Chicago Set To Host St. Louis In 2025 Winter Classic
The Chicago Blackhawks are set for a rematch in the 2025 Winter Classic, taking on the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field per team reporter Ben Pope with the Chicago Suntimes. This will be a reliving of the 2017 Winter Classic which saw St. Louis topple Chicago 4-1 at Busch Stadium, the home to the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals. They’ll now move to the home of the Chicago Cubs, effectively embracing the thick rivalries between the two cities.
This announcement will, above all else, provide future NHL star Connor Bedard with the first outdoor game of his NHL career. The top overall selection in last year’s draft is no stranger to outdoor games, with the WHL’s Regina Pats routinely hosting outdoor events like the Hockey Night on Wascana. But he will need to make sure he’s used to the setting if he plans to stay in Chicago. The 2025 Winter Classic will mark the fifth time that Chicago has played in the event. Couple that with two stadium series appearances, and the Blackhawks will take the lead for most outdoor games of any NHL club when they take the ice at Wrigley Field next year. Chicago will be beating out the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have seen three Winter Classics and three Stadium Series games.
This news also sets up Wrigley Field to become just the second venue to host two Winter Classics – fittingly sharing the title with Boston’s Fenway Park. The Blackhawks will hope for a better outcome than their last game at Wrigley, which ended in a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Jiri Hudler and the Detroit Red Wings.
Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the midst of a disastrous season. The walls started crumbling before the first puck drop of the season when Columbus parted ways with veteran coach Mike Babcock, who the team was looking to bring back from an unceremonious end to his career in the 2019-20 season.
But the problems have persisted in Columbus, with star winger Patrik Laine facing healthy scratches and personal absences, starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins requesting a trade, top defense prospect David Jiricek expressing frustration with his NHL role, and star rookie Adam Fantilli now out for two months with a lower-body injury. When it rains, it storms – and it is storming heavily in Ohio. And while the upcoming trade deadline won’t remedy the challenges they’re facing, it could give Columbus a chance to kickstart a much-needed reset.
Record
16-24-10, 8th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$18.525MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: CBJ 1st, CBJ 3rd, LAK 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th
2025: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th, VGK 7th
Trade Chips
Top goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is Columbus’ most likely option to be moved this Spring. The 29-year-old netminder requested a trade from the team, following a near total decline in his role. Merzlikins has only been iced in five of the team’s last 13 games, despite leading the team with nine wins and a .903 save percentage in 28 games this season. The Blue Jackets have instead leaned on Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves, a pair of goalies that are both much younger than Merzlikins. Columbus may be looking to find their goaltender for the next generation, something that the aging and expensive Merzlikins might not be around for.
But a Merzlikins deal may need a sweetener to go through. The 178-game veteran of the league is currently the 11th-most expensive goaltender in the NHL, with a $5.4MM cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season – his age-32 season. That contract would be a significant commitment, even for a team desperate for goaltending help.
There’s no doubt that teams around the league will be eyeing top young players like Kent Johnson or David Jiricek as said “sweeteners”, though they’d certainly require a hefty return. Both options have yet to find their ideal role with the Blue Jackets. Johnson has just 15 points through 34 games this season, on pace for just 14 goals and 36 points, a step down from the 16 goals and 40 points he managed in 79 games last season. He’s also gone without a power-play point through 75 minutes this season – despite scoring 12 points on the man advantage last year. And while Johnson is being confined to the bottom-six, Jiricek is being confined to the minor leagues. The 20-year-old defenseman, who the team took sixth-overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, has averaged the lowest ice time of any Blue Jackets defenseman, playing under 15 minutes a night through 36 games this season and not yet touching special teams at all. He’s managed nine points and 20 penalty minutes in spite of the role, and is vocally at odds with the team’s brass about what ice time he should be receiving.
It seems Columbus is at their length’s end, forced to decide which players to lean into on a roster where 13 different players are averaging between 13 and 15 minutes of ice time. While it doesn’t make sense for one of the league’s lowest-ranked teams to sell the future, their pedigree as being strong in the draft could make any necessary deals easier to stomach.
Luckily, the Blue Jackets won’t be out of the trade market if they choose not to part with their top prospects, or if they can’t find a suitor for Merzlikins’ pricey deal. The team still has centerman Jack Roslovic receiving plenty of trade interest, with teams eager to add the consistent, all-situations role that Roslovic provides. The 27-year-old has just 10 points through 27 games this season, but managed 45 and 44 points across the last two seasons respectively. He’s become a reliable option down the middle and could be the perfect fit for any playoff team looking to play into the Summer. Columbus could also part with Justin Danforth or Sean Kuraly – two aging depth forwards that play a strong role with the Blue Jackets. Danforth could be a particularly interesting option, as the 30-year-old carries just a $975K cap hit over the next two seasons and has a strong 36 points through 101 career NHL games. He could be a cheap and lucrative add for teams looking for a boost in their bottom-six. It’s likely that the return for any veteran forward would be heavily based around draft picks, especially after Sean Monahan fetched a first-round pick in his move from the Montreal Canadiens to the Winnipeg Jets.
Team Needs
1) Build Around Fantilli: In a season of struggles, Columbus is able to rest their hat on one supreme bright spot – Adam Fantilli. The third-overall selectio
n in last year’s draft, Fantilli has burst onto the scene, managing 12 goals and 27 points through 49 games despite a role that’s held him to an average under 16 minutes of ice time each game. What’s worse, Fantilli has spent at least 30 minutes of ice time with 10 different linemates over the first half of his rookie season. That is far from the ideal setting for a top young player. For perspective, #1-overall pick Connor Bedard has only had six linemates on a Blackhawks team devastated by injuries, while #2-overall pick Leo Carlsson has had just four linemates in Anaheim. Columbus is not giving Fantilli a chance to build consistent chemistry with his linemates, likely significantly holding him back from even more success in his rookie season. No matter if it’s because they don’t have the right players in the room, or just don’t know what configuration works best – the Blue Jackets need to use this trade deadline to get the player they’re hoping can lead the franchise into a more comfortable role.
2) Take What You Can Get: The Blue Jackets won’t be making the playoffs this year. And, pending a 2020 run, likely won’t make it next season either. But fans shouldn’t lose hope. Fantilli offers great promise for the future and he’s backed by really exciting prospects like Gavin Brindley – Fantilli’s old teammate – as well as top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk and high-scoring forward Jordan Dumais. That’s only scratching the surface of what is a really deep Blue Jackets prospect pool. Columbus doesn’t need to focus on their depth in the same way as the Anaheim Ducks or Minnesota Wild – and thus don’t have a need to try and stretch any trades. In a year of turmoil, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen needs to be more focused on building a cohesive roster than saving face. If there’s a chance for him to relieve some of the tension in the Blue Jackets lineup, or find a way to lighten the load on rookie head coach Pascal Vincent, it may be best to act first and worry about long-term upside second.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Islanders Move Casey Cizikas, Robert Bortuzzo To LTIR, Activate Ryan Pulock, Recall Two
The New York Islanders are facing a multitude of injuries and a tight cap. Because of that, they’ve moved forward Casey Cizikas (lower-body) and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (lower-body) to long-term injured reserve. Both players have been out of action since early January, already missing the required time with injury. That means both can be activated again whenever they are ready to return, though it’s uncertain what their exact timeline is. These moves were necessary for the team to create enough cap space to activate defenseman Ryan Pulock off of injured reserve. Pulock has been out of action since December 7th, missing the team’s last 24 games with a lower-body injury.
With Pulock activated, the Islanders also had enough cap space to recall minor-league forwards Simon Holmstrom and Kyle MacLean. Holmstrom has been a frequent member of the Islanders lineup this season, appearing in 48 games and scoring 12 goals and 18 points, while MacLean has gone without a point in five NHL games this season.
New York could have instead placed Adam Pelech on LTIR, rather than Bortuzzo or Cizikas. But unlike the latter two, Pelech has only been out since January 25th, meaning he would have to miss at least nine more games before being eligible to be activated. Team reporter Stefen Rosner shares that Pelech may be dealing with a concussion, making his return trickier to gauge than other injuries – though the team is hopeful he’ll be able to return within the next nine games.
These moves bring a beat-up Islanders lineup a bit closer to normal. Holmstrom will slot in for Julien Gauthier, who recently cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. MacLean will serve as the understudy to Hudson Fasching, who is facing a lower-body injury with an unknown timeline. And Pulock will likely return to his top role with the club. He’s averaged nearly 23 minutes per game through 25 games this season, scoring six points and recording a -6. The Islanders have provided more minutes to Alexander Romanov and Scott Mayfield in Pulock’s absence.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Brandon Gignac To Two-Year NHL Contract
The Montreal Canadiens have signed minor-league forward Brandon Gignac to a two-year, two-way contract. This will take over for the AHL contract Gignac is currently on, carrying him through the end of next season. The deal has a prorated $775K salary in the NHL and a prorated $150K salary in the minors for the remainder of this season. He’ll get a raise next season, with the same NHL salary but a $350K salary in the minors, and a $400K guarantee. All cap details come from team reporter Renaud Lavoie.
By signing an NHL contract, Gignac has been effectively recalled to the NHL roster and is slated to practice with the Canadiens on Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Gignac has been an invite to each of Montreal’s last three training camps, leaving each with a minor-league deal. This new contract represents his first recall since joining the Canadiens organization in 2021 and only the second recall of his professional career. His other recall came in March of 2019 with the New Jersey Devils. He played in his NHL debut but was sent down the next day, failing to score his first NHL point and setting a -2.
That has been the only NHL action that Gignac has received, with much of his eight-year professional career being spent in the AHL. He was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft – the same round that yielded Adam Fox and Connor Ingram. Gignac made his AHL debut at the end of the subsequent season and has since totaled 267 games and 154 points. That includes 42 points in 43 AHL games this season, a mark that ties the 26-year-old for fifth in the AHL in scoring. It’s not clear whether Gignac is set for extended time on the NHL roster, though he’s having a hot enough year to push for a spot on a Montreal team that’s played one forward down as of late.
Evening Notes: Hughes, Savard, Sandin-Pellikka
Star New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes told All-Star Game reporters, “I think I’m really close, hopefully I can come out of the break here and feel good, finish the year really strong.” Hughes has missed New Jersey’s last 10 games with an upper-body injury. The absences earned Hughes a spot on injured reserve ahead of the All-Star break, though that move was seemingly a paper transaction so the team could claim defenseman Nick DeSimone from the Calgary Flames.
This injury marks Hughes’ second long-term absence this season, with the star also missing five games earlier in the season with a shoulder injury. He’s been a force to be reckoned with when he is healthy, boasting 45 points through just 32 games. That ranks him second on the team in scoring, despite his absences, and fifth in the league in points per game. Hughes, 22, has done a lot to establish himself as the Devils’ franchise centerman of the future. Now, he just needs to prove he can stay healthy.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Montreal Canadiens aren’t planning on parting ways with defenseman David Savard, per team general manager Kent Hughes. Savard is in his third season with the Canadiens, joining the team via unrestricted free agency with a four-year, $14MM contract signed during the 2021 summer. It was the first time in Savard’s then 11-year career that he reached free agency and he made sure to return to his hometown team. Hughes isn’t looking to change that decision this Spring.
- Top defense prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka has returned to the Skelleftea organization after sitting out with an undisclosed injury suffered during the 2024 World Junior Championships. Sandin-Pellikka has been a standout name for Skelleftea, ranking third among the team’s defenders in scoring despite missing 13 games this season. He’s boasting 13 points through 26 games, the most among any U20 defensemen in the SHL. The Red Wings selected Sandin-Pellikka with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes have made their top status in the NHL undeniable this season. They’ve yet to have a losing record, despite facing injuries to top scorer Andrei Svechnikov and multiple goaltenders, including starter Frederik Andersen who is out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue. The Hurricanes have already iced five different goalies through the first half of the season, including waiver claim Spencer Martin and rookie Yaniv Perets. They even had veteran Jaroslav Halak on a professional try-out contract earlier in the season, though the 38-year-old wasn’t able to earn an NHL deal. But Carolina has persevered, fighting their way to ninth in the NHL and ranking in the league’s top 10 in goals for and against. They’ll be gearing up for another long playoff push when the Trade Deadline rolls around.
Record
28-15-5, 2nd in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$8.73MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 41/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, PHI 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
2025: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
Trade Chips
The Carolina Hurricanes have kept their roster fairly tight over the last few seasons and thus, don’t have much in the way of bargaining chips entering trade season. They are once again rumored to be shopping around Tony DeAngelo, who is in his second stint with the team after they traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2022 summer. DeAngelo likely hasn’t done much to raise his value since that deal, seeing a decline in his production with 42 points in 70 games last season and just nine in 21 games this year. It’s been coupled with a decreased role, with the 28-year-old averaging just 14 minutes of ice time this season, significantly down from the 22 minutes he averaged with Philadelphia last season. Still, the hope of a revamped role leading to revamped scoring could be enough to convince a deadline seller.
The Hurricanes will otherwise likely be moving on from future assets. They’ve managed to hang on to almost all of their draft picks over the next three drafts and could be poised to cash them in with the wind behind them this season. They’ve also drafted well enough to manage parting with a few top prospects, like winger Noel Gunler who appeared in 42 AHL games and scored 23 points between 2021 and 2023, but is now on loan to the Liiga’s Karpat. Or they could move on from one of their two leading NCAA scorers in Bradly Nadeau – who ranks second on the University of Maine in scoring with 31 points in 22 games – or Cruz Lucius – who leads the University of Wisconsin with 22 points in 24 games.
With Carolina having reportedly taken Brett Pesce off the trade deadline, it’s hard to imagine many other names they’d be excited to move. They’ll be limited to a strict buyer status on deadline day, doomed to part with future capital if they want to build on this season. But they may have a silver lining financially, with CapFriendly estimating the Hurricanes will have roughly $8.7MM in deadline cap space. That could be enough to make bringing on cap feasible, likely cheapening any deal, or helping them contend for the more expensive players on the market.
Team Needs
1) Consistency In Net: The Carolina Hurricanes don’t necessarily need a goaltender. Pyotr Kochetkov has manned the team’s net serviceably, when healthy, tallying 11 wins and a .900 save percentage through 23 games. The 24-year-old is currently in the AHL, looking to make his return from a concussion suffered on January 11th that earned him a stint on injured reserve. Kochetkov’s de facto backup, Antti Raanta, has also managed 12 games this season, though he’s tallied a much lower .870 save percentage. But neither goalie has been able to evade the minors, with Kochetkov not making the Hurricanes out of camp and playing in three AHL games this season, and Raanta getting placed on waivers earlier in the year and appearing in two AHL games.
Consistency in net has been Carolina’s missing piece this year. And while they could continue wishing for better health, this could be the best year to bring in a new name. There’s a long list of quality goaltenders on the trade block, including backups Jake Allen and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both options could come at a cheaper price than top names like Jacob Markstrom or Kaapo Kahkonen, while still providing Carolina with an upgrade over Raanta. With Kochetkov hoping to return from injury soon, the Hurricanes don’t need to sell the lot for a new name. But anyone capable of staying active would provide massive value, especially as the team aims its sights on a deep playoff run.
2) A Big Splash: Carolina hasn’t had much to complain about this season. They’re getting plenty of scoring, with 11 players boasting 20 or more points, including three defensemen. They’re even poised to add a major scoring talent back into the lineup when Andrei Svechnikov returns from an upper-body injury that’s held him out of Carolina’s last three games. But there are plenty of big names on the open market that could put an already-strong Hurricanes team over the top. They could pull off a blockbuster deal to bring in Ottawa’s Jakob Chychrun or Vladimir Tarasenko, Philadelphia’s Sean Walker, or Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel. All four players would provide formidable depth to Carolina, without locking the team into lengthy contracts. It’d be a surefire boost to a Hurricanes lineup that’s pitted up against a strong divisional opponent in the New York Rangers. Carolina doesn’t typically jump for big-name Spring trades, but a rich market could sway them to upgrade while they still can.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Snapshots: NHL Expansion, Thomson, Newhook
The NHL is eyeing expansion, with commissioner Gary Bettman naming Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Omaha all as cities that have expressed interest in housing an NHL club. Houston and Omaha are the only cities on the list not currently housing an ECHL club, though Omaha makes up for it with the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Division 1 NCAA team and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers juniors club. Houston did host a minor league club from 1994 to 2013, though they relocated to Des Moines Iowa ahead of the 2013-14 season. The city has been without professional hockey ever since, though this season does mark the first time since World War II that the University of Houston has hosted a club hockey team.
How the NHL will go about reconfiguring divisions if one, or all, of these five cities receive a team is unclear. The list seemingly places three clubs undeniably in the Western Conference – Salt Lake City, Houston, and Omaha – while Atlanta would settle back into their place in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati would be the toss-up, with the city situated perfectly on the line of conference ambiguity. It’s west of Detroit and Columbus – two teams that have spent time in both conferences – but still east of Nashville, a city that could reasonably mark where the Western Conference ends and the Eastern Conference begins. It seems most likely that Cincinnati will be the balancing piece in any new NHL expansions, if and when they happen.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Ottawa Senators are open to shopping around defenseman Lassi Thomson, per team reporter Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. A recent report on Sweden’s Expressen shared that the defenseman could return to Scandinavian hockey, joining the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. This rumored move could be a driving factor in any trade talks, as Ottawa will surely want a return on their investment and any recipient will want to ensure they’re getting a long-term piece. Thomson, 23, has spent all season in the AHL, totaling 11 points through 40 games. He’s also added 40 penalty minutes and a -11. All of these stats are a step down from Thomson’s 2022-23 season, when he managed 33 points, 28 penalty minutes, and a -9 through 56 AHL games. The former 2019 first-round pick played two seasons in the Liiga, Finland’s top league, after being drafted and before his career in North American pros began at the end of the 2020-21 season.
- Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook is aiming for a return soon, says team general manager Kent Hughes. Newhook was announced as out for 10-to-12 weeks in early-December after suffering a high ankle sprain. That projection places his return in mid-February, at the earliest – though his return to the ice in late January suggests he’s progressing nicely. Newhook has appeared in 23 games with Montreal this season, scoring seven goals and 13 points. It’s his first time playing in Canada since his two-year stretch in the BCHL prior to being drafted. The Canadiens traded a 2023 first and second round draft pick, as well as Gianni Fairbrother, to the Colorado Avalanche this summer in exchange for Newhook.
Afternoon Notes: Lindholm, Zellweger, Hertl
The Vancouver Canucks are hoping that Elias Lindholm can stick around, with the team’s President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford sharing that, “Lindholm could be a rental. He could be a long-term guy. In an ideal world, we’d like to keep him.” The Canucks acquired Lindholm on Wednesday, sending the Calgary Flames Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, and a first and fourth-round draft pick in return.
Lindholm’s contract extension has been heavily discussed throughout the season, with reports from the summer sharing that he could be asking for as much as $9MM per year on a new deal. That’s likely changed after what’s been a slow season for Lindholm, who has only managed nine goals and 32 points through 49 games – continuing his decline in scoring since scoring a career-high 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season. The 29-year-old will look to regain his former scoring touch – and his value on an extension – now on a Vancouver Canucks team that ranks second in the league in scoring.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Anaheim Ducks have sent top defensive prospect Olen Zellweger to the minor leagues. This move is likely to get Zellweger ice time while the Ducks have an eight-day break for the All-Star Break. Zellweger has appeared in the first four NHL games of his career since getting the first recall of his career on January 23rd. He’s recorded one assist and a +2 in those outings, still looking for the first goal of his career. The 20-year-old is in his first pro season, after spending the last four seasons in the WHL. He’s had a hot start to his professional career, ranking third among rookie AHL defensemen in scoring with 25 points through 34 games.
- Top San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl, who has been out for the team’s last two games, shared with media that he will play in Saturday’s NHL All-Star Game. This will be Hertl’s return from a lower-body injury that’s held him out since January 27th. The 30-year-old has scored 15 goals and 34 points through 48 games this season, leading the Sharks in both categories.
Philadelphia Flyers Gauging Trade Interest In Scott Laughton
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly gauging interest in centerman Scott Laughton on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger shares that, while Philadelphia would be hesitant to move Laughton, they’re willing to hear offers with the market for centerman now largely dried up. Only three centermen remain in TSN’s Trade Bait series – Adam Henrique, Sean Monahan, and Jack Roslovic – after Elias Lindholm was moved to the Vancouver Canucks.
Teams were reportedly offering late first-round picks for Laughton last summer, though Philadelphia preferred to hang onto the depth centerman. The team drafted Laughton 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and awarded him his NHL debut in the very next season. He’s played in every season since, totaling 569 games and 219 points across 11 years with the Flyers, establishing himself as a focal piece of the team’s bottom-six forwards and penalty-killing units. He has even earned a power-play role over the last few seasons, helping him reach a career-high 43 points in 78 games last season. That scoring production hasn’t continued into this year – with Laughton boasting just 20 points through 50 games, his lowest point-per-game pace since the 2020-21 season.
Still, a bottom-of-the-lineup centerman who can play on both special teams carries undeniable value. Laughton’s contract makes him even more valuable, with the 29-year-old sitting at a $3MM cap hit over the next three seasons – the second-cheapest among any centermen on TSN’s trade board and the only one with a contract beyond this season. A first-round pick is likely the starting bid in any Laughton trade discussions, though it may take a lot more to get Philadelphia to part with the 500-game veteran of the club.
Evening Notes: Fantilli, Capitals, Zadorov
Star Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli suffered a cut on the back of his leg in the team’s Sunday night loss to the Seattle Kraken. He was seen leaving the game on crutches and the team announced today that he will miss their Tuesday night game against the St. Louis Blues. Fantilli has been a bright spot in a dark Blue Jackets season, tied for second on the team in scoring with 27 points through 49 games. The 19-year-old is one of only four Blue Jackets to play in all 49 of the team’s games this season.
Columbus drafted Fantilli with the third-overall pick in last year’s draft and now becomes the last of the top-three picks to face an injury this season. Chicago Blackhawks sensation Connor Bedard is currently grappling with a jaw injury that’s limited him to 39 games, while Leo Carlsson faced a knee injury that’s held him to just 30 games this season. The trio of top picks is joined by Zach Benson – who has played in 38 games – as the only players to jump directly into the NHL. Despite playing in more games than anyone else in the class, Fantilli doesn’t lead the group in scoring – as Bedard has managed 15 goals and 33 points despite his injury.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Washington Capitals have signed a six-year extension with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. The new deal carries the partnership through the 2029-30 season. Hershey has been Washington’s affiliate since 2005, when they were coached by NHL-coaching veteran Bruce Boudreau. Hershey won the Calder Cup Championship in their first year under the Capitals, and have since become a legacy team in the minor leagues, winning three other championships. This includes last season when they toppled the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a seven-game series. With six more years ahead of them, Hershey will look to continue to add to their trophy cabinet.
- Player agent Dan Milstein has shared that his client Nikita Zadorov is not expecting to be traded by the Vancouver Canucks before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Speculation arose after Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discussed Vancouver’s desire to clear up cap space, listing Andrei Kuzmenko and Zadorov as options for moving out cap. Zadorov joined the Canucks on November 30th, with Vancouver sending a 2024 fifth-round pick and 2026 third-round pick to the Calgary Flames. The 28-year-old defender has since played in 24 games with the Canucks, scoring four points and recording 39 penalty minutes. He carries a $3.75MM cap hit through the end of the season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.