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Kings Sign Andre Lee To Two-Year Extension

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The Kings have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents up front early.  The team announced that they’ve signed winger Andre Lee to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season.  The deal will carry an AAV of $775K, the league minimum salary.

The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Kings back in 2019, going 188th overall.  He has seen his first taste of NHL action this season, getting into 19 games with Los Angeles in five different stints with the big club, making him the sixth Los Angeles pick from that draft class to reach the top level.  Over that stretch, he has a goal and two assists along with 36 hits in 9:10 per night of playing time.

Lee has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors with Ontario, one that spans parts of four seasons.  In 29 games this season, the 6’5 winger has three goals and six assists, bringing his career totals to 17 and 16 respectively across 134 contests.

This is Lee’s final season of waiver exemption so he will have to either stick with the Kings in the fall after training camp or be placed on waivers to return to the Reign in 2025-26.  He’s playing on a one-year, two-way contract this year and while the team release doesn’t specify the terms, it wouldn’t be surprising if this extension carries a one-way salary, giving Los Angeles some capable back-of-roster depth at the lowest price possible.

Rangers Activate Chris Kreider Off Injured Reserve

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The Rangers were one of the more active teams around the trade deadline, moving out several veterans in recent days.  But they’re getting one back in the lineup this afternoon against Ottawa as Mollie Walker of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that winger Chris Kreider has been activated off injured reserve.

Kreider had been dealing with an upper-body injury sustained in the first game back after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.  While his goal production has still been reasonably high, it has been a tough year for the 33-year-old overall.  Through 48 games this season, Kreider has 17 goals but just four assists, putting him on pace for the lowest full-season point total of his career.

His early-season struggles had him placed on the trade market back in late November with GM Chris Drury looking to shake up the veteran core on his roster.  The other veteran put on the block at that time (Jacob Trouba) ultimately was moved but a viable trade market never seemed to materialize for Kreider.

Kreider has two years left on his contract, one that carries a $6.5MM cap charge and a 15-team no-trade list.  A strong finish to his season could help bolster his market on the trade front and potentially help New York sneak into the postseason as despite their recent moves as a seller, they enter play today tied for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Laurent Brossoit Not Expected To Return This Season

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Laurent Brossoit’s first year with the Blackhawks hasn’t gone well, to say the least.  Signed to a two-year, $6MM contract last summer to try to give Chicago some stability between the pipes, he has yet to play for them this season.  It doesn’t look like he will either as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times relays that goalie coach Jimmy Waite recently indicated that he doesn’t expect the netminder to be able to return this season.

The 31-year-old underwent meniscus surgery in late August that was initially expected to carry a five-to-seven-week recovery timeline.  While that would mean he’d miss training camp, the thought was that he’d be ready to play early in the regular season and he was originally thought to be ready to debut partway through their opening road trip.  Then in late October, he was supposed to begin skating and would need a few weeks to ramp up.  Two weeks later, his timeline was changed to being out indefinitely.

Brossoit then underwent a second procedure on his knee at the end of November with no timeline for a return although GM Kyle Davidson was hopeful back in late January that his new netminder would be able to play this season.  Clearly, that’s no longer the case although Brossoit recently expressed some optimism to Waite about his recovery which could be a good sign for next year.

Brossoit posted a 2.00 GAA and a .927 SV% in 23 games with Winnipeg in 2023-24, a solid bounce-back performance after being in the minors at times the year before.  That made him one of the bigger wild cards heading into free agency but even with his inconsistent track record, he still landed the biggest financial commitment of his career and looked to be part of Chicago’s short-term plans at the very least.

But that fit is much less certain now.  Arvid Soderblom, who Brossoit was likely signed to replace in the goaltending platoon, has bounced back quite well after a disastrous performance last season, upping his save percentage by 25 points along the way.  In doing so, he’s back to being in at least the shorter-term plans in goal as well with prospects Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan not ready for full-time NHL duty just yet.

Meanwhile, Chicago also picked up Spencer Knight from Florida as a key part of the return in their trade for Seth Jones earlier this month.  At 23, he’s now their goalie of the present and future so he figures to be the top option in their tandem with Soderblom as the backup.

Chicago was able to move Petr Mrazek on Friday to avoid an extended stretch of carrying three netminders but assuming Brossoit is able to play next season, they’ll be in that situation once more.  But Davidson at least has some time to come up with a plan for how to handle that situation as now with Brossoit effectively ruled out for the rest of this season, it won’t be an issue until training camp in the fall.

Sharks Notes: Thrun, Giles, Gregor, Goaltenders

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The Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated defenseman Henry Thrun off injured reserve.  He had missed the last week and a half after suffering an upper-body injury late last month against Montreal.  The 23-year-old is in his first full NHL season and has played in 51 games with San Jose thus far, picking up a goal and nine assists while averaging just under 17 minutes a night, a full three minutes a night below his ATOI from last season after he was brought up from the Barracuda.  However, with Jake Walman now in Edmonton, Thrun should be in line for a bigger role with San Jose down the stretch.

More from San Jose:

  • The Sharks will get a look at one of their newcomers quickly as in the same announcement as Thrun’s, the team noted that forward Patrick Giles was recalled from the Barracuda. Acquired earlier this week from Florida in the Vitek Vanecek deal, the 25-year-old played in nine games with the Panthers this season but has spent most of the year in the minors.  In 39 contests on the farm with AHL Charlotte, he has five goals and two assists.
  • It would appear that part of the reason for Giles’ recall is the uncertainty with Noah Gregor’s availability, suggests Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). Gregor has to go through the immigration process before he’s cleared to play, a process that can sometimes take several days to get through.  Gregor, acquired from Ottawa in a literal last-minute deal before the deadline, will be entering his second stint with the Sharks and his availability for Saturday’s game against the Islanders is in question.
  • While San Jose did plenty of selling, they did try to make one small buyer move at the deadline. Speaking with reporters including Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link), GM Mike Grier indicated that he tried to acquire a second goaltender to allow Georgi Romanov to remain in the minors but that the price to do so was too high.  Instead, Romanov, who has just two career NHL appearances, will serve as Alexandar Georgiev’s backup with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov out due to a lower-body injury.

Jonas Siegenthaler Out For Rest Of Regular Season

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It’s going to be a while before the Devils get some help on the back end.  In his post-deadline press conference (video link), GM Tom Fitzgerald indicated that blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body) won’t be able to return for the rest of the regular season but does have a chance to return in the playoffs.  Meanwhile, he declined to put a timeline on the reported week-to-week lower-body injury for Dougie Hamilton but confirmed that his top-scoring blueliner will be out for an extended period.

Siegenthaler has been out of the lineup for a little more than a month due to a lower-body injury and was moved to LTIR in recent days before Jack Hughes’ season-ending shoulder surgery.  The 27-year-old isn’t a big point producer from the back end as he had just two goals and seven assists in 55 games before being injured; his nine points matched his total from last season.

But Siegenthaler has long been a capable defensive defender and his absence will be more felt on that end.  He primarily played in a shutdown role while taking a regular turn on the penalty kill; all told, he finishes his regular season with 19:36 in ATOI.  While that ranks fifth among New Jersey defenders, none of their rearguards are averaging 21 minutes a game on the season with their distribution being quite close, a rarity across the NHL.

New Jersey quickly moved to fill Siegenthaler’s role earlier this week when they acquired Brian Dumoulin from Anaheim while they picked up Dennis Cholowski from the Islanders today to add more defensive depth.  But that’s all the help they’re going to have now for a while with no word on how long Hamilton will be out for while we now know that Siegenthaler’s set to miss the final six weeks of the regular season and potentially more.

Penguins Sign Ryan Shea To One-Year Extension

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After a fairly busy stretch on the trade front in recent days, the Penguins quickly turned their focus to one of their pending unrestricted free agents.  The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Ryan Shea to a one-year, $900K contract extension.

The 28-year-old has been a full-timer on an NHL roster for the first time in his career this season, albeit being primarily in a reserve role.  Shea has suited up in 28 contests for Pittsburgh so far in 2024-25, notching two goals and three assists while averaging 16:30 per night.  His role has increased significantly since the 4 Nations Face-Off, however, as he has averaged nearly 21 minutes per game since then and he should be in line to keep playing that bigger role down the stretch.

Shea came to Pittsburgh through Group Six unrestricted free agency after spending three years in their system without getting an NHL opportunity.  He got into 31 games with the big club last season, earning a two-way deal for his efforts and now, he gets his highest guaranteed salary as he looks to cement a full-time spot in their lineup for 2025-26.

The Penguins now have five blueliners under contract for next season with Shea joining Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Graves, and Vladislav Kolyachonok.  Matt Grzelcyk wasn’t moved by today’s deadline and is UFA-eligible this summer while Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Conor Timmins, acquired earlier today from Toronto, will be restricted free agents with salary arbitration rights.

Maple Leafs Acquire Reese Johnson

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It turns out all of the trades of the day weren’t in after all.  The Maple Leafs have made a move to add a bit more forward depth, acquiring forward Reese Johnson from the Wild in exchange for future considerations.  Both teams have confirmed the swap.

The 26-year-old has spent the majority of the season in the minors with AHL Iowa, collecting four goals and nine assists in 49 games.  He also got into three games with Minnesota back in December but was held off the scoresheet in 9:32 of playing time per contest.

While Johnson hasn’t seen much action at the top level this season, he does have 144 career appearances under his belt.  He got into 141 games with Chicago over the last four seasons, primarily playing on their fourth line.  With them, he had seven goals, ten assists, and 450 hits while winning 51.7% of his faceoffs but the Blackhawks declined to tender him a qualifying offer last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Johnson is playing on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K in the NHL and $500K in the minors and will be RFA-eligible this summer with salary arbitration eligibility.  Given his NHL experience, it’s unlikely he’d be tendered that offer as that would play a role in his awarded salary which would likely push him past the $1MM mark despite spending most of this year in the AHL.

As a result of their moves today, the Maple Leafs placed winger Max Pacioretty on LTIR and even with that, they only have $195K in cap room, per PuckPedia.  Accordingly, Johnson will be ticketed to play with the AHL Marlies for the foreseeable future.

Blackhawks Activate Philipp Kurashev

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While Chicago won’t have newly acquired center Joe Veleno in the lineup tonight against Utah, they will get another forward back.  The team announced that Philipp Kurashev has been activated off injured reserve.  He had missed the last week and a half with a hand injury.

After a breakout showing last season, it looked as if Kurashev’s stock was on the rise and that he’d be a fixture in Chicago’s lineup for a while.  After all, a 54-point season from a then-24-year-old made it appear that he could be a key cog in their top six.

But things haven’t gone anywhere near as well this season.  Kurashev has just six goals and four assists through 42 games while his -29 plus/minus rating is tied for the fourth-lowest in the league.  Instead of being a top liner like he was a year ago, his playing time is down by nearly five minutes a game while he has been healthy scratched at times.

As a result, his long-term outlook with the organization has certainly changed.  Instead of looking like a fixture for the foreseeable future, Chicago was shopping him earlier in the season and couldn’t find a suitable trade.

A pending restricted free agent, Kurashev will be owed a $2.25MM qualifying offer this summer while he’ll also have salary arbitration rights.  Considering how things have gone this year, it seems unlikely he’ll be tendered that offer so he’ll need to use this final six-week stretch of the season as a showcase for what’s likely to be his first trip through unrestricted free agency in July.

Sabres Agree To Terms On Two-Year Extension With Jason Zucker

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12:47 p.m.: The Sabres have confirmed the two-year extension for Zucker. He’ll make $9.5MM in total, which is good for a $4.75MM AAV in each year of the contract.

9:53 a.m.: Believed to be a strong trade candidate as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Sabres were looking to get Jason Zucker off the market entirely.  They’ve accomplished just that as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the sides are in agreement on a two-year, $9.75MM contract extension.

The 33-year-old had to settle for a one-year contract last season, spending time between Arizona and Nashville, who acquired him in a low-cost trade deadline rental move. However, he was only able to notch 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 games between the two sides which was certainly not a good for his open market value.  Accordingly, Zucker ultimately accepted another one-year pact in July, signing for $5MM.

That has worked out well for both sides.  While Buffalo has struggled and is set to miss the playoffs once again this year, Zucker has bounced back nicely.  Through 54 games this season, he has 18 goals and 26 assists, giving him a realistic shot at a 50-point campaign, a plateau he has only reached once in his career.  With the 44 points he has now, he sits fifth on the Sabres in scoring.

Zucker made it known back in January that he was interested in extending his stay with Buffalo and he was true to his word.  Even with a big jump in the salary cap coming, he winds up taking a small pay cut with the AAV of this new deal checking in at $4.75MM.  If he had a good finish to his season – in Buffalo or elsewhere – it’s possible that he could have landed at least a small raise on the open market while also potentially getting a multi-year deal.  Instead, he opts for some stability with where he’s comfortable.

While the Sabres now won’t be getting anything for what was likely to be one of their better trade chips, there’s certainly value in keeping Zucker around.  All rebuilding teams need quality veterans and Zucker certainly has been one of them and he’ll now fill a spot in their top six for a couple more years.

With the signing, Buffalo now has a little under $24MM in cap room for next season, per PuckPedia with 15 players under contract.  While they have a prominent pending RFA to contend with in Bowen Byram, the Sabres should still have ample cap space to try to add another quality veteran or two to their roster this summer.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Islanders Have Offered Extension To Kyle Palmieri

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10:39 a.m.: The Islanders have informed Palmieri he won’t be traded today, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. They’ll continue working on a deal, and although it may not be done before the deadline, they’re close enough to rule out a move. It’s likely to be a two-year or three-year deal worth less than his current $5MM AAV annually, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

9:37 a.m.: While the Islanders moved their top pending UFA late on Thursday when they dealt Brock Nelson to Colorado, it doesn’t mean the same fate is coming for their other veteran in the same situation.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that they’ve offered a two-year contract extension to winger Kyle Palmieri.  If an agreement can’t be reached, then the veteran is expected to be moved before today’s 2 PM CT deadline.

The 34-year-old is in the final season of a contract that carries a $5MM cap charge.  If he winds up being dealt, it’s quite likely that New York will need to retain the maximum of 50% to help facilitate a move, similar to what they did with Nelson.

After a couple of underwhelming seasons to start his tenure with the Isles, Palmieri has rebounded nicely over the last couple of years.  Last season, he bounced back with a 30-goal effort, matching his career high from back in 2015-16 while coming three points shy of matching his benchmark in points, also from the 2015-16 campaign.

While Palmieri isn’t producing at quite the same level this year, he still has 20 goals and 21 assists in 61 games, giving him a shot at another 50-point season.  He’s the type of player who would fit in well on the second line of a lot of contending teams so even if he’s swapped, he still should have a chance at logging close to the 18:13 of ice time he’s getting with New York.

With the pending increase to the salary cap and his production over the last couple of years, Palmieri should be in line for a raise on his current price tag.  But a two-year offer might not be long enough to his liking as it’s quite possible that he could get a longer offer if he goes to the open market in July.  We’ll soon see if New York’s offer is good enough to get something done or if he’ll be on the move over the next few hours.  If they pivot toward moving him, Palmieri does have a 16-team no-trade clause that could come into play.

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