The first full week of November is in the books as we’ve now passed the one-month mark of the 2024-25 NHL season. While it was relatively quiet on the transaction front, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.
Back To Seattle: Winger Daniel Sprong has bounced around in recent years despite some pretty good offensive seasons including back-to-back 40-point-plus campaigns. He had to settle for a one-year deal with Vancouver this summer and after a sluggish start, he was on the move again as Seattle acquired him in exchange for future considerations. The 27-year-old had his best year with the Kraken in 2022-23 when he had 21 goals and 25 assists in just 66 games but was still non-tendered that summer. Now with a cap hit of just $975K, he’s an affordable low-cost pickup to try to a group that sits in the middle of the pack offensively.
Expanded NCAA Eligibility: As expected, the NCAA’s Division I Council has voted to allow players with previous involvement with professional teams to play collegiately. Notably, this includes CHL players who were previously ruled ineligible. We’ve already seen some junior players announce which NCAA school they plan to go to and many more will make commitments in the weeks and months ahead. There are still some questions to be answered regarding when CHL players will be allowed to go the NCAA route and if there will be any changes to the rights of CHL-drafted players who go to college. Meanwhile, players already signed to an NHL contract will remain ineligible. The change doesn’t officially come into effect until August so there is bound to be more information clarifying these and other matters between now and then.
Fabbro To Columbus: It was a tough start to the season for defenseman Dante Fabbro who was a healthy scratch several times. The Predators decided that it was time to shake things up, electing to waive a player who was viewed as a possible key fixture on the back end just a few years ago. Despite a $2.5MM cap charge, he didn’t last too long on waivers with Columbus picking him up off the wire. The 26-year-old has more than 300 NHL games under his belt and will get a chance to boost his value heading into his first time through unrestricted free agency next summer. The Blue Jackets are now carrying eight blueliners for the time being but David Jiricek is waiver-exempt and could be sent down to AHL Cleveland down the road.
Key Injury In St. Louis: Blues defenseman Philip Broberg was off to a very strong start with his new team, notching nine points (already a career-high) in 12 games while logging close to 20 minutes per night. However, he’ll now miss the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. It’s a big blow to a back end that’s also without Torey Krug for the season while Nick Leddy has missed close to four weeks now with a lower-body issue of his own. However, there was some good news on the injury front as well. Although winger Dylan Holloway was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the neck that eventually saw the game paused to get him immediate medical attention, he was able to return for their next game.
Three For Jeannot: The Kings are currently without winger Tanner Jeannot after he received a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Canucks winger Brock Boeser. He initially received a match penalty on the play, automatically triggering a league review. Jeannot will forfeit over $41K in salary as a result of the suspension; he’ll be eligible to return on November 16th against Detroit. Meanwhile, Boeser did not return following the hit and hasn’t played since as he’s still being assessed for an upper-body injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.