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Nicolas Meloche

Nicolas Meloche Signs Two-Year KHL Deal

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After not getting much traction on a contract in North America last season, defenseman Nicolas Meloche opted to try his hand overseas in the KHL.  Things went well enough over there that he has elected to sign a two-year deal with Dinamo Minsk, per an announcement on their Telegram page.

The 27-year-old was somewhat of a late bloomer, not becoming an NHL regular until 24 with San Jose.  He did well enough that year to land a one-way agreement with Calgary in the 2022 offseason but after a tough showing in training camp, he wound up spending the entire year in the minors before heading to Russia.

Last season, Meloche played in 40 games with Salavat Yulaev where he was relatively productive, collecting five goals and 13 assists before chipping in with two assists in six playoff contests.  Salavat traded Meloche’s rights to Minsk last week, paving the way for this contract.

With 57 career NHL games and 257 AHL appearances under his belt, it’s certainly possible that Meloche could look to return to North America when this contract is up.  After being more of a limited point producer before going overseas, a continued good showing on that front could certainly get him back on the radar in 2026.

Minor Transactions: 10/4/23

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With play overseas in several leagues already underway and AHL camps just getting going, there continue to be plenty of signings across the hockey world.  We run through some of the NHL-related ones here.

  • UFA center Nate Schnarr has signed a one-year deal with Pelicans in Finland, per a team release.  The 24-year-old started the season in Montreal’s system before being moved at the trade deadline to Los Angeles but was non-tendered this summer after putting up just nine points in 45 AHL contests.  He had attended training camp this year with Columbus but was cut late month.
  • Another player who was cut by the Blue Jackets in camp is also heading overseas, defenseman Nicolas Meloche. Salavat Yulaev of the KHL announced that they’ve inked the 26-year-old to a one-year deal.  Meloche played 50 NHL contests with San Jose in 2021-22 but cleared waivers early in camp last year with Calgary, resulting in him spending all of last season at the AHL level where he had 21 points in 64 games.
  • Former NHL blueliner Yohann Auvitu is on the move again as he has inked a one-year deal plus an option with Vitkovice in Czechia, per a club release. The 34-year-old saw time at the NHL level with both Edmonton and New Jersey but has moved around frequently since then, spending time in Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.
  • Kings prospect Kaleb Lawrence is on the move in the OHL as Ottawa announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old forward from Owen Sound. Standing 6’7, Lawrence was a seventh-round pick in 2022 (215th overall) after a season in which he played just two games.  Last year, he was much healthier, putting up 37 points in 50 games with the Attack.  Los Angeles has until June 1, 2024, to sign Lawrence to an entry-level deal so there will be some extra pressure on him as he enters his overage year.
  • Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced the signing of Ben King to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2022 (107th overall) but has exhausted his WHL eligibility.  After putting up 105 points in 2021-22, King’s production dipped to just 35 points in 30 games last season with Red Deer.  Anaheim has until June 1, 2024, to ink him to an NHL contract.

Blue Jackets Sign Aaron Dell And Nicolas Meloche To Tryout Agreements

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It appears PTO season is upon us across the NHL with several veterans inking tryouts in recent days.  The Blue Jackets are the latest team to get in on the fun as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked goaltender Aaron Dell and defenseman Nicolas Meloche to tryout agreements.

Dell is no longer a full-time NHL backup but has seen action at the top level in each of the past seven seasons, spanning 130 total appearances where he has a 2.92 GAA along with a .905 SV%.  Last year, he got into four contests with San Jose and fared relatively well, compiling a 2.71 GAA with a .913 SV%.

The 34-year-old has spent most of the last two years at the AHL level.  With San Jose’s farm team last season, Dell played in 38 games but struggled as his 3.14 GAA was his highest single-season mark at that level while his .898 SV% was his lowest output.

Not surprisingly, his struggles affected his ability to secure a guaranteed contract this summer, resulting in this news.  However, he should have a chance to land a deal from Columbus in the coming weeks.  Daniil Tarasov is now waiver-eligible and should be a full-timer with the Blue Jackets, leaving only Jet Greaves in the mix with AHL Cleveland.  A good showing in camp could allow Dell to be the other half of that tandem next season.

As for Meloche, things did not go as planned last season.  After playing in 50 games with the Sharks in 2021-22, he had a strong enough market to get a one-year, one-way deal worth $950K from Calgary with the expectation that he’d land a spot on their back end.  That didn’t happen.

Instead, after a tough showing in training camp landed him on waivers, the 26-year-old went unclaimed and was assigned to the minors, spending the entire season at the AHL.  Meloche put up 21 points in 64 games with the Wranglers, matching his career best at that level but evidently, it wasn’t enough to land a guaranteed deal.

Meloche’s path to a contract isn’t as strong as Dell’s.  Columbus made two big splashes on the back end this summer with the acquisitions of Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov while there are already eight blueliners on NHL contracts that are likely ticketed for Cleveland.  Even if he can’t land a contract with the Blue Jackets, however, a strong showing in camp could allow him to catch on somewhere else.

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