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Avalanche Recall Jacob MacDonald

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The Avalanche announced that defenseman Jacob MacDonald has been recalled from AHL Colorado. Their roster size is now 25, and his recall presumably comes under emergency conditions, with Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson and Josh Manson all not expected to play tonight against the Red Wings because of injury.

MacDonald will kick off his second NHL stint with the Avs, assuming he enters the lineup. An undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers in 2018, he was flipped to Colorado the following summer and spent nearly four years in the Avalanche organization. A dual-threat defenseman and left-winger, he was traded to the Sharks midway through the 2022-23 campaign but returned to the Centennial State on a two-year deal last summer.

The 32-year-old Portland, Oregon, native has been spectacular on the Eagles’ blue line this season. He’s posted 27 goals through 55 games – three short of the record set by John Slaney for goals by a defenseman in an AHL season. The recall certainly hurts his hopes of tying or breaking that record, but he should have a few games left to do it, assuming Girard’s and Johnson’s injuries remain short-lived. He’s added 23 assists for 50 points with a +19 rating, leading the Eagles in scoring.

MacDonald previously scored 1-10–11 in 74 NHL games for Colorado from 2020-21 to 2022-23, along with a +10 rating while averaging 11:37 per game. He shouldn’t expect more minutes than that tonight, as he’ll likely replace Johnson in a third-pairing role alongside little-used Keaton Middleton.

MacDonald will presumably be returned to the AHL once one of the Avs’ injured rearguards is ready to return to the lineup. The Cornell product is on a two-way deal that pays him a $525K salary in the minors. He’ll remain in the organization next year, after which he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

Devils Sign Ethan Edwards To Entry-Level Contract

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March 25: The Devils announced today they’ve signed Edwards to a two-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2025-26 season. They confirmed he’ll report to Utica for the remainder of the current year.

March 23: Devils prospect Ethan Edwards’ time in college is over. The University of Michigan product won’t be going to the national tournament in his senior year, so he’ll instead be joining New Jersey’s AHL affiliate in Utica for the rest of the 2024-25 season, Ben Birnell of the Utica-Rome Daily Sentinel reports. Whether that’s on an AHL tryout or an NHL contract remains to be seen – an important distinction, given Edwards’ signing rights will expire on Aug. 15 if the Devils don’t get him signed to an entry-level deal by then.

The 22-year-old defender was a fourth-round pick by the Devils (No. 120 overall) back in 2020 out of the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The 5’10” lefty jumped south of the border to USHL Sioux City for his post-draft season before jumping on with the Wolverines for 2021-22. Since then, the two-way Edwards has slowly seen his game flourish. Michigan’s top rearguard this season after the departure of fellow Devil Seamus Casey, he took the increased ice time in stride. Edwards’ five goals, 16 assists and 21 points in 36 games this year were all career highs, but his minus-two rating was evidence of the team’s overall regression as Michigan missed out on the nationals for the first time since 2021.

After finishing fourth on the Wolverines in scoring, Edwards will take his talents eastward. He’s an intriguing name in what’s still a rather deep prospect pool on defense in New Jersey, checking in at No. 12 in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s 2025 organizational rankings. It’ll likely be a while before he sees an NHL call-up – assuming his AHL stint turns into an ELC with the Devils if he doesn’t sign one now. He’s got enough of a wide-ranging toolbox to make him a valuable depth piece in New Jersey’s lineup if his smaller stature doesn’t become a limiting factor.

If the Devils sign Edwards to an ELC beginning next season, they’ll have 33 of the maximum 50 contracts on the books.

Blues Sign Adam Jecho, Lukas Fischer To Entry-Level Contracts

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10:56 a.m.: PuckPedia reports the details of Jecho’s and Fischer’s contracts. The former carries a uniform structure of a $775K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K games played bonus, and an $85K minors salary across all three years for a cap hit of $872.5K. Fischer’s, meanwhile, carries a cap hit of $932K and breaks down as follows:

Year 1: $775K NHL, $97.5K SB, $102.5K GP bonus, $85K minors
Year 2: $850K NHL, $97.5K SB, $27.5K GP bonus, $85K minors
Year 3: $877.5K NHL, $97.5K SB, $85K minors

9:33 a.m.: The St. Louis Blues have officially signed a pair of players from their 2024 draft class. St. Louis announced they’ve signed forward Adam Jecho and defenseman Lukas Fischer to three-year, entry-level contracts.

Jecho, drafted 95th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, recently wrapped up his second season with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. There wasn’t much of an offensive increase in his year-to-year totals, as Jecho went from a 23-goal, 47-point campaign in 2023-24 to a 25-goal, 53-point season this year. Still, it was a positive confirmation that he has plenty of skill for his frame. Jecho would immediately become one of the tallest forwards in NHL standing at 6’5″, 201 lbs, but he plays with the puck skills of a much smaller athlete.

Meanwhile, Fischer was drafted one round ahead of Jecho at 56th overall. He’s similarly sized, carrying a 6’3, 185 lb frame. The Brighton, MI native finished his third season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, and his first as captain, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists in 51 games. Fishcer’s assist totals were on pace with his junior-career trajectory, but his 15 goals were a notable improvement from his previous career-high of six.

As the son of former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, Lukas plays remarkably similar to his father. He’s a physical blue liner, and some penalty troubles come with that. Still, the Blues would likely rather have a young defenseman play in the organization who’s not afraid of the increased physicality that comes with professional hockey.

The Blues didn’t confirm in the announcement whether either player would join their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for the rest of the season. Still, both players are under 20 years old, meaning they could spend another season with their respective junior programs.

Stars Sign Ayrton Martino To Entry-Level Contract

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March 25: Dallas announced shortly thereafter that they inked Martino to a two-year, entry-level pact beginning next season. PuckPedia reflects his deal will carry a $775K base salary in each season along with up to $57.5K in performance bonuses, an annual $92.5K signing bonus, and an $80K minors salary for a cap hit of $867.5K. He will be a restricted free agent at age 24 in the summer of 2027.

March 24: Stars prospect Ayrton Martino will finish the 2024-25 season in the organization on a tryout with AHL Texas, per the league’s transaction log. The move is likely a precursor to the 2021 third-round pick signing his entry-level contract with Dallas in the coming days.

Martino, 22, is coming off a standout senior season at Clarkson University. The 5’11” left-winger had sniffed a point per game over his three previous collegiate seasons but exploded for 25-26–51 in 39 games this year. That made him one of the 10 finalists for this year’s Hobey Baker Award, and he’s currently tied for fourth in NCAA scoring. Clarkson isn’t in this year’s national tournament, though, so he’ll likely be lapped by a couple of players who are when all is said and done.

In his draft year, Martino was viewed as a bit of a steal when Dallas selected him 73rd overall. Most identified him as an early-to-mid second-round talent after he posted 56 points in 38 games with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. Nonetheless, he slipped to the Stars – where he’s now the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 forward prospect in a pool that’s taken a huge hit with recent graduations, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

He’s nearly a lock to get his ELC with Dallas, and while he should be ticketed for the AHL opening night roster next fall, he could be under consideration for a brief call-up next year if he takes the adjustment to pro hockey in stride. The Toronto native totaled 50-95–145 in 144 games for Clarkson. If not signed by Dallas, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15.

Capitals Sign Jakob Chychrun To Eight-Year Extension

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year, $72MM extension ($9MM AAV). An extension between the Capitals and Chychrun has seemingly been in the works for some time, with rumored interest dating back to the beginning of the season.

The deal comes across as a market-setter for upper-echelon defensemen ahead of unrestricted free agency kicking off in a few months, not too dissimilar from how Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $112MM extension influenced the market for superstar forwards. Of course, Chychrun would be the top name on that market if he didn’t reach an agreement with Washington. Instead, he gets a deal that gives him much-desired stability while tying him for the tenth-highest-paid defenseman in the league, at least for next season.

Acquired from the Senators last summer in what was Chychrun’s second swap in as many years, the soon-to-be 27-year-old has re-emerged as a top-20 rearguard in the league. He’s seemingly shed the injury-prone label that followed him at the beginning of his career in Arizona, playing in 147 of 152 possible contests since the beginning of last season. After spending the first eight years of his time in the NHL with middling Coyotes and Senators clubs, he’s tracking to make the postseason for the first time aside from Arizona’s appearance in the 2020 bubble – playing a crucial role on the current President’s Trophy favorite.

The Caps’ league-leading offense is something to behold, considering their question marks entering the season about their depth, and a large part of their system success can be attributed to how general manager Chris Patrick retooled their blue line on the fly. Along with signing Matt Roy, acquiring Chychrun gave the Caps another puck mover with historically strong possession impacts to slot into their top four. He’s held up his end of the bargain, ranking third in the league in goals by defensemen with 18 and adding 25 assists for 43 points, second among Washington defenders behind John Carlson’s 46. He’s split the year between pairings with Carlson and Trevor van Riemsdyk, leading to a slight reduction in ice time compared to his career average. His 20:56 ATOI is his lowest mark since the 2018-19 campaign, but that’s a testament to Washington’s blue line depth more than anything else.

Aside from the point totals (his 0.662 points per game are 17th in the league among defensemen), he continues to positively impact the Caps’ ability to keep the puck out of their net. His 52.8 CF% is second among Washington defensemen behind Carlson at even strength, and his +4.6 expected rating is third. While his overall shares are driven more by his offensive production, his raw defensive numbers at 5v5 (26.15 scoring chances against per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick) are still in line with his teammates.

Chychrun will return to D.C. next season along with all five of his regular teammates on defense, barring any trades. As the aging Carlson and van Riemsdyk weigh their future past next season, Washington’s defensemen at No. 2-4 on their depth chart – Chychrun, Roy, and Rasmus Sandin – are all signed through at least 2029. The other piece of the puzzle, Martin Fehérváry, is set to be an RFA in the summer of 2026 in Washington’s last year of team control. The Caps are committing $33.025MM in cap space to their blue line for 2025-26, 34.6% of the $95.5MM upper limit.

Overall, Washington now projects to have $14.125MM in spending money this offseason with six roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia. They don’t have any particularly high-cost pending free agents on the active roster, so that should be enough flexibility to retain who they want while making a somewhat impactful add on the open market.

Since the beginning of Chychrun’s breakout 2020-21 campaign in Arizona, when he finished 10th in Norris voting, he ranks 27th in the league among defensemen in points per game (min. 100 games). He has 94-165–259 in 532 career games with Arizona, Ottawa, and Washington.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed significantly to this article.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Luke Haymes

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have again tapped into the collegiate free-agent market. Yesterday evening, the Maple Leafs announced they’ve signed center Luke Haymes to a two-year contract while also announcing he’ll finish the 2024-25 campaign on an amateur tryout agreement with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

Haymes recently wrapped up a three-year career with Dartmouth College of the NCAA’s ECAC Hockey Conference. He finished his collegiate career with 41 goals and 70 points in 83 games and a -17 rating. Haymes had begun drawing NHL interest last season after his breakout sophomore campaign.

In all fairness to Haymes, his career -17 rating can be inferred as a team statistic rather than an individual one. Dartmouth finished with a record of 5-24-1 in Haymes’s rookie year during the 2022-23 NCAA campaign, finishing last in the conference by a healthy margin. The team finished remarkably better in his sophomore season, finishing fourth in the conference with a 13-10-9 record. The better team finish was evidenced in Haymes’s stat line, scoring 18 goals and 18 assists in 31 games with a +2 rating.

Dartmouth continued to improve this season, finishing with an 18-13-2 record. Unfortunately, Haymes lost a few games due to injury, finishing the year with 12 goals and 18 points in 22 games. The Big Green made another ECAC Hockey tournament push but failed to reach beyond the semifinals for another consecutive season.

Haymes can play in meaningful hockey once he plays his first contest with the Marlies. The team is poised for playoff positioning in the AHL’s North Division with a 32-20-3-6 record through 61 contests. They’ll have a competitive battle with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for third place in the division over the last handful of games in the regular season.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Stephen Halliday

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Mar. 25: Halliday’s first call-up was short-lived, as the Senators announced they’ve reassigned him to AHL Belleville. The roster move indirectly confirms that Tkachuk should be in the Senators’ lineup tonight when they match up against the Buffalo Sabres.

Mar. 24: The Senators announced they’ve recalled center Stephen Halliday from AHL Belleville. It would be his NHL debut if he enters the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres. That’s a distinct possibility as captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from today’s practice, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports, after logging only 13:23 of ice time against the Devils on Saturday.

It’s been a huge year for Halliday, who the Sens selected in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) in the 2022 draft. Selected after being passed over in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, the 6’4″, 212-lb pivot headed to Ohio State immediately following his selection after four years in the United States Hockey League. The big, playmaking pivot averaged nearly a point per game across two seasons for the Buckeyes, posting 19-58–77 in 78 appearances and finishing as a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award in 2023-24. Ottawa signed him to his entry-level contract last March, paving the way for him to jump to the pros.

Here in 2024-25, Halliday has flourished in Belleville. After impressing with nine points in seven Calder Cup Playoff games to end last season, he leads the B-Sens in scoring with 15-28–43 in 59 games. He has some work to do defensively; his -19 rating is the worst on the team by a significant margin. It’s nonetheless an impressive step for the 22-year-old, who’s tied for fifth in AHL rookie scoring.

That impressive offensive performance will, at the very least, get him his first appearance on an NHL roster, even if he doesn’t play. If he does, the left-shot forward could slot in on the wing instead of down the middle with Tkachuk absent. The captain has seen his minutes managed carefully since returning from the lower-body injury he sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off, only seeing more than 19 minutes in a game twice this month. He’s clearly still nursing the injury, so with a five-point cushion on a playoff spot with 13 games to go, they may opt to give him some rest against a Buffalo squad that’s slated to finish last in the conference.

Halliday still has another year left on his ELC, which carries a $950K cap hit. Ottawa has just $130K in cap space after the recall, even while using Nick Cousins’ LTIR placement to stay compliant. The Sens, who haven’t been carrying an extra forward for a while now, will presumably send Halliday back to Belleville once Tkachuk is ready to play again.

Red Wings Activate Jeff Petry, Assign Prospect Emmitt Finnie To AHL

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After missing the previous 31 games with an undisclosed injury, Detroit Red Wings’ defenseman Jeff Petry has been removed from injured reserve and is in the lineup tonight against the Utah Hockey Club, per a team release. Petry, who last played Jan. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, had recently returned to practice. He is skating with Simon Edvinsson on the team’s second defensive pairing. In his first full season in Detroit, Edvinsson has impressed with 26 points, 126 blocked shots, and a plus-4 rating in 65 games.

Although Petry has had just six points in 34 games to begin the year and a minus-seven rating, he has displayed offensive upside throughout his career. The 37-year-old veteran of nearly 1,000 career games has registered 383 points in the NHL and has added an additional 13 points in 48 career playoff tilts. Petry is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent at season’s end. He had a $6.25MM cap hit this season.

While head coach Todd McLellan noted today that Petry can provide solid puck-moving abilities and a veteran presence for the team, he added the difficulty Petry will face in returning after such a lengthy absence. The Red Wings find themselves five points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot in the east.

The team also announced today that they reassigned forward Emmitt Finnie to the AHL from the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. He has captained the Blazers this season while recording 37 goals and 84 points through 55 games. The team’s seventh round selection in 2023 draft is shooting up Detroit’s prospect rankings thanks to his lofty numbers on the season. Finnie, 19, appeared in three AHL contests last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but didn’t record a point.

Oilers’ Connor McDavid And Leon Draisaitl To Miss More Time

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Edmonton Oilers’ superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will not play this week, meaning they’ll miss an additional three games with injury, per team reporter Tony Brar.

McDavid suffered a lower body injury during last Thursday’s lost to the Winnipeg Jets after taking a cross check to the midsection, while Draisaitl has missed the team’s last two games with an undisclosed injury. On Friday, it was reported that both Draisaitl and McDavid were headed for further testing on help determine the severity and duration of their injuries.

Also on Friday, head coach Kris Knoblauch stated both players would be day-to-day moving forward. Knoblauch added it’s important to preach caution at this stage of the season, and that is especially true when it comes to the team’s two best players. However, today’s news seems to reset the timeline for their return. The Oilers next three games will be against the Stars on Wednesday, the Kraken on Thursday, and the Flames on Saturday.

If possible, Draisaitl has risen his game to an even higher level this season. He currently leads the league in goals with 49 and his 101 points are second behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (105). He also leads the league in power play goals and game-winning goals. Meanwhile, McDavid has continued to produce at an MVP-candidate-level, posting 90 points in 63 games.

With the playoffs right around the corner, it goes without saying a full return to health for both players will be paramount to Edmonton’s hopes at another deep run. Last season, the two stars combined for an astonishing 73 points in 25 games, with McDavid securing the Conn Smythe Trophy despite coming up short of hoisting the Stanley Cup. The Oilers currently sit third in the Pacific with 87 points but are tied in points with Kings for second place.

 

 

Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan And Erik Gudbranson Return

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After activating both center Sean Monahan and defender Erik Gudbranson from injured reserve earlier today, both players are in fact the lineup tonight against the Islanders, per a team release.

Both veterans return after lengthy absences. Gudbranson has missed the last 66 games with a shoulder injury that required surgery, while Monahan (upper body) returns following 28 games out of the lineup. The return of both should support Columbus’ attempt to secure a playoff spot, and their returns are particularly timely given the team’s recent six-game winless streak. The Blue Jackets currently find themselves four points out of the final wild card spot in the east.

Gudbranson has suited up in just three games on the season, his third in Columbus. A veteran of 792 games, Gudbranson has registered 133 points during his 13-year career, but his true calling card is in the defensive zone where he has carved out a solid career by utilizing his 6’5, 222-pound frame to play a physical and defensively responsible style. Gudbranson is paired with Denton Mateychuk on the team’s third defensive pairing tonight. The veteran also adds 31 games of playoff experience to his resume.

Meanwhile, Monahan is slotted back on the team’s first line between wingers Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko in his first game action since Jan. 7. In 41 games on the season, Monahan has posted 14 goals, 41 points, and a plus-17 rating. Monahan was a key part of Columbus’ early-season success, and his return should help the team’s offense as they make a run at the playoffs. Monahan has registered eight seasons with at least 20 goals during his 12-year career and was well on his way to hitting that mark again this season before his injury. In 805 career games, the 30-year-old has registered 258 goals and 579 points. He has added 22 points in 35 career playoff games.

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