Metro Notes: McMichael, Bump, Romanov, Varlamov
Earlier today, speaking on First Up, TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that the Washington Capitals were working on an extension with forward Connor McMichael. McMichael is projected to become a restricted free agent this summer and an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season.
It’s easy to see why the Capitals would want to start early on a McMichael extension. The former 25th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has become a promising secondary scorer for Washington, registering 52 goals and 121 points in 221 games since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see the length of the reported deal. The Capitals could very well conclude the Alex Ovechkin era this season, but they do have multiple pieces locked in through the 2029-30 season. If they perceive McMichael as a long-term fixture, and there’s no reason to think they don’t, then McMichael could line up with Washington on a seven-year deal, which would match with defenseman Jakob Chychrun‘s contract.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- After trading winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild earlier today, the Philadelphia Flyers may recall one of their top prospects to fill the void. According to team reporter Bill Meltzer, the Flyers are expected to recall Alex Bump for his NHL debut this weekend. A year after winning a National Championship with Western Michigan University, Bump has scored 11 goals and 26 goals in 36 AHL games throughout his first full professional season.
- Arguably winning deadline day, the New York Islanders provided a few updates on a few injured players. According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, there is no change to defenseman Alexander Romanov‘s recovery timeline, who is expected to return in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for veteran netminder Semyon Varlamov, who isn’t expected back this season and has likely finished his NHL career.
Panthers Want To Extend Sergei Bobrovsky, A.J. Greer
Leading up to the deadline, it was believed that the Florida Panthers were shopping pending unrestricted free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer. Ultimately, neither player was moved, and the Panthers appear intent on keeping them in Sunrise for a while longer.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Florida is focused on signing Bobrovsky to an extension. LeBrun later added that the same is true for Greer. Both should be doable since the Panthers will have roughly $15MM in cap space this summer with all of their core retained. The only hangup could be Mackie Samoskevich‘s next contract, as he will become a restricted free agent in a few months.
It’s not entirely known what Bobrovsky’s asking price is for his next contract, but it’ll certainly be lower than his current $10MM AAV. Furthermore, he’s on the wrong side of 30 and will be coming off the worst season of his professional career.
Granted, Bobrovsky has backstopped Florida to three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final and has won the last two. Still, this season, he has managed a 22-19-1 record in 43 games with a .873 SV% and 3.13 GAA. Additionally, his -0.382 Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 is the fourth-worst in the league among netminders that have played in 30 or more contests.
If the Panthers can get Bobrovsky on a two-to-three-year deal, they’ll likely be able to agree with Bobrovsky relatively quickly. Some outlets have indicated that Bobrovsky is seeking a five-year deal, which could be the reason that the two sides haven’t arranged anything sooner.
Meanwhile, unlike Bobrovsky, Greer is enjoying the best season of his career. Over the past two years with Florida, Greer has scored 17 goals and accumulated 39 points in 142 games, along with 381 hits. It’s not a groundbreaking production by any stretch, but Greer offers immense physicality and timely goal-scoring from the fourth line.
Unfortunately, his productivity likely means that the Panthers won’t be able to extend him on a similar salary. Greer is earning an $850K salary this season and is likely seeking to cash in while he can. Still, even if he is expected to sign a larger contract, his salary shouldn’t be more than $2MM.
Devils Notes: Pesce, Cholowski, Gritsyuk
The New Jersey Devils will be down a usual lineup piece this weekend. Defenseman Brett Pesce will be unavailable due to a lower-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Pesce has already missed 25 games this season with extended absences in November and February. He fills a key role in the lineup when healthy, playing upwards of 22 minutes a night when New Jersey is looking for a shutdown piece. Pesce has worked to seven points and a minus-11 in 37 games this season. He ranks second on the Devils in shot blocks (80) and fourth on the defense in takeaways (16). Pesce has been knocked off course by injury in his age-31 season but his two-way reliability will still continue to command major lineup minutes when he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of New Jersey:
- The Devils have responded to Pesce’s injury by recalling depth defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the AHL. Cholowski didn’t begin his season until November, due to injury, but his year started on the NHL roster. He scored one point in 15 games through November and December while filling in during Pesce’s first extended absence of the season. Cholowski was reassigned on December 14th and has spent the entirety of the new calendar year in the AHL. He has racked up five assists in 13 games. Pesce’s injury likely won’t push Cholowski ahead of Simon Nemec and Brendan Dillon on the depth chart but it will give New Jersey one more set of hands as they approach back-to-back games.
- Away from injury news, the Devils have also begun talks of a contract extension with winger Arseny Gritsyuk, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein. Gristyuk has scored 11 goals and 26 points in 58 games as an NHL rookie this season. He is on pace for 15 goals and 37 points across a full 82-game season, which would be the seventh-highest scoring total from a Devils rookie since 2000. Gritsyuk blossomed in Russia’s KHL over the last three seasons, kicked off with 40 points in 60 games of Omsk Avangard’ 2022-23 campaign, and concluded with 44 points in 49 games with SKA St. Petersburg last year. He has adjusted seamlessly into an NHL top-nine role in the season since. That should be enough to earn Gritsyuk a contract with term as he looks to sign the first deal after his entry-level contract. He is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
Capitals Trade Graeme Clarke To Senators
The Senators and Capitals apparently connected on a last-minute minor deal before the deadline. Washington dealt forward Graeme Clarke to Ottawa in exchange for center Wyatt Bongiovanni, per PuckPedia. Both players will report to their new clubs’ AHL affiliates.
The deal essentially only has minor-league considerations, and both players could only last a few weeks in their new homes. Both are on two-way deals and will be Group VI unrestricted free agents this summer.
Clarke, 24, will bring some goal-scoring acumen to the Sens’ depth ranks. The B-Sens have lost one of their top producers with Stephen Halliday working his way onto the NHL roster, so they’ve needed a little bit of help. The former third-round pick of the Devils isn’t having the best year, but he’s still managed 15 goals in 50 games for AHL Hershey after signing with the Caps as a non-tendered RFA last summer.
Ottawa will be the fourth NHL organization for Clarke. He does have an NHL resume, but it only consists of three games with New Jersey in 2023-24. He was then traded to the Wild for Adam Beckman the following summer and then spent all of 2024-25 in the minors before Minnesota opted not to issue him a qualifying offer.
Bongiovanni, 26, has put up comparable production, but unlike Clarke has utility down the middle. The 6’0″ pivot has been in Ottawa’s system since being acquired from the Jets for future considerations at the 2024 trade deadline. He’s posted 12 goals and 25 points in 54 games for the B-Sens this season with a -13 rating.
Jets Activate Josh Morrissey; Recall Brad Lambert, Isak Rosen
The Winnipeg Jets are getting multiple pieces back to the NHL roster as they look to finish a disappointing campaign on a strong note. About an hour after the trade deadline, the Jets announced they have activated defenseman Josh Morrissey from the injured reserve, and recalled forwards Brad Lambert and Isak Rosen from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Morrissey has been out for nearly a month after suffering an upper-body injury at the Olympics. There was little information released regarding his injury, and he was unable to participate further with Team Canada.
Even after he returned from Milan, it remained unknown how much time he would ultimately miss. TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated at the time that Morrissey was expected to miss a decent chunk of the remaining schedule, whereas head coach Scott Arniel expected him back as early as March 1st.
Fortunately, Morrissey and the Jets limited his missed games to five. He’s again remained a class above for Winnipeg this season, scoring 10 goals and 42 points in 56 games, averaging 24:37 of ice time. Even with the lost season, Morrissey remains a key figure on the team.
Meanwhile, the Jets will give an advanced opportunity to a pair of upper-level prospects for the rest of the season, one of whom was recently acquired.
Despite openly expressing his desire for a change of scenery earlier this year, Lambert has remained with the Jets organization through the trade deadline. Once viewed as a high-level talent for the 2022 NHL Draft class, Lambert fell to Winnipeg at 30th overall.
His first professional season shocked many, as he scored 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games for the Moose, showing why he was a projected top-10 talent a few years before the draft. Unfortunately, he has failed to reach those totals since, scoring 13 goals and 48 points in his next 95 games.
Rosen, 22, was acquired by the Jets yesterday evening in the trade that sent Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres. Given the team’s success this season, Rosen became an expendable trade candidate as the Sabres loaded up for their first playoff run in over a decade.
If he gets a longer leash, Rosen could become a sneaky-good pickup for the Jets. He has been brilliant for the AHL’s Rochester Americans for the last four years, scoring 87 goals and 185 points in 231 games, with another 11 goals and 16 points in 27 Calder Cup playoff contests.
Still, he was never afforded a lengthy opportunity in Buffalo, even as the team experienced a few additional rebuilding years. Since the 2023-24 campaign, Rosen has tallied three goals and eight points in 31 career appearances. Fortunately, as the Jets evaluate which players fit next year’s roster, Rosen should have more opportunities to demonstrate his skills.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko
The Washington Capitals will have a bit more opportunity available on offense after trading Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of the Trade Deadline. Washington acquired David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and will now bring in some competition by recalling winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL.
Miroshnichenko has spent the majority of his season in the minor leagues. He has racked up 12 goals and 31 points in 38 games with the Hershey Bears, good for fourth on the team in scoring. Miroshnichenko is on pace to narrowly beat out his career-high 42 points scored in 52 games last season. His AHL season has been inetercut with routine NHL call-ups and four games. He has no NHL scoring this season but did manage 10 points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons.
Miroshnichenko has been a standout shooter since his days in Russia’s Omsk Avangard pipeline. He scored 15 goals and 29 points in 22 U20 games, across two seasons, and set a U18 record when he scored 10 goals in 31 VHL games – Russia’s second-tier pro league – in 2021-22. He broke the previous record of eight goals, set by Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin in 2012-13.
That performance earned Miroshnichenko the 20th-overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. He made his KHL debut in the following season marked by four points in 23 games, then moved to the NHL/AHL circuit in 2023-24. After battling that rotation for three seasons, Dowd’s exit could open just enough space for Miroshnichenko to take his next step.
Hurricanes Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers, Flyers Claim Luke Glendening
4:36 p.m.: If Deslauriers plays in half of Carolina’s 2026 playoff games and they win two playoff rounds, then the Flyers receive Carolina’s 2027 seventh-rounder. If those conditions aren’t met, the pick doesn’t transfer, per PuckPedia.
12:56 p.m.: The Hurricanes are acquiring winger Nicolas Deslauriers from the Flyers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. A conditional seventh-round pick in 2027 is headed the other way, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. The Flyers have filled Deslauriers’ roster spot by claiming center Luke Glendening off waivers from the Devils, per Friedman.
Deslauriers, now in his 13th NHL season, moves on from the Flyers amid his fourth season in Philly. While he used to have a small bit of goal-scoring upside in his game, the 35-year-old is now a pure enforcer at this stage of his career. He’s only managed 13 shots on goal this season in 25 games, recording one assist and a -3 rating.
The left winger has been in the press box more than he’s been in the lineup this season, checking in no higher than 13th on the Flyers’ forward depth chart. He’s yet to appear in more than three consecutive games. He certainly won’t see any more frequent ice time than that in Carolina, but he’ll slot in as a press-box piece and can step in as an enforcer when needed. The Flyers, who had minimal use for the pending UFA, will happily have a chance at recouping a draft pick.
It doesn’t look like they’ll be giving Deslauriers’ spot to a prospect, though. The 36-year-old will end up giving the Flyers some short-term center depth that they’ve needed in the wake of a right ankle fracture to Rodrigo Abols that’s kept him out since January, forcing natural winger Carl Grundström to slide over to the middle.
Glendening, once viewed as one of the better defensive pivots in the league, is still hanging onto an NHL job in his 13th season. He was a PTO signing by New Jersey late last summer and landed a league-minimum contract. He’s ended up serving as their fourth-line center for most of the year but has averaged a career-low 9:54 of ice time per night through 52 appearances. He’s yet to score a goal this season and has four assists with a -11 rating. Once a top faceoff specialist, he’s down to a more pedestrian 51.7% win rate on the dot this year.
Penguins Recall Ville Koivunen, Sign Taylor Gauthier
The Pittsburgh Penguins are calling in some forward reinforcements. According to team beat writer Josh Yohe, the Penguins have recalled Ville Koivunen from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Additionally, Pittsburgh has given netminder Taylor Gauthier an NHL contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, as announced by the club. Gauthier will remain with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers for now, but would serve as immediate injury help come playoff time.
Koivunen, 22, was acquired by the Penguins a few years ago from the Carolina Hurricanes in the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh. He’s worked his way up the organizational hierarchy since, largely due to his substantial efforts in the AHL.
In his first two years with the organization, Koivunen has nearly been a point-per-game player with the AHL Penguins, registering 33 goals and 90 points in 103 games with a +10 rating. He has been so impressive with WBS that he’s effectively split his time between the AHL and NHL this season.
Still, he’s remained isolated in a bottom-six role in Pittsburgh. In 27 games this year, Koivunen has scored two goals and five points, averaging 12:41 of ice time with a -5 rating. After acquiring Elmer Söderblom earlier today, it’ll be interesting to see how the Penguins utilize Koivunen if he stays on the NHL roster.
Meanwhile, Gauthier, 25, has been electric in the ECHL since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Penguins a few years ago. Across four years, Gauthier has managed a 61-39-9 record for the Nailers with a .920 SV% and 2.28 GAA. He has appeared in a few games for the AHL Penguins over that stretch, owning a 10-5-7 record in 25 games with a .908 SV% and 2.77 GAA.
AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Calgary Flames To Acquire Brennan Othmann
Trading away Nazem Kadri wasn’t the only thing the Calgary Flames did before the deadline. According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, the Flames have acquired forward prospect Brennan Othmann from the New York Rangers. Mercogliano shared that prospect Jacob Battaglia is going to the Rangers.
Shortly after the start of the 2025-26 campaign, it was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that New York was shopping Othmann from around the league. Othmann had seemingly become disgruntled; he failed to crack the Rangers roster out of training camp and was looking for a fresh start to continue his professional career.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Othmann was considered one of the better forward prospects in New York’s pipeline. The team selected him with the 16th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. He tore it up with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds a year later, scoring 50 goals and 97 points in 66 games.
Unfortunately, none of that has translated to the NHL level; however, Othmann hasn’t received much opportunity either. Throughout the last three years, despite scoring 41 goals and 85 points in 120 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, Othmann has contributed only one goal and three points in 42 NHL contests, averaging 9:52 of ice time in a bottom-six role. He’ll now look to see if he can move his way up to the middle-six of a rebuilding Flames club.
Still, it’s not entirely a sunk cost for the Rangers. They have acquired another Firebird in Battaglia, who has enjoyed relative success in the OHL. Calgary selected Battaglia with the 62nd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he matched Othmann’s OHL scoring output last season. In 259 OHL games, mostly with the Kingston Frontenacs, Battaglia has registered 104 goals and 225 points.
The Rangers will certainly have some scouts in the stands once the OHL playoffs kick off. The Firebirds have already clinched a spot for the postseason, and New York will be eager to see how their newly acquired prospect performs under postseason pressure.