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Flyers Sign Ivan Fedotov

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It has taken quite a while but the Flyers have finally been able to sign prospect goaltender Ilya Fedotov, announcing that they’ve inked the netminder to a one-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 25-year-old was drafted in the seventh round back in 2015 and the only reason that Philadelphia was able to retain his rights for that long without ever signing him is that the Russian Hockey Federation doesn’t have a signed Player Transfer Agreement with the NHL.  He was capped at signing a one-year contract due to his age.

Fedotov has had a stellar KHL career, recording a 2.13 GAA along with a .925 SV% in 89 games over seven years.  His numbers this season were very close to that as he posted a 2.00 GAA and a .919 SV% in 26 appearances with CSKA Moscow during the regular season.  He was even better in the playoffs, helping his team engineer a comeback from being down 3-1 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk while recording a 1.85 GAA and a .937 SV% in 22 contests.  Fedotov may also be recognized from the Olympics as he suited up for the Russian Olympic Committee in that tournament, helping lead them to a silver medal.

It’s unlikely that Fedotov will be coming to North America to play with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.  Instead, he should be expected to form the other half of their goaltending tandem with Carter Hart and with the youngster struggling over the last couple of seasons, there will be an opportunity for the 6’8 Fedotov to push for playing time right away.  The Flyers had to wait nearly seven years to sign Fedotov and they’ll soon be able to find out if he was worth the wait.

East Notes: Martinook, Lysell, Pysyk

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Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook left Friday’s loss against Boston after Taylor Hall fell on Martinook’s ankle.  Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer report that x-rays on the ankle came back negative, however, the 29-year-old has already been ruled out for Sunday’s fourth game of the series.  Derek Stepan or Steven Lorentz will likely slide into Martinook’s spot on the fourth line with head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating they may try to find a way to get both of those players into the lineup which means someone else would be a healthy scratch.  Trade deadline pickup Max Domi could the odd one out in that scenario after averaging just 10:10 through the first three games of the series.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Bruins will decide this summer whether or not to turn prospect Fabian Lysell pro or not, notes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. The 19-year-old winger was drafted out of Sweden so he’s able to play in the minors before turning 20 but Boston decided that the major junior route was the best for him this season as he had 62 points in 53 regular season games with WHL Vancouver and has 15 points in seven playoff contests so far.  The 2021 first-rounder can go back to junior next season but the Bruins might prefer testing him at a harder level next season, especially if his postseason dominance continues.
  • Mark Pysyk was hoping to go back to being a full-time defenseman this season after spending a lot of the previous two years on the wing. He got that opportunity with Buffalo and not surprisingly, as a result, he told reporters including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he “definitely would be open” to re-signing with the Sabres.  The 30-year-old played in 68 games this season, collecting a dozen points while averaging just under 18 minutes a game.  That’s a pretty good return on a one-year, $900K deal, a price tag that Pysyk should be able to eclipse on the open market in July.

Offseason Checklist: Montreal Canadiens

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound.  It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  First up is a look at Montreal.

While reasonable expectations heading into this season wouldn’t have been for the Canadiens to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final, few would have had them bottoming out completely as they finished dead last in the standings.  They’ve already made significant changes including a coaching and general manager change while several trades were done in-season.  Even so, there is still plenty to be done over the summer.

Re-Sign St. Louis

One of the biggest surprises of Montreal’s season came when the team named Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis as their interim head coach to take over from Dominique Ducharme who was let go after getting just eight wins in the first 45 games of the season.  St. Louis had minimal coaching experience, primarily coaching his children so to throw someone that raw behind an NHL bench carried some risks.

While the Canadiens still struggled under their new bench boss, they were much more competitive under St. Louis, compiling a 14-19-4 record down the stretch while rookie Cole Caufield went from scoring one goal under Ducharme to being one goal off the NHL rookie lead by the end of the year.

However, since his contract was only for the rest of this season, GM Kent Hughes needs to get St. Louis signed to a new deal.  Both sides have indicated a willingness to get a deal done and speaking at the end-of-season press conference, Hughes stated a desire to get a contract that’s at least three years in place.  This seems like a formality but it’s something that will need to be completed over the next few weeks.

Get Clarity On Price’s Future

This one isn’t entirely in their hands but the playing future of Carey Price is certainly in question.  After missing most of the season due to knee trouble, he was able to play a handful of games last month but swelling continues to be an issue.  He went as far as to mention that he prepared for his last game as if it would be his last in the NHL, suggesting that if things don’t improve on that front, he may not be able to play again.

That isn’t to say that it’s a given that the 34-year-old won’t return as the veteran also suggested that another surgery is an option and that he’s certainly not giving up on playing again.  If he does, however, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to log the heavy minutes that have made him the most-used goaltender in franchise history.

Price still has four years remaining on his contract at a $10.5MM AAV, the highest cap hit for a goalie in NHL history.  If he’s able to keep playing with a reduced workload, his deal will be considerably overpriced and an anchor on their books.  However, if he winds up in a similar situation to Shea Weber where it’s ruled that he won’t be able to return, they will be able to place him on LTIR which would give them some extra flexibility to work with although it will also result in them having to search for a new starter unless they’re okay with Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault for another season.

A lot of what Montreal will or won’t need to do hinges on happens with Price, both in terms of roster composition and salary cap compliance.  However, unlike many things that would typically be on the checklist for a rebuilding team, this one is pretty much out of their hands.  Price is expected to undergo further testing in the coming weeks and the Canadiens will undoubtedly be hoping to have clarity on his future by the end of the playoffs.

Find A Petry Trade

While Montreal moved some notable players in the days and weeks leading up to the trade deadline, one veteran who wound up sticking around was Jeff Petry.  The veteran defenseman had requested a trade well before the deadline and Hughes indicated they tried to find a deal that worked for both Petry and the Canadiens although clearly, they didn’t find one.

That might prove to be a blessing in disguise for the team as Petry fared much better under St. Louis than Ducharme, notching 21 points in his final 30 games of the season.  While the caveat about evaluating players based on meaningless games in the standings with no pressure certainly is valid, the fact that he was more like the player that received a four-year, $25MM contract a year and a half ago certainly can’t hurt his trade value and could help it.

Last weekend, Petry didn’t go as far as walking back his trade request but acknowledged a scenario where he could return to Montreal.  But with the team squarely committed towards a rebuild and a youth movement and the fact that the veteran is 34, a move makes sense for both sides.

While he’s coming off a down year overall, Petry is still a capable top-four defender who plays on the right side, the one that’s typically in low supply and high demand.  Among their veterans that could be candidates to go, Petry may be the one that carries the potential for their best return.  With three years left on his contract, this is a move that will be a lot easier to make this summer than it would midseason as well.  This should be fairly high on their priority list as a result.

Clear Out Contracts

By the time you factor in their bonus penalty on top of their contractual commitments for next season, the Canadiens are already over the $82.5MM Upper Limit.  Yes, Weber being LTIR-eligible again gives them a bit of wiggle room but Price’s situation being uncertain makes it difficult for them to rely on full-season LTIR relief on his deal, not to mention the challenges with trying to be compliant with the summer spending limit which is set 10% above the cap without going into offseason LTIR.

Suffice it to say, Montreal is in a spot where they’re going to need to clear out some money this summer.  Weber was speculated to be heading for Arizona at the trade deadline but they weren’t able to work out the insurance elements in time.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see those talks rekindled at some point which should allow them to keep compliant with the summer cap without needing offseason LTIR.  Petry moving would help in that regard as well.

But there are other candidates to be moved to save cap space.  Wingers Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM) and Paul Byron ($3.4MM) will be on expiring contracts next season and could be of interest while winger Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM) has two years remaining.  None of them had particularly good years but have had success in the past that should generate a little bit of interest as long as the acquiring team is able to at least offset some of the money (by retention or by sending a player back).  Winger Joel Armia ($3.4MM) and center Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM) could also attract some interest but Armia, in particular, had a rough year and may need to build up his value first.  Brendan Gallagher (five years, $6.5MM) is unlikely to move due to his contract.

This summer, the list of players to re-sign isn’t overly high with the most notable players being RFAs Alexander Romanov and Rem Pitlick.  However, Cole Caufield is in line for a significant raise in the 2023 offseason while Allen will be unrestricted and will need to be re-signed or replaced.  Caufield’s deal, in particular, will serve as a pressure point.  Getting out of some of their commitments now would not only buy them some flexibility now but take the pressure off a year from now.  Montreal is firmly committed to a rebuild and when that happens, there’s usually an exodus of veterans on their way out.  That should be the case for them this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Notes: Simek, Barabanov, Megna, Grievance

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Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just two partial games over the final six weeks of the season due to injuries and a lower role on the depth chart but he confirmed to Lukas Losleben of hokej.cz that he will suit up for the Czechs at the upcoming World Championships.  The 29-year-old had a tough year, recording just two points in 36 games while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.  Simek expressed some frustration with his usage, telling Losleben that management called his reduced role a coaching decision while the coaches said it was management’s call.  A fresh start at the Worlds certainly won’t hurt as San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to move the final two years of his deal (which carries a $2.25MM AAV) this summer.

More from San Jose:

  • Earlier this week, interim GM Joe Will met with reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, as part of their end-of-season media conferences. He mentioned that he would like to re-sign a pair of pending UFAs in winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna.  Barabanov was a capable secondary scorer for the Sharks this season with 39 points in 70 games which has him in line for a sizable raise on the $1MM deal that’s set to expire.  Megna, meanwhile, averaged over 19 minutes a game in 44 contests on the back end.  That should be enough to get him a one-way deal for the first time in his career with a price tag that checks in a little above the $750K minimum.
  • Also from Pashelka’s piece, Will indicated that the team expects the Evander Kane grievance to be settled by July 13th which is the start of free agency this summer. San Jose terminated Kane’s deal with the winger filing a grievance back in January with the first hearing only occurring last month.  Getting clarity on that front will be critical as there’s an expectation that the Sharks will face some cap penalties but the severity (or lack thereof) will go a long way in determining what they can or can’t do from a roster-building standpoint.

Metropolitan Notes: Jarry, Motte, Wilson

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Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry took a big step forward in his progress in recovering from a broken bone in his foot as he skated for the first time on Saturday, reports Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The netminder has been out for the last three weeks due to the injury which resulted in Casey DeSmith getting the nod to start the playoffs.  However, he underwent core muscle surgery yesterday which brought his postseason to a premature end, meaning that veteran journeyman Louis Domingue is now Pittsburgh’s starter for the time being.  With Jarry just skating today, he’ll still likely miss a few more games but if they’re able to push their series against New York close to the max, Jarry may be able to return at that point.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Rangers winger Tyler Motte may be able to return from his upper-body injury at some point in their first-round series against Pittsburgh, relays Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). The 27-year-old was acquired from Vancouver at the trade deadline but was injured in just his ninth game with the team.  With Barclay Goodrow being ruled out for the series yesterday, New York could certainly benefit from Motte’s grit and defensive play to help fill some of the holes created by Goodrow’s absence.
  • The Capitals will be without winger Tom Wilson once again for their game this afternoon against Florida, notes Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Wilson suffered a lower-body injury in the opening period of the series back on Tuesday, a big loss for Washington with the 28-year-old coming off a career year offensively that saw him pot 24 goals and 28 assists in 78 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring.  There will be at least one lineup change for the Capitals, however, as Ilya Samsonov will start in goal for that one.

Washington Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard

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After the team’s 5-1 loss in game two against the Florida Panthers, increased attention has been paid to the goaltending situation of the Washington Capitals. Starter Vitek Vanecek struggled and was eventually given the hook by coach Pete Laviolette after two periods of play in that game. The Capitals have opted to make a move in net, albeit not the one many fans may have been expecting. The team announced today that they have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears.

This likely comes as a move to shore up their third goalie spot, given that they sent down goaltender Zachary Fucale yesterday. Shepard, 26, is an undrafted product who has shuffled between the Capitals’ AHL and ECHL affiliates this year. The former Minnesota-Duluth star has had a strong career in the Capitals’ organization since going pro after his 2019-20 campaign. His .917 save percentage in the ECHL this season is his lowest in any year as a professional, and albeit with limited action he has posted above a .920 save percentage in 21 ECHL games last season and nine AHL games this season. Despite that success, though, he was unable to get into more starts than the two goalies above him on the Capitals’ organizational depth chart-Fucale and Phoenix Copley, despite their .896 and .913 save percentages, respectively.

This move is unlikely to be of any major consequence for the Capitals barring any major injuries or extreme underperformance, but it is notable for the Hershey Bears. They are down 1-0 in their first-round best-of-three series against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, and the swap of Fucale and Shepard indicates that the Capitals are willing to have a goalie lower on their organizational depth chart act as their third goalie on hand in order for the Bears to have the goaltending tandem that served them for most of their season.

 

Snapshots: Revenue, Playoff Structure, Senators Ownership

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Commissioner Gary Bettman’s annual media tour during the first round of the NHL playoffs usually provides fans and media with unique information about the state of the league and its franchises, the kind of information one could only get from an interview with the commissioner, and this year’s tour has been no different. Speaking to reporters during the first intermission of last night’s contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, Bettman issued some updates on a variety of situations around the NHL. One of the more major updates he gave, as relayed by Joe Smith of The Athletic, was regarding the state of the league’s finances. Bettman said that the all-important hockey-related revenue number (the number that is the subject of intense negotiations between the players and owners every time the collective bargaining agreement expires) will be about $150MM lower than his December projection of $5.3 billion.

This shortfall compared to the initial projection can be a result of a variety of factors, but perhaps the most likely has to do with the unanticipated limits to attendance many teams faced this season. It was likely anticipated that teams would not have to go back to reduced-capacity or zero-capacity crowds and that those restrictions were a thing of the past, an assumption that ended up being premature. Multiple Canadian clubs dealt with reduced-attendance mandates, and given that the NHL is a primarily gate-driven league (meaning a higher share of revenues comes from ticket sales than other major North American sports leagues) those restrictions could be responsible for the lower revenue total.

Now, for some other bits of information coming from Bettman’s meeting with the press:

  • While there has been discussion here and amongst members of the media about the NHL changing its playoff structure, it seems that there isn’t much appetite from the league for pursuing such a change. When asked about potentially making alterations to the league’s playoff structure, Bettman had the following to say:

People are always thinking: ‘What can we do different to make it better?’ What we have is working really, really well. When you look at the number of games we get in the playoffs, (excitement) in the first round and our competitive balance in the regular season, it’s extraordinary. I’ll put it up against anything else that’s going on in sports.

  • After the sudden passing of longtime Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, there has been much conversation about the future of his team and its ownership. When asked about that future, Bettman decided to pump the breaks on any speculation of a quick change in ownership for the Senators. Bettman said, as relayed by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, that the Senators “aren’t for sale,” and that there have not been discussions on any level about a potential sale of the team. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that Senators management is currently reporting to the board that Melnyk put in place before his passing, and it was made clear from Bettman’s comments that this arrangement is not one the league sees any real need to immediately change.

Coaching Notes: Brown, Fohr, Nightingale

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For the first time in 28 years, Boston College’s men’s hockey program has had to find a new head coach. Jerry York, the program’s bench boss for nearly three decades and the winningest head coach in NCAA hockey history, announced his retirement from coaching on April 14th, and since then the Eagles have been searching for his successor. Today, they announced their choice. Greg Brown, one of York’s former assistants, was tapped for the role, and he will become just the fifth Boston College men’s hockey head coach in history. Brown has some NHL experience, having served as an assistant on David Quinn’s staff when Quinn coached the New York Rangers from 2018-2021. Brown had the following to say about his appointment:

I cannot be more excited to come back to Boston College, which has been such an important part of my life as a student-athlete, coach, and parent. I am truly honored to be named coach, and to succeed my coaching mentor and friend Jerry York. I can’t wait to begin this next chapter in my life and in the proud history of BC hockey.

Boston College had a tough 2021-22 campaign, going 15-18-5, but there is hope for a quick turnaround considering the program’s prior success. Brown saw that success closely, having been on York’s staff when the Eagles captured three NCAA championships in a five-year span from 2007-08 to 2011-12. Boston College also has NHL prospects currently on its roster, such as Aidan Hreschuk and Trevor Kuntar, so it’s possible the earliest barometer of Brown’s success will be how well those drafted prospects develop.

Now, for some other notes on coaching across the hockey landscape:

  • Some more coaching shuffling has occurred, as USA Hockey has cemented its new coach for the US National Team Development Program’s under-17 team, Nick Fohr. Fohr, 44, has been an associate coach at the USNTDP for the past five years, and comes into his role with some ringing endorsements. USA Hockey released statements about Fohr from numerous NHL sources, including stars he coached such as Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy. The NTDP role is about player development first and foremost, so if the names singing Fohr’s praises are any indication, he’ll do just fine with this new responsibility.
  • Fohr’s new opportunity comes by way of the departure of the USNTDP’s former under-17 head coach, Adam Nightingale. Nightingale left his post to become head coach at Michigan State, his alma mater. Michigan State is one of the more historic programs in NCAA hockey but has struggled in recent years to live up to its past. Nightingale has NHL experience, having worked on the coaching staff of the Detroit Red Wings from 2017-18 to 2019-20, and he has also worked for Michigan State in the past, serving as their director of hockey operations. Given the state of the program in recent years, Spartans fans have to hope that its Nightingale who can wake the sleeping giant that is Michigan State hockey.

West Notes: Saros, Canucks Scouts, Kuzmenko

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While it was previously reported that there was some hope that injured Nashville Predators starting goaltender Juuse Saros would be able to play after the first two games of his team’s first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, it seems that timeline may have been a bit optimistic. Today, Predators coach John Hynes announced that Saros would not be playing in game three and that rookie Connor Ingram will retain the starter’s crease. After a brutal overtime loss last night, the Predators have a crucial home contest on Saturday as they try to fight their way back into the series.

While this news is undoubtedly unfortunate for the Predators given their increasingly dire situation and Saros’ brilliance this year, there is one wrinkle to this storyline that could prove to be a positive for Nashville: the emergence of Ingram. The rookie started game 2 after season-long backup David Rittich’s game one implosion, and performed admirably. Ingram made some spectacular saves and finished with 49 saves on 51 shots, nearly carrying the Predators to a miracle road victory. If Saros’ injury is what puts Ingram into the spotlight and he raises his stock leaguewide considerably, perhaps that can be some consolation to the Predators faithful.

Now, for some other notes from across the league:

  • It has been a season of much change for the Vancouver Canucks, and today there was some shuffling in their scouting department. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reported that the Canucks have parted ways with four members of their amateur scouting department: Derek Richard, Tim Lenardon, Brandon Benning, and Pat Conacher. The Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston added a fifth name to the departures, reporting that Ted Hempson is also leaving the organization.  That’s a decent number of scouts to leave at one time, and this development supports the idea that this new Canucks front office is seeking deep, substantive changes to the organization.
  • The courting process has begun with highly-touted KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko, and the landscape regarding his suitors is starting to take shape. The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reported that Oilers GM Ken Holland “may have talked to [Kuzmenko] personally” and that the team is interested in the point-per-game KHL scorer. In addition to the Oilers, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the Canucks interviewed Kuzmenko today, and that “there is good interest from both sides.” It was previously reported that as many as 20 teams could be actively interested in signing Kuzmenko, so it’s likely that reports like these concerning his recruitment process will continue to trickle in as the competition to secure his services heats up.

Minor Notes: Seeley, Broberg, Fucale

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If you listed off the things that can help an NHL team become a true Stanley Cup contender, developing late-round picks would be very near the top. The Carolina Hurricanes seem to constantly be squeezing value out of their later picks, and it seems as though they might have done it again with Ronan Seeley. The 19-year-old defenseman was the 208th overall pick in 2020 and signed his entry-level deal with Carolina in September, before breaking out this season. With 44 points in 52 games for the Everett Silvertips, making the Team Canada roster at the World Juniors, and finishing with four points in the Silvertips’ short six-game playoff run, it’s been quite the season for the seventh-round pick.

Now, Seeley is heading to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to continue his strong year. If he can climb his way into the lineup, he’ll be joining a Wolves team that has real Calder Cup potential and is currently on a first-round bye. More minor moves from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Philip Broberg, at least while the Bakersfield Condors await their next playoff opponent. The AHL squad dispatched the Abbotsford Canucks in two games, meaning they will be dormant until they find out who they play next. With the Oilers now headed to Los Angeles to continue their series against the Kings, it makes sense for Broberg to join them for the time being. Whether he gets into the lineup is another story, as the Oilers don’t have an obvious spot for him right now unless they wanted to change the winning lineup from game two, or are dealing with an undisclosed injury.
  • The Washington Capitals, now at home for the next two games, have re-assigned Zach Fucale to the Hershey Bears. The AHL squad kicks off their first-round series this evening, while Washington doesn’t play again until tomorrow afternoon, meaning he could still serve as the emergency backup at that point. Fucale, 26, had a .896 save percentage in 31 appearances for the Bears this season.

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