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West Notes: Dumoulin, Oilers GM Search, Lauer, Sparkes

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Ducks defenseman Brian Dumoulin told Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald that he had requested a trade from Seattle before last month’s draft, preferably to an Eastern team.  The 32-year-old signed with the Kraken last summer after spending ten years in Pittsburgh and had a limited role, picking up 16 points in 80 games while his average ice time dipped by more than three minutes per game to 17:01 per night.  Originally, Seattle didn’t intend to move him but eventually agreed to do so after signing Brandon Montour but didn’t find an East Coast team to send him to, instead moving him to Anaheim for a 2026 fourth-round pick.  Dumoulin will enter the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a $3.15MM AAV and he’ll be asked to help shore up a back end that struggled mightily in 2023-24.

Elsewhere out West:

  • In an appearance on the Bob McCown Podcast (video link), Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations and interim GM Jeff Jackson reiterated that he has no desire to take on the full-time GM role. He added that there have been several interviews for the position and while he didn’t want to put a firm timeline on a new hire, he’s hoping to have one announced in the next seven to ten days.  Jackson is in the interim role following the departure of Ken Holland when his contract expired late last month.
  • Former Jets assistant coach Brad Lauer has found his next job as WHL Spokane announced that they’ve named Lauer as their new head coach. The 57-year-old spent the last two years as an assistant with Winnipeg and also has time behind the bench with Anaheim and Tampa Bay.  Lauer has worked in the WHL twice before, spending five years with Kootenay as an assistant to kick off his coaching career and four seasons with Edmonton.
  • Kings prospect Jack Sparkes has changed college commitments. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now attend Clarkson after originally being committed to Michigan State.  The 20-year-old was the tallest player in his draft class at six-foot-eight, going 180th overall.  Sparkes split last season between USHL Muskegon and BCHL Chilliwack, picking up a dozen points in 44 games.

Minor Transactions: 7/18/24

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As expected, signing activity across the NHL has largely dried up with training camps still more than a month and a half away.  However, there are some NHL-drafted prospects and players formerly on NHL contracts that have found new places to play in recent days.  We’ll run through those moves here.

  • Free agent blueliner Nick Cicek has signed a one-year deal with Adler Mannheim, the DEL team announced. The 24-year-old started last season in San Jose’s system before being moved to Vancouver where he remained in the AHL.  Between the two teams, Cicek had four goals and 12 assists in 67 games, resulting in him being non-tendered last month.  Cicek does have 16 career NHL appearances under his belt, all coming in the 2022-23 campaign where he had four assists.
  • Capitals prospect Ilya Protas has signed with OHL Windsor for the upcoming season, per a team announcement. Protas, whose brother is a regular in Washington, was a third-round pick last month, going 75th overall.  The 18-year-old, who signed his entry-level deal with the Caps earlier this month was the third-overall selection in the CHL Import Draft and the top selection from an OHL-based club following a strong showing with USHL Des Moines.  In 61 games with the Buccaneers last season, Protas had 14 goals and 37 assists.
  • Still with Washington, the Capitals farm team in Hershey was busy today as the team announced six signings, all on one-year contracts. Joining the Bears are forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, along with defenseman Jayden Lee.  The five forwards played professionally last year – primarily at the ECHL level – while Lee is turning pro after a five-year stint at Quinnipiac.
  • After being non-tendered by Dallas last month, free agent forward Max Ellis has found a new place to play as he has joined Jukurit in Finland, per a team release.  The 24-year-old spent last season in Toronto’s system, getting into 36 games in the AHL with the Marlies where he had four goals and ten assists.  His signing rights were thrown into the draft day trade for the rights to Chris Tanev but that was simply for contract-matching purposes.
  • Panthers prospect Vladislav Lukashevich has changed his college commitment. Nathaniel Bott of the Lansing State Journal relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now play at Michigan State next season instead of Northern Michigan.  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick back in 2021, going 120th overall and spent last season with USHL Tri-City where he had 11 goals and 32 assists in 54 games.

Blackhawks Loan Antti Saarela To Finnish League

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After a rough first year in North America last season, the Blackhawks are giving prospect forward Antti Saarela a fresh start.  Per an announcement from Luuko in Finland’s Liiga, Chicago has loaned Saarela to them for the upcoming season.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2019, going 123rd overall.  After a good showing with Lukko in 2022-23 that saw him record 18 points in 41 games, Chicago signed Saarela to a two-year, entry-level contract just a couple of months before they would have lost his NHL rights.

However, things didn’t go well for him in his first year with AHL Rockford.  Between injuries and some struggles, Saarela was limited to just 27 games where he picked up five goals and one assist.  He did not suit up for the IceHogs in the postseason.

Saarela is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer with salary arbitration rights.  Considering how the first season went, it’s safe to say that Saarela is tracking toward non-tender status unless he has a very strong showing back home next season.

Penguins Sign Harrison Brunicke

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A week after signing Tanner Howe, the Penguins have now agreed to terms with the top pick from their draft class last month.  The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Harrison Brunicke to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The team did not disclose financial terms but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of $875K and does not contain any performance bonuses.

[Related: 2024 NHL Draft Signing Tracker]

The 18-year-old was the 44th selection last month, going two spots ahead of Howe.  Brunicke recorded 10 goals and 11 assists in 49 games last season with WHL Kamloops, leading his team in goals scored by a blueliner.  The South Africa native plays for Canada internationally and picked up a goal and three assists in seven games at the World Under-18s, helping his team to a gold medal.

As is often the case with players signing this quickly after being drafted, Brunicke won’t actually begin his entry-level contract next season unless he plays in ten or more games with Pittsburgh.  That’s unlikely to be the outcome at this point as he’ll likely return to the Blazers for the 2024-25 campaign (and likely one more after that).  Assuming that happens, Brunicke’s deal will slide and still have three years remaining on it next summer.

Predators Sign Adam Wilsby

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The Nashville Predators have signed defender Adam Wilsby to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $775K salary at the NHL level.

Nashville drafted Wilsby in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, selecting him in his final year of eligibility after a strong season with Sodertalje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. Wilsby recorded 30 points in 41 games that year, helping Sodertalje earn promotion to the SHL and following the performance up with two strong seasons at the top flight to help keep them there.

With a successful run in Sweden in the rearview, Wilsby signed an uncommon two-year entry-level contract with the Predators in 2022. But he struggled to carry his momentum over from Sweden, posting just 18 points as an AHL rookie, though he did play in all 72 games. He also appeared in 16 postseason games, where a quicker pace boosted him to a productive eight points. He improved to 21 points in 61 games this season, though still seems far from finding the comfortable footing he had in the SHL.

Still, there’s reason to be excited about Wilsby’s stout control of the blue line and ability to spark transition. He’s a young defender who seems to have more to give and will get a chance to prove his worth to the Predators next season, fighting for a much hardier NHL deal next summer.

Maple Leafs Hire Mark Leach As Director Of Amateur Scouting

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Mark Leach as their Director of Amateur Scouting. Leach fills the role left vacant by Wes Clark, who has moved to a Vice President and Director of Player Personnel role with the Pittsburgh Penguins, reuniting with general manager Kyle Dubas.

This will mark the first director position of Leach’s storied career, which kicked off with an amateur scouting role with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996. He quickly settled into a Red Wings scouting room soon to become legendary, supporting the selections of all-time draft steals Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk alongside Håkan Andersson. Late steals quickly became a calling card of Leach’s career, as he pushed the Wings to pursue Jimmy Howard, Johan Franzen, and Justin Abdelkader. The quintet would step up as cornerstones of Detroit’s lineup across the early 2010s, though Leach would move on to an amateur scouting role with the Dallas Stars in 2013.

The legend followed Leach south, quickly pushing him into a prominent role with the Stars. He recalled the franchise-defining 2017 Draft class to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, sharing the hands-on role he played in the team’s selection of Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, and Jake Oettinger. Like his successes in Detroit, that trio now defines the Stars lineup – though they’ve received plenty of help from other draft steals, like Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven, and Mavrik Bourque.

No scout will ever take too much credit for what’s ultimately a team decision, but Leach’s draft reputation far and away proceeds him. He’ll step into the most influential role of his career with a Maple Leafs team in need of some draft support after the departures of top prospect minds Dubas and Clark. The Leafs have earned praise for the selection of Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, and Dennis Hildeby in recent years, though only two of their 38 selections since 2019 – Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson – have played in 15 or more NHL games. Amid a year of changes across the organization, redefining their draft approach to match Leach’s keen eye will be among Toronto’s top priorities.

Rourke Chartier Signs With KHL’s Kunlun Red Star

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Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League announced the signing of center Rourke Chartier to a one-year deal today. He’ll be the 10th player with NHL experience to suit up for the China-based club next season.

Remarkably, Chartier was one of the better UFA center options left on the market, at least in terms of those with recent NHL action. The 2014 Sharks fifth-round pick had found his way into the Senators system over the past three seasons, where he worked his way up from minor-league fixture to frequent fourth-line option.

At the beginning of his professional career, Chartier had strong numbers with San Jose’s AHL affiliate and looked like he may be a strong value pickup for his draft billing. However, significant concussion symptoms beset him early on, limiting him to 28 AHL appearances in 2017-18 and 39 total AHL and NHL appearances in 2018-19 before costing him the 2019-20 campaign entirely.

After being non-tendered by the Sharks at the end of his entry-level contract, Chartier got back on track on minor league deals with AHL Toronto and Belleville before landing a two-way deal with Ottawa ahead of 2022-23. The 5’11” pivot made six showings for the Sens in spot call-up duty to mark his first NHL appearance in four years but was held without a point. It didn’t stop him from having a solid season in the minors, scoring 20 goals in 40 games with the B-Sens.

Chartier was again non-tendered by the Senators last summer but returned on a slightly richer two-way deal for 2023-24 regardless. It proved beneficial for the 28-year-old, who routinely subbed in as Ottawa’s fourth-line center with injuries affecting their forward corps en route to playing a career-high 37 games. Unfortunately, he was a non-factor offensively, limited to two goals and an assist while averaging 10:46 per game. He still managed strong production in brief action with Belleville, recording seven goals and 13 points in 19 games.

Ottawa didn’t bring Chartier back this time around, though, as he reached UFA status on his own this summer. They instead opted to replace his role by bringing in the younger, speedier Noah Gregor on a one-year deal, and prospects such as Angus Crookshank and Zack Ostapchuk were going to challenge Chartier for NHL minutes anyway. That paved the way for Chartier’s move to Kunlun, which has played in Mytishchi, Russia, since the COVID-19 pandemic but is still technically based in Beijing.

NL’s ZSC Lions Sign Santtu Kinnunen

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After making a brief go of it in North America, defenseman Santtu Kinnunen is heading back overseas. The right-shot Finn has inked a one-year deal with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League, per a team announcement. The former Panthers prospect was a UFA after being non-tendered last month.

Kinnunen, 25, was the Panthers’ seventh-round pick in 2018. He played four seasons in the Liiga with Pelicans and Tappara before eventually signing his entry-level contract with Florida in May 2022. Kinnunen seemed to fit in well upon arriving in the Panthers’ system and didn’t have many adjustment pains while on assignment to AHL Charlotte. The smooth-skating defender finished second among Charlotte blue-liners in scoring in 2022-23, posting 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) with a -7 rating in 69 games.

But it wasn’t enough to earn him any in-season call-ups amid competition from a deep Florida defense at both the major and minor-league levels, nor was it enough to give him any serious chance at a roster spot last fall. Thus, entering the second and final year of his ELC, he was returned to Charlotte, where his offensive production dipped last season to four goals and 21 points in 68 games, along with a -15 rating. After spending two seasons without a call-up, it wasn’t surprising to see Kinnunen’s name on the list of RFAs who didn’t receive qualifying offers by June 30.

He returns to Europe, although not his native Finland. He signs on with a Zurich-based Lions club whose roster for next season includes former NHLers Sven Andrighetto, Rudolfs Balcers, Derek Grant, Dean Kukan, Denis Malgin, and Yannick Weber, as well as head coach Marc Crawford. Prior to heading to the Cats’ system, Kinnunen was one of the better two-way defenders in Finland, posting 23 points and a +18 rating in 54 games with Tappara in 2021-22 while helping them to the league title.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Clears Unconditional Waivers, Contract Terminated

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July 18: Kuznetsov has cleared unconditional waivers and has had his contract terminated, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He’s now a UFA.

July 17: After multiple conflicting reports over the last several days, it appears Evgeny Kuznetsov’s time in the NHL is coming to an end for the foreseeable future. According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have placed Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers for contract termination. Assuming that Kuznetsov clears waivers, it is expected he will return to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Although his landing spot in the KHL has not been announced, it is more than likely that Kuznetsov will end up with SKA St. Petersburg on a multi-year agreement according to prior reporting yesterday. SKA St. Petersburg is the current home of former NHL players Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Leipsic, and Valentin Zykov while also being the home of the recent fifth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Ivan Demidov.

According to PuckPedia, Kuznetsov will walk away from $6MM by mutually terminating his contract while his separate $3.9MM cap hits with the Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will be lifted from both team’s salary cap structures. Kuznetsov was due a $2MM signing bonus on July 1st as part of his contract which has already been paid out.

Kuznetsov was the 26th overall selection of the Capitals in the 2010 NHL Draft and he made his debut a few years later in the 2013-14 NHL season. He got off to a relatively slow start during his freshman and sophomore campaigns in the NHL but became one of the game’s top centers only a year later. Kuznetsov scored 20 goals and 77 points in 82 games for Washington in the 2013-14 regular season while finishing 19th in Hart Trophy voting.

He became a steady playmaker for the Capitals during the organization’s most successful run in their history. The Russian forward scored 119 goals and 373 points over 420 games in Washington from 2016-2022 while leading the playoffs in assists (20) and points (32) during the team’s run to a Stanley Cup championship in 2018. Unfortunately, due to numerous off-ice issues and a stint in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, it became apparent that Kuznetsov had a lack of desire to continue playing in Washington as his on-ice production suffered.

The Capitals moved on from Kuznetsov this past trade deadline by dealing him to the Hurricanes for a draft pick and retaining 50% of his salary. Kuznetsov notched two goals and seven points in 20 regular season games for Carolina while collecting another four goals and six points in 10 postseason contests.

At 32 years old, Kuznetsov theoretically could return to the NHL in the future but that does not appear as the route he will take. He will more than likely finish his NHL career with 173 goals and 575 points in 743 games with another 33 goals and 73 points in 97 postseason contests, including a Stanley Cup ring.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was the first to report the Hurricanes would place Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers. 

Snapshots: Norris, Contracts, Maple Leafs

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Pat MaGuire of The Hockey News writes that Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris appears to be healthy and set for NHL training camp in September. The 25-year-old wasn’t in the same position a year ago and spent much of the season chasing things before his season ended this past February. Norris underwent his third shoulder surgery, leaving plenty of question marks about whether or not he will be available for the entirety of this season.

Norris was initially acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade and blossomed into a 35-goal scorer in 2021-22, he then signed an eight-year $63.6MM contract extension and has only played in 58 games since then over the past two seasons. The Senators will be counting on a healthy Norris this season as his absence has negatively impacted their forward depth the last two years. A healthy Norris allows for Ottawa to deploy Shane Pinto on the third line which creates a better balance throughout their top nine forward group.

In other notes from around the league.

  • Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic released a list of the ten worst contracts in the NHL. Unsurprisingly, Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau and his seven years at $10.5MM annually topped the list. Luszczyszyn’s modelling showed that Huberdeau’s projected value was just $4.9MM annually making his contract the worst value in the league. Chandler Stephenson and Tom Wilson rounded out the top three worst contracts. Stephenson’s deal with the Seattle Kraken is just two weeks old and could turn out to be a disaster if the modelling is correct. Wilson on the other hand has seven years left on his deal that will carry him from age 30-37 and the modelling predicts he will be a third-line player by the third year of the deal.
  • Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour spoke with TSN OverDrive to discuss his recent run through free agency. Montour told Mark Roe and Frank Corrado that he talked with the Toronto Maple Leafs about signing in Toronto. Montour added that he was excited by the possibility and considered signing with the team, but added that he had a ton of options in free agency and was grateful to ultimately sign a seven-year, $49.98MM deal with the Kraken. The Maple Leafs interest in Montour isn’t all that surprising given the focus they put on improving their defense, which they did by signing Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

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