Today’s news brings Paul Postma signing in the KHL, a recap on Andrej Sekera’s unfortunate injury and the list of players and coaches who will take part in the Stars and Stripes Showdown Charity game.
Paul Postma Signs KHL Contract
Veteran defender Paul Postma has signed a one-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. The deal was announced by the team Wednesday morning with the official release available in Russian here.
Postma spent the 2017-18 season as a member of the Boston Bruins, though he only skated in 14 games with the team. He would record one assist and two penalty minutes in his time with the big club though he would score one goal and nine points in 13 AHL games in Providence as well. Adding to that, Postma would tally three post-season assists in four playoff games as well.
While things didn’t go quite as Postma had planned last season, he’ll get a chance to play professional hockey again next year at 29 years old and potentially reset interest in him for a possible NHL return the following season.
Sekera Suffers Torn Achilles Tendon
The Edmonton Oilers will be without Sekera for an indefinite period of time as the veteran defender has suffered a torn Achilles tendon that will require surgery. This is a big blow to the Oilers who were already tasked with playing short-handed on defense last season due to Sekera’s bout with injuries.
The Oilers have some of the best young talent in the entire NHL but will need to figure out their situation on defense sooner than later if they plan on bouncing back in 2018-19 with a possible playoff berth.
Related: Oilers Options to Replace Sekera on Defense
The team will have some options on defense to replace Sekera with, including internal and external players who could step in right away. With that said, finding the right fit will be integral for the team if they do plan on competing. They could use the 10th overall pick from 2018 Evan Bouchard but electing to burn a year off of his deal just to patch a hole might not be the smartest move in the long run for the team or for Bouchard’s development.
Star-Studded List Set for Jim Johannson Charity Game
When the Stars and Stripes Showdown takes place on Aug. 26 to raise money for Jim Johansson’s family and USA hockey, there will be no shortage of star power or big-name attraction.
At the game will be 34 NHL players and four coaches, three from the NHL, who all have American ties. The list is as follows (in alphabetical order based on NHL team)
Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler, Patrick Eaves
Boston Bruins: Anders Bjork, Charlie McAvoy
Buffalo Sabres: Jake McCabe, Matt Hunwick
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau, Noah Hanifin
Chicago Blackhawks: Alex DeBrincat, Connor Murphy, Patrick Kane
Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher
Columbus Blue Jackets: Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski
Detroit Red Wings: Danny DeKeyser, Dylan Larkin, Jimmy Howard, Luke Glendening,
Minnesota Wild: Ryan Suter, Zach Parise
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Brady Skjei
Ottawa Senators: Colin White, Craig Anderson, Patrick Sieloff
Philadelphia Flyers: James van Riemsdyk
Toronto Maple Leafs: Austin Matthews, Connor Carrick
Vegas Golden Knights: Alex Tuch
Winnipeg Jets: Andrew Copp, Connor Hellebuyck, Jacob Trouba, Kyle Connor
The coaches who will be present at the game include Jeff Blashill (Red Wings), John Hynes (Devils), David Quinn (Rangers) and Tony Granato of the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA.
For more details, follow the link here.
