Pending unrestricted free agent Kennth Agostino has a nice little bargaining chip heading into the summer after being named the American Hockey League’s most valuable player.
Agostino was announced as the Les Cunningham Award recipient Friday after the Chicago Wolves forward led the AHL in points.
Heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale, the 24-year-old had 83 points in 65 games, miles ahead of the next closest player. As of Friday, Chris Mueller of the Tucson Roadrunners was in second place with 67 points.
Agostino, a fifth-round pick (140th overall) of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 registered three points in seven games with the St. Louis Blues this season. Agostino also played 10 career games with the Calgary Flames.
Les Cunningham Award winners from the past who have gone on to have some NHL success include Tyler Johnson, Cory Conacher and Jason Spezza, who won it during the 2004-05 NHL lockout season.
[relatedlinks]