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Oilers’ Joakim Nygard Signs In Sweden

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May 28: Now that the Oilers have been eliminated, swept out of the first round by the Winnipeg Jets, Nygard can go home. Farjestad has announced that he will return and that it is a record-breaking six-year deal. The 28-year-old will likely never suit up in the NHL again, given the length of the contract.

May 24: The Edmonton Oilers are on the brink of elimination, but are technically still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that hasn’t stopped Joakim Nygard (or at least his camp) from looking ahead. Swedish news source Afton Bladet reports that Nygard, an impending unrestricted free agent, has received a “super contract” offer from his former SHL club, Farjestad BK. It is believed that the offer carries a five- or six-year term, all but ending the 28-year-old’s NHL career if he accepts.

Although Farjestad GM Peter Jakobsson would not confirm that Nygard had accepted an offer, seeing as he remains under contract with Edmonton, he did confirm the concrete interest and stated that they “obviously want” Nygard back. The forward spent eight years with the club before jumping to North America in 2019 and even returned briefly on loan early this season while awaiting the start of the delayed NHL season. With such tight ties to the club, it makes sense that Afton Bladet reports he has spurned other offers from around Europe and remains interested only in Farjestad or remaining in the NHL.

After the season that Nygard has had, all odds point to a return to Sweden. The quick winger enjoyed a nice start to his NHL career last season with nine points in 33 games, but the Oilers seemingly did not feel that he was worthy of an extended look in his second season. Nygard skated in just nine games with Edmonton and was held scoreless. He spent the remainder of the campaign watching from the press box, even as the team struggled with secondary scoring, and has yet to appear in the postseason. Without having proved much in the league, and having cleared waivers as well, there likely won’t be much interest in Nygard this off-season. With a substantial offer on the table back home, it seems like a no-brainer for Nygard barring an unexpected and mindset-shifting offer from someone else.

Matt Tomkins Signs In SHL

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The Chicago Blackhawks will bid farewell to one of their depth goaltenders, as Matt Tomkins has signed a one-year contract with Frolunda of the SHL. Tomkins was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer as his two-year contract came to an end. Frolunda’s goaltending coach released a statement (via Google translate):

Matt is a big and structured goalkeeper with a European style and a clear game idea. We have scouted him properly and he has made a good impression on us. It will be really fun to work with him next season and he is excited to come here.  

Now 26, the seventh-round pick never did get to the NHL, playing his entire career thus far in the minor leagues. In 15 appearances with the Rockford IceHogs this season he posted a .907 save percentage, but he never did really seem to be in the plans for the Blackhawks as they went with other, younger, netminders at the NHL level.

Frolunda meanwhile recently lost their starting goalie when Erik Kallgren signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, meaning Tomkins should have a good opportunity to play overseas. Unless he takes a huge developmental step though, the now-former Blackhawks goaltender likely won’t be considered for another NHL contract down the road.

Julius Honka Signs In Sweden

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Seven years after being drafted 14th overall, it appears that Julius Honka’s time with the Dallas Stars organization is finally over. The 25-year-old defenseman has signed a two-year contract with Lulea HF in the SHL. Though the Stars could retain his restricted free agent rights this summer with a qualifying offer, Honka will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season after he turns 27.

It certainly hasn’t been a smooth ride for the Finnish defenseman. Honka was picked in the first half of the first round after an outstanding season with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL and immediately joined the Texas Stars in the AHL as a teenager. During the 2014-15 season, he scored 31 points in 68 games while also returning to the World Juniors where he had won a gold medal the year prior. It looked like the Stars had a future top-pairing defenseman on their hands, but that didn’t end up being the case.

Over the next few years, Honka eventually got a chance at the NHL, but recorded just 13 points in 87 games and was scratched more than he played. By 2019 he wanted out and ended up playing all of last season in Finland while hoping for a trade. That made it somewhat surprising when he signed a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season, returning from Europe just to play in the AHL once again. Honka had five points in 17 games for Texas this season and didn’t see a minute of game time with Dallas.

He’ll get his chance to join another organization when his rights eventually expire, but it’s hard to know what kind of NHL opportunity will be waiting for Honka at that point—or if he even wants it.

International Notes: Kaskisuo, Iskhakov, Weise

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Predators goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo has been on an NHL contract for the past five seasons but only has two career appearances at the top level to this point of his career.  As he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, it appears some international opportunities will be presenting themselves; Leksand (SHL) GM Thomas Johansson told SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson that they are considering going after the 27-year-old for next season.  Kaskisuo was Nashville’s taxi squad goaltender this season and made just a single appearance lasting 15 minutes while not getting any AHL time so at this point, simply going somewhere where he will have a chance to play would certainly be appealing.

Elsewhere around the international hockey world:

  • Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov opted to turn pro last season after spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut but instead of signing with New York, he went overseas and played in Finland. Despite finishing tied for third in scoring with TPS Turku with 38 points in 54 games, the 2018 second-rounder is on the move again and once again, it’s not to New York.  Instead, Adler Mannheim of the DEL announced that they’ve signed the 20-year-old to a one-year deal for next season.  It’s worth noting that the Isles only hold his rights through August 15, 2022, so if he doesn’t sign with them for next season, he’ll become a free agent.
  • After not playing this season, it appears as if winger Dale Weise is set to resume his career. Svensson reports in a separate column that the veteran has agreed to terms with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL with an official announcement expected in the next few days.  The 32-year-old is a veteran of 513 career NHL games across five separate organizations and became a free agent last fall after his contract with Montreal was not renewed.

Detroit Red Wings Agree To Terms With Jonatan Berggren

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The Detroit Red Wings are getting another top prospect under contract, agreeing to terms with Jonatan Berggren on a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward recently completed a breakout season with Skelleftea AIK in the SHL and will now begin his journey to the NHL.

Berggren, 20, was the 33rd overall pick in 2018, just a few picks after Joe Veleno. He stayed in Sweden after being selected and ended up scoring 45 points in 49 games this season, his first spent fully at the SHL level. Impressively, that was good enough to lead the powerful club and actually tied him for sixth in league scoring. As the release from the Red Wings includes, he became just the 13th player in SHL history to record 40 points in a season at age 20 or younger.

It’s that offensive potential that the Red Wings saw in the 5’8″ forward, and what will help him succeed at the next level. He has put up huge numbers at pretty much every step and will now be joining a program in Detroit that is filled to the brim with other talented youngsters. It’s not clear exactly where Berggren fits into the depth chart, but that’s certainly not a bad thing for a rebuilding club like the Red Wings.

Though sometimes with players like this, the first year of the entry-level contract is spent overseas, Berggren’s team indicated that his time there was finished after this season ended. It seems more likely that he’ll be suiting up for the Grand Rapids Griffins next season, or even the Red Wings should he make an impression in camp.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Erik Kallgren

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added another name to the goaltending depth chart, signing Erik Kallgren to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level.

Kallgren, 24, was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in 2015 and actually did sign his entry-level contract, but left the organization in 2019. His contract was terminated and he returned to Sweden, where he just recently led Vaxjo to an SHL title. Kallgren was dominant in the playoffs, posting a .937 save percentage in ten games and registering a goals-against average of just 1.74.

Interestingly, Kallgren signed a two-year deal with Frolunda in the SHL just a few days ago, which confuses things a bit. It could mean that the Maple Leafs have agreed to loan him back to Sweden for the time being, signing him only to grab his restricted free agent rights, or perhaps he had a change of heart. It will be interesting to see where he starts the 2021-22 season.

The Maple Leafs would have had quite a few looks at the big goaltender, given their interest in one of his teammates. Pontus Holmberg, who was named playoff MVP on the championship Vaxjo squad, is a Toronto draft pick himself.

Snapshots: Lafleur, Sedins, Seider

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The QMJHL will never again have a player wearing No. 4. Guy Lafleur’s number will be retired league-wide as of next season, celebrating his status as the league’s all-time greatest player. Before all of his success at the NHL level, Lafleur dominated the Q, recording 379 points in 118 regular season games. Amazingly, he scored more than 100 goals in each of his two seasons in the league, including seven in a single game (and five in a period!).

Lafleur would go on to be the first player from the league to be selected first overall and won five Stanley Cup championships during his Hall of Fame career. He will actually join Sidney Crosby as the only players to have their numbers retired league-wide, though it seems likely that at least Mario Lemieux will join them before long.

  • Though rumblings continue to emerge about more drastic changes in the Vancouver Canucks front office, no official announcements have been made by the team. Darren Dreger of TSN however has heard that team ownership is in talks with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin about potential roles in the organization, without giving any specifics on what those would be. Thomas Drance of The Athletic tweets that the discussions are “not centered on a president or GM-type top decision maker role.” The twins are two of the greatest players to ever pull on a Canucks sweater and will likely be linked to the organization in some fashion for the rest of their lives; an official role would only be an extension of that connection.
  • Get excited Detroit, Moritz Seider is coming. The 20-year-old prospect was named Defenseman of the Year for the SHL this season after recording 28 points in 41 games for Rogle. Selected sixth overall in 2019, Seider signed his entry-level contract later that year but has yet to play a game for the Red Wings. Instead, he spent the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL developing his game with the Grand Rapids Griffins, before heading to Sweden to ensure a full season this time around. Playing against opponents sometimes more than a decade his elder, Seider was a dominant force at both ends of the rink.

International Notes: Grigorenko, Zaar, Grewe, Hogberg

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Mikhail Grigorenko’s second act in North America may wind up being shorter than his first.  According to a report from Sport-Express, the 27-year-old is expected to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL with the team buying out Ivan Telegin’s contract to create cap space, a move that was made official earlier today.  Grigorenko spent the three seasons before this one with CSKA before deciding to give the NHL another try after things didn’t go well with Buffalo and Colorado in his first opportunity.  However, he didn’t do any better this time around, notching just four goals and eight assists in 32 games with the Blue Jackets this season while clearing waivers back in mid-March.  At this point of his career, a third tour of duty in the NHL would seem unlikely.

More notes from around the international hockey world:

  • Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Daniel Zaar has left Rogle, the SHL team announced. However, it’s not to return to North America.  Instead, the 27-year-old told SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson and Linus Vedmar that he is off to the KHL to play with Torpedo.  Zaar was a 2012 sixth-round pick (152nd overall) and actually received an entry-level contract but opted to head back overseas when it expired back in 2017.  Columbus qualified him to retain his NHL rights but they will lose those in July when the calendar flips to begin the 2021-22 season.
  • Red Wings prospect Albin Grewe is likely to sign with Ilves in Finland for next season, reports HockeySverige’s Uffe Bodin. The 20-year-old was a third-rounder back in 2019 (66th overall) and was unable to play with OHL Saginaw this year as planned with that league not playing.  Instead, he remained with Djurgarden but had a limited role, notching just three goals and three assists in 39 games this season.  A transfer to the SM-liiga could give him an opportunity for more playing time which would help his chances of eventually signing an NHL deal.  Detroit holds Grewe’s rights through June 1, 2023.
  • Senators goaltender Marcus Hogberg is likely to return to Linkoping of the SHL this summer, suggests SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson. Hogberg played in their system from 2010 to 2017 before heading to North America.  Ottawa informed the 26-year-old last week that he would not be tendered a qualifying offer this summer and coming off a poor performance that saw him post a 3.74 GAA with a .876 SV% with the Sens, he’s unlikely to attract much NHL interest.  Accordingly, Svensson believes that will bring him to Linkoping who has been in touch with his agent already about a potential reunion.

Overseas Notes: Lindholm, Bobkov, Vladar

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It’s been an interesting season to say the least for forward Par Lindholm. The veteran sought his release from the Boston Bruins back in February and was granted a contract termination, citing his desire to play a more meaningful role than the 15th or 16th forward on the Bruins’ depth chart. His wish for more commitment and standing was granted almost immediately after he left Boston, returning to his former SHL club Skelleftea AIK on a whopping five-year deal. Lindholm played in 11 games down the stretch for Skelleftea, recording nine points, and then added six points in a dozen playoff games for the semifinalist. Lindholm quickly proved to be an invaluable piece for Skelleftea and with a long-term deal in place, it seemed that it would stay that way for some time. Well, that may not be the case. Skelleftea has announced today that Lindholm has exercised a previously unreported “out clause” in his contract to leave the team for the 2021-22 season. The team notes that the remaining four years on his deal do remain valid and they hope he returns to play out his contract. Where Lindholm is off to next that he considers an upgrade to Skelleftea remains unknown; his time in the NHL showed that the league’s teams do not see him as any more than a bottom-six depth player, so remaining in Europe seems likely. A better offer in Sweden or an opportunity in the KHL could have prompted this decision by Lindholm, but only time will tell.

  • So much for the Igor Bobkov NHL comeback speculation. Fresh off of a Gagarin Cup title, Bobkov was granted a release from the newly-crowned champs Avangard Omsk on Monday, with the expectation being that he would be looking to test the NHL free agent market this summer. The former Anaheim Ducks top prospect has dominated the KHL for six years running and at 30 years old could still have had appeal in a second try in North America. Instead, another KHL club, Ak Bars Kazan, has inked Bobkov to a one-year deal, putting an end to any NHL possibilities for next season. Why Omsk, who still had Bobkov under contract for one more year, opted to terminate him instead of trade him to Kazan remains a mystery, but regardless the KHL retains one of its very best netminders for at least the 2021-22 campaign.
  • Another KHL club has made an interesting move in net, although they may never reap the benefits. Automobilist Yekaterinburg announced today that they have acquired the KHL rights of Boston Bruins goaltender Dan Vladar in exchange for minor league forward Kirill Pilipenko. Vladar would of course be an excellent addition for Yekaterinburg, that is if he ever leaves North America in his pro career. While Jeremy Swayman has overshadowed Vladar in Boston this season, the latter has quietly been one of the very best goalies in the AHL both this season and last. In fact, he held the best save percentage and GAA mark in the AHL in 2019-20. The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by the Bruins back in 2015 and already has five pro seasons under his belt, including three AHL seasons with a .923 save percentage or better. While Vladar’s early NHL results have not been spectacular, that shouldn’t hurt his value as a prospect as compared to his size, composure, and minor league track record. Heading into next season, other teams may even get a chance to show just how much upside they see in Vladar. The young goaltender will lose his waiver exemption in 2021-22 and if, as many expect, the Bruins go with a tandem of re-signed Tuukka Rask and Swayman next year, the team may try to trade Vladar if they don’t think they can sneak him through waivers. Via trade or waiver claim, Vladar could find himself on an NHL roster on a permanent basis beginning next season. If it goes well, Vladar could be on an NHL roster for much of the rest of his career, as opposed to joining Automobilist in the KHL. Things would have to go south in a major way for the young keeper in order for Yekaterinburg to see any returns on this trade in the near future.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Arvid Soderblom

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The Chicago Blackhawks have nabbed one of the top goaltenders in the SHL, agreeing to terms with Arvid Soderblom on a two-year entry-level contract. Soderblom, an undrafted free agent, will join the organization for the 2021-22 season and carry a cap hit of $883,750.

A casual fan would be forgiven for not knowing much about Soderblom, given he had rarely even appeared at the SHL level before this season, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been on the radar of NHL teams. The 21-year-old posted a dominant .924 save percentage at the Allsvenskan level (AHL equivalent) last season and then continued that performance in the SHL this year. In 22 appearances for AIK Skelleftea, he recorded a 2.03 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. In two playoff starts he stopped 58 of 61 shots.

After a brilliant start to the season, Kevin Lankinen came back to earth a bit for the Blackhawks, finishing with a .909 save percentage. Though a rookie, Lankinen is already 26 and will be an unrestricted free agent after next season. The same can be said for both Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban, meaning there is still an opening in the Chicago net down the line. Soderblom has a lot more to prove before he takes that spot, but adding another talented player to the depth chart is always worth it.

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