PHR’s Josh Erickson will host his weekly live chat today at 3:00 p.m. Central. Use this link to join the session and start getting your questions in.
Bruins’ Ty Gallagher Signs Two-Year AHL Deal
The Bruins are slated to lose 2021 seventh-round pick Ty Gallagher’s signing rights on Aug. 15, but he’ll be staying in the organization anyways. He’s inked a two-year deal with AHL Providence starting next season, the Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy reports. He’ll finish the year with the P-Bruins on a tryout before his deal goes into effect for 2025-26.
The deal allows Gallagher to get reps in the Bruins organization without Boston having to use a contract slot on him, although it doesn’t prevent him from signing elsewhere if another NHL team comes calling. The 22-year-old defenseman spent three seasons at Boston University before transferring to Colorado College for his senior season. The move westward proved astute for the offensively-inclined rearguard, who erupted for 9-17–26 in 37 games after recording just five assists at BU last year.
A Michigan native, Gallagher checked in as the No. 10 prospect in the Bruins’ relatively weak pool earlier this season in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s overview. Only two defensemen, both already in Providence, were ranked ahead of him in Frédéric Brunet (No. 7) and Jackson Edward (No. 8), so it’s a tad surprising to see Boston hesitant to dole out an entry-level contract at this stage to retain his NHL rights. The Bruins only have 22 of 50 contract slots used for next season, with 13 pending RFAs in the organization.
Gallagher will now try to work his way up the organizational ladder to pursue his first NHL contract. He totaled 17-51–68 and a +37 rating in 148 NCAA games with BU and CC.
Avalanche’s Josh Manson Out Three To Four Weeks
March 19: Manson carries a three-to-four-week timeline for his return, Bednar told Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports today. That puts him back in the lineup during the final week of the regular season.
March 17: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has already missed one game with an upper-body injury and will remain sidelined for a couple of weeks at least, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters following yesterday’s win over the Stars (via Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports).
Manson left the game during the second period of Friday’s win in Calgary, although it’s unclear when he sustained the injury. It’s similarly unclear whether it’s linked to the upper-body issue that held him out of the lineup for 12 games earlier in the season.
Acquired from the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline, Manson immediately factored in as a key depth presence on the Colorado blue line en route to their Stanley Cup win that year. The physical 6’3″ righty landed a four-year, $18MM extension that summer to remain in Denver, but his time with the Avs since has been marred by injuries.
Since the 2022-23 campaign, his first full season in Colorado, Manson has made 151 of 232 possible regular-season appearances – healthy enough to play just 65% of the time. He stayed healthy last year, skating in 70-plus games for the fifth time in his 11-year career, but missed most of 2022-23 with a lower-body injury and nearly 30% of Colorado’s 2024-25 schedule with varying injuries.
In 48 games this season, the 33-year-old has 1-14–15 with a minus-six rating. He’s averaged 18:02 per game, his highest usage since arriving in Denver. His 105 hits lead Colorado defenders despite his extended absences, but he’s been one of the Avs’ worst two-way players with a -4.8 relative CF% and a team-worst -7.7 expected rating at even strength.
The Avs don’t have any other injuries on their blue line right now, but their right-side depth remains a point of weakness even after an active trade deadline. Without Manson, it’s depth pieces Erik Johnson and Sam Malinski manning second- and third-pairing duties behind superstar Cale Makar.
Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Out Week-To-Week
Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained in Sunday’s outing against the Islanders, head coach Paul Maurice said today (via the team’s Jameson Olive). He’s not expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, however.
Kulikov left the game in the first period after awkwardly twisting while trying to hit Islanders winger Anthony Duclair in the neutral zone. He was favoring his right forearm as he left the ice.
A trip to IR doesn’t seem likely at this stage of the season with no roster limits in effect, but he should be expected to miss Florida’s five remaining games in March at the very least. The Panthers’ final game of the regular season is a potentially key playoff positioning matchup against the Lightning on April 15, so his return timeline is likely in the two-to-three-week range rather than the one-month area.
Nonetheless, the injury couldn’t come at a worse time for Florida. They’re already without top right-shot rearguard Aaron Ekblad for the rest of the regular season and two playoff games after he was suspended for using performance-enhancing substances, and their odds of winning the Atlantic Division have slipped to 48% after back-to-back losses to the Canadiens and Islanders over the weekend. Florida also has a more difficult remaining schedule (.554) than their competitors for the crown, the Lightning (.543) and Maple Leafs (.535), per Tankathon.
Kulikov is no stranger to injuries, only managing 70-plus games six times in his 16-year NHL career. He’d been mostly healthy since rejoining the Cats for his second stint in South Florida in the summer of 2023, though, only missing one game due to injury and another two due to suspension.
The 34-year-old played a bottom-pairing role in last season’s Stanley Cup win, but he’s seen his minutes elevated this year after the club lost Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour to unrestricted free agency. Averaging over 19 minutes per night, the stay-at-home Kulikov has 4-9–13 with a +13 rating in 68 games. He ranks third on the team with 70 blocked shots and leads Florida defenders with 110 hits. He inked a four-year, $4.6MM extension last summer that will likely see him finish his career in Sunrise.
Nate Schmidt elevated into Kulikov’s second-pairing role alongside Niko Mikkola in practice today, per Olive. Tobias Björnfot will draw into the lineup tomorrow against the Blue Jackets after being recalled yesterday. There’s now even more pressure on Seth Jones, who has just one assist and a minus-four rating in seven games since being acquired from the Blackhawks, to improve his play with two key defensemen sidelined.
League Notes: All-Star Game, CBA, Draft, Overtime, Rules, Playoff Format
While there won’t be a repeat of the 4 Nations Face-Off next year, the tournament’s success has been enough to change how the league will use its winter break. There was initially expected to be a 2026 All-Star Game in the leadup to the Winter Olympics, but that won’t be the case – at least in its traditional form, league commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters today (including Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). The Islanders will still be hosting some sort of event as initially planned, but whether it’s a revamped ASG format or an entirely different event remains to be seen.
More updates from Bettman today:
- Discussions with the NHLPA on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will commence the week of April 1, Eric Engels of Sportsnet relays. Negotiations with PA executive director Marty Walsh are expected to be smooth, avoiding the third work stoppage of the century. The league’s and NHLPA’s confidence in ratifying a new CBA quickly was underscored by their rather unprecedented move in January to release salary cap projections three years out. The current CBA, ratified in 2013 and extended in 2020, is set to expire on Sep. 15, 2026.
- Bettman is “not a fan” of league GMs voting in favor of a decentralized draft format for 2025, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This year’s run will be hosted by the Kings, but not at Crypto.com Arena – instead in the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater, while league front offices will conduct their business remotely. Top prospects will still be at the event, but picks will likely be read out by the commissioner instead, as GMs won’t be present. The league may move back to its usual draft format with everyone on the floor for 2026.
- He’s also not enthused with the idea of extending 3-on-3 overtime past its current five-minute length, according to Seravalli. 10-minute 3-on-3 at the 4 Nations round-robin games was viewed as a test run for extending the OT period and having fewer games end in shootouts, but concerns over the deterioration of ice conditions and “additional wear and tear” on players – a few of which expressed their concerns following the tournament – remain paramount. In that vein, Friedman relays that no rule changes were proposed at this weekend’s GM meetings in Florida.
- Lastly, there’s still no appetite from the league to alter the current playoff format, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. A large contingent of fans and a few players have expressed support for ditching the wild-card system and returning to a one-through-eight conferenced-based seeding approach, but the divisional brackets are likely here to stay for the foreseeable future.
2025-26 Season To Begin On October 7
The 2025-26 regular season will begin on Tuesday, October 7, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said today. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was among the reporters who conveyed the news. With no October Global Series games planned at present, that’s three days later than last year’s season-opener, when the Devils and Sabres opened the year in Czechia on Oct. 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, the regular season began on the first Wednesday of October since the 2004-05 lockout. Since the league signed its landmark television deals with ESPN and Turner Sports (TNT/TBS) in 2021, the season start date has shifted to the second Tuesday of the month with a double- or triple-header on the former network. Technically, the second Tuesday in October this year falls on the 14th since the month begins on a Wednesday, so the schedule shifts earlier.
This isn’t expected to mean a shorter preseason schedule, something many in the sport have expressed a desire for over the past few years with how late into June the Stanley Cup Final is now extending. That’s a CBA-mandated issue, meaning any change in that routine must wait until 2026-27 when the next agreement will be in place.
In some recent years, the regular season has technically begun before that ESPN Tuesday coverage with overseas games – similar to MLB’s Tokyo Series taking place during Spring Training. That appears to be an every-other-year event, though, with the league now foregoing early-October Global Series games in 2021, 2023, and 2025.
Canadiens Sign Lucas Condotta To Two-Year Extension
The Canadiens agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension with Lucas Condotta on Wednesday, according to a team release. This is his third contract signed with the Canadiens organization. His deal will earn him $350K in the minors each season with a $400K guarantee, accompanied by the league-minimum $775K NHL salary, per PuckPedia.
Condotta, now 27, began his professional career when the Habs signed him to an entry-level contract out of UMass-Lowell in 2022. The center made his NHL debut the following season, scoring his first of two career goals in a loss to the Bruins at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign. He’s appeared sparingly for Montreal since then, totaling 11 career games, including a career-high seven appearances in 2024-25.
The 6’1″, 218-lb pivot has thus spent most of his professional career with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, where he now holds the captaincy. A checking forward with decent secondary offense, he has 27-47–74 in 194 career minor-league games with 164 PIMs and a plus-four rating. His goal-scoring has steadily declined over the past few years, dropping from 16 in 72 AHL games in 2022-23 all the way down to just three tallies in 50 games this year.
He’ll stick around in the organization for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns as a leadership fixture on the farm as the Canadiens continue to develop and graduate their prospects from Laval. Previously a pending unrestricted free agent, he’ll now need to wait two more years to test the open market.
Rangers, Noah Laba Agree To Entry-Level Contract
The Rangers announced they’ve agreed to terms with center Noah Laba on a two-year entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He will finish the 2024-25 season on a tryout with AHL Hartford.
Laba, 21, was the Blueshirts’ fourth-round pick (No. 111) overall in the 2022 draft. An engaged, well-rounded offensive center with a 6’2″ frame, he was coming off a 39-point campaign in 50 games with the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars in his draft year, adding 115 PIMs to boot.
After being selected by the Rangers, Laba jumped to the NCAA with Colorado College. He’s stayed in Colorado Springs for the last three seasons, reining in the penalty trouble and dialing up the offense. A breakout sophomore campaign in 2023-24 saw him take home NCHC Best Defensive Forward honors, leading the Tigers with 20 goals, 37 points, and a +20 rating in 36 games.
Laba didn’t manage to crack the point-per-game threshold for a second season in a row in 2024-25 but still had a respectable 10-16–26 scoring line in 29 games for CC. With his season over following their loss to Denver last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey in Hartford over the next few weeks.
Laba’s collegiate resume makes it a probable bet that he’ll see NHL ice at some point before his rookie deal expires in the summer of 2027. Whether that means a full-time role for the Michigan native in the next two years remains to be seen, but he’s one of the brighter spots in a pedestrian New York prospect pool. He ranked No. 7 in the system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s 2025 rankings.
Canucks Recall Linus Karlsson Under Emergency Conditions
The Canucks announced today they’ve recalled forward Linus Karlsson from AHL Abbotsford under emergency conditions. Neither Filip Chytil nor Conor Garland are expected to play tonight against the Jets after missing the morning skate, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650, so Karlsson’s presence is necessary for them to have 12 healthy forwards.
Chytil’s absence is clear after the center entered concussion protocol over the weekend, but Garland didn’t miss a shift in Sunday’s outing against Utah. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2022-23 campaign. Head coach Rick Tocchet adds he’ll be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury (via Harman Dayal of The Athletic).
Karlsson, fresh off a one-year extension, comes up to fill the void and will skate on the third line with Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger. The 25-year-old has nine NHL games under his belt this year, but tonight will be his first appearance since Feb. 4. He has one goal during that stretch – his first NHL point – while recording eight shots on net and averaging 9:59 per game.
The 6’1″ Swede continues to be a productive minor-leaguer for the Canucks. His 1.13 points per game (21-13–34 in 30 GP) rank third among AHL skaters with at least 25 games played, trailing only vets Vinnie Hinostroza and Andrew Poturalski. Outright, his 21 goals are tied for 15th in the league.
Karlsson remains waivers-exempt for the rest of the season, but that status will disappear in 2025-26. If he doesn’t make Vancouver’s opening night roster next season, he’ll be offered to the rest of the league before he can be returned to Abbotsford.
Blue Jackets Sign Evan Gardner To Entry-Level Deal
Goaltender prospect Evan Gardner has signed his entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets, per a team release. It’s a three-year deal that begins next season.
The 19-year-old netminder has spent this season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, from where he was drafted in the second round by Columbus last year. The 6’1″, 176-lb goalie has a 2.83 GAA, .911 SV%, three shutouts, and a 22-12-4 record in 41 games for the Blades.
It’s a step down from what Gardner flashed in 2023-24 when he led the WHL in GAA (1.91) and SV% (.927) in 30 appearances. He still checked in at No. 8 in the Blue Jackets’ system and first among goalies in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2025 prospect pool rankings, ahead of current Columbus third-stringer Jet Greaves.
Since Gardner doesn’t turn 20 until January 2026, he’s ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment next season. He must be on the NHL roster or returned to the Blades – the latter standing as the far more likely scenario. If that’s the case and he plays fewer than 10 NHL games, his deal will slide to the 2026-27 campaign and instead expire in the 2029 offseason. Any signing bonuses owed to him for 2025-26 will still be paid out.
He officially joins a Blue Jackets organization that has its future solidified at nearly every position aside from the net. With current backup Daniil Tarasov underwhelming and set to be a restricted free agent this summer, there’s an opportunity for the aforementioned Greaves to graduate from a fringe roster role to a full-time backup job next season. Elvis Merzļikins, who’s largely struggled since his current extension with a $5.4MM cap hit came into effect in 2022-23, is having a rebound campaign with a 3.04 GAA and a 22-18-4 record in 44 starts and now seems likely to at least finish out his deal in Columbus, which runs through 2026-27.