The stretch run is now in full swing with the playoffs just a little more than a month away. Even with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.
One More Year: Jonathan Quick’s career isn’t coming to an end just yet. The Rangers are keeping the goaltender around for another year after they signed him to a one-year contract extension. The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.55MM while it contains an additional $300K in performance incentives tied to starts, games played, save percentage, and wins. Quick earns a raise for the second straight year as his initial year in New York saw him make $825K before bonuses while his guaranteed salary this season is $1.275MM. The 39-year-old has a 3.14 GAA with a .896 SV% in 21 appearances in 2024-25, a notable drop-off in his numbers from a year ago.
Bad News For Hamilton: The week-to-week injury that Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is dealing with may be better off being termed as month-to-month. It was revealed that the veteran will miss the remainder of the regular season and at least the first round of the playoffs due to a lower-body injury sustained earlier this month. That means he’ll miss at least two months with the issue. The 31-year-old had an injury-riddled campaign last season that saw him play in just 20 games. This season, Hamilton made it into 63 contests, notching 40 points in a little under 20 minutes a night of playing time. With Jack Hughes also out for the year, New Jersey’s push for the playoffs will see them have to get in without two of their top-five scorers.
Ekblad Gets 20: Aaron Ekblad’s 2024-25 regular season came to an end much earlier than expected. However, it wasn’t due to an injury. Instead, the Panthers blueliner was given a 20-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The length of the suspension is fixed at 20 games for a first offense. Ekblad released a statement indicating that the positive test stemmed from taking something to help him recover from recent injuries that he didn’t clear with team personnel first. He will miss the final 18 games of the regular season as well as Florida’s first two playoff appearances. Ekblad finishes the first part of the campaign with 33 points in 56 games as he gets set to test unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.
Kovalchuk Calls It A Career: Veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk has hung up his skates, announcing his retirement at the age of 41. In his prime, he was an elite winger with Atlanta before signing a long-term contract with New Jersey; the original 17-year agreement was deemed cap circumvention but a revised 15-year pact was approved. (New Jersey’s final cap charge for salary cap recapture comes off the books after this season.) But he left that contract after three seasons, going to the KHL for six seasons before a brief NHL return. All told, Kovalchuk collected 443 goals and 423 assists in 926 NHL games over parts of 13 years along with 352 points in 334 contests in eight KHL campaigns.
Hill’s Sticking Around: The goaltending position in Vegas has been solidified for the long haul as the Golden Knights signed Adin Hill to a six-year, $37.5MM contract extension. The deal, which carries a $6.25MM cap charge, is a nice raise from his current $4.9MM AAV while it also checks in a little ahead of former teammate Logan Thompson, who signed for $5.85MM per season in Washington on a new deal that starts next season. Initially acquired as injury insurance back in 2022, Hill has worked his way from being a platoon netminder to a full-fledged starter and has posted a .910 SV% in his three seasons with the Golden Knights. Hill received a partial no-trade clause as part of the contract, one that kicked in immediately.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.