Panthers Sign Tyler Muszelik
The Florida Panthers have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Tyler Muszelik to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Muszelik recently saw his college career come to an end after two years at the University of New Hampshire and two years at the University of Connecticut. It was not indicated if Muszelik will sign a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season.
Florida moved goaltender Kirill Gerasimyuk from the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirartes to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers roughly an hour before signing Muszelik, which may create a crowded goalie room in the AHL.
Muszelik moved to the college level immediately after two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He split starts with Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NTDP and manageed a middling stat line: a 15-13-4 record and 0.880 save percentage in 34 USHL games. A quiet junior career and early start in college defaulted Muszelik to a backup role for his underclass seasons in New Hampshire. His time with the Wildcats was fairly quiet, marked by a 9-10-2 record and 0.879 save percentage in 21 games.
Seeking more, Muszelik moved to Connecticut for his junior season in 2024-25. He moved straight into the starting role, vacated by Nashville Predators’ prospect Ethan Haider and Calgary Flames’ prospect Arsenii Sergeev. Muszelik was quickly successful with routine ice time. He posted a 12-6-3 record and .912 save percentage in 23 games. His performance was strong enough to help UConn push to the Hockey East championship game, where they lost to the University of Maine. Not to be detered, Muszelik managed to improve on his strong numbers this season. He posted a 19-11-5 record and .926 save percentage in 35 games and again led the Huskies to the Hockey East championship, only to lose to Merrimack College.
Even with a pair of conference championship losses shadowing over him, Muszelik’s upperclass seasons were shining performances. He showed an impressive layer of athleticism and focus – and seemed to only get better the more frequently he took the starter’s crease. On the back of heavy minutes this season, Muszelik could get a chance to take an early break in preperation for his first pro season.
If he instead signs a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season, Muszelik would get a chance to compete with Gerasimyuk and Cooper Black for pro minutes. Black has held a firm grip on Charlotte’s starting role this season, marked by 24 wins and a .903 save percentage in 39 games. Gerasimyuk has recorded eight wins and a .904 save percentage in 17 AHL games. The pair of goaltenders will be Muszelik’s competition through the first year of his entry-level contract.
Avalanche’s Nicolas Roy Will Return Before Playoffs
The Colorado Avalanche are slowly assembling their playoff roster after a wave of acquisitions and injuries. They’ll soon add another piece back to the depth chart, with center Nicolas Roy progressing back from an upper-body injury sustained on March 22nd. He has already missed three games with the injury, but returned to practice in a regular jersey on Monday. That progress will put Roy on track to return to the lineup within Colorado’s final 10 games of the season, head coach Jared Bednar told Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Roy appeared in nine games with Colorado before going down with injury. He recorded three goals and 13 penalty minutes in those appearances. Despite taking 556 faceoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to his Trade Deadline move, and winning 52.9 percent of those draws, the bulk of Roy’s minutes with Colorado were spent on Brock Nelson‘s wing. The duo recorded a 66 expected-goals percentage (xGF%) per Natural Stat Trick.
Roy was a productive third-liner for the Maple Leafs prior to his move. He scored 20 points in 59 games with the Maple Leafs, after joining the team in a summer swap with the Vegas Golden Knights for the rights to star winger Mitch Marner. Roy filled a similar depth role with Vegas for six seasons prior to his move. He rivaled 30 points in his final four seasons with the Golden Knights, including posting a career-high 41 points in 70 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Colorado built out a deep depth chart with the additions of Roy and Nazem Kadri at the Trade Deadline. When Roy is back to full health, the two will compete with Nelson for a spot at their natural center position, while the odd-man-out likely moves to the a top-nine winger role. Roy could be the one to land in that position, alternating faceoffs with Nelson who has a 50.7 faceoff percentage this season. His return will add another pillar to Colorado’s league-best offense just in time for another run towards the Stanley Cup.
Avalanche Sign Matthew DiMarsico
The Colorado Avalanche will once again dip into the pool of college free agents. They have signed Pennsylvania State University winger Matthew DiMarsico to a twp-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. DiMarsico will join the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
This will be another boost to a big season for DiMarsico. The undrafted forward posted a career-high 18 goals and 42 points in 37 games with Penn State this season – one more goal and nine more assists than he managed in 39 games last year. He was also selected to represented the NCAA at the 2025 Spengler Cup, as part of a historic U.S. Collegiate Selects squad. DiMarsico posted two goals and a minus-two in four games at the international tournament. Much of his season was spent alongside, or behind, star prospect Gavin McKenna on the depth chart. Where McKenna offered flashy playmaking, DiMarsico brought poised drive and finishing around the net. His 6-foot, 180-pound frame stood tall against college competition, helping DiMarsico win his battles and fill multiple roles on the forecheck.
The 22 year old has spent three seasons in college hockey’s Big Ten. He slowly worked his way up the Nittany Lions roster, propelled by a breakout year across from Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink last season. DiMarsico only had one year of junior hockey experience before his days as a college athlete – scoring 25 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in the 2022-23 season, the season after his first year of draft eligibility. He spent his age-18 season playing 18U hockey with the Buffalo Regals, and high school hockey at Avon Old Farms.
DiMarsico was a workhorse talent for the Nittany Lions. He played upwards of 23 minutes a night in must-win games and helped push play downhill when Penn State broke the puck out. He will get his first chances to translate that to the pro level with eight games left in the Eagles regular season. The Eagles are well set for a playoff position as well, though haven’t yet clinched their spot. DiMarsico’s hot offense could be a major playoff boost, and help him work towards the goal of one day slotting into the Avalanche’s bottom-six.
Kraken Reassign Logan Morrison
3/29: Morrison has been re-assigned to AHL Coachella Valley, the team announced this morning. The forward was scratched in both games on the big club, as McCann returned last night. Seattle will be back at it Tuesday in Edmonton in dire need of points in an attempt to sneak into Wild Card berth. Meanwhile, the 12th ranked Firebirds will be pleased to have their leading scorer back.
3/27: The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Logan Morrison from the AHL under emergency conditions. He will help Seattle address a slew of injuries, including to Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Ryan Winterton.
Morrison played in his NHL debut on March 26, 2024 – nearly two years ago to the day. He totaled four NHL appearances that season and recorded no scoring, no penalties, and a minus-one. Morrison has been with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds ever since. He carved out a top role on the Firebirds with back-to-back 40-point seasons over the last two years. With that footing, Morrison has taken off this year. He leads Coachella Valley in goals (27) and points (56) through 61 games. He has added 40 penalty minutes and a plus-22, also career-highs for the young professional.
The 23-year-old winger could be set to play in his fifth NHL game as the Kraken seek out a right-winger to fill out their depth chart. Seattle has operated with 11 forwards and seven defenseman recently, creating room for Cale Fleury to play in four games this month. He has one point and a minus-one in those appearances, bringing his season totals up to three points in 21 games. With that quiet stretch, and a 1-4-0 record in their last five games, Seattle could look back towards a traditional lineup structure to provide a spark.
Jets Recall Parker Ford, Danil Zhilkin
The Winnipeg Jets have recalled forwards Parker Ford and Danil Zhilkin under emergency conditions. The duo will help Winnipeg fill in for injuries to Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, and Morgan Barron.
Zhilkin, 22, played through the first four games of his NHL career on a brief call-up in January. He managed no scoring, no penalties, and a plus-two in those appearances, while only playing more than 10 minutes in one game. He has planted his feet as a top center for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in the months since, even despite scoring only 22 points in 54 games this season. He had a brief hot streak – five points in five games – in late December, leading up to his first NHL recall, but has otherwise struggled to post consecutive games with points for much of the year.
Ford has played through a fairly similar season. The 25-year-old winger began the season as an extra forward on Winnipeg’s roster. He appeared in 11 NHL games between October and November but only posted one point, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two. Ford was assigned to the AHL in November and has since recorded 21 points in 45 games with Manitoba. He has offered a responsible game around a young Moose lineup, helping to create space for Jets prospects Brayden Yager, Brad Lambert, and Zhilkin. Ford also appeared in three NHL games, and scored one point, last season.
The pair of call-ups will help Winnipeg stock the lineup as they prepare for a four-game road trip. Winnipeg now carries Zhilkin, Lambert, Isak Rosen, Ville Heinola, and Elias Salomonsson on the NHL roster. With the postseason well out of sight, they’ll embrace a chance to test out prospects with 10 games left on the schedule.
Sharks Recall Laurent Brossoit
The San Jose Sharks have recalled depth goaltender Laurent Brossoit from the AHL. He will help shore up the depth chart after starter Yaroslav Askarov was injured in the second period of Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues per Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group. Askarov was injured after Blues winger Nathan Walker was knocked into the crease by Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The Sharks haven’t yet designated the nature of Askarov’s injury.
Thursday marked Askarov’s return from a previous injury that held him out of 16 days and seven games. He has served as San Jose’s go-to goaltender when healthy. Playing through his first season in a full-time NHL role, Askarov has recorded 19 wins, an .887 save percentage, and a 3.52 goals-against-average through 41 games.
Brossoit made his own return from injury in early December. He played his first games of the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, after missing the entirety of the 2024-25 season with multiple lower-body injuries. The Sharks traded for Brossoit in early January. He quickly took over the starting role for the San Jose Barracuda, where he has posted an impressive 11 wins and .915 save percentage in 15 appearances. On the long haul back from injury, the former William M. Jennings Trophy-winner received his first call up to the Sharks roster on March 13th. He played in his first NHL game since April, 2024 two days later and allowed six goals on 23 shots in a 4-7 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Brossoit moved to the backup role for the remainder of Askarov’s absence, then returned to the AHL with a 31-save performance on Wednesday. Now, another injury to Askarov will pull Brossoit back into the NHL, where he’ll continue to backup Alex Nedeljkovic. It is unclear if he’ll have a chance at returning to the starter’s crease, though another NHL appearance will mean a chance to get back on track after a rough return to the league.
Stars Promote Rich Peverley To Assistant GM
The Dallas Stars have made a change to their front office. Rich Peverley has been promoted to Assistant General Manager, in addition to his role as Director of Player Personnel. He becomes the third assistant GM in Dallas’ front office, alongside Scott White and Mark Janko. Peverley is in his 10th season in a managerial position with the Stars. His front office career began with six seasons as the Director of Player Development, before he was promoted to Director of Player Personnel in 2021.
Peverley’s history in Dallas stretches beyond his front office career. He played through nine seasons in the NHL, including one full season with Dallas to end his career. He was a valuable depth forward during his playing days, offering two-way responsibility and fearless physicality. His career was brought to an early end due to health issues in 2013. Peverley underwent a surgical procedure to address an irregular heartbeat before the 2013-14 season. Six months later, he collapsed on the Stars’ bench during a game, marking a lapse in his heart health. Peverley underwent further heart surgery to address the issue. He missed the final 18 games of Dallas’ season and ultimately wouldn’t play in another pro hockey game.
Peverley had one year on his standard player contract left when he experienced his health concern. He spent the final year as a volunteer coach with the AHL’s Texas Stars for the 2014-15 campaign, then began his managerial career in 2015-16. At the time, Dallas had only made one postseason in the last seven seasons. With Peverley’s help in player development, Dallas has grown far above those struggles, and now stands as a perennial top team in the Western Conference. Dallas made it to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals and has lost in the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons. Their push to the top of the standings has been driven by young stars Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, and Thomas Harley – each drafted by Dallas during Peverley’s time in the front office.
A move to assistant GM will mark another step forward in Peverley’s career, amidst another successful season in Dallas. The 43 year old will help Dallas approach an off-season with 10 pending free agents, including captain Jamie Benn and top restricted-free agents Robertson and Mavrik Bourque.
Blues’ Robert Thomas Out Day-To-Day
After a few days to assess the injury, top St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will indeed be forced to miss games with a day-to-day, upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s win over the Washington Capitals per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Thomas was injured on a body-slam from Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois in the third period. Dubois was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, while Thomas was removed from the game by concussion spotters. He cleared concussion protocol, per head coach Jim Montgomery, but has still missed St. Louis’ last two practices with a minor injury.
Injury ended a quiet night for Thomas on Tuesday. He has otherwise been red-hot as of late, with five goals and 13 points in 11 games since the start of March. Thomas has averaged 20 minutes of ice time and a 25.0 shooting percentage over that span. His performance has helped St. Louis drive to a 8-1-2 record in March. It is also an encouraging turnaround after Thomas’ name was mentioned in many rumors around the Trade Deadline. The 26 year old has assumed even more responsibility following the trade of Brayden Schenn.
Thomas missed the entire month of February, and 13 games in total, with an injury sustained on January 10th. In his absence, St. Louis leaned heavily on Pavel Buchnevich and Schenn to fill holes at the center position. Buchnevich scored five goals and 12 points in his move to the center role, though he only managed a 40.4 faceoff percentage. Jordan Kyrou led the team in scoring during Thomas’ previous injury, with 15 points. It will be those two veterans who have to step up once again with Thomas out. Buchnevich will likely shift back to center, while Pius Suter and Otto Stenberg continue to split reps filling Schenn’s third-line role.
St. Louis faces a shifting lineup as they approach mathchups with teams in similar spots. Both the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs have also struggled through points this season, which could support the Blues’ attempt to keep their hot streak rolling without their top center. They will need to lean on their proven scorers, and emerging goaltender Joel Hofer, to lift up the lineup until Thomas can return to his starring role.
Senators’ Thomas Chabot Undergoes Surgery, Out Six To Eight Weeks
Bad injury luck has struck at the worst time for the Ottawa Senators. Top defenseman Thomas Chabot will have to miss six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to address a broken arm, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Chabot suffered the injury on a cross-check from New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller in the first period of Monday’s game. A two-month timeline will likely keep Chabot out until at least the Eastern Conference final, if the Senators make it that far.
The Senators are also facing injuries to defensemen Lassi Thomson (day-to-day) and Dennis Gilbert (two to three weeks), per Garrioch. Thomson made his season debut in Monday’s game against New York but only played four minutes. Gilbert served a bottom-pair role through five games in mid-March but hasn’t played since Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators will have a slight silver lining. Defenseman Jake Sanderson has returned to skating at practice and will join the Senators on their upcoming two-game road trip to Florida, per Garrioch. Sanderson has been out of the lineup since March 7th, missing nine games since. He routinely plays upwards of 24 or 25 minutes a night when fully healthy, a role that could increase as Ottawa looks to make up for Chabot’s absence. Sanderson leads the Senators’ blue line in scoring with 11 goals and 48 points in 62 games. It has been a career-year for the 23-year-old, who won an Olympic Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in addition to scoring at the highest pace of his NHL career.
But even with Sanderson progressing towards a return, the Senators will be losing major firepower with Chabot on the shelf. The alternate captain was a focal point of the lineup after Sanderson was injured, even playing 31 minutes of ice time in Ottawa’s regulation win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Chabot has nine points in his last 12 games, dating back to the last day of February. His hot streak has brought him to 31 points in 55 games this season, a scoring pace well on par with Chabot’s trend of 45-point seasons.
Chabot faced injury at multiple points this season, including missing 13 games between November and December. He has found his way back to consistent performance in the new year, netting 10 points in 16 January games, followed by nine points in 16 games since the start of February. It was a difficult season, capped off by a long-term injury at the worst time, but the year will support Chabot’s hold over a starring role on the Senators’ blue line leading into next season. He could also spur the bad luck with a quick recovery and a return to Ottawa’s playoff run, if the team can stay alive until he’s back.
Ottawa rotated its defense pairings with both of its star blue-liners out of Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Artem Zub and Jordan Spence filled the main play-driving roles, each receiving roughly 11 minutes of even-strength ice time in the process. The openings also made room for top defense prospect Carter Yakemchuk to make his NHL debut. He scored two points, a goal and an assist, in the effort. Yakemchuk could become a focal point of the Senators’ blue line until Sanderson is back to full health. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in per-game scoring this season with 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Yakemchuk is well-known for his all-out style, focused on throwing big hits and driving the puck 200 feet.
Penguins Recall Avery Hayes, Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins have added two forwards to the roster ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Winger Avery Hayes and center Joona Koppanen have been recalled from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hayes’ recall will help the Penguins addresss a day-to-day injury for winger Anthony Mantha, while Koppanen will shore up the center depth per Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Hayes could have the clearer path to a lineup role if Mantha need to miss Thursday’s game. The 23 year old scored two goals in his NHL debut in early February but has struggled to keep scoring on the other side of the NHL’s Olympic break. He has no points in 10 NHL games since, though he has scored nine points in his last seven AHL games. That minor-league scoring brings him up to 32 points in 38 AHL games this season, fourth on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring.
The Penguins will hope Hayes can rediscover his spark as he steps up for Mantha, who has eight points in his last nine games. All of that scoring was managed over a six-game stretch in mid-March, bringing Mantha up to 26 goals and 53 points in 71 games this season – a new career-high in scoring.
Koppanen hasn’t been in the NHL since November, when he played through a 10-game stint on Pittsburgh’s third-line. He recorded one assist, two penalty minutes, and a minus-one in that span. He also won 12 of the 25 faceoffs he took. Koppanen has filled a stout center role in his minor league minutes, netting 19 points and a plus-14 in 37 games. He brings reliable, two-way depth to the lineup and could help the Penguins make up for an injury to veteran Blake Lizotte.
The Penguins have turned towards Connor Dewar to fill a center role in Lizotte’s absence. He is putting together a career-year on Pittsburgh’s bottom line, with 14 goals, 27 points, and a plus-10 in 71 games – all career highs. That production has kept Dewar in a nightly lineup role, though his role as a faceoff-taker is new. With Koppanen on the roster, Pittsburgh will have the option to move Dewar back to the wing, in place of Elmer Soderblom.