Blues Sign Matthew Kessel To Two-Year Extension
The Blues have signed right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.6MM ($800K AAV/cap hit), GM Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday.
Kessel, 23, was in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. It’s a significant raise for the young blue-liner, whose cap hit decreased from $884K but will earn more in actual cash after spending most of his ELC in the minors, where he earned $80K per season.
A fifth-round pick of St. Louis in 2020, Kessel was recalled earlier this week and re-entered the lineup for the first time since late February on Monday against the Bruins. He’s played in a career-high 23 games for the Blues this year after only dressing twice in 2022-23, posting three assists and 8 PIMs with a -2 rating. When in the lineup, he’s spent most of his time in a top-four role alongside Torey Krug, filling in for Justin Faulk while he was out with a lower-body injury for most of January and February.
His even-strength possession results have been poor, posting a 42.9 CF% (-1.6% worse than the team’s overall CF% without him) and a 40.6 xGF%. The 6-foot-3, 203-lb defender has been a strong shutdown force in the minors, where he has seven goals, 43 points and a +9 rating since logging his first professional action with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Kessel’s extension walks him to restricted free agency in 2026, and he’ll maintain arbitration rights. He’s currently waivers-exempt, but that will expire after he plays 45 more NHL games (a total of 70).
The Phoenix native becomes the sixth St. Louis defender signed to a one-way deal next season, joining Justin Faulk ($6.5MM), Torey Krug ($6.5MM), Nick Leddy ($4MM), Colton Parayko ($6.5MM), and Tyler Tucker ($800K). The Blues have two pending free agent defenders on the active roster, Scott Perunovich (RFA with arbitration rights) and Marco Scandella (UFA).
Injury Notes: Avalanche, Bruins, Marino
The Avalanche will again be without forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Zach Parise against the Canucks on Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednar said on 92.5 FM Altitude Sports Radio (via Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). Bednar did not rule either player out for the following contest, a Saturday game in Edmonton, although he did not confirm either would be ready to return by then either.
Without two players who have spent extended time in Colorado’s top six, recent trade pickup Brandon Duhaime will continue to get a tryout on their new-look second line alongside Jonathan Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt in Vancouver. The 26-year-old grinder has averaged only 10:40 per game this season across 64 games with the Avalanche and Wild, recording four goals and nine points.
Lehkonen, 28, is listed as day to day with an illness and will miss his second straight game after sitting out Tuesday’s 6-2 drubbing of the Flames. That, plus a neck injury, has limited him to 30 games on the season, although that hasn’t stopped him from putting together another strong campaign with 22 points and a +7 rating while averaging 18:54 per game.
The 39-year-old Parise has been a solid free-agent pickup for the Avs since signing in late January. He has four goals and seven points through 15 games while logging 14:14 a night. He hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Red Wings a week ago and will miss his third straight game.
Other updates from around the league:
- The Bruins could be without defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and winger James van Riemsdyk due to illness against the Canadiens on Thursday, head coach Jim Montgomery said (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub). Grzelcyk has already been ruled out, while van Riemsdyk is a possibility. The latter’s absence at Wednesday’s practice necessitated the emergency recall of 2019 first-round pick John Beecher from AHL Providence for the second time in three days. Grzlecyk’s absence paves the way for Andrew Peeke, acquired Friday from the Blue Jackets for Jakub Zbořil and a 2027 third-round pick, to make his Boston debut on the third pairing alongside Parker Wotherspoon.
- The Devils have downgraded John Marino to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Stars after determining he sustained an upper-body injury, interim head coach Travis Green said (via Amanda Stein of the team’s official site). A team spokesperson told reporters earlier Wednesday that Marino, who did not participate in practice, was absent for maintenance. As such, Santeri Hatakka will likely play in Marino’s place after being recalled from AHL Utica on Wednesday under emergency conditions. Marino is listed as day-to-day.
Devils Recall Santeri Hatakka
The Devils recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the AHL’s Utica Comets on Wednesday, per a team announcement. Hatakka has joined the club ahead of their three-game road trip through the southwest United States.
CapFriendly’s transaction log reflects that Hatakka’s recall is an emergency loan, meaning it does not count toward New Jersey’s four allotted post-deadline recalls. The Devils already used one of them on goaltender Nico Daws, who they briefly assigned to Utica on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
This is Hatakka’s third recall of the season after being assigned to the Comets during training camp. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old Finn from the Sharks in last year’s Timo Meier trade.
Hatakka’s recall coming under emergency conditions suggests that John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler could be unavailable for Thursday’s game in Dallas. Neither defenseman is on the ice for practice on Wednesday, Ryan Novozinsky of The Star-Ledger reports, although Marino’s absence is only for maintenance.
Siegenthaler left the Devils’ 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Monday after taking an elbow to the head from opposing winger Matt Rempe, who was assessed a four-game suspension for the incident. However, Marino logged a team-high 24:58 and doesn’t yet carry an injury designation. If Marino is available against the Stars, the Devils would have six healthy defensemen without Hatakka and need to convert his recall into a standard one or return him to Utica.
A sixth-round pick of San Jose in 2019, Hatakka has been solid in his NHL auditions with New Jersey. Through seven games, the depth puck-mover has two assists and a +7 rating, the latter of which is second among active Devils skaters behind forward Curtis Lazar (+8). He’s averaged 16:19 per game, logging average possession metrics with a 48.8 CF% and 49.2 xGF% at even strength. He’s had 14 shot attempts, eight of which were on goal, and 11 blocks and nine hits.
Hatakka’s only previous NHL experience came in a nine-game stint with the Sharks in 2021-22, during which he recorded two assists and a -5 rating. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $851K and will be an RFA this summer.
Devils Still Intend To Pursue Starting Goaltender During Offseason
The Devils rebuilt their crease at the trade deadline, swapping out struggling starter Vítek Vaněček for Kaapo Kähkönen in a deal with the Sharks and acquiring Jake Allen from the Canadiens. Neither of their two pickups is a long-term solution as New Jersey continues to build around their young Jack Hughes-led core, though, and GM Tom Fitzgerald knows it. He plans to revisit his team’s uncertainty in the crease over the summer and will pursue a true starter in the process, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun wrote for The Athletic on Tuesday.
“The idea here is to try to finally reel in a stud goalie and have Allen there to create a 1A-1B situation,” LeBrun said. Allen has one season remaining at a $1.925MM cap hit, thanks to Montreal retaining half of his $3.85MM AAV in the trade.
All signs point to the Devils letting Kähkönen, who will be a UFA this summer after completing a two-year, $5.5MM deal, go to market. Fitzgerald said in his post-deadline media availability that the primary objective of the trade with San Jose was shedding Vaněček’s $3.4MM cap hit for this season and next.
A bonafide number-one netminder is Fitzgerald’s first choice, and he’s willing to surrender the assets to make it work. As such, LeBrun said New Jersey will re-engage in talks with the Flames and Predators regarding Jacob Markström and Juuse Saros, who could be on the move regardless of whether the Devils swing a deal for them.
The Devils attempted to acquire Markström, who has a no-move clause in his contract, before this year’s deadline. After talks initially fizzled out due to the Flames’ unwillingness to retain salary in a trade, Fitzgerald re-engaged with an offer that included New Jersey taking on all of Markström’s $6MM cap hit through 2026.
Markström reportedly waived his no-move clause to green-light the trade, but the Flames ended up not moving him as the team was making progress toward a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. This caused the goaltender to publicly voice his discontent with the Calgary front office. The Flames have lost all three games after the deadline, each by four or more goals, and now stand with just a 2.2% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.
The Devils also talked with Nashville about Saros but didn’t get as far down the road. Unlike Markström, Saros will be a pending UFA beginning on July 1 and does not have trade protection. He also costs $1MM less than his Swedish counterpart.
If Fitzgerald swings for the fences on both and misses twice, it’s possible the Devils would still rather look for a tandem netminder to partner with Allen, keeping youngsters Nico Daws and Akira Schmid in the minors. Options on the UFA market will be slim, though – in fact, Kähkönen would be one of the better pickups if that’s how they opted to address their crease. Other top options are either on the precipice of decline (Marc-André Fleury, Cam Talbot) or have been inconsistent when given expanded roles (Kähkönen, Alex Nedeljkovic, Ilya Samsonov).
While Daws and Schmid are promising options and have more NHL games in their future, neither projects as a true starter. If New Jersey wants to truly kick off its window of contention with talents like Jack and Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Simon Nemec, all 23 years old or less, they’ll need a more veteran presence as a longer-term answer.
Flames Renounce Rights To Topi Ronni
The Flames renounced the rights to unsigned draft pick Topi Ronni on Tuesday, the team said in a statement. Ronni, who was playing in the Finnish Liiga with Tappara, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence by the District Court of Helsinki yesterday “for rape committed as a young person,” Tappara said. The incident occurred in 2021 when Ronni was a minor, according to the initial charges against him.
The 19-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, 59th overall. His contract with Tappara has also been terminated.
By renouncing Ronni’s rights, the Flames are no longer affiliated with him, and he has become an unrestricted free agent. No NHL team holds his exclusive signing rights. He is technically eligible to re-enter the draft and has not been legally barred from playing in the league by Commissioner Gary Bettman. However, either of those things could change if Ronni attempts a return after serving his suspended sentence.
As Tappara has terminated Ronni’s contract, he is also a free agent overseas. The team suspended Ronni in October after rape charges were brought against him but allowed him to return to the team just over a month later, playing 22 professional games and 20 junior games this season before being found guilty and sentenced yesterday.
Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner, Recall Fredrik Olofsson
The Avalanche have assigned forward Chris Wagner to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles after he recovered from an undisclosed injury he sustained last week, per a team announcement. Winger Fredrik Olofsson was recalled to the Avalanche in a corresponding transaction, keeping Colorado’s active roster at 24 and their remaining LTIR salary pool at $2.1MM.
With today’s move, the Avs have used two of their four allotted post-deadline recalls. The first one was used on backup netminder Justus Annunen, who was briefly assigned to the Eagles on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Wagner, 32, has been limited to 20 combined NHL and AHL games this year after sustaining an Achilles injury during training camp. He returned to action with the Eagles in January, where he was solid with seven points in 11 games before earning a recall to the Avs in mid-February. Playing spot duty on the fourth line, the Massachusetts native posted an assist and a +2 rating in nine games while logging just 7:46 per game, a career low. Since he’s been rostered for 30 days and played less than 10 games since clearing waivers in January, he doesn’t need them again for today’s transaction.
The 27-year-old Olofsson gets another shot with the big club after they opted to waive him near the end of February. After acquiring his signing rights in a trade from the Stars last June, the Avs inked Olofsson to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$300K AHL/$350K guarantee). He managed to stick on the roster out of camp and spent the first 60% of the season in a fourth-line role, recording career highs with three goals and nine points in 55 games while posting a -3 rating and averaging 9:53 per game. He played six games on his AHL assignment, recording three assists and a +5 rating. The native of Helsingborg, Sweden, will serve as Colorado’s 13th forward while Zach Parise is dealing with a knee injury and Logan O’Connor is done for the year after undergoing hip surgery.
Wagner, signed to a one-year, two-way deal, earns $375K in salary while on assignment to the AHL. He’ll be a UFA this summer, as will Olofsson.
Red Wings Sign Tim Gettinger To Extension
The Red Wings signed left wing Timothy Gettinger to a one-year, two-way contract extension on Monday, according to a team release. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Gettinger, 25, has 16 NHL games to his name, all coming with the Rangers between 2018 and 2022. The hulking 6-foot-6, 218-lb winger was a fifth-round pick of New York in 2016, where he spent five seasons before becoming a Group 6 UFA last summer and signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Wings that pays him $775K in the NHL and $250K in the AHL. He was due to reach Group 6 free agency again since he hasn’t added any NHL games to his career total this year.
Down on the farm with AHL Grand Rapids, the Cleveland, Ohio, native has 12 goals, 25 points and an even rating in 51 games. That works out to 0.49 points per game, a slightly reduced pace compared to the 133 points and -2 rating he conglomerated over five seasons and 237 games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford.
Gettinger will need to clear waivers at the beginning of next season to head to the minors, during which time any NHL club may submit a claim. Extending him gives Detroit 26 out of a maximum of 50 standard player contracts on the books for 2024-25. He’ll be a UFA at the end of his extension.
Penguins Place Jonathan Gruden On Waivers
3/12: As expected, Friedman reports that Gruden has successfully cleared waivers, allowing the Penguins to safely send Gruden to their AHL affiliate in WBS.
3/11: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Penguins placed forward Jonathan Gruden on waivers on Monday to assign him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Gruden, 23, needs waivers to return to the minors after crossing the 10-game mark since last clearing waivers during training camp. He’s suited up 11 times with Pittsburgh this year in a minimal role, scoring a goal and posting a -2 rating while averaging 8:49 per game.
A 2018 fourth-round pick of the Senators, Gruden has provided some injury insurance over the past few months but hasn’t shown enough to force head coach Mike Sullivan to give him increased minutes. His possession numbers at even strength have been relatively poor, posting a 39.5 CF% and 39.6 xGF%, but Sullivan uses his fourth line primarily in a defensive role, limiting Gruden’s opportunities to generate offense.
Gruden is on an expiring contract, so his likelihood of getting claimed is near zero. Players who are claimed off waivers after the trade deadline are ineligible to play for their new NHL teams down the stretch. He’s set to be an RFA with arbitration rights upon completing his one-year, two-way ($775K/$100K) deal signed last July and is owed a qualifying offer of $814K, per CapFriendly.
His waiver placement could indicate that Matthew Nieto, who remains on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in early January, could be nearing a return. He was projected to miss two months, but his absence has surpassed that estimate. Otherwise, waiving Gruden leaves Pittsburgh with only 12 healthy forwards – Jansen Harkins is on LTIR after undergoing a recent hand surgery, while Drew O’Connor is sidelined with a concussion he sustained last week.
Aaron Ekblad Out At Least Two Weeks
Panthers blue-liner Aaron Ekblad will miss at least two weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (via Jameson Olive of the team’s official site). The 2014 first-overall pick sustained the injury in Saturday’s win over the Flames, playing just over five minutes before exiting the contest. Maurice said Ekblad will be evaluated daily after the two-week mark, and the team aims for a return around the end of the month. He also said that winger Evan Rodrigues, who left the Calgary game with a lower-body injury in the second period, will be a game-time decision tomorrow in Dallas.
Ekblad appeared to sustain a left knee injury after colliding with new teammate Vladimir Tarasenko near center ice (video via Hockey Daily 365 on Twitter/X). The 28-year-old had logged two separate one-game absences due to lower-body injuries earlier this season, as well as a 16-game absence to begin the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Battling through injuries, he’s had a diminished offensive impact, recording four goals and 17 points through 47 games. It’s his lowest per-game pace in seven years, although his possession metrics have remained high-end, with a 56.9 CF% and 52.3 xGF%. He’s also averaging less than 22 minutes per game for the first time since 2017, but he does have a +26 rating, tied for second on the team behind Gustav Forsling‘s league-leading +47.
His absence leaves the Panthers with just one right-shot defenseman – Brandon Montour – on the active roster. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who shouldered top-pairing minutes early in the season with Ekblad and Montour both sidelined, will return to that role by skating on his off-side on a pairing with Forsling, who’s fresh off signing an eight-year extension.
As Ekblad is not expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days, he’s not eligible for long-term injured reserve. Placing him on standard injured reserve offers no benefit, as the 23-player roster limit is now lifted post-deadline. Waiver claim Tobias Björnfot is available to draw into the lineup if additional injuries occur on the blue line, while Josh Mahura, who skated in all 82 regular-season games last season, re-enters the lineup after slipping to seventh on the Panthers’ defensive depth chart.
Rodrigues, 30, has avoided a major injury, meaning the Panthers will have their new-look top-nine with Tarasenko in the fold remain intact. Rodrigues, who’s been one of Florida’s better two-way forwards after inking a four-year, $12MM deal last summer, has 10 goals and 36 points in 65 games.
Devils Acquire Nathan Légaré From Canadiens
The Devils swapped out minor-league forwards on Monday, acquiring Nathan Légaré from the Canadiens in exchange for Arnaud Durandeau. In the one-for-one deal, Legare will report to AHL Utica, and Durandeau will report to AHL Laval.
This is the second time both wingers have been traded in the last year. Légaré, a 2019 third-round pick of the Penguins, was sent to Montreal to balance out contracts in last summer’s three-team swap revolving around Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Durandeau, a 2017 sixth-round pick of the Islanders, was acquired by New Jersey in November for minor-league forward Tyce Thompson.
Neither player lived up to expectations with their previous organization. Légaré, 23, carries intrigue as a 6-foot, 205-lb power winger who scored over a point per game in three straight QMJHL seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Val-d’Or Foreurs between 2019 and 2021. He hasn’t been able to elevate himself out of a bottom-six role in the minors, however, and is having the worst offensive season of his AHL tenure with six goals and nine points in 39 games with Laval, along with a -10 rating.
Durandeau is older at 25 but has shown much more offensive promise at the professional level. The Montreal native broke out for 24 goals and 55 points in 68 games with AHL Bridgeport last season but got off to a rough start in 2023-24, scoring once through his first 12 games. Things improved in Utica, but not by much, scoring three goals and 14 points in 26 games. He’ll look to give himself a fresh start closer to his hometown.
Since this trade was executed past the March 8 deadline, neither player is eligible to suit up for their new NHL club down the stretch. However, they’ll both be able to play for their new farm teams down the stretch and participate in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Both players are pending RFAs and will remain under team control if they receive qualifying offers. Légaré is nearing completion of his three-year, entry-level contract and currently earns $70K in the minors, while Durandeau is completing a two-year, two-way deal that pays him a minors salary of $100K with a $125K guarantee. As such, the Devils save a minor amount of actual cash in this transaction.