While he wasn’t on Germany’s initial roster for the World Championship, Senators forward Tim Stutzle will now join that team, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He indicated last weekend that he hoped to play but when he wasn’t originally named to the team, it looked as if either he’d had a change of heart or didn’t receive medical clearance. The 23-year-old led the Sens in scoring this season with 24 goals and a career-high 55 assists in 82 regular season games before adding five points in six playoff contests. Germany opens up its tournament action today but they’ll have to wait until Tuesday before Stutzle is able to suit up versus Norway as he’ll miss both games this weekend.
More from the Atlantic:
- Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has a key contract negotiation this summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. He’ll now have new representatives working on that deal as Quartexx Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they now represent the blueliner. Byram, who Titan Sports Management’s Kevin Epp previously repped, set new career highs in games played (82), assists (31), points (38), blocked shots (116), and ATOI (22:42), putting him in a spot to land considerably more than his $4.62MM qualifying offer. He’s two years away from UFA eligibility so it’s quite likely that Buffalo will be pushing to sign him to a long-term agreement in the coming weeks.
- Pending Canadiens UFA Connor Hughes took himself off the open market early. The goaltender is heading back to Switzerland after Lausanne HC announced that they’ve signed him to a five-year contract. The 28-year-old had a breakout showing with Lausanne in 2023-24, leading to a one-year deal from Montreal last spring. Hughes fared relatively well with AHL Laval this year with a 2.58 GAA and a .905 SV% in 28 outings but has elected to go back overseas for the long haul now.
- Still with the Canadiens, Laval announced (Twitter link) that they recently signed defenseman Owen Protz to an ATO agreement. Montreal drafted the 19-year-old in the fourth round last June, taking him 102nd overall. Protz had 32 points in 67 games with OHL Brantford this season while adding six more in 11 playoff contests and will now get his first taste of the pros, albeit likely in a reserve role.