Breaking down notable players on the 2024 international free-agent market
Spartak Moscow’s Maxim Tsyplakov.
With the college free-agent market pretty much wrapped up, it’s time to take a look at the international market. Unlike college free agency, most of these players are older and have multiple professional campaigns overseas under their belts, allowing for the possibility that they’ll be able to have a bigger impact with their new teams next season.
Several players have already found an NHL organization to join; here’s a rundown of some of the remaining names of note who could garner NHL interest in the days and weeks ahead.
F Andrei Chivilyov
Chivilyov joined powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL midseason, so his minutes were limited after that, and his offensive numbers were relatively low as a result. However, he’s a year removed from a 28-point campaign and brings a strong defensive game to the table. His ceiling is probably a little lower than some others on this list, but the 24-year-old profiles as a depth center, which could be appealing to teams looking to add options down the middle.
G Christian Heljanko
Smaller goaltenders tend to get looked over, and at 6-foot, that’s a concern for the 27-year-old. However, he was one of the top goalies in Finland this season and, statistically, was the top netminder in the playoffs in the Liiga. Considering there are some teams who will be looking for cheap goaltender depth, this is the type of player who’s worth a one-year flyer. He’ll be capped at a one-year contract as he remains eligible for an entry-level deal.
G Filip Larsson
If the name sounds familiar, Larsson was a Detroit prospect until 2022 when he was non-tendered. He spent most of his entry-level deal on loans overseas and simply didn’t play well. However, the 25-year-old moved up to the SHL level this season and posted a 1.93 GAA and a .920 SV% in 28 games, good for a tie for second leaguewide in save percentage. Larsson has another year on his deal, so it’s possible he stays in Sweden, but if an NHL team comes calling, he could opt to give playing in North America a second look.
D Atro Leppanen
File this one under the late-bloomer category. Leppanen played in Finland’s second-tier Mestis level until this season, when he made the jump to Liiga with Sport after lighting it up the year before. The 25-year-old was pretty productive in his first taste at the top level, finishing 11th in league scoring by defensemen with a dozen goals and 16 assists in 55 games, earning him some EHT appearances for the first time. That should get him on the NHL radar this time around.
F Juuso Maenpaa
The 21-year-old was tied for 11th in Liiga scoring this season with 12 goals and 37 assists and tied for the lead in playoff points with two goals and 12 helpers in just 13 games. That type of production stands out. However, so too does a 5-foot-7 frame, which is what likely had him go undrafted. Will that continue to scare teams away, or will a team take a chance on his playmaking abilities?
F Adam Najman
Another strong playmaker, Najman was tied for 11th in Extraliga scoring this season with a dozen goals and 33 assists in 49 games, a small improvement on the 38 points he put up a year ago. The 23-year-old isn’t the biggest (6’0) but plays bigger than his size and is willing to get to the dirty areas which should appeal to scouts. There’s a question as to if his playmaking is NHL-caliber or more AHL-caliber, but either way, he should be worthy of a look. However, he recently signed in Finland, so that look could wind up waiting until next year.
F Jakub Rychlovsky
Until this season, Rychlovsky had been more of a depth scorer but the 22-year-old broke out this year, notching 26 goals and 20 assists in 51 games in the Extraliga. For context, he had 34 points in 138 games over parts of five seasons heading into this one. A strong shooter, there should be teams willing to take a flyer on him and get Rychlovsky into their farm system to see if the improvement was a one-off or a sign of things to come. He’s not a true free agent — he’s signed overseas through 2025-26 — but the transfer agreement will allow an NHL team to sign him now.
F Justin Schutz
The former Florida prospect hadn’t been much of an impactful offensive player in his first few years in the DEL; his career-high in goals was 11 coming into this season. However, a move to Kolner Haie jumpstarted that offensive game as he collected 27 goals and 16 assists in 52 games. Schutz turns 24 in June, but with the Panthers previously feeling he was worth being drafted, the offensive breakout alone might help him get a second opportunity.
F Marcus Sylvegard
Last season, Sylvegard had a breakout year, and this season, he showed that it wasn’t a fluke. The 24-year-old winger recorded 41 points for the second straight time while surpassing the 20-goal mark for the first time. That said, he’s likely to be more of an energy player in North America but has enough of a scoring touch that makes him one of the better players on this list. Florida, Colorado and Calgary were among the teams known to be interested in signing him as of last month.
F Maxim Tsyplakov
We end with the most notable name in this year’s class. The 25-year-old had a breakout campaign with KHL Spartak, notching 31 goals in 65 games this season. He also plays a physical style, one that should lend itself well to the smaller North American ice surfaces. It’s unlikely that he will have the same time of impact Andrei Kuzmenko did when he signed with Vancouver, but with a high number of teams interested in signing him, Tsyplakov should be in an NHL lineup when the puck drops on the 2024-25 campaign in the fall.
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