Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Stars Recall Derrick Pouliot And Matt Murray

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Stars have made a pair of additions to their roster heading into their opening-round series against Vegas.  The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot and goaltender Matt Murray from AHL Texas.

Pouliot has spent most of the season in the minors, getting into 64 AHL contests where he has been quite productive, notching nine goals and 37 assists, setting new personal benchmarks across the board.  That helped earn him five appearances with Dallas where he was held off the scoresheet while logging just over a dozen minutes a night of ice time.

Jani Hakanpaa is making progress in coming back from a lower-body injury that has kept him out for the last month but he’s not quite ready to return.  It appears Pouliot will be the seventh defenseman while waiting for Hakanpaa to eventually return.

As for Murray, his addition to the roster isn’t due to an injury to either Jake Oettinger or Scott Wedgewood.  Instead, the team has termed his recall as “for purposes of emergency during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs”.  There are no emergency (EBUG) options in the postseason so teams will often make sure to have a third netminder on hand which Murray will serve as.

The 26-year-old played in one NHL contest this season, collecting a 23-save shutout over Minnesota back in January.  Meanwhile, he got into 31 contests in Texas, posting a 14-15-2 record with a 3.02 GAA and a save percentage of .896.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Lohrei, Cormier, Knight

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The availability for Maple Leafs winger William Nylander for tonight’s series opener against Boston is up in the air.  He didn’t take part in the game day skate today and head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t have any updates.  Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the injury isn’t something he was trying to play through down the stretch (where he struggled, notching just four points – all assists – in his final 11 games).  Instead, he woke up with some discomfort on Thursday that has made him uncertain for this one.  Despite the late-season struggles, Nylander finished second on Toronto in scoring this season, picking up 40 goals for the second straight year while posting a career-best 58 assists and 98 points.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Bruins announced that they’ve returned blueliner Mason Lohrei to AHL Providence, one day after being recalled. The 23-year-old has been recalled to the NHL roster on 11 separate occasions this season, where he got into 41 games, recording 13 points and 63 blocks in just under 17 minutes a night of action, good numbers for a rookie.  Lohrei also has played in 19 contests with Providence, picking up a goal and 14 helpers.  If Lohrei isn’t going to be in Boston’s lineup, it makes more sense to have him continue to play in the minors but if an injury strikes on the back end in the playoffs, he could be recalled once more.
  • The Panthers have added goaltender Evan Cormier to their roster, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 26-year-old was converted to an NHL deal just before the trade deadline, making him eligible to be recalled.  Cormier isn’t covering for an injury but instead will serve as Florida’s third-string emergency option and a practice netminder.  He spent most of this season with ECHL Florida, posting a 2.93 GAA and a .907 SV% in 22 games.
  • Panthers netminder Spencer Knight was named the recipient of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award, per an announcement from the AHL. The award goes to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination, and dedication to hockey.  Knight spent the entire season in the minors after coming back from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to receive help with managing obsessive-compulsive disorder.  The 23-year-old has a 2.45 GAA and a .904 SV% in 44 games with AHL Charlotte this season and will stay down there to help in their playoff run; he’ll likely take Cormier’s spot as the third-string option once the Checkers are eliminated.

Kings Recall Carl Grundstrom And Aaron Dell

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Kings have made a pair of roster moves as they get set for Monday’s series opener against Edmonton.  The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Carl Grundstrom from his conditioning loan with AHL Ontario and also promoted goalie Aaron Dell from the Reign.

Grundstrom hasn’t played with Los Angeles in more than two months due to a lower-body injury but did get into a pair of games with the Reign this past week, picking up a goal and an assist.  The 26-year-old played in 50 games with the Kings this season, collecting eight goals and four assists along with 115 hits while averaging a little under 11 minutes a night.  With how long he has been out, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll jump back into the lineup right away but there’s a good chance he’ll suit up at some point in the series.

As for Dell, his AHL contract was converted to an NHL one last month, making him eligible to be recalled down the stretch.  He played in a dozen games for the Reign after joining them midseason, posting a 2.57 GAA with a .914 SV%.  The 130-game NHL veteran will serve as Los Angeles’ emergency third-string option for the postseason, allowing prospects Erik Portillo and Jacob Ingham to serve as Ontario’s tandem heading into the AHL playoffs.

Metropolitan Notes: Fast, Pageau, Shea

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Hurricanes will be without one of their wingers for their series opener against the Islanders today.  Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer relay that Jesper Fast will be unavailable for the first game of the series at a minimum due to a neck strain suffered on Tuesday in the final game of the regular season.  However, the injury isn’t expected to keep the veteran out for long as GM Don Waddell said that it’s “a matter of days” before Fast returns to the ice though head coach Rod Brind’Amour added the 32-year-old won’t play until he gets at least one full practice in.  Fast is coming off a quiet year that saw him collect just 19 points in 73 games but he was one of Carolina’s key secondary scorers in the playoffs last season so they’ll certainly be hoping he can return as soon as possible.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders have listed center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) as a game-time decision against Carolina, notes Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old left Wednesday’s game in the first period and didn’t return.  Pageau had a solid regular season on the third line, collecting 11 goals and 22 assists while playing in all 82 games for the first time since 2016-17.
  • After clearing waivers on Friday, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 27-year-old didn’t make his NHL debut until this season but got into 31 games with Pittsburgh, scoring once while averaging 12:37 per night.  Shea, a pending unrestricted free agent, has suited up 22 times for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, collecting six points and will continue to play for them in their upcoming playoff action.

Jonathan Drouin Ruled Out For Opening Round Due To Injury; Avalanche Recall Three Players

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Avalanche will be without a key part of their forward group for the opening round against Winnipeg.  The team announced today (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Drouin will miss the first-round series due to a lower-body injury.

The 29-year-old suffered the injury in the second period of Colorado’s regular season finale against Edmonton and did not return.  It was a game where Edmonton elected to sit as many of its key players as possible while the Avs elected to dress pretty much their intended playoff lineup, a decision that clearly wound up not working out for them.

After a rough finish to his time with Montreal, Drouin elected to take a low-cost one-year deal with Colorado in the hopes of boosting his value for next summer.  After a slow start, he certainly did just that.  Drouin produced at nearly a point-per-game level over the final two months of the season, earning himself a full-time promotion to the top line in the process.  All told, his first year with the Avalanche ended with 19 goals and 37 assists in 79 games; his 56 points rank eighth among all pending unrestricted free agents.

Colorado only has two extra forwards on their active roster at the moment.  One is winger Joel Kiviranta, who had just nine points in 56 games this season.  The other is Chris Wagner, who Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) has been recalled from AHL Colorado.  Both are better suited as fourth-line depth players so some line reshuffling certainly will be happening before their series gets underway on Sunday.

Not long after the injury, the team confirmed Wagner’s recall while also announcing (Twitter link) that Brad Hunt and Arvid Holm have also been recalled.  Hunt, a defenseman, had a very productive year, notching 16 goals and 33 assists in 70 games.  Holm, meanwhile, will serve as Colorado’s third-string emergency netminder.  The 25-year-old, who will become a Group Six free agent this summer, posted a 2.97 GAA with a save percentage of just .887 in a dozen games with the Eagles this season.

Injury Updates: Lightning, Barron, Sandin, Jensen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Several injured Tampa Bay players appear to be nearing a return to the lineup.  Team reporter Chris Krenn notes (Twitter links) that forwards Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening along with defenseman Haydn Fleury all took part in a full practice today in advance on Sunday’s series opener against Florida.  Motte missed the final week of the season with a lower-body injury, Glendening was scratched for their regular season finale with an undisclosed injury, while Fleury has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body issue.  All three players play depth roles for the Lightning, the forwards on their fourth line and Fleury as a seventh defenseman; all should see action in the opening round at some point.

Meanwhile, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Mikhail Sergachev also skated in a regular (full contact) jersey.  He has already been ruled out for the start of the playoffs since undergoing leg surgery back in February but this is certainly a key step toward potentially returning later in the opening round.  Sergachev logged over 22 minutes a night for the Lightning this season and his potential return down the road would undoubtedly give their back end a significant boost.

Other injury news heading into the opening games of the playoffs:

  • Jets center Morgan Barron won’t be available for their series opener against Colorado tomorrow, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s win over Seattle in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.  Barron was a quality fourth liner for Winnipeg this season, chipping in with ten goals despite logging just 10:30 per night.  One of David Gustafsson and Cole Perfetti will likely take Barron’s spot in the lineup.
  • Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin practiced today in a non-contact jersey, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury and with the non-contact designation, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to suit up in the series opener against the Rangers on Sunday.  Sandin was an important part of Washington’s back end this season, logging over 21 minutes a night while collecting 23 points in 68 games.
  • Sandin wasn’t the only injured Washington blueliner who took to the ice today as Gulitti adds (Twitter link) that Nick Jensen also practiced in a non-contact jersey. Jensen suffered an upper-body injury last week against Tampa Bay and was stretchered off the ice.  The 33-year-old spent a lot of time on the Capitals’ second pairing this season, picking up 13 points while averaging a little under 20 minutes a night.  Like Sandin, the non-contact designation likely means he won’t be available on Sunday either.

Penguins Sign Tristan Broz

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After helping lead the University of Denver to the NCAA title, Pittsburgh prospect Tristan Broz has decided the time is right to turn pro.  The Penguins announced that they’ve inked the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract that begins in 2024-25.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old was a second-round pick by the Penguins back in 2021, going 58th overall after a strong season with USHL Fargo.  He made the jump to the college ranks the following year but had a very quiet freshman season at the University of Minnesota, resulting in Broz entering the transfer portal after that campaign came to an end.

The decision to transfer worked out quite well as Broz had a strong first year in Denver, collecting 10 goals and 18 assists.  He then improved on that again this past season, tallying 16 goals and 24 helpers in 34 games, finishing fourth on the Pioneers in scoring.  He scored a pair of overtime winners in the tournament, landing a spot on the All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

While Pittsburgh’s season has ended with the Penguins not qualifying for the playoffs, Broz’s year hasn’t ended just yet.  He has joined AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an amateur tryout agreement and will be eligible to suit up for them down the stretch.  The Baby Pens sit third in the Atlantic Division on the penultimate day of the AHL’s regular season and have already clinched a playoff spot.

Penguins, Sidney Crosby To Discuss Extension This Summer

at CDT | by 36 Comments

With the Penguins missing the playoffs for the second straight year and the team potentially heading for some sort of reset, some have wondered if they could consider parting with franchise icon Sidney Crosby.  However, speaking with reporters today including Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the captain certainly isn’t thinking like that, indicating that he expects to have talks about a contract extension this summer.

It will be the first time in quite a while that Crosby will be discussing a new deal.  He’s about to enter the final year of a 12-year agreement signed back in 2012.  That contract, with a term and a back-diving structure that is now illegal throughout the league, carries an $8.7MM AAV, the price tag he has had every year since the 2008-09 campaign.

In some ways, not a lot has changed over those years.  Crosby has produced over a point per game in each of his 19 NHL campaigns, routinely leading the Penguins in scoring.  Even this season, Crosby had the third-highest goal total of his career (42) along with his highest point total (94) since the 2018-19 campaign.  Suffice it to say, those are impressive numbers, especially for a 36-year-old.

Many players Crosby’s age use their performance as a barometer for when the time might be right to hang up the skates but that isn’t necessarily the case for the captain:

I’ve always just gone year to year, and that’s always served me well as far as how I evaluate my game and that sort of thing. There’s always a lot of factors, but I think that’s separate from talking contracts and, at my age and things like that, there’ll be a lot of factors. But as far as just evaluating my game, I don’t look any differently at how much longer I can play based off that.

Crosby can’t sign his next contract until July 1st as players must be in the final year of their existing deal before becoming extension-eligible.  While the Penguins certainly need to start to make their core younger, they’d be taking a big step back if they can’t reach a new deal with him.  That said, given how smoothly talks have gone in the past, it definitely wouldn’t be surprising if an agreement wasn’t in place at some point in the summer.

Seamus Casey Undecided On Turning Pro

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

This is the time of year when many college players will elect to forego the remainder of their college eligibility and sign their first professional contract.  Plenty have done so already, some of which have already made their NHL debuts.  One player who hasn’t made a decision at this time is Devils prospect Seamus Casey.  Speaking with reporters today during his end-of-season press conference (video link), GM Tom Fitzgerald indicated that Casey hasn’t made a firm decision yet on his future but believes he might be inclined to sign with New Jersey:

If I was a betting man, I would say he’s probably leaning toward turning pro but with that being said, we talked to him right before the National Championship weekend, he wasn’t sure, there wasn’t any pressure from us.  To me, if you forfeit the rest of your college career, you need to be more than two feet in the water. You have to jump right in and you have to really want this. Any hesitations, then it may not work. So we’re going to give him all the time he needs.

The 20-year-old was a second-round pick by the Devils back in 2022 (46th overall) and recently wrapped up his sophomore year at Michigan.  It was certainly a strong one as Casey had seven goals and 38 assists in 40 games, good for third-most among NCAA blueliners behind draft-eligible Zeev Buium and Lane Hutson.  Casey also took part in the World Juniors for the second straight year, collecting six assists in as many contests.

If Casey decides to stay in college, he’ll be remaining with a team that will be missing some key pieces as Frank Nazar, Gavin Brindley, and Dylan Duke have all elected to turn pro.  That said, the core isn’t entirely gone as Rutger McGroarty is still there while undrafted forward T.J. Hughes – one of their top scorers this season – still has two years of eligibility remaining.

On the other hand, if Casey turns pro now, there might not be a spot for him on New Jersey’s roster to start next season.  Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are two players on their entry-level deals on the back end already while they’ll also be welcoming back Dougie Hamilton from injury.  Accordingly, if the choice is between playing in the AHL or staying in college, Casey could determine it’s better to do the latter.

With the deadline for registering a contract that burns a year this season now having passed earlier today, there’s no rush for Casey to make a decision, especially since New Jersey’s AHL team is in tough to make the playoffs.  Accordingly, it may take a while yet before the blueliner decides on his future.

Brad Malone To Retire After The Season

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Veteran winger Brad Malone is in his 13th professional season and it will be his last.  AHL Bakersfield announced that this will be his final year and that the Oilers farmhand will be retiring at the conclusion of the upcoming postseason.

The 34-year-old was originally drafted by Colorado, going 105th overall back in 2007 but didn’t turn pro until the 2011-12 campaign.  Malone spent parts of three seasons with the Avs before signing on for two years in Carolina, followed by one with Washington.

In 2017, Malone joined Edmonton in free agency and has stuck with that organization ever since; he’s on his fourth contract with the team.  He has spent most of his time with the Condors during that time but did get into 41 games with the Oilers, ten of which came last season.  This year, the veteran has 17 points through 48 contests in the minors with two games left on their regular season schedule.

All told, Malone will wrap up his career with 217 appearances at the top level where he had 32 points.  He also has suited up in 551 AHL contests so far, tallying 290 points, a quality career for a player selected in the middle of the draft.  Now, he’ll look to go out on a high note with a strong postseason run with the Condors having already sewn up a spot in the Pacific Division.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top