Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek Begin On-Ice Rehab
Wild stars Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek have progressed enough in their recovery from lower-body injuries to return to the ice sheet ahead of today’s practice, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic. Head coach John Hynes stressed the development doesn’t signal a return is imminent for either, but told reporters they’ll both travel on their upcoming road trip after taking the “first step to getting back” (via Jessi Pierce of NHL.com). Continued week-to-week timelines for both make their regular-season availability uncertain, but it’s increasingly likely they’ll become available to the team sometime during the first round of the playoffs if they can hold onto a postseason berth.
Kaprizov underwent what’s believed to be a groin surgery in late January and is now nearly two months removed from that procedure. He was initially expected to return to the lineup shortly after the four-week mark, but for the second time this season, his absence has lasted much longer than initially expected. His injury dates back to a November game, and he missed the tail end of December and most of January after aggravating it. He returned to the lineup for just three games before opting to undergo surgery.
After missing the playoffs in 2024 for the first time in five years, Minnesota was one of the league’s hottest teams to start the season. They went 21-10-4 before Kaprizov’s first extended absence. That provided enough cushion for them to play just above .500 hockey the rest of the way, losing their divisional berth but still likely to hold onto a wild card spot – they have an 84.8% chance at the playoffs entering tonight’s games but could push that number back over 90 with a win over the league-leading Capitals, per MoneyPuck.
Their offense has sputtered with 2.49 goals per game since Dec. 27, and as expected, it’s their top line of Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello leading the charge with Matt Boldy skating in Kaprizov’s spot. Those three, as well as Frédérick Gaudreau, are tied for the team lead with 10 goals in 37 games since Kaprizov initially landed on IR.
Serving as Minnesota’s offensive lifeblood since entering the league in 2021, Kaprizov was a legitimate Hart Trophy contender before exiting the lineup. He has 23-29–52 through 37 games, good for a career-high 1.41 points per game that ranks fifth in the league behind Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid.
His absence alone would be enough to derail a season, but Eriksson Ek, Minnesota’s top matchup center, has also been limited to 9-15–24 in 42 games. He last played on Feb. 22 and sustained a lower-body injury in practice two days later. He’s only been available for 58.3% of Minnesota’s games this year. They’ve had both Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov in the lineup just 24 times in 72 games – exactly one-third of their contests to date in 2024-25.
Having both in the lineup for Game 1 of a first-round series, which will likely be against either the Golden Knights or Jets, is a must-have for Minnesota to pull off an upset. Assuming they make the postseason, MoneyPuck only gives them a 24% chance of advancing to the second round.
Eriksson Ek is on standard IR, while Kaprizov is on LTIR. If Minnesota were to have Kaprizov available before the end of the regular season, they’d need to clear roughly $550K in cap space to activate him.
Blackhawks To Recall Kevin Korchinski
The Blackhawks are calling up top left-handed defense prospect Kevin Korchinski from AHL Rockford, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic. The seventh overall pick of the 2022 draft could make his first NHL appearance in three months tomorrow night against the Golden Knights.
Korchinski joins a Chicago blue line that boasted just one defender over the age of 23 in its last outing, with veterans T.J. Brodie (healthy) and Alec Martinez (upper body) not dressed. They’ve recently brought up top right-shot prospect Artyom Levshunov, the 2024 second-overall pick. That high-powered duo joins other young names like Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, and Wyatt Kaiser, who have seen in-season promotions, as the Blackhawks evaluate which of them could appear on their opening night roster next fall.
Unlike Levshunov, Korchinski isn’t a rookie. The 20-year-old was a full-timer on Chicago’s blue line last year but understandably struggled without much support. After being limited to 5-10–15 with a -39 rating in 76 games in 2023-24, the Blackhawks deemed it best for his long-term development to spend more time down a level in Rockford. The IceHogs aren’t the strongest club offensively, producing 2.87 goals per game, and that’s reflected in the team’s stars’ semi-conservative point totals. Korchinski still leads their blue line with 3-24–27 in 54 games, but he’s still behind the curve defensively as he adjusts to professional hockey. His -17 rating is the worst on the team.
However, his upside always primarily stemmed from his skating, offensive involvement, and power-play versatility. He ranks third among Chicago prospects and 28th overall on Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s most recent ranking of league prospects. While there remains concern about his defensive-zone decision-making, he’s a good stick-checker that could make him an effective transition defender – once the rest of the Blackhawks’ roster is filled out enough to play better system-oriented hockey.
In nine NHL games this season, coming on a December recall, Korchinski went without a point and logged a minus-five rating while seeing 16:46 of ice time per game. He controlled 46.6% of shot attempts and 50% of expected goals at even strength, however, both notable improvements on last year’s possession numbers (44.4 CF%, 40.4 xGF%).
Korchinski, a World Juniors gold medalist with Canada in 2023, still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent in 2026. He’s under team control for at least five seasons beyond this one and won’t be arbitration-eligible until he logs four seasons with at least 10 NHL games.
Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
PHR Live Chat Transcript
Click here to view the transcript from Wednesday’s live chat with PHR’s Josh Erickson.
Blue Jackets Sign Charlie Elick, Caleb MacDonald To Entry-Level Deals
The Blue Jackets announced entry-level deals for defensemen Charlie Elick and Caleb MacDonald today. Both begin next season. Elick’s is a three-year pact, while MacDonald’s is for two years. McDonald’s deal will carry a $925K cap hit and $97.5K signing bonus, per PuckPedia. Financial details of Elick’s deal haven’t been revealed.
Elick was already in the organization. Columbus selected the 19-year-old 36th overall in last year’s draft, making him the fourth pick of the second round. A 6’4″, 203-lb right-shot rearguard, he’s a smooth-skating defensive specialist with a penchant for physicality. The Austria-born Canadian national is coming off his third entire season in the Western Hockey League, split between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans thanks to a midseason trade. He compiled 2-13–15 with 55 PIMs and a minus-six rating in 66 appearances between the clubs.
While not drafted for his offensive production, that’s still a semi-concerning downturn from his 2023-24 campaign with the Wheat Kings. In his draft year, he managed 4-23–27 in 65 games with a plus-four rating, winning a gold medal with Canada at the U18 World Championship.
Elick ranks No. 11 in the Blue Jackets’ prospect pool, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’s the second-place right-handed defender behind Luca Marrelli, who Columbus selected one round after him last summer and signed an entry-level contract in December.
MacDonald is a new addition to the system. Another big lefty (6’4″, 225 lbs), he’s a 22-year-old coming off his second collegiate season. The undrafted rearguard from Ontario played his freshman year with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks before transferring to North Dakota for his sophomore campaign. He did well in the spotlight against much tougher competition, posting 3-7–10 with a plus-seven rating in 35 games for the Fighting Hawks.
While hard-hitting like Elick, he offers more offensive upside. Before jumping to college, he was a junior ‘A’ standout with the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He put up 16-79–95 in 126 games there across three seasons, including a 9-50–59 run in 57 games in 2022-23 that got him named the league’s most outstanding defenseman.
MacDonald will presumably report to AHL Cleveland next season, while Elick doesn’t turn 20 until after New Year’s and thus remains ineligible for an AHL assignment in 2025-26. He’ll need to be sent back to the Americans and play out another season in juniors before jumping to the pros. His entry-level deal will slide one year as a result, pushing his expiry from 2028 to 2029. MacDonald’s deal isn’t slide-eligible and will run out in 2027. Both players will be restricted free agents when their contracts end.
Flyers Sign Ty Murchison To Entry-Level Contract
The Flyers announced they’ve signed defense prospect Ty Murchison to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2025-26. His contract carries an $860K cap hit with a $775K base salary, an $85K signing bonus, and an $80K minors salary each season, per PuckPedia.
A fifth-round pick by Philly in 2021 (No. 158 overall), the 6’2″ lefty is coming off his senior season at Arizona State. The 22-year-old is about as one-dimensional as it gets for a stay-at-home defender. He never totaled more than seven points in a season at ASU but posted a combined +17 rating over four years and logged heavy minutes as one of the NCAA’s most responsible shutdown men. Named the NCHC’s Best Defensive Defenseman this year, Murchison posted four assists, 48 PIMs, and a plus-six rating in 37 games in the Sun Devils’ first year of conference play.
Murchison turns pro after compiling 9-14–23 and 279 PIMs in 145 collegiate games. A California native and product of the U.S. National Development Team program, Murchison’s signing rights were set to expire on Aug. 15.
After a strong collegiate career, Murchison focuses on finding his niche in the Flyers’ system. This year, he wasn’t listed among Philly’s top 15 prospects in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s organizational rankings. His main internal competition likely comes from Hunter McDonald (No. 12), another big 22-year-old lefty in his first pro season with AHL Lehigh Valley following a two-year run with Northeastern. He’s had a strong first showing in the pros and projects as a capable bottom-pairing option in a few years, similar to the role Murchison will likely have if he carves out an NHL career.
Murchison’s deal makes him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. The Flyers now have 29 contracts on their books next season.
Kings To Recall Jeff Malott
According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, the Kings will recall forward Jeff Malott before their game Thursday with the Avalanche. L.A. has $1.757MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, enough to fit Malott’s $775K cap hit without another transaction.
Malott was signed to a two-year, partial two-way deal last summer, and this will be his first stint on Los Angeles’ NHL roster this season. If he plays, it will be Malott’s second career NHL appearance after debuting with the Jets in the 2021-22 campaign.
The 28-year-old left-winger comes up after Tanner Jeannot sustained an upper-body injury last night against the Rangers, a game for which Alex Turcotte was also a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. With only Akil Thomas on hand as an extra forward, Malott’s summons gives them another option to insert into the lineup if a third injury strikes their forward group.
What Malott lacks in NHL experience, he compensates for with his 6’4″, 201-lb frame and an increasingly strong minor-league track record. An alternate captain with AHL Ontario, he has 23-28–51 in 61 appearances to rank third in scoring. The hard-nosed winger also leads the Reign with 80 PIMs and ranks fourth with a +17 rating. His stay on the NHL roster will likely only last as long as the Kings’ injury troubles, but he’s an acceptable replacement for fourth-line minutes if necessary.
Kings Sign Jared Woolley To Entry-Level Contract
The Kings announced that they have signed defenseman Jared Woolley to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Woolley, 19, was a sixth-round pick by the Kings (No. 164 overall) last summer. The 6’5″, 207-lb lefty has spent the past two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where he won a league championship as a rookie in 2023-24.
A two-way defender by trade, Woolley had a coming-out party this year. After playing a limited role on last year’s London squad, he saw expanded minutes this year and rose to the occasion. He posted a respectable 9-19–28 scoring line in 68 games, and his +49 rating ranked third on the club. He also racked up 75 PIMs.
He didn’t check in at all when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the Kings’ prospect pool earlier this year, so it’s safe to say public scouts remain conservative on NHL expectations for Woolley. Nonetheless, the Kings liked his season enough to get a deal done now and avoid potentially running out the clock on his signing rights, which were set to expire in June 2026.
Woolley’s deal is eligible for a one-year entry-level slide. Assuming he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, overwhelmingly the likeliest scenario, his deal will defer to the 2026-27 campaign and run through 2028-29. He’ll still be paid any signing bonuses owed to him for the 2025-26 campaign, lowering the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect. He’s too young for a full-time AHL assignment next year and will undoubtedly return to London for a third OHL season. If that’s the outcome, he won’t count against L.A.’s 50-contract limit.
Lightning Recall Cam Atkinson, Reassign Brandon Halverson
According to a team announcement, the Lightning have recalled veteran forward Cam Atkinson from AHL Syracuse. The club has reassigned goaltender Brandon Halverson to Syracuse to stay under the salary cap. He was no longer needed on the roster after usual backup Jonas Johansson returned from a two-game personal leave for last night’s win over the Penguins. Their active roster remains at 22.
Atkinson, 35, is a two-time 30-goal scorer and veteran of 13 NHL seasons who joined the Lightning on a one-year deal last summer following a buyout by the Flyers. The forward’s time in Tampa has been inconsequential, posting 4-5–9 through 38 games while averaging just 8:47 per game. He hasn’t appeared in more than eight consecutive games for the Bolts this year and has only suited up three times since the 4 Nations Face-Off.
That tough showing led him to land on waivers for the first time in his career earlier this month, opening up some cap flexibility for Tampa ahead of the trade deadline. They’ve taken advantage of it, sending him down to Syracuse twice, but those assignments have purely been for salary cap management purposes. He hasn’t suited up for the Crunch, and it’s unlikely he will if he returns to them later this year.
Atkinson hasn’t dressed since March 13, when he scored a goal against Philly. He has three points in his last four games dating back to Feb. 9, so at least over the past couple of months, he’s been a good depth scoring option when inserted into the lineup. Tampa’s frequently dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games, but after Erik Černák left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury, they may need to go back to the routine 12-6 lineup tomorrow against Utah. That could mean Atkinson’s return to the lineup – or Mitchell Chaffee, who’s been scratched six times in the last eight games. Either way, Atkinson’s recall guarantees they’ll have 12 forwards available if one sustains a last-minute injury before tomorrow’s game.
Halverson made his Tampa debut on this most recent recall, making his first career NHL start against Utah last Saturday. It didn’t go very well for the 28-year-old farmhand, who surrendered five goals on 24 shots for a .792 SV% in a 6-2 loss (Utah’s last goal was an empty-netter). Initially a second-round pick by the Rangers back in 2014, his lone previous NHL appearance came in relief of Henrik Lundqvist in February 2018.
The Michigan native has been strong at the minor-league level this year, though, posting a .913 SV% and 2.32 GAA with four shutouts in 34 games for Syracuse. While he began the year on a minor-league deal, that showing earned him an NHL contract from Tampa early last month. He’s been recalled a couple of times since then amid periods of unavailability from Johansson, who has a 7-5-2 record and .896 SV% in 15 appearances this season. His deal was for two years, so he’ll be back with the team as organizational depth next season.
Stars Sign Trey Taylor To Entry-Level Deal
The Stars signed left-shot defenseman Trey Taylor to a two-year entry-level contract earlier this week, per a team release. The deal begins next season, but he’ll finish out 2024-25 on a tryout with AHL Texas. His contract carries a cap hit of $975K and includes a base salary of $877.5K, a signing bonus of $97.5K, and a minors salary of $85K each season, according to PuckPedia.
Taylor turns pro after recently completing his junior season at Clarkson University, where he was teammates with recently-signed Dallas prospect Ayrton Martino. Unlike Martino, Taylor wasn’t already in the Stars’ system. Undrafted after initially becoming eligible for selection in 2020, the 6’2″ lefty didn’t even touch college hockey until what would have been his DY+3 season. After spending time in high-level juniors with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League, the B.C. native jumped to Clarkson for the 2022-23 campaign.
After not making much of an impression in a depth role in his freshman year, Taylor impressed in expanded usage in 2023-24. He put together a dominant two-way performance for Clarkson, posting 4-13–17 in 35 games while adding a +20 rating that earned him ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman honors. This season, Taylor improved offensively with a 9-20–29 scoring line in 39 games while serving as an alternate captain, repeating his performance as the conference’s best shutdown defenseman as well.
A sound collegiate performance should allow him to step in as an impact defender at the AHL level somewhat seamlessly. The road ahead to NHL minutes on the Stars’ blue line is less clear, especially on a team with Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Lian Bichsel penciled in as its top three left-side defenders for years to come, so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets reps on his off side in Texas. He’ll be under contract through 2026-27, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent.
Sabres Sign Tyler Kopff To Entry-Level Deal
The Sabres have signed forward Tyler Kopff to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season, per a club announcement. He’ll finish out the season on a tryout with AHL Rochester. Per PuckPedia, his deal carries a cap hit of $975K and breaks down as a $877.5K salary with a $97.5K signing bonus each season.
Kopff, 21, is an undrafted free agent coming off his sophomore season at Brown University. The New Jersey native was first eligible for the 2021 draft but spent the year in the state high school system and was far too down the competition ladder to warrant a selection.
He’s produced well everywhere he’s gone since then, though. He jumped to junior ‘A’ hockey for his age-18 and age-19 seasons in British Columbia with the Coquitlam Express, posting 42-51–93 in 107 BCHL games over two seasons. Over two years at Brown, he’s added 15-31–46 in 62 games.
He thus leaves college early to turn pro in the Sabres organization, a decision undoubtedly influenced by his 6’4″, 205-lb frame that should make adjusting to the AHL level an easier task. He’s likely not ticketed for an NHL call-up anytime soon, but he gives Buffalo another project for Rochester who should be able to step in immediately as a depth scorer with size.
His deal will expire in the 2027 offseason, making him a restricted free agent. Buffalo now has 26 deals on the books for 2025-26.