Golden Knights Sign Noah Hanifin To Eight-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Trade Deadline acquisition Noah Hanifin to an eight-year contract extension (Twitter link). The deal reportedly carries a $7.35MM cap hit, a six-year full-no-trade clause, and full signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).
Hanifin is earning front-page news once again after his trade market dominated much of this year’s Trade Deadline prep. Vegas was a surprise landing spot for the top defender, acquiring him in a three-team trade that saw them send Daniil Miromanov and a 2025 first-round and third-round pick to the Calgary Flames and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers. Hanifin has since played 16 games with the Golden Knights, recording two goals and nine points. He’s recorded the second-most points among Vegas defensemen since joining, behind Shea Theodore‘s 11 points. The scoring brings Hanifin up to 13 goals and 44 points in 77 games, flirting with his career-high 48 points posted in the 2021-22 season.
Philadelphia’s brokerage of the deal reduced Hanifin’s cap hit to just $1.2375MM – just enough for Vegas to acquire Tomáš Hertl‘s $6.75MM cap hit. The Golden Knights now have just $1.464MM in off-season cap space, per CapFriendly, assuming an $87.5MM salary cap. They’ll have to negotiate with seven free agents, including Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez, now the only expiring defenseman.
While they’re almost destined to face cap troubles down the line, the Vegas Golden Knights now have Hanifin, Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Hertl signed through the 2025-26 season. That’s not to mention the impactful supporting cast, like William Karlsson, Ivan Barbashev, and Zach Whitecloud, who are all signed through the next two seasons. Vegas wasn’t able to top 100 points this season, though they should be one of the final teams to secure a playoff spot. But they’ll have plenty of time for a more prolific season, with their core pieces – including three top defensemen – now locked up for the foreseeable future.
The deal is a shade cheaper than the rumored eight-year, $60MM deal Hanifin had discussed with the Flames earlier in the season. The AAV/cap hit on that would have come in at $7.5MM per year, meaning he’s taken $150K less annually and $1.2MM less in total over the life of the contract to extend in Vegas.
This was Hanifin’s chance to cash in on a long-term deal and his first offseason being eligible for unrestricted free agency if he chose. Fresh off his 27th birthday in January, he already has quite the career under his belt, accumulating 62 goals, 221 assists and 283 points with an even rating over 675 games with the Flames, Golden Knights and Hurricanes since his debut in 2015.
Hanifin is a definite top-pair threat but not an elite point producer or power-play contributor. That makes his cap hit, which is 8.8% of the ceiling at the time of signing, a tad steep when examining comparables. Players with similar roles and results, like the Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and the Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson, signed eight-year extensions over the last two years with cap hits of $6.5MM and $6.25MM, respectively, which were between 7.5% and 8% of the cap ceiling at the time of signing. A slightly richer and older comparable is Maple Leafs blue-liner Morgan Rielly, who inked an eight-year, $7.5MM AAV extension in October 2021 that was 9.2% of the ceiling at the time of signing.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
East Notes: Duclair, Nosek, Rangers
The Tampa Bay Lightning could be without winger Anthony Duclair on Thursday, with head coach Jon Cooper declaring him as “definitely doubtful” with a stomach bug, per Chris Krenn of NHL.com (Twitter link). Duclair has played in 14 games since moving to Tampa at the Trade Deadline. He’s been incredibly productive on a new roster, posting 12 points, split evenly, with Tampa after just 27 points in 56 games with the San Jose Sharks. His 0.857 points-per-game pace with Tampa is the highest of his career.
The Lightning have breathed new life into Duclair’s career, after a trade from the Florida Panthers to the Sharks last summer. The move stalled out Duclair’s production after three big seasons with the Panthers. He totaled 99 points across 137 games in Florida, adding 14 points in 34 playoff games. He’s now regaining that scoring touch across Florida, despite averaging his sparsest ice time (14:33) since the 2018-19 season.
Conor Sheary is expected to move into Duclair’s role next to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, while Mitchell Chaffee will slot back into the lineup. Sheary has three goals and 13 points in 53 games this season, while Chaffee has four goals and six points in 27 games. Tampa has four games left in their season and has already clinched the Eastern Conference’s top Wild Card, giving them the space to rest some of their top names like Duclair.
Other notes from around the league:
- Tomas Nosek will be out of the New Jersey Devils lineup on Thursday, per interim head coach Travis Green (Twitter link). Nosek has been in and out of the lineup all season long, totaling just 35 games on the year. He’s scored six points in those appearances, adding six penalty minutes and a -9. It’s his first year in New Jersey, joining the team on a one-year, $1MM contract this summer. While injuries have been a major concern, Nosek has provided stout play in New Jersey’s fourth-line center role when healthy. Recall Graeme Clarke is slotting into the lineup in Nosek’s place, though it’s Shane Bowers who will take over his centerman role in the bottom six.
- The New York Rangers have shared that both Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are okay after scary incidents in the team’s Wednesday night game, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh (Twitter link). Kreider took a slapshot from Zibanejad and looked banged up on the bench, while Zibanejad had a blindsided collision with New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Both players are expected to stay in the lineup as the Rangers approach their final three games of the season.
Ducks Sign Sam Colangelo To Entry-Level Contract
The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Sam Colangelo to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins this year (Web link). Colangelo signed an amateur try-out contract with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on April 1st – recording both a goal and an assist in his professional debut and since totaling four points in his first four AHL games. The Ducks are quickly rewarding the strong start, signing Colangelo to a deal that now allows him to be called up.
This move continues what’s been a whirlwind season for Colangelo, who served as the leading goal-scorer at Western Michigan University before turning pro. He totaled 24 goals and 43 points in 38 games with the Broncos, a significant boost from the 24 points he scored in 35 games at Northeastern University the year prior. Colangelo’s poised playmaking has always been his calling card, but he found a new layer this season – showing an added ability to calmly make plays in a high-tempo offense. He creatively uses space along the boards and at the top of the circles to open passing lanes, and effectively drives the slot when he’s not on the puck. Those traits helped Colangelo fit right in with San Diego’s forecheck, as he adapted quickly to the AHL’s heavy zone play.
Colangelo will now prepare for his biggest test yet, with The Athletic’s Eric Stephens reporting that he could make his NHL debut on Friday (Twitter link). Stephens added that Colangelo was skating alongside Isac Lundeström and Jakob Silfverberg at practice, giving him veteran support as he tries to hang onto a lineup spot in Anaheim’s last three games of the season.
Blackhawks Recall Ethan Del Mastro
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defense prospect Ethan Del Mastro from the minor leagues (Twitter link). This is the first call-up of Del Mastro’s career, after playing through his rookie AHL season this year. He’s recorded seven goals and 37 points in 66 games with the Rockford IceHogs, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring.
The Hawks selected Del Mastro in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, selecting him with a pick acquired when Chicago sent Madison Bowey and a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks. Del Mastro returned to the OHL for each of the last two seasons, recording 100 points across 120 games. Scoring was never his forte – with Del Mastro’s draft-year hype instead coming from his stout defense – though his 59 points in 52 OHL games last season and his strong minor league scoring this year are certainly starting to flip that narrative.
Del Mastro, 21, will join a very talented, and very young, Chicago blue-line that has also featured Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier, and Wyatt Kaiser – all U22 defensemen. The latter three names are currently on the Rockford roster, and the former two likely won’t face competition from Del Mastro. He’ll instead challenge veteran fill-ins like Jarred Tinordi or Jaycob Megna. Neither veteran has recorded a goal this season – instead boasting nine assists and two assists respectively.
Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg Announces Plans To Retire
Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg has announced his plans to retire from the NHL at the end of the season (Twitter link). Friday will mark his last time suiting up at the Honda Center, as the Ducks host the Calgary Flames in their last home game of the season.
This news comes as a surprise from the 33-year-old Silfverberg. While injuries limited him as the 2020s rolled around – he’s otherwise had a generally healthy career, playing in 70-or-more games in seven different seasons, including each of the last two. His scoring has taken a major hit, though, with Silfverberg netting just 19 points in 78 games this season – less than half of his totals from just four seasons ago.
Still, Silfverberg has had a fruitful career, totaling 817 games over the last 12 seasons. All but one of those seasons came with Anaheim, who acquired the Swedish winger in the 2013 trade that sent Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators. Silfverberg would go on to play in the fifth-most games in Ducks history – playing 769 with the Ducks – and score the seventh-most points with 354. He also added the fourth-most playoff points, scoring 41 in 57 postseason performances. While he hasn’t dominated the scoresheet like former teammates Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry, Silfverberg provided invaluable consistency for a long time in Anaheim, always carrying a controllable cap hit.
While Silfverberg’s NHL career is coming to a close, there is no indication of whether he’ll return to Sweden’s SHL or not. Silfverberg played in 166 games with Brynäs IF before moving to the NHL, after growing up through the organization’s youth program. He served as team captain in the 2011-12 season – his last year in Sweden – while wearing #100.
Atlantic Notes: Byram, Dahlin, Edmundson, Lyubushkin
The Buffalo Sabres will be without newcomer defenseman Bowen Byram on Thursday due to a personal matter (Twitter link). Byram also missed the team’s morning practice. He has so far played in 16 games with the Sabres, netting three goals and seven points. That’s a 0.438 point-per-game pace, a significant boost over the 0.363 scoring pace he managed prior to being traded, when he scored 20 points in 55 games with the Colorado Avalanche. His combined 27 points in 71 games mark a new career-high for Byram, topping his 24 points last season.
Buffalo will now be back to square one, trying to make up for a lack of defense depth now without Byram or Erik Johnson, who was also traded at the Trade Deadline. This likely opens the door for Kale Clague to step back into the lineup for Buffalo’s last three games. Clague has made two other appearances in the Sabres lineup this season, recording one assist and one penalty. He was a much more frequent lineup piece last season, playing in 33 games with Buffalo and recording four assists, but he lost his platoon role to rookie Ryan Johnson this year. Johnson, who has played in his first 41 NHL games this year, is currently assigned to the minor-leagues but could receive a call-up if Buffalo wants added depth to close out the season.
Other notes from around the league:
- Staying with the Sabres defense, star Rasmus Dahlin has shared that he is ready to take on the Sabres captaincy, if the opportunity presents itself, per Paul Hamilton of WGR550 (Twitter link). Buffalo recently traded two-year captain Kyle Okposo, leaving the role once again vacant. Dahlin is serving alongside Zemgus Girgensons as the team’s assistant captains, though Girgensons is on an expiring deal and faced trade rumors earlier in the season. That leaves Dahlin, who is signed through the 2031-32 season, as seemingly the last man up in Buffalo’s search for leadership. He could face competition from top centerman Tage Thompson, long-tenured veteran Jeff Skinner, or grizzled personality-piece Alex Tuch – though it’s hard to envision the Sabres not once again placing their trust in Dahlin, who this season became the first Sabres defender since Phil Housley to score 20 goals.
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson has shared that he’s good to go, after missing the team’s last eight games with an undisclosed injury, shares TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). He will be joined in re-entering the lineup by Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed Toronto’s last three games. Masters adds that Conor Timmins and Jake McCabe will step out of the lineup – with McCabe getting rested after an extended stint in the lineup.
Coyotes’ Travis Dermott Out For The Season With Injury
The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Travis Dermott will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an upper-body injury. Forward Nick Bjugstad is also facing an upper-body injury, carrying a day-to-day designation (Twitter link). The Coyotes have five games remaining in their season, including a Tuesday night matchup with the Seattle Kraken.
Dermott has been limited to just 50 games this season, with a month-long absence in November headlining an injury-plagued year. It’s been a disappointing start to Dermott’s time in Arizona after he signed a one-year deal with the team this summer. It was his first time signing a free-agent contract, with all of his previous deals coming with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dermott certainly found an improved role in the desert, averaging 17:17 in ice time that flirted with his career-high. But it didn’t lead to improved scoring, as he managed just two goals and seven points, matching the measly scoring he posted in 60 games last year. Dermott will be set to re-enter free agency this summer, with this injury likely not helping his bid for a new team if the Coyotes don’t re-sign him.
Rookie Maksymillian Szuber is expected to make his NHL debut in Dermott’s place. Szuber has recorded six goals and 24 points in 67 games as an AHL rookie, after spending the last three seasons in Germany’s DEL. He’ll become the first skater selected outside of 2022’s top two rounds to play in the NHL. Szuber moving into the lineup removes Arizona’s extra defender, though the team could recall an option like Victor Soderstrom or Vladislav Kolyachonok for added depth.
Blues’ Justin Faulk Week-To-Week, Likely Out For Season
An upper-body injury is expected to hold Justin Faulk out for an extended time, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Dispatch (Twitter link). DeFranks shares that head coach Drew Bannister designated Faulk as week-to-week, adding that he’s likely done for the year. The Blues have four games left in their season.
Faulk left the Blues’ Saturday game early, following a fight with San Jose Sharks forward Luke Kunin. He instigated the fight after a bad hit on teammate Jake Neighbours that also forced an early exit. Bannister designated Neighbours as day-to-day with a resulting upper-body injury on Tuesday, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link).
Faulk has again served as a top defender for the Blues, averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time through 60 games this season. But he hasn’t been nearly as productive as usual, with just two goals and 30 points – a far cry from his 50 points last year. Injuries could be to blame, with Faulk missing significant time in December, January, and February with a nagging lower-body injury. He’ll now end his season having played in his fewest games since 2013, excluding the shortened 2020-21 season where he played in all 56 games.
Faulk’s absence will give Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker more lineup security, though they’ll each still compete with Marco Scandella. None of the three have reached 10 points yet, with Scandella’s eight points in 66 games leading the group. Meanwhile, rookies Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc could hang onto a role with Neighbours out. St. Louis is currently five points back from a Wild Card, and one game in the hole, though they’re not yet mathematically eliminated.
West Notes: Demko, Dunn, McCann, Rantanen
The Vancouver Canucks welcomed starting goaltender Thatcher Demko back to practice on Tuesday and could return him to the lineup as soon as Saturday, head coach Rick Tocchet shares with TSN’s Farhan Lalji (Twitter link). Demko is currently on Vancouver’s long-term injured reserve with a knee injury. He hasn’t played since March 9th, missing Vancouver’s last 12 games.
While Tocchet added that the team wants to be careful in easing Demko back in, there’s no doubting they’re ecstatic to have him back in time for playoffs. Demko’s success has been a big part of the Canucks’ climb up the standings, with the 28-year-old posting 34 wins and a .917 save percentage across 49 appearances this season. He ranks third in the league in wins and fifth in save percentage, among starting goalies.
Demko’s strong performances this season have continued his ascension, with the three-year starter in a good position to receive Vezina Trophy votes for just the second time in his career – joining his seventh-place finish in 2022, after he posted 33 wins and a .915 save percentage in 64 games. But he’ll have bigger goals in mind, with Vancouver poised to make the playoffs for just the third time since 2014.
Other notes from around the league:
- Both Jared McCann and Vince Dunn will miss the Seattle Kraken’s Tuesday game against the Arizona Coyotes, per team reporter Alison Lukan (Twitter link). Head coach Dave Hakstol shared that both players remain day-to-day, with McCann facing a lower-body injury and Dunn nursing an upper-body injury. The pair have been highly impactful this year, each ranked in the top-three of scoring in Seattle, with McCann boasting a team-leading 60 points in 75 games while Dunn has 46 points in 59 games.
- Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar has shared that forward Mikko Rantanen could return on Saturday, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com (Twitter link). The star winger has been in concussion protocol after taking a heavy hit from Edmonton Oilers defesneman Mattias Ekholm on Friday. Rantanen eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second-straight seaosn this year, currently carrying 40 goals and 102 points through 77 games.
Devils’ Jack Hughes To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
The New Jersey Devils have announced that star centerman Jack Hughes will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery on April 10th (Twitter link). His season will come to a close after just 62 games, with Hughes scoring 27 goals and 74 points.
This news finally brings an end to what’s been an injury-riddled year for Hughes. He missed two weeks of action in November with a right shoulder injury and earned a spot on injured reserve for one month in January with another upper-body injury. And while Hughes has been consistently in the lineup since February 8th, he hasn’t seemed to be in full health – shying away from physicality and not taking a single faceoff since his last injury.
But even when hobbled, Hughes was still a dominant player for the Devils. He’s scored 29 points in 30 games since February 8th, while averaging 21:28 in ice time. That ranks Hughes second on the team in scoring in that span, behind Nico Hischier and tied with Timo Meier. It also ranks him in the top 30 in league scoring over the last two months.
New Jersey has gone 31-31 with Hughes in the lineup, compared to 6-10 in the games he’s missed, and 12-16 since his return from injured reserve. They’ll now have to finish the year off without him, though there’s not much left to fight for – with New Jersey sat five points, and five spots, away from an Eastern Conference Wild Card. Nolan Foote is expected to make his season debut in Hughes’ absence on Tuesday. Foote has missed a large portion of the season with an upper-body injury suffered during the preseason. He’ll be playing in his 20th career NHL game, and his first since March of 2023.