Snapshots: Kaprizov, Elias, Robert Morris
While no one wants to see dynamic and entertaining talent Kirill Kaprizov leave the NHL after just one year, especially after waiting so long for his arrival, the ongoing negotiations between he, the Minnesota Wild, and allegedly the KHL’s CSKA Moscow has been an intriguing storyline to say the least. However, the recent report that CKSA has an eight-figure offer out to Kaprizov is almost certainly a farce. As first pointed out by Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland, the KHL salary cap is equivalent to about $12MM, making an eight-figure offer one that eats up at least 83% of the team’s payroll on just one player. Even if they did want to make that kind of unrealistic commitment to Kaprizov, the perennial contenders are already flush with talent, including recent NHLers Joakim Nordstrom, Lucas Wallmark, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and several others. There is no possible way that CSKA can afford Kaprizov for anything more than Minnesota’s best offer, leading Strickland to call this “one of the worst bluffs in sports history.” So, rest easy Wild fans. Minnesota maintains all of the leverage in this negotiation and isn’t about to lose Kaprizov and certainly not to an imaginary KHL offer.
- Following a strong performance at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Sports Illustrated’s Steven Ellis reports that talented young Slovakian goalkeeper Rastislav Elias has decided to make the move to North America and will play in the USHL this season. Unlike the past few draft classes, which have featured elite goaltending prospects that were long considered first-round picks, the title for top goalie prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft is still up for grabs. Elias hopes that by joining the Green Bay Gamblers and testing himself in a new league, having only played in Slovakian juniors to this point, will earn him some consideration for that label. The spotlight will be on Elias in 2021-22, who is already considered one of the top prospects in net alongside Canadian Tyler Brennan and Russian Sergei Ivanov in particular. Not only will NHL teams be eying Elias, but NCAA programs will also be heavily scouting the talented prospect, who is still eligible to go the college route if he so chooses.
- Robert Morris University made waves this spring – and not the good kind – when they shockingly terminated their men’s and women’s hockey programs. The decision spurned numerous outside efforts to raise money to bring the programs back before the coming season, but there had been no update as to whether those attempts had been successful. That official word came down today, as the Pittsburgh-area university announced that they will not be icing hockey teams in 2021-22. Robert Morris reports that they have raised $1.34MM in contributions and pledges, but would require $1.4MM in immediate contributions and another $1.4MM in future pledges in order to reinstate the programs. The school notes that it is “eyeing [a] comeback in 2022-23” if fundraising continues, but by then the players from both teams likely will have transferred and the program will be starting from scratch. It is a disappointing result and seeming lack of dedication and effort on the part of Robert Morris, especially as schools around the country are adding Division I hockey programs, not subtracting them.
Snapshots: Kane, Saros, Pettersson
With an investigation ongoing into allegations that he bet on NHL games, Evander Kane‘s future with the San Jose Sharks isn’t clear. But it was long before that things started to deteriorate between the $7MM forward and his team. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic published an explosive piece today examining the situation in San Jose, reporting that “several key players” told the Sharks management that if Kane remained with the team, they didn’t want to stay.
Kurz writes that the Sharks did explore trading Kane earlier this offseason, but that obviously didn’t come to pass. Now with this new allegation, the reports of locker room turmoil and a bankruptcy case continuing in the background, the 30-year-old forward is “virtually untradeable.” Kane is currently signed through the 2024-25 season and holds a modified no-trade clause that allows him to list just three clubs he could be traded to. He also is coming off arguably his best season as a professional, with 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games.
- The Nashville Predators are approaching an arbitration hearing with starting goaltender Juuse Saros, scheduled for August 18. Adam Vingan of The Athletic breaks down the case that both sides have, but notes that Saros’ camp is looking for a long-term deal, while the Predators are hoping for a three to four-year contract if things can be worked out before the hearing. Saros truly broke out this season, finishing sixth in the Vezina Trophy voting and even receiving some Hart Trophy recognition, after posting a 21-11-1 record with a .927 save percentage. The 26-year-old goaltender is just a year away from unrestricted free agency, meaning any multi-year contract would be buying out almost exclusively UFA seasons. An arbitration ruling on the other hand could only be one year in length, taking him right to the open market next year.
- Elias Pettersson is another restricted free agent without a contract, but he doesn’t seem too worried about it. The Vancouver Canucks forward spoke to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige and explained that though the two sides are not in agreement on a deal yet, he’s confident they will find a solution. Pettersson also clearly indicated that he wants to be on a winning team, meaning if they want to keep him long-term, the Canucks better start making the playoffs more often.
Snapshots: Baptiste, Letowski, Kalamazoo
Nicholas Baptiste found new life with the Texas Stars this season, getting his career back on track with 23 points in 34 AHL games. The 25-year-old forward will now head overseas to play for Ilves in Finland, where he could find even more offensive success. A third-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2013, Baptiste played 47 games with the team between 2016-18, scoring ten points. He’s been stuck in the minor leagues ever since, suiting up for the Milwaukee Admirals, Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators in addition to the Stars.
An unrestricted free agent that was playing under an AHL deal, Baptiste is still young enough to go to Europe, boost his value and potentially return on an NHL contract down the line. He’ll have to perform, obviously, but this may not be the last we’ve heard of Baptiste in North American pro hockey.
- The Montreal Canadiens have hired Trevor Letowski as an assistant coach for the upcoming season, adding him to Dominique Ducharme’s staff. Letowski, who played more than 600 games in the NHL, was the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires for four seasons before this new appointment, though he didn’t get to serve during the canceled 2020-21 OHL season. Letowski joins a staff that already had assistants Alexandre Burrows and Luke Richardson, the latter of which signed a new three-year contract recently.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have reached an affiliation agreement with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL, joining forces once again. The two were affiliates between 2014-16, but the Wings had other agreements with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks since then. For the 2021-22 season, after opting out of the ECHL season this year, they’ll be linked to the Blue Jackets, meaning they’ll receive some of their lower-end prospects. The ECHL is especially important for goaltending prospects, who need playing time above all else for their continued development.
Snapshots: Jets, Tarasenko, Buchnevich
The Winnipeg Jets will be in the market for defensemen when the trade freeze is lifted in a few days. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke with NHL.com, explaining that the team is looking to improve the back end through trades or free agency, even though they have several young defensemen in the system already. Jordie Benn, Derek Forbort, and Tucker Poolman are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer.
There’s also the possibility that Dylan DeMelo is selected by the Seattle Kraken, leaving the Jets even more shorthanded. Currently, the team has just DeMelo, Josh Morrissey, Nathan Beaulieu, and Sami Niku under one-way contracts for next season. Logan Stanley and Neal Pionk are both restricted free agents, while Ville Heinola, who could be in line for a full-time role, is still on his entry-level contract. Even if that whole group was brought back, it simply wasn’t good enough to help the Jets really contend for the Stanley Cup, meaning a more substantial change could be in order.
- The Seattle Kraken are reportedly considering a select-and-trade with St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, but Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that it could get even more complicated than that. Strickland suggests a third team could be involved in any Tarasenko trade were the Kraken to choose him. That would open up the door for even more salary retention, potentially giving someone the 29-year-old forward at a bargain. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic spoke with the doctor that performed Tarasenko’s most recent shoulder surgery, who explained that it is “rock solid” and suggested the sniper would be at full strength for the start of the 2021-22 season.
- Strickland also tweets that the Blues have serious interest in New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich, who is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer for the final time. Buchnevich is now 26, just a year away from UFA status, and appeared on Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s list of trade targets last week, with the scribe writing that Rangers GM Chris Drury has “engaged in conversation about the possibility of moving” him. With 20 goals and 48 points in 54 games this season, Buchnevich has blossomed into a true top-six option that could potentially replace some of the outgoing firepower in St. Louis. It’s not just Tarasenko that could be leaving the Blues, as Mike Hoffman, Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak are also all pending UFAs.
Snapshots: Power, Olympics, Orlando
The past few days have been quite the event in NHL news, leading up to the Seattle Expansion Draft on Wednesday and the NHL Entry Draft on Friday. But while the majority of news and notes have had to do with the Kraken, including their reported signing of goalie Chris Driedger earlier today, the Entry Draft hasn’t been lost in the shuffle. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, in his final draft piece before the event on Friday, states that in his polling of NHL scouts, University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power has pulled away from the rest of the field and is the consensus No. 1 overall choice ahead of the draft. This comes after reports that the Buffalo Sabres, who hold the first pick, had yet to interview Power and had significant interest in Swedish forward William Eklund instead. But based on McKenzie’s polling, it seems as though Buffalo will still be selecting Power with that first choice. What remains to be seen is if the Sabres acquire an additional top-10 draft choice ahead of Friday, allowing them to potentially select both Power and Eklund. What’s for sure is that neither will join the team next season, as both Power and Eklund have expressed their desire to return to their respective teams for at least one more season.
- ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski notes that despite the NHL expected to leave an Olympic break in their 2021-22 schedule, their participation in the event is not yet confirmed. This builds on earlier reporting that the NHL had until July 23rd to find a resolution for the situation. However, that was based on the fact that the schedule would be final and without modification. The expectation here is that with an Olympic break built into the schedule, the NHL won’t need to add any time to the season if they are able to send their players to China in 2022. If not, the schedule can be adjusted without extending the season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced in a press release today that they’ve extended their ECHL affiliation with the Orlando Solar Bears for two years. The agreement takes the two teams through the 2022-23 season and ensures a pipeline of Orlando in the ECHL and Syracuse in the AHL remains constant for the next two seasons. Orlando, previously the ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has seen success in recent years after matching with the Lightning organization. The team likely appreciates having a relatively local minor league affiliate and had no desire to move elsewhere.
Snapshots: Price, NHL Schedule, Snowden
The NHL landscape was rocked this weekend with a landslide of news triggered by a pre-Expansion Draft transaction freeze that came into effect yesterday. Trades rolled in quick succession prior to the 3:00 PM ET deadline, leading to an unexpected rush of news. Now, with teams’ protection lists for the Seattle Expansion Draft being released this morning, there are even more implications. One of these is the future of Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price. After shockingly being asked to waive his no-movement clause, Price wasn’t protected by the Habs this morning. It’s led to a variety of rumors surrounding the circumstance of his potential selection. One potentiality that was floated was Seattle selecting Price and proceeding to trade him back to Montreal with salary retained. However, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that this isn’t possible given league statutes. The NHL classifies this type of move as salary cap circumvention, meaning that if the Kraken do select Price, he won’t be able to be immediately dealt back to Montreal. Uncertainty remains surrounding whether the Canadiens could re-acquire Price next offseason, however, which could be a strong possibility.
- National Hockey Now reports that the NHL will indeed be re-incorporating series-style scheduling into the 2021-22 regular-season schedule, which is expected to be released this week. It’s a move that was widely anticipated ahead of the announcement. This year’s NHLPA players’ poll revealed that 66.3% of players wished to carry this year’s series-style scheduling forward into the coming seasons. It’ll be of benefit to teams as they begin to readjust to league-wide travel, as the league returns to its standard divisions next season. The only modification will be the Arizona Coyotes moving to the Central Division, vacating their Pacific Division spot for the Kraken.
- The AHL’s Toronto Marlies announced today that they’ve brought in John Snowden as an assistant coach. He fills a vacant seat on the Marlies’ coaching staff left by former NHL defenseman Rob Davison, who departed the team after his contract expired this offseason. Snowden’s most well-known achievement as a coach is guiding the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers to a Kelly Cup Championship in 2019 after he was promoted to the job mid-season. He’ll look to bring that championship expertise to the next generation of Toronto Maple Leafs prospects beginning next season.
Snapshots: Halak, Ovechkin, Koivu, Hudon
Veteran goaltender Jaroslav Halak and the Boston Bruins are officially parting ways. Halak’s agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed to The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter that Halak will reach unrestricted free agency on July 28 and the Bruins are not expected to be a suitor. The news really should not come as much of a surprise. It’s the dawn of a new day in net in Boston, as young goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Daniel Vladar have been excellent in both the NHL and AHL and look ready to take on regular NHL roles. Swayman in fact took the Boston backup job from Halak over the course of this season and into the postseason. The 2020 Hobey Baker finalist and Mike Richter Award and 2021 AHL All-Star has already shown flashes of NHL starting potential and could secure the role this season. Vladar, who led the AHL in save percentage and GAA in 2019-20, requires waivers this season, so he too looks locked into an NHL role. Between that duo and Tuukka Rask, who will be sidelined until mid-season but is still a candidate for extension, Halak had no place with the Bruins. With that said, there should be plenty of suitors out there. Halak was an ideal Robin to Rask’s Batman over the past three years, taking on a considerable workload and playing at an elite level, winning the Jennings Trophy with Rask in 2019-20. The 36-year-old has shown signs of decline in the past calendar year, but can still be an above average backup for a contender or a 1B mentor to a young 1A.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is less than two weeks away from reaching unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career but in an interview with Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov, he expressed confidence that he will be able to reach an agreement to remain with Washington. He also acknowledged the possibility of returning to Dynamo Moscow in the KHL for next season which suggests that a new deal with the Caps isn’t finalized and is simply waiting until after the expansion draft to be filed as many expect will happen with several UFAs next week. Ovechkin has been adamant about his desire to play in the Olympics and with there still being uncertainty about whether NHL players will participate in 2022, going to the KHL would guarantee him the chance to participate. Having said that, a return to Washington still is the expected outcome.
- Former NHL center Mikko Koivu has found his first coaching opportunity as Ilta Sanomat’s Tatu Mullykoski relays that the 38-year-old has been named an assistant coach for Finland’s Under-20 team (their World Junior squad). He replaces Tuomo Ruutu who became part of Florida’s coaching staff earlier this summer. Koivu spent the first 15 years of his career with Minnesota before joining Columbus for this past season. However, he hung up his skates after seven games with the Blue Jackets.
- Pending UFA winger Charles Hudon is looking to return to North America, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 27-year-old opted not to re-sign with Montreal as a restricted free agent and instead spent the season with Lausanne in Switzerland where he had 32 points in 33 games this past season. Hudon has 41 points in 125 games over parts of five seasons with the Canadiens.
Snapshots: Landeskog, Menell, DeAngelo
The Colorado Avalanche have several key free agents to sign this offseason, including captain Gabriel Landeskog. While it has been expected for some time that Landeskog would return to Colorado one way or another, it doesn’t mean teams aren’t preparing for the alternative. Lou Korac of NHL.com reports that the St. Louis Blues will apply a “full pitch effort” should Landeskog reach unrestricted free agency, suggesting that he would move onto a line with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron.
Landeskog, 28, is coming off another outstanding season with 52 points in 54 games, and will be a highly sought-after commodity should he hit the open market. It’s not often you have a chance to add a still-young-enough star offensive player that adds physicality and leadership for nothing but money through free agency, meaning the Blues certainly wouldn’t be the only team going hard after Landeskog if the Avalanche failed to lock him up.
- The Minnesota Wild are working to try and bring Brennan Menell back to North America, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The 24-year-old remains on the team’s reserve list after playing in the KHL this season, where he finished second in scoring among defensemen with 38 points in 47 games. The last time Mennell was on this side of the ocean, he scored 47 points in 57 games with the Iowa Wild and received his first NHL opportunity, suiting up five times with Minnesota. An undrafted free agent signing, the Wild will continue to hold his exclusive NHL rights through his 27th birthday.
- The New York Rangers are still expected to buy out defenseman Tony DeAngelo, but Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that they will not do so until after the expansion draft. DeAngelo currently fills an exposure requirement for the draft, though so does Anthony Bitetto even if the team exercised the buyout now. The first window to buy out a player is open until July 27, meaning there is no rush for the Rangers at this point.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Granlund, Jones
Off-season chatter around the NHL has been heating up in recent days. The league and its fans are operating on a tight schedule, with the protection lists for the Seattle expansion draft due just a week from today. Teams all over the league are looking to shift their roster makeup under a flat salary cap, posing decisions on player prioritization. Along those lines, The Fourth Period reports that the Montreal Canadiens are likely to focus on re-signing their pending free agents before dipping their toes into the market. That’s especially interesting coming on the heels of winger Corey Perry saying that he’s got more hockey left in the tank. Re-signing him seems rather inevitable at this point. With this rumor, it’s also reasonable to speculate that Montreal will do whatever they can to make deals work for Phillip Danault and Joel Armia, the former of which will demand a serious investment from Habs management.
- As the Vancouver Canucks look to return to playoff contention, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal lists Mikael Granlund as an option for a third-line center in British Columbia. It might be a logical fit, considering Vancouver’s need a more offensively-inclined piece to revitalize their depth in the bottom-six. Granlund could also be swayed by the opinion of his younger brother, Markus Granlund, who played 215 games over four seasons for the Canucks organization. Having Granlund serve as an impact player against lesser competition could help him improve on his point totals and return to his 40-plus-point seasons of years past.
- The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are getting some assistance surrounding a Seth Jones trade. According to the source, Jones’ agent is doing double duty and speaking with other teams directly in order to help expedite the process of a trade. Dealing Jones before the July 17th protection list deadline could prove advantageous to Columbus, allowing them to protect depth defender Dean Kukan who’s impressed in a limited role. It would also give Columbus more clarity about their organizational needs ahead of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, where the team holds three first-round picks.
Snapshots: Sharks, Killorn, Neal, Chiasson
With the pre-expansion trade freeze now just a week away, trade talk will be picking up around the league. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that the Sharks are a team that is active in those discussions with winger Kevin Labanc, defenseman Radim Simek, and center Dylan Gambrell at the forefront of those discussions. Labanc underwhelmed in the first season of a four-year, $18.9MM deal with 12 goals in 55 games, Simek is on the expensive side for a third-pairing defenseman with a $2.25MM price tag, while Gambrell, a pending RFA, didn’t produce much this season – just 12 points in 49 games despite averaging over 16 minutes a game. Kurz adds that San Jose’s preference is to make a player for player swap; speculatively speaking, any deal involving the first two players would be seeking to bring in a cheaper replacement to give them some more financial flexibility.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Lightning winger Alex Killorn should be fully recovered for training camp, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The veteran fractured his fibula blocking a point shot in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final and has already undergone surgery. While he was hoping to get back into the lineup later in the series had it gone that far, the recovery time for this injury is closer to three to four weeks.
- After Edmonton was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Oilers GM Ken Holland strongly suggested a buyout or two was in the cards for his roster. However, his agent Kent Morris told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he hasn’t received a notification from the team yet about veteran winger James Neal heading down that path. A buyout of the final two years remaining on the contract for the 33-year-old is likely with Neal notching just five goals and five assists in 29 games this season but such a move may not come until after expansion.
- Morris also spoke about another Oilers client, telling Matheson in that same column that pending UFA winger Alex Chiasson would like to stay and that the team hasn’t yet shut a door on his return. Having said that, it seems likely that they’ll look at their options in free agency before potentially circling back to the 30-year-old who has managed just 20 goals over the last two seasons combined after scoring 22 times in his first season with the team.