Avalanche Recall Nikolai Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan
The Avalanche have made a pair of opening night transactions, recalling forwards Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan from AHL Colorado.
At least one of them will make their NHL debut tomorrow against the Golden Knights. Due to cap constraints and in an attempt to maximize their potential LTIR capture, the Avalanche only had 11 forwards on the opening night roster they submitted yesterday. Kovalenko and Ivan were sent down yesterday, just hours before Colorado’s initial roster was due, and were both expected to rejoin the club today.
If Kovalenko draws in, it’ll only be his regular-season debut. He made his NHL debut in last year’s playoffs, skating in Games 4 and 5 of their first-round win over the Jets and failing to get on the scoresheet. Still, it would be a nice early birthday present for the 2018 sixth-round pick, who turns 25 next week. The pending restricted free agent has spent the last two seasons playing a pivotal role for the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, erupting for 89 points in 98 games there while serving as an alternate captain. After arriving in Colorado to end last season, he also tallied three points in four AHL games.
It would be a true debut for the 22-year-old Ivan, though. The Czech pivot went undrafted after recording 177 points in 191 games over three seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, settling for an AHL deal with Colorado’s affiliate last summer. He had a solid showing, totaling 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 67 games en route to landing an entry-level NHL deal with the Avs in March. He was viewed as a potential call-up option this season, but even with the Avs’ multiple top-six forward absences in Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin, he was a long shot to make the roster. It’s clear he’s made a good chunk of headway on Colorado’s depth chart with a strong camp.
The Avs had the roster space but not the cap space to execute this transaction, so it’s fair to assume either Landeskog, Lehkonen, or newly-acquired defenseman Tucker Poolman has been placed on long-term injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
Panthers Expected To Recall Spencer Knight
Goaltender Spencer Knight was left off the Panthers’ opening night roster, but he’s still made the team in effect, reports Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. The waiver-exempt netminder was quietly assigned to AHL Charlotte yesterday but will be brought back up to the NHL for the first time since 2022-23 as soon as Florida opens up the cap space to do so.
Knight, still just 23, has a career 32-17-6 record in 57 appearances for the Panthers with a .906 SV% and 2.91 GAA. The 2019 first-round pick last saw NHL action in February 2023, entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program before spending all of 2023-24 in the minors.
It hasn’t been the workload the Panthers envisioned for Knight after perhaps prematurely signing him to a three-year, $13.5MM extension in September 2022 that covered the 2023-24 through 2025-26 seasons. Now in the second year of that deal, Florida is still on the hook for $3.35MM of his $4.5MM cap hit while he’s in the minors, so they only need to open enough space to add $1.15MM in cap hit to their roster. They currently have $130K in cap space, per PuckPedia, so they could create enough space by moving injured forward Tomáš Nosek from IR to LTIR and waiving goaltender Chris Driedger, who’s currently slotted as Sergei Bobrovsky‘s backup, and his $795K cap hit.
The Connecticut native had an underwhelming regular season with Charlotte last year, posting a .905 SV% and 2.41 GAA in 45 games. He ended his season on a high note with a .925 SV% in two postseason games, though, and will look to carry that momentum into his NHL return.
Artem Anisimov Announces Retirement
Veteran forward Artem Anisimov has retired, the NHLPA confirmed today. The 36-year-old hangs up his skates after a 13-year run in the NHL with four different teams.
It marks the end of a very respectable career for the Russian center, whom the Rangers selected in the second round of the 2006 draft. A solid two-way pick out of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl organization, he was in North America with AHL Hartford one year later and had cracked New York’s NHL roster as a full-timer beginning with his age 21 season.
Anisimov was an extremely reliable middle-six piece over his first few seasons. After making the Rangers’ opening night roster for the first time in 2009, he would go nearly two and a half years without missing a game. Anisimov churned out 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in his first NHL campaign before having his best year in New York in his sophomore year, finishing fifth on the team in scoring in 2010-11 with 44 points (18 G, 16 A) while averaging 16:12 per game and taking over 700 draws.
The 2012 offseason brought an end to Anisimov’s time in Manhattan, however. He was one of many pieces sent to the Blue Jackets in that summer’s blockbuster swap that sent Rick Nash to New York. His tenure in Columbus was met with a bit less fanfare, struggling a bit with injuries and seeing slightly diminished possession impacts compared to his time with the Rangers. He did, however, set a career-high in goals with 22 while with the Jackets in 2013-14, helping the franchise to their second playoff appearance in team history.
A pending unrestricted free agent entering the 2015 offseason, it was clear Anisimov’s long-term future wasn’t in Columbus. He was sent to the Blackhawks in a swap that essentially amounted to a one-for-one deal with Brandon Saad going the other way, with none of the minor assets included in the trade having any long-term relevance. Unfortunately for Anisimov, he joined Chicago on the back end of their championship window and never captured a ring with them. But he did have the best years of his career in the Windy City after signing a five-year, $22.75MM extension. He hit the 20-goal mark three years in a row and earned Selke votes in 2016.
After totaling 155 points in 291 games with the Hawks, he was sent to the Senators for Zack Smith. Injuries finally caught up to him after a relatively healthy career, though, limiting him to 68 appearances over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He never landed another NHL contract after becoming a UFA in 2021, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. After spending the 2021-22 campaign back home with Lokomotiv, he played out the last two campaigns on AHL deals with the Flyers’ and Rangers’ affiliates in search of another NHL try that never came.
In 771 career appearances, Anisimov put together 180 goals, 196 assists, and 376 points. He recorded a -17 rating, 214 PIMs, and a 46.1% career win rate in the dot. He also added 17 points in 43 postseason games with the Rangers (2009, 2011, 2012), Blue Jackets (2014), and Blackhawks (2016, 2017). His career earnings totaled nearly $37.5MM, per CapWages. All of us at PHR congratulate Anisimov on his strong career.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Report: Igor Shesterkin Rejected Eight-Year, $88MM Extension Offer
The Rangers will have to pay a historic amount to keep their star netminder off next year’s unrestricted free agent market. Igor Shesterkin has rejected an eight-year extension offer from the Blueshirts worth $88MM, reports Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The deal would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.
Not only is Shesterkin the highest-profile goaltender set to be available in free agency next summer, he would be the highest-profile goaltender to hit UFA status in the salary cap era. But there’s a clear interest from the player’s side to remain in New York. They’ve been in contract talks since at least August, although a report from the New York Post’s Mollie Walker back in June indicated Shesterkin was likely looking for a $12MM price tag per season on an eight-year extension.
If Shesterkin and agent Maxim Moliver have held to that figure, then there’s still a $1MM gap to bridge between the Rangers and the 28-year-old. Walker wrote last month that Shesterkin would stop contract negotiations once the regular season started, so if there isn’t significant movement before New York opens its season in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, Rangers general manager Chris Drury will have the entire 82-game schedule to ponder whether he’s willing to shell out the additional cash to keep Shesterkin in Manhattan.
All signs up to this point indicate the Rangers were and still are willing to give Shesterkin the richest goalie contract ever, eclipsing Carey Price‘s eight-year, $84MM extension with the Canadiens. That obviously hasn’t changed considering their $88MM offer, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s report last month that the Rangers were “unfazed” by Shesterkin’s unwillingness to negotiate during the season suggests they anticipated being able to get him to come down slightly from his $12MM AAV ask.
It’s certainly a gamble on Shesterkin’s part to reject the offer. He now essentially controls his destiny with his performance this season. A second career Vezina nomination likely cements his ability to land north of $12MM annually on the open market, while a still elite but more inconsistent showing like last year’s (.912 SV%, 2.58 GAA, 14.2 GSAA) likely keeps him in the 11s.
While the markets are completely different for skaters and goaltenders, it’s clear Shesterkin is looking to capitalize on an expected run of inflated contracts for franchise cornerstones after the Oilers forked over $14MM annually to keep Leon Draisaitl on an eight-year extension, the richest contract since the 2012 lockout. The Bruins signing restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal over the weekend likely helps Shesterkin’s case as well. The Russian has superior career regular-season and playoff numbers to his Eastern Conference counterpart and has started 50-plus games in each of the last three seasons – something Swayman’s never done.
Simply put, losing Shesterkin in the middle of their championship contention window is not an option for the Rangers, who have been a much more pedestrian possession club at even strength than you’d expect, given their record over the past few years. Shesterkin has saved 82.38 goals above expected over the past three years, per Evolving Hockey, second to only Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. He stopped 86.58 in that frame but logged 24 more games played. There’s an extremely strong argument that he’s the league’s best goaltender, and there’s nothing resembling a succession plan in the Rangers’ prospect pipeline.
With more clarity on next year’s salary cap likely to come as the season progresses, Drury may be more willing to allocate the money needed to keep Shesterkin when the season wraps up. However, a successful season for the Rangers results in a Stanley Cup Final appearance, which would leave only a few days for Drury and Shesterkin’s camp to work out a deal if he remains unwilling to negotiate while game action is ongoing.
Active Roster Tracker
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Anaheim Ducks
Last updated April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (13): Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jansen Harkins, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Brett Leason, Isac Lundeström, Mason McTavish, Ryan Strome, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Tim Washe, Trevor Zegras
Defensemen (8): Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson, Oliver Kylington, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Ian Moore, Jacob Trouba, Olen Zellweger
Goaltenders (3): Lukáš Dostál, John Gibson, Ville Husso
IR: F Robby Fabbri (upper body, week-to-week), F Brock McGinn (ACL surgery, out for season)
Boston Bruins
Last updated April 17, 5:50 p.m.
Roster size: 17
Forwards (10): John Beecher, Morgan Geekie, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Cole Koepke, Jakub Lauko, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrňák, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen (5): Henri Jokiharju, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
LTIR: D Hampus Lindholm (lower body, day-to-day), D Charlie McAvoy (shoulder, week-to-week)
Buffalo Sabres
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 26
Forwards (16): Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jordan Greenway, Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs, Jiri Kulich, Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Joshua Norris, Noah Östlund, Jack Quinn, Isak Rosen, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker
Defensemen (8): Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jacob Bryson, Bowen Byram, Connor Clifton, Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson
Goaltenders (2): Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer
Calgary Flames
Last updated April 24, 8:00 p.m.
Roster size: 22
Forwards (12): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Lomberg, Martin Pospisil, Kevin Rooney, Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary
Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh, MacKenzie Weegar
Goaltenders (2): Daniel Vladař, Dustin Wolf
IR: F Justin Kirkland (ACL, out for season), F Anthony Mantha (ACL, out for season)
Carolina Hurricanes
Last updated April 19, 12:00 p.m.
Roster size: 25
Forwards (14): Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis, Tyson Jost, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen (8): Brent Burns, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Alexander Nikishin, Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Riley Stillman, Sean Walker
Goaltenders (3): Frederik Andersen, Ruslan Khazheyev, Pyotr Kochetkov
LTIR: F Jesper Fast (neck, out for season)
Chicago Blackhawks
Last updated April 24, 5:50 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (15): Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Ryan Greene, Philipp Kurashev, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Lukas Reichel, Landon Slaggert, Teuvo Teräväinen, Joe Veleno
Defensemen (7): T.J. Brodie, Louis Crevier, Wyatt Kaiser, Alec Martinez, Connor Murphy, Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic
Goaltenders (2): Spencer Knight, Arvid Söderblom
IR: G Laurent Brossoit (knee, indefinite), D Shea Weber (lower body, out for season)
Colorado Avalanche
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (13): Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, Logan O’Connor, Jimmy Vesey
Defensemen (8): Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson, Ryan Lindgren, Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Keaton Middleton, Devon Toews
Goaltenders (3): Mackenzie Blackwood, Kevin Mandolese, Scott Wedgewood
LTIR: D Tucker Poolman (head, out for season)
Columbus Blue Jackets
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 27
Forwards (16): Zach Aston-Reese, Yegor Chinakhov, Charlie Coyle, Justin Danforth, Adam Fantilli, Christian Fischer, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Luke Kunin, Sean Kuraly, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, James van Riemsdyk, Dmitri Voronkov, Jack Williams, Miles Wood
Defensemen (9): Jake Christiansen, Dante Fabbro, Erik Gudbranson, Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski
Goaltenders (2): Jet Greaves, Elvis Merzļikins
IR: F Kevin Labanc (shoulder, out for season)
Dallas Stars
Last updated April 18, 2:29 p.m.
Roster size: 25
Forwards (14): Oskar Bäck, Jamie Benn, Colin Blackwell, Mavrik Bourque, Evgenii Dadonov, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Mason Marchment, Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, Sam Steel
Defensemen (8): Lian Bichsel, Cody Ceci, Mathew Dumba, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Petrovic, Brendan Smith
Goaltenders (3): Casey DeSmith, Ben Kraws, Jake Oettinger
LTIR: D Miro Heiskanen (knee, week-to-week), D Nils Lundkvist (shoulder, out for season)
Detroit Red Wings
Last updated April 4, 11:06 a.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (13): Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Marco Kasper, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, Michael Rasmussen, Lucas Raymond, Craig Smith, Elmer Söderblom, Vladimir Tarasenko, Austin Watson
Defensemen (8): Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, Albert Johansson, William Lagesson, Jeff Petry, Moritz Seider
Goaltenders (3): Alex Lyon, Petr Mrázek, Cam Talbot
IR: F Andrew Copp (left pectoral tendon, out for season), F Carter Mazur (upper body, day-to-day)
Edmonton Oilers
Last updated April 15, 7:05 p.m.
Roster size: 28
Forwards (16): Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Leon Draisaitl, Adam Henrique, Quinn Hutson, Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, Max Jones, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Corey Perry, Noah Philp, Vasily Podkolzin, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Defensemen (10): Evan Bouchard, Connor Carrick, Cam Dineen, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, John Klingberg, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher, Jake Walman
Goalies (2): Calvin Pickard, Stuart Skinner
IR: F Trent Frederic (lower body, week to week)
LTIR: F Evander Kane (hernia/hip/knee, proj. return Feb. 19 – Mar. 19)
Florida Panthers
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 25
Forwards (14): Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Brad Marchand, Tomáš Nosek, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensemen (7): Uvis Balinskis, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Dmitry Kulikov, Jaycob Megna, Niko Mikkola, Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders (4): Sergei Bobrovsky, Evan Cormier, Vítek Vaněček, Daniil Tarasov
LTIR: F Matthew Tkachuk (groin, week-to-week)
Suspended: D Aaron Ekblad (20 games, eligible to return Game 3 of Round One)
Los Angeles Kings
Last updated April 21, 2:18 p.m.
Roster size: 27
Forwards (16): Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault, Kevin Fiala, Warren Foegele, Samuel Helenius, Tanner Jeannot, Adrian Kempe, Anže Kopitar, Andrei Kuzmenko, Alex Laferriere, Trevor Lewis, Jeff Malott, Trevor Moore, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, Taylor Ward
Defensemen (8): Michael Anderson, Kyle Burroughs, Brandt Clarke, Drew Doughty, Joel Edmundson, Vladislav Gavrikov, Jacob Moverare, Jordan Spence
Goaltenders (3): Pheonix Copley, Darcy Kuemper, David Rittich
Minnesota Wild
Last updated April 21, 7:54 p.m.
Roster size: 31
Forwards (18): Matt Boldy, Travis Boyd, Justin Brazeau, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno, Frédérick Gaudreau, Brendan Gaunce, Hunter Haight, Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Marcus Johansson, Ben Jones, Kirill Kaprizov, Gustav Nyquist, Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi, Yakov Trenin, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen (10): Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin, Zeev Buium, Declan Chisholm, Cameron Crotty, Brock Faber, Carson Lambos, Jonathon Merrill, Jacob Middleton, Jared Spurgeon
Goaltenders (3): Marc-André Fleury, Filip Gustavsson, Samuel Hlavaj
SOIR: G Troy Grosenick (ACL, out for season)
Montreal Canadiens
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 22
Forwards (12): Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Juraj Slafkovský, Nick Suzuki
Defensemen (8): Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj
Goaltenders (2): Jakub Dobes, Sam Montembeault
IR: F Kirby Dach (knee, out for season)
LTIR: G Carey Price (knee, out for season)
Nashville Predators
Last updated April 21, 10:19 a.m.
Roster size: 19
Forwards (12): Michael Bunting, Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Zachary L’Heureux, Jonathan Marchessault, Michael McCarron, Ryan O’Reilly, Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Steven Stamkos, Jakub Vrána, Matthew Wood
Defensemen (5): Justin Barron, Nick Blankenburg, Andreas Englund, Jordan Oesterle, Brady Skjei
Goaltenders (2): Justus Annunen, Juuse Saros
IR: D Roman Josi (upper body, week to week), D Jeremy Lauzon (lower body, out for season), D Adam Wilsby (upper body, out for season)
New Jersey Devils
Last updated April 24, 7:05 p.m.
Roster size: 35
Forwards (20): Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt, Paul Cotter, Justin Dowling, Nolan Foote, Cody Glass, Brian Halonen, Mike Hardman, Erik Haula, Nico Hischier, Curtis Lazar, Nathan Legare, Kurtis MacDermid, Marc McLaughlin, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Stefan Noesen, Ondřej Palát, Daniel Sprong, Tomáš Tatar
Defensemen (11): Seamus Casey, Dennis Cholowski, Brenden Dillon, Brian Dumoulin, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec, Brett Pesce, Topias Vilen, Colton White
Goaltenders (4): Jake Allen, Nico Daws, Jacob Markström, Isaac Poulter
LTIR: F Jack Hughes (shoulder surgery, out for season), D Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body, out for season)
New York Islanders
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (14): Casey Cizikas, Anthony Duclair, Pierre Engvall, Hudson Fasching, Marc Gatcomb, Simon Holmström, Emil Heineman, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Kyle MacLean, Matt Martin, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Maxim Tsyplakov
Defensemen (8): Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, Scott Perunovich, Ryan Pulock, Mike Reilly, Alexander Romanov
Goaltenders (2): Marcus Högberg, Ilya Sorokin
LTIR: F Mathew Barzal (kneecap, proj. return March 20), G Semyon Varlamov (lower body, indefinite)
New York Rangers
Last updated April 1, 8:01 p.m.
Roster size: 26
Forwards (16): Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, Brett Berard, Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, William Cuylle, Arthur Kaliyev, Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafrenière, J.T. Miller, Brennan Othmann, Artemi Panarin, Juuso Pärssinen, Gabe Perreault, Matt Rempe, Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad
Defensemen (8): William Borgen, Calvin de Haan, Adam Fox, Zachary Jones, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Carson Soucy, Urho Vaakanainen
Goaltenders (2): Jonathan Quick, Igor Shesterkin
IR: F Adam Edstrom (lower body, proj. return April 17 – May 17)
Ottawa Senators
Last updated April 19, 12:00 p.m.
Roster size: 25
Forwards (14): Michael Amadio, Drake Batherson, Nick Cousins, Dylan Cozens, Adam Gaudette, Claude Giroux, Ridly Greig, Matthew Highmore, Hayden Hodgson, David Perron, Shane Pinto, Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen (8): Thomas Chabot, Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub
Goaltenders (3): Anton Forsberg, Leevi Merilainen, Linus Ullmark
Philadelphia Flyers
Last updated April 15, 11:40 a.m.
Roster size: 23
Forwards (13): Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Karsen Dorwart, Tyson Foerster, Garnet Hathaway, Devin Kaplan, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Jakob Pelletier, Ryan Poehling, Owen Tippett
Defensemen (7): Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cameron York, Yegor Zamula
Goaltenders (3): Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, Aleksei Kolosov
IR: D Ryan Ellis (pelvis, out for season)
Pittsburgh Penguins
Last updated April 18, 2:31 p.m.
Roster size: 23
Forwards (14): Noel Acciari, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, Bokondji Imama, Blake Lizotte, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Matthew Nieto, Thomas Novak, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino
Defensemen (7): Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Kris Letang, Ryan Shea, Conor Timmins
Goaltenders (2): Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic
IR: D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (upper body, week-to-week)
San Jose Sharks
Last updated April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Roster size: 22
Forwards (14): Thomas Bordeleau, Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Noah Gregor, Carl Grundström, Klim Kostin, Nikolai Kovalenko, Cameron Lund, Zack Ostapchuk, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg
Defensemen (7): Vincent Desharnais, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Jack Thompson, Henry Thrun
Goaltenders (2): Alexandar Georgiev, Georgi Romanov
IR: F Logan Couture (groin, indefinite), D Jan Rutta (lower body, week-to-week)
Seattle Kraken
Last updated April 13, 7:45 p.m.
Roster size: 23
Forwards (13): Matthew Beniers, André Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle, Michael Eyssimont, John Hayden, Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye, Jared McCann, Jani Nyman, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen, Shane Wright
Defensemen (7): Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Cale Fleury, Adam Larsson, Josh Mahura, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak
Goaltenders (3): Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer, Victor Ostman
St. Louis Blues
Last updated April 18, 2:29 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (14): Zachary Bolduc, Pavel Buchnevich, Radek Faksa, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Brayden Schenn, Jimmy Snuggerud, Oskar Sundqvist, Alexandre Texier, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker
Defensemen (8): Philip Broberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Matthew Kessel, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Ryan Suter, Tyler Tucker
Goaltenders (3): Jordan Binnington, Will Cranley, Joel Hofer
LTIR: D Torey Krug (ankle, out for season)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Last updated May 1, 7:57 p.m.
Roster size: 22
Forwards (13): Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Mitchell Chaffee, Anthony Cirelli, Zemgus Girgensons, Luke Glendening, Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul, Brayden Point
Defensemen (7): Erik Černák, Victor Hedman, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, Ryan McDonagh, J.J. Moser, Nicklaus Perbix, Darren Raddysh
Goaltenders (2): Jonas Johansson, Andrei Vasilevskiy
Toronto Maple Leafs
Last updated April 20, 6:45 p.m.
Roster size: 24
Forwards (13): Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, Calle Järnkrok, David Kämpf, Matthew Knies, Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, William Nylander, Nicholas Robertson, John Tavares
Defensemen (8): Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev
Goaltenders (3): Artur Akhtyamov, Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll
IR: F Max Pacioretty (undisclosed, day-to-day)
LTIR: D Jani Hakanpää (knee, indefinite)
Utah Mammoth
Last updated June 27, 5:00 p.m.
Roster size: 25
Forwards (14): Nick Bjugstad, Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Alexander Kerfoot, Matias Maccelli, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, JJ Peterka, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund
Defensemen (7): Robert Bortuzzo, Ian Cole, Nick DeSimone, Sean Durzi, Olli Määttä, John Marino, Mikhail Sergachev
Goalies (1): Karel Vejmelka
IR: G Connor Ingram (upper body, indefinite)
Vancouver Canucks
Last updated April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Roster size: 20
Forwards (12): Nils Åman, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Nils Höglander, Dakota Joshua, Drew O’Connor, Elias Pettersson, Kiefer Sherwood, Pius Suter
Defensemen (6): Derek Forbort, Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, Elias Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson
Goalies (2): Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen
IR: D Noah Juulsen (hernia surgery, out for season)
Vegas Golden Knights
Last updated April 24, 7:05 p.m.
Roster size: 34
Forwards (20): Ivan Barbashev, Callahan Burke, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Tomáš Hertl, Alexander Holtz, Brett Howden, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, Tanner Laczynski, Raphael Lavoie, Victor Olofsson, Tanner Pearson, Jonas Rondbjerg, Nicolas Roy, Brandon Saad, Matyas Sapovaliv, Cole Schwindt, Reilly Smith, Mark Stone
Defensemen (10): Nicolas Hague, Robert Hagg, Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Dysin Mayo, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud
Goaltenders (4): Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom, Ilya Samsonov, Akira Schmid
Washington Capitals
Last updated: May 1, 7:40 p.m.
Roster size: 26
Forwards (14): Anthony Beauvillier, Nic Dowd, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brandon Duhaime, Lars Eller, Ethen Frank, Ryan Leonard, Andrew Mangiapane, Connor McMichael, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Taylor Raddysh, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson
Defensemen (9): Alexander Alexeyev, Ethan Bear, John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehérváry, Dylan McIlrath, Matt Roy, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goaltenders (3): Mitchell Gibson, Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson
LTIR: F Nicklas Bäckström (hip, out for season), F Sonny Milano (upper body, indefinite), F T.J. Oshie (back, indefinite)
Winnipeg Jets
Last updated: April 13, 7:45 p.m.
Roster size: 27
Forwards (16): Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, David Gustafsson, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Cole Perfetti, Mark Scheifele, Brandon Tanev, Dominic Toninato, Gabriel Vilardi
Defensemen (9): Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Ville Heinola, Colin Miller, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg, Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley
Goaltenders (2): Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck
2024-25 Opening Night Roster Tracker
Opening night rosters are due Monday at 4 p.m. Central, one of the many critical 2024-25 campaign dates. Some teams still need to make their last few cuts today to get down to 23 players, while others are already at or under the maximum and are just waiting to make things official. As announcements come across the wire, each team’s initial 2024-25 season roster will be listed here.
Originally published 8:56 a.m.
Last updated 8:02 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Leo Carlsson, Robby Fabbri, Cutter Gauthier, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Brett Leason, Isac Lundestrom, Brock McGinn, Mason McTavish, Ryan Strome, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Trevor Zegras
Defensemen (8): Brian Dumoulin, Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, Jackson LaCombe, Tristan Luneau, Pavel Mintyukov, Urho Vaakanainen, Olen Zellweger
Goaltenders (2): Lukas Dostal, James Reimer
IR: G John Gibson
Projected cap space: $20,640,833, per PuckPedia
Boston Bruins (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): John Beecher, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Riley Tufte, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen (7): Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
IR: D Ian Mitchell, F Matthew Poitras, D Alec Regula
Projected cap space: $145,261, per PuckPedia
Calgary Flames (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Adam Klapka, Andrei Kuzmenko, Ryan Lomberg, Anthony Mantha, Martin Pospisil, Kevin Rooney, Connor Zary
Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Tyson Barrie, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, MacKenzie Weegar
Goaltenders (2): Daniel Vladař, Dustin Wolf
IR: F Yegor Sharangovich
Projected cap space: $18,630,833, per PuckPedia
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Sebastian Aho, William Carrier, Jack Drury, Seth Jarvis, Tyson Jost, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brendan Lemieux, Jordan Martinook, Martin Necas, Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen (7): Brent Burns, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Bryce Montgomery, Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker
Goaltenders (2): Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov
IR: F Jesper Fast, D Joakim Ryan
LTIR: D Riley Stillman
Projected cap space: $774,997, per PuckPedia (LTIR Pool)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Joey Anderson, Andreas Athanasiou, Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, Philipp Kurashev, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, Lukas Reichel, Craig Smith, Teuvo Teravainen
Defensemen (7): T.J. Brodie, Nolan Allan, Seth Jones, Alec Martinez, Connor Murphy, Isaak Phillips, Alex Vlasic
Goaltenders (2): Petr Mrazek, Arvid Soderblom
IR: G Laurent Brossoit
SOIR: D Wyatt Kaiser, D Artyom Levshunov
Projected cap space: $4,646,614, per PuckPedia
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (11): Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, Nathan MacKinnon, Casey Mittelstadt, Logan O’Connor, Mikko Rantanen, Calum Ritchie, Chris Wagner, Miles Wood
Defensemen (8): Calvin de Haan, Samuel Girard, Oliver Kylington, John Ludvig, Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Devon Toews
Goaltenders (2): Justus Annunen, Alexandar Georgiev
IR: F Gabriel Landeskog, F Artturi Lehkonen, D Tucker Poolman
Suspended: F Valeri Nichushkin
Projected cap space: $44,375, per PuckPedia
*Forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko are expected to be recalled prior to the Avalanche’s season opener against the Golden Knights on Wednesday after one or more of their IR players are moved to LTIR.
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Zach Aston-Reese, Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Dylan Gambrell, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Kevin Labanc, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Mikael Pyyhtia, Cole Sillinger, James van Riemsdyk
Defensemen (8): Jake Christiansen, Erik Gudbranson, Jordan Harris, David Jiricek, Jack Johnson, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski
Goaltenders (2): Elvis Merzlikins, Daniil Tarasov
IR: F Boone Jenner
SOIR: F Justin Danforth, F Jordan Dumais, F Max McCue
Projected cap space: $20,335,990, per PuckPedia
Dallas Stars (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Jamie Benn, Colin Blackwell, Oskar Bäck, Evgenii Dadonov, Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Mason Marchment, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, Logan Stankoven, Sam Steel
Defensemen (7): Mathew Dumba, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith
Goaltenders (2): Casey DeSmith, Jake Oettinger
IR: F Mavrik Bourque
Projected cap space: $2,353,612, per PuckPedia
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat, Christian Fischer, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, Michael Rasmussen, Lucas Raymond, Vladimir Tarasenko, Joe Veleno, Austin Watson
Defensemen (7): Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Erik Gustafsson, Albert Johansson, Olli Maatta, Jeff Petry, Moritz Seider
Goaltenders (3): Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, Cam Talbot
SOIR: D Shai Buium, F Tim Gettinger
Projected cap space: $573,194, per PuckPedia
Edmonton Oilers (per PuckPedia)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Leon Draisaitl, Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, Evander Kane, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Corey Perry, Vasily Podkolzin, Derek Ryan, Matthew Savoie, Jeff Skinner
Defensemen (6): Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher
Goalies (2): Calvin Pickard, Stuart Skinner
Projected cap space: $952,053, per PuckPedia
* The Oilers are expected to place Kane ($5.125MM) on LTIR tomorrow and register the one-year, $925K agreement with forward Cameron Wright tomorrow.
Florida Panthers (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensemen (7): Uvis Balinskis, Adam Boqvist, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders (2): Sergei Bobrovsky, Chris Driedger
IR: F Tomas Nosek, D Justin Sourdif
Projected cap space: $130,455, per PuckPedia
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault, Kevin Fiala, Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot, Adrian Kempe, Anže Kopitar, Alex Laferriere, Trevor Lewis, Trevor Moore, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte
Defensemen (8): Michael Anderson, Kyle Burroughs, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, Andreas Englund, Vladislav Gavrikov, Caleb Jones, Jordan Spence
Goaltenders (2): Darcy Kuemper, David Rittich
IR: D Drew Doughty, F Arthur Kaliyev
Projected cap space: $546,666, per PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens (per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barré-Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman*, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki
Defensemen (7): Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj*
Goaltenders (2): Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau
IR: F Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, F Patrik Laine
LTIR: G Carey Price
Projected cap space: $-1,187,084, per PuckPedia
*Expect to see Heineman and Xhekaj sent to AHL Laval on Monday in a paper transaction before being recalled on Tuesday, per PuckPedia. That would allow them to start the season under the cap without Price’s $10.5MM cap hit on LTIR, giving them the best possible capture when they add him to LTIR in the hours following the opening night roster deadline.
Nashville Predators (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (13): Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Mark Jankowski, Jonathan Marchessault, Michael McCarron, Thomas Novak, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan O’Reilly, Juuso Parssinen, Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Steven Stamkos, Philip Tomasino
Defensemen (6): Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro, Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, Luke Schenn, Brady Skjei
Goaltenders (2): Juuse Saros, Scott Wedgewood
SOIR: F Austin Roest, D Spencer Stastney, F Fedor Svechkov
Projected cap space: $5,242,285, per PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (13): Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt, Paul Cotter, Erik Haula, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Curtis Lazar, Kurtis MacDermid, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat, Tomas Tatar
Defensemen (6): Seamus Casey, Brenden Dillon, Dougie Hamilton, Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec, Jonas Siegenthaler
Goaltenders (2): Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom
IR: D Santeri Hatakka, D Luke Hughes, D Brett Pesce
SOIR: F Adam Beckman, F Josh Filmon, D Topias Vilen
Projected cap space: $441,859, per PuckPedia
New York Islanders (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, Anthony Duclair, Julien Gauthier, Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Kyle MacLean, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Max Tsyplakov, Oliver Wahlstrom
Defensemen (7): Dennis Cholowski, Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Mike Reilly, Alexander Romanov
Goaltenders (2): Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov
Projected cap space: $212,500, per PuckPedia
Ottawa Senators (per team website)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Michael Amadio, Drake Batherson, Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, Claude Giroux, Noah Gregor, Ridly Greig, Matthew Highmore, Zack MacEwen, Joshua Norris, David Perron, Shane Pinto, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk
Defensemen (7): Jacob Bernard-Docker, Thomas Chabot, Travis Hamonic, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub
Goaltenders (2): Anton Forsberg, Linus Ullmark
Projected cap space: $871,134, per PuckPedia
Philadelphia Flyers (per team website)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov, Ryan Poehling, Owen Tippett
Defensemen (7): Jamie Drysdale, Erik Johnson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cameron York, Yegor Zamula
Goaltenders (2): Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov
IR: D Ryan Ellis
Projected cap space: $2,195,238, per PuckPedia
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting, Sidney Crosby, Lars Eller, Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Drew O’Connor, Jesse Puljujärvi, Valtteri Puustinen, Rickard Rakell
Defensemen (7): Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Ryan Shea, Jack St. Ivany
Goaltenders (2): Joel Blomqvist, Tristan Jarry
IR: F Blake Lizotte, F Bryan Rust, G Alex Nedeljkovic
LTIR: F Matthew Nieto
SOIR: F Vasiliy Ponomarev
Projected cap space: $820,715, per PuckPedia (LTIR pool)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (15): Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Mikael Granlund, Carl Grundström, Daniil Gushchin, Klim Kostin, Luke Kunin, Givani Smith, Will Smith, Nico Sturm, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen (6): Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Jake Walman
Goaltenders (2): Mackenzie Blackwood, Vítek Vaněček
SOIR: F Thomas Bordeleau, D Lucas Carlsson, F Igor Chernyshov, D Shakir Mukhamadullin
IR: F Logan Couture, D Marc-Édouard Vlasic
Projected cap space: $9,081,407, per PuckPedia
Seattle Kraken (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (12): Matthew Beniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Tye Kartye, Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Tanev, Eeli Tolvanen, Shane Wright
Defensemen (7): William Borgen, Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Adam Larsson, Josh Mahura, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak
Goaltenders (2): Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer
Projected cap space: $4,286, per PuckPedia
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Pavel Buchnevich, Radek Faksa, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Kasperi Kapanen, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Brayden Schenn, Alexandre Texier, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker
Defensemen (8): Philip Broberg, Justin Faulk, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Matthew Kessel, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Scott Perunovich, Ryan Suter
Goaltenders (2): Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer
IR: D Adam Jiricek, D Torey Krug, F Simon Robertsson, F Brandon Saad, F Oskar Sundqvist
Projected cap space: $467,792, per PuckPedia
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, David Kämpf, Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, William Nylander, Max Pacioretty, Ryan Reaves, Nicholas Robertson, John Tavares
Defensemen (8): Simon Benoit, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Timothy Liljegren, Jake McCabe, Philippe Myers, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Conor Timmins
Goaltenders (2): Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll
IR: F Connor Dewar
LTIR: D Jani Hakanpää, F Calle Järnkrok, D Dakota Mermis
SOIR: F Fraser Minten
Projected cap space: $4,344,999, per PuckPedia (LTIR pool)
Utah Hockey Club (per PuckPedia)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Josh Doan, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Alexander Kerfoot, Matias Maccelli, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund, Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen (7): Robert Bortuzzo, Ian Cole, Sean Durzi, Michael Kesselring, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Mikhail Sergachev, Juuso Valimaki
Goalies (2): Connor Ingram, Karel Vejmelka
IR: F Nick Bjugstad, D John Marino, D Shea Weber
Projected cap space: $8,370,357, per PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Nils Åman, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Danton Heinen, Nils Höglander, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Kiefer Sherwood, Daniel Sprong, Pius Suter
Defensemen (8): Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, Mark Friedman, Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, Noah Juulsen, Tyler Myers, Carson Soucy
Goalies (2): Kevin Lankinen, Artūrs Šilovs
IR: G Thatcher Demko, F Dakota Joshua
Projected cap space: $479,166, per PuckPedia
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, David Gustafsson, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Cole Perfetti, Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi
Defensemen (7): Dylan Coghlan, Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg
Goaltenders (3): Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kähkönen
IR: D Logan Stanley
SOIR: D Ville Heinola
Projected cap space: $1,751,309, per PuckPedia
Wild Sign Jesper Wallstedt To Two-Year Extension
The Wild announced today that they’ve signed goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year, $4.4MM extension, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season. It’s a one-way deal in both years with a cap hit of $2.2MM.
It’s a significant commitment to a goalie with just three NHL starts under his belt, but it’s indicative of his status as arguably the best prospect at the position in the sport. Wallstedt, who turns 22 next month, was under consideration for a top-10 pick throughout most of his draft year in 2021 but ended up falling to Minnesota at No. 20 overall.
Thus far, nothing indicates they should be unhappy with the pick. The 6’3″, 214-lb netminder has kept a rather hapless AHL Iowa team afloat during his two seasons in North America, posting a 2.69 GAA, .909 SV%, three shutouts, and a 40-34-9 record in 83 appearances as their starter. He’s been outstanding in senior-level international play as well, logging a .947 SV% in three appearances for Sweden at the 2023 World Championship.
His NHL career got off to a bit of a rocky start, allowing seven goals on 34 shots in his debut against the Stars on Jan. 10 last season. But he came back with a much more solid performance in two showings against the Blackhawks and Sharks in April, stopping 51 of 53 shots he faced in those games.
He enters 2024-25 on the Wild’s opening night roster with a 2-1-0 record and .897 SV% in his brief NHL showing. He’ll look to build on that while competing with Filip Gustavsson and 40-year-old vet Marc-André Fleury for starts in a three-goalie rotation in Minnesota. He could cement himself as the No. 2 option behind Gustavsson, with Fleury’s workload likely to stay low in his final NHL season.
Wallstedt will still be an RFA upon the expiry of his extension in 2027. He won’t be eligible to test the UFA market until 2030 at the earliest.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blue Jackets Claim Zach Aston-Reese Off Waivers From Golden Knights
The Blue Jackets have picked up depth forward Zach Aston-Reese off waivers from the Golden Knights, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Aston-Reese, 30, had signed a one-year, two-way pact ($775K/$475K) to join Vegas in July. After failing to carve out a roster spot in Vegas, losing it chiefly to PTO signee Tanner Pearson, he’ll now play out that deal in the Blue Jackets organization.
It’s not surprising to see Aston-Reese land somewhere else, especially with a Columbus club in need of forward depth. During his five seasons as a full-time NHLer from 2018 to 2023 with the Penguins, Ducks, and Maple Leafs, he was a regular in a fourth-line role and had some of the best even-strength defensive impacts in the league, even earning Selke votes in 2020. But he had to settle for a two-way deal with the Red Wings last year and barely played in the NHL, clearing waivers and spending most of the season with AHL Grand Rapids. He logged just three appearances with Detroit and averaged just 5:09 per game, going without a point.
Aston-Reese’s point production in Grand Rapids was what you’d expect for a defensive forward with NHL upside, totaling 30 points in 61 games. With his career 52.2 xGF% in heavy defensive zone usage, he’ll provide value to Columbus’ bottom six early on even if he’s not finding the back of the net with any frequency.
He could potentially shift to left wing for the Jackets and comprise a fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Olivier. Columbus still needs to send one forward to AHL Cleveland in the next couple of hours, either James Malatesta or Mikael Pyyhtia, to get their active roster down to 23 players.
Canucks Re-Claim Jiří Patera Off Waivers From Bruins
After losing him on waivers to the Bruins last week, the Canucks have re-acquired goaltender Jiří Patera off the wire Monday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If they were the only team to put in a claim, they could assign him directly to AHL Abbotsford without having to expose him to waivers again. Friedman adds that’s the likely scenario.
The Canucks initially tried to sneak Patera through waivers to Abbotsford at the beginning of the month, but Boston claimed him as a backup option to Joonas Korpisalo in case the team didn’t come to terms with restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman before opening night. That dilemma was solved yesterday with an eight-year, $66MM deal for Swayman, making Patera expendable in Boston. He’ll now head to Abbotsford, where he initially planned on playing this season after signing a two-year, two-way contract with Vancouver in July.
It’s no harm, no foul for either team, with the Bruins getting the short-term insurance they needed and the Canucks and Patera getting to resume course on their original plan. Patera, 25, was a sixth-round pick of the Golden Knights back in 2017 and remained in the Vegas organization up until this summer, when he became a Group VI UFA and signed with Vancouver. He made eight NHL appearances while in the Knights’ pipeline, posting a 3-3-1 record, 3.57 GAA, and .902 SV%. On the farm with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, he had a 2.92 GAA, a .907 SV%, 37-40-6 record, and one shutout in 85 appearances.
Those are certainly serviceable numbers for a No. 3 option, which is the role he’ll hold with Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs set to open the season as Vancouver’s two NHL goalies. Star starter Thatcher Demko will land on injured reserve while he continued to recover from the knee injury that sidelined him for all but one postseason game in 2024.
Ducks Claim James Reimer Off Waivers From Sabres
The Ducks have claimed netminder James Reimer off waivers from the Sabres, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Reimer, 36, has over 500 games of NHL experience and was still serviceable in a rotation role for the Red Wings last year but was knocked squarely into a third-string spot on the Sabres’ depth chart behind Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after signing a one-year, $1MM deal there in July. He was largely expected to land on waivers unless Buffalo opted to carry three goalies.
While the veteran was solid enough for Detroit in 2023-24, his 20 starts and five relief appearances were both career-lows. His .904 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and 0.3 GSAA were all marked steps forward from the prior year’s showing with the rebuilding Sharks, however, and he’s still likely worth a shot as a full-time backup somewhere.
He’ll get that chance in Anaheim, at least for now. The Ducks were looking for a veteran name to add to the mix with John Gibson on the shelf to start the season after getting his appendix removed nearly two weeks ago. He’s still one to four weeks away from a return, meaning rookie Calle Clang (who has no NHL games played under his belt) was set to start the year as the backup to youngster Lukáš Dostál. After claiming Reimer, though, the Ducks can return Clang to AHL San Diego.
The Ducks now have their opening night roster set in stone at 13 forwards, eight defenders, and two goalies, assuming Clang is sent down. They’ll have $20.64MM in projected cap space after the acquisition, per PuckPedia.