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Snapshots: Shore, Jets, Cull, Devils

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The Wild announced that they’ve recalled center Devin Shore from AHL Iowa.  It’s the seventh recall of the season for the 30-year-old who actually spent the bulk of the regular season with Minnesota.  Shore got into 55 NHL games this season, his highest total since the 2018-19 campaign.  However, production was hard to come by as he was limited to just one goal and four assists in those outings while logging just 8:39 per contest of ice time.  Shore was more productive in the minors, picking up two goals and eight assists in 15 appearances with Iowa.  With Iowa not making the AHL playoffs, more recalls will likely be coming in the next few days.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Jets winger Gabriel Vilardi returned to practice in a non-contact jersey, relays TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has missed the last four weeks with an upper-body injury, bringing a career year offensively to an early end.  Vilardi had 61 points in 71 games this season but may still be a few days away from returning.  That’s also the case for center Rasmus Kupari.  Murat Ates of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that he has been cleared to return from his concussion but will need a few practices with contact before being an option to suit up.  Meanwhile, Ates adds that defenseman Ville Heinola is also dealing with a nagging injury.  That has been a familiar refrain for the blueliner who was limited to just 18 games this season due to injury trouble.
  • The Flames announced that interim assistant coach Trent Cull is returning to AHL Calgary and will return to his duties as head coach of the Wranglers heading into the playoffs. Cull was moved behind the bench with the Flames following assistant coach Brad Larsen’s indefinite leave of absence due to family reasons.  Joe Cirella had been serving as interim head coach of the Wranglers and will now resume his assistant coach duties while Martin Gelinas, who was named as an interim assistant with them following Cull’s promotion, will remain in that role for the playoffs.
  • It would be a surprise to see defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler suit up for the Devils in their series against Carolina, relays team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last two-and-a-half months with a lower-body injury and had initially been ruled out for the rest of the regular season.  Clearly, Siegenthaler, who logged nearly 20 minutes a night before being injured, will need more time to recover.  Meanwhile, Stein relays in a separate tweet that defenseman Brenden Dillon was eager to return to play today after exiting in the second period but was held back by team doctors.  Nonetheless, that’s an encouraging sign for his availability heading into Tuesday’s second game.  However, there was no update on center Cody Glass who exited the game after taking a slash from teammate Jacob Markstrom.

Maple Leafs Recall Artur Akhtyamov

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The Maple Leafs added some goaltending depth before puck drop in Sunday’s series opener against Ottawa.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to serve as their third goaltender for the time being.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs back in 2020, going 106th overall.  He spent the next three seasons primarily playing at the VHL level (one tier below the KHL) with his 2022-23 performance being a stellar one that saw him post a 1.73 GAA and a .943 SV% in 39 regular season games with Neftyanik Almetievsk before improving on those in six postseason outings.

That was enough for Toronto to sign Akhtyamov to a three-year, entry-level deal back in July 2023 although they loaned him back overseas last season.  That allowed him to see some regular KHL action, getting in 17 games with Ak Bars Kazan along with 19 outings with Neftyanik before coming to North America this season.

This year, Akhtyamov played in 26 games for the Marlies, second among their goalies with the team largely running through three netminders this season.  In those outings, he posted a 2.81 GAA along with a .901 SV%.  The other two goaltenders – Dennis Hildeby and Matt Murray – will remain with the Marlies for their playoff run which gets underway on Thursday in Cleveland.

Talks Not Going Well Between Canucks And Tom Willander

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Over the past several weeks, there have been plenty of college players signing entry-level contracts, some of which being top prospects.  One of those was expected to be Canucks blueliner Tom Willander but that didn’t come to fruition before the regular season came to an end.  In a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650 (video link), Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported that there have been long stretches without contact between the two sides and when they have tried to discuss a contract, those talks have gone nowhere.

Willander was the 11th overall pick back in 2023 after a solid year in Sweden’s junior system that saw him put up 25 points in 39 games and even make a pair of appearances at the SHL level.  Since then, Willander has spent the last two seasons at Boston University, playing a key two-way role while notching 49 points in 77 games over that stretch.  He also played a prominent role for Sweden at the World Juniors the last two years.

Accordingly, it was widely assumed that Willander would be deemed ready to sign and likely make his NHL debut late in the season or at least join Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.  Clearly, that hasn’t happened.

Dhaliwal reports that the holdup in discussions appears to be Schedule A bonuses, or rather, the lack of them. Entry-level players can have up to a maximum of $1MM in these, up $250K for four categories if a player receives the max.  Dhaliwal feels they’ve come in with a number around 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimaki ($475K) despite the fact that several players drafted after Willander have received higher A bonuses.  Teams that operate close to the cap as Vancouver typically does will try to get the bonuses as low as possible to help from a cap management perspective so this isn’t a case where they’ll want to just give in to the ask.

In terms of base compensation, the maximum salary that Willander can receive is $950K and it’s reasonable to think that he’ll receive that if and when he puts pen to paper on a contract.  As a result, that shouldn’t be an issue in discussions.

At this point, Willander has a few options for 2025-26.  He and the Canucks could come to terms on a deal that begins next season, permitting him to join Abbotsford now for their playoff run.  He could also remain at Boston University as he has two years of college eligibility remaining.  Alternatively, he could plausibly return home and play full-time in the SHL which could be a better test for him from a development standpoint.  Vancouver’s preference is surely to get him in their system but for that to happen, it appears they’ll have to up their bonus offer to get it done.

Sabres Notes: Byram, Power, Norris, Peterka

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The Sabres have two expensive defensemen signed to long-term deals in Rasmus Dahlin ($11MM through 2031-32) and Owen Power ($8.35MM through 2030-31).  As a result, pending RFA blueliner Bowen Byram’s future with the team has been the subject of some speculation.  Speaking with reporters today including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link), the 23-year-old indicates that he absolutely sees a long-term fit with Buffalo.  Byram’s owed a $4.62MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights but projects to receive considerably more than that on the heels of a career year that saw him collect 38 points in 82 games while averaging a little under 23 minutes a night of playing time.

More from Buffalo:

  • Power went and got a second opinion on his ankle injury and now will not require surgery, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. He sustained the injury last weekend and will now need around two months to fully recover.  The 22-year-old had a career-best seven goals and 40 points in 79 games this season while dealing with a small dip in playing time; his 21:19 ATOI was the lowest of his young career.
  • The injury that Sabres center Josh Norris was dealing with was a torn oblique muscle, Lysowski relays. It’s the same injury he had earlier this year with Ottawa and the decision was made that it was best for him to sit and allow it to fully heal, something that hasn’t happened quite yet.  The 25-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Dylan Cozens swap and finished his year with 21 goals and 15 assists in 56 games, just the second time he has reached the 20-goal mark.
  • Winger JJ Peterka won’t play for Germany next month at the World Championship due to his status as a pending restricted free agent, relays NHL.com’s Heather Engel (Twitter link). The 23-year-old set new career highs in assists (41) and points (68), finishing tied for second in team scoring with Rasmus Dahlin.  Given the uptick in production, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides try to work out a long-term contract this summer, one that Peterka doesn’t want to potentially jeopardize by running the risk of suffering an injury at the Worlds.

Sharks Sign Leo Sahlin Wallenius

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The Sharks signed one of their promising prospects on Friday, announcing that they inked defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius to a three-year, entry-level contract.  While the team didn’t reveal financial terms, the deal will carry a $940K cap hit and a $975K AAV including bonuses, per PuckPedia.

The 19-year-old was a second-round pick last June, going 53rd overall after an impressive season with Vakjo’s Under-20 team, one that saw him collect 11 goals and 31 assists in 43 games.  He also briefly saw time with their Under-18 squad and represented Sweden at the World Under-18 Championship.

This season, Sahlin Wallenius bounced around a bit.  He had 14 points in 8 games for Vaxjo at the Under-20 level but also saw time in Sweden’s two professional leagues as well, suiting up in 14 games for Nybro in the Allsvenskan where he had six points and 16 more appearances for Vaxjo in the SHL, where he picked up five points.  In between, Sahlin Wallenius also played in seven games with TPS in Finland’s top division where he added three more points.

Sahlin Wallenius has one year left on his contract in Sweden.  It wouldn’t be surprising for him to play the year there, likely at the SHL level, and then head to North America for the 2026-27 season.  If that happens, his contract will slide next season and have three years remaining on it heading into that 2026-27 campaign.

Oilers Sign Ty Emberson To Two-Year Extension

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The Oilers will be keeping Ty Emberson in the fold a little while longer.  The team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year contract extension that will carry a cap hit of $1.3MM.  The deal represents a small raise from his current $950K salary.

The 24-year-old was acquired from San Jose last offseason as part of the cap-clearing move that saw Cody Ceci sent to the Sharks.  At the time, it looked like he was trending toward Group Six unrestricted free agency but as a result of reaching the 50-game mark (one he easily surpassed), he became eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility.  He’ll bypass that with this contract as it buys out his two remaining RFA-eligible campaigns.

Emberson played in 76 games this season, becoming a full-fledged regular for the first time after being in and out of the lineup with San Jose last season in his first NHL campaign.  He predominantly played on Edmonton’s third pairing, picking up 13 points, 97 blocked shots, and 125 hits while logging a little over 15 minutes a night of playing time.  He was third on the Oilers in shorthanded playing time per game behind blueliners Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman.  With the former out for the first round and potentially longer, they’ll be counting on Emberson to take on an even bigger role on the penalty kill in their opening-round series against Los Angeles.

With this signing, Edmonton now has five of their regular blueliners signed for next season with Evan Bouchard in line for a significant raise as an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer.  However, Emberson is just one of two regular defenders signed for the 2026-27 campaign, joining Darnell Nurse, meaning that the back end could be heading toward a shakeup a couple of years from noww.

Islanders Notes: Dobson, Reilly, Palmieri, DeAngelo, Varlamov

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Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer and is in line for a substantial raise on the $4MM he made on his bridge deal.  Speaking to reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post, the 25-year-old declined to provide a preference between signing a short-term deal that could allow him to hit the open market in his prime or a long-term agreement that could make him the highest-paid player in team history.  Dobson had a quieter year this season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 71 games but he’s only a year removed from a 70-point effort that saw him land in the top ten in Norris Trophy voting which will play a significant role in negotiations.  Dobson has just this one year of RFA eligibility remaining and he is arbitration-eligible.

More from the Isles:

  • After missing more than four months following being diagnosed with a heart condition, defenseman Mike Reilly told reporters including Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News he intends to play next season. The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances this season between the heart issue and being scratched with some frequency and while he noted he’d like to stay with the Isles, the limited usage could suggest that he’s unlikely to be brought back.  Reilly had just two assists in those 18 outings while his 15:10 ATOI was the second lowest of his career.
  • Winger Kyle Palmieri wasn’t moved at the trade deadline with the belief that the two sides were close on a new deal. That hasn’t happened yet but the veteran indicated to Newsday’s Andrew Gross and other reporters that he’s hopeful a new contract can be reached.  A pending UFA, the 34-year-old had 24 goals and 24 assists in 82 games this season which should put him in line for another contract close to the $5MM he received for each of the last four years.
  • Pending UFA defenseman Tony DeAngelo told reporters including Gross that his intention is to remain in the NHL next season with his preferred outcome being remaining with the Isles. Signed midseason after having his KHL deal terminated, DeAngelo played a bigger role than expected, averaging over 23 minutes a night of playing time while chipping in with 19 points in 35 games.  With that type of production, DeAngelo’s market might be better this time around after not getting a firm offer last summer while playing for the prorated league minimum when he joined New York.
  • Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is hoping to start skating in June as he continues his recovery from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup since late November, Gross relays. The 36-year-old posted a 2.89 GAA with a .889 SV% in just ten starts this season and still has two years left on his contract that carries a $2.75MM cap charge.

Rangers Fire Peter Laviolette And Phil Housley

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The Rangers are making some changes behind the bench.  The team has dismissed head coach Peter Laviolette and associate head coach Phil Housley, per a team announcement.  GM Chris Drury released the following statement:

Today I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we’re making a coaching change. I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach.

After finishing with the best regular season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference Final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves. Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations. We must all do better – myself included. As we head into next season and beyond, I felt that a change was necessary in order to give us the best chance to achieve our goals as an organization. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Laviolette departs the Rangers after just two seasons with the team, one that went quite well and one that was anything but.  In his first season behind the bench in New York, Laviolette helped guide the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy with the team putting up 114 points.  They had a solid postseason run to back that up before ultimately falling to Florida in the Eastern Conference Final.

That had expectations quite high heading into this season with the bulk of the core coming back.  However, it was a struggle right out of the gate for New York, leading to Drury trying to shake up his roster.  Jacob Trouba joined Barclay Goodrow as veteran leaders moved out while Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad were also in trade speculation at times during the season.  They never could get things on track, leading to them selling at the trade deadline and ultimately missing the playoffs.  The end result was a 29-point dropoff, leaving them six behind New Jersey and Montreal for the final spots in the Metropolitan Division and the Wild Card respectively.

Laviolette had one year left on his contract, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  He’s no stranger to being hired and fired as that has now happened six different times.  Over his 23-year coaching career, the 60-year-old has a 894-562-186 record, good for a .589 points percentage.  His 1,594 games as a head coach rank ninth in NHL history and it’s possible that he’ll have a chance to add to that total with Anaheim currently having a vacancy while several other organizations evaluate whether or not to make a change from the interim head coaches they finished with.

As for Housley, he departs the Rangers after two seasons as well having been added to the coaching staff when Laviolette was hired.  The long-time blueliner has served as an assistant coach with New York, Arizona, and Nashville while also having a brief stint with Buffalo as their head coach.  The 61-year-old should garner some consideration for other assistant positions around the league this summer.

Today’s announcement did not mention other assistants Dan Muse and Michael Peca.  Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that they will have an opportunity to remain on the staff of the new head coach so for now at least, they remain with the team.

The Rangers enter the summer with less than $10MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, and several players in need of new contracts including defenseman K’Andre Miller and winger Will Cuylle.  As a result, shaking up the roster could be a challenge for Drury which will make his next coaching hire that much more important as the new bench boss will be tasked with getting much more out of this veteran group than Laviolette was able to this season.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen

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The Senators have added one Black Ace to their roster for the time being.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville.  He’ll likely serve as Ottawa’s third-string goaltender for the playoffs.

The 22-year-old certainly impressed in his limited NHL action this season.  When Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg were both injured, Merilainen briefly took over as Ottawa’s starter.  Instead of merely holding his own while waiting for Ullmark to come back, Merilainen put up a stellar 1.99 GAA and a .925 SV% in a dozen appearances with Ottawa.  Instead of the team faltering during that stretch, he picked up eight wins which played a crucial role in their making the playoffs this season.

Merilainen spent the rest of the year in the minors with Belleville.  While his numbers weren’t quite as strong there, they were still above average as he posted a 2.36 GAA and a .913 SV% in 35 outings with them.  A restricted free agent this summer, he could be in line for a full-time spot with Ottawa next season as Ullmark’s backup with Forsberg slated to reach unrestricted free agency in July.

Belleville’s season will come to an end tonight after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night.  Accordingly, Ottawa should be bringing up a much bigger group of players as soon as Sunday.

Hurricanes Recall Ruslan Khazheyev

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The Hurricanes have brought up some extra goaltending depth with their postseason set to get underway on Sunday.  The team announced that they’ve recalled Ruslan Khazheyev from AHL Chicago.  He’ll serve as Carolina’s third-string option for the time being.

The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing his entry-level deal last year.  Khazheyev was a fifth-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2023, going 158th overall after a solid showing with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL.  He spent last season with them as well before crossing the pond this year.

Khazheyev played in 20 games with the Wolves this season, posting a 3.49 GAA and a .876 SV%.  He also made one appearance with ECHL Bloomington, allowing three goals on 15 shots.

Should one of Pyotr Kochetkov or Frederik Andersen go down due to injury, it’s unlikely that Khazheyev would be pressed into action.  Instead, they’d likely promote one of Spencer Martin or Dustin Tokarski to serve as the backup, a role both had filled at times during the regular season.  For now, those two will remain as the tandem in Chicago heading into the AHL playoffs that begin next week.

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