sports Group for broadcasting the team’s games on television and will enter a seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC). In conjunction with the new broadcasting agreement, APMC and the Stars organization have set up a new streaming service named VICTORY+ which will allow in-market fans of the team to stream the games for free. In regards to the new methods of distributing game content, President of the Dallas Stars and CEO Brad Alberts said, “After years of researching the right solution and careful planning with our partners at APMC, we’re proud to announce this pioneering streaming platform that will literally change the game for sports distribution on VICTORY+“.

Transaction Notes: Dzingel, Regenda, Shea, Soderstrom

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The AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights, have signed veteran forward Ryan Dzingel to a professional tryout agreement, according to a team announcement. Playing within the Carolina Hurricanes organization last season for the Chicago Wolves, Dzingel has not yet suited up in a game during the 2023-24 season.

Last year with the Wolves, Dzingel played in a total of 22 games, scoring two goals and 11 points overall. Once a premier scorer in the NCAA with Ohio State University, Dzingel has seen his offensive capabilities tail off by quite a bit over the last several seasons.

Although it seems like it was longer ago, it has only been five years since Dzingel put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Now, the Silver Knights will be hoping that Dzingel can recoup some of his goal-scoring talents, as they currently sit bottom-five in the American Hockey League in goals scored.

Other transactions:

  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Pavol Regenda from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. It will be the second call-up for Regenda this season, with the first one coming less than a week ago before the trade deadline. In his only game with the Ducks on the year, Regenda played over 12 minutes of that game but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard.
  • After Jonathan Gruden cleared waivers this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to recall another player to fill out their roster. With that in mind, the team has recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Suiting up in 22 games for Pittsburgh this season, Shea has received bottom-pairing minutes while producing a -2 rating overall.
  • Recalling him from their AHL affiliate on March 8th, defenseman Victor Soderstrom’s time with the Arizona Coyotes has come to an end for the time being. The team announced they have sent Soderstrom down to the Tucson Roadrunners after playing two games for the Coyotes on this recent stretch. On the year, Soderstrom has mostly played for the Roadrunners, scoring eight goals and 25 points over 50 games.

Arizona Coyotes Recall Victor Soderstrom

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The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the minor leagues. This move comes in response to a lower-body injury to Troy Stecher that’s expected to hold the defender out for four-to-six weeks.

Soderstrom has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring with 21 points in 38 games – a mark that also ranks fourth on the team as a whole. He also scored 21 AHL points through 44 games last season, adding nine points in 30 NHL games. His stint with the Coyotes last season brought his career total up to 50 NHL games and 11 career points. He is one of 11 players from the 2019 NHL Draft’s First Round to play in 50 or fewer career NHL games, though Soderstrom and Los Angeles Kings prospect Alex Turcotte are the only in the top 15 in that category.

Soderstrom’s recall brings much-needed depth to a Coyotes lineup currently facing injuries to six different lineup players. This includes Stecher and Matt Dumba, with the latter dealing with an undisclosed ailment and an undisclosed timeline. The Coyotes have had to turn to Michael Kesselring and Josh Brown to fill-out the blueline. Kesselring is playing out his rookie NHL season, boasting 11 points in 28 games, while Brown has quietly become a long-running veteran of the top league, with four points in 25 games this year bringing his career totals to 28 points in 264 games.

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