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Oskar Steen Signs In SHL

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Last month, the Bruins gave Oskar Steen’s camp permission to talk to other teams about trying to secure the pending free agent a contract to stay in the NHL and that his focus wasn’t overseas.  However, a deal didn’t come to fruition so the middleman has decided to return home as SHL Farjestad announced that they’ve signed Steen to a five-year contract.

The 26-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Boston back in 2016, going 165th overall.  He spent three more years in Sweden with Farjestad before coming to North America for the 2019-20 season.

Steen got his first taste of NHL action in the 2020-21 campaign but got a longer look the following season, getting into 20 games with the big club while adding 35 points in 49 games with AHL Providence.  That earned him a two-year, one-way deal and seemingly had him in the mix for a full-time spot with Boston for the 2022-23 campaign.

Instead, Steen wound up clearing waivers and spent most of that season in the minors.  He then cleared waivers twice more last season although injuries resulted in him getting into 34 games with Boston but he was limited to one goal on 24 shots while logging a little more than nine minutes a night on the fourth line.  He was more productive in Providence with 12 goals in 25 games but Boston decided not to try to retain him, instead letting him walk to Group Six free agency.

With the length of this contract, Steen won’t become a free agent again until his age-31 season so it would be surprising to see him generate NHL interest at that time unless he becomes a top scorer in the coming years with Farjestad.  If it is the end of the road for him at the top level, he leaves the NHL with four goals and four assists in 60 career appearances.

SHL’s Växjö Lakers Sign Otto Koivula To Two-Year Deal

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Finnish forward Otto Koivula is heading back to Scandinavia, inking a two-year deal with Växjö Lakers HC of the Swedish Hockey League last night, per a team release. The longtime Islanders farmhand was a Group VI UFA.

Koivula, 26 in September, didn’t see any NHL ice last season but did make 28 career appearances for the Isles across the 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. A 2016 fourth-round pick, Koivula carried a fair bit of intrigue with his 6’5″, 225-lb frame but never could eke out a full-time NHL role. He tallied four assists and a -1 rating during his time in the show, averaging 8:25 per game and struggling in the faceoff dot (42.8 FO%).

A power forward at heart, Koivula can play both center and wing and has spent most of his time under contract with New York on assignment to AHL Bridgeport. There, he’s been a valuable contributor to a club that’s struggled to have success, only making the playoffs twice in Koivula’s six-year tenure. He made 274 appearances for the Baby Isles, scoring 65 goals and adding 114 assists for 179 points. He tallied 194 PIMs, a -13 rating, and was often among their top scorers. His 30 points last season ranked fourth on the club despite being limited to 47 games.

Koivula last suited up in a European pro league while on loan to Liiga’s HIFK during the pandemic, racking up 11 points in 14 games there in 2020-21. His track record overseas is strong, winning the Liiga’s Rookie of the Year award back in 2016-17 with 10 goals and 30 points in 50 games for Ilves. He’ll be an impact piece for the Lakers, who have won four SHL championships in the past decade and have finished top-five in the league for four years in a row.

His role in Bridgeport will likely be replaced by Fredrik Karlström, who the Isles signed earlier this month after spending the last three years in the Stars organization. He tallied 21 goals and 44 points in 72 games for AHL Texas last season.

Red Wings Sign First-Rounder Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an annual average value of $975K. Detroit selected Brandsegg-Nygård with the 16th overall pick this year, making him the first Norwegian to ever be selected in the first round. He was quickly succeeded by defender Stian Solberg, who the Anaheim Ducks selected at 23rd overall.

Brandsegg-Nygård earns his first NHL contract on the back of a standout year in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. He spent 41 games with Mora IK, recording eight goals and 18 points. While meager scoring at a glance, Brandsegg-Nygård’s production actually marks the most any draft-year player has scored in the league since 2018 – and the ninth-most of all time. He earned his keep on the back of a very high-energy and responsible game.

He adheres closely to his position – but still shows impressive tempo and heft on the forecheck and quick processing when he fights his way onto the puck. He seems mature beyond his years, a sentiment stamped by his fantastic international performances. Brandsegg-Nygård recorded three goals and five points in five World Juniors games, defiantly leading an outmatched Norway squad. He matched the stat line in seven World Championship games with Norway’s men’s squad this summer, showing his ability to make an impact on any stage.

An entry-level deal will open the possibility of Brandsegg-Nygård joining the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and maybe even vying for an NHL role next season, though he’s currently expected to join the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK. That should prove a plenty viable sparring ground for the high-tempo Brandsegg-Nygård as he looks to add next-level offensive traits to what is a very responsible toolset.

SHL’s HV71 Signs Tanner Kero

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HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League has signed forward Tanner Kero, according to a team release. Kero wasn’t signed to an NHL contract in 2023-24 but did spend the season in the Avalanche organization on an AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles.

Kero is a veteran of five NHL seasons between 2015-16 and 2021-22, playing 134 games and scoring 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points with a +9 rating. Most of that time came on the right wing, but he did log significant time at center in his first couple of campaigns in a depth role for the Blackhawks.

An undrafted free agent signing by Chicago out of Michigan Tech in 2015, Kero has long been a consistent AHL scoring presence but has only challenged for full-time NHL usage on a handful of occasions. After appearing in three straight campaigns with Chicago to begin his professional career, he spent the entire season in the minors after being traded to the Canucks in 2018 and again after signing with the Stars as a free agent in 2019.

But the pandemic yielded some opportunity for Kero, who avoided minor-league assignment entirely in 2020-21 and instead spent the campaign on the NHL roster or the taxi squad. He was extremely serviceable in a fourth-line role for Dallas that year, posting three goals and 10 points in 39 games, outmatched only by his 16-point, 47-game campaign with Chicago in 2016-17. But he struggled to have the same effect the following season, going without a goal and logging just three assists with a -5 rating in 23 games. That’s the last we’ve likely seen of Kero in the NHL.

Kero will now test international waters for the first time in his career with the Jönköping-based HV71, who narrowly avoided relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan last season after finishing 13th in the SHL with a 13-30-5-4 record. His 106 goals and 274 points in 402 career AHL games suggest he should have success in Sweden in a middle-six role. It’s a one-year deal, so an exceptionally strong showing for Kero, who turns 32 later this month, could lead to an NHL return.

Snapshots: Murray, Canucks, Studenic, Lomberg

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Defenseman Ryan Murray has had a long history when it comes to chronic back injuries.  He played just 13 games in 2022-23 and didn’t play anywhere this past season.  However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Murray had surgery which he believes has solved his chronic back troubles and he will be looking to land a PTO with an NHL team this summer.  The 29-year-old was the second-overall pick back in 2012 and has played in 445 career contests at the top level so far, recording 15 goals, 116 assists, and 716 blocked shots.  PTO agreements often take longer to materialize so Murray will likely have to wait a while to see what opportunities might become available closer to training camp in September.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Although the expectation was that the Canucks would go with Arturs Silovs as Thatcher Demko’s backup next season, that might no longer be the case.  Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that Vancouver will be shopping for a veteran netminder on the open market and it appears that they’re willing to spend around $1.5MM for that player.  Casey DeSmith served as the second-string option this past season but does not appear to be an option at this time.  Silovs still has one year of waiver exemption remaining so there’s a case to be made that he’d be better served playing as the starter in the minors over seeing second-string duty with Vancouver.
  • Kraken free agent winger Marian Studenic has inked a two-year deal with SHL Farjestad, per a team release. The 25-year-old spent most of the year with AHL Coachella Valley, recording 15 goals and 29 assists in 64 games, earning him a two-game recall to Seattle.  Studenic also added 11 points in 18 playoff contests for the Firebirds.  However, rather than stick around in the minors, he’s opting to try his hand overseas.
  • Pending UFA winger Ryan Lomberg appears to have priced himself past what the Panthers can afford, relays David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old put up 12 goals and 20 points in 2022-23 but was limited to just five goals and two assists in 75 games this past season although he added a career-high 175 hits.  Lomberg played on an $800K AAV for the last two years and Florida will need to have several players at that price point again next season.  If Lomberg believes he can beat that on the open market – a reasonable assumption – then he’ll have to go elsewhere to get it.

Overseas Signings: Poirier, Rubins, Haapala, Rodewald

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After being picked 22nd overall by the Flames in the 2013 draft, things never worked out for Emile Poirier in the NHL. He managed only one assist in eight games during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and didn’t receive a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired in 2018.

Poirier spent the next two seasons on a minor-league contract with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose before heading overseas at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s racked up many airline rewards miles in the few years since, switching European leagues every season. Now 29, he’s on the move again, inking a one-year deal with Nybro Vikings IF of the Swedish second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan.

The Montreal-born forward has been decently productive in Europe but has been at his peak in the Slovak Extraliga. There, he’s averaged nearly a point per game across two different teams during stints in the 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons. Poirier spent last season with HC Slovan Bratislava, and although injuries limited him to 28 games, he still rattled off 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points.

He has played briefly in Sweden before, suiting up in 11 games for Djurgårdens IF, then in the Swedish Hockey League, to end the 2021-22 campaign. Poirier had three goals and two assists to end the season but went without a point in three relegation games as the Stockholm-based club was relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan, where they remain entering 2024-25.

In Nybro, Poirier joins a club in just their second season at the second tier since 2009. They’ve spent much of their existence in the third tier of the Swedish hockey pyramid, now known as HockeyEttan. The Vikings impressed in their first season back in the HockeyAllsvenskan, going 20-22-7-3 and finishing 27 points out of the relegation zone.

Other notable European signings over the past few days with NHL pedigree:

  • Former Maple Leafs defenseman Kristiāns Rubīns has signed a one-year contract with HC Plzeň of the Czech Extraliga. The 26-year-old Latvian went undrafted after coming to North America to finish his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League but stuck it out and inked a minor-league deal with the Toronto Marlies in hopes of one day making the jump to the NHL. It paid off, yielding an entry-level contract in 2020 before making his NHL debut in 2021-22, posting a -2 rating and 4 PIMs while averaging 11:45 per game across a three-game stint. However, it wasn’t enough for the Leafs to issue him a qualifying offer, and he became a free agent the following summer. After spending 2022-23 on a two-way deal with the Senators and Flames, he headed to Europe last summer to play for the SHL’s MoDo Hockey. There, the 6’5″ defender posted 10 points in 44 games in a top-four role. He now takes his services to Czechia for the first time in his career, joining a blue line that includes projected 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiříček.
  • One-time Panthers winger Henrik Haapala will play in Sweden for the first time in his lengthy professional career next season, inking a one-year pact with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks. The undersized but dynamic playmaking winger has an illustrious career in his native Finland that includes one Liiga bronze medal, three silver medals, and two championships. His title-winning 2016-17 season with Tappara saw him lead the league in scoring with 45 assists and 60 points in 51 games, earning him his first NHL shot with Florida the following season. However, Haapala spent most of the year in the minors and only managed five NHL appearances, recording a lone assist. Now 30, he had 18 points in 28 Swiss National League games last season, split between Genève-Servette and Lausanne HC.
  • Former Senators depth forward Jack Rodewald is remaining in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League next season on a one-year deal with Admiral Vladivostok. The 30-year-old Winnipeg native played 10 NHL games with the Sens from 2017 to 2019 but failed to record a point and averaged just 7:09 per game. Since heading to Europe in 2020, he’s suited up for Czechia’s HC Oceláři Třinec, Finland’s TPS, and the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star and Traktor Chelyabinsk. He split last season between Kunlun and Traktor, recording eight goals and 21 points in 59 contests.

Robin Salo Signs With SHL’s Malmo Redhawks

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June 14: The Redhawks made Salo’s signing official today, confirming the two-year term.

June 6: Islanders pending Group VI free agent defenseman Robin Salo is heading overseas. He’s set to sign a two-year deal with the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League, per Expressen’s Johan Svensson.

The Isles picked up Salo in the second round of the 2017 draft. The Finnish blue liner remained overseas for four seasons before coming to North America in 2021.

Now 25, Salo challenged for a major-league role out of camp the following season, and he put up a goal and four assists through his first 21 NHL games in bottom-pairing minutes. But he didn’t stick full-time, and he ended up spending most of the season on assignment to AHL Bridgeport, where he had a strong campaign with 20 points and a +1 rating in 40 games.

It’s been all downhill for the Finnish-born defender since, though. He appeared in only 11 games for the Isles in 2022-23 and saw decreased offensive output in Bridgeport, logging no goals and 14 assists in 38 games.

Salo was then placed on waivers to begin this season and never saw a call-up until serving as one of New York’s Black Aces during their first-round loss to the Hurricanes. He was still a regular on the farm with Bridgeport, though, logging five goals and 24 points in 68 games with a -19 rating.

Without much of a path to NHL time, though, it’s not surprising to see Salo return to Europe. He qualified for unrestricted free agency before his 27th birthday because he’s accumulated three North American professional seasons while playing fewer than 80 NHL games.

The left-shot defender has suited up in Sweden before, logging 36 points in 63 games with Örebro HK in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before joining the Isles. He has a history of playing heavy minutes overseas and could very well serve in a top pairing role with the Redhawks, who also have Blackhawks prospect Jakub Galvas and Senators 2019 first-round pick Lassi Thomson on their blue line next season.

A strong two-year run in Malmö could very well earn Salo some consideration on the international free agent market in 2026. The Isles won’t hold his exclusive signing rights if he opts to return to North America, though.

Snapshots: Hronek, Henriksson, Silayev, Klippenstein

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Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek is one of the more prominent pending restricted free agent blueliners this summer.  The 26-year-old had a career year in 2023-24, recording 48 points in 81 games while logging over 23 minutes a night, numbers that would serve him well in an arbitration hearing.  However, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province reports that there has been little action on contract talks on a new deal for several months.  Vancouver has to issue a $5.28MM qualifying offer later this month, something they should have no concerns about doing.  However, with the arbitration filing deadline coming early in July, it stands to reason that they should start discussions with Hronek’s camp in the near future.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • It looks like pending Rangers RFA Karl Henriksson could be heading back overseas next season. Smalandsposten in Sweden reports that SHL Vaxjo is showing interest in signing the 23-year-old.  Henriksson has spent the last two seasons with AHL Hartford and had 11 goals and 13 assists in 64 games in 2023-24.  He already has a fair bit of experience in Sweden’s top level, playing in 94 games in parts of four seasons with Frolunda before coming to North America.  Even if he signs back home, New York can still retain Henriksson’s NHL rights with a qualifying offer later this month.
  • While some of the expected top picks in the upcoming draft could jump to the NHL right away, that won’t be the case for Anton Silayev. He’s already signed through the 2025-26 season in the KHL and there’s no transfer agreement in place between that league and the NHL that could allow him to come sooner.  However, as Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis relays, NHL teams feel the big blueliner doesn’t intend on signing another deal in Russia after this one and instead intends to come to North America in 2026.  Given some of the uncertainty surrounding Russian prospects, his reported intention to come over two years from now should help his draft stock.
  • The Avalanche will soon be looking for a new Director of Amateur Scouting. Notre Dame College announced (Twitter link) announced that they’ve hired Wade Klippenstein as their new Director of Hockey Development.  Klippenstein has been in Colorado’s scouting department since 2016, serving as their top amateur scout for the past three seasons but Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reports that Klippenstein was informed that his contract would not be renewed, leading to this move.  He won’t be with them at the draft later this month.

Afternoon Notes: Drouin, Henrique, Bruins, Brandsegg-Nygard

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Colorado Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin has shared that he’s hoping to re-sign with the team this summer, per Meghan Angley of TheDNVR.com (Twitter link). Drouin joined the Avalanche on a one-year, $825K contract last July and looked great in their system, posting a career-high 56 points. He appeared in 79 games – the second-most he’s played in any of his 10 NHL seasons, behind the 2018-19 campaign.

Drouin seemed to find his footing with the Avalanche and will now hope to solidify his future with the club. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring while admirably filling Gabriel Landeskog’s role on the second line. That should be enough to earn him a substantial raise from his sub-$1MM salary this season, though he’ll still have to settle for a cheaper deal, with Colorado boasting just $15MM to re-sign their 11 free agents, including Sean Walker and Alexandar Georgiev.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers are expected to once again be without forward Adam Henrique for Game 6, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Knoblauch also shared that the Oilers will have an extra forward in warmups, with one lineup forward questionable with an illness. Henrique has missed five of the six games this series and hasn’t been particularly effective when he is on the ice – with just two points in six postseason games so far. Connor Brown will remain in the lineup in Henrique’s absence, while one of Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, or Adam Erne will likely skate as the precautionary extra forward.
  • A pair of Boston Bruins could be set to join Team Czechia at the World Championship, with Czechia news outlet iDNES.cz reporting that both David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha could join the team as soon as Monday. That decision will be made by general manager Petr Nedved and assistant general manager Martin Havlat, who shared that Pastrnak and Zacha are set to undergo medical evaluation on Sunday. These would be substantial additions to a Czechia roster that’s already leading Group A, with four wins in six games. They recently added Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas following their elimination and are now set to add two more difference-makers – a substantial boost ahead of their Tuesday matchup with Team Canada, their final of the group stage.
  • Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has signed a one-year deal with the reigning SHL champions: Skelleftea AIK. Brandsegg-Nygard spent the season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league, where he posted 18 points in 41 games. He’s also managed five points in five World Juniors games and 12 points in nine international friendlies with Norway’s U20 team – and is currently one of just six goal-scorers on Norway’s World Championship roster. It’s been a strong year for Brandsegg-Nygard, the fifth-ranked European by NHL Central Scouting. He should only add to his momentum on a flashy, high-skill Skelleftea team next year.

East Notes: Marchand, Sjalin, Rochester

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As expected, Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand was not an option for the team tonight against the Florida Panthers, as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury (X Link). It will be the second straight game that Marchand has not been able to suit up, and he will not be able to help the Bruins stave off elimination this evening.

Although Marchand’s injury has been classified as an upper-body injury, it is more than likely he is dealing with a head injury. In the first period of Game 3, Marchand attempted to deliver a hit to Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett in between the benches and quickly fell to the ice. Slowly getting back to Boston’s bench, alternate footage of the incident showed that during the play in question, Bennett appeared to throw a punch, making contact with Marchand’s head.

Currently battling in an elimination game, the play in question could potentially mark an unceremonious end to Marchand’s season. Throughout the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs, Marchand has led the Bruins in scoring, putting up three goals and 10 points in 10 games played.

Other East notes:

  • As previously rumored, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Calle Sjalin, has decided to sign with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (X Link). Despite being a solid contributor during his last season in the SHL, Sjalin never got much of an opportunity throughout his time in North America, appearing in only 70 AHL games over two seasons. Without much productivity throughout his tenure in the Panthers organization, Sjalin was traded to the Sabres organization this past deadline in a deal that sent team captain Kyle Okposo to the Sunshine State.
  • Staying in the Sabres organization, Buffalo beat writer Bill Hoppe reports that Rochester Americans assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch will be staying in the organization, and one may even become the next head coach. The team’s most recent head coach, Seth Appert, has been named an assistant coach for the Sabres for the 2024-25 NHL season, leading to the vacancy behind the bench.

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