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Sharks Recall Thomas Bordeleau

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This hasn’t been the type of season that Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau had hoped for.  Instead of landing a full-time spot in San Jose, he has played exclusively with the AHL’s Barracuda thus far.  However, it appears as if he’ll gets at least one chance with the big club as the team announced (Twitter link) that Bordeleau has been recalled.

The 23-year-old played in 27 games with the Sharks last season, notching six goals and five assists in a little over 15 minutes a night, appearing to give himself a realistic shot at securing a regular role in the lineup.  He accepted his qualifying offer in late July but after spending the first two weeks of the season on injured reserve, Bordeleau was sent down and until today, hadn’t been recalled.

Bordeleau has had a decent season with the Barracuda.  Through 59 games, he has 14 goals and 24 assists, putting him three points shy of his personal best set back in 2021-22, his first full professional campaign.  However, his assist total is a new career-high.  He’ll once again be a restricted free agent this summer and should sign for close to his new qualifying offer of $917.8K.

Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News notes (Twitter link) that the Sharks have already used their four post-deadline regular recalls, meaning that this is an emergency recall.  It’s unclear which forward’s availability for Sunday’s game against Calgary is in question at this time but head coach David Warsofsky noted earlier this week that Alexander Wennberg has been playing through an injury for a while now.

Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo And Ty Mueller

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The Canucks have brought up a pair of players for their game tonight against Minnesota, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Nikita Tolopilo and forward Ty Mueller from AHL Abbotsford on an emergency basis.

It’s the third recall in the last two months for Tolopilo, who has still not made his NHL debut.  The 25-year-old has played in 34 games with Abbotsford this season, putting up a 2.68 GAA and a .901 SV%, numbers that are pretty close to his first year in North America last season (2.83 and .905, respectively).  He’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.  Sportsnet 960’s Brendan Batchelor adds (Twitter link) that Thatcher Demko didn’t take part in the morning skate, suggesting that Tolopilo’s recall is to cover Demko’s spot on the roster.

As for Mueller, it’s his first career NHL recall.  The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Canucks in 2023 and signed one year later.  This is Mueller’s first professional season and he has fared reasonably well, sitting fourth on Abbotsford in scoring with 12 goals and 26 assists in 62 games.  Batchelor adds (Twitter link) that Max Sasson is not taking part in the morning skate so it appears Mueller – who lined up on the second line at the skate – is up to take Sasson’s place.

With both moves qualifying as emergency recalls, they won’t count toward Vancouver’s post-deadline regular recall limit.

Oilers Recall Derek Ryan On An Emergency Basis

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With Edmonton’s long list of injuries continuing to grow, the Oilers have brought back a familiar forward.  The team announced that they’ve recalled center Derek Ryan from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis.  Additionally, blueliner Cam Dineen is back up as well; he was recalled on Thursday and papered back to the minors late Friday.

Ryan spent the first half of the season in Edmonton but struggled to produce in limited minutes, notching just one goal and four assists in his first 33 outings.  That resulted in the 38-year-old being placed on waivers in January with the Oilers opting to look at some other options for that roster spot.  Eventually, they turned to the trade market to try to fill it but their most notable deadline acquisition up front, Trent Frederic, has only played once and is injured once again.

Aside from a two-game stint with the big club last month, Ryan has played with the Condors, his first taste of AHL action since the 2015-16 season when he returned to North America after playing in Sweden.  Ryan has suited up in 13 games with Bakersfield so far, picking up three goals and five assists.  His absence will certainly hurt the Condors, who remain in a close battle for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

Dineen wasn’t needed last night with Mattias Ekholm returning to the lineup.  However, with Ekholm being injured just a few shifts in and Jake Walman’s availability for Sunday still in question, Dineen will get to stay with the big club a little while longer.

Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic

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The Stars have added a bit of depth to their back end heading into tonight’s game versus Utah.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas.

It’s the fourth recall of the season for the 33-year-old although playing time on the first three was hard to come by.  Petrovic has been limited to just three games this season in Dallas, being held off the scoresheet in a little over 35 minutes of action.  Still, it’s the second straight season of him getting into an NHL game which is notable as prior to last year, Petrovic’s last action at the top level was back in 2018-19.

Petrovic has once again spent the bulk of the season in Texas and through 58 outings with them, he has five goals and 20 assists.  Texas has been Petrovic’s professional home for the last four years and likely will be his home again next season as he has one season left on his two-year, two-way contract signed last summer.

Team radio analyst Bruce LeVine relays (Twitter link) that several players are questionable for tonight’s game due to illness so it appears as if Petrovic is up as insurance if some of the defensemen can’t go.  In that case, he’ll qualify as an emergency recall and not count against their post-deadline limit of four.

Evening Notes: Ferraro, Rutta, Sorensen, Ekman-Larsson, McCabe

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The San Jose Sharks will swap out a pair of injured defensemen through the end of the season. Top defender Mario Ferraro has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while depth option Jan Rutta will be activated from injured reserve for Friday night’s game, per Jason Gregor of Sports-1440. Ferraro suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Rutta was also facing a lower-body injury, and has missed San Jose’s last 27 games.

Ferraro’s season will come to a close on the heels of a streak of heavy utilization. He’s appeared in at least 24 minutes of play in six of his last 10 games. That mark raised his season-long average to 21:24 through 78 games. Ferraro recorded five goals, 17 points, and a minus-25 with those minutes. He also led the Sharks defense with 125 blocked shots and 150 hits on the year. His minus-25 was also Ferraro’s highest plus-minus since the 2021-22 seaosn. He had another year of a hard-fought role, and the defense will feel the weight of his absence through their final four games.

Rutta has handled far less of a role through his healthy games this season. He’s recorded eight points, a minus-six, and 28 penalty minutes in 51 games while rotating through a role on San Jose’s bottom pair. His average of 16:57 in ice time is the fewest of any Sharks defender with more than 30 games played. Nonetheless, Rutta will slot back into a role on the Sharks’ bottom two pairings with Ferraro out.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen has been named an assistant coach for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Championship per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. It will be his first time coaching in an international tournament at any level. In fact, Sorensen didn’t play in any international tournaments during his short-lived playing career either – though his pro journey did span tenures in Sweden, France, and Norway. Sorensen has grown through the ranks of Chicago hockey, coaching prominent youth club the Chicago Mission for many years before graduating to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs’ head coaching role, then assuming Chicago’s head coach role this season. Sorensen has set a 15-30-8 record in 53 games behind the Blackhawks’ bench this season.
  • Johnston also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will miss Saturday’s game with a day-to-day injury. The Leafs will also be without Jake McCabe per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, though Siegel adds that McCabe is nearing a return. He has missed the last three games. Both defenders have served strong roles with the Leafs this season, and sit right next to each other across many stats. Ekman-Larsson has scored 29 points in 77 games, while McCabe has managed 23 points in 66 games. Both defenders average 21 minutes of ice time, and round out Toronto’s left-hand side alongside Morgan Rielly. The Leafs will watch for the return of both options closely as they prepare for a long playoff run, after clinching a spot on April 2nd.

Senators Recall Hayden Hodgson

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled enforcer Hayden Hodgson from the minor leagues. It is his first call-up this season. Hodgson has amassed 156 penalty minutes in 43 AHL games this season, good for most on the Belleville Senators and second-most in the entire league. He will play in the eighth NHL game of his career, and his first with the Senators, on Friday night.

Hodgson is on the tail end of his first season in the Senators organization. He’s added three goals and 11 points to his lofty penalty minutes, putting him just shy of the scoring pace that earned him 16 points in 49 games last season. But Hodgson’s penalty minutes are a career-high, blowing out his previous high of 116 PIMs recorded in 49 games last season.

Hodgson has worked his way into a full-time role in the AHL over the last four seasons, but he’s made a full turn towards bruiser as of late. He earned an AHL deal in the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2021-22 season, after spending four seasons in the ECHL – and part of one in Slovakia’s Extraliga. Hodgson proceeded to have what appeared to be a breakout season. He scored 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and stayed true to his style with 70 PIMs. That scoring earned him the first six games of his NHL career in the same year, and Hodgson recorded a modest three points and 11 PIMs. But his scoring saw a spike in 2022-23 – after he posted eight points and 83 PIMs in 44 games. He earned one more NHL appearance but didn’t manage any stat changes – before moving to the Ontario Reign last season and Belleville this year.

Friday’s game will mark Hodgson’s first chance at NHL minutes in two years. He’s a burly six-foot-two, 221-pounds and is often a safe bet to earn at least one penalty per game.

Oilers Recall Cam Dineen, Assign Olivier Rodrigue To AHL

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The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves in advance of Friday’s game against San Jose.  The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Cam Dineen from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis while also returning goaltender Olivier Rodrigue to the Condors.  As part of the announcement, Edmonton noted that the emergency conditions for Rodrigue had concluded, meaning Stuart Skinner has been cleared to return to the lineup.

It’s the third recall of the season for Dineen although the first two didn’t yield much action as he suited up just once for Edmonton, his first NHL appearance since the 2021-22 season when he played in 34 games for Arizona.  The 26-year-old has spent most of the year in Bakersfield and has done well offensively, leading all Condors blueliners in scoring with nine goals and 34 assists through 59 games.

Rodrigue, meanwhile, was brought up late last month when Skinner suffered a head injury.  The 24-year-old made his first two NHL appearances during this stint, one start and one relief appearance, turning aside 25 of 29 shots in a little over 77 minutes of action.  Rodrigue has played in a career-best 40 games with Bakersfield this season, posting a 3.05 GAA and a .899 SV%.

As for Skinner, he has missed the last two weeks with that head injury.  It has been an up-and-down year for him once again.  He has a 2.91 GAA and a .894 SV% through 49 games, his worst marks over the last four seasons.  Meanwhile, Calvin Pickard has played well in Skinner’s absence so Skinner won’t have much time to re-stake his claim to the top spot heading to the playoffs.

Predators Sign Navrin Mutter To One-Year Extension

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The Nashville Predators have signed forward Navrin Mutter to a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract for the 2025-26 season. Mutter was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, after completing his three-year, $2.3MM entry-level contract signed in 2022.

Mutter played four seasons in the OHL prior to signing his entry-level deal. His junior career started with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2017-18 season, where he quickly found a knack for gritty and antagonistic hockey. Mutter recorded 231 penalty minutes in 155 games through his first three OHL seasons, leading up to the cancelled 2020-21 campaign. He made his pro debut during the cancelled year – spending three games and recording no stats, other than a minor penalty, with the Stockton Heat. But Mutter opted to return to Hamilton for the 2021-22 campaign, and was traded to the Kitchener Rangers mid-season. Between the two squads he recorded a career-high of 22 points and 108 penalty minutes in just 62 games – good enough to convince Nashville to sign him as an undrafted free agent the following summer.

Mutter spent his entry-level contract finding his footing in the minor leagues. He played through his rookie AHL season in 2022-23 and immediately carried over his hard-hitting, dirty-area style of hockey. Mutter recorded eight points, 72 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 in 53 games as a rookie. That was enough to maintain his spot in the AHL for the start of the 2023-24 campaign, though Mutter was demoted to the ECHL in December after recording just two points in the first 12 games of the season. He went on to find a scoring streak in the third-tier league – netting five points in his first eight games. That mark rose to 11 points and 63 penalty minutes in 33 games before Mutter was recalled back to the AHL, where he finished the year with six points and 63 penalty minutes in 26 games.

With his legs under him, Mutter held onto the important role of depth enforcer for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. He only managed four points in 37 games, but did tally 87 penalty minutes – the second-highest PIMs-per-game on the team behind Kyle Marino’s 150 PIMs in 63 games. This extension will return Mutter to his bruising role in the minors with likely little upside as an everyday NHLer. But should the Predators need a hard-hitting, tough-nosed fighter to boost their lineup – winger Mutter will carry the two-way flexibility to join the NHL camp.

Predators Sign Matt Murray To Two-Year Contract

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The Nashville Predators have locked up goaltender Matt Murray to a two-year, two-way contract today, per a team release. The contract is worth $775,000 at the NHL level in both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.

Murray – not to be confused with current Maple Leaf and former Penguins standout Matt Murray – has made the most of his opportunity in the AHL this season. He has a 25-10-5 record, .930 save percentage, 2.15 goals-against average and two shutouts with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals this season. The 27-year-old has the most wins, best save percentage and fourth best goals-against average in the AHL and has been a key factor in Milwaukee giving up the second-least amount of goals in the AHL’s Western Conference. For his success on the year, Murray was selected to represent Milwaukee in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic and has helped the Admirals clinch a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

His best season as a professional comes directly following his most difficult. Last year with the Dallas Stars’ AHL-affiliate, he struggled to the tune of a 14-15-2 record, 3.02 goals-against average, and .896 save percentage. However, he has largely found success over the course of his four years in the AHL, compiling a 62-36-12 record, 2.44 goals-against average, and .916 save percentage. He has added a solid .918 save percentage in 10-career Calder Cup playoff appearances.

However, he has only appeared in four career NHL contests (all with the Stars), including a 23-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild in his only appearance last season. With his arrow pointing up, it will be interesting to see if Murray can take his career to the next level and establish himself as a trusted reserve option for the Preds moving forward. Undrafted, Murray spent five years at the UMass-Amherst and helped the Minutemen earn the 2021 NCAA championship.

Capitals Sign Patrick Thomas To Entry-Level Contract

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The Washington Capitals have signed forward Patrick Thomas to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. The contract is slated to begin next season.

The team’s fourth round selection in the 2023 draft, Thomas, 20, spent the last four seasons in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. This past season he served as team captain and lit up the stat sheets to the tune of 27 goals and 104 points in 66 games. His 104 points placed him fifth in league scoring, while his 77 assists placed first overall. The six-foot, 178-pound forward finishes his OHL career averaging exactly a point-per-game (253/253). Thomas, a left-shooting center, added 28 points in 36-career playoff contests in the OHL, including seven points this season. He finishes his time with the Bulldogs with a plus-61 rating (including playoffs).

Thomas’ contract carries an average annual value of $878,333 at the NHL level and $82,500 in the AHL. It will be interesting to see where Thomas starts the 2025-26 season. If he builds upon his success from his last year in junior hockey and perform well during training camp, he could make a push for a spot in Washington. However, a start in the AHL seems like a logical landing spot to start his professional career.

Lauded for his high hockey IQ and passing abilities, Thomas joins former Boston College forward and fellow Caps prospect Ryan Leonard in recently signing with the team. Selected eighth overall by Washington in 2023, Leonard spent the last two seasons in the NCAA before agreeing to a three-year, entry-level deal with Washington on March 31. However, Leonard, also 20, has already started his career in the NHL, appearing in four games and registering his first career goal since signing his deal just nine days ago.

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