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Archives for February 2024

Afternoon Notes: Eichel, Monahan, Liljegren, Timmins

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Star Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel returned to the team’s practices today, donning a no-contact jersey. It’s his first appearance on the ice since January 11th, as Eichel has been facing a knee injury that required surgery. The injury earned him a spot on long-term injured reserve in mid February, though he’s missed enough games to be eligible to return. Now in a no-contact jersey, it seems Eichel is just awaiting clearance to resume contact and a full practice. The 27-year-old has joined Vegas on their current four-game road trip across the Atlantic Division, which will feature a matchup against Eichel’s former Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be able to play in that matchup, though his return to practice suggests he’ll return soon.

Eichel’s return will illicit a big sigh of relief from Vegas’ top brass. The team recently lost star winger Mark Stone to a lacerated spleen that earned him a spot on injured reserve. Vegas is also down William Carrier, Brett Howden, and Pavel Dorofeyev – forcing the club to lean on depth options like Brendan Brisson, Byron Froese, and Sheldon Rempal.

In Eichel, Vegas is getting back their only player still scoring at, or above, a point-per-game pace. Eichel has 19 goals and 44 points through 42 games this season, while leading the team’s forwards in ice time. The Golden Knights will hope he can quickly bounce back to the role of lineup star and save them from the 1-4-1 stretch they find themselves on.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets are expecting Sean Monahan to slot back into the lineup, after missing the team’s Sunday game with illness, per team reporter Scott Billeck with the Winnipeg Sun. Monahan has played in eight games since being traded to the Winnipeg Jets, scoring five points but still searching for his first assist. The scoring brings Monahan’s totals up to 40 points in 57 games this season – the most he’s scored since the 2019-20 season.
  • Timothy Liljegren is slated to miss the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tuesday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an undisclosed injury, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe added that Liljegren got banged up in the team’s Saturday game against the Colorado Avalanche, with Liljegren leaving the bench later into the third period. The 24-year-old defenseman has 16 points across 40 games this season.
  • Conor Timmins has returned to skating, though he’s not yet cleared to skate with the team, per team reporter David Alter. Timmins has been out since January 24th with mononucleosis. It’s another halt in Timmins’ season, which kicked off with a lower-body injury that held him out until late November. He’s since sat out due to being a healthy scratch and dealing with illness. Timmins, 25, has six points in 16 games this season.

Trade Deadline Primer: San Jose Sharks

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of a monstrously bad season. The year kicked off with an 11-game losing streak, which the Sharks have since topped with a 12-game losing streak in December. They’ve wrestled with the Chicago Blackhawks for dead-last in the league for most of the season, currently tied with 35 points, though San Jose has played in three fewer games. The franchise has trained their focus entirely on the future, eagerly anticipating their chance to draft local talent Macklin Celebrini in the 2024 NHL Draft. But the Trade Deadline offers an exciting appetizer before the draft, with San Jose offering some of the best value on the open market and likely in a position to take on any assets they’re offered. With the right aggression and a lucky market, San Jose could be poised to make foundational moves over the next few weeks.

Record

15-36-5, 8th in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Major Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$11.38MM of cap space on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: SJS 1st, PIT 1st*, SJS 2nd, NJD 2nd**, VGK 4th, PIT 5th, SJS 7th, NJD 7th
2025: SJS 1st, SJS 2nd, SJS 3rd, SJS 4th, WPG 4th, SJS 6th, SJS 7th, WSH 7th

* 2024 pick is top-10 protected. Penguins will have the option to send their 2025 first-round pick if the pick ends up in the top-10.
** If the Devils make the 2024 Eastern Conference Final, they will send their 2024 first-round pick.

Trade Chips

San Jose has a nearly endless list of assets available at this deadline, offering value at every position and at every scale. They likely won’t find a blockbuster deal at forward, with both Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl carrying hefty cap hits and again dealing with injury, but the Sharks could make a splash by trading starting goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who carries a .905 save percentage despite San Jose’s losing season. Kahkonen has a modest $2.75MM cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, making any trade a short-term commitment for contending teams.

But really, there are likely not many names San Jose wouldn’t hear out offers on. Anthony Duclair and Mikael Granlund headline a long list of Sharks forwards that could be moved. Granlund has a pricey $5MM cap hit through the end of next season, but he’s proven to be a dynamic playmaker in San Jose, recording 25 assists and 32 points through 43 games this season. Duclair is a budget option, coming in at $2MM cheaper than Granlund, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. He has a measly 19 points in 51 games this season, but he scored 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games with the Florida Panthers two seasons ago, and could benefit from a livelier offense than San Jose’s. San Jose also offers admirable depth in Nico Sturm, Mike Hoffman, and Justin Bailey – all likely cheap options for teams that find a lineup fit.

There is also the matter of Mario Ferraro, who’s appeared in trade rumors every time they flare up, and for good reason. The 25-year-old defenseman has a great contract, boasting a $3.25MM cap hit through the end of the 2025-26 season, and has established himself as a strong defensive presence through San Jose’s woes. It’s always hard to place the right value on defensive stalwarts, but any trade for Ferraro comes with the added benefit of opening room for Shakir Mukhamadullin in the Sharks lineup, making any potential return easier to pallet.

Team Needs

1) Take What You Can Get – The Sharks have a great framework forming. Fabian Zetterlund and Filip Zadina are each finding their own groove, supporting William Eklund’s push of youth into San Jose’s forward group, and the team boasts strong prospects in Quentin Musty, William Smith, and Daniil Gushchin. That should be enough to let San Jose seek out as much value for their veteran forwards as they can find, confident that they find proper replacements. The Sharks only have six picks in the top two rounds of the 2024 and 2025 NHL Drafts, while the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks each have nine. San Jose is a step behind of their counterparts in the race for future capital but they have a chance to catch up this March. An ideal deadline will see Mike Grier’s phone constantly ringing, and players like Duclair, Granlund, Kahkonen, and Ferraro all moved out for modest draft capital at the least. Future capital is more valuable to the Sharks than veteran talents – and it will be better for the team to leave the Deadline with any semblance of the former, rather than too much of the latter.

2) Be Active Sellers – The market is too rich for San Jose to get bogged down with just negotiating their own pieces. Players like Kaapo Kakko, Arthur Kaliyev, and Philip Broberg have all been made available and could help the Sharks kickstart their lineup of the future. The Sharks could also try to go all-out by acquiring Trevor Zegras, who has reportedly been shopped around by the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras has everything a team would want in a young player. He’s in the first year of a bridge contract that carries a $5.75MM cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season, giving any new team plenty of time to fit him into their lineup before they commit big dollars. And Zegras will certainly demand it at some point. The 22-year-old forward has scored 23 goals in each of the last two seasons, rounding them out with 61 points and 65 points respectively. He’s quickly proven effective in the NHL, capable of playing top-line minutes and serving as his team’s leading scorer. Zegras also entered the league as a winger but worked with the Ducks development staff to take on a center role, giving him flexibility that few young players have. There may not be a pricier player this Trade Deadline – but there also may not be a team more poised to pay big than the Sharks. San Jose doesn’t have the draft capital of some of their peers, but they have a deep prospect pool, strong lineup pieces, and plenty of cap space, giving them a chance to take something on in addition to offering a big return. Zegras is undoubtedly a longshot for any team this Deadline, but he headlines a long list of young players available this year – a list the Sharks should be eagerly engaged in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Flyers Place Rasmus Ristolainen On IR, Recall Bobby Brink

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The team recently shared that Ristolainen will miss at least two or three weeks, and will undergo a procedure to determine the full extent of his injury. There is no clarity on when he may return, though The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco shared that Ristolainen will miss significant time.

This news comes at a terrible time for the Flyers, who recently learned that Jamie Drysdale will miss extended time after taking a heavy hit on Sunday. He’s now facing an injury to the same shoulder that he injured last season when a torn labrum limited him to just eight games all season. The Flyers are once again in injury turmoil, carrying just enough defensemen to ice a full lineup.

Philadelphia has also recalled forward Bobby Brink. Brink has played out his rookie NHL season this year, recording 18 points, six penalty minutes, and a +7 in 38 games with Philadelphia. He has dominated the AHL since being assigned in late January, scoring six goals and 11 points in 11 games. He’s the only player on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms scoring at a point-per-game pace this season.

The AHL isn’t unfamiliar to Brink, who scored 28 points in 41 games with the Phantoms last season. It was his first full year as a professional hockey player, though he did play in 10 NHL games after the end of the University of Denver’s 2021-22 season. Still, last year marked an important year of growth for the young forward. He’ll now eye yet another opportunity in the NHL, looking to improve on his modest first half of the season.

Red Wings Reportedly Listening To Offers On Some Defensemen

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Detroit has had strong depth on the back end for the majority of the season.  With a trade market that isn’t the most robust, it appears they may be looking to take advantage of that as ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that the Red Wings are listening to offers on some of their blueliners.

While Kaplan’s report doesn’t specify which players in particular they’re listening on, the shorter list might be who they likely wouldn’t consider moving.  Moritz Seider is clearly off the table while Jake Walman is having a career year and is on a value contract and likely isn’t going to be someone GM Steve Yzerman would be willing to part with.  Beyond those two, however, all bets could be off.

Shayne Gostisbehere has been strong offensively as expected, notching 36 points in 57 games to lead all Detroit rearguards in scoring.  He’s on a one-year, $4.125MM contract and a playoff contender could look to try to add him.  That said, the Red Wings are squarely in the playoff mix themselves and moving out a key contributor might not be the right course of action if they’re trying to end their postseason drought.

Among their other defenders, Justin Holl hasn’t had quite the season Detroit was hoping for when they gave him $3.4MM per year for three seasons.  He has often been the odd man out in their defensive rotation so it stands to reason that they might want to try to get out of those final two years.  A right-shot defender, Holl’s handedness could give him a potential suitor or two.  The late-summer acquisition of Jeff Petry helped create the logjam on the back end.  With double retention on his contract, his price tag is down to a manageable $2.343MM through next season and is someone a few more teams could fit in.  However, he has a 15-team no-trade clause and might not be inclined to leave his hometown team.  Detroit also cannot pay down his contract anymore as two retentions is the maximum on a player.

As for their other left-shot blueliners, Ben Chiarot’s $4.75MM price tag through 2025-26 might be difficult for a lot of teams to absorb and while he isn’t playing big minutes like he did in Montreal, he’s still a top-four option for them.  Olli Maatta, meanwhile, is more affordable at $3MM through next season although he’s being used exclusively on the third pairing; that AAV for that role is a little high.  With Simon Edvinsson making good progress with AHL Grand Rapids, there’s less risk in moving a left-shot option knowing that the 2021 first-round is close to being ready to step in.

With the Red Wings holding down a Wild Card spot, it would be surprising to see Yzerman sell like he did last season.  Frankly, adding to his group would be more than defensible.  But with the market for blueliners not being the greatest, it appears as if he’s open to selling one even though there isn’t necessarily an obvious candidate to move for top value.

Detroit is one of the few playoff teams with ample cap space so they will have the ability to get creative between now and the March 8th trade deadline; clearing out a veteran on the back end would only open up more flexibility on that front unless they opt for a player-for-player swap.  Either way, it appears as if they’ll be a team to keep an eye on in the coming days.

Jamie Drysdale Out Week To Week

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When Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale suffered an injury to his left shoulder on Sunday (the same one he injured last season), there were concerns that another long-term absence was on the horizon.  However, it appears that won’t quite be the case as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner is listed as week to week with some hope that he’ll be able to return before the end of the season.

Drysdale played in just eight games last season because of his shoulder injury and injuries have limited him to just 27 appearances so far this year between Anaheim and Philadelphia.  When healthy, the 2020 sixth-overall pick has been quite an effective player and when the Flyers picked him up as part of the Cutter Gauthier trade, they felt they were getting a cornerstone piece of their future.

With another absence for Drysdale, it would be fair to wonder if Philadelphia’s plans for next week’s trade deadline would be affected, particularly with the decisions they have to make on pending unrestricted blueliners Sean Walker and Nick Seeler.  However, Friedman indicated in the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that this isn’t likely to be the case since GM Daniel Briere continues to take the big-picture view and that Drysdale’s injury, the severity of which wasn’t known at the time of the comments, wasn’t going to impact their plans.  At this point, the asking price of the two veterans will be the difference-maker in whether they stay or go.

In the case of Drysdale, the fact he’s not a lock to be out for the season is certainly a positive sign.  However, the news certainly could have been better as the 21-year-old now faces another absence of some length, further delaying his development and adaptation to his new team.

West Notes: Seguin, Ferraro, Duclair, Afanasyev

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Stars center Tyler Seguin missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and he’ll be out for at least a little while longer as Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News relays that Seguin is listed as out week to week.  Head coach Peter DeBoer noted that he has been dealing with a lingering injury that hasn’t been getting better and actually got worse after his last game back on Thursday.  The 32-year-old is in the middle of his best offensive season in a little while with 45 points through 58 games; his 0.78 points-per-game average is his best since 2018-19.  If Dallas believes Seguin will miss at least 10 games and 24, he could be shifted to LTIR to give them some short-term salary cap flexibility.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro has been a speculative trade candidate. He’s not a typical rental player who moves at this time of year as he’s signed through 2025-26 at a reasonable $3.25MM price tag which would be appealing to several teams.  However, his agent Peter Wallen told San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that GM Mike Grier informed him that Ferraro is not actively being shopped.  The 25-year-old is fifth in the NHL in blocked shots so far with 151 in 52 games.
  • Still with San Jose, winger Anthony Duclair told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that there have been no discussions about a possible extension with the Sharks. Duclair, who represents himself in negotiations, is a pending unrestricted free agent and it’s reasonable to infer that if a new contract isn’t in place by the March 8th trade deadline, he’d be a likely candidate to be traded.  Duclair is having a down year after putting up 31 goals with Florida last season as he has just 11 goals and eight assists in 59 games.
  • The Predators announced that they’ve returned winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 23-year-old was recalled two weeks ago but didn’t see much game action with Nashville, suiting up just twice where he was held off the scoresheet.  Afanasyev has been quite productive with the Admirals, however, collecting 21 goals and 21 assists through 42 games so far this season.

Hurricanes Notes: Necas, Rees, Webber

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While the Hurricanes might not be shopping forward Martin Necas, it doesn’t appear as if they’re hanging up the phone either when teams call about him.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team has made it known that they’re willing to listen on the 25-year-old.  Necas had a breakout year last season with 71 points in 82 games and has followed that up with 42 points in 53 games so far this season.

While that’s not the type of player that they should even be listening to offers on while they’re sitting comfortably in a playoff spot, it’s worth noting that Necas will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility.  He’ll be owed a $3.5MM qualifying offer and could push for close to double that much; if they’ve determined they can’t afford him for next season, then they could decide that moving him now would yield the most value.  Of course, if they did so, they’d also have a big hole to fill in their top six.

More from Carolina:

  • The Hurricanes have re-assigned forward Jamieson Rees from AHL Springfield to Charlotte, per a team release from the Checkers. Carolina doesn’t have its own affiliate this season and Rees had been quite limited with Springfield where he had just three assists in 30 games after putting up 42 points in 65 games last season.  The 23-year-old is in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this summer.
  • Prospect defenseman Cade Webber is in the final season of his college career and has to sign with Carolina by August 15th or become an unrestricted free agent. According to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link), the 23-year-old is leaning toward the latter option of the two.  The 6’7 Webber was a fourth-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2019 (99th overall) and while his offensive game is quite limited) he has just one goal in his four seasons with Boston University, he’s leading Division I in blocks with 107 and is a true stay-at-home shutdown type of defender.

Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Stenlund, Zub, Struble, Forbort

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Panthers superstar winger Matthew Tkachuk will return to play when Florida faces the Sabres tomorrow, head coach Paul Maurice said (via Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ official site). He’ll be joined by depth center Kevin Stenlund, who, like Tkachuk, missed Saturday’s overtime win over the Capitals.

Tkachuk was absent due to an undisclosed injury sustained during the first period of Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes after a collision with Carolina winger Andrei Svechnikov. Stenlund, meanwhile, was out ill. It was both players’ first time missing a game this season.

The 26-year-old Tkachuk has rebounded from a sluggish start and is right back to where he’s expected to be production-wise. Anchoring a second line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe, Tkachuk is up to 20 goals and 65 points in 57 games, two points behind Sam Reinhart for the team lead. He’s on pace to break the 100-point plateau for the third straight season, three times more than All-Star father Keith Tkachuk ever did.

Stenlund has been a nice value pickup for Florida, settling nicely into the team’s fourth-line center spot with a rotating cast of wingers that currently includes enforcers Jonah Gadjovich and Ryan Lomberg. He’s picked up nine goals and 13 points in 57 games, averaging 12:42 per game with a -6 rating.

Other updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators defenseman Artem Zub will likely miss tonight’s game against the Capitals and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per TSN 1200 Ottawa. It’s been an injury-plagued campaign for the premier shutdown defenseman, whose pairing with youngster Jake Sanderson has arguably been one of the NHL’s best two-way threats despite Ottawa’s position in the standings, controlling 56.2% of expected goals in nearly 500 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. Zub did not play in Saturday’s win over Vegas. He missed two games with a lower-body injury earlier this month and has sat out of eight other games this year due to an illness and concussion.
  • Canadiens defender Jayden Struble is questionable for tomorrow’s tilt against the Coyotes after what he called a “pinch” in his back during a game last week, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels says. He was a full participant in practice today and will likely re-enter the lineup Thursday against Florida at the latest. The 2019 second-round pick missed Saturday’s loss to the Devils but has otherwise put together a solid rookie season, notching three goals and seven points through 39 games while boasting some of Montreal’s best possession numbers, albeit in limited minutes (15:52 per game).
  • Bruins depth defender Derek Forbort will be scratched against the Kraken tonight after missing a team meeting this morning, head coach Jim Montgomery said (video link). It’s the second time such a disciplinary scratch has happened this season, the first instance being for winger Jake DeBrusk being held out of an October game against the Kings. Forbort has struggled with injuries this year but has been in the lineup for 10 straight games, his second-longest stretch of the season. He has just four assists in 34 games while logging 17:44 per game, however, and his possession numbers and reputation as a solid penalty killer have both dipped. He’ll be a UFA this summer upon completing his three-year, $9MM deal.

Maple Leafs Notes: Murray, Giordano, Liljegren, Järnkrok

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Make it a potential fourth goalie in the Maple Leafs’ rotation. While he’s not ready to re-join the team at practice, LTIR-bound Matt Murray has begun facing shots during on-ice workouts and is slowly making his way toward a potential return to action, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today (via David Alter of The Hockey News).

Murray, 29, underwent off-season hip surgery and has remained on LTIR since July. He was not available to Toronto for last year’s run to Game 5 of the Second Round against the Panthers due to a concussion, last playing in a loss to the Red Wings on April 2, 2023.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh is in his second season under contract with the Maple Leafs. They acquired him at 25% salary retention from the Senators in exchange for future considerations in a July 2022 trade. He could not return to form with the NHL’s other Ontario club, however, posting a pedestrian .903 SV% and 14-8-2 record in 26 starts last season. He struggled with injuries throughout the campaign and, even if healthy, would have been surpassed on the depth chart by both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll by the end of the season.

Such is the place he finds himself in now. His $4.7MM cap hit has been instrumental in helping Toronto stay cap-compliant this season, and while they’ll still have a significant amount of guaranteed relief for the rest of the season in the form of Jake Muzzin and John Klingberg’s contracts, Murray coming off LTIR and onto Toronto’s books would limit any hopes of adding money at the trade deadline. However, it doesn’t appear at this point that the Maple Leafs anticipate him back before the end of the regular season, although a return to serve as their third-string netminder during the postseason hasn’t been ruled out. He will be a UFA this summer, as will Samsonov and Martin Jones, leaving Woll as the only NHL-ready Toronto goalie under contract next season.

Other updates from the Leafs today:

  • Defenseman Mark Giordano attended practice this morning and is ready to return to the team after taking a personal leave to mourn the death of his father, per Keefe. However, he’ll only draw into the lineup Tuesday against the Golden Knights if Timothy Liljegren, now listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury sustained in Saturday’s comeback win over the Avalanche, cannot play. Giordano, 40, has seven points and a +6 rating in 36 games this season but has been surpassed on the depth chart by intended AHL depth signings like Simon Benoit and William Lagesson, the former of which has solidified himself as a bonafide top-six defender even with all players healthy. Liljegren showed dependability in a top-four role during Morgan Rielly’s recent five-game suspension, is averaging a career-high 19:27 per game, and has 16 points and a +6 rating in 40 appearances.
  • Also on LTIR at the moment is winger Calle Järnkrok, who Keefe says is making progress in his recovery from a fractured knuckle and will likely return to being a full participant in practice next week. His return won’t come until close to the deadline, but they’re getting by without him for now thanks to improving play from depth scorers such as Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Bobby McMann. The 32-year-old had 10 goals and 19 points in 46 games before getting injured, and he’s now missed over a month, last playing on Jan. 24.

Blues Activate Justin Faulk, Reassign Matthew Kessel

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The Blues activated defenseman Justin Faulk off LTIR on Monday, signaling he’ll be ready to play in tomorrow’s key Central Division tilt against the Jets, per a team announcement. Defenseman Matthew Kessel was loaned to AHL Springfield in a corresponding transaction to create a necessary roster spot.

Faulk, 31, has been out of the lineup since sustaining a lower-body injury in late January that cost him 12 games. The 13-year veteran will return to his usual spot alongside Torey Krug on the Blues’ secondary defense pairing as they try to gain separation from the streaking Minnesota Wild and get a step closer to overtaking the Predators for the final playoff spot in the West.

Now in the fourth season of a seven-year, $45.5MM extension signed after the Blues acquired him from the Hurricanes in 2019, Faulk has taken a step back with only two goals and 19 points in 40 games this year. He’s posted a -5 rating while averaging 22:14 per game, his lowest usage since his first season in St. Louis in 2019-20. The 2010 second-round pick has still yet to average less than 20 minutes per game in a season, sticking in a top-four role ever since making his debut with Carolina in 2011.

His pairing with Krug has been the Blues’ highest-event unit on the blue line, leading the team in both expected goals for and against per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck. As such, their 46.1% expected goals share is by no means elite, but it still leads all St. Louis defense duos with over 100 minutes together this year. He is an upgrade on the now-demoted Kessel, who controlled 43.3% of expected goals when paired with Krug, by any stretch.

Kessel, 23, has cemented himself as St. Louis’ top defensive call-up option for now. He hasn’t stood out among an already poor Blues defense, but he’s gained the trust of their coaching staff enough to dress in 22 games this year, recording two assists and a -4 rating while averaging 17:25 per game. The 2020 fifth-round pick stands at 6-foot-2 and over 200 lbs and was an impressive two-way force with UMass Amherst from 2019 to 2022. He’s in the second and final season of his entry-level contract and will be an RFA this summer with arbitration rights.

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