PHR Mailbag: AHL Players, Wild, Blackhawks, Ducks, Extensions, CBA
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include what, if anything, is next for the Wild on the trade front, Chicago’s tough season, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our last two columns.
nolesfan75: Do players like Matthew Phillips and Kailer Yamamoto have any realistic chance of getting another opportunity in the NHL? They both are having strong years at their respective AHL clubs.
It’s unfortunate but it’s hard for smaller offensive players to get any sort of significant opportunity in the NHL once they get labeled as more of a minor leaguer. You’re definitely correct in stating that Phillips and Yamamoto are having strong seasons in the minors but the problem they run into is this. They’re good enough to be impactful players in the AHL but not good enough to be a top-six piece consistently in the NHL. Meanwhile, they’re often viewed as too small to play regular minutes in the bottom six for an NHL team. So, where does that leave them? Basically, they have to hope for a short-term injury to an offensive forward to have an opportunity for a short-term recall and if things go well from there, maybe stick around for a bit.
To make things even harder for them, there might be an NHL team or two who would be willing to give someone like that a chance after the trade deadline to avoid needing to recall someone from their farm team (helping in a playoff push down there). But because Phillips and Yamamoto are big producers in the minors, their respective NHL teams are unlikely to just give them away and weaken their farm team to do right by the player. It’s a tough cycle to get out of which is why these players often move around in free agency each summer, trying to find a new opportunity that gives them a better chance at an NHL look at some point.
letsgonats: Related, do teams target AHL players? Folks like Phillips or Ethan Bear that are all stars at AHL but they are not 21-year-olds but 25–28-year-olds with some NHL experience and can serve as depth. Ethen Frank is “old” at 28 but obviously was buried and stuck in AHL. Do teams try to grab AHL folks and give them the job over existing NHL folks?
There is an annual shuffle of top AHL players that I think at least partially qualifies as a yes to this question. But it’s not necessarily with the idea of having that player displace an NHL regular although they typically promise that the player will get that opportunity at least in training camp. That’s the biggest driver of top AHL players in free agency, just trying to upgrade the AHL teams.
The next level of targets for teams looking at AHL players are young players coming off an AHL contract that a team wants to sign to an NHL deal. Since you’re a Washington fan, I’ll give you a Capitals-specific example, Pierrick Dube. He had a strong first pro year on a minor league deal and that was enough for Washington to have to give him an entry-level contract to secure his NHL rights. There are usually a handful of those moves each summer league-wide.
There aren’t many comparisons to Frank out there. Waivers allow players in his situation to be snapped up if there’s an NHL team that thinks an AHL regular is worthy of a look at the top level and usually, if they’re that confident about that player’s ability to be an NHL regular, they’ll typically try to acquire the player in a small trade beforehand. So while there are some AHL players who are targeted for various reasons, it’s not too often that they’re being looked at as pieces to join an NHL roster full time.
Zakis: What, if anything, will the Wild do? Or be able to do?
I was really hoping that I could get away with pushing this question into this column as I figured that Minnesota would wait until closer to the trade deadline when they might have more clarity on the status of injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Oh well.
Realistically, my logic still holds true today though. If one of them can’t return before the end of the regular season, the Wild will have the ability to spend several million to try to add another upgrade or two before Friday’s trade deadline. But if not, they’ll be in a spot where they need to cut down to close to the minimum-size roster to get back to cap compliance. At that point, they’re in a money-in, money-out situation which greatly affects what they’ll be able to do.
I don’t think they’re quite done yet up front beyond the Gustav Nyquist acquisition but that will probably be their biggest move of this stretch. With the struggles of their penalty kill, I suspect they’ll have their eye out for a fourth liner who can kill penalties. In a perfect world, that player would be a center but any shorthanded upgrade would be a welcome one.
It’s worth noting that Minnesota doesn’t have a first-round pick or a third-round selection this year, nor do they have second-rounders in 2026 and 2027 so their trade chips are somewhat limited here, assuming their top youngsters are off the table. But a mid-round pick for a checker making $1MM or less is something I still expect them to do regardless of what happens with Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek. Anything else will be dependent on one of them being out for the rest of the regular season.
Unclemike1526: When Brossoit makes it back to the Hawks, Soderblom will have played too many games to be sent down without passing through waivers. IMO, no player is more improved in the NHL this year than Soderblom. Last year whenever the other team crossed the red line, Soderblom would drop on his knees and wait for the other team to just shoot it over his shoulders. Now that he actually stays on his feet the change has been remarkable.
So, faced with having to keep three Goalies, is there any chance they can move Mrazek when he has next year remaining at $4 million bucks? Would a team need a G bad enough to take that on? Brossoit has no value having been hurt all year and Soderblom might be a keeper. One has to go IMO or we’ll have the same problem again next year as they’ll all have contracts. Thanks again.
I’m glad I got the Seth Jones question out of the way last week and as it turns out, that trade makes this question that much more important. With Spencer Knight now in the fold, Chicago has four netminders under contract for this season. Three are signed already for next year and Arvid Soderblom has done more than well enough to earn a contract for 2025-26 as well. For this year, I’m skeptical that Laurent Brossoit is going to return and they can just run with three goalies for the final seven weeks of this season so it’s not necessarily a problem just yet.
Petr Mrazek has a $4.25MM cap charge for next year which is on the high side but he’s also going to be on an expiring contract. I think it’s possible that there will be a team or two who doesn’t like the idea of signing a UFA to a multi-year deal but could afford an overpay on a short-term contract. If those are out there, then yes, I think Chicago can move him. And with two retention slots opening up on July 1st, the Blackhawks could use one to pay down part of that contract and actually get a bit of value in return (likely a mid-round draft pick). If it doesn’t happen, he’s probably on waivers and in the minors in October.
Assuming that Chicago intends to give Knight a long look, I suspect their ideal tandem for next year is him and Soderblom. Brossoit coming off an injury-riddled year has minimal value so he’d either be the third-string option or on waivers and in the minors himself assuming he’s healthy by training camp. If he and Mrazek were both in the AHL, I expect one would then be loaned to another team with the other partnering with Drew Commesso in Rockford. There’s a way to get through this with the four but if they can find a taker for Mrazek or Brossoit (which seems less likely given the injury trouble), that would certainly help things.
samwise1313: Are the Blackhawks going in the right direction?
From a longer-term standpoint, I think so. They already have one of the stronger prospect pools in the league and with nine picks in the first two rounds between the next two drafts (four first-rounders and five second-rounders), they’re set to make it even stronger pretty quickly. I think they’d be a bit disappointed with how things have gone in Rockford but they’re at least in a play-in spot so there’s a chance that young group gets a bit of a postseason taste. So as far as the long-term future goes, they’re doing alright.
But this season hasn’t been a great one. The results have been ugly under both coaches and even Connor Bedard’s sophomore year hasn’t seen him take a big step forward as expected. I didn’t have an issue with them getting some veterans to avoid having a bunch of young guys in spots they’re not necessarily ready for but they haven’t done well at moving the needle, so to speak. In terms of progression, there hasn’t been much which is not what you want to see from a rebuilding squad. In that sense, it feels like a bit of a wasted year but in the long run, they’re still on the right track when it comes to asset accumulation.
Metropolitan Notes: Provorov, Devils, Michkov, Capitals
While there’s believed to be mutual interest in a contract extension between the Blue Jackets and pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov, there hasn’t been much traction in discussions, reports Pierre LeBrun in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link). He adds that Columbus and Provorov’s camp exchanged offers back in January but they were not close to an agreement while it’s believed that they haven’t circled back on talks since then. Provorov was widely viewed as a prominent trade candidate heading into the season but with the Blue Jackets continuing to be in the mix for a playoff spot, it would be risky for them to move him now, even though they’d be running the risk of losing him for nothing this summer in free agency. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides at least have a follow-up discussion about a possible new deal in the days leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Devils have been known to be looking for centers for most of the season, Gabriel Trevino of NJ Advance Media relays that they’re also looking to add scoring help although a move is unlikely to come until right before the deadline. He adds that New Jersey is in a spot where they’re open to accepting rentals or longer-term fits. However, while the latter would cost more to acquire, defenseman Simon Nemec is not someone the team intends to move despite the fact he has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, something he hasn’t been happy They’re projected to have less than $1.7MM in cap room available on deadline day, per PuckPedia, so they’ll need to get creative if they’re going to add an impact player to their roster.
- The NHL announced that Flyers winger Matvei Michkov has been named Rookie of the Month for February. He’s the first rookie this season to get the nod twice after also winning in October. Michkov had ten points in seven games last month while he’s the rookie leader in goals (19) league-wide while being tied for the lead in points with 44.
- The Capitals are looking to add depth both up front and on the back end before Friday’s trade deadline, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). With Washington leading the way in the Eastern Conference, it’s understandable that their preference would be to avoid doing anything to shake up the core of their group. They have $3.65MM remaining in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia, meaning that if they want to make a couple of additions while still leaving room for injury replacements, they’re going to be primarily looking at low-cost pickups.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Current Cap Hit: $86,676,870 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Conor Geekie (three years, $886.7K)
D Emil Lilleberg (one year, $870K)
Potential Bonuses
Geekie: $525K
Lilleberg: $80K
Total: $605K
Geekie was a key pickup in the Mikhail Sergachev trade back at the draft. He spent the first half of the season with the big club but was sent down after struggling. That makes it unlikely that he reaches his ‘A’ bonuses while at this point, a low-cost second contract seems likely unless he can establish himself as a core piece over the next two years.
Lilleberg has already signed an extension so we’ll cover that later on. For here, it’s worth noting that his bonuses are tied to games played so he’ll hit most if not all of his number.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Cam Atkinson ($900K, UFA)
F Michael Eyssimont ($800K, UFA)
F Luke Glendening ($800K, UFA)
F Gage Goncalves ($775K, RFA)
G Jonas Johansson ($775K, UFA)
D Nicklaus Perbix ($1.125MM, UFA)
After being bought out by Philadelphia, Atkinson was a low-cost flyer to see if he could provide Tampa Bay with some depth scoring. That hasn’t happened and at this point, it’d be surprising to see him land a guaranteed contract this summer. If so – or if he earns one off a PTO – it’s likely to be for the minimum. Glendening has been as advertised – a reliable faceoff player who can kill penalties but brings little offense to the table. There’s still a role for him beyond this year but it’s likely to be at or near the minimum of $775K once again.
Eyssimont had a breakout effort last season, notching 25 points despite playing primarily in their bottom six (often the fourth line). He hasn’t been able to produce at a similar rate this year which will hurt him a bit on the open market. Even so, as a fourth liner who can play with some jam and bring potentially a little offensive upside, he could jump closer to the $1.3MM range on his next contract. Goncalves has cleared waivers twice already but has spent more time with the Lightning than the Crunch so far. He has arbitration rights which could give the Lightning pause if they think a hearing could push him past the $1MM mark or so but he’s a candidate to take less than his qualifying offer of around $813K for a higher AHL salary or even a one-way NHL salary.
Perbix is the most notable of Tampa Bay’s pending free agents. While he has largely had a limited role this season, he had 24 points last year while logging a little over 17 minutes a night. Considering he’s still young (he’ll be 27 in June), big (6’4), and a right-shot player, his market could grow quickly from teams looking for a depth addition with a little upside, meaning that more than doubling this price could be doable.
Johansson remains a below-average NHL netminder but that’s something the Lightning knew when they signed him in 2023. The goal for them was getting someone at the minimum salary. Johansson’s staying power could give him a shot at a few more dollars but he’ll remain in the six-figure range.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Mitchell Chaffee ($800K, UFA)
D Ryan McDonagh ($6.75MM, UFA)
D J.J. Moser ($3.375MM, RFA)
D Darren Raddysh ($975K, UFA)
F Conor Sheary ($2MM, UFA)
Sheary received this deal coming off two strong years with Washington but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well with the Lightning. He scored just four goals last season and has spent most of this year in the minors, carrying a pro-rated $850K charge while down there. He’s a buyout candidate this summer although they could elect to hold onto him and take the $850K charge again next year instead of putting some money onto the 2026-27 books. Chaffee has established himself as a regular on the fourth line and is in a similar situation as Eyssimont was a year ago. Assuming that keeps up, he could push to land a $500K raise or so in 2026.
McDonagh’s contract was once deemed too expensive for Tampa Bay which resulted in them moving him to Nashville in 2022 for a very minimal return. Two years later, they gave up more value to reacquire the final two seasons of the agreement which is something you don’t see too often. But it reflects the need they had to bring in a veteran dependable defender which is what McDonagh is at this point of his career. He’s not a true top-pairing piece at this stage of his career nor is he enough of an offensive threat to provide value relative to his price tag. But if he can still hold down at least a top-four spot by the end of next season, he could still land a contract in the $4MM to $5MM range, perhaps a one-year deal which would allow for some incentives.
Moser was another piece of note in the Sergachev trade after being one of the more underrated blueliners with Arizona. The structure of the bridge deal gives him a $4.075MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights and assuming he’s still a full-timer in Tampa’s top four, he seems like a strong candidate to push past the $5MM mark on his next contract. Raddysh has become a capable producer of secondary scoring from the back end although he gives some of that back with his defensive play. Those players don’t always have the best markets year-to-year but barring a big drop in performance or playing time, he should be able to double this at a minimum in 2026.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Zemgus Girgensons ($850K, UFA)
F Nikita Kucherov ($9.5MM, UFA)
D Emil Lilleberg ($800K in 2025-26 and 2026-27, RFA)
Kucherov continues to be one of the top point-producing forwards in the NHL. He’s around $2MM below the highest-paid winger (Artemi Panarin) but that’s about to change with this upcoming UFA crop which will only widen that gap and give Tampa Bay even better value in the short term. Assuming he doesn’t slow down over the next three years, he could be someone conceivably pushing for a deal in the $14MM range himself even at 34. Girgensons saw his production drop in the last couple of years with Buffalo but it has cratered even more this year. Still, he’s a capable penalty killer and can play with some grit. That for $100K above the minimum isn’t bad value.
Lilleberg’s new deal is actually a dip in pay off his entry-level pact but gives him guaranteed money via a one-way salary no matter what. Assuming he remains a regular with the Lightning during that time, his arbitration eligibility could put him in line to double (or even triple) that price tag on his next contract.
Jets Activate Morgan Barron Off Injured Reserve
The Jets will welcome back a forward for their game tonight against Philadelphia. In their announcement of the projected lines for the contest (Twitter link), the team noted that Morgan Barron is expected to play, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan was reassigned to AHL Manitoba, per the AHL’s media site.
Barron has missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury sustained in late January. However, with the long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, he’ll wind up missing just eight games due to the issue. The 26-year-old has five goals and three assists in 52 contests this season while chipping in with 85 hits in 10:27 of playing time per night. Barron also takes a regular turn in the penalty kill rotation for Winnipeg so his return should also help on that front. He’s expected to suit up on the fourth line alongside Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo.
As for Anderson-Dolan, his recall was relatively short-lived after being up on Wednesday, his first recall of the season. The 25-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal signed last summer but he has struggled considerably with AHL Manitoba, notching just 13 points in 38 games with the Moose. For comparison, he had 47 points in 54 minor league contests in 2021-22, his last season as a regular in the minors. He’ll now have to wait at least a little longer to make his Jets debut.
Wild Acquire Gustav Nyquist From Predators
After being scratched earlier in the day for trade-related reasons, it felt like only a matter of time before the Predators traded winger Gustav Nyquist. That move has now happened as they have dealt him to the Wild in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. Both sides have announced the swap. As part of the move, Nashville is retaining half of his $3.185MM cap hit. To make room on the roster, Minnesota has assigned Liam Ohgren to AHL Iowa, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).
It’s the second time that Minnesota has acquired Nyquist in a move before the trade deadline after they picked him up from Columbus back in 2023 but at that time, the acquisition cost was only a fifth-round selection. Meanwhile, it’s actually the third time that the 35-year-old has been a near-deadline pickup as back in 2019, Detroit moved him to San Jose for a pair of draft choices.
Nyquist signed a two-year deal with the Preds back in 2023 on the heels of a solid playoff showing with Minnesota that saw him pick up five assists in six postseason appearances. Things couldn’t have gone much better for him last season as he wound up blowing past his previous career highs in assists and points, tallying 52 and 75 respectively in 81 games. He followed that up with four points in their first-round exit to Vancouver in the playoffs.
With his 2023-24 performance and Nashville’s big spending spree over the summer, expectations were high for Nyquist heading into this season. However, as has been the case for a lot of the Predators’ players, he has underachieved. Through 57 games this season, he has just nine goals and 12 assists despite still logging 17:39 per game of ice time.
Minnesota finds itself in the bottom half of the league offensively with key injuries to players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek playing a part in that. Nyquist should have an opportunity to jump into a middle-six role and at least deepen the lineup while ideally being able to provide them with a boost in their secondary scoring. They’re paying a fairly high cost to get Nyquist at half price so they clearly expect that the change of scenery will help get him going again.
With the move, Nashville has now used its three salary retention slots with the others being on Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen, whose grievance for his contract termination was held last week. If that termination is upheld by Friday, the Predators could get that third slot back but it seems unlikely a ruling will come that quickly. In the meantime, they now have eight picks in the first two rounds between the 2025 and 2026 drafts, positioning themselves well to add some young impactful talent to the cupboard relatively quickly.
Meanwhile, Minnesota now has roughly $6.6MM remaining in its LTIR pool, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). That’s with Kaprizov in LTIR and Eriksson Ek on regular injured reserve. Assuming both players return before the end of the season, the Wild will need to clear around $2.4MM in salary off their books to get back into cap compliance. Accordingly, unless they know one of their veterans won’t be back until the playoffs start, the Wild will be hard-pressed to make any other additions without clearing out some money either beforehand or as part of that trade.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Atlantic Notes: Knies, Evans, Pinto, Bernard-Docker
While the Maple Leafs have two prominent pending unrestricted free agents in Mitch Marner and John Tavares, they also have a notable pending restricted free agent in winger Matthew Knies. At times, it’s believed the two sides have talked about an extension but the 22-year-old told Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus that he expects a new deal will be worked out in the offseason. Knies has already passed his rookie-season totals in goals (22) and points (38) and has cemented himself as a fixture in Toronto’s top six. He’s the type of player they’d undoubtedly like to sign to a long-term contract but what happens with Marner and Tavares could ultimately dictate if they can afford to do that or if they’ll have to pursue a short-term bridge deal instead.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Maple Leafs are among the teams with strong interest in Canadiens center Jake Evans, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Evans is on pace for a career year offensively and has 11 goals and 26 assists through 59 games. He’s also the most-used forward shorthanded in the league while being a little above average at the faceoff dot and it’s his defensive play that will have teams interested in adding him over the coming days. With a $1.7MM cap charge, he’d be easier for Toronto to fit into their current cap structure compared to some of the more prominent but pricier middlemen potentially available.
- Senators center Shane Pinto told reporters including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that he will return to the lineup tonight against San Jose. He had missed the last four weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has had a bit of an up-and-down season but has still managed to put up 11 goals and 11 assists through 46 games, numbers that are a bit off last year’s pace when he had 27 points in 41 contests.
- Still with the Senators, Garrioch reported earlier this week that the team has made defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker available and they are hoping to add a prospect in return. The 24-year-old has been limited to only 25 games this season between injuries and being scratched while he’s logging just over 13 minutes a night. He’s waiver-eligible and it seems unlikely he’d pass through unclaimed so Ottawa’s intention appears to be to try to flip Bernard-Docker for some sort of tangible value beyond clearing up $805K in cap room. Garrioch suggests that the Predators might be one of the teams interested in the blueliner’s services.
Avalanche Acquire Ryan Lindgren And Jimmy Vesey From Rangers
With less than a week left before the trade deadline, the Avalanche have added some extra depth on the back end and up front. In a deal that has been announced by both teams, Colorado is acquiring defenseman Ryan Lindgren, winger Jimmy Vesey, and the rights to unsigned prospect Hank Kempf from the Rangers in exchange for forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Calvin de Haan, and two draft picks. The picks are the better of Carolina’s or New York’s (previously-acquired) second-round pick this year and the better of Colorado’s or Vancouver’s fourth-round selection this season.
Lindgren has been a mainstay on New York’s back end for the last six seasons. However, his tenure with them has always seemed to be on uncertain footing. He wound up taking a three-year bridge deal back in 2021 with the expectation that he’d sign a longer-term pact after that. Instead, he found himself in trade speculation at times during that contract and the two sides were only able to work out a one-year, $4.5MM contract last summer, one that avoided salary arbitration but also set Lindgren up to reach unrestricted free agency this summer. Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that the Rangers will retain half of that contract as part of the swap.
The 27-year-old has never been a big point producer in the NHL as he has yet to reach the 20-point mark in a single season although with 19 points in 54 games this season, he’s likely to do just that in the coming days. However, Lindgren has been a steady and reliable defensive defender for most of his career, logging heavy minutes on the penalty kill and consistently being among the Rangers’ leaders in blocked shots. This season, he’s second on New York in blocked shots with 102 while leading the team in shorthanded TOI at 2:42 per game.
That penalty killing prowess will fit in well on a Colorado shorthanded unit that’s barely above the league average in success rate at 79.8% while also giving them a solid replacement for the injured Josh Manson. Lindgren should slot in as the fourth defender on the Avs’ depth chart for the time being while when Manson returns, one of the two should help anchor the third pairing which would be a nice boost to that pairing heading into the playoffs.
As for Vesey, the 31-year-old was in the third season of his second go-round in New York. The first two seasons of that second stint were successful as he notched 24 goals and 51 points over the two years, giving the Rangers some solid, low-cost secondary scoring. But things haven’t gone as well this season. He has been frequently scratched and has just six points in 31 games when he has suited up. Nonetheless, Colorado has been looking for some stability on the fourth line pretty much all season long and Vesey should be able to lock down a regular role on that trio while giving it some experience as he’s suited up in over 600 games at the NHL level. He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, carrying a $800K cap charge.
Kempf, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick by the Rangers back in 2021, going 208th overall. The blueliner is in his senior year at Cornell University and has two goals and five assists in 28 games this season. Colorado will need to sign him to an entry-level deal by mid-August or lose his rights.
Parssinen is the more notable player heading to the Rangers in this swap. It will be the third team for him this season as Colorado only acquired him from Nashville back in late December. But while the 24-year-old was able to hold down a regular role with the Avs (after being scratched at times with the Predators), he wasn’t overly productive with just six points in 22 games while logging less than 10 minutes a night of ice time. When added to his numbers with the Preds, Parssinen has four goals and seven assists in 37 appearances this season.
Parssinen made an immediate strong impression when he first debuted in the NHL back in 2022-23, notching an impressive 25 points in 45 games in Nashville but he hasn’t been able to get back to that level of performance since then. He’ll now get another fresh start in New York who can control him through the 2027-28 season through restricted free agency with salary arbitration rights. Parssinen is making the league minimum of $775K this season and will be owed a qualifying offer of nearly $814K in late June.
As for de Haan, the 33-year-old was in his first season with Colorado after signing a one-year, $800K contract with them early in free agency last summer. He has largely played on the third pairing this year, logging just under 15 minutes a night of playing time while chipping in with seven assists, 58 blocks, and 59 hits in 44 appearances. A pending UFA, the 676-game veteran is likely to have a similar role in New York but also could be a candidate to be flipped again if there’s a team looking for extra defensive depth before Friday’s trade deadline.
The Rangers enter play today four points out of the final Wild Card spot. While that’s hardly an insurmountable gap, they’re also not in a spot to potentially lose rental players for no return. With this move, they pick up a pair of draft picks and will get a look to see if Parssinen can return to his form from a couple of years ago which could make him a piece worth keeping around for a while. Meanwhile, Lindgren is a nice pickup for the Avs even with his struggles this season as he should be able to help stabilize the back half of their back end which should only help their fortunes heading into the playoffs.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report (Twitter links) the four players in the deal while Peter Baugh of The Athletic was first with the draft pick details.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Predators Recall Jake Lucchini And Spencer Stastney, Place Roman Josi On IR
On top of scratching pending UFA winger Gustav Nyquist for today’s game with a potential trade on the way, the Predators have made three other roster moves as well. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has recalled winger Jake Lucchini and defenseman Spencer Stastney from AHL Milwaukee. To make room on the roster, blueliner Roman Josi was placed on injured reserve.
Lucchini is in his first season with the Preds after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them last summer. While he got into 40 NHL games with Minnesota last season during various recalls, this is his first promotion of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp. The 29-year-old has 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games with the Admirals thus far, a drop in his per-game output after recording 23 points in 30 minor league outings in 2023-24.
Stastney, meanwhile, started the season on the non-roster list while taking a leave of absence and has split time between Nashville and Milwaukee since then. The 25-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in seven appearances with the Preds this season while logging a little over 16 minutes a night. He has been productive with the Admirals, however, notching 13 points in 23 outings at the minor league level.
As for Josi, he exited Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and his placement on IR means he’ll be out for both games this weekend at the very least although he’ll be out longer than that with the team revealing (Twitter link) he’s out week-to-week. The captain hasn’t been able to duplicate the offensive performance he had last year when he notched 85 points but he still has 39 points in 55 games, good for a tie for 15th among all NHL blueliners. Of course, Josi also logs heavy minutes, averaging more than 25 minutes a night so Nashville’s back end will have its work cut out for them to cover his absence.
Maple Leafs Sign Borya Valis To Entry-Level Deal
March 1st is an important day on the NHL calendar as it’s the first day that players can sign future contracts that begin the following season. The Maple Leafs have wasted little time getting one of those done as they’ve signed forward Borya Valis to a three-year, entry-level deal as announced by his agent Dan Milstein (Twitter link). The team subsequently confirmed the move. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a $872.5K cap charge and a $975K AAV including signing and games-played bonuses.
The 20-year-old is playing his final season at the major junior level. He started his WHL career with Regina in 2021, spending parts of three seasons with the team. The second of those was his draft-eligible year and while he secured a ranking of 152nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, he went undrafted in 2023 and 2024.
Last season, Valis was traded midseason, going from Regina to Prince George. Between the two teams, he picked up 26 goals and 44 assists in 67 regular season games before adding 13 points in 15 postseason contests. He’s producing at a better clip this year, tallying 29 goals and 44 helpers through 57 contests with the Cougars, one of four Western Conference teams to already clinch a playoff spot.
As the contract begins next season, Valis won’t count against Toronto’s 50-contract limit until the summer. In the meantime, should the Cougars be eliminated while the AHL Marlies are still playing in their postseason, he will be eligible to join and play for them on an ATO agreement, giving him some time with the team he’s likely to play for when the contract begins in 2025-26.
Five Key Stories: 2/17/25 – 2/23/25
The 4 Nations Face-Off is in the books with Canada defeating the United States in a 3-2 overtime thriller and the stretch run is underway. We didn’t see any activity on the trade front but there was still plenty of notable news across the league which is highlighted in our key stories.
Battered Boston Blueline: This was not a good week on the injury front for Boston’s back end. Top defenseman Charlie McAvoy sustained an upper-body injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off, one that was revealed when he was examined by Bruins team doctors. He sustained an infection and ultimately underwent surgery to remove it and is now listed as out week-to-week. Meanwhile, rearguard Hampus Lindholm (who is second on the team in ATOI behind McAvoy) likely will not return this season. He has undergone surgery to repair a fractured patella tendon and hasn’t played since mid-November. Boston is already on the outside looking in at a playoff spot and they’ll be hard-pressed to stay in the mix while missing their top two blueliners.
More Expansion Options: It feels like only a matter of time before the NHL expands past its current 32 teams. Over the years, we generally see the same speculated cities in the mix, Kansas City, Houston, or returns to Atlanta and now Phoenix. But another city has emerged as representatives from a prospective ownership group in New Orleans met with the league. At this point, discussions were almost certainly on the preliminary side as at this point, a formal expansion process hasn’t been started yet. New Orleans doesn’t have a long history with hockey with the only team in the city being the ECHL’s Brass from 1997-98 to 2001-02.
Five For Lankinen: Kevin Lankinen was a late signee this offseason, inking a one-year, $875K contract to serve as injury insurance for Thatcher Demko. Instead, the 29-year-old has taken over the number one job and even became the starter for Finland at the 4 Nations. He was rewarded for his efforts with a five-year, $22.5MM extension, one that increases his current cap charge by more than 500% while also securing him more trade protection. With Demko back on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, Lankinen will be counted on to help keep them in the playoff picture and with there being some concerns about Demko’s long-term health given the knee issue he dealt with earlier in the season, Lankinen at a minimum will continue to serve as injury insurance for 2025-26, just as a much more expensive option.
Jones Open To A Trade: Seth Jones initially joined a Chicago team that was hoping to be a playoff contender. Instead, the team quickly pivoted and is now in the midst of a full-scale rebuild. After a few years of that, the defenseman indicated that he’d welcome a move if the team can find one although he has not formally requested a trade. Of course, it’s not quite that simple. While Jones remains a legitimate top-pairing defender, he also carries a $9.5MM AAV through the 2029-30 season and has a full no-move clause. For the Blackhawks to find a suitable swap, they would probably need to retain a fair-sized chunk of that contract which will only increase the asking price from the acquiring team. At first glance, this feels like something that’s more likely to be resolved in the offseason when more teams have cap flexibility but his name will undoubtedly come up in trade speculation before March 7th.
Rantanen On The Move Again? When the Hurricanes picked up Mikko Rantanen, it sent a message that they were going for it and felt they could sign the pending UFA winger to a long-term contract extension. It appears an offer has been made that would give him the highest AAV for a winger in NHL history but Rantanen hasn’t given the club an answer just yet. Meanwhile, he’s off to a quiet start offensively with his new team with just three points in seven games. That has led to some speculation that Carolina could look to flip Rantanen if an agreement on a new deal can’t be reached by the trade deadline. In theory, that would allow them to at least recoup some of the assets they gave up to get him but before it gets to that point, expect them to take another run at trying to get him to put pen to paper on an extension that will surpass the $100MM threshold.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.