Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Jacob Quillan To ELC

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed free-agent college forward Jacob Quillan to a two-year entry-level contract. A native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Quillan spent the last three seasons at Quinnipiac University where he posted 38 goals and 55 assists in 116 career NCAA games.

The 22-year-old also won a national championship last year with the Bobcats, scoring the overtime winner to secure the men’s NCAA title. He also took home the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player award.

Elliotte Friedman is reporting that there was a lot of competition for Quillan’s services and it’s easy to see why after the season that he had. This year he assumed the role of top-line center with Quinnipiac, and he registered 17 goals and 29 assists in 39 games.

The Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) drafted Quillan in the 2018 entry draft, but he opted for the college route, although before beginning his NCAA career, Quillan played one season with the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). In that one season, he posted 13 goals and 14 assists in 20 games and also scored an overtime winner to help his team win the Okanagan Cup.

The contract begins next season and will carry an average annual value of $875K at the NHL level.  Quillan will spend the remainder of this season with the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. He will play out the year on an amateur tryout to be eligible for the AHL playoffs.

Central Notes: Toffoli, Walker, Stramel, Blackwell, Zaitsev

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Winnipeg Jets forward Tyler Toffoli won’t dress tonight when the Jets take on the Los Angeles Kings. Toffoli missed practice this morning and was dealing with an illness according to Jets head coach Rick Bowness. Another game-time decision, Cole Perfetti will dress and could slide in alongside Sean Monahan and Kyle Connor. Since joining the Jets at the trade deadline, the 31-year-old Toffoli has posted four goals and two assists in 11 games. Perfetti on the other hand has 15 goals and 17 assists in 66 games this season.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker is in the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets after he was deemed questionable on Saturday. The 29-year-old played just 11:15 two nights ago against the Nashville Predators because of an upper-body injury but doesn’t appear to be feeling any ill effects tonight. Walker was also a trade deadline acquisition and has three goals and one assist in ten games since joining the Avalanche.
  • Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic are reporting that Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Stramel is considering entering the transfer portal now that his season is over with the University of Wisconsin. The 2023 first-round pick has struggled with the Badgers and posted just three goals and five assists in 34 games this season. A league source has said that Stramel likely isn’t thrilled with his development, and it sure seems plausible given that he saw very little time on specialty teams and was relegated to fourth-line duty for much of the season.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks Colin Blackwell and Nikita Zaitsev are back at practice today. The 31-year-old Blackwell has missed the last five games as he’s been dealing with an upper-body injury. The center has eight goals and four assists in 39 games this year. Zaitsev will also be a game-time decision tomorrow and he too has been dealing with an upper-body injury. The veteran defenseman has just two goals and five assists in 36 games this season and hasn’t played since March 28th against the Ottawa Senators.

Atlantic Notes: Dvorak, Walman, Greenway

at CDT | by 2 Comments

TSN is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens have upgraded the status of center Christian Dvorak to day-to-day, meaning that the 28-year-old could play before the end of the season. The Canadiens announced on January 4th that the Palos, Illinois native would miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle, but he was a full participant in the Canadiens’ practice today and wore a regular jersey.

Dvorak was originally acquired by Montreal back in September of 2021 from the Arizona Coyotes. The trade hasn’t worked out as the Canadiens had hoped after sending a 2022 first-round draft pick and a 2024 2nd round draft pick to Arizona in the exchange. Dvorak has battled inconsistency and injury during his tenure in Montreal, particularly this season where he has missed nearly four months of action and has just three goals and four assists in 25 games.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman will draw back into the lineup after being sidelined with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old missed the last six games with the ailment and will draw in against the Tampa Bay Lightning in place of veteran Olli Maatta. Walman has dressed in 61 games this season and has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game, registering 12 goals and nine assists to go along with 150 blocked shots and 106 shots on goal.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway is reportedly being evaluated for an upper-body injury according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Lysowski adds that the Sabres are hopeful that Greenway will be day-to-day with the ailment and can get back into game action soon. The Sabres sit seven points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining and are all but mathematically eliminated at this point in the season. In his first full season with the Sabres Greenway has contributed nine goals and 15 assists in 62 games to go along with 131 hits.

Ryan Hartman Suspended Three Games

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that they’ve handed out a three-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct to Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman. The ban is the second suspension handed out to Hartman this season and the fourth of his NHL career. He has also been fined seven times.

The incident happened in overtime during a Minnesota loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. On the play, Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault scored into an empty net (meaning Minnesota received no points despite losing in overtime) and Hartman was seen screaming from the bench and throwing his stick in the direction of the officials. The video shows that Hartman nearly hit teammate Matt Boldy with the stick. For his actions in the game, Hartman was assessed a ten-minute misconduct for abusive language and the three-game suspension that was handed out today.

Hartman said that he didn’t intend to hurt anyone when he tossed his stick, and the league considered this when handing out their discipline as well as also factoring in Hartman’s lengthy record when it comes to supplemental discipline.

Hartman’s absence will certainly hurt the Wild’s very slim chances at a playoff spot, the 29-year-old has 19 goals and 23 assists in 68 games this season. Minnesota’s season is hanging on by a thread as they currently sit seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 35-28-10 record.

Sharks Recall Jack Studnicka

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Jack Studnicka from their AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda. The 25-year-old was demoted to the AHL back on January 5th after playing nine games for the Sharks in which he was held scoreless and went -6.

Since going to the AHL, Studnicka hasn’t been able to re-capture the offensive touch he displayed two years ago when he was a member of the Providence Bruins. The Windsor, Ontario native has dressed in 27 games for the Barracuda and has just six goals and eight assists.

Studnicka was acquired by the Sharks from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick. The December 2023 trade allowed Studnicka to go from a team that was stacked at forward to a rebuilding team desperate for forward depth. Studnicka’s move to the Sharks was far from seamless and eventually led to him being demoted to work on his game.

A former second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL entry draft Studnicka quickly ascended to the NHL and appeared in two games during the 2019-2020 season. He would spend the bulk of the next two seasons in the AHL and remained close to a point-a-game player before dressing in 48 NHL games during the 2022-23 season.

Since that time, Studnicka has lost his offensive game and hasn’t appeared fully comfortable during his recent demotion. Despite the struggles, the Sharks have opted to recall him which could signal that they are ready to give him another look at the NHL level.

Kings Recall Jacob Moverare

at CDT | by 1 Comment

March 29: Moverare is back on the NHL roster today, per a team announcement.

March 28: The Los Angeles Kings have re-assigned defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. The 25-year-old defenseman may end the month of March in the AHL, but it has been quite a ride over the last few weeks.

A native of Ostersund, Sweden, Moverare scored his first NHL goal three weeks ago in a game against the Ottawa Senators. The marker came just a day after he signed a two-year, one-way extension worth a total of $1.55MM. At one point he also found himself exposed to waivers this month and assigned to the AHL, but he went unclaimed, likely because of the additional two years attached to him at NHL money.

Moverare was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL entry draft and has spent time on the NHL roster in each of the last three seasons. His offensive game has started to take shape this season in the AHL, but he hasn’t been able to translate that to the NHL game. In 40 career NHL games, Moverare has a goal and two assists, while at the AHL level, he’s registered 10 goals and 59 assists in 152 career games.

Although he doesn’t produce much scoring, Moverare remains a steady defensive presence and a good depth option for the Kings on their back end. However, he has struggled as of late and has seen a dramatic decrease in his playing time, particularly in the past two games in which he has played less than four minutes in each game.

Evening Notes: Foligno, Kane, Czarnik

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury and won’t dress tonight when the Wild take on the San Jose Sharks. Foligno missed Tuesday’s practice with the injury and has missed several games throughout this season with what was also described as lower-body injuries.

Despite the lingering issue, the 32-year-old has dressed in 55 games this season with Minnesota, posting 10 goals and 12 assists while playing 14:29 a game. It’s been a tough season filled with starts and stops for the Buffalo, New York native, which has led to speculation from Russo that perhaps the Wild will shut Foligno down for the rest of the season to allow him a chance to heal.

In other evening notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without the services of forward Patrick Kane this evening as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Red Wings have been dealing with an illness travelling around their dressing room and it appears that Kane is the latest victim of it. Kane’s absence could loom large as the Red Wings sit two points back of Washington for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and Kane has been hot as of late with nine points in his last eight games.
  • The Red Wings will also be without center Austin Czarnik who is also dealing with an illness. No word on whether Czarnik and Kane are dealing with the same ailment or not but given the issues with sickness this week its likely a safe bet. The 31-year-old was recalled from the AHL two weeks ago and has struggled at the NHL level this season with just a single assist in 25 games. With Kane and Czarnik out of the lineup, Daniel Sprong will draw back in after sitting the last three games as a healthy scratch.

Minnesota Wild Sign Jack Peart To ELC

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jack Peart to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in the 2024-25 season. The 20-year-old Peart was drafted by the Wild in the second round (54th overall) of the 2021 NHL entry draft and will begin his professional hockey career after spending the last three seasons at St. Cloud State (NCAA).

Peart dressed in 108 games for St. Cloud State and registered eight goals and 47 assists during that time to go along with a plus-15 rating and 64 PIM. The native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota set a career-high in points during the 2022-23 season when he posted three goals and 21 assists in 39 games. He had an offensive drop this past year, but the Wild saw enough from the young rearguard to lock him up to an ELC.

At the international level, Peart was a member of the U.S. National Junior team during the 2022 and 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. He dressed in 11 games between the two tournaments and had five assists as well as a plus-3 rating. He won a bronze medal in 2023 as a member of the team.

With Peart locked up for the next three seasons, it leaves the rest of this season up in the air. Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic have reported that Peart has signed an amateur tryout to play for AHL Iowa for the rest of the season and will report to Des Moines today.

Devils Recall Forward Brian Halonen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have recalled forward Brian Halonen from the Utica Comets of the AHL. The timing of Halonen’s recall could be an indication that Devils forwards Kurtis MacDermid or Curtis Lazar may not be available tonight when the Devils face the Toronto Maple Leafs, however, both players were on the ice with the team for their morning skate today and Lazar is likely to play. Devils’ reporter Amanda Stein also tweeted that Halonen’s callup could be insurance at forward in case a forward can’t go tonight.

Halonen has seen NHL action already this season as the Delano, Minnesota native made his NHL debut on February 25th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 25-year-old registered a single shot in just under 10 minutes of ice time and was able to force a takeaway. He didn’t look out of place on the NHL ice; however, the Devils sheltered his minutes and gave him the bulk of his zone starts in the offensive zone.

Halonen was an undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan Tech and has developed into a reliable scorer at the AHL level in his third season of professional hockey. He’s dressed in 30 games this season for Utica and posted a career-high 16 goals and eight assists.

Morning Notes: Lysell, Quinn, Cumiskey

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Michael Derosa of The Hockey News is reporting that one of the Boston Bruins top forward prospects could miss significant time with an injury. 21-year-old Fabian Lysell suffered an apparent upper-body injury on March 23rd after he fell into the boards in a game against the Charlotte Checkers. The 2021 first-round pick has spent the season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and has heated up recently registering seven assists in his last five games.

Lysell is in his second season of professional hockey and has posted 15 goals and 35 assists in 56 games this year with Providence. The timing of Lysell’s injury is particularly unfortunate as he was making a case for a call-up with his solid numbers this season.

In other morning notes:

  • Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News is reporting that Sabres forward Jack Quinn joined the team this morning to take part in practice as a full participant. Quinn had surgery on January 29th for a lower-body injury and was expected to miss eight weeks. The 22-year-old hasn’t played since January 27th and has five goals and seven assists in 17 games this season for the Sabres. The Cobden, Ontario native was expected to take a big step this season but has dealt with multiple injury issues in what has turned into a lost season for him and the Sabres. Buffalo has 10 games remaining this season and currently sits six points behind the Washington Capitals who for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have 12 games left on the schedule. Quinn did not comment on when he will dress for a game, but based on reports from practice it could happen sooner than later.
  • Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kyle Cumiskey has reportedly signed a two-year extension with Düsseldorfer EG to continue his career in the DEL. The 37-year-old played 139 career NHL games over parts of six seasons with the Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks and has spent the last four seasons in Germany. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native last saw action in North America during the 2019-20 season when he was a member of the AHL’s Binghamton Devils.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top