16 Thoughts: Offseason
Jokes on you, there is no such thing
Welcome back to 16 Thoughts, a series a kin to Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts but cut in half due to only talking about Carolina Hurricanes prospects. I have returned from a 24 hour offseason and am now in full draft mode, trying to make sure I get as much ground covered before the draft on June 27th. Which launches me into the Thoughts (only 13):
1. On June 28th, or Day 2 of the NHL draft, Matt and I will be LIVE (hopefully) throughout the draft on the Canes Prospects twitter (and maybe Youtube if I can figure out how to do that). Since the Canes love to trade out of the first round, and trade down to accrue as many picks as possible, I thought it would be fun to go live with Matt and give live analysis of picks and trades while also answering any questions people might have.
2. The Canes will get the privilege of being one of the first NHL teams to figure out how long they have the rights to a CHL prospect after they transfer from the CHL to college as Justin Poirier has made the move to the University of Maine. My understanding would be that they hold his rights until he graduates or the Canes decide he’s ready for the professional level, but I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again. It’s also a new issue since this is the first time something like this has happened on a bigger scale.
3. I really like the fit of Poirier at Maine. Maine’s coach is one of the best in the country and I think Poirier could have a similar impact to that of Bradly Nadeau when he was at Maine. His shot is somewhat similar, although Nadeau’s is better IMO, and his offensive game should translate nicely. Big fan of the move.
4. I hope the Canes sign Bradly’s brother Josh eventually. Brother connection blah blah blah, Josh’s skillset is really solid and there are NHL qualities in his game. Looking forward to seeing if Poirier and Josh play on the same line.
5. Some KHL news that will have effects on Canes Prospects, Roman Rotenberg was let go from SKA. Igor Larionov, who coached Nikita Artamonov, Andrei Krutov, and Alexander Pelevin at Torpedo is the new coach. Shouldn’t have an effect on Timur Kol, but Rotenberg used the 18-year old defenseman in the KHL a decent amount this year and I had wondered if Kol could become a full time KHL player next season.
6. The VHL coach of Torpedo, who won the Championship with all 3 previously mentioned Canes Prospects, is now the coach of the Torpedo KHL side. Artamonov enjoyed a top 6 role in that VHL run, so I like his odds of getting a slightly expanded role next season in the KHL.
7. With Dmitri Simashev leaving for Utah and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl only having 3 defenseman under contract for next season, I wonder if Roman Shokhrin gets a look. If anything, he’s proven his value at the MHL level and I would like to see him play against better competition.
8. I haven’t heard anything about Alexander Rykov or Stanislav Yarovoy, but I thought it was interesting in Rykov’s case that he wasn’t listed as either an RFA or a UFA on the KHL website. Rykov is still listed on the Traktor page but without a contract.
9. Stanislav Yarovoy was made an RFA, but there is a lot of interesting things there. I don’t think he’ll be back with Vityaz next season, nor do I think that Vityaz will be a team next season unless they secure a new sponsor. Depending on the time this comes out, I should know an answer. (Update: Vityaz found a sponsor, per Arthur Khairullin)
10. Alexander Nikishin will be really good. That’s all.
11. I have no clarity on what’s going on with the rumored Amir Miftakhov signing. Still waiting to see if Ak Bars releases him. In my original post, I should’ve been a little more careful in my phrasing and said “rumored to sign.” I’m not backing down from what I posted though, as three different reporters and two different publications posted about Miftakhov leaving to go to Carolina, but I should’ve been a little more careful about my phrasing. Live and learn.
12. With Torpedo allowing Bogdan Konyushkov to head to Montreal development camp, I wonder if we could possible see Artamonov, Krutov, and Pelevin enjoy a North Carolina summer for a week. We saw a KHL player at camp last season, with Egor Velmakin coming over and endearing himself to many fans quickly. I would also think Velmakin comes back for another camp, but I have no information there.
13. Speaking of Velmakin, Dinamo Minsk just signed Zac Fucale to the biggest goalie contract in the KHL. With them also re-signed Vaili Demchenko, their starter during their playoff run last season, I worry about how much playing time Velmakin actually gets. Maybe he gets a loan or move away.