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Flames, Senators Among Teams Pursuing Joakim Nygard

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In tonight’s “Insider Trading” segment on TSN, Darren Dreger reported that one free agent race is already heating up more than three months before unrestricted free agency opens in the NHL. Joakim Nygard, who is currently playing for the top-seeded Farjestad BK in Swedish Hockey League postseason, is looking to make the jump to the NHL this off-season and there is already considerable interest. Among the teams rumored to be leading the pack in the pursuit of Nygard are two Canadian clubs on opposite ends of the spectrum, the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators.

It comes as little surprise that Nygard has been attracting attention this season. The 26-year-old forward is enjoying a career year in the SHL, skating on a line with Boston Bruins prospect Oskar Steen, the only Farjestad forward who has outscored him this season. Nygard played in all 52 regular season games this season, recording a career-high 21 goals and 35 points. Nygard finished second in the league goal-scoring race and helped to fuel his team to a top finish. Now he has to finish the job in the playoffs.

After that, he will be free to leave and it looks certain that he is headed to the NHL. In fact, Dreger states that Nygard’s camp has been receiving interest for months now and the move across the Atlantic has been a long time coming. He reports that several GM’s have checked in on Nygard over in Sweden this season, but says that the Flames and Senators specifically are “in hard”. Dreger also offers an NHL comparison for Nygard in Carl Hagelin, stating that Nygard’s skating ability is elite and he can “flat out fly”. The book on Nygard had been that he has the physical and technical tools down, but was still raw in his hockey sense and execution. It seems that he has improved in that area over the past few years and is now ready to show his complete game at the next level.

The battle to sign Nygard will be especially interesting because money won’t be the main bargaining chip. At 26, Nygard will still be forced to sign a one-year entry-level contract, meaning his immediate NHL earnings are capped no matter where he goes. More likely than not, opportunity will be the defining factor in the Swede’s decision. If that is the case, one would think Ottawa would have a major leg up as a team needing to replace several top-nine forwards before next season. Could the Senators start the off-season off early by adding Nygard? Keep an eye out once Farjestad’s season ends in the next month or so.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Victor Olofsson

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The Buffalo Sabres aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, so they’ve decided to take a look at some of their young players. Alexander Nylander has already been up with the team for the last few weeks, and now another Swedish forward is on his way. The Sabres recalled Victor Olofsson today for the first time in his career.

Olofsson, 23, is off to an outstanding start to his professional career in North America, recording 60 points in 64 games for the Rochester Americans this season. The seventh-round pick from 2014 signed his two-year entry-level contract last spring after several years in the SHL.

Obviously what Olofsson has done in the European and minor leagues is impressive, but he’ll have to show he can bring that offense to the NHL in order to stick around. This summer could very well bring more change for the Sabres lineup, given that Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville both remain unsigned while others like Vladimir Sobotka haven’t proven reliable. If Olofsson can impress in his short recall, it would go a long way to securing a roster spot next season. The front office has obviously not believed he was ready until now, a head-scratching decision given his dominance in the AHL.

He should be quite comfortable in Buffalo, as Olofsson was teammates with Rasmus Dahlin last season for Frolunda and knows Lawrence Pilut well from their battles in the SHL.

Mathias Brome Drawing NHL Interest

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With the NHL regular season in its home stretch and most European pro leagues already on to the postseason, talk has already begun about players who could be looking to make the jump overseas this off-season. There are always several European free agent signings each summer, with this past off-season an especially busy period for such moves, and this year should not be any different. One of the names that could join the NHL ranks is Swedish forward Mathias Brome. Hockey News Sweden reports that several teams are looking into importing the young winger this off-season.

Brome, 24, just finished his second season in the Swedish Hockey League, setting new career highs. Brome finished tied for 14th in scoring in the league with 35 points in 52 games and was a top-20 goal scorer with 15 tallies. While it may not seem like overly impressive output, the SHL sported just one point-per-game scorer in 2018-19, so Brome’s numbers were truly among the best in the league. However, they weren’t enough to help his team earn a playoff berth. Mora IK finished second-to-last in the league and will have to play to avoid relegation for the second straight season.

Brome will likely take any chance he can get in the NHL, but he will be eager to move on from Mora one way or another if the team is relegated out of the SHL. Brome’s contract with Mora expires at the end of the season and if he does not end up in the NHL, Hockey News Sweden states that he will be a hot commodity among other SHL squads.

However, the report indicates that a move to the NHL is the most likely result. A number of teams have reportedly reached out to Brome, with Hockey News Sweden specifically naming the Vegas Golden Knights as a team with great interest. A well-rounded, two-way winger, Brome may not have the flashy offensive ability that some of his countrymen possess, but makes up for it with a balanced game that should fit nicely with being a useful depth piece in the NHL. Should Brome land an NHL contract, he will likely begin his career as a top-six AHL player or bottom-six player in the NHL. Having the ability to play either a scoring role or checking role makes Brome a versatile option. This very well could be the main reasons that there is an influx of interest in the young forward. We’ll see soon enough if that interest translates to a contract from Brome.

Blue Jackets Notes: Merzlikins, Bemstrom, Bobrovsky

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It was a busy day for the always-informative Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, reacting to the news that intriguing prospect Alexandre Texier was on his way to North America to join the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and begin his Columbus Blue Jackets career. However, Portzline didn’t stop there, as he had news on a couple more top prospects in the Columbus pipeline. The most pressing report comes out of Switzerland, where Portzline notes star goalie Elvis Merzlikins and his NLA club, HC Lugano, are down 3-0 in their first-round series against EV Zug and on the brink of elimination. Game Four will take place on Saturday and, should that be the end Lugano’s season, it could begin the anticipated move for Merzlikins across the Atlantic. While Merzlikins has struggled against the higher-seeded playoff opponent, it won’t erase the merits of yet another strong regular season for the 24-year-old keeper, who logged a .921 save percentage for the second straight year and a his best goals against average as a starter at 2.44. Merzlikins has developed nicely in Switzerland, but it is time for the promising Latvian netminder to move on. With Sergei Bobrovsky moving on from Columbus as a free agent this summer, Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo are currently the only candidates to take over as starter barring an addition to the roster this off-season. Either way, the exciting young goalie will almost certainly make his NHL debut in 2019-20. Portzline expects Merzlikins to finish the season in North America, but that likely means joining Texier on the Monsters, not supplanting any of the three goalies currently on the Blue Jackets roster.

  • Another top Blue Jackets prospect is not as likely to make the jump to North America this season. Portzline writes that up-and-coming Swedish forward Emil Bemstrom looks unlikely to finish the year with Columbus or an affiliate due to other commitments. Bemstrom’s team in the Swedish Hockey League, Djurgardens IF, are the four seed in the upcoming postseason. The team is likely to be competitive in the first round, if not advance beyond that stage. If and when they are knocked out, Portzline states the Blue Jackets do not expect him to immediately join them. Instead, Portzline believes he could be a candidate to play for Sweden’s entry into the World Championships this spring. A fourth-round pick just two year’s ago, Bemstrom’s rise to top prospect status has been meteoric and has been capped off with an SHL season this year in which he is second in scoring for Djurgardens with 35 points in 47 games at just 19 years old. From relative obscurity, Bemstrom has emerged as arguably the best drafted prospect in Sweden this year and could help Columbus out as early as next season. Just don’t expect the jump in the coming weeks.
  • In a Q&A piece today, Portzline addressed a forgotten issue that may have led to the breakdown in the relationship between Bobrovksy and the Blue Jackets. After a lackluster postseason effort in 2017, many questioned whether Bobrovksy’s head was in the right place. Although no team officials or major media personalities echoed the sentiment, Bobrovsky reacted very negatively to the idea that he “needed a sports psychologist”. Reminded of that ordeal two years later, Portzline writes that this absolutely was a major issue that has plagued Bobrovsky. In fact, after another early exit from the playoffs last year, the comments may have a permanent place in the otherwise stellar goaltender’s head. Portzline has spoken with several Russian media members who have confirmed that the stigma attached to therapy and mental illness in the country is very different than in North America. They believe that the insinuations Bobrovsky faced were very offensive to him and could have led to a desire to leave Columbus. The move now seems inevitable, but given the slight downturn in Bobrovsky’s regular season play this year, one has to wonder if another poor performance in the playoffs further mess with his confidence and perhaps even hurt his value on the open market

Atlantic Notes: Zadina, Holmstrom, Steen

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When Detroit Red Wings rookie forward Filip Zadina takes the ice tonight, it will mark his fifth NHL game. More importantly, it means he is halfway toward burning the first year of his entry-level contract. Under the NHL CBA, an 18- or 19-year-old player may have their entry-level contract “slide” if he does not play a minimum of 10 NHL games in a given season. For the first-year pro Zadina, this looked like a likely outcome for much of the year. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft had played exclusively in the AHL this season until late last month, when he was finally recalled by the Red Wings. Now Detroit has a decision to make.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season for a team that is well beyond any playoff hopes, the Red Wings brass must decide if they want to limit Zadina to less than five more games down the stretch, thereby extending his rookie deal by one year, or instead continue to provide NHL experience to an elite young player who is likely to be a regular contributor beginning next season. Zadina, a talented forward who had recorded 31 points in 45 AHL games prior to his recall, projects to see a major raise in his next contract given his draft pedigree and expected production over the next few years, giving Detroit all the more reason to extend his affordable entry-level deal if possible. However, to both appease the young core player and further his development, they may just opt to keep Zadina in Detroit for the remainder of the season at the cost of burning a year off the deal. Either way, Zadina is bound for a return to the Grand Rapids Griffins for a postseason run, so the only question is simply when he is sent back down. Two other players who risk losing their “slide” status are Boston Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, both of whom are presently in the AHL and have played a handful of games in the NHL this season and would be near the top of the recall list if their team was to suffer injuries down the stretch or in the postseason.

  • One Red Wings prospect who looks like he may never suit up for the team is Axel Holmstrom. All season long, there has been rumors that the 22-year-old Swedish forward was eyeing a return to Europe when his current contract expired at the end of the season. Although Holmstrom will be a restricted free agent, Detroit can do nothing to keep him in the system if he wishes to leave and can only retain his NHL rights moving forward by making a qualifying offer. The doubt about Holmstrom’s longevity in North America even prompted his KHL rights to be traded this season. However, a new report from Swedish news source Kvall Posten has turned up the heat on the Holmstrom rumors and makes it sound as if the NHL and KHL are both out of the running already. The article states instead that Holmstrom has become a hot commodity back home in Sweden, with several SHL teams reportedly already bidding for his services. In fact, it is stated that two well-known teams have already been priced out. Skelleftea AIK, the team Holmstrom played for prior to coming to North America three years ago, and the Vaxjo Lakers HC, another top contender in SHL this season, are both expected to be out of the running. The remaining bidders are thought to be current league leader Lulea HF, whose GM recently met with Holmstrom in person in Grand Rapids, and HV71, who are believed to have made the highest offer. With this kind of bidding war going on among teams in his home country, it is very unlikely that Holmstrom will be back with Detroit next season. The young forward has been consistent if unspectacular in two full AHL seasons with the Griffins and does not seem all that close to pushing for a regular role with the Red Wings. He is bound to land a greater role and a raise on his current salary of less than $700K if (when) he returns to Sweden.
  • One player looking to make the opposite move – a jump to the NHL – is Boston Bruins prospect Oskar Steen. A sixth-round pick in 2016, Steen immediately looked like a steal for the Bruins. The small, but skilled forward played 47 games in the SHL as an 18-year-old in 2016-17 and then followed it up by making the Swedish World Junior team last year while again playing in 45 SHL games and doubling his previous point total. However, this year he has shed his role player status and blossomed into a top scorer for Farjestad BK. Still just 20, Steen has nevertheless posted 37 points in 44 games to lead all forwards in scoring and help the team to a top playoff seed. His play has begun to garner attention outside of Sweden. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver notes that Steen is being considered for a spot on Sweden’s entry into the upcoming World Championships, while adding that he is expected to sign with Boston this off-season. Steen will likely have to spend some time in the AHL at first, but is yet another young forward who will push for ice time with the Bruins next year.

Overseas Notes: Scoring, Merzlikins, Popugaev

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Scoring is up in the NHL this season, but their European counterparts can’t say the same. As the regular seasons for the major overseas leagues begin to wind down, the numbers show that none can keep up with the goal scorers of the NHL; the old adage that European hockey is more wide open and offensive is not holding up. On average, NHL teams are scoring approximately 3.03 goals per game in 2018-19. Contrast that to the KHL, thought to be closest competitor to the NHL on the basis of skill, where teams are only scoring about 2.47 goals per game on average and many are failing to score even two per game. The Finnish Liiga is the closest to the NHL at 2.72 goals per game per team, but even that is a ways off. Swiss NLA teams are recording approximately 2.66 goals per game, while Swedish Hockey league clubs are at 2.57 goals per game.

Even more peculiar than the gap between goal scoring in the NHL and Europe is the distribution of points. As there are fewer goals being scored in the four major European leagues, there are less opportunities to register points, even for star players. However, one would assume that there would still be plenty of standouts in each of the four leagues who find their way on to the score sheet each and every night. That would be a false assumption. Currently there are 41 players in the NHL averaging a point per game or better in at least half of their teams’ games. In the KHL, NLA, SHL, and Liiga combined, there are nine. The KHL leads the way with four such scorers, headed up by Vegas Golden Knights property Nikita Gusev, the top scoring forward in Europe with 1.30 points per game – such a mark would be seventh-best in the NHL. Familiar names Nigel Dawes and Vadim Shipachyov are also in the group, as is intriguing free agent option Dmitri Kagarlitsky. Over in the NLA, more recognizable veterans are scoring at a point-per-game clip or better, including Dustin Jeffrey, Chris DiDomenico, and Mark Arcobello. However, the league leader at 1.20 is none other than Dominik Kubalik, whose rights were just acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks last month and who could be eyeing a move to North America. The lone elite scorer in Finland is small, but skilled 23-year-old Iikka Kangasniemi, who is also certain to draw NHL interest this off-season as well. The SHL does not feature any point-per-game players currently. So, next time you feel the urge to complain about the lack of scoring or star scorers in the NHL, just take comfort in the fact that at least you’re not in Europe. All four leagues pale in comparison to the NHL in those departments this season.

  • In an article for The Athletic about the future of the Columbus Blue Jackets in net, Aaron Portzline posits that prospect Elvis Merzlikins could arrive in North America before the end of the season. Merzlikins, 24, was a third-round pick by Columbus back in 2014 and has been a regular in net for HC Lugano of the NLA ever since. The Latvian goaltender gets better each year and this season has posted a .922 save percentage and 2.37 GAA that are both among the top ten keepers in Switzerland. Yet, Lugano is in danger of missing the postseason, which would hypothetically allow Merzlikins to finally make his move to Columbus as early as March. Portzline writes that many in the Blue Jackets organization feel Merzlikins is ready to play in the NHL right away, which could certainly be a possibility this season if the team does indeed opt to trade impending UFA starter Sergei Bobrovsky. Even if Lugano does make the playoffs or Columbus determines they do not want to throw him into the fire right away, the young keeper is still guaranteed to be crossing the Atlantic after this season and should compete for NHL minutes immediately next year.
  • New Jersey Devils prospect Nikita Popugaev is also eyeing a jump to North America. Initially considered to be a first-round caliber talent in the 2017 NHL Draft, Popugaev ended up falling to the Devils in the fourth round due to questions about his motor and work ethic. The big winger didn’t help to quell those concerns when he left his WHL team, the Prince George Cougars, early last season to return to his native Russia. However, his current team, the KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk, have announced that Popugaev has left the team and will “try his hand” back in the U.S. His KHL contract has been terminated and he is now free to sign an entry-level contract with the Devils, but there has been no word of such a deal yet. Popugaev is still very raw and needs several more seasons of work in the minor leagues, but does have potential. The next question is whether the Devils feel that potential is worth a contract slot and the time and effort it may take to tap into it.

Kris Versteeg Signs In SHL

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The hockey journey continues for journeyman Kris Versteeg, this time signing with the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League. Versteeg had played 11 games for Avangard Omsk in the KHL this season, but will now finish out the year in Sweden.

Versteeg, 32, has had one of the most interesting playing careers in recent memory, bouncing around the NHL on a yearly basis. Spending time in Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Florida, Chicago (again), Carolina, Los Angeles and finally Calgary, he was without an NHL job this summer when he decided to take his talents overseas. Injury forced him out of North America, but perhaps there is a chance he could make a return next season.

If the veteran forward can have a good showing in the SHL, there’s no reason to think he couldn’t at least be a depth option in the NHL if he’s willing to suit up in the minor leagues. Versteeg hasn’t played a game in the AHL since the 2007-08 season, but unless he finds a fit overseas it might be his only chance. In 643 games he scored 358 points and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Blackhawks.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Joel Persson To One-Year Extension

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Last spring the Edmonton Oilers executed one of the more interesting transactions in recent history. The team signed Swedish defenseman Joel Persson to a one-year entry-level contract, but immediately assigned him back to the SHL for the 2018-19 season. The team was basically buying his rights moving forward, while leaving Persson to play for his regular team for the duration of the entry-level deal. The 24-year old would become a restricted free agent at the end of this season, but the Oilers would own his exclusive negotiating rights. Now the team has signed Persson to a one-year extension, and Cap Friendly reports the deal is worth $1MM. Despite having never played in the NHL, this contract is not limited by the entry-level salary restrictions.

Persson turned a lot of heads last season when he exploded onto the SHL scene with 34 points in 51 games. That was good enough for second among all defensemen only behind Lawrence Pilut, who then left for the Buffalo Sabres for 2018-19. With Pilut gone, Persson is now king in the SHL and is tied for the league lead among defensemen with 23 points through 36 games. His 19 assists rank sixth among any position.

There is a chance that the offensive defenseman could play some games for the Oilers this season, but an extension like this almost guarantees that he will see North American ice in 2019-20. Whether he can carve out a role on the powerplay with Edmonton is still to be seen, but the young defenseman has all the skills necessary to be a contributor with the man advantage.

The Oilers still have six other defensemen on one-way contracts for next season, but given the injury struggles of players like Andrej Sekera and performance issues by others like Brandon Manning and Matt Benning, there will certainly be an opportunity in Edmonton. Whether Persson is the answer to that won’t be known until he starts playing against NHL competition, but adding a 24-year old defensemen with plenty of offensive skill is never a bad idea. At worst, his cap hit would be completely buried in the minor leagues.

Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko Lead Central Scouting Mid-Season Lists

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With the 2018-19 NHL season more than half over, the league’s Central Scouting Bureau has released their rankings of the best draft-eligible prospects from around the world. These players are eligible to be selected in just a few months at July’s draft in Vancouver, and two familiar names lead the way. Central Scouting breaks their lists into the top North American and International skaters and goaltenders, not directly comparing the groups. The top names from each are as follows:

North American Skaters:

  1. C Jack Hughes, USA National Team Development Program
  2. C Kirby Dach, Saskatoon Blades, WHL
  3. C Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL
  4. D Bowen Byram, Vancouver Giants, WHL
  5. C Alex Turcotte, USA National Team Development Program

International Skaters:

  1. RW Kaapo Kakko, TPS, Finland (Liiga)
  2. RW Vasili Podkolzin, SKA St. Petersburg, Russia (MHL)
  3. D Philip Broberg, AIK, Sweden (Allsvenskan)
  4. C Ilya Nikolaev, Yaroslavl, Russia (MHL)
  5. D Victor Soderstrom, Brynas, Sweden (SHL)

North American Goalies:

  1. Spencer Knight, USA National Team Development Program
  2. Hunter Jones, Peterborough Petes, OHL
  3. Mads Sogaard, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

International Goalies:

  1. Pyotr Kochetkov, Ryazan, Russia (MHL)
  2. Samuel Hlavaj, Slovakia U20, Slovakia*
  3. Hugo Alnefelt, HV71, Sweden (Jr.)

Hlavaj recently joined the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. 

Jason Garrison Signs In Sweden

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It has been a tumultuous few years for veteran defenseman Jason Garrison. The now 34-year-old defenseman hit a wall after turning 30 and hasn’t been able to get back to the level of play he displayed as a younger player. His latest team, the Chicago Blackhawks, recently placed him on unconditional waivers and, after clearing, terminated his contract. It was the end of the line for Garrison’s NHL career, but he has quickly landed elsewhere. Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League has announced that they have signed Garrison to a contract for the remainder of the season.

Back in 2012, Garrison signed a six-year, $27.6MM contract with the Vancouver Canucks at the height of his career. Yet, he was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the draft in 2014. After one strong season in Tampa, recording 30 points at the age of 30, Garrison only managed 20 more points over the next two seasons combined. The Lightning exposed Garrison in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and made a side deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, giving up a second-round pick and the rights to KHL star Nikita Gusev, to ensure he was selected. Vegas then put Garrison on waivers early on last season and kept him in the AHL for all but eight regular season games. With his long-term contract expired, Garrison became a free agent but did not attract much attention in the off-season. He managed to land a tryout offer with the Edmonton Oilers and did enough to earn a one-year minimum contract. The Oilers even gave Garrison ample play time, starting him in 17 games. Yet, even with numerous injuries on the blue line, Garrison had not produced and it became clear he was not a legitimate option for Edmonton. They dealt him to the Blackhawks in late December as a salary dump in their trade to acquire actual defensive help in Brandon Manning. The next day, Chicago placed him on waivers and then again on unconditional waivers just a few days later.

However, through many difficult years and with many teams, including many games spent with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, Garrison has shown a determination to keep playing hockey. It comes as little surprise that he has found a new team so quickly. Djurgardens, who is currently fighting for a playoff spot in the SHL, is eager to add Garrison’s knowledge and leadership to the roster. The team lacks very much NHL experience, outside of former New Jersey Devil Jacob Josefson, but has plenty of exciting young talent in need of some stability and guidance. They hope that Garrison can answer that bell. While his days in the NHL are surely over, Garrison clearly wants to continue his playing career and can make a great first impression overseas by helping Djurgardens reach the postseason this year.

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