Blue Jackets Recall Four Players
A day after sending four players to the AHL to suit up for Cleveland, the Blue Jackets have recalled four players for tonight’s contest against the Rangers. However, there are some different faces rejoining the team as defenseman David Jiricek and winger Trey-Fix Wolansky are both getting the nod, joining blueliner Marcus Bjork and winger Joona Luoto who were among those sent down yesterday. All four recalls are classified as emergency moves and won’t count against the post-deadline limit of four regular recalls.
Jiricek is the headliner among the group as the sixth-overall pick has had a strong first season in North America. The 19-year-old has 38 points in 51 games with the Monsters and didn’t look out of place in a pair of NHL appearances earlier in the year. With Columbus only having four games left, he’s not in danger of burning the first season of his entry-level deal if he stays up with them for the final week of the season.
Fix-Wolansky was sent down last Saturday after missing a team meeting. The 23-year-old has been one of the top scorers at the AHL level this season, notching 28 goals with 41 assists in 57 games, good for fifth in the minors in scoring. Fix-Wolansky has seen action in seven games with the Blue Jackets so far this season but is still looking for his first point.
Bjork has been back and forth several times this season, effectively splitting the year between Columbus and Cleveland. At the NHL level, the 25-year-old has 11 points in 32 games while logging over 18 minutes a night, numbers that aren’t bad for someone in his first season in North America. Bjork’s numbers are similar with the Monsters as he has 13 points in 41 contests.
As for Luoto, he scored his first career NHL goal on Thursday which is his only point in 20 career appearances at the top level. The 25-year-old has been productive in Cleveland, however, tallying 14 goals and 11 assists in 44 contests. He returned to North America as an unrestricted free agent last summer and will once again be eligible to test the market in July.
Golden Knights Notes: Hill, Stone, Theodore
The Golden Knights should be getting some help soon between the pipes as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned goaltender Adin Hill to AHL Henderson on a conditioning stint. The 26-year-old has missed the last month with a lower-body injury but the fact he’s going to the Silver Knights means that he should at least be ready to suit up if needed for Vegas in the playoffs. Hill has an impressive 2.45 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 27 games this season, a nice platform year as he gets set to test unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer. While Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit have helped keep Vegas atop the battle for first in the Pacific Division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them turn to Hill for the postseason if he’s fully recovered.
More from Vegas:
- Speaking with reporters today (video link), head coach Bruce Cassidy provided a small update on winger Mark Stone. The veteran has been “progressing well and there have been no setbacks, so that’s encouraging. I don’t know if that’s optimistic, it’s just he’s progressing well. No news is good news in terms of bad news.” Stone has missed nearly three months with a back injury but there is clearly no timetable for a return. That said, the fact things aren’t getting any worse is at least a positive sign. The 30-year-old was in the middle of a productive campaign with 38 points in 43 games prior to the injury.
- Also in Cassidy’s presser, he indicated that defenseman Shea Theodore won’t accompany the team for Saturday’s game in Dallas. The blueliner has missed five straight games since being injured against Edmonton late last month. Theodore sits second on the team in points by a defender with 41 in just 54 contests while his 21:31 ATOI also ranks second on Vegas. Cassidy won’t be able to provide an update on Theodore until he’s cleared to practice and wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to skate next week.
Adam Fantilli Wins 2023 Hobey Baker Award
It was a banner year for Wolverines center Adam Fantilli and he was rewarded for his efforts on Friday by winning the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in the NCAA. He beat out Golden Gophers forwards Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies.
Fantilli’s freshman year was nothing short of dominant with Michigan. The 18-year-old leads the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games; he collected at least a point in all but three of his appearances. That also helped him take home National Rookie of the Year honors earlier today. Fantilli also suited up at the World Juniors for Canada where he picked up five points in seven contests. His performance this season has him as the consensus second-overall selection in the upcoming draft in June.
Cooley was the third-overall pick by the Coyotes last summer and had a dominant freshman year, notching 22 goals and 38 assists in just 38 games for the University of Minnesota with one more contest to come tomorrow in the championship game. That puts him second in college scoring this season behind only Fantilli. Cooley also dominated at the World Juniors with seven goals and seven assists in just seven games and while that had no bearing on the voting for this award, the Coyotes have to be thrilled with the progression of their top prospect. It’s possible that he’s a one-and-done player with a decision on that front to come likely early next week.
Knies, a second-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2021, has been one of the more prominent power forwards at the NCAA level while often playing alongside Cooley on the Golden Gophers. The 20-year-old has 21 goals and 21 assists in 39 games this season, good for a tie for 15th in NCAA scoring, and can add to those totals tomorrow against Quinnipiac. It’s widely expected that he will turn pro after Saturday’s championship game with his entry-level deal likely to begin immediately, giving Toronto a bit of extra depth heading into the first round against Tampa Bay later this month.
Fantilli becomes the third Wolverine to win the award since it was first handed out in 1981, joining former NHL players Brendan Morrison (1997) and Kevin Porter (2008).
Last year’s winner of the award was goaltender Dryden McKay. An undrafted free agent, McKay eventually signed a two-year AHL deal with Toronto. A full history of Hobey Baker Award winners can be found here.
Capitals Notes: Malenstyn, Gibson, Persson
The Capitals announced that they’ve recalled winger Beck Malenstyn from AHL Hershey. The 25-year-old comes up a day after winger Anthony Mantha was a late scratch against Montreal due to a lower-body injury, giving them 12 healthy forwards on the roster once again. Malenstyn has played in five games with Washington so far this season, picking up a goal and an assist despite averaging just 8:34 per night of playing time. He hasn’t been much more productive in the minors either, collecting just seven goals and three assists in 39 contests. Malenstyn has one more year left on his deal after this season with it converting from a two-way pact to a one-way agreement for 2023-24.
More from Washington:
- Mitchell Gibson’s previously reported deal with the Caps is now official, per a team release. He receives a one-year, entry-level contract for next season which carries a cap hit of $867,500. The 23-year-old posted a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SV% with Harvard in 27 games this season, earning him a spot on the All-ECAC Hockey Second Team. Gibson is expected to sign a tryout agreement with AHL Hershey to finish the season with the Bears.
- The Capitals also announced that they’ve re-assigned forward Ludwig Persson to Hershey. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick last summer and is already signed to his entry-level deal. Persson spent this season playing at home in the second-tier Allsvenskan, recording four goals and 11 assists in 45 games with BIK Karlskoga. He also made one appearance at the SHL level, extending his streak to four straight seasons with at least one game played in Sweden’s top division.
Senators Assign Two To AHL
With Ottawa (and the rest of the league) off today, they have elected to send a pair of players down to the minors, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned center Ridly Greig and goaltender Leevi Merilainen to AHL Ottawa.
Greig has played in 20 games with the Sens this season including nine on this most recent recall. He fared a bit better offensively in that second stint, picking up a goal and four assists in that stretch, giving him two goals and seven helpers on the season. At the minor league level, the 20-year-old has been much more productive, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists in 35 games in his first full professional campaign.
Merilainen, meanwhile, has gotten into two games with the Senators this month. He made 34 stops in an overtime loss to Carolina on Tuesday but his second start didn’t go as well as the 20-year-old was yanked early in the second period versus Florida. Overall, he has a 4.23 GAA and a .878 SV% with the Sens after posting a 2.02 GAA and a .918 in 42 games with Karpat of the Finnish league.
Belleville is back in action on Saturday for a rematch against Cleveland as they battle for a play-in spot in the North Division so it’s unlikely that Greig and Merilainen will be recalled for Ottawa’s contest tomorrow versus Tampa Bay.
Panthers Assign Mack Guzda To AHL
There is some good news on the horizon for the Panthers on the injury front in goal as the team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Mack Guzda to Charlotte of the AHL.
The 22-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with Florida last year as an undrafted free agent. Although Guzda has been up for the better part of the last month, he has yet to see any NHL action, instead serving as a backup netminder. He has suited up in 26 games with the Checkers this season, posting a 2.86 GAA along with a .899 SV%.
Guzda’s demotion means that Sergei Bobrovsky has been cleared to return from the undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last week and a half; George Richards of Florida Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that the veteran will serve as the backup tomorrow against Washington. While it might seem odd that Bobrovsky won’t start right away, Alex Lyon is coming off a career-high 56 saves last night against Ottawa and has won his last five games. If nothing else, they’ll have a capable second netminder behind him as they look to lock down a Wild Card spot in the final week of the season.
Five Key Stories: 3/27/23 – 4/2/23
The month of March has come to an end and, as usual, college signings were plentiful throughout the NHL. Some of those moves are included in our key stories.
Avs Sign Three: One team that was particularly active on the college free agent front was Colorado. They made a trio of moves, signing winger Jason Polin to a one-year deal, defenseman Sam Malinski to a two-year contract, and center Ondrej Pavel to a two-year pact. Polin was the leading goal-getter in the NCAA this season, scoring 30 goals in 39 games with Western Michigan which drew him considerable interest on the open market. Malinski also had interest from multiple teams after a four-year stint at Cornell where he finished strong with 26 points in 34 contests. Meanwhile, Pavel had a bit of a down year at Minnesota State University, seeing his production dip to just 15 points after putting up 22 in his sophomore year. The Avalanche have moved several draft picks and these signings are a chance to replenish their prospect pool.
Livingstone To Nashville: This year’s college free agent class isn’t the strongest but one player that stood out was defenseman Jake Livingstone. He received interest from numerous teams and ultimately chose to sign with Nashville who allowed him to burn his one-year, entry-level contract this season, paving the way for him to potentially play down the stretch. The 23-year-old had a standout campaign with Minnesota State, picking up 35 points in 39 games, putting him tied for third among NCAA blueliners in scoring. Because it’s a one-year deal that was signed late in the season, Livingstone is actually carrying a cap hit of over $2MM down the stretch for the Predators. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer and won’t be capped by the entry-level system at that time.
Four For Chytil: Rangers center Filip Chytil has had a breakout season and was rewarded for his efforts as the team signed him to a four-year contract extension that carries a cap hit of $4.4375MM. The deal, which begins next season, does not carry any sort of trade protection and gives New York an extra two years of team control. Chytil entered this season having put up two straight 22-point seasons after two straight 23-point campaigns. However, his output has nearly doubled in 2022-23 as he entered play Sunday with 22 goals and 21 assists in 68 games despite still averaging less than 14 minutes a night. If this is the beginning of Chytil being able to take on a bigger role offensively, this deal could become a team-friendly contract fairly quickly.
Hobey Baker Finalists: Still with college hockey, the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award were revealed. They are Michigan center Adam Fantilli (draft-eligible), Minnesota winger Matthew Knies (Maple Leafs), and Minnesota center Logan Cooley (Coyotes). Fantilli leads all NCAA scorers this season with 64 points in just 35 games in his freshman year and is widely expected to go second overall at the draft in June. Knies, meanwhile, had a strong sophomore campaign with 41 points in 38 games and there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll be foregoing the rest of his college eligibility to turn pro with Toronto once the Frozen Four comes to an end next week. As for Cooley, the third-overall pick last year is second in scoring this season with 57 points in 37 games in what has been a dominant freshman year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign with Arizona before too long as well.
Knyzhov Rewarded: It has been a tough couple of years for Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov. He missed all of last season with a groin injury, then suffered a torn Achilles while training for this season. However, he was able to return to San Jose’s lineup last month and has gotten into nine games so far. He was rewarded for his efforts to get back with a two-year extension that begins next season and carries a $1.25MM AAV. It’s a move that carries a bit of risk for San Jose given Knyzhov’s history but he was a regular on their back end back in 2020-21 and if he can once again lock down a full-time spot, he should be able to live up to the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PHR Mailbag: Larkin, Flyers, Blues, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Bedard, Goalies
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include a discussion of the potential rebuild coming in Philadelphia, possible changes for Pittsburgh next season, and whether we’ll see a goalie ever go first overall again. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.
HockeyBoz: Do you think the Red Wings will look to ADD a bona fide #1 center? I think Yzerman OVER-PAID big time on Larkin as he is NOT a #1 center and can not drive a team as all the homers here in Detroit think. He is the best player on an average at best team. They need goal-scorers!
I don’t expect them to be adding a middleman that’s better than Dylan Larkin in the near future. The simple reason for that is this – I don’t think there will be any that are available. Detroit isn’t in a position to be trying to go all-in here; they’re a few steps away from that. The slow, steady build is clearly what they’re planning to do and with that, they can get away with the status quo with Larkin on the top line for a little while yet.
As for him being overpaid, I’m not sure I agree with that. We saw what Bo Horvat got from the Islanders at $8.5MM. His teammate Mathew Barzal checks in next year at $9.1MM. Roope Hintz is at $8.45MM with similar numbers this season to Larkin. Relative to market value at least, Larkin seems to fit in pretty close to where he should be on that scale.
Now, if you want to make the case that spending that type of money on a 1B type of center isn’t ideal, that’s fair. But with a dearth of free agents available, Larkin would have been the best center on the market this summer. Could they really afford to lose him? How much of a step back would that be to their timeline? Those are factors that I imagine Yzerman took into consideration when they handed out this deal.
In a perfect world, I think Detroit’s goal is to draft and develop a center that could one day supplant Larkin on the top line, pushing the captain down to the second trio. But finding one from outside the organization is going to be tough as those players just aren’t available all that often.
Black Ace57: I know I ask this almost every time, but after Chuck being fired and what people at the top have said are the Flyers finally going to do the proper rebuild they need?
When it comes to the rebuild, I’m a lot more confident of it happening now than I was prior to the trade deadline. Notwithstanding the odd timing of Chuck Fletcher’s firing (if you’re letting him go a week after the deadline, why not make the move before then to let Briere show what he could do?), the intended separation of duties into two positions should ease them into a rebuilding direction.
First-time general managers don’t often come in with win-now expectations and I suspect that trend will continue as, like many, I figure Briere will have the interim tag lifted and the new president will work with Briere to chart a new direction.
As for whether it’s a proper rebuild, I suppose that depends on your definition of the word proper. Does that mean a five-year, burn-it-to-the-ground strategy? I don’t think that’s their intention. Instead, a shorter-term process that churns out some of their veterans and brings in some picks and prospects to add to their current young core is where I think they’ll lean.
DonnieBaseBallHOFer: Say the Flyers remove the interim tag from Briere, and name you Pres. of Ops…following Torts’ comments that subtraction is needed before addition, who are you keeping/cutting amongst these:
Keepers: Couturier, Laughton, Konecny, Tippett, Ersson, Frost, Foerster, Noah Cates, York, Seeler
Available for the right Deal: Frost, Hart, Provorov, Farabee, Ristolainen, DeAngelo
Time to Move on: JVR, Hayes, Bellows, Braun
On the Fence: Sanheim, Atkinson
Obvious caveat that some of these contracts are going to be hard to move…
Well, hiring me is one way to mess up the rebuild but I’ll play along. I’ll leave the pending UFAs off my list as they’re almost certainly moving on already.
Keepers: Tippett, Frost, Foerster, York, Hart, Cates
Available For Right Deal: Laughton, Konecny, Ersson, Seeler, Ersson, Farabee, Sanheim, Provorov
Looking To Move: Hayes, Atkinson, Couturier, Ristolainen, DeAngelo, Sandstrom, Bellows (likely non-tender)
Some quick rationale on some of the revised placements. I’m not sold that Samuel Ersson is their goalie of the future. He has done decently in limited action but I’m not moving on from Carter Hart to anoint Ersson their new starter if it’s up to me. 24 isn’t too old for a rebuild, especially since goalies tend to hit their primes a little later than skaters. I’m looking to extend him and if it winds up being a longer rebuild than planned, look at moving him then.
Travis Konecny only has two years left on his deal and if it’s an extended rebuild, is he part of the future plans? If someone wants to pay up for the contract which is a below-market one, that’s going to be a pretty valuable return. That return likely fits my timeline better than an extended Konecny two years from now.
The other big change from my list is Sean Couturier. Nothing against him but that was a bad contract the day it was signed. He still has some time left as a legitimate top-six middleman, assuming he’s back to full health next season. I’d be looking to get out of that contract while he still has some short-term utility to a team before it becomes a deal that they’ll have to pay a high price to get out of down the road.
On the back end, Travis Sanheim’s extension basically locks him in as part of the plans for now. Ivan Provorov would be the likelier of the two to move as he’s basically in the same spot as Konecny. Anthony DeAngelo isn’t going to be part of their long-term plans for a rebuild and Rasmus Ristolainen is a contract they’d probably like to get out of but he’ll probably stick around for a while.
Gmm8811: So far, I like what Army has done with acquiring assets and the pickups of Vrana and Kapanen. I still believe he has to clear some cap space. Do you think Krug is the one to go assuming he’d waive his NMC? Would Parayko? Both? Binnington has become more of liability and is a head case. I’ve heard he would only waive in order to go to Toronto, but that doesn’t seem a likely option.
Let’s look at the cap situation first. Per CapFriendly, they have $76.8MM committed to 18 players for next season, leaving $6.7MM in room to sign four or five players. There aren’t many prominent pending free agents; I’d put Alexey Toropchenko as their best RFA and Thomas Greiss as their best UFA. So, do they have to clear money? Probably not, especially if they’re looking at taking a step back for a year. There’s enough cap room in there to bring up Joel Hofer as the backup, re-sign Toropchenko, add/promote a few players making around $1MM, and call it a day.
I don’t think the right question around Torey Krug is whether he’d waive his trade protection. The question is will anyone want him? It has not been a good year for him, to put it nicely. With four years left on his deal at $6.5MM and declining production, he’s not exactly going to be in demand; St. Louis would likely need to pay down the contract and incentivize a team to take him on. That isn’t to say his value can’t improve and he’ll have trade value down the road but right now, he doesn’t.
As for Colton Parayko, the long injury history would scare me off if I was a GM, as would a $6.5MM cap hit through 2029-30. But his combination of size and skill is hard to come by so there would be some interest. But unless St. Louis is planning on going through an extended rebuild, I don’t think GM Doug Armstrong will be actively looking to move him. If this is a quick turnaround, he’ll be part of their future plans.
Then there’s Jordan Binnington. The on-ice antics certainly aren’t helping things but the on-ice performance is hurting him even more. He’s making $6MM for four more years and has a save percentage that doesn’t crack the top 40 among qualifying netminders. Forget the other things and just look at his performance, it’s not going to have anyone wanting to trade for him. He might want to play for his hometown team although that’s straight-up speculation at this point. But, like Krug, Binnington is going to have to be a lot better next season to have a chance of moving.
bapthemailman: What will the Penguins roster look like next year?
I expect the core will mostly stay in place. With their long-time veterans locked up, I don’t think they’re heading for any sort of rebuild. However, there will be some changes.
To me, Tristan Jarry is a legitimate starting goalie in the NHL. However, his propensity for injuries is going to make it awfully difficult to commit a long-term contract at starter money this summer. I expect them to take a look at the trade market in June and I wouldn’t be shocked if their opening night starter is someone that currently isn’t in their organization. That’s one change.
On the back end, I could see the team moving on from Brian Dumoulin. While Ty Smith plays a completely different style, Dumoulin’s departure would open up a full-time spot for Smith who should be an important part of their future. Having spent the bulk of this season in the minors, Smith’s next contract shouldn’t be more than $1.5MM which would give Pittsburgh a chance to shift some spending elsewhere. If Dmitry Kulikov is willing to sign for close to what the Penguins are covering on his deal ($1.15MM), I think they’d happily do that in the hopes of having to avoid trying to trade for more depth at the deadline next season.
Up front, I think they’ll take a run at extending Jason Zucker, albeit at a price tag that’s lower than his current $5.5MM AAV. If they can’t re-sign him, they’ll have space to look for another forward. I could see them focusing on a center. Yes, Mikael Granlund, their big deadline acquisition, can play down the middle but he’s much better off on the wing. Adding someone to that third line that can take some pressure (and playing time) away from Jeff Carter would be nice. Off the top of my head, someone like Lars Eller would fit that bill.
I don’t expect the Penguins to have a lot of cap space heading into next season as I believe they will be looking to keep this team in the playoff mix. There could be a few changes among the veterans in an effort to try to shake things up but for the most part, there should be a lot of familiarity with this group heading into 2023-24.
Grocery Stick: How is Toronto looking if they don’t give a new contract to their GM this offseason? Selling off hugely for a new start? Or will they still try to find a way to be a contender next season?
In this scenario, I believe the Maple Leafs would have several quality executives trying to land that job while saying that they have a plan to win now without blowing up that core group. There is simply too much talent on Toronto for someone to turn around and say that it’s time to blow it all up.
Could there be a coaching change if Tampa Bay ousts them in the first round again? Sure, it’s possible. Is it even possible that whoever is running the team – Kyle Dubas or someone else – decides to move one of their core four players? Yep. Extension talks with Auston Matthews and William Nylander (which can happen this summer) will give them an idea about the potential ability (or inability) to keep this group together with those discussions potentially shaping their plans this summer. But even at that, that’s one piece being traded for another key piece, not a drastic change.
The other reason I can’t see them beginning a full-scale rebuild is this – they don’t have many of their own draft picks. If you’re going to rebuild and finish low in the standings, you lose the benefit of doing so by not having those selections. Toronto’s 2025 first-round pick has limited protection and they don’t have a second-rounder until 2027. The last thing they’d want is them struggling and other teams reaping the benefits.
I think Toronto can win with this core group even with their previous playoff performances. I’m sure many others around the league do as well. Whoever is in charge next season is likely to have that same mindset.
Travis Hamonic Hopes To Re-Sign With Senators
Last season, it came as a bit of a surprise that the Senators acquired Travis Hamonic from Vancouver. They wanted him to be a reliable veteran to work with a younger group of defensemen and it’s a role that has suited him well. Earlier this year, it seemed like there was a chance that the veteran would be on the move but he wound up staying put with Ottawa.
While Hamonic is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s hoping it doesn’t come to that point, telling Ian Mendes of The Athletic (subscription link) that he wants to re-sign with the Sens before getting to the open market. To that end, he indicated that preliminary discussions on an extension have started but not to the point where talks could be considered as serious.
The 32-year-old is having one of his stronger seasons in recent years. Offensively, he has his highest point total (21) since 2015-16 while defensively, he leads the team in blocks with 143 in 75 games although those numbers won’t be going up for now as he will miss the next few games at least due to a lower-body injury. Hamonic also leads the Senators in shorthanded ice time, logging 3:16 per contest. All in all, he has been a steady and stable defensive presence which is exactly what he was brought in for.
However, it’s fair to wonder if they’ll be able to afford Hamonic at a similar price to what he’s making this season. A $3MM AAV for a fourth or fifth defender is fair market value but the Sens already have over $69MM in commitments for next season to just 16 players, per CapFriendly. Alex DeBrincat is a high-profile restricted free agent who will eat up most of that cap room as he’s owed a $9MM qualifying offer if they can’t reach an agreement on a long-term pact before then. Between that deal and filling out the rest of the roster, will there be room for Hamonic on a market-value contract?
Of the five blueliners on Ottawa’s current roster that are signed beyond this season, Artem Zub is the oldest at 27 so there is definitely room for someone like Hamonic to stay on the roster in his current role. But if he’s going to get his wish to stay in Canada’s capital, he’s either heading for a sizable cut in pay or GM Pierre Dorion is going to have to find a way to trim some salary first to try to make that happen.
Pacific Notes: Burakovsky, Comtois, Murray
The hope for the Kraken was that winger Andre Burakovsky would have been back a couple of weeks ago. However, GM Ron Francis acknowledged to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that the veteran suffered a setback in his recovery that has delayed his return to the lineup. The 28-year-old has missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury and had a strong first half of the season before that, notching 13 goals and 26 assists in 49 games. Burakovsky has started skating with development coaches but isn’t ready to get back into team drills yet. Francis indicated that even if he isn’t able to get back to full practices by the time the playoffs start, they’ll have no hesitance in putting him back in when Burakovsky is eventually cleared to return.
More from the Pacific:
- This season hasn’t been a great one for Ducks winger Max Comtois. Now two years removed from a 33-point campaign, his point total since then is 33 between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Accordingly, Eric Stephens of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that it’s unlikely that the 24-year-old will be tendered his $2.55MM qualifying offer this summer. Not long ago, Comtois was viewed as a possible power forward on the rise but Stephens notes that he was available in a trade this season with a swap obviously failing to materialize.
- Oilers defenseman Ryan Murray has resumed skating, relays TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has been out with a back injury for the last three months and has been limited to just 13 appearances this season where he has three assists while averaging a little over 13 minutes a night. Murray isn’t likely to crack Edmonton’s top six when he’s cleared to return but he’d at least give them some extra veteran depth for the playoffs.