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Minor Transactions: 08/20/21

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With few NHL spots to go around and a fair amount of notable names still available on the open market, players have begun to make other plans for the 2021-22 season. While minor in scope at the current time, these move either include familiar players with NHL pasts or those with NHL futures. Don’t miss out on any of the action:

  • Kevin Boyle is on his way to Italy. The former UMass Lowell star who has been a solid AHL goaltender for a number of years is chasing down a greater role overseas, as HC Bolzano of the IceHL has announced a one-year deal with the 29-year-old. Boyle has been on an NHL contract throughout his career, beginning with an entry-level deal with the Anaheim, two extensions with the Ducks, and then a move to the Detroit Red Wings last season. He has only made five NHL appearances, but his stellar play in that small sample size combined with his consistency in the minors made him an attractive depth option. Boyle is a major addition for the Bolzano Foxes, who ironically are replacing another former NHL goalie in departed starter Leland Irving.
  • Though Anton Lindholm looked like he might become a fixture on the Colorado blue line early in his career, skating in 60 games with the Avalanche in his first two season in North America, he has only played in six NHL games in the three years since. This included zero NHL opportunities this past season following an off-season trade to the Chicago Blackhawks. Lindholm has decided to move on, signing a one-year deal with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk, per a team release. An experienced pro with deceptively good defensive play despite his smaller stature, Lindholm is a nice addition for the Bison. The Swedish native may not wind up back in North America, but at 26 and with ample ability he could still have a long European career ahead of him.
  • After three strong seasons in the AHL to begin his pro career, Dave Gust earned a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. However, he ended up playing in just 16 AHL games, recording four points, and did not see any NHL action. Yet, he enjoyed his time with the Chicago Wolves enough that he has decided to stick with the organization. The team has announced a new one-year deal with Gust. At 27, Gust may begin to transition into a veteran mentor role in the AHL, but he will look to bounce back this year and prove that he does indeed belong on an NHL contract.
  • The Vancouver Canucks did not feel that 2019 fourth-rounder Ethan Keppen was worthy of an entry-level contract, even after a year in the AHL, but they will give him another minor league deal. The Abbotsford Canucks have announced a one-year contract with Keppen, as the organization will continue to keep an eye on his development. With power forward size and scoring potential, having shown flashes in the OHL, Keppen is a worthy project even if he only managed one point in seven games with the Utica Comets this past season.

Snapshots: Kaprizov, Elias, Robert Morris

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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.

Overseas Notes: Olympics, Kuhnhackl, Slepets

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Will NHL players be headed to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China this year? The league’s initial schedule release suggested as much, with a break penciled in for February 7-22, but several weeks later the NHL still has yet to confirm their participation. Fortunately, the wait for a decision will not have to last much longer. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that the league will announce, one way or another, their intention for the 2022 Olympics by the end of the month. Wyshynski notes that multiple teams around the league had also indicated that a decision would be made in August. While Olympic participation was written in to the recent CBA extension, it was dependent on an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA and the IIHF as to terms. This has been made more difficult with the resurgent COVID-19 cases and the Games taking place in China of all places. Conversely, the league and players’ association are also concerned about the conditions that the players may be in, with Wyshynski writing that the restrictions could be even heavier than they were in the 2020 NHL postseason bubbles. If the NHL does opt to skip the Beijing Olympics, Daly confirms that the league does have a backup schedule that would fill some of the dates in that currently scheduled gap, though the logistics of such a move could be difficult for teams to manage.

  • Tom Kuhnhackl appears to be on his way out of the NHL and back to Europe. The German forward has been linked to Swedish club Skelleftea AIK, reports local source Sport Expressen. They go so far as to say that the terms of a deal have been agreed to, just not formally announced. Such a move should not come as much of a surprise. Although Kuhnhackl enjoyed a good stretch as a reliable bottom-six forward, he was unable to crack the New York Islanders lineup last season, spending the year exclusively in the AHL or on the taxi squad. As a result, the 29-year-old now heads back to Europe to take on a starring role in the SHL rather than a depth role in North America. The move will also ensure that he can suit up for Germany at the Olympics regardless of the NHL’s decision. Kuhnhackl has been stellar on the international stage for Germany in the past and will look to do so again.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect Kirill Slepets is not rushing to North America despite up-and-down development in Russia. The 2019 fifth-round pick has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Spartak Moscow, the team announced. An overage draft pick, Slepets is already 22 years old and after two season with KHL action, was relegated to only second-tier VHL play last season, leading some to expect he might try out a new development path. Instead, Slepets will stay put in Russia and try his luck with locking down a regular role with Spartak . A small, slippery winger, Slepets has struggled competing against the top talent of the KHL with just eight points in 43 games at the top level, but has shown his ability in the minors with 30 points in 65 VHL games. If he is to ever become a legitimate NHL prospect, especially at his age, the Hurricanes will need to see him take a major step this season or else try his hand in North America next year.

Latest On Kirill Kaprizov

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Earlier this offseason, there were reports that CSKA Moscow was interested in bringing back Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov to the KHL if things didn’t go well in terms of negotiating a new contract with Minnesota.  While it was widely viewed as posturing, it appears the threat could be a real one as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that CSKA has an agreement in place with the 24-year-old that would be announced on September 1st if an NHL deal can’t be reached by then.  He adds that the value of the one-year contract would be in the eight-figure ($USD) range.

It’s worth noting that the KHL threat is the only leverage that Kaprizov has in negotiations.  He doesn’t have enough service time to be eligible for an offer sheet nor was he arbitration-eligible.  This basically was the only card that his camp can play.

Minnesota’s long-stated intention has been to lock up the Calder Trophy winner to a max-term deal or close to it but that type of term isn’t necessarily ideal for Kaprizov’s camp.  Even if the Upper Limit of the salary cap only rises marginally over the next few years, that’s still a bit more money available then than there is now with the potential for more years to be in a cap environment where the escrow owed to owners has been paid off.  From his standpoint, then, a short-term contract that takes him to UFA eligibility would be preferable though that clearly wouldn’t work for the Wild.

The end result would appear to be something in the middle as Seravalli notes that a medium-term deal is something that Minnesota is open to working out.  Such a contract would buy out a year or two of UFA eligibility while still giving Kaprizov a shot at hitting the open market with a shot at a max-term deal in a financial landscape that projects to be considerably better than it is now.

With more than $19MM in cap room per CapFriendly, Wild GM Bill Guerin can easily afford the substantial raise that is coming Kaprizov’s way and the decision to take Kevin Fiala to arbitration sets up the potential for a cheaper short-term agreement there which would give them even more flexibility heading into next season.  Of course, that flexibility will be short-lived with the buyout penalties for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise increasing sharply for 2022-23 through 2024-25.

Maxim Shalunov To Remain In KHL

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A top KHL free agent will remain in Russia, at least for now. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that forward Maxim Shalunov is set to sign a three-year contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. A draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2011, Shalunov remains property of the club and was exploring a move to the NHL this off-season.

Shalunov’s future remains unknown despite the long-term deal. Powers notes that the 28-year-old has an out clause in his new contract with Lokomotiv, allowing him to move to the NHL next season if a contract can be found. A potential NHL deal also may not be in Chicago; the Blackhawks gave Shalunov permission earlier this summer to discuss a contract with other teams and were willing to facilitate a trade to help him land in the NHL. While nothing came to fruition, Powers reports that Shalunov did have at least one offer from an NHL team and it was not Chicago. The Blackhawks are believed to not have the cap space and roster flexibility to accommodate the KHL star this season, but his other suitor was a team that Shalunov did not wish to play for. Shalunov’s agent assured Powers that his intention is still to one day play with Chicago if the two sides can work it out.

Since his first stint in North America, a 2013-14 campaign split between the AHL and ECHL, Shalunov has blossomed into an elite scorer in the KHL. The big, skilled center has recorded 104 goals and 197 points in 355 career KHL games. The 2020-21 season was arguably his best, recording 35 points and a +20 rating in 52 games and another 18 points in 22 playoff games. Shalunov appears ready to take on the NHL, but will spend at least one more season in the KHL as he searches for the best way to make the jump.

Anders Nilsson Announces Retirement

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Veteran goaltender Anders Nilsson has decided to call it a career. The 31-year-old announced his retirement on his personal Instagram, putting an end to a twelve-year pro career. Nilsson cited his ongoing battle with symptoms related to head injuries, which kept him from playing in the 2020-21 season, as prematurely ending his playing days.

Nilsson, a third-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2009, played with eleven teams in four different years in his pro career, all of whom he thanked in his announcement. A product of Swedish club Lulea, Nilsson made his debut with the Islanders in 2011-12, just two years after being drafted. He would spend three years in the organization before briefly leaving North America in 2014-15 to play for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan. He returned the following year to sign with the Edmonton Oilers and bounced around to the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators over just four seasons. Just when it seemed like Nilsson had finally found a long-term NHL home in Ottawa, injuries limited him and ended up costing him this past season. He was traded for the sixth and final time this past fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who planned to use him for Long-Term Injured Reserve purposes.

As Nilsson noted, post-concussion symptoms and neck pain forced his hand, causing him to retire at the relatively young age of 31. With 161 NHL games to his credit, Nilsson had proven himself to be a worthwhile backup, even if his career .907 save percentage and 3.06 GAA was just average. A big, composed goaltender, Nilsson was a quality depth option who likely would have extended his NHL career this off-season if not for the severity of his injuries.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Brennan Menell

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July 31: The Leafs have signed Menell to a one-year, two-way contract, per CapFriendly. It pays $750,000 at the NHL level and $400,000 at the AHL level.

July 28: The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Wild for the rights to Brennan Menell, who spent last season in the KHL. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that if Menell plays 30 games for the Maple Leafs in 2021-22, the Wild will receive the 2022 seventh-round pick.

Menell, 24, is an unsigned restricted free agent that the Maple Leafs will have to convince to return to North America. He scored 38 points in 47 games during his year in Minsk, continuing a history of elite production outside of the NHL. The right-handed defenseman led all AHL defensemen with 47 assists in 57 games during the 2019-20 season, resulting in a First All-Star Team selection.

Earlier this offseason, Michael Russo of The Athletic reported that the Wild were trying to sign Menell, but if they’ve traded him now perhaps those negotiations didn’t go anywhere. The Maple Leafs face the same challenge, especially given how much success he found in the KHL. There’s no guarantee of playing time in Toronto, though the team has been looking for an answer to their top powerplay. If they believe Menell could perhaps fill that role, it’s quite an incentive to return to North America.

Dmitrij Jaskin To Sign With Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes are set to bring over a familiar NHL face, as Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports they will sign Dmitrij Jaskin to a one-year contract. Jaskin is expected to earn $3.2MM after dominating in the KHL the last two seasons.

Though he hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2018-19 season, Jaskin’s value actually may never have been higher. The 28-year-old forward scored 69 goals and 123 points in just 117 games during his two-year KHL stint, winning the regular season MVP award for 2019-20. Those are totals he never came close to approaching during his previous 303-game NHL career, spent mostly with the St. Louis Blues. Jaskin’s career-highs were 13 goals and 18 points in St. Louis.

If it were just his NHL numbers considered, there’s no way he would earn a $3.4MM deal with the Coyotes. But the team is betting that overseas success can be reproduced (at least partially) if given the same top-six opportunity. In Arizona, there will be a chance for him to play higher up the lineup, given how clearly the team is stripping any valuable assets out of the organization. The Coyotes have acquired several big cap hits for future assets, while trading away top forward Conor Garland and captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Of course, if you’re going through a rebuild, you usually aren’t bringing over high-profile free agents from the KHL. The plan here may very well be to flip Jaskin at the deadline, given the fact that Arizona isn’t expected to be competitive as currently constructed.

Offseason Notes: Kuemper, Nemeth, Wideman

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The Arizona Coyotes moved out Adin Hill this offseason and have Antti Raanta scheduled for free agency in two days, but that doesn’t mean they won’t listen on their other goalie. Darcy Kuemper is generating interest around the league according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as one team involved. The Coyotes–who have used their available cap space several times this offseason to acquire future assets–may be willing to retain some of Kuemper’s $4.5MM salary to get a deal done but the price is “quite high” according to Pagnotta.

The 31-year-old Kuemper had just a .907 save percentage this season, but showed off his skills at the World Championship, taking Team Canada to a gold medal. For his career, he has posted a .917 in 242 NHL games, a number that would certainly be interesting to several contenders looking for a tandem option. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has been very clear over the past week that the team’s top priority is finding a partner for Jack Campbell, given Frederik Andersen appears to be heading to market. Kuemper could be that option for them or another team, though it will come at a cost.

  • The New York Rangers could be adding some size to their young defensive group, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team is expected to sign Patrik Nemeth when free agency opens this week. The 6’3″ Nemeth spent this season with the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche, totaling 10 points in 52 games. He earned $3MM in each of the last two seasons, but could be taking a bit of a pay cut according to Brooks, who expects a two or three-year deal to be completed with an average annual value between $2.25MM and $2.75MM. The 29-year-old would certainly add some defensive responsibility to a blueline already brimming with offensive talent, though where he exactly fits would have to still be determined.
  • After an outstanding season in the KHL, Chris Wideman could be returning to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Wideman is a “good bet” to end up in Montreal when free agency opens. The 31-year-old defenseman led all KHL defensemen in scoring this season with 41 points in 59 games and then helped the U.S. win bronze at the World Championship. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season and recently opened up about the Uber incident while with the Ottawa Senators that may have considerably changed his career path.

Cody Franson Signs In AHL

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The focus today might be on the NHL and all the player movement coming out of the expansion draft, but that doesn’t mean minor league clubs are sitting on their hands. The Hershey Bears have signed veteran defenseman Cody Franson to a one-year AHL contract.

Franson, 33, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2017-18 season and has seemingly accepted the fact that he won’t be getting a deal at that level anymore. That doesn’t mean his professional career is nearing an end though, as the veteran defenseman is still a rock-solid minor league option that helped the Rockford IceHogs tremendously last season and was excellent in the KHL the two years prior.

In 26 games, he recorded 17 points and was named to the Central Division All-Star Team. This isn’t just a random minor league journeyman arriving in Hershey, but a veteran of more than 500 NHL games. There was a time when Franson was a sought-after puck-moving defenseman, racking up multiple seasons of 30+ points. While he’s perhaps not a strong enough skater to continue at that level, he’s a valuable addition to any AHL team.

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