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Niklas Hjalmarsson Returns To SHL

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Nov 10: Hjalmarsson has now officially signed a contract with HV71 for the rest of the season.

Oct 25: One of the most consistent defenders of his generation hung up the skates after the 2020-21 season, as Niklas Hjalmarsson decided that was it for his NHL career. With more than 800 games, 1,600 blocked shots, and three Stanley Cup championships in the books, there wasn’t much more for him to accomplish in professional hockey.

Except, maybe there is.

In a press release over the weekend, SHL club HV71 announced that Hjalmarsson would start training with the team and hopefully play with them for the rest of the season. The 35-year-old defenseman explained that he drives past the rink every day and couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to play for the club again.

After all, this is the organization that developed him as a youngster, and the one he made his professional debut with (back when it was still the Swedish Elite League) in 2004-05. Born less than an hour from the arena, it is something of a homecoming for the Chicago Blackhawks legend. Hjalmarsson left Swedish hockey back in 2007 to join the Blackhawks, and would quickly become one of the most trusted defensive defensemen in the league. By his first full season in 2009-10, he was already logging nearly 20 minutes a night and putting up blocked shot totals near the top of the league.

In those playoffs, when the young upstart Blackhawks were ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, he took on even more responsibility, and played 21 minutes a night en route to the championship – adding nine points and 54 blocks in 22 games. He would do similar things in the other two title runs, including averaging more than 26 minutes in 2015 as the third member of a defensive trio that was nearly impenetrable alongside Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

For Swedish hockey fans, getting to see Hjalmarsson play back home will be a treat, if it gets that far. If you listen to him, it might not even be a short stint. Hjalmarsson notes that he doesn’t know whether he’ll be with the team for two weeks, a year, or three years at this point – he’s just excited about getting back on the ice and competing.

Kristian Vesalainen Signs In Finland

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After a run of 15 games in the SHL, 2017 first-round pick and former Winnipeg Jets forward Kristian Vesalainen is headed home. Per a team announcement, Vesalainen has signed a contract spanning the rest of this season with Liiga club HIFK.

This signing comes after his contract with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks was terminated, and allows Vesalainen to play in Helsinki, the city where he was born. Vesalainen has actually been a member of HIFK before, as he developed there as a junior player before heading to Frolunda in Sweden to continue his development.

Vesalainen, 23, signed in Malmo this past summer with the goal of playing a major role in the SHL, one that would allow him to flourish offensively in ways his limited role in the Jets organization wouldn’t.

That didn’t happen in Malmo, though, as Vesalainen scored just three points in 15 games and has not been used as the top-six offensive centerpiece he likely signed there to be.

He’ll now head to Liiga and join HIFK with the hope that he can find a better role in Helsinki. HIFK could certainly use the help, as they currently sit near the bottom of the Liiga standings, and their top scorers have just nine points in 20 games.

Vesalainen’s rights are still owned by the Jets until June 30th, 2026, so he’ll have a relatively long runway to build himself a strong scoring resume in Europe before attempting a potential return to the NHL.

Snapshots: Samuelsson, Bear, Wright

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Buffalo Sabres fans held their breath last night when freshly extended defenseman Mattias Samuelsson went down with an injury in their game against Vancouver. Now, The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that Samuelsson avoided a long-term injury but is still set to miss at least “a few weeks,” joining Henri Jokiharju on the list of injured Sabres top-four defensemen.

An exact timeline won’t be had on Samuelsson until the team returns to Buffalo, head coach Don Granato said today, and the injury will force some depth defenders to shine in order for Buffalo to keep up its strong start. Lawrence Pilut will make his season debut in the team’s next game after two seasons overseas, and free-agent acquisition Ilya Lyubushkin will be tasked with replacing Samuelsson as the defensive anchor on the top pairing alongside the red-hot Rasmus Dahlin.

  • It’s no secret the Canucks are in trouble, winless so far to start the year. With injuries and general positional depth weakness hampering their defense, the team has been looking to add, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts that the team has checked in on defenseman Ethan Bear as a potential trade acquisition. Bear, the 25-year-old right-shot defenseman, has been thrust down the depth chart in Carolina and has yet to appear in a game this season. The Hurricanes were shopping him prior to the season’s start, and the Canucks have more than enough room thanks to LTIR to accommodate his $2.2MM cap hit. He still has some upside and could provide some better matchups once Quinn Hughes returns to the lineup.
  • Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala ponders whether the Seattle Kraken may opt to send Shane Wright back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs after an unimpactful start to the season. Wright hasn’t received many opportunities, he has shown smooth skating and pace, but Bukala points out that Wright’s had some positional issues defensively and may need a bit more development before being able to execute his playstyle properly at the NHL level.

Minor Transactions: 10/14/22

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The NHL season is fully underway, and we have four more games on the docket for tonight. As exciting as the action is around the NHL tonight, there’s still plenty going on around the hockey world and we’ll keep track of all those transactions here.

  • The San Diego Gulls announced the signings of four players to standard player contracts today: forwards Brent Gates and Dmitri Osipov, as well as defensemen Josh Healey and Nikolas Brouillard. Possibly the most accomplished name of this group is Brouillard, who has spent the past two seasons with the Gulls. He had 39 points in 66 games last season (along with a whopping 131 penalty minutes) and should resume playing an important role in San Diego this season.
  • One of the top goalie prospects in hockey, Sebastian Cossa, was reassigned from the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Wallleye. While an ECHL demotion might be seen as a definitively negative development for any top prospect, this reassignment shouldn’t be viewed so negatively for Cossa, who turns 20 on November 21st. An ECHL assignment will allow Cossa to operate as a starting netminder in a lower-pressure environment than the AHL. He’ll be able to take his time and work on his game, and the move gives him a longer runway in terms of his development.
  • Former Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms winger Linus Sandin cleared unconditional waivers today, allowing him to sign overseas. He’s done just that, as SHL club Rogle BK has signed Sandin to a contract that runs through the 2024-25 season. Sandin is an SHL veteran who joins Rogle after a decent AHL season that saw him earn his first NHL game, and he should help his new squad improve their current 12th-place standing in Sweden’s top league.
  • The Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, announced the signings of two players today. Zachary Massicotte, 21, was signed to a two-way AHL/ECHL deal, while Cedric Pare, 23, was signed to a PTO. Pare signs this PTO looking to earn a full deal after spending all of last season in Belleville, while Massicotte will make his professional debut after winning the QMJHL championship last season with the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Linus Sandin Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Oct: 14: Sandin has cleared waivers, had his contract terminated, and is now eligible to sign overseas.

Oct 13: The Philadelphia Flyers placed Linus Sandin on waivers two weeks ago, when it was clear he wouldn’t be making the team. After passing through unclaimed, he was assigned to the minor leagues. Now, his stint in the AHL will come to an end, as the Flyers have placed him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

This will make Sandin an unrestricted free agent and allow him to sign somewhere else, a move that is usually followed by a contract overseas. The 26-year-old forward has just one NHL game under his belt and failed to register a point.

It would certainly make sense for the undrafted Sandin to return home. He was a strong contributor in the SHL before coming to North America, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in his final full season with HV71. The older brother of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, Linus was good-not-great in his time in the minor leagues.

It is somewhat interesting that the Swedish forward has chosen this route, given he was the one to agree to a two-way contract in May. The deal included a minor league guarantee of $285K, meaning he at least must have known there was a chance he would end up back in the AHL. Should he clear, it would be highly unlikely that he finds another contract in the NHL this year, as you can’t get much more affordable than his league-minimum deal.

Snapshots: Hague, Pastrnak, Jets

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When Vegas Golden Knights training camp opens tomorrow morning, defenseman Nicolas Hague won’t be there as he awaits a new contract. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that he isn’t expected to be on the ice with his teammates Thursday morning at City National Arena, the team’s practice facility.

Hague is one of the few remaining restricted free agents in the NHL, alongside Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson as the marquee names. Granger expertly notes that Hague missing camp is more detrimental than in previous seasons, as new head coach Bruce Cassidy will be installing a completely foreign defensive system from what the Knights have been used to in past seasons. Hague, the 34th overall pick in 2017, had 14 points in 52 games last season.

  • Speaking today during preseason media availability, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says it’s a priority for him to get pending free agent winger David Pastrnak signed as soon as possible. Pastrnak, while he’s expressed a strong desire to stay in Boston, hasn’t shared the same urgency in negotiations in previous reporting. Pastrnak, who’s notched 40 or more goals in his last two full seasons, will be in line for a substantial raise, and it may behoove Sweeney to get a deal done before his value rises even further.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have made three scouting hires, including the first woman scout in team history, Sydney Daniels. Daniels joins the team as an NCAA scout, having previously served as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Harvard. The team also brought on Jari Kekalainen, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, as a European scout, and former Toronto Maple Leafs scout Tony Martino as a USHL scout.

Snapshots: Martin, SHL, Foley

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Former St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin might be just outside of the top-20 winningest coaches in NHL history, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be resuming his head coaching career anytime soon. Instead, the longtime coach has decided to take his career in hockey in a new direction. Per a team announcement, the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL have hired Martin as a senior advisor in their hockey operations department.

In adding Martin, the Frontenacs have added not only a big name to their management team but also someone with a wealth of NHL experience and some valuable OHL experience. Martin won the Memorial Cup in his only season as an OHL head coach, and his tenure was so successful that he was immediately tapped by the Blues to be their head coach for the 1986-87 season.  The Frontenacs lost in the second round of the OHL playoffs last season and will hope that the addition of Martin can help offset the potential loss of top prospect Shane Wright, who could very well play this season as a member of the Seattle Kraken.

Now, for some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • The Swedish Hockey League and ESPN announced today that they’d entered into a partnership with the goal of “reaching  and expanding the global audience of the SHL.” While no specific details were offered in the announcement, it seems likely that ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+, will be the landing spot of some (or all) SHL games for American audiences this season. ESPN+ is already home to a significant chunk of the NHL schedule and based on the comments given in the press release it looks like the plan is to bring the SHL to the service as well.
  • Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has seen his franchise enjoy a run of success that is unprecedented for any expansion team in North American professional sports. With the Golden Knights an established quality NHL team, it seems that Foley is looking to add to his sports ownership portfolio. Per Mark McAdam of Sky Sports News, Foley is in “advanced talks” to buy AFC Bournemouth, a soccer club in the Premier League, the top division of English soccer. If Foley does make this acquisition, he would become the fourth NHL owner to also hold a significant ownership stake in a Premier League side, joining Fenway Sports Group (Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool), Josh Harris and David Blitzer (New Jersey Devils, Crystal Palace), and Stan Kroenke (Colorado Avalanche, Arsenal).

Jayden Halbgewachs Signs In SHL

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Sep 6: Vaxjo has officially announced the contract, welcoming Halbgewachs to the SHL.

Sep 5: A few days ago, reports emerged linking former San Jose Sharks forward Jayden Halbgewachs to MODO, a team in the Swedish second league. Today, new information has come out linking him to the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL, instead. It appears, according to Expressen, that both teams were interested but the free agent decided to go with the higher-level club.

Halbgewachs, 25, qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after only playing three games with the Sharks through the early part of his career. An undrafted signing out of the WHL in 2017 (where he scored 70 goals in 72 games during the 2017-18 season), he has played four years in the minor leagues, recording solid (but not incredible) point totals with the San Jose Barracuda. In his three games with the Sharks, he did record an assist but failed to notch his first NHL goal.

Sometimes, players go overseas for a bigger opportunity and to show that they are more than just minor league talent. If he can dominate the Swedish league, perhaps another NHL team takes a chance on him down the road. For now, though, it appears as though Halbgewachs will be off the North American grid, meaning it’s just more development resources from San Jose that didn’t result in much value.

Leo Komarov Signs In Sweden

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In early August, we covered rumors that veteran NHL forward Leo Komarov would be spending the 2022-23 season in the SHL. While it turns out that Brynas won’t end up being the club that features Komarov next season, Komarov has ended up in the SHL after all. Per a team announcement, Lulea HF has signed Komarov to a one-year contract.

Komarov, 35, is a veteran of nearly 500 NHL games. He played for two teams in his NHL career, the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs, and has scored 170 points in his 491 career NHL games. Komarov’s most recent run was with the Islanders, where he played as a low-scoring bottom-sixer on a squad that went to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.

The best years of Komarov’s career came with the Toronto Maple Leafs, highlighted by a 2015-16 season where he scored 19 goals and 36 points and represented the Maple Leafs at the 2016 All-Star Game. A sixth-round pick in 2006, Komarov’s NHL career came after a long stretch of development in the KHL.

Komarov made his KHL return last season, skating in 18 regular-season contests and 16 playoff contests for SKA St. Petersburg, scoring a combined nine points. Komarov helped Finland win gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and joins a Lulea team that fell just short of winning the SHL championship last season.

While a return to the NHL for Komarov is likely out of the picture, it’s definitely possible that he spends the remainder of his playing days as a quality forward in European leagues while also featuring in international tournaments.

Jonathan Dahlen Signs In SHL

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It’s not often that a player becomes a full-time NHLer for the first time at a young age, only to immediately go overseas to continue his career. But that’s what has happened with Jonathan Dahlen, who has signed a five-year contract with Timra IK in the SHL, the club team that developed him.

The 24-year-old forward played in 61 games with the San Jose Sharks last season, scoring 12 goals and 22 points but will return to the club he captained in 2020-21 and has twice helped reach the SHL level. In European hockey there is a relegation/promotion system, and Timra has bounced back and forth between the SHL and the Allsvenskan over the last few years.

Dahlen, who has played in the Timra system since 2014, helped them to promotions in 2018 and 2021 but has never actually played in the SHL.

Perhaps his desire to return home was part of the reason why the Sharks decided not to qualify him his summer – a possible arbitration award another potential explanation – as a five-year deal would have allowed his RFA rights to expire anyway.

An unrestricted free agent again when this deal expires, Dahlen will be an interesting name to keep an eye on down the road, as he will still be only 29.

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