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East Notes: Zadorov, Reaves, Ciernik

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The Bruins won’t have defenseman Nikita Zadorov available to them tonight as they continue their road trip in Anaheim.  Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald relays that the blueliner has returned home to tend to a family matter.  No timeline for a possible return was given as interim head coach Joe Sacco would only confirm that Zadorov would miss this game.  The 29-year-old is in his first season in Boston after signing a six-year, $30MM deal last summer, one that has had some ups and downs.  Zadorov has 17 points along with 183 hits and a league-leading 135 penalty minutes in 72 outings this season while logging a career-high 20:33 per game.  Zadorov joins Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm as out for this one, meaning Boston’s three highest-paid defenders won’t be in their lineup.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • After clearing waivers on trade deadline day nearly three weeks ago, Maple Leafs winger Ryan Reaves reported to the Marlies on Tuesday and skated with the team for the first time, notes Nick Barden of The Hockey News. The 38-year-old didn’t see much action with the big club this season, playing in just 35 games, logging less than eight minutes a night when he did suit up while only collecting two assists and 103 hits.  It’s unclear if Reaves will actually play with the Marlies or if he’s just going to practice with them.  Reaves last saw action in the AHL back in 2010-11 with Peoria, the affiliate of St. Louis at the time.
  • Lehigh Valley, the AHL affiliate of the Flyers, announced that they’ve signed winger Alex Ciernik to a tryout agreement. The 20-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2023, going 83rd overall.  Ciernik spent this season with Nybro in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan and had a decent showing, notching 11 goals and 12 assists, good for fifth on the team in scoring.  Ciernik doesn’t have a contract overseas next season nor has he signed an entry-level deal so he’ll be hoping that a good showing with the Phantoms could earn him a contract from Philadelphia in the weeks to come.

Utah Recalls Kailer Yamamoto

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The Utah Hockey Club has recalled depth winger Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto made the Utah roster out of training camp but was cleared through waivers and assigned to the minor leagues on October 26th. This is his first call-up since that transaction, giving him another chance to find NHL ice time on the one-year, two-way, league-minimum deal he signed in Utah this summer.

Yamamoto has been a driving force for the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners this season. He leads the team in scoring with 51 points in 51 games played – making him one of just 17 AHLers scoring at or above a point-per-game pace, among players with at least 20 games played. Yamamoto spent the last four seasons in an everyday NHL role, split across tenures with the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken. He had a career year in the 2021-22 campaign, when he potted 20 goals and 41 points in 81 games – a career-high in all scoring categories and games played.

But Yamamoto couldn’t find a way to make his scoring stick, and struggled to work out of a bottom-line rotation with his team’s extra forwards. He fell to 25 points in 58 games in the 2022-23 season, then managed just 16 points in 59 games with Seattle last year. A move to Utah was meant to serve as a spark, but after three pointless games to start the NHL season – Yamamoto was shipped back to the minors for his first AHL games since 2019-20.

Yamamoto’s call-up is purely for depth reasons, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports – meaning Utah isn’t facing any additional injuries or absences. That could make it tough for Yamamoto to work his way into the lineup. If he does, it will likely come over bottom-six winger Matias Maccelli, who has just one point in his last 10 games. Maccelli is the only Utah forward without multiple points in their latest 10 appearances.

Avalanche Sign Isak Posch, Cooper Gay To Two-Year Deals

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The Colorado Avalanche have joined in on the college free agent market by signing St. Cloud State University goaltender Isak Posch and University of St. Thomas forward Cooper Gay to two-year, entry-level contracts. Both deals are set to start next season. Neither player has been added to a minor league roster yet.

Posch will turn pro after completing his sophomore season at St. Cloud. He served as an oft-used backup in his freshman season and posted a meager 5-6-2 record and .901 save percentage in 14 games. But with his feet wet with college ice, Posch was able to win out the clear-cut starting role and post a much stronger statline this season. He ended the year with a .923 save percentage – the 11th-highest in the country among goalies with at least 20 games – and a strong 12-10-0 record.

Posch moved to America ahead of the 2021-22 season, after growing up through the IF Bjorkloven and Leksands IF systems in Sweden. He posted a dismal 9-23-3 record and .872 save percentage with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede in his first North American season – getting little support from a then-struggling Stampede defense. That prompted a move to the NAHL for the 2022-23 campaign, where Posch managed a much improved statline, with a 25-13-2 record and .926 save percentage. He entered college with that performance behind his sails, and found a way to continue the strong play into the next step. Posch will join a crowded goalie room in the Colorado organization – and likely faces a battle with players like Trent Miner and Adam Scheel for AHL ice time next season.

Gay will join the Avalanche organization after completing his junior year at St. Thomas. The six-foot-four, 210-pound winger was initially slow-going at the college flight, netting just seven points in 30 games of his freshman campaign. But he found his role as a bruiser on the boards and in the slot last season, helping push him to 12 goals and 21 points in 29 games as a sophomore. Gay built on those numbers this year, with 19 goals and 30 points in 35 games. He also served as one of St. Thomas’ alternate captain this year.

Gay grew up through Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in Minnesota, and spent seasons with the NAHL’s Minnesota Magicians and St. Cloud Norsemen, as well as the USHL’s Fargo Force. He wasn’t much of a scorer at the juniors level – totaling just 13 points in 40 NAHL games and 14 points in 51 USHL games. But he’s come along in recent years, as he continues to find comfort in his lumbering frame. While Posch will have a battle for ice time, Gay’s sturdy frame could give him a clear path to top-nine minutes in the minor leagues. With continued strong scoring, his nitch as a physical, net-front presence could even earn Gay NHL attention in the years to come.

Blue Jackets Sign Charlie Elick, Caleb MacDonald To Entry-Level Deals

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The Blue Jackets announced entry-level deals for defensemen Charlie Elick and Caleb MacDonald today. Both begin next season. Elick’s is a three-year pact, while MacDonald’s is for two years. McDonald’s deal will carry a $925K cap hit and $97.5K signing bonus, per PuckPedia. Financial details of Elick’s deal haven’t been revealed.

Elick was already in the organization. Columbus selected the 19-year-old 36th overall in last year’s draft, making him the fourth pick of the second round. A 6’4″, 203-lb right-shot rearguard, he’s a smooth-skating defensive specialist with a penchant for physicality. The Austria-born Canadian national is coming off his third entire season in the Western Hockey League, split between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans thanks to a midseason trade. He compiled 2-13–15 with 55 PIMs and a minus-six rating in 66 appearances between the clubs.

While not drafted for his offensive production, that’s still a semi-concerning downturn from his 2023-24 campaign with the Wheat Kings. In his draft year, he managed 4-23–27 in 65 games with a plus-four rating, winning a gold medal with Canada at the U18 World Championship.

Elick ranks No. 11 in the Blue Jackets’ prospect pool, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’s the second-place right-handed defender behind Luca Marrelli, who Columbus selected one round after him last summer and signed an entry-level contract in December.

MacDonald is a new addition to the system. Another big lefty (6’4″, 225 lbs), he’s a 22-year-old coming off his second collegiate season. The undrafted rearguard from Ontario played his freshman year with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks before transferring to North Dakota for his sophomore campaign. He did well in the spotlight against much tougher competition, posting 3-7–10 with a plus-seven rating in 35 games for the Fighting Hawks.

While hard-hitting like Elick, he offers more offensive upside. Before jumping to college, he was a junior ’A’ standout with the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He put up 16-79–95 in 126 games there across three seasons, including a 9-50–59 run in 57 games in 2022-23 that got him named the league’s most outstanding defenseman.

MacDonald will presumably report to AHL Cleveland next season, while Elick doesn’t turn 20 until after New Year’s and thus remains ineligible for an AHL assignment in 2025-26. He’ll need to be sent back to the Americans and play out another season in juniors before jumping to the pros. His entry-level deal will slide one year as a result, pushing his expiry from 2028 to 2029. MacDonald’s deal isn’t slide-eligible and will run out in 2027. Both players will be restricted free agents when their contracts end.

Flyers Sign Ty Murchison To Entry-Level Contract

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The Flyers announced they’ve signed defense prospect Ty Murchison to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2025-26. His contract carries an $860K cap hit with a $775K base salary, an $85K signing bonus, and an $80K minors salary each season, per PuckPedia.

A fifth-round pick by Philly in 2021 (No. 158 overall), the 6’2″ lefty is coming off his senior season at Arizona State. The 22-year-old is about as one-dimensional as it gets for a stay-at-home defender. He never totaled more than seven points in a season at ASU but posted a combined +17 rating over four years and logged heavy minutes as one of the NCAA’s most responsible shutdown men. Named the NCHC’s Best Defensive Defenseman this year, Murchison posted four assists, 48 PIMs, and a plus-six rating in 37 games in the Sun Devils’ first year of conference play.

Murchison turns pro after compiling 9-14–23 and 279 PIMs in 145 collegiate games. A California native and product of the U.S. National Development Team program, Murchison’s signing rights were set to expire on Aug. 15.

After a strong collegiate career, Murchison focuses on finding his niche in the Flyers’ system. This year, he wasn’t listed among Philly’s top 15 prospects in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s organizational rankings. His main internal competition likely comes from Hunter McDonald (No. 12), another big 22-year-old lefty in his first pro season with AHL Lehigh Valley following a two-year run with Northeastern. He’s had a strong first showing in the pros and projects as a capable bottom-pairing option in a few years, similar to the role Murchison will likely have if he carves out an NHL career.

Murchison’s deal makes him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. The Flyers now have 29 contracts on their books next season.

Kings To Recall Jeff Malott

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According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, the Kings will recall forward Jeff Malott before their game Thursday with the Avalanche. L.A. has $1.757MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, enough to fit Malott’s $775K cap hit without another transaction.

Malott was signed to a two-year, partial two-way deal last summer, and this will be his first stint on Los Angeles’ NHL roster this season. If he plays, it will be Malott’s second career NHL appearance after debuting with the Jets in the 2021-22 campaign.

The 28-year-old left-winger comes up after Tanner Jeannot sustained an upper-body injury last night against the Rangers, a game for which Alex Turcotte was also a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. With only Akil Thomas on hand as an extra forward, Malott’s summons gives them another option to insert into the lineup if a third injury strikes their forward group.

What Malott lacks in NHL experience, he compensates for with his 6’4″, 201-lb frame and an increasingly strong minor-league track record. An alternate captain with AHL Ontario, he has 23-28–51 in 61 appearances to rank third in scoring. The hard-nosed winger also leads the Reign with 80 PIMs and ranks fourth with a +17 rating. His stay on the NHL roster will likely only last as long as the Kings’ injury troubles, but he’s an acceptable replacement for fourth-line minutes if necessary.

Kings Sign Jared Woolley To Entry-Level Contract

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The Kings announced that they have signed defenseman Jared Woolley to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Woolley, 19, was a sixth-round pick by the Kings (No. 164 overall) last summer. The 6’5″, 207-lb lefty has spent the past two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where he won a league championship as a rookie in 2023-24.

A two-way defender by trade, Woolley had a coming-out party this year. After playing a limited role on last year’s London squad, he saw expanded minutes this year and rose to the occasion. He posted a respectable 9-19–28 scoring line in 68 games, and his +49 rating ranked third on the club. He also racked up 75 PIMs.

He didn’t check in at all when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the Kings’ prospect pool earlier this year, so it’s safe to say public scouts remain conservative on NHL expectations for Woolley. Nonetheless, the Kings liked his season enough to get a deal done now and avoid potentially running out the clock on his signing rights, which were set to expire in June 2026.

Woolley’s deal is eligible for a one-year entry-level slide. Assuming he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, overwhelmingly the likeliest scenario, his deal will defer to the 2026-27 campaign and run through 2028-29. He’ll still be paid any signing bonuses owed to him for the 2025-26 campaign, lowering the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect. He’s too young for a full-time AHL assignment next year and will undoubtedly return to London for a third OHL season. If that’s the outcome, he won’t count against L.A.’s 50-contract limit.

Lightning Recall Cam Atkinson, Reassign Brandon Halverson

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According to a team announcement, the Lightning have recalled veteran forward Cam Atkinson from AHL Syracuse. The club has reassigned goaltender Brandon Halverson to Syracuse to stay under the salary cap. He was no longer needed on the roster after usual backup Jonas Johansson returned from a two-game personal leave for last night’s win over the Penguins. Their active roster remains at 22.

Atkinson, 35, is a two-time 30-goal scorer and veteran of 13 NHL seasons who joined the Lightning on a one-year deal last summer following a buyout by the Flyers. The forward’s time in Tampa has been inconsequential, posting 4-5–9 through 38 games while averaging just 8:47 per game. He hasn’t appeared in more than eight consecutive games for the Bolts this year and has only suited up three times since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

That tough showing led him to land on waivers for the first time in his career earlier this month, opening up some cap flexibility for Tampa ahead of the trade deadline. They’ve taken advantage of it, sending him down to Syracuse twice, but those assignments have purely been for salary cap management purposes. He hasn’t suited up for the Crunch, and it’s unlikely he will if he returns to them later this year.

Atkinson hasn’t dressed since March 13, when he scored a goal against Philly. He has three points in his last four games dating back to Feb. 9, so at least over the past couple of months, he’s been a good depth scoring option when inserted into the lineup. Tampa’s frequently dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games, but after Erik Černák left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury, they may need to go back to the routine 12-6 lineup tomorrow against Utah. That could mean Atkinson’s return to the lineup – or Mitchell Chaffee, who’s been scratched six times in the last eight games. Either way, Atkinson’s recall guarantees they’ll have 12 forwards available if one sustains a last-minute injury before tomorrow’s game.

Halverson made his Tampa debut on this most recent recall, making his first career NHL start against Utah last Saturday. It didn’t go very well for the 28-year-old farmhand, who surrendered five goals on 24 shots for a .792 SV% in a 6-2 loss (Utah’s last goal was an empty-netter). Initially a second-round pick by the Rangers back in 2014, his lone previous NHL appearance came in relief of Henrik Lundqvist in February 2018.

The Michigan native has been strong at the minor-league level this year, though, posting a .913 SV% and 2.32 GAA with four shutouts in 34 games for Syracuse. While he began the year on a minor-league deal, that showing earned him an NHL contract from Tampa early last month. He’s been recalled a couple of times since then amid periods of unavailability from Johansson, who has a 7-5-2 record and .896 SV% in 15 appearances this season. His deal was for two years, so he’ll be back with the team as organizational depth next season.

Latest On Minnesota Wild Injuries

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March 26: The Wild returned Crotty to the minors late last night after he didn’t enter the lineup, per a team announcement.

March 25: Throughout each season, a handful of teams fall into the well of persistent injury bugs. For yet another year, the Minnesota Wild have found themselves firmly in that rut – with persistent injuries holding stars like Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin to fewer than 45 games each. All three options remain sidelined as April rolls around, though recent updates could see them back in the fold soon.

Minnesota recalled depth defenseman Cameron Crotty under emergency conditions on Tuesday morning. The move was made in case Brodin – who sat out of Monday night’s 3-0 loss to Dallas for rest – was unable to go once again, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. But with Tuesday’s matchup against Vegas drawing close, Russo has updated that Brodin will in fact play per head coach John Hynes. Crotty could still get a chance to go, though – as Russo has shared that Declan Chisholm is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot from Matt Dumba on Monday.

Assuming he’s in, Crotty will be playing in just the second NHL game of his career on Tuesday, after debuting with the Arizona Coyotes last year. The right-shot 25-year-old has managed eight assists, 47 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine in 56 AHL games this season. Those totals are a slight downtick from the 13 points he potted in 64 games of the 2022-23 season, then repeated in 55 games of the 2023-24 season.

Crotty landed as the Wild’s emergency recall after top prospect and routine middle-man David Jiricek was himself injured in the Iowa Wild’s Monday night contest. Jiricek had seven assists in 27 AHL games. No specifics have been revealed about his injury or timeline, but Russo shares that he’s expected to be out for a while. None of Minnesota’s other AHL defensemen – including Carson Lambos, David Spacek, Joseph Cecconi, and Ryan O’Rourke – have yet made their NHL debuts.

Despite the mess of news surrounding the Wild’s blue-line, they’ll enter Tuesday’s game with positive momentum. Brodin is a major addition to the lineup, and showed flashes of bouncing back to form when he recorded an assist on Saturday, playing in his first game after a month-long absence due to injury. He skated in 21 minutes of action, just shy of the 22:38 in ice time that Brodin has averaged through 39 games this season. In those minutes, he’s recorded 19 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-11. Those are strong numbers that, mixed with the rookie Crotty, should help make up for the hold Chisholm leaves on Minnesota’s bottom pair. Chisholm has 12 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in 61 games this season. He’s playing through his first full year in the NHL after marking his rookie season last year.

The Wild have more good news waiting in their wings. Russo went on to share that stars Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek are both expected to begin skating this weekend. The pair have been in-and-out of the lineup, with Kaprizov missing 21 games and Eriksson Ek missing 14 with their current injuries. It’s an understatement to say the two are crucial to the Wild lineup. They operate as clear top-line and special teams options for the club, and each average near or north of 20 minutes of ice time each game. Kaprizov led the team in scoring at the time of his injury with 23 goals and 52 points in just 37 games. That mark put him on pace for an amazing 115 points, which would have upended his career-high, and the Wild single-season scoring record, of 108 points set in the 2021-22 season. Eriksson Ek has been far more modest, with just 24 points in 42 games – though his all-three-zones impact has made his absences noticeable.

Minnesota has seen a surge from their 23-year-olds in the absence of their stars. Winger Matt Boldy now leads the team in scoring with 23 goals and 60 points on the season. Center Marco Rossi isn’t too far behind him, with 22 goals and 54 points in as many games. The pair will likely both take a hit to their ice time and special teams usage when Minnesota is back to full health, though their breakout performances are a clear indication of what’s soon to come for the Wild.

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