Over the past few seasons NHL teams have benefited from bringing in players from Europe. Undrafted players such as Artemi Panarin in Chicago or Nikita Zaitsev in Toronto; as well as former NHL players looking to return such as Jaromir Jagr in Florida or Alexander Radulov in Montreal have made an impact. There are talented athletes playing in Europe who can and have helped NHL teams.
Taking a look at this year’s potential unrestricted free agents, it might be difficult for the Habs to really address their issues. There is a glaring weakness at center as well as overall scoring issues. The Habs scoring problems risk getting worse with the future of Alexander Radulov unknown. He is also a potential free agent. Radulov was brought in from the KHL last off-season by Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to address the scoring issues. Radulov came with some baggage from his previous NHL run in Nashville. However, it was an acquisition that paid off for the Habs. Radulov had a great year in Montreal.
European Signings Who Can Improve Montreal Canadiens Roster
Bergevin has continued to find talent in Europe, signing Czech defenseman Jakub Jerabek to a contract. Bergevin was also courting highly sought after centre Vadim Shipachyov for two seasons. He eventually decided not to offer him a contract to avoid a bidding war – after the Vegas Golden Knights became interested in the center. While that was a lost opportunity for the Habs, there are still a lot of players worth looking at playing in Europe. Several European players could be of interest to Montreal.
Ilya Kovalchuk: LW SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) 6’3, 227 lbs, 34 years old
Kovalchuk is by far the biggest name in Europe seeking a return to the NHL. The former number one overall pick is a goal-scoring machine. He scored at least 30 goals nine times in his 11 years in the NHL. Kovalchuk maintained his scoring in his four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg. He has put up 89 goals and 222 points in 209 games and won two Gagarin Cups. The New Jersey Devils still hold Kovalchuk’s NHL rights. If the Habs, or anyone else, wants to sign Kovalchuk, they will need to work out a trade with the Devils.
Evgeni Dadonov: LW SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) 5’11 185 lbs, 28 years old
Dadonov was drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2007, but was never able to become an NHL regular. He returned to Russia in 2012. Dadonov found his offensive stride when he joined SKA St. Petersburg in 2014. He was paired with Vadim Shipachyov. Dadonov scored 72 goals and 158 points in 165 games since joining SKA.
Dadonov and Shipachyov also were dominant in the 2016 IIHF World Hockey Championships finishing first and third in scoring. There is a concern that Dadonov has only produced when playing with Shipachyov and may not be able to produce without him. Still, his production is something that has made teams take notice. Bergevin would be wise to at least explore this option. Like Shipachyov, the Golden Knights are also extremely interested in signing him to re-unite the line mates. This might spark a bidding war and we have already seen that Bergevin is not keen on that.
Jan Kovár: C Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) 5’11 216 lbs 27 years old
Jan Kovár might not be as well known as some of the other players on this list, but he could be a major contributor in the NHL. He has good goal scoring ability with 90 goals and 251 points in 231 games in the KHL. Kovár does play on a line with two elite scoring players in Sergei Mozyakin and Danis Zaripov (both not on this list due to their age, 36), which some believe has inflated his stats. However, at 27-years-old Kovár could also be driving the production of the line. He is a strong and versatile player, and while he is listed as a center, he can play all forward positions. Kovár still has one year left on his KHL contract and there is no transfer agreement between the NHL and KHL. The Habs and Kovár would need to work out an agreement with the Russian Federation and KHL to void his Metallurg contract. Another option would be to wait the year and make a push for him next off-season.
Nikita Gusev: FW SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) 5’9 168 lbs 24 years old
Gusev is a long shot here. Drafted by Tampa Bay in 2012, the team still holds his NHL rights and he is signed in Russia through the 2017-18 season. The Lightning seem interested in bringing the ultra talented Gusev over to pair with childhood friend Nikita Kucherov. However, for the time being, Gusev seems intent on staying in Russia. While his SKA teammate Evgeni Dadanov has been getting more attention, Gusev was third in team scoring ahead of Dadonov this year (behind Kovalchuk and Shipachyov). He scored 24 goals and 71 points. His size is a concern, but his speed and offensive talent cannot be over-looked. He performed very well at the 2017 IIHF World Championships scoring seven goals and 14 points in 10 games for Russia.
The situation in Tampa is curious, however, as the Lightning need to re-sign Restricted Free Agents Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin. Tampa only has about $17 million in cap space and all three are due significant pay increases. Johnson and Palat are eligible for salary arbitration. Gusev could be a low cost option for Tampa should the move on from one of their RFA’s, but if they are becoming impatient waiting for Gusev to come to North America, they could consider trading his rights. Gusev has a ton of talent and would upgrade any teams offence.
Stephane Da Costa: C CSKA Moscow (KHL) 5’11 179 lbs 27 years old
Da Costa has had a run in the NHL before. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Ottawa Senators in 2011. While he was never able to secure a spot with the Senators, he did produce well in the AHL with Binghamton. With no clear path to the NHL, Da Costa signed with CSKA Moscow for the 2014-2015 season. His first season with CSKA was excellent, he tallied 30 goals and 62 points in 46 games. Since then his career has been marred by injuries, playing only 24 games in each of the past two seasons. In both seasons, however, Da Costa was able to re-join CSKA for the playoffs, where he excelled, netting a combined 20 points in 28 playoff games. He has tons of offensive talent and flair.
While known for his offensive abilities, Da Costa can play a scrappy game and does not shy away from physicality.
Da Costa has also put himself on NHL radars by having a strong showing at the 2017 World Hockey Championships for France with six goals and 10 points in six games. Da Costa is a true free agent this summer as his KHL contract ends and the Senators control over his rights expire on July 1st.
Johan Sundström: C Frolunda (SHL) 6’3 201 lbs 24 years old
Sundström was drafted by the New York Islanders in 2011. He failed to impress at the NHL or AHL level. He returned to Sweden in 2015 and has performed well scoring 29 goals and 74 points in 96 games. One should note the defensive nature of the SHL, effecting point totals. The Islanders control Sundström’s rights in the NHL as an RFA until he turns 27, but his poor run in their system may have soured them on him. It may not take much to trade for his rights.
His failed run in the Islanders system is an obvious concern. However, he may be better developed today. Sundström’s size and (recent) production should warrant a second go around in North America.
Sebastian Aho: D Skelleftea AIK (SHL) 5’10 176 lbs 21 years old
Not to be confused with the Carolina Hurricanes player, this Sebastian Aho is a very mobile defenseman with excellent hockey sense. A confident puck carrier and a great passer, he is very comfortable running a power play. NHL teams overlooked Aho in the 2015 NHL draft. This is probably due to his size. Aho has had an excellent year with Skelleftea, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 50 games. Aho makes up for his lack of size with his ability to read the game. It would be interesting to see Claude Julien work with Aho, as he developed a similar player in Boston, Torey Krug.
Pär Lindholm: C Skelleftea AIK (SHL) 5’11 178 lbs 25 years old
Lindholm is a very talented player having a career year with Skelleftea. He scored 15 goals and 31 points in 38 games. He does play on an extremely talented team, which could be a reason for his production. Lindholm does have two years remaining on his Skelleftea contract, but the NHL and SHL have a transfer agreement in place, the Habs could negotiate his release.
Fredrik Händemark: C Malmo Redhawks (SHL) 6’4 209 lbs 23 years old
Händemark is a young, big center with Malmo. His size and position alone should put him on the Habs radar. He also had a productive season scoring 13 goals and 32 points in 47 games. He is signed for one more season with Malmo, but with a transfer agreement in place between the NHL and SHL, his release can be negotiated.
These are just a few of the players in Europe the Habs should, at least, kick the tires on. Bergevin will need to act fast, however, as teams have already begun signing some of the high-end players. Last week (May 16th) the Maple Leafs signed a pair of Swedish defensemen, Calle Rossen and Andreas Borgman, while the Predators (May 15th) signed forward Victor Ejdsell.
Signing a player from Europe is far from a sure thing, for every Artemi Panarin or Nikita Zaitsev there is a Jiri Sekac or Fabian Brunnstrom. Signing European players can be a cost effective way to improve a roster. The Habs are in a particularly awkward situation. They have an aging roster, little salary cap space, and very few high-end prospects in their system. Looking to Europe may provide them with low-cost roster players that can help them now and in the future.
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