Teams in the Kharlamov Division from the former Soviet Union are already making trades to change their trajectories as we head toward Season 10.
Minsk and St. Petersburg made the loudest news when the Krasnyye Zvezdy took a gamble on Patrick Kane, obtaining his negotiating rights for a third-round pick in this draft. Kane is 32 now but he seems to have plenty of fuel left in the tank. Last season, in his fifth year as a Hussar, he scored 37 times, the most in his 9 years in the league. He also showed some frustration as the Hussars dropped in the standings, registering a career-high 86 minutes in penalties. If St. Petersburg General Manager Ben Stuller can get Kane to sign on the dotted line, expect Kane to be on a line with Patrik Laine and Sergei Mozyakin.
Minsk also traded away Luke Adam, a 30-year-old left wing they plucked off the waiver wire in the season in which Minsk won its second EURO Cup. Adam had 43 points last season, playing on the second and third lines. In return, Lisbon sent Minsk GM Igor Kirunov a third-round pick in next year’s draft.
And Moscow Dynamo made a move to get Helsinki battering ram Boone Jenner to Russia, trading their 10th pick in this year’s draft to the Jokerit, who took that pick, added a second-rounder and traded both to Stockholm to move up one spot in the draft and take Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Moscow also received Helsinki’s third-round pick in this draft. In Moscow, Jenner will play on a line with either Mitch Marner or Kyle Palmieri on the right wing. There is a chance Ryan O’Reilly will be his center, but Jenner would have to supplant Max Pacioretty there. In six seasons with Helsinki, Jenner had his best goal-scoring season last year with 21 and he is capable of producing 50 points and 100 hits for the next several years.
