Joonas Donskoi Hopes To Remain With Sharks
- Joonas Donskoi’s preference this summer is to re-sign with San Jose over departing in free agency, notes NBC Sports Bay Area’s Chelena Goldman. He had a career year with the Sharks, recording 37 points (14-23-37) in 80 regular season games despite averaging only 13:25 of playing time per night. With that ability to provide secondary scoring, he should garner a fair bit of interest on the open market if he makes it there and with San Jose needing to deal with several more prominent free agents first, it’s unlikely that a new deal for Donskoi will be done for a while.
AHL Notes: Popugaev, Jevpalovs, Weinger
As NHL teams prepare their rosters for the pending free agent frenzy, AHL teams are doing the same. The clubs are trying to retain as much talent as possible to set themselves up for a strong 2019-20 campaign without necessarily having to rely on their parent club. With that in mind, here are some minor transactions that have taken place today:
- The Binghamton Devils signed Nikita Popugaev to a one-year AHL deal, meaning he won’t be heading back to the KHL just yet. Popugaev came over from Russia this season and played 17 games for the Devils, recording five points and finishing a -9. The Russian winger stands 6’6″ and was an interesting prospect coming out of the CHL in 2017 when the Devils decided to use the 98th overall pick on him. His stint in the KHL went poorly from a production standpoint, but he’ll hopefully take the next step in his development for the Devils next season.
- The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Nikita Jevpalovs on a one-year AHL contract. Jevpalovs went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite his 100-point campaign in 2014-15, and first signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately he was not issued a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season and decided to go overseas to the KHL. Following a disappointing season there, Jevpalovs joined the Rocket last season and recorded 25 points in 69 games.
- The San Jose Barracuda have signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the 22-year old forward back for another season. As a rookie in 2018-19, Weinger posted 22 points in 60 regular season games and was one of the team’s best players in a first round playoff loss. Born in Los Angeles, Weinger will get a chance to keep playing close to home next season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Jeffrey Viel
The San Jose Sharks have decided that Jeffrey Viel has done enough to deserve an NHL deal, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. Viel had been playing on an AHL deal for 2018-19. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the young forward:
Jeff parlayed his first professional contract into a very successful season with the Barracuda and earned this NHL contract thanks to a mixture of hard-nosed play along with the ability to play a skilled, team-first game. He has a long track record of proven leadership qualities, having captained his team to the 2018 Memorial Cup and we are excited to watch his continued development with our organization.
Viel, 22, went undrafted through his junior career but ended up captaining the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the Memorial Cup in 2018 after being named QMJHL playoff MVP. The physical winger was as equally effective scoring a goal as laying a hit, and seemed like a perfect fit for professional hockey. He signed with the San Jose Barracuda in 2018 and finished with 22 points and 94 penalty minutes in 68 games this season.
The Sharks will hope that Viel is a typical late-bloomer, that can develop into a legitimate bottom-six player for them at the NHL level. His first taste of professional hockey went well enough to earn an NHL contract, and now he’ll try to build on that moving forward. San Jose his always proactive in finding talent outside of the draft, and Viel is just the latest lottery ticket worth taking a chance on. He’ll be waiver-exempt to start next season, meaning he can rejoin the Barracuda right away—provided he doesn’t wow head coach Peter DeBoer in training camp.
San Jose Sharks Hire Bob Boughner
Bob Boughner wasn’t out of a job long. The former Florida Panthers head coach has landed on his feet in San Jose, where the Sharks today announced his hiring as an assistant coach. Boughner was hired out of San Jose in the first place to take the job in Florida, meaning this should be a seamless transition back onto Peter DeBoer‘s staff. His replacement at that time was Rob Zettler, who will now not be returning to the Sharks’ staff in 2019-20.
A former NHL defenseman that played in 630 regular season games, Boughner was a hugely successful coach with the Windsor Spitfires after retirement, leading the team to consecutive championships before taking his first NHL coaching position in Columbus for the 2010-11 season. Those Windsor teams were powerhouses led by Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis, Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique and others, but Boughner was credited for building a program that those talented youngsters could thrive in. When he eventually left Windsor a second time for San Jose, he was tasked with getting the most out of Brent Burns, something that may have helped him get the job in Florida given their young developing core.
Though it didn’t work out for Boughner with the Panthers, he’ll return to and organization that he is extremely familiar with to continue his coaching career. It will be interesting to see how the assignments are divided though, as the Sharks shuffled the coaching responsibilities in December and put Steve Spott—who seems to be remaining in San Jose—in charge of the defense.
San Jose Sharks Sign Lean Bergmann
The San Jose Sharks were apparently impressed enough with Lean Bergmann‘s play at the IIHF World Championship to offer him a contract. The team announced today that Bergmann has signed a three-year entry-level contract. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his new prospect:
Lean has consistently evolved and improved his speed and offensive capabilities, to go along with his power-forward style play, during his time in Swedish juniors, the USHL, and most recently the DEL in Germany, where he was the youngest player to score 20 or more goals this season. We like his compete level and work ethic and the physical nature of his game should translate well to how we like to play. We’re excited to add him to our organization.
Bergmann, 20, was never drafted, but ended up playing on the German national team at the recent tournament because of how well he debuted in the DEL. As Wilson notes, his 20 goals were quite the feat for such a young player and actually tied him for tenth in the entire league in scoring. While he didn’t record a point in his five games at the Worlds, he’s obviously a worthwhile prospect to add for the small risk of an entry-level contract.
Interestingly, just a few months ago Adler Mannheim announced they had signed Bergmann to a two-year deal starting in 2019-20. It’s unclear if that means that the Sharks will allow him to continue to develop in Germany next season, or if he will be joining one of their minor league affiliates instead. The 6’2″ winger has played in North America before, recording 53 points in 130 games during parts of three seasons in the USHL.
Playoff Notes: Marchand, Dunn, Thomas, Chara
Boston Bruins fans got a scare Sunday when star forward Brad Marchand was missing from practice as Karson Kuhlman took his place in practice, according to NHL.com’s Matt Kalman, making many wonder if Marchand would be made available for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which start on Monday.
“He had a maintenance day today, so that’s all, he’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said about Marchand.
There was some concern that Marchand, who leads the Bruins with 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists) in 17 games, injured his left hand in Thursday’s scrimmage when he bumped into Connor Clifton and returned to the bench at one point, favoring his left hand. However, he continued playing in the scrimmage.
“I’ve been trying to get out of practice every day this week,” Marchand joked. “It’s just been dragging out here, so we’re excited for it to start tomorrow and it should be fun.”
Kalman also writes that David Krejci, who has been out with a fever the last couple of days, practiced today and is expected to be ready for Monday’s game as well.
- St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, who has missed three straight games after taking a puck to the head during Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks, has traveled with the team to Boston and skated with the team Sunday, wearing a plastic face guard around his entire face, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is still considered doubtful for Game 1 as he practiced with the extra defensemen. Head coach Craig Berube said there is a chance that Dunn returns at some point in the playoffs. “That was the best he’s looked, which is a good sign. He’s pretty close,” Berube said.
- Thomas also posts that St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas (undisclosed injury) did not skate among the regulars during practice on Sunday. He came out later in practice and worked on his own. However, Berube said that Thomas was “a go” for Monday and is expected to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Robby Fabbri filled in for Thomas on the third line.
- In an in-depth piece on Boston Bruins 42-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara, the Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper writes that Chara expressed an interest to play until he’s 45, a claim very similar to the ones made by fellow New England athlete Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. “Obviously, I’m signed for next year. I’m planning to play. I want to compete and still play. I’ll be 43. I’m not, obviously, that far away. I’m taking it one year at a time,” Chara said. “I think you have to respect that things could change. It could go from my end, ‘Hey, I just don’t feel like it.’ Or it could be, ‘Hey, I still love it. I still have so much passion for it. I want to keep going.’ But I want to play until I can still be contributing to the game and still be effective. At the same time, you’ve got to realize that when there is a time there is a time. At this point, I’m still hungry. I still love the game. I have so much passion for it.”
Western Notes: Tippett, Josi, Beaulieu, Simek
The Edmonton Oilers and new general manager Ken Holland haven’t announced a new coach and while rumors have suggested that the team has settled on Dave Tippett as the team’s new head coach, nothing has been announced.
Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reiterates that Tippett to Edmonton is a “done deal,” but the timing of the announcement has been the issue. The deal still has to get onto paper and with both the NHL Draft Combine and the Stanley Cup Finals, there is little time to get the announcement out there that the team has a new head coach. Regardless, the scribe writes that Tippett’s appointment will come in the next few days.
- For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators top priority will be to sign one of their star defensemen to a extension. The team locked up Ryan Ellis to an eight-year, $50MM deal last summer and must do something similar with Roman Josi, who is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Josi, however, has made it clear he wants to stay in Nashville. However, the Predators will have to pay up as The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that they will likely have to give him the biggest contract in team history, which could overtake Ryan Johansen‘s $8MM AAV.
- The Winnipeg Jets have a number of big contracts and potential trades to deal with this offseason, but there are also smaller issues along their roster as well. The team needs to keep their defensive depth, one of the strengths of their roster in recent years, yet they only have five defensemen under contract. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that the Jets have indicated that they would like to bring back restricted free agent Nathan Beaulieu, who the team acquired at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick, as insurance in case they lose Jacob Trouba to a trade. However, in order to offer Beaulieu a qualifying offer, they would have to add 10 percent to his $2.4MM he made last year, which the team is unlikely to do for a bottom-pairing defenseman. The more logical approach, which Winnipeg did last year with Joseph Morrow, would be to not qualify him and then try to sign him for less as an unrestricted free agent.
- The San Jose Sharks got some good news as The Athletic’s David Lombardi (subscription required) writes that defenseman Radim Simek, who has been out since March 12th after having his leg crushed in a collision with Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp and having surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus, has already returned to the ice and is skating again. “The guys who are taking care of me say that my rehab is going really fast, that it’s really unusual to only be two months removed from surgery but back on the ice, skating however I want,” Simek said. Simek, who signed out of the Czech Republic in 2017, played one year in the AHL and made the NHL roster this season, playing in 41 games and making a significant difference before getting injured and hopes to be back for next season.
Sharks Haven't Decided If Assistant Coaches Will Return Next Season
- While Peter DeBoer will return behind the bench for the Sharks in 2019-20, a decision has yet to be made regarding their assistants, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Instead, GM Doug Wilson will do a thorough review process before making any decisions on the future of those coaches.
Gustav Nyquist Was Seeking A Deal Close To $5MM Before Trade To San Jose
Sharks winger Gustav Nyquist was believed to be seeking an extension worth roughly $5MM per year prior to his trade just before the deadline, reports Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. That’s pretty much on par with the AAV on his existing deal which checked in at $4.75MM. After a bit of a down season in 2017-18, the 29-year-old responded with a career year offensively with 60 points between San Jose and Detroit. Given that he’ll be one of the better wingers available on the open market, there’s a good chance that he’ll eclipse that reported asking price, one that likely factored in a bit of a discount if he was going to remain with the Red Wings.
Poll: Where Will Erik Karlsson Play In 2019-20?
The San Jose Sharks’ season has come to an end, and with it all eyes now turn to their stable of unrestricted free agents. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton have both indicated that they would like to return to the team if possible, while Gustav Nyquist could also be retained if he made a strong enough impact on GM Doug Wilson. But the name everyone is talking about is Erik Karlsson, who is poised to be one of the very top free agents in the class if he decides to take his talents to the open market on July 1. Today, Karlsson tweeted a thank you to the San Jose organization and city, which immediately threw hockey fans all over the world into a frenzy speculating on what it means.
As fans try to decipher what Karlsson meant, Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a more level-headed approach to his speculation and examines how the Tampa Bay Lightning could potentially fit the superstar into their locker room. Most notably, Karlsson is good friends with Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman and has expressed an interest in playing with his old junior teammate in the past. That of course would require plenty of salary cap surgery from the Lightning, who have their own financial issues coming with the pending contract for RFA Brayden Point.
So if not San Jose or Tampa Bay, where? The New York Rangers have been suggested, given their ample cap space and Karlsson’s relationship with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers are starting to turn the corner on their rebuild and are about to add another top talent with the second-overall pick. A player like Karlsson could perhaps turn them into playoff contenders as early as 2019-20 if they chose to pursue him.
It’s not like his next contract won’t come with risk however. Karlsson has battled several lower-body injuries over the last few seasons and was forced out of the playoffs recently, which some believe will have an impact on his earning potential this summer. He’ll turn 29 in a week’s time, and has a lot of miles on his body already from a career that has seen him log more than 23 minutes a night in all but his rookie season. He played just 53 games for the Sharks during the regular season, though he still recorded 45 points in that time and was a possession monster.
So where will Karlsson end up? Will the Sharks decide he’s too good to let walk into free agency and offer him the Drew Doughty-like long-term contract he was looking for last summer? Or does he take his talents to the east coast and play with one of his national team friends? Does another team—perhaps the Vegas Golden Knights, who have pursued him heavily in the past—knock on his door when the interview period opens in a month’s time? Cast your vote below and make sure to leave a comment!
Where will Erik Karlsson play in 2019-20?
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Other (leave in comments) 29% (685)
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New York Rangers 27% (646)
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Tampa Bay Lightning 17% (396)
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Vegas Golden Knights 16% (388)
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San Jose Sharks 11% (257)
Total votes: 2,372
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