Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Vladislav Kamenev

Minor Transactions: 10/12/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Opening Night of the 2021-22 NHL campaign has finally arrived and all eyes are on the season-opening matchups between the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins and the league’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, and the Vegas Golden Knights. Yet, it has also been a very busy day for “minor” transactions, both the advent of regular NHL recalls and reassignments as well as several notable signings and trades. Keep up with all of these moves right here:

  • AHL trades are not common, but there is already one in the books for this season. The Belleville Senators have announced that they have acquired forward Jake Lucchini from the Laval Rocket for future considerations. Lucchini, 26, spent the past season and a half with Laval, but without much to show for it. The former Michigan Tech standout and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has yet to make his mark on the pros, but will get another shot with Belleville this season.
  • A KHL trade today also contained some recognizable names. SKA St. Petersburg has acquired former NHL forward Valentin Zykov from Sibir Novosibirsk. The return is another former NHL forward, Vladislav Kamenev, and San Jose Sharks prospect Yegor Spirodonov. Zykov had been playing in Sweden to begin this year, but now that his KHL rights have transferred he has agreed to a one-year deal with SKA. Zykov skated in 15 games with the Vegas Golden Knights just last year, recording four points. Kamenev spent all of last season in St. Petersburg after notching eight points in 38 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019-20. Spirodonov, a 2019 selection, has yet to be given much of a chance in the KHL and could be bound for North America next season if he doesn’t earn a greater role with Novosibirsk.
  • Ben Hutton’s late-preseason PTO with the Anaheim Ducks didn’t result in an NHL contract – at least not yet – but the veteran defenseman is remaining with the organization. Hutton has signed an AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the team announced. Hutton began last season with the Ducks and that familiarity with the organization combined with the team’s potential seller status could lead to a promotion to an NHL deal at some point this year.
  • After initial rosters were finalized yesterday with a vast number of AHL assignments, at least one team is already switching things up. The Dallas Stars have recalled forwards Joel Kiviranta and Jacob Peterson from AHL Texas and sent fellow forwards Oskar Back and Ty Dellandrea and goaltender Jake Oettinger back in a corresponding move. If Peterson plays in Dallas’ opener on Thursday, it will mark his NHL debut.

Vladislav Kamenev Signs In KHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Even while the Colorado Avalanche scratch and claw for their playoff lives, one of their young players has decided to leave the organization. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Vladislav Kamenev has signed a two-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.

Kamenev is not currently in the bubble with the Avalanche after failing to be placed on the expanded roster. Dater reports that a positive COVID-19 test was partly responsible for that decision.

Part of the huge Matt Duchene trade in 2017 that also brought Samuel Girard and Shane Bowers to Colorado, Kamenev has been cursed ever since arriving. He broke his wrist after just eight shifts in his first game as an Avalanche and has dealt with other injuries in the years since. Overall, the 24-year old has played just 66 games in the NHL, recording 13 points.

Selected 42nd overall by the Nashville Predators in 2014, Kamenev has shown an ability to be a two-way force down the middle at the minor league level. Now a pending restricted free agent, he’ll take his talents back to Russia to try and get his career back on track. The Avalanche will be able to retain his rights with a qualifying offer.

Colorado’s Vladislav Kamenev Reportedly Heading To KHL Denied

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

1:45 p.m.: Dater followed up his story by reporting that the Avalanche and Kamenev’s agent, Mark Gandler, say the report is not true.

12:34 p.m.: When the Colorado Avalanche completed their big three-team blockbuster trade in which they traded center Matt Duchene for a host of picks and defenseman Samuel Girard, the team also picked up prospect Vladislav Kamenev from Nashville. The then-21-year-old looked to be close to NHL ready and a be a potential depth piece for the organization. However, after two challenging seasons in the Avalanche organization, Kamenev looks to be heading elsewhere.

Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater writes that the 24-year-old is expected to sign overseas this offseason with SKA St. Peterburg. Kamenev is a restricted free agent after signing a one-year bridge deal last offseason for $750K.

Kamenev came over with a chance to step right into Colorado’s lineup in 2017 and in his very first game with his new team, he broke his wrist after taking a big hit from Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik. He only played three NHL games that season. He struggled with a shoulder injury the next season, only appearing in 23 games in 2018-19. Kamenev played in 38 games this season, but averaged just 8:59 of ATOI throughout the season for a goal and eight points. Perhaps more importantly, he also didn’t make the playoff roster out of training camp.

The move seems to make some sense in several areas as the young forward wasn’t getting the playing time in the NHL and he was recently acquired in a KHL trade by SKA for Nikolai Prokhorkin. Kamenev would likely get significant time in Russia and with the delay in the start of the 2020-21 season in the NHL, it makes more sense to move overseas and develop his game there.

NHL Prospects Dealt In KHL Blockbuster

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It has been a busy day for Traktor Chelyabinsk and Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The two teams each made trades with SKA St. Petersburg earlier in the day that at time seemed like independent deals. Magnitogorsk swapped the rights of NHL forwards with SKA, sending Vladislav Kamenev away in exchange for Nikolai Prokhorkin, who is already negotiating with the team. Chelyabinks also sent NHL rights to St. Petersburg, trading away Yakov Trenin, but in return received 22-year-old defenseman Vladislav Semin.

As if that wasn’t enough (potential) star power changing hands, it turns out that those deals were part of an even bigger plan. Semin is on the move again, traded to Metallurg for prospects Pavel Dorofeyev, Dmitri Sheshin, Semyon Buivan, and Gleb Babinstsev. For all intents and purposes, this completed a three-team, eight-player trade.

Of the prospects dealt today, Dorofeyev is certainly the centerpiece. A third-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights last year, Dorofeyev was considered a steal by many as numerous draft boards ranked him as high as the first round. A skilled, versatile forward, some questioned Dorofeyev’s commitment and compete level, which may have send him tumbling down the board. However, he responded this season with 48 games and seven points in the KHL, a tough league for teenagers, and strong numbers on the international stage, including three goals and an assist in seven games at the World Juniors. Dorofeyev seems like the real deal and might be in for a major boost next season as he is expected to take on a key role for a poor Traktor team. How much longer he will remain in the KHL before jumping to the NHL after a potential breakout performance is the real question.

Like Dorofeyev, Sheshin also fell down the draft board in 2019. Except Shehin fell all the way out. A player who many considered to be a lock as a late-round pick, ranked in the fifth round even by some, Sheshin instead went undrafted. Size may have come into play for the 5’8” forward, but his talent exceeds the issues with his stature. He proved that again this season, posting 71 points in 61 games in the junior-level MHL, finishing in the top-five in scoring. Sheshin will re-enter the draft this fall and may have an even better case to be drafted this season, especially with the KHL on the horizon next year for a needy Chelyabinsk club.

Buivan may also be worth noting. The 18-year-old defenseman is preparing for his first go-round in the NHL Draft in 2020. While he has received nowhere near the buzz that Dorofeyev or even Sheshin got last year, Buivan has appeared on some draft boards as having an outside chance of being selected. The move to Traktor could boost his draft stock; Buivan was highly unlikely to see any KHL action next year with Metallurg but Chelyabinsk is a team in need. Buivan recorded 12 points and a +15 rating in the MHL this year and won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with Russia.

Nikolai Prokhorkin In Talks With KHL Metallurg

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Nikolai Prokhorkin’s long-awaited debut in North America didn’t bring the results he or the Kings were hoping for.  As a result, it appears that he may be heading back home.  After SKA St. Petersburg announced that they’ve moved Prokhorkin’s KHL rights to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor notes (Twitter link) that the winger is in talks on a two-year deal with his new KHL squad.

The 26-year-old played in 43 games with Los Angeles this season but was mired in a bottom-six role for most of the year.  As a result, he wound up with just four goals and ten assists on the season while averaging 12:06 per night.  That’s a significant dip offensively after being a point per game player with St. Petersburg the year before.  He also picked up a pair of assists in four games with AHL Ontario, their minor league affiliate.

Prokhorkin is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason but will not have salary arbitration eligibility.  A deal in Russia would take him past the NHL UFA age of 27 which means that the Kings would no longer hold his rights when that contract expires.

Today’s activity from SKA is notable as they picked up the rights to Avalanche winger Vladislav Kamenev and Predators center Yakov Trenin as part of that swap.  Both players will likely be part of their teams’ expanded rosters for the postseason which could delay any talks about luring them back overseas but this will be something to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Vladislav Kamenev

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have come to terms with another one of their restricted free agents, signing Vladislav Kamenev to a one-year contract. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports the deal is worth $750K. Kamenev was not arbitration eligible and played just 23 NHL games last season. He will still be an RFA at the conclusion of the contract.

Kamenev, 22, was one of the more unheralded parts of the original Matt Duchene trade in 2017, coming over from the Nashville Predators alongside Samuel Girard. He may have had a bigger impact if he hadn’t broken his arm in his first game for the team and dealt with several other injuries since. In fact, the young forward has played just 35 games at any level in almost two full seasons in the Avalanche organization, unable to make an impact in the AHL or NHL.

That will all hopefully change this year as the 2014 second round pick is healthy and ready to compete for a spot in training camp. That spot may be difficult to grab however, given the improved depth the Avalanche have added this summer. The team brought in Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky to lengthen out their forward group, which may mean Kamenev finds himself on the outside looking in. Unfortunate for Colorado, the young forward is no longer waiver exempt and would be at risk of claim if they tried to send him down.

When still in the Nashville organization, there was plenty of hype that Kamenev could establish himself as a solid third-line center in the NHL one day. He had good success in the minor leagues and was a polished defensive option. That path has been derailed at this point and he’ll need to find some consistent playing time in order to get back on that development trajectory. Where that playing time comes is unclear at this point.

Vladislav Kamenev To Undergo Surgery, May Be Out For The Season

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Avalanche forward Vladislav Kamenev has suffered a shoulder injury that requires surgery, reports A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver (Twitter link).  He’s listed as out indefinitely but Haefele adds that the procedure could keep him out for the rest of the season.  The team announced (via Twitter) that winger A.J. Greer has been recalled to take Kamenev’s place on the roster.

The 22-year-old hasn’t had much good luck when it comes to injuries as of late.  Last season, he sustained a broken arm in his Colorado debut last season that cost him the better part of four months.  He then had a leg issue at the start of training camp that delayed the start of his campaign and resulted in him going to the AHL for a brief rehab stint.

This season, Kamenev has played in 23 games predominantly on Colorado’s fourth line, collecting two goals along with three assists while averaging 9:02 per night.  He’s slated to become a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this summer with a qualifying offer of just over $874K.

Even though he has missed most of his time since being acquired due to injuries, it’s likely that the Avs will tender him an offer this summer given how they valued him in the Matt Duchene trade last season.  However, if they feel he will need some more AHL time next season after missing this much time again, he would first have to clear waivers to make it back to the minors.

One Year Later: Matt Duchene Will Dictate The Senators’ Future

at CDT | by 7 Comments

A year ago today, the Ottawa Senators made a three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Since then, names like Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Evander Kane, and Tomas Tatar (twice) have all been traded. Yet, it’s that November 5th deal that is still the most memorable recent trade for many, due to both the immediate impact and the lasting results.

In that trade, Ottawa – at a contract impasse with center Kyle Turris – dealt he, first-round prospect forward Shane Bowers, goaltender Andrew Hammond, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick to Colorado. The Avs then flipped Turris to Nashville for defenseman Samuel Girard, forward Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick. It was quite a haul for Colorado and they have yet to even use either of Ottawa’s picks, including a likely lottery pick in the first round next year. The Predators meanwhile signed Turris to a six-year extension and he has 53 points in 79 games since joining the team. The return for all of this for the Senators? Matt Duchene, who a year later is in limbo with an expiring contract and a team that is far from the contender he was promised.

As TSN’s Ian Mendes notes, Senators GM Pierre Dorion was coming off a 2016-17 season that saw his team make a run to the Eastern Conference final. When he acquired Duchene, he thought it could be the final piece of the puzzle to get them back and through that third round of the playoffs. Instead, Ottawa sunk to the second-worst record in the NHL. It’s too late to reverse that trade or the events of last season. The team could have simply traded Turris for picks and prospects at the deadline, as Mendes points out, and certainly could have found a deal for a top-six forward this off-season that was far less expensive. Their first-round pick in 2019 could be first overall, franchise center Jack Hughes, and there’s nothing they could do. Boston University standout Bowers could blossom into a top-line forward, but there’s no recourse for that. The only element of the trade left in the control of Dorion and the Senators is the future of Duchene and with it potentially the future of the team.

Ottawa is faced with two choices this season: pay Duchene or trade him. The 2009 third overall pick carries a $6MM cap hit on his current contract. If he were to hit the open market, he would certainly be due a raise. Duchene’s alleged reason for wanting out of Colorado last season was ironically that he didn’t want to play through a rebuild. If that is still his mindset, it would take a substantial sum from the Senators to keep him around. Owner Eugene Melnyk has been unwilling to pay his better player their fair value, leading to the Karlsson trade and likely more moves to come. Will he make an exception for Duchene? If not, the Senators need to move Duchene and sooner rather than later. The trade deadline will be the final opportunity to trade the star center, who will have a long list of suitors, but his value drops each day leading up to that point. Dorion will likely never get back a package commensurate with what he gave up for Duchene, but his best chance to get close is to trade him as soon as possible to the highest bidder.

Either option serves to benefit the Senators. Duchene may not be a superstar, but he is a talented, well-rounded player who is capable of leading Ottawa out of the basement if provided with at least a little support. On the other side, the team cannot escape the reality of their own rebuild and could greatly use the trade capital that they would gain from a Duchene trade. The worst case scenario – and a veritable death knell for the franchise – would be to make neither decision, opting not to trade Duchene and waiting and hoping for an extension agreement only to watch him walk away in free agency. One year later, this notorious trade is still so prevalent around the NHL. The Senators should celebrate the anniversary by making another major move with Duchene – a new contract or another trade – as soon as humanly possible.

Central Notes: Dano, Kamenev, Blackhawks, Bouwmeester

at CDT | by 5 Comments

It’s been six days since winger Marko Dano was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche and the 23-year-old forward finally got an opportunity to practice with the team Sunday, but no one is quite sure when he may make his Avalanche debut, but it could come as early as Monday, according to NHL.com’s Callie Parmele.

Dano already has some familiarity with the team, especially with head coach Jared Bednar and assistant coach Nolan Pratt, who both were on the Springfield Falcons coaching staff during the 2013-14 season when Dano made his North American debut in the AHL for the team’s final 10 games. Bednar was promoted to head coach the following year where he had even more time with Dano.

“We had a good run in Springfield, and it’s always good when you know the coach,” Dano said of his relationship with Bednar. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and I am excited to work with him and I appreciate the chance they have given to me.”

  • Still with the Avalanche, the team likes what it sees in Vladislav Kamenev, who received the most ice time of his career on Thursday when he skated 12:36 against the New Jersey Devils. Although he hasn’t turned that extra time into offense (he has no points in five games this season), he is building trust in his head coach. “We feel like from watching him work in practice in that area, we can give him those minutes,” Bednar said Friday. “We trust him with those minutes. He’s done a nice job in the games so far. I think he’s getting better and better as he feels more comfortable and feels like he belongs, which is normal. I just want him to keep pushing himself and try and be a difference maker every night.”
  • While Chicago Blackhawks Stan Bowman hardly can admit victory in his offseason trade a year ago when he traded Artemi Panarin to Columbus for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg, he knew that the Panarin’s contract situation would be a problem for the Blackhawks too had they chosen to hold onto him, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required), who analyzes who won last year’s trade. Saad has struggled in his return to Chicago and is struggling on the bottom-six, while Forsberg hasn’t fared any better in net for the team, but Bowman knew there were going to be problems with Panarin, who has shown little to no interest in signing an extension in Columbus and has put the team in a tough position as he plays out the final year of his contract while they are trying to compete for a playoff spot. “They’re in a tough spot now,” Bowman told The Athletic on Saturday night. “What do you do with him? I saw that coming as a challenge.”
  • Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that considering how well the St. Louis Blues defense played on Saturday, he doubts whether the team will put defenseman Jay Bouwmeester back on the ice for Monday’s game against Winnipeg. The veteran was scratched for the first time in his career Saturday as his play hasn’t been up to his usual standards. The Blues put forth one of the best games of the season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1.

Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.

Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.

Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:

  1. C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
  2. D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
  3. RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
  4. RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
  5. C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
  6. RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
  7. C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
  8. C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
  9. C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
  10. D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
  11. RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
  12. RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
  13. C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
  14. LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
  15. LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
  16. RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
  17. C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
  18. LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
  19. C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
  20. RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins

What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top