Predators Return Tanner Molendyk To Juniors
The Predators returned defense prospect Tanner Molendyk to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades on Monday, per an announcement from the junior club.
Molendyk, 19, narrowly misses out on a roster spot in his second camp with the Preds. Nashville made Molendyk the 24th overall selection in the 2023 draft, a tad higher than some expected based on his middle-of-the-road offensive production from the blue line. But advanced metrics suggested a breakout, and he responded in kind. Molendyk erupted for 56 points in 50 games last year with a +40 rating, helping Saskatoon to a league-best 50-13-5 record.
Nashville likely would have preferred Molendyk to suit up in the AHL this season to work on his game and get adjusted to the pro level, but he’s still too young to do so under the NHL-CHL transfer agreement and must be returned to his junior club if he’s not in the NHL. His entry-level contract will slide to the 2025-26 season, and he won’t count against the Predators’ 50-contract maximum this year.
The Preds’ opening night roster now seems to be set at 13 forwards, seven defenders, and two goalies, assuming defenseman Marc Del Gaizo is sent to AHL Milwaukee today after being waived yesterday. There are no surprises at any position.
Jets Reassign Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Place Two On IR
Forwards Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov won’t be on the Jets’ opening night roster when it’s announced later today. They’ve been sent to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to begin the season, relays team color commentator Mitchell Clinton. Defensemen Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley have also landed on injured reserve, per the league’s media portal.
Lambert, 20, was in a tight competition to land a second-line role in Winnipeg but will return to the minors for additional development time. Winnipeg selected the Finnish forward with the 30th overall pick in 2022 out of Liiga’s Pelicans, immediately signing him to his entry-level contract and bringing him over to North American juniors for his post-draft season. After one season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, Lambert jumped to the pros full-time this past year, breaking out in a big way with 55 points in 64 games to lead the Moose in scoring.
The Jets allowed Lambert to make his NHL debut in the final game of the regular season, calling him up to play 13:51 against the Canucks. He logged an assist and a +1 rating while going 3-for-7 in the faceoff dot. He was an early candidate to take on top-six duties and push veteran Vladislav Namestnikov out of the 2C spot, but line rushes the past few days indicated he was trending toward being cut. However, it’s hard to imagine him not adding some NHL games to his resume throughout the season.
Chibrikov was a longer shot for a roster spot, but his impressive camp had him under consideration for one until the end. A second-round choice in 2021, the 21-year-old winger is also coming off his first full AHL campaign. The Russian forward finished fourth on the team in scoring with 47 points (17 G, 30 A) in 70 games but had a -18 rating, second-worst on the team. It was still a strong first step for Chibrikov, who needed to take a big step in his development last year after being buried in Russian pro and minor-pro lineups the past couple of seasons.
Heinola and Stanley heading to IR is a formality more than anything else. Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters last month that Heinola would be out long-term with an infection in the ankle he had surgically repaired last season, while Stanley underwent minor knee surgery over a week ago and isn’t expected back until the end of the month at the earliest. After avoiding waivers yesterday, it’s clear that Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury will open the season on the NHL roster in their stead after both signing two-way deals in Winnipeg this summer.
Canadiens Assign Joshua Roy, Three Others To AHL
After a strong first campaign in the pros, Canadiens forward Joshua Roy didn’t make the cut for this season’s opening night roster. He, along with defensemen Adam Engström, Logan Mailloux, and goaltender Jakub Dobeš, were cut from the camp roster to AHL Laval on Monday, the team announced.
The moves sent the Habs’ opening night roster in stone, meaning 2021 second-rounder Oliver Kapanen cracked the team out of camp and could make his NHL debut soon. Other notable confirmed bits of news include Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj winning the battle between many young Montreal defenders for roster spots, as well as 2020 second-rounder Emil Heineman making the team with just four career NHL appearances under his belt.
[RELATED: 2024-25 Opening Night Roster Tracker]
Roy, 21, was drafted alongside Kapanen in 2021, but he needed to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called. The Quebec native has been on the warpath since, breaking out for nearly 120 points the following season in the QMJHL and putting together 19 points in 14 games for Team Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Juniors. Turning pro in 2023-24, Roy was among Laval’s better producers with 32 points in 41 games, earning him a lengthy look at the NHL level. He averaged 12:08 through 23 appearances for the Habs, lighting the lamp four times and adding five assists for nine points.
His possession numbers were perfectly average, and his offensive production seemed somewhat sustainable, with a reasonable 11.8% shooting rate and 34 shots making it on goal out of 77 attempts. Nonetheless, the Canadiens believe he needs more seasoning before he’s ready for full-time duties. It’s worth noting Roy did log a team-worst -17 rating on Laval last year, even if his NHL possession metrics (-2 rating, 47.2 xGF%, 49.5 CF%) painted a brighter picture.
Mailloux, meanwhile, misses out on a spot after making his NHL debut in the last game of the 2023-24 regular season. The 21-year-old had an assist and a +1 rating while logging 21:14 in a shootout loss to the Red Wings. The 2021 first-round pick was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season after leading Laval defenders in scoring with 47 points (14 G, 33 A) in 72 games with a -8 rating.
Engström, a third-round choice in 2022, is a sleeper candidate for an NHL recall at some point during the season but was never expected to crack the opening night roster. The 20-year-old defender signed his entry-level contract this offseason after two years playing professionally for the Swedish Hockey League’s Rögle BK, logging 22 points and a -10 rating in 51 games last season. That’s strong production in that league from such a young defender, but he’ll need some runway in Laval to acclimate to North American ice.
Dobes, 23, will likely be the Habs’ first call-up from Laval in the event of an injury to their NHL tandem of Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. The 2020 fifth-rounder doesn’t have any NHL action under his belt but is entering his second professional season after an excellent rookie showing in the AHL last year. His 51 appearances tied him for the league lead with Utah’s Matt Villalta, recording a 2.93 GAA, .906 SV%, and 24-18-6 record.
Senators Place Matthew Highmore On SOIR, Return Carter Yakemchuk To Juniors
The Senators have placed left winger Matthew Highmore on season-opening injured reserve, according to the NHL’s media portal (via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch). The team also announced that top defense prospect Carter Yakemchuk is headed back to juniors with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen after nearly cracking Ottawa’s roster on his first try. The moves indicate that center prospect Zack Ostapchuk and left-shot defender Tyler Kleven will open the season on the NHL roster, although Garrioch adds they’re likely in the market to claim another left-shot defender off waivers today to fill their open roster spot.
Highmore sustained an upper-body injury during Saturday’s exhibition game against the Canadiens. The club hasn’t given him an injury designation, but he will be out at least until the weekend. He was a likely candidate for waivers and subsequent assignment to AHL Belleville, but those moves have to wait until he’s cleared to return to play. Instead, he’ll open the season on SOIR since he’s on a two-way contract and was rostered for fewer than 50 games last year. He’ll carry a cap hit of $238,151 for the Sens in the meantime, per PuckPedia.
Highmore, 28, is no longer the full-time NHLer he was around the pandemic but is a serviceable call-up option and a top-six AHL fixture. He has 12 goals and 29 points in 146 career NHL contests, although he’s played in nine games over the past two seasons. Seven of those came with Ottawa last year, posting two assists while averaging 7:43 per game. He signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K/$400K) in June to avoid free agency and remain with the Sens after posting 31 points in 43 games for Belleville.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Yakemchuk is ticketed for a big season with the Hitmen after an impressive preseason performance. The seventh overall pick in this year’s draft erupted for seven points (2 G, 5 A) in four preseason contests with Ottawa. A WHL All-Star last season, he led the league in goals from a defenseman with 30 in 66 games for Calgary. The 6’3″, 203-lb defender already has pro-ready size at 6’3″ and 203 lbs and is no stranger to laying the body, leading the Hitmen with 120 PIMs last year. He’s likely penciled in for the Sens’ opening night roster next season. This year, though, his entry-level contract will slide to 2025-26 and leave the Sens with an extra spot under their 50-contract limit.
Capitals Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Andrew Cristall
The Capitals have sent left-winger Ivan Miroshnichenko to AHL Hershey and returned left-winger Andrew Cristall to the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, the team announced. Both were hoping to crack Washington’s opening night roster on the backs of solid training camp performances but will need to wait another year.
Miroshnichenko, 20, made his NHL debut last season and was shuttled between leagues for most of the 2024 calendar year. He’s still waiver-exempt with 138 games played and two professional seasons remaining until he loses that status.
He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round of the 2022 draft while dealing with a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis that he’s since beaten. After returning to health during the 2022-23 season, he signed his entry-level pact with Washington and came to North America for the 2023-24 campaign. He started the year in Hershey, totaling nine goals and 25 points in 47 games. He was much-improved in playoff action, contributing 12 points in 20 contests to help Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship.
The sharp-shooting winger didn’t look entirely out of place in NHL action last year, either. He made 21 regular-season appearances, totaling two goals and six points – a 23-point pace over 82 games, averaging 12:08 a night. He posted a -4 rating with a subpar 42.4 xGF% at even strength but did manage to control 47.6% of shot attempts, 2.7% more than the Caps controlled without him on the ice in his appearances. The 6’1″, 185-lb Russian flashed some physical play, too, recording 50 hits for an average of 2.38 per game.
While neither move is surprising, Cristall’s return to Kelowna is wholly expected. He made it much further in camp than most expected him to one year after being selected 40th overall in the 2023 draft, a testament to the dynamic offensive upside many teams let slip through the cracks. The 19-year-old Vancouver native has produced over a point per game in three straight WHL seasons and finished fifth in the league in scoring last season with 111 points (40 G, 71 A) in 62 games.
However, Cristall still needs to round out his defensive game before he’s ready for NHL ice. While Washington likely would have preferred to send him to Hershey to do that this year, he’s too young for a full-time AHL assignment and needed to be returned to the Rockets. As such, his entry-level contract will slide to the 2025-26 season, and he won’t count against Washington’s 50-contract limit this season.
The moves strongly indicate that Jakub Vrána, who attended Capitals camp on a professional tryout, has landed a contract. They’re likely waiting to make some minor moves to make an official announcement, but they have just 11 healthy forwards on their roster after sending down Cristall and Miroshnichenko.
Flames Place Yegor Sharangovich On Injured Reserve, Out Week-To-Week
The Flames have placed forward Yegor Sharangovich on injured reserve, according to the NHL’s media portal (stick taps to Ryan Pike of Flames Nation). He left Friday’s preseason loss to the Jets in the third period with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t practiced since.
Assuming the IR placement is retroactive to Oct. 4, he’ll miss Wednesday’s season opener in Vancouver but is eligible to return for Calgary’s home opener against the Flyers on Saturday. The team later designated him week-to-week with a lower-body injury, though, so he’ll likely miss more than just one contest.
It’s a big loss for Calgary early on. Sharangovich is coming off a career-high 31 goals and 59 points last year, his first in Alberta after he was acquired from the Devils the previous summer in exchange for Tyler Toffoli. He led the Flames in goals and finished second in overall scoring behind Nazem Kadri‘s 75 points. The Belarusian can play any forward position but was expected to start the season at right wing next to Kadri and Andrei Kuzmenko, per their most recent line rushes.
The 26-year-old Sharangovich has played four NHL seasons between the Flames and Devils, who selected him in the fifth round in 2018. Originally slated to be a restricted free agent next summer, he was rewarded with a five-year, $28.75MM extension in July to keep him off the 2025 RFA market.
When Sharangovich does make his season debut, he’ll walk right into a top-six role. He averaged 17:19 per game last season, fifth-most among Flames forwards.
Maple Leafs Sign Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz; Extend Cade Webber
The Maple Leafs have signed forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz to one-year deals after they attended training camp on professional tryouts, the team announced Monday. They’ve also signed pending restricted free agent defenseman Cade Webber to a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Pacioretty’s deal is a 35+ contract with a cap hit of $873,770 with up to $626,230 in additional performance bonuses, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. He’ll receive half those bonuses if he plays 10 games this season and all if he plays 35. The total potential value of the contract is $1.5MM. Lorentz’s deal is a straightforward one-way, league-minimum pact worth $775K, per Seravalli. Webber’s contract carries an $825K cap hit and is a two-way deal in 2025-26 before becoming a one-way pact in 2026-27, adds Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Pacioretty, 35, is looking to get back on track in Toronto after a pair of Achilles tendon tears cost him most of the past two seasons. After playing just five games with the Hurricanes in 2022-23, he signed with the Capitals last summer. He made his season debut after completing his recovery in January, but his goal-scoring output plummeted from years past. ‘Patches’ shot just 4.2%, scoring four goals in 47 contests while adding 19 assists for 23 points.
The former Canadiens captain is a six-time 30-goal scorer, though. While he likely won’t land top-six minutes in Toronto and thus has virtually no chance of replicating that feat, his shooting percentage should rebound to its usual 10 to 12 percent and put him back on track for double-digit scoring totals in a third-line role if he stays healthy. That’s certainly a big if, considering he hasn’t played more than 50 games in a season since the 2019-20 campaign. Still, he’ll likely open the season as the team’s 3LW alongside Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McMann or Nicholas Robertson.
Lorentz, 28, brings a Stanley Cup ring and 230 games of NHL experience to Toronto’s fourth line. The natural center played 16 of the Panthers’ 24 playoff games last year en route to the franchise’s first championship, scoring twice and adding an assist for three points with a -1 rating while averaging 7:07 per game. He won’t be much of an offensive factor, averaging seven goals and 15 points per 82 games throughout his regular season career. But he’s serviceable enough in the faceoff dot, winning 48.7% of his draws, and his possession quality numbers at even strength are historically above water. He’ll likely start at left wing, with David Kämpf centering the Leafs’ fourth line.
Webber won’t be making his NHL debut in the next few days. He’s waiver-exempt and will need to be assigned to AHL Toronto today so the Leafs can reduce their opening-night roster to a maximum of 23 players. However, the 2019 fourth-round pick stayed in the mix until the end and has seemingly impressed the Leafs since signing his entry-level contract at the end of last season. The stay-at-home defender is coming off a four-year run at Boston University, where he served as an alternate captain last year and posted six assists and a +15 rating in 38 games. He should still be in line for his NHL debut at some point this year, even if it’s not during opening week.
Pacioretty’s oddly specific cap hit has much to do with Toronto optimizing their long-term injured reserve capture to open the season, giving them as much financial flexibility as possible while dealing with some injuries. As outlined by The Score’s Kyle Cushman, the Leafs are expected to submit an opening-night roster with just $1 in cap space pending multiple moves, including returning top forward prospect Easton Cowan to his junior team, placing Fraser Minten on season-opening injured reserve with his high ankle sprain, placing Connor Dewar on standard IR, and placing Jani Hakanpää, Calle Järnkrok, and Dakota Mermis on LTIR.
Jett Luchanko To Begin Season In Flyers’ Top Nine
Center Jett Luchanko is projected to start the 2024-25 season in the Flyers’ top nine after officially cracking the opening night roster Monday. The rookie pivot has most recently taken rushes as Philadelphia’s third-line center between Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor.
Barring injury, when Luchanko makes his NHL debut in the Flyers’ season opener against the Canucks on Friday, he’ll be the youngest player ever to appear in a regular-season game for the franchise, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The 13th overall pick in this summer’s draft didn’t have his 18th birthday until late August.
It’s not like he was given a spot on a silver platter, either. Luchanko will start the season in a higher role than more established third-line center options like Noah Cates and Scott Laughton. All signs point to Laughton starting in a fourth-line role with Cates in the press box, while his emergence in camp also forced Philly to expose roster hopeful Olle Lycksell to the waiver wire.
Luchanko checks in at 5’11” and 187 lbs and plays a well-rounded game offensively. He’s regarded as defensively sound, although not in an overtly physical way. His point production in juniors last season was strong at 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, but few, if any, expected him to contend for an NHL roster spot this early in his development. He signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers back in early July.
The Flyers can still return Luchanko to Guelph after nine NHL appearances without burning the first year of his ELC. He can’t head to AHL Lehigh Valley this season on a full-time basis, only for a few games on a conditioning stint if he meets those requirements. Even if Luchanko plays more than nine NHL games this year, Philadelphia can still return him to the Storm later on – they’ll just still burn the first year of his contract.
Luchanko will be a lock for Canada’s World Junior roster in December if the Flyers make him available. For Guelph, it’s the second year in a row they’ve unexpectedly lost their top center to an NHL club – the Bruins’ Matthew Poitras unexpectedly cracked their opening night roster last year and remained in the NHL for the entire season.
Senators Recall Seven Players
Saturday: The team announced that Boucher, Crookshank, Halliday, Hodgson, and Roos were all returned to Belleville today. Reinhardt and Sebrango remain, suggesting they’ll likely play in Ottawa’s preseason finale tonight against Montreal.
Friday: The Senators have recalled forwards Tyler Boucher, Angus Crookshank, Stephen Halliday, Hayden Hodgson, Cole Reinhardt, and defensemen Filip Roos and Donovan Sebrango ahead of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Red Wings, the team announced. The group will draw into the lineup after most were assigned to AHL Belleville last week.
Boucher, 21, will get another brief look ahead of his second professional season. Injuries have plagued the 2021 10th overall pick since draft day, especially last year. He managed just 21 appearances with the B-Sens in 2023-24, struggling to make himself a factor with two goals and five points and a -4 rating. He’s made just 83 league appearances total over the past three years.
Crookshank was among the more surprising cuts, especially so early in camp. The 25-year-old left-winger looked like he’d challenge for an opening night spot after a breakout AHL campaign, recording 46 points in 50 games for Belleville last year. He also held his own in NHL action, scoring twice and adding an assist in 13 games. He’s still waiver-exempt and will be among the first players summoned from the minors if injuries strike in Ottawa.
Halliday looked like he may challenge for a fourth-line role at one point in camp, but he’ll get one last look here before heading back to the B-Sens for his first full professional season. The 2022 fourth-round pick has been a standout at Ohio State for the past two years, where he had 77 points in 78 games. He closed out the year with five assists in 10 games for Belleville last year after signing his entry-level contract. The 22-year-old will likely be in contention for a recall this season and a potential roster spot in 2025.
Hodgson cleared waivers Saturday and is unlikely to be back with the club this season after being inevitably returned to Belleville following one more preseason game. The 28-year-old winger does seven games of NHL experience, all with the Flyers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but has struggled heavily to put up points in the minors for the past couple of years following a brief breakout in the Philly system. He had 16 points and 116 PIMs in 49 games for AHL Ontario last year while under contract with the Kings.
Reinhardt, 24, is entering his fifth season in the Sens organization. He’s developed into a consistent middle-six winger for Belleville, though his NHL upside remains minimal this late in his development. He posted eight goals and 23 points in 56 AHL games last year.
Roos is entering his third season in North America but his first with Ottawa. The Swedish defender spent the last two seasons in the Blackhawks organization, spending most of his time with AHL Rockford but still managing 21 NHL appearances (1 G, 2 A, -9). A decent enough puck-mover, he’s likely among Ottawa’s top three or four options for an in-season recall on the blue line. he had 16 points and a -12 rating in 59 AHL contests last year.
Sebrango, 22, was a Detroit third-round pick in 2020 but doesn’t look close to making an NHL impact. After he was acquired in last summer’s Alex DeBrincat trade, he struggled to find a regular role with Belleville and had seven points with a +3 rating in 35 games. He’s logged ECHL time in each of the past two years.
Bruins Recall Eight Players
The Bruins have recalled eight players ahead of tonight’s preseason finale against the Capitals, the team announced. Forwards Riley Duran, Brett Harrison, Georgii Merkulov and Jaxon Nelson; defensemen Michael Callahan and Jackson Edward; and goaltenders Ryan Bischel and Kasimir Kaskisuo are now on the roster and will be available for Saturday’s game after previously being cut from the camp roster.
It’s final auditions for in-season recalls for most players on this list. Perhaps it’s most true for Duran, who seemed to grab some attention in his first NHL training camp. The Boston 2020 sixth-round pick turned pro following his junior year at Providence College. The 22-year-old’s point production has never jumped off the charts, but he does have some upside as a fourth-line energy piece. The 6’1″, 174-lb forward can play both center and wing and closed out his 2023-24 season with four points in 11 games for AHL Providence. He’ll head back to the P-Bruins after tonight’s game, but another strong showing could vault him up to being one of the top recall options if injuries affect Boston’s bottom-six forward group.
Harrison, 21, is looking to get back on track in Year 2 of his pro career. The 2021 third-rounder lost most of his draft year to the COVID-19 pandemic but responded well the following two years, averaging around a point per game with OHL Oshawa and Windsor. He was limited to 47 appearances with Providence last year, though, totaling five goals and nine assists for 14 points.
Merkulov will start the season back in the minors, but the soon-to-be 24-year-old continues to push for a longer look at the NHL level. The well-rounded offensive pivot has been consistently trending in the right direction after being an under-the-radar undrafted free agent signing in 2022. He set career highs across the board with Providence last season, leading them in scoring with 30 goals and 35 assists for 65 points in 67 games. He logged his first four NHL appearances, too, posting a +1 rating and three shots on goal while averaging 10:35 per game.
Nelson, 24, is entering his first pro season after spending the last five years at the University of Minnesota. The hefty 6’4″ center had 31 points in 39 games with the Golden Gophers last year while serving as team captain before signing with the Bruins and closing out the year with a goal in seven games for Providence.
Callahan, 25, was a fifth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2018, but Boston acquired his signing rights via trade in 2022. He’s now an alternate captain with Providence, and he’s entering his third full pro season. The former Providence College captain checks out as a well-rounded stay-at-home defender at the AHL level and was given some of the toughest minutes on the P-Bruins last year, posting 17 points and a -14 rating in 70 games.
Among the two defenders, Edward carries a bit more NHL upside. The 20-year-old has far more room to grow after being selected 200th overall in the 2022 draft. He played a key role on the OHL champion London Knights last season, recording 30 points and a +43 rating in 59 games – a major offensive breakout for the physical shutdown defender. He’ll make his pro debut with the P-Bruins this month.
The two goalies, Bischel and Kaskisuo, aren’t signed to NHL contracts. Bischel, 25, signed an AHL deal with Providence this offseason after posting a .924 SV% in five seasons with Notre Dame. Kaskisuo, meanwhile, is in both NHL and AHL camp with the Bruins on a PTO. The 31-year-old Finn spent last season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, posting a .909 SV% in 13 games for the Canadiens affiliate.