Last year, Czech center Jan Kovar was one of the more intriguing international players out there but he wasn’t able to come to the NHL since he had one more year left on his KHL deal. That has now expired and in an interview with VK’s Pavel Kadoshnikov (link in Russian), Kovar confirmed that he is leaving the KHL and is open to crossing the pond to play in North America. His offensive numbers were down in 2017-18 (35 points in 54 games after putting up 63 in 59 contests last year) but he did play well in the Olympics and should still garner some NHL interest. As he’s 28 years old, he falls outside the restrictions of the entry level system.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time but noted to Dhiren Mahiban of the Sporting News that he isn’t particularly worried about the situation, nor does he plan to get overly involved in the negotiations. He also indicated that he’d like to remain in Edmonton; with their salary cap situation though, there are bound to be some changes on the horizon. Nurse led all Oilers defensemen with 26 points and sat second on the team in ice time. As a result, he is well-positioned to land a significant raise on the $863K he received this past season.
- After missing the opener at the World Championships on Friday, Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to officially be added to Canada’s roster and play on Sunday against Korea, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). He had been dealing with a groin injury.
- Flyers defenseman prospect Samuel Morin is expected to play for the first time in more than three-and-a-half months, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News. He’ll be suiting up with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley as they continue their second-round series against Charlotte. It has been a trying year for the 2013 first-rounder as recurring groin issues have hindered him all season long which certainly doesn’t help his bargaining position as he enters restricted free agency in July.