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Retirement

Minor Transactions: 06/08/21

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Is this the calm before the storm? It’s been eerily quiet of late in terms of off-season moves, but with the entry draft order all but set following the lottery and soon just four teams left alive in the playoffs, not to mention the NHL Expansion Draft just six weeks away, the trade market seems primed to explode. While we wait, here are some of the notable minor moves being made:

  • Veteran net minder Viktor Fasth has announced his retirement. The 38-year-old Swede has been playing at home in the SHL for the past four years and was in the KHL before that ever since departing the NHL in 2015. The former Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers goalie burned bright, but burned up fast in North America. He was a breakout star in 2012-13 and continued his strong play into the next season despite a mid-year trade. Yet, his play fell off immensely in his first (and only) full season with Edmonton in 2014-15 and he left the league for good. Burnout hasn’t been a problem for Fasth since then. Even at his advanced age, he has continued to put up elite numbers in Europe, including a .934 save percentage and 1.79 GAA for the Vaxjo Lakers this season in 31 games, arguably the best season of his career. Fasth has decided to go out on top rather than try his luck heading into his forties next year.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are happy with the play of first year pro Felix Robert in the minors this season and have signed him to a one-year AHL contract extension. Robert, a QMJHL scoring phenom in 2019-20, adjusted well to the pro level despite his small stature. He recorded 13 points in 27 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and added six points in ten ECHL games as well.
  • Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Erik Walli Waterholm will be staying in Sweden a while longer. Walli Waterholm opted not to sign with the ’Yotes earlier this month, letting his NHL Draft rights expire. The forward has not developed as expected since he was selected in 2017, but this was his best pro season in 2020-21 as he recorded 14 points in 44 games. Timra IK certainly believes he has room to improve as well, announcing that they have signed Walli Waterholm to a two-year extension. If he continues to grow, the 22-year-old could still one day be on an NHL radar.
  • With his third and final go-round in the NHL Draft around the corner, goaltender Samuel Hlavaj has taken the next step in his career and is hoping that maybe it will change his draft fortunes. Hlavaj is taking his talents to Slovakia, but isn’t just joining any team. Instead, he has signed with the league’s top club, HC Slovan Bratislava, where he will learn behind former NHL keeper Kristers Gudlevskis. The No. 5-ranked goalie in Europe according to NHL Central Scouting in his first draft year in 2019, Hlavaj was widely expected to be drafted, but wasn’t. He was however taken in the first round of the CHL Import Draft by the Sherbrooke Phoenix and was stellar in his first season with the club last year. Again, he was passed over in the draft. The third time is usually not the charm for most draft prospects, but perhaps Hlavaj’s status on a top European team behind a former NHL commodity will change some minds. A goalie with size and the stats to back him up, Hlavaj is just looking for a chance to show he has pro potential.

Minor Transactions: 06/04/21

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There are just eight teams left alive in the NHL postseason and by this time next week that number could be down to four. The off-season has arrived for most, with all other major hockey leagues long since wrapped up. While many will wait for the NHL off-season to officially begin before making a decision on their future, other are willing to make a decision right away. Here are some notable moves from the latter group:

  • As previously suggested, Joakim Nordstrom has indeed signed with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow. The club officially announced a one-year contract with the NHL veteran on Friday. While Nordstrom has never been a scoring threat in the NHL, his early commitment overseas is at least slightly suprising. The two-way forward clearly provides value, as evidenced by six straight seasons of starting at least two-thirds of his teams’ games across stops in Carolina, Boston, and Calgary. A solid checker and shot blocker, Nordstrom is a good defensive presence as a bottom-six forward, but does not provide much upside. Perhaps in Russia he will be able to do more offensively and play a more balanced game. He will be surrounded by plenty of talent with CSKA, a KHL juggernaut.
  • Another forward heading to Europe is Tanner MacMaster. The former Quinnipiac University standout has played well in the AHL over the past three years, including playing a top-six role with 30 points for a loaded Toronto Marlies team last season, but has not earned an entry-level contract. He will look to Sweden for a bigger role and more substantial contract after spending this season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. MODO of the Swedish second-tier Allsvenskan has announced a one-year deal with MacMaster, who they label as a top-six center for the club.
  • After a year off in 2020-21, former NHL enforcer Luke Gazdic has decided to make the change permanent. The veteran of 11 pro seasons has announced his retirement from the game. Gazdic will be remembered most for his three seasons as a fixture on the Edmonton Oilers’ checking line, though he developed into a leader in the AHL as well, spending his final two seasons with the San Diego Gulls.
  • Also calling it quits after a long pro career is longtime Cleveland Monsters goaltender Brad Thiessen. Thiessen, 35, has announced his retirement after twelve years at the pro level. Thiessen initially left Northeastern University early in 2009, signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a highly sought-after free agent. Thiessen played three seasons with the Penguins, including seeing action in five NHL games, and another with the Calgary Flames, but since 2015-16 has been with AHL Cleveland. Thiessen helped to develop Columbus Blue Jackets netminders Joonas Korpisalo and Matiss Kivlenieks while continually providing reliable play and even leading the club to a Calder Cup.

 

Off-Season Notes: Penguins, Oshie, Rinne

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It was another disappointing early playoff exit for the Pittsburgh Penguins but their new front office group, just installed earlier this season, is not looking to blow up the roster. NHL.com’s Wes Crosby writes that Penguins GM Ron Hextall intends to keep his aging core together and to remain in “win-now mode”. That means that contract negotiation talks are underway with center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang. The current deals for the 34-year-old duo expire at the end of next season, but Hextall would like to keep them around and is not currently considering trading either one. “We see a future with this core,” Hextall said. “We’ve got some pretty special players that, they’re obviously not in their 20s anymore, but they’re still playing at a high level.” The GM also expressed his confidence in young goaltender Tristan Jarry and did not label goaltending as an area of concern this off-season. Hextall instead stated that adding size and toughness is his priority this summer.

  • There has been considerable speculation that Washington Capitals forward and Washington (state, that is) native T.J. Oshie could be available to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Oshie, 34 and signed for four more years, has been stellar for the Capitals, but has still been considered expendable due to his age and contract. Additionally, the idea that the Kraken would leap at the local product as a veteran leader for their new team would mean that Washington does not need to worry about other valuable expected exposures, like young goaltender Vitek Vanecek or defenseman Brenden Dillon. However, in an interview on 106.7 The Fan in D.C., GM Brian MacLellan called it “unlikely” that Oshie will be exposed. MacLellan called Oshie a “big part” of their team, which is not an understatement after this season. In 2020-21, Oshie showed no signs of age catching up to him, scoring goals and recording points at a career pace. Oshie’s 22 goals and 43 points were both top-three marks for the Capitals and had him on a full-season trajectory of 34 goals and 67 points. Oshie also tied for second in the entire league with 13 power play goals. If he can continue to score at this rate, perhaps his lengthy, expensive contract will continue to be worth it through 2024-25, justifying the decision not to make him available in expansion.
  • Although the final days of the Nashville Predators’ regular season certainly implied that we were seeing the end of career Predator and franchise icon Pekka Rinne, the veteran goaltender is not hanging his skate up just yet. In an exit interview with the Nashville communications staff, Rinne states that he has still not made a decision if he will retire or not. Notably, albeit unsurprisingly, is that the only alternative he provides to retirement is re-signing with Nashville. With young Juuse Saros established as the Predators’ current starter and elite prospect Yaroslav Askarov waiting in the wings, there isn’t a long-term need in net for the Predators. However, one more year with Rinne is certainly not a bad option.

Snapshots: Kane, Morrow, Tangradi

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Evander Kane has had a tremendous season for the San Jose Sharks, recording a team-best 45 points in 52 games. The achievement is all the more impressive given the safe assumption that Kane’s focus has not solely been on hockey this year. The star forward has been mired in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding all season, filing in January and then in March motioning for an extension on the decision until June on the grounds that his contract with the Sharks could be terminated following the end of the season. While it remains to be seen whether this in fact occurs or not, the latest development in the case has the bankruptcy court deciding that Kane’s case will remain in Chapter 7 as opposed to Chapter 11. A lender had filed a motion for Kane to be treated as a business under Chapter 11 due to his debt mostly coming from gambling losses. Such a decision would have opened up Kane’s future income to his lenders in the bankruptcy decision, but such an outcome was avoided.

At least one lender has decided that if they can’t get to Kane’s future earnings via bankruptcy decision, they’ll go after a greater return on their defaulted loan another way. Per The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, Professional Bank has sued Kane for $15MM, alleging fraud on the basis of misrepresenting the Sharks’ role in his repayment plans. This amounts to ten times their initial loan due, justified as “punitive damages.” This is highly irregular in a case such as this, as punitive damages are not substantiated by a claim but rather are meant as punishment. Punitive damages to this massive extent are very unlikely to be awarded, especially with Kane’s bankruptcy proceeding still ongoing, but Professional Bank will try their best.

  • Winning a national championships comes with some added perks, the least of which is increased recruiting power. Defending champs UMass flexed their newfound market power today, convincing potential 2021 first-round pick Scott Morrow to flip on his commitment to North Dakota and got to Amherst. Multiple sources have confirmed the move, with the talented right-handed defenseman moving from one powerhouse to another. Morrow was expected to join a deep group of NHL-caliber defensemen at UND this year, but will have more of an opportunity to shine as a top blue line option at UMass. It has worked out nicely for Cale Makar, Mario Ferraro, Zac Jones, and several other NHL prospects over just the last few years.
  • Eric Tangradi, Real Estate Agent? In a unique twist, former NHL winger Tangradi announced his retirement by transitioning it into the reveal of his new career. A big, powerful winger who appeared to have NHL chops early in his career, Tangradi never could quite translate his AHL production to the next level. He still managed to play in 150 NHL games with the Penguins, Jets, Canadiens, Devils, and Red Wings, but recorded just 16 career points. Tangradi will likely be remembered more for his many years of dominance in the minors, recording over 350 points in 488 career NHL games.

Andrew Shaw Announces End Of Playing Career

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After suffering another concussion in February, Andrew Shaw is going to call it a career. The Chicago Blackhawks forward has announced that he will hang up his skates based on the recommendation of the team’s medical staff. The team fully supports the move to prioritize his long-term health.

Importantly, nowhere in the press release does the word “retire” appear, as Shaw has another year left on his current contract. Official retirement would mean he forfeits the $2.9MM he is set to earn next season. Instead, he will likely be moved to long-term injured reserve whenever the Blackhawks need some extra cap flexibility.

Shaw was an integral part of two different Stanley Cup runs for the Blackhawks, winning in 2013 and 2015. The hard-nosed forward was occupying a checking center role at that point while also contributing a bit at the offensive end. His career-high in points actually came during the 2018-19 season with the Montreal Canadiens when he scored 47 in just 63 games, but that kind of output was never really his calling card in Chicago.

Overall, Shaw will finish his career with 247 points in 544 regular season games, but none of that will compare to a single moment. In 2013, the Blackhawks were in triple overtime in game one of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. After some dirty work in the corner to free up the puck, Shaw tipped a Michal Rozsival shot (well, technically tipped a Dave Bolland tip) past Tuukka Rask to put Chicago up 1-0 in the series.

It’s never easy when a 29-year-old player is forced to retire due to injury, much less when it is concussion-related. But Shaw has already accomplished a lot in his career and will be able to focus on his health moving forward knowing that he is a Stanley Cup champion.

Snapshots: MacKinnon, NHLPA, April Fool’s

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Nathan MacKinnon’s comical misconduct on Wednesday night drew plenty of attention at the expense of Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland. Even in the midst of an 8-3 blowout in his favor, the Colorado Avalanche superstar lost his head in a scrum late in the third period, grappling with Garland and then picking up his opponent’s fallen helmet and bowling it back into his face. (video) While the helmet toss itself did not appear to do much damage (and has supplied many a laugh on April Fool’s Day), it was clearly a penalty. MacKinnon was handed a ten-minute misconduct and an ejection, but most expected that he could receive some supplemental discipline for the act. Well, the NHL Department of Player Safety has handed down their decision, but it isn’t what many – especially Coyotes fans – expected or hoped for. MacKinnon has been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, but will not be suspended. This is the maximum fine for that particular penalty, but in the big picture means little to MacKinnon. There has been mounting scrutiny over the league’s handling of egregious penalties committed by its biggest stars and the recent leniency with MacKinnon and Connor McDavid will not help their cause.

  • The NHLPA is adding a pair of noteworthy names to its staff. The Players’ Association announced today that former NHLers Ron Hainsey and Sean Bergenheim have been hired to executive positions. Hainsey, whose hiring seemingly marks his retirement after playing last season and speaking to team’s this off-season, has been named Assistant to the Executive Director for Special Projects and Development Initiatives. Bergenheim, who hung up his skates in 2018 and last played in the NHL in 2014-15, will hold the title of  NHLPA European Affairs Representative. Bergenheim’s 506 career NHL games with four teams is impressive enough, but pales in comparison to Hainsey’s 1,132 career games with seven different teams. The NHLPA adds plenty of veteran hockey know-how with these additions, while both have held administrative roles in their careers as well. As for their specific duties with the Players’ Association, the press release describes each role as follows:

Bergenheim will work closely with NHL players from Europe, and on behalf of the NHLPA on matters relating to international competitions as well as professional hockey in Europe… Hainsey will work on a variety of matters related to the administration of the CBA, media and broadcast partners, and new opportunities for marketing and sponsorship, all with special emphasis on the enhancement of player communication within the NHLPA.

  • For a daily dose of hockey history, it is worth noting that the last time the NHL had a trade deadline date in April was in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Unlike today, there were a number of April 1 trades that year as well. And it was the Calgary Flames who sadly held the title of April Fools that year. The team dealt star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect forward Mark Cundari, the rights to goaltender Reto Berra, and a 2013 first-round pick. Bouwmeester would go on to play at a high level for seven more seasons with the Blues, going to the postseason six times and winning a Stanley Cup, before retiring this past off-season. As for the Flames’ return? Cundari played eight games over two seasons with Calgary and then never played in the NHL again. Berra played just half a season in Calgary, posting poor numbers, before being traded away for a second-round pick. That second-rounder became Hunter Smith, who played two AHL seasons and two ECHL seasons before retiring, having never seen NHL action. And the first-rounder from the initial deal? That was used to select Emile Poirier, who played just eight games over two seasons with Calgary and is currently playing in Europe. As they say, four strikes and you’re out. This is a trade that the Flames wish had only been an April Fool’s Day prank.

Vancouver Canucks “Have To Figure This Out From Within”

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The Vancouver Canucks beat the top team in the North Division last night, but they still sit second last ahead of only the Ottawa Senators. That’s a long way from the team that came within a game from the Western Conference Finals last summer and has many wondering what’s next for the organization. GM Jim Benning, himself the target of much speculation, spoke to the media today about many subjects, including the upcoming trade deadline.

In just over a month, teams will no longer be able to make trades to help them for this year’s playoffs, meaning decisions will have to come relatively soon on whether a club is buying or selling. Though Benning hasn’t made his final decision, noting there are still quite a few games before the deadline, he did say the club would “have to figure this out from within,” pointing to the long quarantine period that Canadian teams face on anyone coming up from the U.S.

The front office executive also put his confidence behind head coach Travis Green and the rest of the staff, saying they have “done a good job” with the group. Green, notably, does not have a contract past this season, though both sides have signaled their intent to get something done.

The biggest question that many have about the Canucks is how they will sign Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes this offseason, given the money that is already committed to depth players all over their roster. Benning grouped a third player with those two, saying they have “three really good young players” to sign. Thatcher Demko, the man who held the Maple Leafs to just one goal on 32 shots last night, is the other pending RFA that will need a substantial raise.

With money still owed to Loui Eriksson and bottom-six names like Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle—not to mention a recapture penalty for Roberto Luongo’s retirement—it’s not going to be an easy task to fit those three in and still put together a competitive team.

Brent Seabrook Will Not Play Again

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After battling to try and return from several major injuries, Brent Seabrook has finally hung up his skates. In a statement today, the veteran defenseman has announced he will not return to professional hockey. This is essentially Seabrook’s retirement, though the statement does not actually mention that word and the Chicago Blackhawks have moved him to long-term injured reserve for now. Seabrook still has three years left on his contract, which will not come off the books entirely.

In a statement, team physician Dr. Michael Terry explains exactly what happened to Seabrook:

Over a three-month period from December 2019 to February 2020, Brent underwent successful surgeries on both of his hips and his right shoulder. He has worked extremely hard to recover from those surgeries but has a long-term issue with his right hip that is preventing him from playing professional hockey. We have tried all available conservative treatments, and nothing has worked well enough for him to live life as an athlete. We support his decision to prioritize his long-term physical health.

Seabrook, Zack Smith, and Andrew Shaw were all placed on LTIR today.

The 35-year-old Seabrook played 32 games for the Blackhawks last season, but it has been several years since he was truly himself. Both a defensive warrior and offensive catalyst during his prime, he served as the fourth musketeer alongside Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith during the Blackhawks dynasty, winning three Stanley Cup championships in six seasons. Though he failed to capture the Conn Smythe trophy during any of those runs (the other three each have one), he was just as integral as any man on the Chicago side.

Over 1,114 career regular season games, Seabrook amassed 464 points, topping out at a 14-goal 49-point campaign in 2015-16. But he was so much more than his offensive production, serving as a leader on and off the ice for the Blackhawks and battling every second of every game. There are few players who teammates speak about with such respect, and the Chicago organization has always stood by the decision to give him his current eight-year contract.

The deal, which kicked in for the 2016-17 season (Seabrook’s age-31 year), was considered a mistake by many as soon as the ink dried. A $6.875MM cap hit with a full no-movement clause made a beloved player a financial anchor, but it was a reward for the contribution he had made previously.

Now, if he doesn’t retire officially, the Blackhawks will still need to dance a salary cap waltz in the coming years, using LTIR to their advantage whenever possible. Fans can stop worrying so much about his deal and start appreciating the player as the Blackhawks do. In a statement, GM Stan Bowman explains just what he means to the franchise:

Without Brent Seabrook, the Chicago Blackhawks would not have three Stanley Cups. He concludes his career as not only one of the best defensemen in franchise history, but one the greatest Chicago Blackhawks of all time. We cannot thank Brent enough for what he did for the Blackhawks organization, the city of Chicago and this fan base. He will always be a part of the Blackhawks family and we wish him well in his life after hockey.

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Colin McDonald Announces Retirement After 13 Pro Seasons

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After 13 pro seasons, veteran forward Colin McDonald announced his retirement from hockey. The 36-year-old forward spent most of his pro career in the AHL, but still managed to appear in 148 NHL games, most of which came with the New York Islanders between 2012 to 2015. He also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

McDonald was drafted in the second round of the 2003 draft (51st overall) and opted to play four years at Providence College. He did eventually sign with Edmonton in 2007 and joined the Springfield Falcons of the AHL for the next three years, tallying 34 goals over the three years. He even managed to appear in two games with the Oilers in 2009, scoring one goal. McDonald was later assigned to the Oklahoma City Barons, their dormant AHL franchise in 2010 where he tallied 42 goals.

As a free-agent, McDonald chose to sign a one-year deal with the Penguins, where he spent most of the year with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, but he did appear in five games with Pittsburgh that year. The following year he signed a two-year deal with the Islanders where his pro career really got going. He split time between the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Islanders, playing in 45 games in New York. He followed that up playing 70 games for New York the following year. He returned for one more year, but only appeared in 18 games.

He settled in Philadephia after that, playing in 18 more games over four seasons, playing most of the time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Last year, he signed a one-year AHL contract with Bridgeport. He played 757 AHL games over his career, captaining many of those teams during that span. In 148 NHL games, McDonald tallied 20 goals and 46 points.

 

Mikko Koivu Announces Retirement

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In a sudden move, Columbus Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu has announced his retirement after just seven games this season. The 37-year-old released a statement explaining his decision:

This was not an easy decision for me as I have loved every minute of my short time in Columbus and really hoped to be able to help this team accomplish its goals this season, but the bottom line is I haven’t been able to get to the level of play that I need to be true to myself and fair to my teammates, so the time is right for me to retire from hockey. I have been extremely blessed and I am eternally grateful to the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations for the opportunities they have given me to live out my dreams of playing in the National Hockey League for the past 16 years.

Koivu will forfeit the rest of his one-year contract that carried a $1.5MM salary this season and his cap hit will come off the books for Columbus. His career ends with 1,035 regular season games, all but seven of which came with the Minnesota Wild. Just two of his 711 career points came with Columbus.

This seven-game, two-point season with Columbus is an odd addendum to a great career that was spent almost entirely with one franchise. Koivu is the Wild franchise leader for games played, assists, points, and plus/minus, while also being the longest-tenured captain in Minnesota history. The team decided to part ways with him in the offseason after several down seasons, but instead of retiring Koivu gave it one last try in Columbus.

It has been obvious for some time that Koivu wasn’t the same two-way wizard he was for so long in Minnesota, but this season he was limited to just over 12 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets. He played just nine minutes on Sunday, was a healthy scratch on Monday, and now retired on Tuesday. If he wasn’t going to play much, it never really made sense for the veteran player to put his body through a gruelling COVID-affected season, especially after so many major injuries have taken their toll on Koivu over the years.

Though he unfortunately never found much playoff success, Koivu did reach the postseason on nine different occasions throughout his long career. He’ll be remembered as one of the most consistent defensive centers of his era, receiving Selke Trophy votes in ten different seasons and finishing in the top-five on three different occasions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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