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Avalanche Sign Taylor Makar To Entry-Level Deal

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The Avalanche announced they’ve signed forward Taylor Makar to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2025-26 campaign. The younger brother of Colorado superstar Cale Makar will finish the season on a tryout with AHL Colorado. His contract carries a cap hit of $925K and breaks down to an $832.5K base salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, and an $80K minors salary, per PuckPedia.

Colorado selected the Makar in question with their seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft. The 6’4″, 209-lb forward was coming off an injury-plagued junior ’A’ season with the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League at the time, but he was solid when dressed with 19 points in 16 games. The Bandits, of course, are where Cale played his junior hockey before Colorado selected him fourth overall in 2017.

Like his older brother, Taylor committed to UMass and jumped to the collegiate ranks after being drafted. The grinder never found much of a role on the squad, though, and recorded 15-7–22 in 85 games before entering the transfer portal following his junior season. After landing with the University of Maine for his senior year, the 24-year-old managed to outproduce his totals with UMass in just 38 games. He finished second on the No. 3 team in the country in scoring, posting 18-12–30 in 38 appearances with a +24 rating. Maine’s season ended last Friday after they were upset by Penn State in the regional semifinals of the national tournament.

Makar is a long shot to crack the NHL roster next year, given the weakness of his collegiate resume as a whole, but his senior year breakout is promising as he looks to capture a significant AHL role. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2026. Colorado now has 30 players under contract for next season.

Capitals Sign Ryan Leonard To Entry-Level Contract

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11:59 a.m.: The Capitals confirmed Leonard’s deal, confirming it’ll carry the maximum ELC cap hit of $950K.

10:39 a.m.: The Capitals are expected to sign top forward prospect Ryan Leonard out of Boston College, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. He’ll sign a three-year entry-level contract beginning immediately and will likely make his NHL debut tomorrow against his hometown Bruins.

Leonard turning pro is far from unexpected. Selected eighth overall by Washington in 2023, he’s spent the last two seasons dominating collegiate play with Boston College. A natural center who can shift to the right wing, he boasts 61 goals, 48 assists and 109 points across 78 NCAA outings – giving him the most goals in the country by a margin of 16 since 2023-24. The 20-year-old has also posted a combined +66 rating over his past two collegiate seasons, often centering fellow 2023 first-rounder and Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault.

While Leonard’s time at BC didn’t result in a national championship, he’s won gold medals for the United States at top-level international junior play in three consecutive seasons. He captained the Americans at this year’s World Juniors, leading the team’s forwards in scoring with 5-5–10 in seven games.

The younger brother of former Sharks winger John Leonard now looks to prove he can be an impact goal-scorer at the NHL level with immediate effect. He’ll have a ton of support in a deep Washington lineup that leads the league in scoring with 3.63 goals per game, driven by a stratospheric team shooting percentage of 13.1. In terms of actual shot generation, the Caps rank a concerning 21st in the league at 27.6 per game. Adding one of the best shooters outside the NHL down the stretch should help boost that number slightly heading into postseason play, where he’ll compete to land a top-nine role ahead of names like Anthony Beauvillier, Brandon Duhaime, Andrew Mangiapane, and Taylor Raddysh.

This year aside, the news kicks off what should be an illustrious career for Leonard in D.C. as he aims to eventually take over as the team’s top sniper when Alex Ovechkin decides to end his record-breaking career. He’s the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in Washington’s system, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic opines, and ranks as the No. 4 forward prospect in the NHL behind Ivan Demidov, Will Smith, and Berkly Catton.

Ensuring Leonard is available for next season’s lineup is an essential piece of the puzzle for the Caps, who guarantee a cost-effective top-nine contributor to replace a pending UFA like the high-priced Mangiapane ($5.8MM AAV). They’ll have north of $12MM in cap space to fill just four roster spots, per PuckPedia – all at forward – allowing them to be a legitimate threat to sign one of the top 10 players available this summer.

With Leonard’s ELC going into effect immediately, it’ll expire and make him a restricted free agent following the 2026-27 campaign. That’s the same summer in which Ovechkin’s, John Carlson’s, and Connor McMichael’s current deals expire, along with a few other important depth contributors.

Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.

Flames Interested In Callum Tung

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The Flames are among the teams interested in signing college free agent netminder Callum Tung out of UConn, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

Tung, 21, backstopped UConn to its first national tournament appearance in program history this season. While they won their regional semifinal matchup against Quinnipiac, they lost in overtime to Penn State last night in the regional final, ending their campaign.

The freshman didn’t have a huge workload this season, only making 15 appearances. He stole the crease from Panthers draft pick Tyler Muszelik late in the season, finishing the year with a sterling 2.01 GAA and .933 SV% with a 10-4-1 record.

Tung, a British Columbia native, appeared at Calgary’s development camp last year. The 6’3″, 198-lb netminder is a late bloomer, only graduating to a full-time player at the junior ’A’ level last season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League. Nonetheless, his quick ascension over the past couple of seasons has him looking to turn pro just two years after logging significant time in the junior ’B’ Pacific Junior Hockey League.

As Friedman notes, the Flames face an uphill battle in landing him. They’ve already made one splash on the goalie market in college free agency this year, signing 23-year-old Owen Say out of Notre Dame. That gives them five goalies signed or under team control for next season, not including the goalie who ended Tung’s season last night. Penn State’s Arsenii Sergeev is a Flames prospect, going to them in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. Ironically, he transferred from UConn last summer and could also sign his ELC with the Flames after leading the Nittany Lions to their first Frozen Four appearance.

Islanders Sign Joey Larson To Entry-Level Deal

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The Islanders inked right-winger Joey Larson to an entry-level contract. It’s a one-year deal for next season, and it’s unclear whether they plan on having him join AHL Bridgeport for the remainder of 2024-25.

The 24-year-old undrafted free agent turns pro out of Michigan State, where he spent the latter two of his three collegiate seasons after transferring from Northern Michigan. Compared to most NHLers, the 6’1″, 196-lb forward has had a significantly delayed development path. Initially eligible for selection in the 2019 draft, he was playing as low as the Tier II junior North American Hockey League as late as the 2020-21 campaign – by which virtually any drafted player in his age group would have been either wrapping up a major junior career, playing against professionals in Europe, or skating in the college ranks.

[Related – 2025 College Free Agency Preview: Forwards]

That hasn’t stopped Larson from being a productive collegiate player, even if his age played a significant factor in how much he was able to contribute. He posted 39-44–83 in 111 NCAA appearances, including 10-14–24 in 37 games with the Spartans this season. That output was the lowest of his trio of college seasons, down from the career-high 16 goals and 32 points he scored in 38 games with Michigan State in 2023-24.

Aside from taking up a contract spot, there’s no downside in signing Larson to see how he adjusts to the pros. Still, it’s surprising to see him land an NHL deal when more productive college free agents his age, like Hobey Baker finalist Liam McLinskey, have had to settle for AHL contracts.

Bruins Recall Jeffrey Viel

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The Bruins announced that they have recalled left-winger Jeffrey Viel from AHL Providence under emergency conditions. The move indicates that not only will Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri likely remain on Boston’s roster for tomorrow’s game against the Capitals after hitting waivers yesterday, but that an undisclosed forward is questionable for the contest in addition to Mark Kastelic staying sidelined with his upper-body injury.

Viel, 28, signed a two-year, partial two-way deal in free agency last offseason. An undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks in 2019 out of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, he’s also since spent time in the Jets organization before landing with Boston. A heavy-hitting minor-league depth piece, he’s gotten into four games of NHL action with the Bruins this year on three previous recalls, marking his first appearances at the top level since April 2023 with San Jose.

He’s still spent most of the year in Providence. Over 62 games, he’s scored 12-22–34 with 136 PIMs and a +15 rating, the former of which ranks third in the AHL. A willing fighter, he’s demonstrated a decent scoring tough at the minor-league level and has arguably been the P-Bruins’ best two-way winger this season.

He may get a fifth look in the lineup as a disappointing season in Boston draws to a close. He didn’t record a point in his earlier appearances, logging nine PIMs while averaging just 7:44 per game. In 53 career NHL showings, the majority of which came in 2021-22 with the Sharks, Viel has 3-2–5 with a -10 rating and a whopping 148 PIMs, on pace for a full-season total of 229.

Kastelic is set to remain out of the lineup for a fifth straight game. The 26-year-old sustained an upper-body injury on March 20 against the Golden Knights and will have only seven more chances to return to Boston’s lineup this season after the Washington game. He has a career-high 5-9–14 scoring line in 61 games for the Bruins, who signed him to a three-year, $4.7MM extension in January.

Capitals Sign David Gucciardi To Entry-Level Deal

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The Capitals inked defense prospect David Gucciardi to his entry-level contract, as reflected by a team release. The two-year deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $855K with an $82.5K AHL salary, the club said. He’s headed to AHL Hershey to finish the year.

Gucciardi turns pro following his senior season at Michigan State. Cornell eliminated his Spartans in the regional semifinals of the national tournament after capturing a second straight Big Ten championship. Gucciardi had a great season in the NCAA, scoring 6-10–16 in 37 games and finishing second on the team with a +21 rating. That, unsurprisingly, was enough to convince Washington to sign him before losing his rights on Aug. 15.

A 2022 seventh-round pick, Gucciardi was first eligible for selection in 2021. However, he was overlooked after splitting the year between the Youngstown Phantoms and the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League. He’s been a good two-way presence throughout his tenure at Michigan State. Still, his offense this season was a career-high by a significant margin after seeing a steady decrease in point totals from his freshman through junior seasons. Since the 2021-22 season, he owns a 17-28–45 scoring line in 139 NCAA games.

Gucciardi, a left-shot defender, stands at 6’1″ and 185 lbs per the NHL, although the Spartans list him at 200 lbs. He wasn’t ranked among Washington’s top 15 prospects by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in January, and Dobber Prospects projects his NHL certainty at 30% with a ceiling of under 30 points per season at his peak. He’s not an impact player in the Capitals’ rather deep system by any stretch, but he’s good organizational depth and will head to one of the league’s best development environments in Hershey to begin his professional career.

Senators Reassign Angus Crookshank

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March 31: Crookshank did not play against the Penguins. The team announced Monday he’s been loaned back to Belleville, indicating he was an emergency recall. TSN 1200 Ottawa relays he was rostered in case captain Brady Tkachuk, who’s seen his ice time limited this month while dealing with a lower-body injury, couldn’t play.

March 30: The Ottawa Senators have recalled depth winger Angus Crookshank from the minor leagues ahead of their Sunday matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This marks Crookshank’s second recall of the season. His first came in late February and resulted in a spot start in the NHL lineup. He was returned to the minors on March 1 and has been productive ever since, netting seven points, 14 PIMs, and an even rating in 12 games this month.

Crookshank’s recent hot streak in the minors brings his season-long totals up to 22 goals and 40 points in 60 AHL games. Those marks rank third on the Belleville Senators in scoring, behind emerging prospect Stephen Halliday’s 44 points and veteran defenseman Jeremy Davies’ 42 points.

Crookshank has been impressively consistent since turning pro in the latter half of the 2020-21 season. He broke out with 16 points in his first 19 AHL games and has found a knack for rivaling 25 goals and 45 points in the three seasons since then. But despite that consistency, he’s yet to find his footing at the NHL level. Crookshank has just three points through 14 career games in the Ottawa lineup and hasn’t recorded an NHL point since March 23, 2024.

This new call-up could be a chance for Crookshank to find his pro legs. He brings a physical spark with offensive upside. Both traits could be invaluable for Ottawa after a one-goal margin decided their last four games. The Senators don’t appear to be facing any new injuries, so slotting Crookshank in will mean demoting one of their underperforming wingers.

Matthew Highmore and Adam Gaudette have managed just one point in their last 10 games while operating on Ottawa’s fourth line. Trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund also only has one point in his last 10 games, despite the Senators rotating him through the lineup. Any of the three could be forced to make way for the hard-hitting Crookshank as Ottawa looks to hang on to their hold of the top Eastern Conference Wild Card.

Five Key Stories: 3/24/25 – 3/30/25

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The final full week in March is in the books and it was an eventful one around the NHL with a pair of big events drawing plenty of attention.  Those are among the headlines in our key stories.

Done For The Year: This hasn’t been a great year for Wild blueliner David Jiricek.  Mired in a limited role in Columbus, he was acquired by Minnesota at the end of November and the thought was that he’d be up with the big club after that.  Instead, he wound up being a frequent scratch with the Wild sending him down recently to get some more playing time.  However, those plans are out the window as the 21-year-old suffered a lacerated spleen upon his return, ending his season prematurely.  He finished up the year with just a dozen NHL appearances split between Columbus and Minnesota while he struggled in Iowa, notching just seven assists in 27 games with them.  All in all, a tough finish to a tough season for the prospect.

Back In The Lineup: The Golden Knights welcomed back a key part of their back end when they activated defenseman Shea Theodore off LTIR.  Theodore was expected to be a key player for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off but his tournament action was short-lived as he suffered an arm injury in the opener, causing him to miss more than a month of games.  Despite missing 15 games this season, Theodore still sits in the top ten for points by a defenseman, tallying seven goals and 44 assists through 58 appearances while logging nearly 22 minutes a night.  Returning now gives him plenty of time to get back into top form heading into the playoffs.

Big Change In Philadelphia: The Flyers were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season, losing 11 of 12 games since early March with some frustration happening behind the scenes as well.  That resulted in GM Daniel Briere electing to make a coaching change, dismissing John Tortorella while elevating associate coach Brad Shaw to the interim head coaching role for the rest of the season.  Tortorella was in his 23rd season running an NHL bench and his third with Philadelphia; he had one year left on his contract.  Teams looking for an experienced head coach this spring may look his way or Tortorella might opt to call it a career.  Meanwhile, this is Shaw’s second time stewarding an NHL team as he previously served as an interim head coach for 40 games with the Islanders back in 2005-06 when he took over for Steve Stirling.

First Contracts For First Rounders: With college seasons coming to an end, several prominent first-round prospects have turned pro, inking deals that start this year, allowing them to play for their respective clubs down the stretch.  The Blues got a deal done with 2022 first-rounder (20th overall) Jimmy Snuggerud, signing him away from the University of Minnesota.  That same school lost three other first-rounders, as Matthew Wood (15th overall in 2023) signed with Nashville and Sam Rinzel (25th overall in 2022) inked a deal with Chicago.  Rinzel wasn’t the only Blackhawks prospect to sign, as they also signed Oliver Moore (19th overall in 2023).  Suffice it to say, the Golden Gophers won’t be anywhere near as strong on paper next season.  All four players have either already made their NHL debuts or will do so in the near future.

Staying In Washington: One of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents is off the market early after the Capitals signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year, $72MM contract extension.  The $9MM AAV nearly doubles the $4.6MM cap charge he has been playing on since the 2019-20 campaign, one that has become quite a bargain.  The 26-year-old has fit in quite well after being acquired from Ottawa last summer as Chychrun already has new career-highs in goals (18) and points (44) while logging just shy of 21 minutes a night of playing time.  With John Carlson already 35 and likely nearing the finish line on his career, Chychrun appears to be well-positioned to move into the top role when the veteran hangs up his skates.

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

2025 College Free Agency Preview: Forwards

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With the NCAA tournament in full force, we’ve seen an influx of collegiate signings in recent days which is likely to continue over the next couple of weeks.  Generally speaking, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.

We’re changing things up a bit in our annual preview this time around.  Earlier this week, Gabriel Foley took a closer look at the most prominent players from this year’s class.  Meanwhile, we’ll break down the rest of the class in two separate columns, one for forwards and one for goaltenders and defensemen.  We’ll start with the forwards.

As always, note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.

Dalton Bancroft (Cornell)

A player who was on this list last year, Bancroft’s stock has dipped a bit this season after a much-improved sophomore season.  Even so, he finished second on the Big Red in scoring while setting a new career-best in goals with 15.  Bancroft’s size and skill set profile him as a physical fourth liner and with him having some power play success in the past, he should have some interest from teams looking to add some extra depth.

Josh Eernisse (Michigan)

It’s believed Eernisse had some NHL interest last year but he opted to return to the Wolverines with the hope that he could land a bigger role and have a better season.  That didn’t happen as he wound up scoring just once in 36 games.  Nonetheless, his size, physicality, and speed will make him appealing to teams looking to add a fourth-line energy player.  That said, coming off a down year, he might be better off going back for his senior season and trying to boost his stock.

Christian Fitzgerald (Wisconsin)

Like Eernisse, Fitzgerald transferred to a more prominent program after his freshman year and has seen his production decline since then.  Nonetheless, a 16-goal showing two years ago should have him on the radar for some teams but at this point, an AHL deal might be all he could land, making him a realistic candidate to return to the Badgers next season.

T.J. Hughes (Michigan)

Hughes has been a prominent scorer over his three years with the Wolverines, averaging more than a point per game over that stretch.  Even with a bit of a quieter effort this season, he still led Michigan in scoring with 38 points in 36 games.  Hughes is a top-six player but can he be that in the NHL?  There might be some hesitance on that one but even if he’s viewed as a possible impactful AHL piece, that should generate some strong interest.

Carter King (Denver)

The Flames are among the teams known to be interested in King who is one of the top-scoring players in this year’s free agent class.  He played a prominent role last season en route to the NCAA championship and he’s playing a bigger one this season.  King is a bit undersized and is already 23 but as a two-way forward – he’s a nominee for NCHC Defensive Player of the Year – he can fit in enough roles that he should have strong interest.

Joey Larson (Michigan State)

It was a bit of a quieter year for Larson compared to last season where his performance landed him a bit of NHL interest and a spot on this list.  Still, he often played with new Flyers prospect Karsen Dorwart which means he has been seen by plenty of scouts.  Larson has been at NHL development camps for the last three seasons and should be at a fourth but this time as a full-fledged NHL prospect.

Josh Nadeau (Maine)

Not surprisingly, the departure of his brother Bradly to Carolina hurt Nadeau’s production this season after being a high-scoring freshman in 2023-24.  Still, the 21-year-old finished second on the team in assists and third in points which will have him on the radar.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him return for his junior year to see if he can boost his stock but there should be some teams kicking the tires at least.

Rhett Pitlick (Minnesota State Mankato)

The former Canadiens prospect became a free agent last summer when he briefly entered free agency before turning to the transfer portal.  He set new personal bests in assists (27) and points (40) this season, eclipsing the point-per-game mark for the first time.  Will that be enough to earn an NHL deal or will he have to settle for an AHL pact?  That’s what we’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Ondrej Psenicka (Cornell)

Psenicka drew some NHL interest after a strong 21-point freshman season in 2021-22.  However, his output never improved much over the past three seasons with his best year being this season, a 22-point showing.  But at 6’6, he can be a grinding winger on the boards and could fit on a fourth line down the road, even with limited upside.  Now that his eligibility is exhausted, he’ll be signing somewhere but will it be an NHL or an AHL deal?

Harrison Scott (Maine)

While Nadeau saw his numbers drop following the departure of his brother, his teammate in Scott saw his improve in his senior year, leading the Black Bears in scoring with 35 points in 38 games.  Already 24, there may not be a ton of developmental runway left but he fits the profile of a bottom-six energy forward who has shown a bit of scoring touch in his two seasons at Maine.

Jack Stockfish (Holy Cross)

He’s 6’4 and a right-shot center, both attributes that will catch the attention of scouts.  On top of that, Stockfish has had two solid college seasons so far, including a 15-goal, 27-point effort this year.  At 22, he’s one of the younger players on this list and while he has two years of eligibility left, this might be the right time to make the jump if some NHL entry-level offers present themselves.

Riley Thompson (Ohio State)

Thompson is one of the more intriguing players out of this group.  He transferred from Alaska-Anchorage for this season, a move that worked out well as he finished second on the Buckeyes in scoring with 17 goals and 16 assists.  He’s also a 6’4 center which will intrigue several teams.  It appears that there’s enough interest for him to land an NHL deal now but would he be better suited going back for another year to hone his game and then look to turn pro with an even stronger market?

Zach Urdahl (Nebraska-Omaha)

After two quiet years at Wisconsin, Urdahl reached the double-digit goal mark in each of the last two seasons while finishing fourth on the team in scoring.  His speed will help attract some attention, making him another player who profiles as a bottom-six piece if all goes well.  With his eligibility now exhausted, someone will be signing him in the coming weeks.

Lightning Sign Connor Kurth

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A breakout season at the University of Minnesota has landed Connor Kurth his first professional contract.  The Lightning announced that they’ve signed the forward to a two-year, entry-level deal that begins next season; financial terms were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old was selected in the sixth round (192nd overall) back in 2022 out of USHL Dubuque.  With them, Kurth put up 50 goals and 72 assists in 114 games over two seasons but offensive production was much harder to come by when he made the jump to the college level.

Over his first two seasons with the Golden Gophers, Kurth picked up 14 goals combined, seven in each campaign.  But this year was by far his best as he notched 18 goals along with 21 assists in 40 games, putting him in a tie for second in team scoring with Nashville first-rounder Matthew Wood, who signed his entry-level deal on Saturday.  That performance was good enough to secure a contract and forego his final season of eligibility.

Even though his contract doesn’t start until 2025-26, Kurth will get a taste of the pros this season as he has signed a tryout deal with AHL Syracuse and will be eligible to suit up for them down the stretch and in the playoffs.

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