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Eemeli Rasanen, Viktor Loov Sign In KHL

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The KHL presents an opportunity for professional hockey players who can’t seem to get a chance in the NHL, as it will for Viktor Loov. The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has bounced around the AHL the last few seasons, but will now head to Finland to join Jokerit for the 2018-19 KHL season. Loov signed a one-year deal, though at 25 with just four NHL games under his belt it seems unlikely that he’ll get a real opportunity in the future.

It can also be a development league for players who find themselves somewhere between the CHL and AHL, and that’s what Eemeli Rasanen will use it as. The Maple Leafs second-round pick from 2017 has signed a two-year deal with Jokerit and will begin his professional career in the KHL. Rasanen, a towering 6’7″ defenseman with good offensive skills, will get to go home to Finland while continuing his development.

Though he was drafted out of the CHL, Rasanen’s rights are likely now owned by the Maple Leafs for four seasons. As CapFriendly points out, that depends on whether the Maple Leafs extended a Bona Fide offer over the last year, something we can’t be sure of just yet. Still, one can assume that the team had discussed everything with him lately as Rasanen began practicing with the Toronto Marlies after his junior season (and, as we now learn, career) ended earlier this spring.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Laurence Gilman As Assistant GM

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Kyle Dubas isn’t waiting around. The Toronto Maple Leafs new GM announced yesterday that Brandon Pridham had been promoted to Assistant General Manager, and today added another AGM to the front office. The Maple Leafs have hired Laurence Gilman, who will take over Dubas’ old duties as GM of the Toronto Marlies and managing the organization’s player development. Dubas had this to say about his newest hire:

Laurence provides terrific experience to our management team. His 20-plus years in the NHL have seen him manage nearly every type of department in professional hockey and have success doing so. Adding Laurence to our front office and having him work alongside Brandon Pridham as an Assistant General Manager gives our program great depth and breadth of knowledge across all areas of hockey operations. We feel very fortunate to have both Brandon and Laurence as key parts of our executive team.

Gilman was expected by many to become the next commissioner of the ECHL, but will instead join the Maple Leafs and bring with him a wealth of hockey knowledge. A former AGM with the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes organizations, the last few years he’s spent consulting in various ways around the league. Just last year he was part of the committee that developed the expansion draft rules, and then–as Scott Wheeler of The Athletic points out–helped the Vegas Golden Knights hone their draft strategy in both the expansion and entry events.

Along with Pridham, the Maple Leafs now employ two of the people who may know the Collective Bargaining Agreement best. Both executives helped design the latest agreement, and should be extremely helpful to Dubas as he takes over as one of the youngest GMs in history. While there is still not exact replacement for Mark Hunter as a “scouting guru,” there is plenty of hockey experience in the Maple Leafs’ front office.

Snapshots: KHL Awards, Sambrook, Middleton

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The KHL announced their award winners today and there were plenty of surprises, not the least of which was their Rookie of the Year recipient. One would think that Eeli Tolvanen, the 19-year old phenom who broke nearly every junior-aged scoring record in the league would have walked away with the award, but instead Vitaly Kravtsov was the winner after scoring four goals and three assists for Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Just playing in the KHL was impressive for Kravtsov, who was just 17 for much of the season, but it does seem unlikely that Tolvanen’s 19 goals and 36 points for Jokerit wasn’t good enough to win. Tolvanen of course bolted for the NHL after his season ended, and played three games for the Nashville Predators down the stretch. Other winners today included Nikita Gusev as league MVP, Philip Larsen as the top defenseman, and Pavel Francouz as the top goaltender.

  • Jordan Sambrook will not be offered a contract by the Detroit Red Wings, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Sambrook, selected in the fifth round in 2016, is one of many players who will see their draft rights expire on June 1st. Sambrook had a good season split between the Erie Otters and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL, recording 39 points in the regular season and helping the Greyhounds make it all the way to the OHL Finals.
  • Keaton Middleton is in a similar situation, as Dhiren Mahiban reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick will not be signed by the deadline. Middleton will instead go back into the draft again, hoping to find another team who wants to bring him into the organization. The 6’5″ defenseman recorded 24 points for the Saginaw Spirit this year, after being selected in the fourth round in 2016.
  • Another Maple Leafs prospect, Nicolas Mattinen, has yet to decide whether he’ll sign or not according to Mahiban. The sixth-round pick from 2016 is still playing in the Memorial Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he continues to show what a long reach and good defensive positioning can accomplish.

Toronto Maple Leafs Promote Brandon Pridham To Assistant GM

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After two key executives have left in recent days and another was promoted to the role of General Manager, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a void to fill in their front office. They’ve continued to move people up the ladder today to try and fill it, as Brandon Pridham has been promoted to Assistant GM. Pridham had previously been titled Assistant to the General Manager, specializing in cap-related decisions over the last few seasons. New Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas had this to say about his new AGM:

Brandon’s promotion to Assistant General Manager is most deserving. Working closely with him for the last four seasons has allowed me to see the value that he brings to our program across many domains. Brandon is a vital part of our organization today and moving forward. He has earned this title with his selfless contributions to the Maple Leafs during his time here.

Lou Lamoriello Named New York Islanders President Of Hockey Operations

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The New York Islanders have officially hired former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello as their new President of Hockey Operations. In fitting Lamoriello fashion, the press release includes a note that he will “have full authority over all hockey matters with the organization.” It had already recently been reported that Lamoriello spoke with John Tavares as a representative of the Islanders, something he will continue to do now that he has been officially announced.

Lamoriello was pushed out of his role as GM when his contract finished, with the Maple Leafs instead turning to Kyle Dubas to lead their team going forward. Mark Hunter, Lamoriello’s assistant GM, also left the team this morning, though there is no indication yet if he’ll join his former boss in New York. For now, Lamoriello will come into a front office that had been run by Garth Snow, who will likely now move to a different role within the organization. Snow has a long-term contract with the club still that is reportedly difficult to buy him out of, but there is no question who will be running things going forward.

Lamoriello’s son Chris is also with the organization as an assistant GM, and will likely be retained under his father. As for the rest of the group, there’s no telling how it will be restructured.

For the Islanders, this can only be seen as a positive moving forward. The team desperately needs to find some success in the next few years, and their future depends on how negotiations go with Tavares. Either they’re going all-in with their franchise center to compete right away, or building around Mathew Barzal and the rest of the team’s young players. Lamoriello has experience in both from his days in New Jersey and Toronto, and understands the challenges fully.

Mark Hunter Leaves Toronto Maple Leafs

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After Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news last night that Mark Hunter was not at the Memorial Cup as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, many believed the writing was on the wall. Today, the team announced that they and Hunter had mutually parted ways, leaving his role as assistant GM vacant for the moment. New GM Kyle Dubas has now lost two experienced executives in recent days, after Lou Lamoriello began working for the New York Islanders.

Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that while Hunter is now free from his duties for the Maple Leafs, he will not be permitted to work for another team until after the upcoming draft and free agency period. With several years remaining on his current contract, the Maple Leafs will stop him only from giving another team an advantage this year, as he is likely intimate with their plans and draft board at this point.

Hunter was passed over recently for the GM job, one that he made clear to President Brendan Shanahan that he wanted. The long-time OHL executive and coach is a top scout and has helped the Maple Leafs find several mid to late-round players that will contribute in the NHL. For now he’ll have to sit out the 2018 draft, but there’s little doubt that interest will quickly surface from around the league.

Whether he’ll take one of those other NHL jobs is unclear, as there is always a chance that he returns to the London Knights organization where he owns the team with his brother Dale Hunter. The Knights are one of the richest, most successful teams in the CHL and have routinely put powerhouse lineups on the ice.

Hunter could also end up in New York with Lamoriello, after working well together for several years. Lamoriello recently left a senior advisor role with the Maple Leafs, and though it’s not clear exactly what his title will be with the Islanders, he will be in charge of their entire hockey operations department.

For the Maple Leafs, this leaves Dubas with several big holes to fill on his staff. He already likely had to replace himself as GM of the Toronto Marlies, and now will need to bring in another new assistant GM to help the scouting side.

Lou Lamoriello Will Be Hired By New York Islanders

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Though the rumors have been floating around for some time, Arthur Staple of The Athletic (subscription required) now confirms that Lou Lamoriello will be hired by the New York Islanders to run their hockey operations. Lamoriello was recently removed from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM position when his contract expired, and immediately linked to the Islanders as a potential destination. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Lamoriello has also already spoken with John Tavares as a representative of the Islanders.

It’s still not clear how the front office will be structured for the Islanders, as current GM Garth Snow still has several years on a contract that is unlikely to be bought out. Instead of firing their long time executive, Snow may take on a different role while Lamoriello is given the keys to the franchise. Chris Lamoriello, Lou’s son, is already in the front office as an assistant GM.

The Islanders have one of the biggest summer’s in franchise history coming up, with Tavares likely determining the direction the team takes over the next several years. If he were to re-sign, the team would be dedicated to competing for the Stanley Cup over the next few years as he remains at his top performance. If he instead spurns the only team he’s ever played for and hits the free agent market, the team could instead look to rebuild around rookie sensation Mathew Barzal and open a large window of contention a few years down the road. Barzal is an exceptional talent in his own right, but without Tavares the team doesn’t look good enough to really contend as currently constructed.

There’s also the fact that the team is expecting their new arena to be ready for the 2021-22 season, a year that the franchise will want to make as successful as possible as they try to reinvigorate their fan base. The Belmont Park location has other hurdles in its way (including a potential NHL work stoppage), but having Tavares in the fold would certainly make the team feel more comfortable as they head into their next era.

Lamoriello is technically under contract as a senior advisor for the Maple Leafs, but there was little doubt that President Brendan Shanahan would let him move on if he found another opportunity. In a similar situation to his exit from New Jersey a few years ago, it didn’t take long for another organization to come calling.

Toronto Maple Leafs Lead Bonus Overages List

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It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are at the top of at least one list. CapFriendly released a list of teams with Bonus Overages for this year, which result from players on their entry-level contracts hitting their standard bonuses. Nine teams’ performance bonuses went over the salary cap with the Maple Leafs leading with $2.55MM, which will now count against their 2018-19 cap. The bonus overages range from Toronto’s $2.55MM to the Minnesota Wild’s $25K.

The Maple Leafs’ bonuses came from just three players from the entry-level contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander which totaled the $2.55MM. Since the team had no remaining cap room in 2017-18, it pushes over to the following year. Most of the nine teams were at the cap threshold, while others like the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and the Tampa Bay Lightning had some cap room to take a part of the bonus hits.

Two teams bonuses could still go up as Boston’s Jake Debrusk and Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev could each receive bonus if they are named to the All-Rookie Team.

Here is the nine-team list:

Toronto Maple Leafs: $2,550,000
Chicago Blackhawks: $1,232,500
Vancouver Canucks: $852,847
Boston Bruins: $774,000
Detroit Red Wings: $755,000
St. Louis Blues: $150,988
Tampa Bay Lightning: $142,947
Washington Capitals: $82,500
Minnesota Wild: $25,000

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Four Players

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Friday: Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star reports that the contract terms are as follows:

  • Engvall: $925K AAV
  • Lindgren: $776K AAV
  • Lindholm: $925K AAV
  • Ozhiganov: $925K AAV

Thursday: The Toronto Maple Leafs were busy today, inking four international players to entry-level contracts. Jesper Lindgren has signed a three-year contract and Pierre Engvall inks a two-year deal, while Par Lindholm and Igor Ozhiganov officially sign their one-year contracts. All four should come as no surprise as Lindgren and Engvall had already suited up for the Marlies while Lindholm and Ozhiganov had long been rumored to be signing with Toronto.

Lindgren and Engvall were both selected in the later rounds by the Maple Leafs, the former going 95th overall in 2015 and the latter going 188th in 2014. Engvall has been an impressive addition to the Toronto Marlies’ playoff run, scoring eight points in nine games down the stretch and adding seven more in the postseason. The big, physical forward has learned to use his frame to protect the puck on the way to the net, and recorded 20 points in 31 games for HV71 in his first turn in the SHL. Lindgren on the other hand is a right-handed puck-moving defenseman who played in Finland this year, recording eight points in 43 games. While that point total doesn’t sound promising he didn’t log big minutes for the team and should see an improved offensive output in North America.

Lindholm, 26, decided on the Maple Leafs last month after several teams had pursued him. Suiting up for Sweden at the Olympics and spending his fourth season in the SHL, the versatile forward could be the answer to Toronto’s fourth-line center next season. After scoring 47 points in 49 games in the SHL, he will bring more polish and experience to the role than the other internal candidates, as long as he can transition to the North American game without problem. With Tyler Bozak, Dominic Moore and Tomas Plekanec all headed towards unrestricted free agency, the Maple Leafs have a distinct lack of depth down the middle.

Ozhiganov perhaps is the crown jewel of the bunch, and one that has been recruited for some time by the Maple Leafs. Similar to the way the team pursued Nikita Zaitsev in recent years, Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello personally traveled to Russia to meet with Ozhiganov and sell him on the benefits of joining Toronto. Now that the 25-year old defenseman has officially signed, speculation will start over whether he’s an answer on the NHL club right from the beginning of the season. With Roman Polak heading to the open market, and Connor Carrick still not able to secure a full-time role on Toronto’s right side, Ozhiganov could potentially slide into the bottom pairing right away. That’s if new GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t go out and acquire some defensive help though, something the team drastically needs.

All of these signings were in place before Dubas took over, but continues what has been a mining of European talent over the last few years by the Maple Leafs. The team also signed Miro Aaltonen, Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen last summer, and have invested draft picks in several junior players in Russia over the last few years. As the Maple Leafs try to fill out the ranks around their young stars, the international market seems like their go-to scouting destination these days.

Kasperi Kapanen Not Yet Joining Toronto Marlies For AHL Playoffs

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The Toronto Marlies are about to begin a playoff series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow, and the team has all hands on deck. All hands but one at least, as Kasperi Kapanen doesn’t seem to be joining them after being eliminated from the IIHF World Championship yesterday. Though, as Scott Wheeler of The Athletic pointed out yesterday, he is eligible to join the Marlies for their playoff run, Kapanen posted a photo of a plane ticket from Copenhagen to Helsinki on his Instagram account earlier today. As Wheeler had mentioned, there was a possibility that Kapanen would return to Finland after what has been a long year to begin his offseason.

This doesn’t by any means guarantee that Kapanen won’t join the team at some point. The Marlies are a favorite for the Calder Cup after an incredible regular season and two impressive series wins against Utica and Syracuse, the latter of which ended in a four-game sweep. There is always a chance that Kapanen joins them somewhere down the road, but the team already has a glut of talented wingers to choose from.

Kapanen, 21, established himself as an NHL regular in the second half of the season and played in all seven games against Boston in the first round of the playoffs with the Maple Leafs. The speedy winger recorded nine points in 38 games during the regular season, but was limited to fourth-line duties for much of that time. After a solid performance for Finland at the World Championship, he’ll try to nab a role higher up the lineup next season with the Maple Leafs. The team is expected to let James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov go in free agency, opening up some more minutes for players like Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to fill.

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