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Overseas Signings: LaDue, Brooks, Reinke

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A few players with NHL games under their belt have headed overseas within the past 24 hours:

  • After nearly breaking out as a roster regular with the Kings before the pandemic, Paul LaDue’s days in the NHL appear to be over. MoDo of the Swedish Hockey League has signed the 31-year-old defenseman to a one-year deal. LaDue is coming off a two-year, two-way deal with the Islanders that was spent entirely on assignment to AHL Bridgeport. The North Dakota native was once a solid puck-mover at the AHL level during his days in the Los Angeles system, but his offense dried up with the Isles, going without a goal and registering only 16 assists combined over 93 games the past two years. LaDue last suited up in the NHL with the Islanders in 2021-22, his lone appearance in a New York sweater. The other 69 of his 70 career NHL games came in L.A., where he scored five times and added 13 assists for 18 points in parts of four seasons.
  • Center/left winger Adam Brooks is heading to Germany on a one-year deal with EHC Munich of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Brooks, 28, heads to Europe for the first time after spending the first seven years of his professional career in North America, primarily in the AHL. Like Ladue, he hasn’t seen NHL ice since 2021-22, instead suiting up for the past two seasons with AHL Lehigh Valley while under contract with the Flyers. Brooks posted 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 43 NHL games for the Canadiens, Golden Knights, Jets and Maple Leafs from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
  • Still in the DEL, Eisbären Berlin has inked right-shot defender Mitch Reinke to a one-year contract. Injuries limited Reinke to just 25 games with AHL Coachella Valley last season after he signed a two-way deal with the Kraken late in the offseason. The 28-year-old has just one NHL game to his name, coming with the Blues back in 2017-18 after they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech. Since then, the entirety of his pro career has been spent in the AHL, although he did also make one playoff appearance for the Blues in 2021 after spending a good chunk of the COVID-shortened season on the taxi squad. Reinke is a good puck-mover and strong skater and, if healthy, should be able to rehab his value in Germany and potentially earn another NHL contract next summer.

Hurricanes Sign Dominik Badinka To Entry-Level Contract

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed 2024 34th-overall selection Dominik Badinka to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry a league-minimum $775K salary at the NHL level, an $85K salary at the AHL level, and $282.15K in signing bonuses. Badinka becomes the third player from this year’s second round to earn his first NHL contract, joining Pittsburgh forward Tanner Howe and Washington defenseman Leon Muggli.

Badinka earned a near-first-round selection with a standout season in Sweden, where he fought his way into routine SHL ice time with the Malmo Redhawks on the back of 13 points in 17 U20 games. That production didn’t carry to the top flight, though, with Badinka posting just four points in 33 SHL games. Still, his aggressive edge and strong puck skills shined through despite the low scoring. He didn’t shy away from physicality, either, showing no fear engaging in puck battles with players 10 or 15 years his senior. He’s at his best with the puck on his stick, a knack for carrying the puck into the neutral zone and joining the rush. Badinka knows how to match the pace of a pro game – and did well at using quick passes and sharp skating to create space in the offensive end. But his aggressive positioning and naive fundamentals are both apparent drawbacks, and will no doubt be Badinka’s key areas of improvement as he prepares for North American pros.

Badinka is currently committed to joining Malmo for next season, surely hoping to take his first step forward in the SHL after planting his feet last year. But this entry-level contract could be enough to sway the young, feisty defender towards making a move to America before the end of the season. Badinka shared his eagerness to move to North Carolina with Chip Alexander of The News & Observer, saying he feels he can be NHL-ready within a year or two. He’ll become the next in a long string of Hurricanes defenders to jump to the pro level should that hold true, joining Scott Morrow and Ronan Seeley in the fight for NHL ice time.

Sabres’ Arttu Ruotsalainen Signs In SHL

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Forward Arttu Ruotsalainen has terminated his contract with Lugano of Switzerland’s National League and signed a one-year contract with the SHL’s Frolunda HC.

Ruotsalainen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 2019, joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Finland. His deal slid for one year, formerly kicking into gear when Ruotsalainen joined the Sabres for the delayed 2020-21 season. He kicked off his North American career in the AHL, though he earned a quick call-up with 13 points through his first 13 games. He continued the year as Buffalo’s extra forward, ultimately slotting into 17 NHL games and scoring five goals and six points.

Ruotsalainen continued on as a go-to depth forward in 2021-22, netting four points in 18 NHL games and 51 points in 57 AHL games. But finding his scoring groove wasn’t enough to convince Ruotsalainen that Buffalo was the right home, and he forwent the last year of his NHL contract in favor of a move to Kloten HC of the National League in 2022-23. Ruotsalainen maintained his strong production through the change, netting 42 points in 52 games, though he struggled to carry it in his move to Lugano – with just 14 points in 43 games this year. It was an unusually low-scoring year for the dynamic centerman, who’s managed at least 40 points in three of his last five European seasons, dating back to his six-year career in Finland’s Liiga spanning from 2015 to 2021.

Still just 26, Ruotsalainen is now moving to his third European league looking to rediscover his scoring spark. He’ll be helped along by a tactical and high-skill Frolunda offense, which stomped to the semi-finals this year before losing a seven-game series against the eventual champions, Skelleftea AIK. He should be an immediate top forward in the lineup, though he’ll have to compete with captains Max Friberg and Nicklas Lasu for the role of first-line center.

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.

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