East Notes: Tanev, Ristolainen, Kucherov
The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Chris Tanev back in the lineup tonight. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters this morning, including David Alter of The Hockey News, he’ll be a game-time decision for a key matchup against the Panthers in the Atlantic Division title race. The 35-year-old has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury. It’s believed to be a shoulder issue. He left a Feb. 25 game against the Bruins after taking a hit into the boards from Boston forward John Beecher, ending his contest after one shift. The Leafs have gone 3-2-1 in his absence, treading water without their top shutdown defender, but have allowed 4.17 goals per game over that stretch. They’ve struggled to control play at 5-on-5 with a 43.7 CF%, a number Tanev’s return will undoubtedly help boost. While his raw 47.4 CF% at even strength on the year isn’t particularly impressive, he dominates shot quality over quantity and leads the team with a +8.8 expected rating and +26 actual rating. He also ranks fifth in the league with 151 blocked shots.
More out of the Eastern Conference:
- Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be held out of the lineup for tonight’s game against Tampa as he nurses a minor injury, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The 30-year-old was a speculative trade candidate at last week’s deadline but stayed put amid a lack of interest given general manager Daniel Brière‘s reportedly high asking price. He’s thrived in a defensively-oriented role this year, posting a career-high plus-three rating while averaging 20:31 per game on a Philly squad with a -24 goal differential at 5-on-5. 24-year-old lefty Yegor Zamula will replace him in the lineup after sitting as a scratch for Tuesday’s game against the Senators, the team announced.
- Lightning star winger Nikita Kucherov remains less than 100%. The 31-year-old wasn’t a participant in today’s morning skate, per the team’s Gabby Shirley, an increasingly frequent occurrence in recent days. While he has five points in his last four outings, he hasn’t logged over 20 minutes of ice time in any of them and played just 15:17 against the Hurricanes on Tuesday. He still has 28-64–92 in 61 appearances this year, the third-highest points-per-game pace of his future Hall-of-Fame career. Head coach Jon Cooper confirmed Kucherov is dealing with an illness and will be a game-time decision.
PHR Live Chat: 3/12/25
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Flames Recall Adam Klapka
Adam Klapka has been added back to the Flames’ roster, per a team announcement. He’s now been recalled from AHL Calgary for the fifth time this season and marks the first of the Flames’ four allotted post-deadline recalls.
Last week, Calgary reassigned the hulking 24-year-old on deadline day to make him eligible to suit up for the Wranglers in the Calder Cup Playoffs. They waited a few days to bring him back to the NHL, but he’s once again available to dress after spending most of the post-4 Nations schedule so far up with the big club. He’s scored once in 13 NHL games this year, averaging 8:10 per game.
The 6’8″ forward arrived in the Flames organization in 2022, when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec. In addition to his 236-lb frame, he’s proven an effective scorer in the minors as well. He has 48-49–97 in 158 games with the Wranglers over the past three years, including 14-12–26 in 33 games this year with 50 PIMs and a minus-one rating.
The Flames now have 22 players on their active roster, including 13 forwards. Klapka will likely be an extra forward for tonight’s huge game against the Canucks, their chief competitor for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but is theoretically available to draw in.
Klapka, a pending restricted free agent, will need a new deal this summer and is eligible for salary arbitration. If he re-signs and doesn’t make the team out of camp in the fall, he’ll need to clear waivers on his way down to the AHL.
Lightning Recall Cam Atkinson
The Lightning have recalled winger Cam Atkinson from AHL Syracuse, according to NHL.com’s Benjamin Pierce. While they don’t need to make a corresponding move, he is the first of their four allotted post-deadline standard recalls.
Atkinson, a 13-year NHL veteran, has only suited up twice for the Bolts since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was a healthy scratch in four out of six games before landing on standard waivers for the first time in his career and heading to Syracuse before the deadline, freeing up cap space for Tampa to acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Kraken.
The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $900K deal with the Lightning last summer after the Flyers bought out the final season of his seven-year, $41.1MM contract. He was coming off an underwhelming year in Philadelphia, managing 13-15–28 in 70 games after missing all of the 2022-23 season due to neck surgery. Unfortunately, this year hasn’t been any better. The seven-time 20-goal scorer has averaged just 8:50 across 37 games for the Bolts, scoring 3-5–8 with a minus-three rating.
The Bolts had to run 11 forwards and seven defensemen in last night’s loss to the Hurricanes after Mitchell Chaffee was a late scratch. While he’s not expected to miss any more action, recalling Atkinson gives them another option to insert into the fourth line with Zemgus Girgensons and Luke Glendening instead of having to dress a seventh defender and put their forward lines in a blender.
Atkinson did not play for Syracuse in his brief demotion. If he did, it would have marked his first AHL appearance since the 2011-12 campaign. The former Columbus sixth-round pick has 252-236–488 in 807 career games with the Blue Jackets, Flyers and Lightning and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
List Of Prospects With Signing Rights Expiring June 1
Every year, most NHL teams will see at least one prospect vanish from their reserve list on June 1. That’s the date stipulated by the league’s transfer agreements with the Canadian Hockey League and European leagues, not including the Kontinental Hockey League or the Swiss National League, that prospects drafted from those leagues will become free agents if not signed. For CHL players, that date is two years after they’re drafted, at which point they can re-enter the draft or declare free agency. For European players, it’s four years after their draft date.
A few teams have been busy removing players from this list over the past two weeks. As of March 1, players are now eligible to sign entry-level contracts that don’t begin until the 2025-26 campaign. As such, most players listed here are likelier than not to lose their affiliation with their draft team.
That means this year, CHL players selected in the 2023 draft will hit free agency and can declare for the 2025 draft if not signed by July 1. Meanwhile, unsigned players still in European professional leagues who were initially eligible for the 2021 draft will see their exclusive signing rights expire. Here’s the full list of those affected players, with some help from PuckPedia:
Anaheim Ducks
D Vojtech Port (2023, 6-161)
D Konnor Smith (2023, 4-97)
F Carey Terrance (2023, 2-59)
Boston Bruins
D Jonathan Myrenberg (2021, 5-140)
Buffalo Sabres
F Viljami Marjala (2021, 5-159)
F Ethan Miedema (2023, 4-109)
F William von Barnekow (2021, 6-161)
Calgary Flames
F Jaden Lipinski (2023, 4-112)
Carolina Hurricanes
G Patrik Hamrla (2021, 3-83)
G Nikita Quapp (2021, 6-187)
Chicago Blackhawks
F Marcel Marcel (2023, 5-131)
F Milton Oscarson (2023, 6-167)
F Alex Pharand (2023, 4-99)
F Victor Stjernborg (2021, 4-108)
Colorado Avalanche
F Maros Jedlicka (2023, 7-219)
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Tyler Peddle (2023, 7-224)
F Martin Rysavy (2021, 7-197)
Dallas Stars
F Brad Gardiner (2023, 3-79)
F Albert Sjöberg (2021, 7-207)
G Arno Tiefensee (2023, 5-157)
Detroit Red Wings
F Liam Dower-Nilsson (2021, 5-134)
Edmonton Oilers
G Nathaniel Day (2023, 6-184)
Florida Panthers
D Luke Coughlin (2023, 6-191)
F Jakub Kos (2021, 6-184)
Los Angeles Kings
D Matthew Mania (2023, 5-150)
Minnesota Wild
D Kalem Parker (2023, 6-181)
Montreal Canadiens
G Quentin Miller (2023, 4-128)
G Joe Vrbetic (2021, 7-214)
Nashville Predators
G Juha Jatkola (2023, 4-121)
D Dylan MacKinnon (2023, 3-83)
D Anton Olsson (2021, 3-72)
New Jersey Devils
F Cole Brown (2023, 6-164)
New York Islanders
F Justin Gill (2023, 5-145)
F Aleksi Malinen (2021, 6-189)
New York Rangers
none
Ottawa Senators
F Oliver Johansson (2021, 3-74)
Philadelphia Flyers
D Matteo Mann (2023, 7-199)
D Carter Sotheran (2023, 5-135)
D Brian Zanetti (2021, 4-110)
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Cooper Foster (2023, 6-174)
San Jose Sharks
F Theo Jacobsson (2021, 6-177)
Seattle Kraken
D Kaden Hammell (2023, 5-148)
F Andrei Loshko (2023, 4-116)
St. Louis Blues
D Matthew Mayich (2023, 6-170)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Ethan Hay (2023, 7-211)
Toronto Maple Leafs
none
Utah Hockey Club
D Justin Kipkie (2023, 5-160)
G Rasmus Korhonen (2021, 4-122)
Vancouver Canucks
F Lucas Forsell (2021, 7-201)
D Hugo Gabrielson (2021, 6-169)
Vegas Golden Knights
D Artur Cholach (2021, 6-190)
Washington Capitals
F Håkon Hänelt (2021, 5-151)
F Brett Hyland (2023, 7-200)
F Patrick Thomas (2023, 4-104)
Winnipeg Jets
F Connor Levis (2023, 7-210)
Rangers, Jonathan Quick Agree To Extension
Rangers veteran backup Jonathan Quick will return for his 19th NHL season in 2025-26. The team announced they’ve agreed to terms on a one-year extension, which Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports is worth $1.55MM. Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, that will be paid out via a $1MM base salary and $550K signing bonus. Quick can also earn up to $300K in performance bonuses as part of his 35+ contract and has a modified no-trade clause. His performance bonuses break down as follows:
20 starts with .915+ SV%: $75K
35 GP: $25K
40 GP: $50K
20 Ws: $50K
25 Ws: $100K
The 39-year-old netminder is in his second season in Manhattan as the No. 2 to Igor Shesterkin, posting a .896 SV%, 3.14 GAA and three shutouts in 17 starts and four relief appearances this year. He was extremely hot to start the campaign, going 5-1-0 with a .936 SV% in seven appearances in October and November, but has a .874 SV% and 4-5-2 record in his last 14. He’s started two of 10 games coming out of the 4 Nations break, a light workload he should be expected to replicate down the stretch with the Rangers in a battle for their playoff lives.
Quick’s career résumé needs no introduction. The three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings and Golden Knights ranks 14th all-time with 402 wins, a figure that leads American-born netminders. He also has 63 career shutouts, outpacing No. 2 Ryan Miller by 19 for first all-time among Americans. He’s never won a Vezina Trophy, but was the runner-up in 2012 and a finalist in 2016.
But on the whole, Quick hasn’t been nearly as valuable to the Rangers as last year. A UFA pickup in the 2023 offseason, Quick was one of the league’s better backups in 2023-24 with a .911 SV%, 2.62 GAA, and an 18-6-2 record in 27 showings. That showing was good for 9.8 goals saved above expected behind an average Rangers defense, per MoneyPuck, a figure that’s dipped to -2.6 this year. They could do far worse for a limited-use backup, though, and those year-to-year swings have become commonplace for Quick in the twilight of his career. He hasn’t posted a save percentage north of .900 in back-to-back years since doing so in 10 consecutive seasons to begin his career.
Quick was set to be a UFA this summer after signing a similarly-structured extension last March. This deal carries a higher salary guarantee and total earning potential than his current deal, which afforded him $1.275MM in salary and signing bonus with just one $25K performance bonus, which he won’t earn as it required him to make 20 starts with a SV% of at least .915.
If he declines further next year, pending RFA Dylan Garand would be his replacement on the roster pending any external additions. The 22-year-old has been called up on a few occasions from AHL Hartford over the past few years to back up either Shesterkin or Quick when the other is unavailable but has yet to make his NHL debut. In 30 minor-league games this year, he has a .912 SV%, 2.79 GAA, three shutouts, and a 16-7-7 record.
Out of the 23 players currently on the Rangers’ active roster, 17 are now signed through next season at a combined cap hit of $84.89MM, per PuckPedia. That leaves the Rangers with $10.61MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, nearly all of which could be swallowed up by new deals for pending RFAs William Cuylle and K’Andre Miller.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Metropolitan Notes: Boqvist, Tortorella, Jarry
As the Islanders lost a key game to the Kings last night, falling behind in the playoff race, they also lost depth defenseman Adam Boqvist to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old left the game in the second period after a clean neutral-zone collision with Los Angeles winger Kevin Fiala and didn’t return (video via Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News). Head coach Patrick Roy didn’t have an update on his status postgame, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. Based on the hit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him enter concussion protocol and miss at least Friday’s game against the Oilers. Boqvist has been more than serviceable in a third-pairing role for the Isles since they claimed him off waivers from the Panthers in late January, posting 2-3–5 in 12 games while averaging 14:31 per game. He’s remained in the lineup (albeit on his off side) and on the power play even after fellow righties Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock returned from their long-term injuries. While it initially seemed like he was heading toward non-tender territory this summer, Rosner notes he’s likely worked his way into the conversation for a spot in New York’s 2025-26 lineup.
More from the Metropolitan Division this morning:
- Flyers head coach John Tortorella reaffirmed he doesn’t anticipate ending his coaching career anytime soon, via Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. While he’s entering the final year of his contract in 2025-26, he called speculation that he’d shift to a front-office role for the Flyers “noise” and that it “never influences how I go about my business and never will.” The 66-year-old two-time Jack Adams winner has a 96-102-32 record behind the Philly bench and is set to miss the postseason for the third year in a row.
- After a two-month stint in the minors, it’s worth noting high-paid Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry has returned to form and then some since being recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week. He’s started both of Pittsburgh’s last two games with raucous results, guiding them to a pair of wins while allowing only three goals on 67 shots for a .955 SV%. The 29-year-old still has just a .891 mark on the year with a 10-8-4 record in 23 appearances and has three years remaining on his deal at a $5.375MM cap hit.
Stars Sign Angus MacDonell To Entry-Level Deal
The Stars announced they’ve signed forward prospect Angus MacDonell to a three-year, entry-level contract. It will begin next season, taking him through the 2027-28 campaign.
Dallas selected MacDonell, 19, in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. They were set to lose his signing rights on June 1 if they didn’t get him inked to a contract, after which he could have re-entered the draft for 2025.
The 5’10” center was drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads and followed the franchise with their minor relocation to Brampton last summer. While not overly bulky at 185 lbs, he plays much larger than he is and plays a physical game – the drawback there being frequent penalties. He’s logged 162 PIMs in 100 games over the past two years.
Of course, he complements that engagement with good offensive play. A good shooter, he’s tallied 24-23–47 in 39 games with the Steelheads this year after posting 32-30–62 in 61 games in 2023-24.
While he doesn’t have the ceiling of a top-six forward, he could top out as a solid complementary piece on a scoring-oriented third line like the Stars tend to ice. He’ll be eligible to report to AHL Texas on a tryout down the stretch after his junior season ends, but he won’t be able to make his NHL debut until next season. He’ll likely see a full year or two of development in the minors before being considered for a recall near the end of his rookie deal if he develops well.
Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen
The Senators announced Tuesday they’ve recalled goaltender Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville. They’re now carrying three goalies along with Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark.
Merilainen’s recall isn’t to replace Forsberg or Ullmark for injury-related reasons, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Instead, the young Finn will back up Forsberg tonight against the Flyers while Ullmark gets the night off entirely for load management purposes following seven straight starts coming out of the 4 Nations break.
Moves like this are easier for the Sens after the 23-player roster limit was lifted post-deadline. However, Ottawa does burn one of their four permitted post-deadline standard recalls by summoning Merilainen since the lack of injury to their other netminders means he doesn’t qualify for an emergency recall.
When tasked with NHL minutes this season while Forsberg and Ullmark spent time on the shelf, the 22-year-old Merilainen has been spectacular. The 2020 third-round pick has made 11 starts and one relief appearance for the Sens while pushing Mads Søgaard aside for the No. 3 spot on their depth chart, posting a stellar .925 SV% and 1.99 GAA. Among goalies with 15 or fewer games played, Merilainen’s 6.8 goals saved above expected ranks fourth, per MoneyPuck.
With Merilainen posting far more favorable numbers to the veteran Forsberg (.895 SV%, 2.82 GAA), there’s an argument to be made he should be starting to give Ullmark the night off amid a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. While Merilainen hasn’t played an NHL game since Feb. 1, he has a .915 SV% in his last eight starts in Belleville and has a .910 on the year with the B-Sens.
Nonetheless, the pending RFA will likely sit before returning to Belleville in the coming days. With Forsberg slated for unrestricted free agency this summer coming off back-to-back underwhelming years, there’s a case to be made for Merilainen starting next season on the NHL roster as Ullmark’s backup.
Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin Refutes Trade Request Rumors
While the public and rival teams may start speculating about the future of star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo, he has no desire to leave the Sabres.
Dahlin made himself available to reporters this morning to respond to a statement from TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette on today’s Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, who said he’d heard Dahlin informed Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams he’d submit a trade request if the team doesn’t get closer to competing for a playoff spot. The team posted the crux of what he had to say:
I don’t know what [Bissonnette]’s talking about. I have never said I want out of here. I’m not happy with where we’re at, I don’t want to lose. I’ve never said I want out of here, I thought that was pretty clear… That bugs me, actually. I get pissed off by that. I haven’t even mentioned the word ‘leave.’ That’s just how it is.
Dahlin, of course, will miss the postseason for the seventh straight time to begin his career with Buffalo as part of a more extensive postseason drought for the Sabres that dates back to the 2011. The 2018 No. 1 overall pick, who turns 25 next month, is in the first year of an eight-year, $88MM mega-extension that affords him complete no-move protection beginning July 1.
After rebooting their core in the post-Jack Eichel era following another failure in a series of attempted rebuilds, the Sabres have again begun to retool their core. They swapped 24-year-old center Dylan Cozens, whom they selected No. 7 overall in the 2019 draft, for oft-injured but high-ceiling pivot Joshua Norris in a deal with the Senators on deadline day last week. Multiple reports suggested they were also listening to offers on under-25 defenders Bowen Byram and Owen Power, although neither came close to getting dealt. Adams also recently refuted pre-deadline rumors he was engaged in trade talks regarding 23-year-old winger JJ Peterka, who scored 28 goals last season and has a career-high 51 points in 61 games in 2024-25.
Buffalo’s 25-32-6 record places them last in the Eastern Conference, and their .444 points percentage is tracking to be their lowest since their disastrous 2020-21 campaign that saw them post an 18-game winless streak. Their continued porous team defense has rarely reared its head with Dahlin on the ice, though. He’s having another standout season that should get him a fair amount of Norris Trophy voting at season’s end, ranking second on the team in scoring with 11-40–51 in 55 games while controlling 55.5% of shot attempts at even strength.