Kings Recall Pheonix Copley
The Kings have recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario to serve as their league-mandated emergency backup during the postseason, the team announced.
Normally, teams recall depth names from the ECHL or other relative unknowns in the system to fill the role if their AHL affiliate is in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That’s not the case here. Copley, 33, appeared in 42 of Ontario’s 72 regular-season games and was their unquestioned starter with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, 24-17-1 record, and two shutouts. Backup Erik Portillo, who made his NHL debut this season, managed 15 wins but only a .889 SV% in 24 outings.
Nonetheless, it appears Copley won’t be available to Ontario as they begin their first-round series against the San Jose Barracuda. That’s a huge declaration of faith by the organization, not only in Portillo but in 18-year-old Carter George, who’s finishing the season with the Reign after his Owen Sound Attack was eliminated in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. The 2024 second-round pick is widely regarded as a top-five prospect in the organization and has allowed just one goal on 61 shots to begin his professional career, posting a 0.50 GAA and .984 SV% across two games with Ontario over the last week. With Copley out, the door is open for him to play professional playoff hockey, a rare feat for a teenage netminder.
As for Copley, it’s nice to see the veteran get back on track after ACL surgery in December 2023 upended his career. He only made one NHL appearance in relief this year, allowing two goals on 12 shots against the Maple Leafs early in the year, but he was L.A.’s No. 2 option as recently as two years ago when he went 24-6-3 with a .903 SV% and 2.64 GAA in 37 games in the 2022-23 season. An infrequent backup option throughout his lengthy professional career, he’s likely ticketed for AHL action as long as he’s still in the game.
Avalanche Activate Gabriel Landeskog From Long-Term Injured Reserve
April 21: Contrary to what Bednar said, the official announcement has come. Landeskog has been activated from long-term injured reserve and is expected to make his return to NHL ice in tonight’s Game 2 of their first-round series against Dallas after sitting out Game 1, the team announced.
April 18: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is available to step onto NHL ice for the first time in nearly three years during their first-round series against the Stars, head coach Jared Bednar said today (via Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports). There’s unlikely to be an official announcement before they activate him from long-term injured reserve, Bednar said, but he’s an option for Game 1 tomorrow night.
Landeskog rejoined the NHL squad for practice earlier this week following a two-game conditioning stint in the AHL, his first game action since June 2022. He posted a goal and assist in the first minor-league action of his 12-year pro career stateside. Playing on back-to-back nights was an especially noteworthy accomplishment for Landeskog, whose multiple right knee surgeries have kept him sidelined since Colorado’s Stanley Cup win in 2022.
Whether he’s in the Game 1 lineup remains to be seen. Landeskog skated with the Avs’ projected scratches at practice for the second session in a row, so it’s not looking overly likely, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports relays. Aside from Landeskog, Bednar told reporters today that defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Josh Manson will be available and will slot in on the third and second pairings, respectively. Manson will need to come off long-term injured reserve before tomorrow night.
Their availability gives the Avalanche a fully healthy complement of players for the first time this season. Considering Landeskog’s injury, it’ll be the first time the Avs can say that since Game 3 of their second-round series against the Blues in 2022. Samuel Girard sustained a broken sternum in that game and did not play for the remainder of the postseason.
It’s impossible to put expectations on Landeskog’s on-ice impact after such a long absence, but it’s worth pointing out he remained one of Colorado’s best players in their Cup win despite not playing on a fully healthy knee. He finished fourth on the team in playoff scoring with 11-11–22 in 20 games and co-led the club with a +15 rating. He’s nearly at a point per game over his postseason career, which spans 67 games across six trips.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports.
Blackhawks Assign Marek Vanacker To AHL
The Blackhawks have assigned 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker to AHL Rockford, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720. The 19-year-old left-winger will get to make his professional debut in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Chicago traded up to select Vanacker last offseason, sending a pair of second-round picks to the Hurricanes to acquire the No. 27 overall pick. Unfortunately, the Ontario native is coming off a difficult post-draft season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. His point production dipped back below the point per game mark (24-18–42 in 45 GP) after he managed well over the threshold in 2023-24. He led the Bulldogs in scoring by a wide margin last year with 36-46–82 in 68 games, but missed time due to injuries this year and ended up finishing in sixth. He did end the season on a high note with 11 points in 11 postseason games, though.
With Brantford’s season ending in a Game 6 loss to the Oshawa Generals in the second round of the playoffs, he’s now free to join Rockford. Vanacker just turned 19 earlier this month, though, so he won’t be eligible for a full-time assignment to the IceHogs next season. It’s either Chicago or Brantford again for him in 2025-26 with the latter seeming far more likely given his regression this season.
Vanacker was the last of three first-round selections Chicago made last year and ranked as the No. 7 prospect in their system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings. He is the top left-winger in the Blackhawks’ system. With no NHL games for him this season and none expected next year, his entry-level deal will presumably slide to the 2026-27 campaign before taking effect. He still earned $97.5K in signing bonuses from the Hawks this year and will do so again next season, though.
Canucks Won’t Exercise Club Option On Rick Tocchet
The Canucks will not exercise their club option to keep head coach Rick Tocchet on his current contract for 2025-26, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told reporters today (including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). Vancouver continues to work on a new deal to keep Tocchet behind their bench, Rutherford said, and the organization remains hopeful he’ll stay. They expect a decision on Tocchet’s future later this week, Friedman relays.
Tocchet is the only coach in the NHL on an expiring contract this offseason, and even then the Canucks could have opted to keep him in Vancouver under the terms of his current deal. Thomas Drance of The Athletic indicated last month the Canucks were operating under the assumption Tocchet would continue as their head coach next year and would exercise their option if extension talks weren’t progressing. While that didn’t end up being the case, they continue to indicate a willingness to retain Tocchet and make him the highest-paid coach in franchise history. Whether he accepts the offer or opts to explore some of the other vacancies around the league remains to be seen.
The 61-year-old just completed his second full season and third overall as Vancouver’s head coach. Last season, he won the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year after guiding them to their first playoff appearance since 2020 and first division title since 2013. When he took over midway through the 2022-23 campaign, he was the Canucks’ third coach in two years. The club fired Travis Green and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau during the 2021-22 season, only to fire Boudreau for Tocchet one year later.
At present, there are five openings for Tocchet to explore. The Ducks and Rangers’ positions are completely vacant after firing Greg Cronin and Peter Laviolette over the weekend, while three teams, the Blackhawks, Bruins, and Flyers, ended the season with interim head coaches. There’s a clear speculative fit in Philadelphia, where Tocchet spent the bulk of his 18-year playing career, but interim coach Brad Shaw remains a legitimate contender for a full-time role after ending the year with a 5-3-1 record.
In nine years as a coach with the Lightning, Coyotes, and Canucks, Tocchet has a 286-265-87 (.516) record in 638 regular-season games. He’s only made the postseason twice (Arizona, 2020; Vancouver, 2024) and has an 11-11 (.500) record there. Since Tocchet took over in Vancouver on Jan. 22, 2023, the Canucks’ .608 points percentage ranks 11th in the league.
Rangers Notes: Kreider, Schneider, Edstrom
Rangers winger Chris Kreider ended the season dealing with a hand injury that may require offseason surgery, he told reporters during today’s end-of-season media availability (via Peter Baugh of The Athletic). That’s on top of the known back troubles that bothered him earlier this season. Kreider also said an illness he developed shortly after the holiday break led him to develop vertigo temporarily.
Kreider said he sustained the hand injury in the first game following the 4 Nations break, so that ties into his six-game absence and injured reserve stint leading into the trade deadline. All of those ailments give some context to what was a disastrous season for Kreider, who was limited to 22 goals and 30 points in 68 games after topping the 30-goal and 50-point marks in each of the previous three seasons. That drop-off led to his name landing on the trade block for much of the campaign, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said last week he expects the Rangers to continue shopping him over the offseason.
Surgery to address his ailments could prove beneficial to his trade value with interested teams hoping his injuries were the principal reason for his steep offensive regression. He can block a trade to 15 teams and has two years left on a deal carrying a $6.5MM cap hit. He did still manage to score at a 27-goal pace this year while shooting slightly south of his career average, so if there are enough teams high on the 33-year-old’s rebound potential, there may not be a need for Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury to retain a portion of his salary. Kreider did end his season on a high note with a goal, three assists, and a plus-four rating in his final two outings.
On the back end, Braden Schneider has already undergone surgery to repair the torn labrum that caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season (via Baugh). Schneider said he’s been playing through the partial tear for the last two seasons but felt it impeded his physicality in 2024-25, influencing him to go under the knife. Those procedures can carry fairly lengthy recovery times, so his decision to undergo surgery as soon as the Blueshirts were eliminated from playoff contention could be the difference in determining whether he’s available when training camp begins in September.
Schneider, 23, scored a career-high 6-15–21 this year and played all 80 games up until undergoing surgery. He tied his career-high plus-nine rating and saw the most minutes of his career at 17:52 per game, seeing increased deployment after the Rangers traded ex-captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks in early December. Now the team’s de facto No. 3 defenseman behind Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller, he’ll garner a considerable raise on his current $2.2MM AAV after he becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
Depth winger Adam Edstrom said he underwent surgery to address his lower-body injury and should be fully healthy in time for training camp this fall (via Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today). The Rangers announced in early February that Edstrom would miss 10 to 14 weeks with a lower-body injury, and Edstrom reaffirmed today he would have been an option at some point in the postseason had New York qualified. The 6’6″ 24-year-old ended his rookie season with 5-4–9, a minus-five rating, and 27 PIMs in 51 appearances while averaging 9:16 per game.
Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo, Fedor Svechkov
The Predators reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and center Fedor Svechkov to AHL Milwaukee on Monday, according to a team release. The pair will aid the Admirals in their Calder Cup quest after logging significant NHL ice time in 2024-25.
Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He split the season rather evenly between Nashville and Milwaukee and spent three distinct stints on the NHL roster, including from Feb. 27 onward to the end of the year aside from a brief demotion to the Admirals on March 7 to make him eligible to suit up for them in the postseason. It’s his first season requiring waivers after signing a two-way deal last September ($775K NHL/$125K AHL) following a lengthy stint on the restricted free agent market. Nashville won’t have the opportunity to retain his signing rights via a qualifying offer this summer because he’s eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old.
Whether Del Gaizo stays with the Predators next season remains to be seen. It’s looking unlikely after they extended Andreas Englund last week, meaning Del Gaizo is the only Nashville defenseman who ended the season on IR or the active roster who’s not signed for 2025-26. The 2019 fourth-round pick made a career-high 46 appearances for the Preds this year, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points and a minus-three rating while averaging 16:45 per game. Down in the minors, the 5’11” lefty posted 8-4–12 and a +10 rating in 30 regular-season games.
As for Svechkov, the Preds hope he’ll remain in Nashville for years to come. The 2021 No. 19 overall pick somewhat unexpectedly saw significant NHL usage this year after a strong start to the campaign in Milwaukee, posting 12 points in 13 games while spending the vast majority of the season up with the Predators. The 6’0″, 187-lb pivot played third-line minutes, scoring 8-9–17 while averaging 12:53 per game across 52 appearances. He needs some work in the faceoff dot, winning just 36.7% of his 335 draws, and had underwhelming possession impacts for his offensively sheltered usage at even strength (50.0 CF%, 47.0 xGF%). There’s no guarantee he’s on Nashville’s opening night roster in the fall, but a strong playoff run with Milwaukee could boost his chances.
Capitals Sign Bogdan Trineyev To Two-Way Extension
The Capitals signed left-winger Bogdan Trineyev to a one-year, two-way extension on Sunday. He’ll earn the league minimum $775K salary if on the NHL roster next season and $100K when in the minors.
It’s Trineyev’s second contract with Washington. A fourth-round pick of the Caps in 2020, the 23-year-old has spent parts of the last four seasons with AHL Hershey after signing his entry-level contract in May 2022. He was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason with that deal expiring.
Trineyev was the first selection Washington made in that draft after selecting Hendrix Lapierre with the No. 22 overall pick. The 6’3″, 203-lb Russian was coming off a gold medal-winning performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and flashed his speedy power forward game at the junior level, eventually logging 31-52–83 in 113 MHL games across four seasons with Dynamo Moscow’s U20 club. While he remained mostly in the Russian juniors or minors (VHL) until signing his ELC with the Caps, Washington loaned him back to Russia for the first year of that deal in 2022-23. That gave him the opportunity to see extended professional minutes for the first time, posting 2-11–13 in 39 KHL games with Dynamo before the Capitals ended his loan and brought him over to Hershey.
After seeing a pair of regular-season and postseason games with Hershey over the prior two seasons, Trineyev skated full-time for the Bears in 2023-24. He was a capable bottom-six checking presence in the minors, recording 9-7–16 in 63 games with 18 PIMs and a +12 rating. He added four assists in 20 playoff games to help Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship. Here in 2024-25, Trineyev bettered his offensive output with a 14-8–22 scoring line in 62 games, adding 23 PIMs and a +13 rating, the latter of which ranked third on the team.
Trineyev is a deep cut in a high-end Capitals prospect pool that includes names like first-rounder Ryan Leonard and dynamic collegiate defenseman Cole Hutson near the top, but his promising two-way and physical play in a depth role in the minors suggests there could still be a fourth-line role for him on Washington’s NHL roster in a couple of years’ time. Extending him for 2025-26 gives Washington another chance to see how his offensive game grows in his third year playing in the pros in North America before considering him for his first NHL call-up.
The Caps now have 33 contracts signed for 2025-26, leaving them up to 17 slots to fill.
Capitals Recall Ethan Bear
The Capitals have recalled defenseman Ethan Bear from AHL Hershey, the team announced today.
Washington already had Alexander Alexeyev and Dylan McIlrath rostered as extra defensemen entering their first-round series against the Canadiens. With AHL Hershey set to begin a playoff run of their own, recalling Bear, the minor-league club’s top defenseman this season, comes across as a surprise. It’s an indication that at least one of John Carlson, Martin Fehérváry, and Matt Roy, all of whom sat out the final game of the regular season to rest, is questionable for Game 1 on Monday (Carlson also sat out the 80th and 81st games of the regular season).
Few teams have better call-up options available than the Capitals have in Bear, though. The 27-year-old righty didn’t get a crack at NHL minutes this year after clearing waivers during training camp, but he brings 275 games of regular-season experience and another eight of playoff experience to the Caps’ complement of depth defensemen.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Washington insert Bear into the playoff lineup ahead of Alexeyev or McIlrath, given that the duo combined for just 25 appearances and spent most of their time in the press box. Bear, who leads Hershey in scoring with 10-36–46 in 62 games and has a +33 rating, has far more two-way upside. Unlike Alexeyev and McIlrath, he also has experience averaging top-four minutes in the NHL. Bear began his career with the Oilers, where he averaged north of 20 minutes per game across 132 appearances from 2017 to 2021.
Regardless, it’s still been quite a while for Bear. Questions about his NHL readiness being dropped into a playoff series are fair. His last big-league appearance for Washington came on March 13, 2024. The 5’11” rearguard had 1-3–4 with a minus-five rating in 24 showings for the Caps in 2023-24 after signing a two-year, $4.13MM contract, not enough to keep him in the fold this season.
A pending unrestricted free agent, a passable playoff showing for Bear – if he gets inserted into the lineup – could go a long way toward ensuring he lands another NHL contract over the summer.
Minor Transactions: 4/18/25
There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:
- The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
- The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
- Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner‘s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
- Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson‘s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
- The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
- The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
- The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
- Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
- The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Jason Robertson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
Stars leading goal-scorer Jason Robertson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will miss at least Game 1 of their first-round series against the Avalanche tomorrow, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today (including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic).
Even just a one-game absence could be enough to tilt what’s set to be one of the most tightly matched series of the postseason. Dallas was already entering at a disadvantage without top defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who won’t be available until late in the first round at the earliest as he tries to recover from the knee surgery that’s kept him out since late January. The absence of their top winger against one of the league’s better scoring chance suppression teams could prove too much to overcome.
Robertson left Dallas’ final regular-season game on Wednesday after an awkward collision with Predators forward Michael McCarron in the second period. He was seen wearing a brace on his right knee following the game, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. The Stars had a pair of healthy extra forwards on hand, Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell, but opted not to rest Robertson or any of their top forwards.
A slow start kept Robertson from hitting the point-per-game mark for the second season in a row. He’s been on a tear coming out of the 4 Nations break, though, posting 15 goals and 29 points in 27 games to end the campaign. His 35-45–80 scoring line was still good enough to finish second on Dallas behind Matt Duchene, although his 17:48 average time on ice was his lowest since his rookie season.
There hasn’t been a ton of injury luck for the Stars this year, but there is a consolation prize in the return of Tyler Seguin to the lineup. He returned for Game 82 after missing over four months after undergoing hip surgery and had an assist to lock in his first season above a point per game in nine years, albeit in only 20 appearances. That means it’s nearly a lateral move in the Stars’ top nine compared to how it looked for much of the stretch run, but Dallas would still love all of their scoring weapons at their disposal to overcome Heiskanen’s absence, which causes strain on their depth defenders.
Robertson’s also been a steady playoff threat for Dallas, even if he hasn’t flashed a postseason peak as high as his regular-season one. He has 14-24–38 in 45 playoff games for the Stars over the past three years as the team looks to make a third straight trip to the Western Conference Final.
His absence will cause the Stars to break up Robertson’s usual first-line mates, Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. Hintz will center a line with Mikael Granlund and Evgenii Dadonov. Rantanen is expected to slot onto the wing with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, according to today’s line rushes (via Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports).
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.