Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

SHL

Michael Krutil Signs In SHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It appears as though Michael Krutil will not be returning to the Rockford IceHogs now that the World Junior Championship has been canceled. The young defenseman has signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League.

Krutil, 19, played seven games with Rockford before being loaned to Czechia for the junior tournament but ended up failing to get into a single game before the event was shut down due to COVID concerns. Selected 110th overall in 2020, he hasn’t actually signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks yet and had been playing on an AHL deal.

A blend of size and skill, the 6’3″ defenseman had three points in 21 games for the IceHogs last season as an 18-year-old, suiting up as one of the youngest players in the entire league. Now in Sweden, he’ll have a better chance to show off some offensive upside or at the very least, play more minutes than he was receiving in Rockford.

Minor Transactions: 01/02/22

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The new year has brought with it a flurry of activity between NHL and AHL rosters. However, the top North American leagues are not alone in a noticeable uptick in transactions. Elsewhere, several other familiar names are making moves. With European leagues closing in on their postseasons prior to the stretch run in the NHL, expect these transactions to appear with greater frequency in the coming weeks, too.

  • Former AHL MVP Daniel Carr has finally found some consistency in his career. The skilled forward played for four different NHL teams over the past four seasons and was never able to hold down a roster spot despite his impressive minor league numbers, especially after leaving the Montreal Canadiens. He opted to leave North America last season, inking a two-year deal with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League. Carr only played in eight games for the team in 2020-21, but was a point-per-game player all the same. This year, he has 13 points in 12 games, continuing to make a major impact albeit in limited action. Lugano has decided to reward Carr’s strong play in hopes that he can be a core piece of the team moving forward and Carr has jumped at some long-term stability in his career. The team has announced a new three-year extension for Carr, which will keep him in Switzerland through the 2024-25 season and into mid-thirties. This likely marks the end of Carr’s NHL career, but he could be a superstar in the National League through the duration of his new deal.
  • When goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis left North America in 2018, it initially seemed like the right move. Gudlevskis had an excellent first season in the KHL, recording a 2.37 GAA for his hometown team, Dinamo Riga. However, the following season got off to a horrific start and Gudlevskis ended up leaving midseason to play in Germany and then split last year between Austria and Slovakia. Well, Gudlevskis finally found his stride once again in Slovakia between late last season and early this year and now he is elevating back to another top European league. Brynas IF of the SHL has announced a contract with Gudlevskis for the remainder of this season. The former Tampa Bay Lightning net minder will now have a chance to show what he can do at the top level in Sweden in hopes that it leads to another contract with a top club. At 29 and with connections still in North America, a return to the AHL and perhaps even the NHL at some point can’t be ruled out if he continues to perform. His newest gig with Brynas will tell a lot about his ability to play at an elite level.
  • Yevgeni Oksentyuk is moving on from his stint in the ECHL, at least for now. The Dallas Stars prospect has played almost exclusively at the “AA” level in his first pro season in North America, but the AHL’s Texas Stars have recalled him from Idaho Steelheads. Oksentyuk, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of Belarus, has nine goals and 16 points in 17 ECHL games this season and appears ready for the next level. The undersized forward will always have to work hard to excel against bigger, stronger competition in North America, but has found success so far in the ECHL and the OHL before that and could continue to develop for the Stars.

Snapshots: Eichel, Ducks, Chychrun, Everberg

at CDT | by 15 Comments

Though complete or accurate information is not always available, one of the best things about major trades can be comparing the actual exchange to the alleged offers made by those teams who could not complete the deal. The Jack Eichel trade was one of the more prolonged negotiations in recent memory resulting in a sizeable return for the Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. While it is safe to assume that nearly every team in the NHL kicked the tires on Eichel at some point in time, the combination of the Sabres’ asking price, Eichel’s contract, and the conversation surrounding his neck injury and preferred treatment thinned the list of suitors considerably toward the end of the saga. However, one of the other teams believed to be in the mix right until the end were the Anaheim Ducks. So why didn’t they best the Vegas Golden Knights’ offer?

On Sportsnet’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke about what he heard was the Sabres’ asking price from the Ducks, and it explains why Anaheim didn’t pull the trigger. Friedman reports that Buffalo requested Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and two first-rounders to part with Eichel. Go back three years and that’s equivalent to asking for four first-round picks, including two top-ten picks. Zegras and Drysdale are already so much more than that, too. The super-skilled center, 20, and slick defenseman, 19, are already key pieces of a resurgent Ducks team, who hope to build around the duo and keep them in Southern California for years to come. Even for a player of Eichel’s caliber, giving up Zegras – who could end up being a younger version of Eichel – and Drysdale, not to mention two more first-round picks, is just too much and not nearly equal to what Buffalo eventually got from Vegas. Friedman also adds that the Ducks’ doctors were never quite comfortable with Eichel’s requested disc replacement surgery, which was of course a lynchpin in any potential trade. It just wasn’t a match for the star center and Anaheim, though they could both be better off for it.

  • Jakob Chychrun’s trade availability still exists, for whatever reason, and Friedman reports that a number of teams are interested in the talented, young Coyotes defenseman, as they should be. He notes that teams are starting to get serious as Arizona has not backed off of their willingness to move the 2016 first-round pick. However, one team that has fallen out of the running are the Edmonton Oilers, even though Friedman and colleague Jeff Marek both feel that he would be a great fit. Defense is a long-term need for the Oilers, but Friedman went so far as to say that Chychrun definitively will not end up in Edmonton. It is unclear if the asking price or cap complications forced the team’s hand or if they merely soured on him amidst a down year. Other teams continue to circle as the ’Yotes dismal season wears on and Chychrun, forced into the No. 1 role on a blue line that was completely dismantled in the off-season, unsurprisingly struggles. Yet, the 23-year-old is just one season removed from recording 41 points in 56 games and is averaging almost 25 minutes per night, which are impressive enough to overcome his ugly -29 mark so far this year.
  • Dennis Everberg burned bright but fast in the NHL. The Swedish forward was just an undrafted kid when he joined the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15, quickly earned a roster spot, and recorded 12 points in 55 games as an unheralded rookie. Yet, as loudly as he made his entrance, Everberg quietly made his exit. He was held scoreless in 15 games with the Avs in his sophomore campaign and, though he was stellar in the AHL, opted to return overseas following the season. Everberg made a short-lived comeback attempt in 2018-19 with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but left the team after just 11 games. Now back in Sweden, the 29-year-old Everberg is one of the more consistent scorers in the SHL. With back-to-back 32-point seasons, Everberg is playing at the same pace this year with 19 points in 26 games. The two-way forward also carries a +36 rating in his SHL career. Rather than try again in North America or elsewhere in Europe, Everberg has realized that he has a good thing going with the league leaders, Rogle BK. The team has announced a five-year extension for Everberg, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season and into his mid thirties. This likely means that the capable forward will play out his days at home in Sweden.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It was another day of a string of unfortunate events in the NHL, with the unofficial number of players on COVID protocol reaching over 100. There were some other items of note from the other side of the pond, however, as two players who recently had their contracts mutually terminated have officially found their new homes overseas.

  • Andreas Borgman, who was with the Dallas Stars on a two-way deal until it was terminated earlier this week, won’t be back in the NHL anytime soon. The former Star, Maple Leaf, and Lightning defender signed a deal with Frolunda HC of the SHL through the 2025-26 campaign. Considering Borgman will be 30 at the end of the deal, an NHL return is unlikely for the undrafted Swedish defender. He had three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 55 career NHL games.
  • After being drafted in 2019 by the Montreal Canadiens, Arsen Khisamutdinov is heading back to the KHL with Dinamo Riga. Khisamutdinov’s deal was terminated last week after notching just one point in 15 AHL games last year and getting assigned to the ECHL this year. Khisamutdinov had three points in 31 games during his last KHL stop with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.

Mattias Norlinder Returned To SHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens are focused on development now, which means Mattias Norlinder’s time in North America has come to an end for now. The young defenseman has been returned to Frolunda HC for the remainder of the SHL season.

Norlinder, 21, actually already played one game with them this season, but has also suited up six times for the Laval Rocket and six times for the Canadiens. A third-round pick in 2019, his future looks bright, but not close enough to warrant him staying with Montreal for the rest of this season. The AHL was technically an option, given he does not have a European Assignment Clause, but all parties have agreed the best thing for his development is a return to Sweden.

It will allow him to play a larger role in a comfortable setting, given his history with the club, and come back to Canadiens training camp next year hopefully ready to step directly into the NHL. In 37 games last season, Norlinder recorded ten points with Frolunda, but was a real difference-maker in a short playoff run. He had one point in his six games with Montreal.

In a lost season for the Canadiens, new front office boss Jeff Gorton has to look forward. A move like this could signal that more changes are coming for the team, who have lost seven in a row and sit second-last in the entire league.

Sabres’ Lawrence Pilut Signs KHL Extension

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

If there was any hope of a reunion between the Buffalo Sabres and defenseman Lawrence Pilut, it just took a major hit. The 25-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year contract extension in the KHL that will keep him with Traktor Chelyabinsk through the 2022-23 season. The Sabres will lose their rights to Pilut during that season, as he turns 27 in December 2022 and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.

Pilut once looked like he could be a long-term fixture on the Buffalo blue line and there were undoubtedly some that hoped he might find his way back. Pilut was an undrafted prospect out of Sweden who the Sabres scooped up in 2018 after several impressive season in the SHL. In fact, he was the SHL’s Defenseman of the Year in his final season in Sweden, leading all defenders with 38 points in 52 games – and did all of this at the age of 23. He transitioned immediately into an NHL role in 2018-19, playing in 33 NHL games versus 30 AHL games. He only recorded six points as a rookie, but notched 26 in the minors where he continued to look like a promising offense defenseman. Instead of taking a step forward in the second – and final – year of his entry-level contract, Pilut instead skated in only 13 games with the Sabres and was held scoreless.

While neither side was likely happy with Pilut’s 2019-20 campaign, the Sabres still made the RFA rearguard a qualifying offer and attempted to re-sign him (or at least keep him from an NHL competitor). Pilut opted to return to Europe rather than stay in Buffalo, inking a two-year deal with Traktor, but it did not seem like the relationship between the two sides was irreparably damaged. After Pilut enjoyed a strong debut season in the KHL last year, recording 28 points and setting a franchise record for blocked shots, it seemed the Sabres would be clamoring to bring him back.

Instead, Pilut seems to have other plans. Staying in Chelyabinsk for an extra year will take him to unrestricted free agency and he will have his pick of a new NHL home, assuming he continues to play at the same high level in Russia. A two-time AHL All-Star with high-end scoring ability and good defensive skills, who will have seasoned in arguably the second-best league in the world for a few years, Pilut will be an intriguing free agent option, especially at just 27. While there is no guarantee he ends up back in the NHL, it does seem unlikely that he winds up back in Buffalo if that is the case.

San Jose Sharks Loan William Eklund To SHL

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The San Jose Sharks gave William Eklund a taste of the NHL, but the young forward will have to wait for his next chance. The Sharks have loaned Eklund back to Djurgardens IF of the SHL. Had Eklund played one more game with the Sharks this season, he would have burned the first year of his entry-level contract. As it stands, the deal will slide forward a year and not expire until 2025. GM Doug Wilson explained the move:

This was one of the toughest decisions we have had to make. William’s tremendous skill and vision have been evident since his participation in our rookie tournament in September. In his nine NHL games as a teenager, he has shown that he is going to be a special player in this league but ultimately, we feel it is in the best interest of his long-term development to return to Sweden and continue to work on becoming the dominant player we know he can be.

Eklund, 18, is technically eligible to be assigned to the AHL as well but holds a European Assignment Clause in his contract that could force his way back to Europe if the Sharks attempted that. Instead, the seventh-overall pick will continue his development in Sweden where he had 23 points in 40 games for Djurgadens last season. This is also huge news for his country’s World Junior team, who will presumably have the reigning SHL Rookie of the Year/Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in the lineup when the tournament begins in December.

The Sharks were happy to hand regular minutes to Eklund, who averaged over 14 minutes of ice time in those first nine games. He managed four assists in that time but failed to score his first NHL goal, despite some dangerous opportunities. The young forward certainly won’t have a problem registering that goal when he finally returns, as his offensive upside is clearly tremendous. A year of development playing in a professional league in Sweden should only help his development, and give the Sharks a more polished product to insert into the lineup next season should they choose to do so.

For San Jose, the key decision here is his contract status. It appears as though they may be more competitive this year, but challenging for the Stanley Cup will be difficult. If Eklund wasn’t going to play a key role all year, wasting a year of his entry-level deal would be a mistake in a cap-constrained league in which inexpensive deals are king. If he returns full-time next season at an even higher level, the team will be able to squeeze more surplus value out of a cap hit that will still be lower than $1MM.

Prospect Notes: Sillinger, Norlinder, WJC

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Not only has Cole Sillinger shown he can be an NHL player right away, but by the third period of last night’s game he was centering a line with Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek. It shouldn’t surprise anyone then when the young forward confirmed to reporters including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch after the game that he will not be sent back to junior this season. One more game and Sillinger will ensure his entry-level contract kicks in this season, burning the first year and avoiding any slide.

After a three-point night that resulted in a Blue Jackets win, Sillinger has burst onto the NHL scene just a few months after being the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old center has five points through nine games and was rewarded with more than 16 minutes of ice time last night. He was also out there with Voracek when Jake Bean recorded the game-winner in overtime, another sign of the trust that Sillinger has received from the coaching staff in the early going. With his contract starting this season, he’ll be scheduled for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

  • Mattias Norlinder has been assigned to the Laval Rocket on a conditioning stint, as he continues to recover from an injury suffered in training camp. The young defenseman was actually loaned to the SHL earlier in the summer and played one game for Frolunda, but then came to play in the preseason for Montreal. As Arpon Basu of The Athletic points out, this is a long-term injury loan and Norlinder has a European Assignment Clause in his contract, meaning he can only play three games for the Rocket before needing to be added to the Canadiens roster or sent back to Sweden. Another year of development overseas still seems the most likely, unless the Montreal front office believes he can handle NHL minutes right away.
  • The schedule for the IIHF World Junior Championship has been released, with December 26th back as the kickoff date this year. Canada will battle the Czech Republic, while the U.S. will take on Slovakia on day one. The two North American nations find themselves in different groups this time around, meaning a rematch of the 2021 Canada-U.S. gold medal game won’t happen in the preliminary round.

San Jose Sharks Approaching Decision On William Eklund

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The entry-level slide is a rather well-known concept now in the salary cap world. Otherwise known as the ’nine-game rule’, it permits teams to conserve years on an 18- or 19-year-old player’s entry-level contract by deferring or sliding the start of the contract by a season (or two), provided they don’t play nine games or less at the NHL level in a season.

It’s not something often thought about with players of European origin, as it’s rather uncommon for a European-based player to make a team out of camp at this age unless fully NHL-ready. But the San Jose Sharks took a chance this year on 2020 draft selection William Eklund, and it’s largely paid off. As the team’s roared off to a 4-1-0 start, they’ve largely been propelled by the competence of their rookie class — including Eklund. With three assists in four games, Eklund’s showing flashes of potential and already showing the value the Sharks got with a seventh-overall selection.

Yet Eklund was scratched today for their first loss of the season against the Boston Bruins, allowing Alexander Barabanov to draw back into the lineup. Eklund’s spent the season playing on a line with Tomas Hertl and Rudolfs Balcers, but sits as a -3 with none of his points coming at even strength.

There’s no doubt that Eklund was a slam-dunk selection, but if he can’t stick in the lineup, it would be the wiser move to loan him back to his native Sweden without burning the first year of his contract. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz notes that the team is likely to take as long as possible before making that choice, giving Eklund every chance to prove that he can stay in the lineup at the NHL level this season. But the team, understandably, also doesn’t want him spending too much time in the press box, especially after he impressed with 23 points in 40 SHL games last season with Djurgardens IF.

Regardless, the Sharks can dress Eklund in five more games before being able to loan him back to Sweden without burning a season on his entry-level deal. For a team that now looks to be on the rise sooner rather than later, it could be a choice with long-term ramifications in terms of his second contract.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Kane, Wedin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It is a quick COVID Protocol turnaround for a few Chicago Blackhawks, well at least two of the three. After missing practice yesterday due to compliance with league protocol, Ryan Carpenter and Erik Gustafsson were back on the ice at morning skate today ahead of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. However, remaining absent was star Patrick Kane, who was also among the protocol group yesterday. The Athletic’s Scott Powers has confirmed suspicions, relaying word from the Blackhawks that Carpeneter and Gustafsson have been removed from the COVID Protocol, but Kane has not. There is no word as to why the trio were initially subject nor why Kane remains, but regardless Chicago will get some reinforcements back but could still be missing their best player tonight. Off to a frustrating 0-4-1 start, the Blackhawks can ill afford to be without Kane for very long. Interestingly, head coach Jeremy Colliton stopped short of ruling Kane out against Detroit, but there will have to be a change to his COVID status within a matter of hours.

  • Another team missing a Kane is the San Jose Sharks. Last season’s leading scorer, Evander Kane, is serving a 21-game suspension for violating COVID Protocol by using a fake vaccination card. Given all of the controversy surrounding Kane over the past year though, a 21-game absence is unlikely what the Sharks expected to result from multiple investigations. The big winger will in fact be eligible to return to the team before the end of November. So where does San Jose go from here? The team is off to an incredible and unexpected 5-0-0 start and is playing well, perhaps without Kane’s distraction in the locker room. However, they have little recourse to prevent him from returning to the club. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Sharks cannot terminate Kane’s contract due to the lengthy suspension nor can they do so as an internal form of punishment due to the findings that led to his league suspension. The CBA does not allow either form of double punishment and the NHLPA would not let it fly. They would be supported by a recent report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, which stated the league never considered termination as a punishment for Kane. While the Sharks may be opne to a reunion with Kane, both Johnston and Friedman note that the team’s reaction has been a mixed bag of support and disdain for the situation and Kane’s coaches and teammates have been non-committal about whether or not they want him back. The team has just over a month to decide how to handle his return.
  • Interestingly, a former Chicago Blackhawk and a player once linked to the San Jose Sharks was back on the market this week, albeit briefly. Forward Anton Wedin, who spent the 2019-20 season in the Blackhawks organization, terminated his contract with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk earlier this week. This sparked some speculation that perhaps he would return to North America, even if only on an AHL deal. After all, Wedin made the jump from Sweden to Chicago at 26 and played in four NHL games and recorded 17 points in 31 AHL games. It was by no means a poor season. Wedin, who was only on a one-year deal with the Blackhawks, drew some NHL interest in the 2020 off-season, but ultimately decided to say home in Sweden during the pandemic, totaling 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games with HV71 in his best SHL season to date. Wedin’s name did not appear in any NHL rumors this summer and he signed in the KHL, but after just two points in 14 with Sibir he has moved on. Instead of exploring a return overseas though, Wedin will play out the season in the KHL after signing with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the year. Still just 28 and with NHL experience and ability, perhaps Wedin could return to the league in the future.

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

scroll to top