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Minor Transactions: 10/29/21

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The hockey world got some unexpected news this morning with the Toronto Maple Leafs extending defenseman Morgan Rielly for eight seasons. That’s certainly quantifiable as a major transaction, but many other teams and players at lower levels of hockey have made paper moves today as they deal with the ripple effects of moves at the NHL level. Here are today’s minor transactions:

  • The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have loaned defenseman Montana Onyebuchi to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, per the Solar Bears’ Twitter. Onyebuchi joined the Barracuda on an AHL contract after taking part in the San Jose Sharks’ training camp this past offseason. The 21-year-old Onyebuchi served as an alternate captain for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers during the past two seasons, and had 12 points in 20 games in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL affiliate of St. Louis, added two players to the roster today in forward Nic Pierog and defenseman Nick Albano. Both Pierog and Albano had been playing with the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers, but only Pierog was under an AHL contract. He was recalled after scoring two points in two games with Worcester and has five points in 15 career AHL games. Albano was on an ECHL contract and was signed to a professional tryout agreement with Springfield. Albano had one goal in three games after not playing during the 2020-21 campaign.

Matt Nieto Listed As Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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  • Sharks winger Matt Nieto is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury stems from a blocked shot on Thursday in Nashville.  The 28-year-old had suited up in all six games for San Jose in the early going this season, collecting one assist.

Senators Acquire Dylan Gambrell

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The Senators had been looking to add some forward depth even before Shane Pinto was placed on IR.  They’ve now done so, acquiring center Dylan Gambrell from San Jose for a 2022 seventh-round pick.  The selection going to the Sharks is actually their own seventh-rounder that was previously acquired in January for defenseman Christian Jaros.  Both teams have announced the deal.  Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement on the move:

Dylan’s a player whose progress we’ve monitored since his collegiate career at the University of Denver. He’s a good-skating centre, a strong checker and a responsible penalty killer. We have a void at centre on account of some recent injuries and Dylan will help us with that need.

The 25-year-old has reached double digits in points in each of the last two seasons while also logging over 16 minutes per game in 49 contests with the Sharks last season.  That helped earn him a one-year, $1.1MM contract from San Jose this offseason.  However, he failed to earn a spot on the roster in training camp having been beaten by Jasper Weatherby for the spot on the fourth line he was expected to occupy and actually cleared waivers two weeks ago.

While Ottawa could have had him for free back then, they also didn’t have three regulars out with injuries as Pinto is joined by Colin White and Austin Watson on injured reserve.  As a result, they’ve decided to part with a seventh-rounder to bring in someone with 110 career games under his belt, primarily in the checking role that Dorion alluded to trying to fill.  It’s a low-cost pickup for the Sens and if Gambrell pans out, he’s controllable for two more years through restricted free agency where he will have arbitration rights.

San Jose Sharks Approaching Decision On William Eklund

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The entry-level slide is a rather well-known concept now in the salary cap world. Otherwise known as the ’nine-game rule’, it permits teams to conserve years on an 18- or 19-year-old player’s entry-level contract by deferring or sliding the start of the contract by a season (or two), provided they don’t play nine games or less at the NHL level in a season.

It’s not something often thought about with players of European origin, as it’s rather uncommon for a European-based player to make a team out of camp at this age unless fully NHL-ready. But the San Jose Sharks took a chance this year on 2020 draft selection William Eklund, and it’s largely paid off. As the team’s roared off to a 4-1-0 start, they’ve largely been propelled by the competence of their rookie class — including Eklund. With three assists in four games, Eklund’s showing flashes of potential and already showing the value the Sharks got with a seventh-overall selection.

Yet Eklund was scratched today for their first loss of the season against the Boston Bruins, allowing Alexander Barabanov to draw back into the lineup. Eklund’s spent the season playing on a line with Tomas Hertl and Rudolfs Balcers, but sits as a -3 with none of his points coming at even strength.

There’s no doubt that Eklund was a slam-dunk selection, but if he can’t stick in the lineup, it would be the wiser move to loan him back to his native Sweden without burning the first year of his contract. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz notes that the team is likely to take as long as possible before making that choice, giving Eklund every chance to prove that he can stay in the lineup at the NHL level this season. But the team, understandably, also doesn’t want him spending too much time in the press box, especially after he impressed with 23 points in 40 SHL games last season with Djurgardens IF.

Regardless, the Sharks can dress Eklund in five more games before being able to loan him back to Sweden without burning a season on his entry-level deal. For a team that now looks to be on the rise sooner rather than later, it could be a choice with long-term ramifications in terms of his second contract.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Kane, Wedin

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It is a quick COVID Protocol turnaround for a few Chicago Blackhawks, well at least two of the three. After missing practice yesterday due to compliance with league protocol, Ryan Carpenter and Erik Gustafsson were back on the ice at morning skate today ahead of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. However, remaining absent was star Patrick Kane, who was also among the protocol group yesterday. The Athletic’s Scott Powers has confirmed suspicions, relaying word from the Blackhawks that Carpeneter and Gustafsson have been removed from the COVID Protocol, but Kane has not. There is no word as to why the trio were initially subject nor why Kane remains, but regardless Chicago will get some reinforcements back but could still be missing their best player tonight. Off to a frustrating 0-4-1 start, the Blackhawks can ill afford to be without Kane for very long. Interestingly, head coach Jeremy Colliton stopped short of ruling Kane out against Detroit, but there will have to be a change to his COVID status within a matter of hours.

  • Another team missing a Kane is the San Jose Sharks. Last season’s leading scorer, Evander Kane, is serving a 21-game suspension for violating COVID Protocol by using a fake vaccination card. Given all of the controversy surrounding Kane over the past year though, a 21-game absence is unlikely what the Sharks expected to result from multiple investigations. The big winger will in fact be eligible to return to the team before the end of November. So where does San Jose go from here? The team is off to an incredible and unexpected 5-0-0 start and is playing well, perhaps without Kane’s distraction in the locker room. However, they have little recourse to prevent him from returning to the club. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Sharks cannot terminate Kane’s contract due to the lengthy suspension nor can they do so as an internal form of punishment due to the findings that led to his league suspension. The CBA does not allow either form of double punishment and the NHLPA would not let it fly. They would be supported by a recent report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, which stated the league never considered termination as a punishment for Kane. While the Sharks may be opne to a reunion with Kane, both Johnston and Friedman note that the team’s reaction has been a mixed bag of support and disdain for the situation and Kane’s coaches and teammates have been non-committal about whether or not they want him back. The team has just over a month to decide how to handle his return.
  • Interestingly, a former Chicago Blackhawk and a player once linked to the San Jose Sharks was back on the market this week, albeit briefly. Forward Anton Wedin, who spent the 2019-20 season in the Blackhawks organization, terminated his contract with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk earlier this week. This sparked some speculation that perhaps he would return to North America, even if only on an AHL deal. After all, Wedin made the jump from Sweden to Chicago at 26 and played in four NHL games and recorded 17 points in 31 AHL games. It was by no means a poor season. Wedin, who was only on a one-year deal with the Blackhawks, drew some NHL interest in the 2020 off-season, but ultimately decided to say home in Sweden during the pandemic, totaling 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games with HV71 in his best SHL season to date. Wedin’s name did not appear in any NHL rumors this summer and he signed in the KHL, but after just two points in 14 with Sibir he has moved on. Instead of exploring a return overseas though, Wedin will play out the season in the KHL after signing with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the year. Still just 28 and with NHL experience and ability, perhaps Wedin could return to the league in the future.

Evander Kane Suspended 21 Games

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The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane for 21 regular season games without pay, for an established violation of, and lack of compliance with, the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 Protocol. The league also released the following statement regarding the other allegations that were under investigation:

The National Hockey League also announced today that its concurrent investigation into allegations of domestic abuse made against Kane by his estranged wife, Deanna, could not be substantiated.

On October 6, Josh Dubow of the Associated Press reported that Kane was being investigated for allegations that he used a fake vaccination card. The league did not specify how the protocol was breached and indicated it would not comment further. Kane has already been away from the Sharks for the entire preseason as the investigations continued, and will now be ineligible to play for them until their game on November 30.

It has been an extremely tumultuous offseason for the Sharks and their star forward, as Kane has now been involved in three separate league investigations. Though he has been cleared in two of them, this long suspension means he won’t be able to help them for quite some time. Whether the two sides will reunite down the road is unclear, especially after a protocol violation that brought about this severe suspension.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Kane is not expected to appeal the suspension. Kane has released the following statement through the NHLPA:

I would like to apologize to my teammates, the San Jose Sharks organization and all Sharks fans for violating the NHL COVID protocols. I made a mistake, one I sincerely regret and take responsibility for. During my suspension, I will continue to participate in counseling to help me make better decisions in the future. When my suspension is over, I plan to return to the ice with great effort, determination and love for the game of hockey. 

The Sharks have released a statement of their own on the extended loss of one of their top players and notably will not comment again until after the suspension is over:

While we are encouraged by Evander’s commitment to moving forward, we are extremely disappointed by his disregard for the health and safety protocols put in place by the NHL and NHLPA.

Brady Tkachuk To Make Season Debut On Thursday

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Winger Brady Tkachuk will make his season debut for the Ottawa Senators on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirms.

The Senators have a three-day break ahead of them after playing three games in four nights to open the season. Without their best forward in the lineup, the team impressed, starting the season off 2-1-0.

Tkachuk’s season debut will come at home after appearing in street clothes during the team’s season opener last Thursday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs to a standing ovation. The Senators signed Tkachuk to a seven-year, $57.5MM contract earlier on that Thursday.

He’ll undoubtedly get slotted on the team’s first line in his return, reuniting as a trio with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. That line impressed all last season in its first year of existence, seeing its members score 17 goals apiece and at least 30 points apiece in a shortened 56-game season.

The team has risen to its 2-1-0 start largely due to the impressive play of Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson in the net. Despite that record, the Senators have scored only seven goals in their first three games, averaging 2.33 per contest. Tkachuk’s infusion into the lineup and the depth advantage that it provides will undoubtedly go a long way towards boosting those numbers.

Nikolai Knyzhov To Undergo Surgery

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One of the interesting new members of the San Jose Sharks last season was Nikolai Knyzhov, who played in all 56 games and recorded ten points. The 23-year-old defenseman was set to build on that rookie campaign, but will have to wait a few months. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Knyzhov will have surgery on October 22 and faces an eight- to ten-week recovery timeline thereafter. Originally trying to rehab his lower-body injury, the decision was made that surgery is now the best option.

Just 23, Knyzhov was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Russia. He had only really played in the MHL and VHL to that point, but the Sharks obviously saw his mix of size–6’2″ 218-lbs–and exceptional skating ability as a potential NHL combination. After one year spent mostly in the AHL, he was a regular in the lineup last season and proved he could be a key contributor to the Sharks.

Without him, the team still has plenty of options on the back end, though not many of them have the same mix of youth and potential. Brent Burns logged a game-high 27:26 for the team last night, with Radim Simek playing fewer than 12 minutes. Given how little the team has been using Marc-Edouard Vlasic, it appears as though the heavy load will fall on Burns, Mario Ferraro, and Erik Karlsson.

Minor Transactions: 10/12/21

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Opening Night of the 2021-22 NHL campaign has finally arrived and all eyes are on the season-opening matchups between the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins and the league’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, and the Vegas Golden Knights. Yet, it has also been a very busy day for “minor” transactions, both the advent of regular NHL recalls and reassignments as well as several notable signings and trades. Keep up with all of these moves right here:

  • AHL trades are not common, but there is already one in the books for this season. The Belleville Senators have announced that they have acquired forward Jake Lucchini from the Laval Rocket for future considerations. Lucchini, 26, spent the past season and a half with Laval, but without much to show for it. The former Michigan Tech standout and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has yet to make his mark on the pros, but will get another shot with Belleville this season.
  • A KHL trade today also contained some recognizable names. SKA St. Petersburg has acquired former NHL forward Valentin Zykov from Sibir Novosibirsk. The return is another former NHL forward, Vladislav Kamenev, and San Jose Sharks prospect Yegor Spirodonov. Zykov had been playing in Sweden to begin this year, but now that his KHL rights have transferred he has agreed to a one-year deal with SKA. Zykov skated in 15 games with the Vegas Golden Knights just last year, recording four points. Kamenev spent all of last season in St. Petersburg after notching eight points in 38 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019-20. Spirodonov, a 2019 selection, has yet to be given much of a chance in the KHL and could be bound for North America next season if he doesn’t earn a greater role with Novosibirsk.
  • Ben Hutton’s late-preseason PTO with the Anaheim Ducks didn’t result in an NHL contract – at least not yet – but the veteran defenseman is remaining with the organization. Hutton has signed an AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the team announced. Hutton began last season with the Ducks and that familiarity with the organization combined with the team’s potential seller status could lead to a promotion to an NHL deal at some point this year.
  • After initial rosters were finalized yesterday with a vast number of AHL assignments, at least one team is already switching things up. The Dallas Stars have recalled forwards Joel Kiviranta and Jacob Peterson from AHL Texas and sent fellow forwards Oskar Back and Ty Dellandrea and goaltender Jake Oettinger back in a corresponding move. If Peterson plays in Dallas’ opener on Thursday, it will mark his NHL debut.

Latest On Evander Kane

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Yesterday, the San Jose Sharks left Evander Kane off their opening night roster, noting that he “is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation.” There was no clarity on how that affected the team’s cap situation, but CapFriendly reports today that Kane’s $7MM cap hit will not currently count against the Sharks. That leaves them with a little more than $8MM in total cap space going into the season.

The bigger question is how long will the Sharks be without Kane, and there could be an answer coming soon on that front. Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet tweets that the league is leaning toward suspending Kane under the CBA’s “Commissioner Discipline for Off-Ice Conduct” (article 18-A). A suspension like this is entirely determined by the league’s commissioner, in this case Gary Bettman, but does have an appeal process. Technically the article also states that a player’s contract can be canceled by the commissioner, though nothing has indicated that will be the case here. It reads:

18-A.2 Commissioner Authority to Impose Discipline for Off-Ice Conduct.

Whenever the Commissioner determines that a Player has violated a League Rule applicable to Players (other than Playing Rules subjecting the Player to potential Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct), or has been or is guilty of conduct (whether during or outside the playing season) that is detrimental to or against the welfare of the League or the game of hockey, he may discipline such Player in any or all of the following respects:

  • (a) by expelling or suspending such Player for a definite or indefinite period;
  • (b) by cancelling any SPC that such Player has with any Member Club; or
  • (c) by imposing a fine on the Player not exceeding the maximum permissible fine under Section 18.7(b).

For the purpose of calculating compensation forfeited due to a suspension under this Article, the Player will forfeit all Paragraph 1 NHL Salary and Bonuses, but not Performance Bonuses, commencing on the effective date of the suspension through the completion of the last game or date of the suspension, inclusive of all intervening days.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tweets that the investigation is ongoing and Kane is currently designated as a non-roster player. How long that designation stands for is unclear, just as the potential length of suspension is still unclear.

When the league announced that Kane had been cleared of the allegations of gambling on NHL games, it also included a note that he was being investigated for other potential wrongdoing. The official release has been changed several times, but now does not include any mention of the “allegation of inappropriate behavior potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of Club members” that it once listed.

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