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Metro Notes: Kreider, Ferschweiler, Nikishin, Pelech, Romanov

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Despite being mentioned in trade rumors for much of the season, New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider spent the entire year in the Big Apple. Don’t expect Kreider’s name to disappear from the trade wire as The Fourth Period reports the Rangers will again look to move their veteran sniper this offseason.

He’ll become mildly more tradeable this summer, having two years and $13MM remaining on his contract. Still, factoring in multiple injuries from this season and the declining foot speed, it’s difficult to say how much interest Kreider will generate.

The Rangers will technically have the opportunity to retain salary if they desire, but it’s likely a non-starter from their perspective. As the article in The Fourth Period mentions, the primary reason for moving Kreider is to shed salary in preparation for K’Andre Miller and William Cuylle’s new deals.

Additional happenings from the Metropolitan Division:

  • As the 2024-25 season closes, the pursuit of a new head coach is ramping up for the Philadelphia Flyers. In that vein, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Pat Ferschweiler, the head coach of the NCAA’s Western Michigan University Broncos, could be on the Flyers’ radar this summer. Ferschweiler has been the Broncos’ head coach for the last four seasons and recently guided the team to its first National Championship in program history. He’s only had one NHL opportunity in his professional coaching career, being the assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-16 to 2018-19.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes should only be a few days away from their top defensive prospect joining the team for their postseason run. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Alexander Nikishin has officially received approval for his work visa in the United States. That leaves an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Istanbul on his to-do list before being allowed to play for the Hurricanes. In a perfect world, Carolina would likely want Nikishin to get an NHL game under his belt before the playoffs start, but that’s unlikely to be the case given that their regular season will conclude on April 17.
  • Although the New York Islanders failed to make the playoffs for the second time in four years, they received positive news on the injury front this morning. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that despite entering concussion protocol after leaving Sunday’s game due to a hit from New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter, defenseman Adam Pelech “is fine” and suited up for the Islanders tonight against the Capitals. Pelech is no stranger to injuries, having only appeared in 60 of New York’s 81 contests this season.
  • Unfortunately, not every usual defenseman for the Islanders suited up in tonight’s contest, as the team shared just before puck drop that defenseman Alexander Romanov is out of the lineup due to illness. Depth defender Scott Perunovich is filling the Romanov-sized void this evening. He’s tallied three assists in nine games for the Islanders since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues on January 27th.

Transactions Notes: Hurricanes, Jones, Carrick, Bjarnason, Copponi

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Having already clinched the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes had the opportunity to rest a few players for tomorrow night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Keeping that in mind, the Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled forwards Skyler Brind’Amour and Bradly Nadeau and defensemen Domenick Fensore and Riley Stillman from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to fill in for the resting players.

Brind’Amour’s recall is significant for a few reasons. He’ll make his NHL debut tomorrow night against the Canadiens and will be the first NHL player to be coached by his father at the top level since Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry was briefly coached by his father, Dave Lowry, for 54 games in the 2021-22 NHL season.

Meanwhile, Nadeau and Fensore (who will also debut tomorrow night) are two of Carolina’s top prospects already playing in North America. Nadeau led the Wolves in scoring this season, managing 30 goals and 56 points in 63 games, while Fensore scored nine goals and 32 points in 66 contests.

Other transactions from around the league:

  • According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled defenseman Caleb Jones from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an emergency basis. Although he won’t be filling in for a defenseman, Jones’s recall is likely in response to Quinton Byfield sustaining an injury in last night’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Byfield, leading to his injury.
  • In another emergency recall, the Oilers have promoted defenseman Connor Carrick to the NHL level. Carrick’s recall could be due to the five defensemen injured on the Oilers’ blue line or because of the expected suspension looming for Nurse. The 31-year-old defenseman has scored 17 goals and 39 points in 60 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors this year.
  • Per the AHL transactions page and publicized by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender prospect Carson Bjarnason to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Bjarnason was the fourth netminder taken off the board in the 2023 NHL Draft as the 51st overall pick and recently produced a 22-15-3 record in 40 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings with a .913 SV% and 2.93 GAA.
  • In another move by the Oilers organization, their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield announced they’ve signed forward Matt Copponi to an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of the 2024-25 AHL season. Copponi, drafted by Edmonton with the 216th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently lost the 2025 NCAA National Championship with Boston University. Still, he was an effective secondary scorer for the Terriers’ program, putting up eight goals and 24 points in 40 contests this season.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Power, Knies, McCabe, Thompson

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To the surprise of many, don’t expect any changes to the Boston Bruins’ front office this summer. According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Bruins will retain President Cam Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney to invent the next iteration of Boston’s roster.

It’ll be the first time Sweeney has had to engage in a retool during his tenure as General Manager. Sweeney took over as the team’s top decision-maker in 2015-16. He manufactured the roster that took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and the team that set the single-season win record in 2022-23.

Unfortunately, aside from their loss to the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Boston hasn’t appeared in the Eastern Conference Final in any other year under Sweeney’s regime. The Bruins have fallen to last place in the Eastern Conference since selling off at the trade deadline in March, while being projected to have a top-five pick since selecting Tyler Seguin second-overall in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • If the 2024-25 season couldn’t get any worse for the Buffalo Sabres, one of their top defenseman could be out longer-term with a leg injury. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported that defenseman Owen Power has a serious injury and may require surgery this summer. The injury in question took place in the Sabres’ second-to-last game against the Florida Panthers when Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe awkwardly fell on his leg.
  • In addition to their upcoming attempt to win the 14th Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, one of the main storylines off the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs is their contract negotiations with forward Matthew Knies. According to a new report from The Fourth Period, there is no worry from either side that a new deal won’t be agreed upon, but there is a lengthy gap in the expected length of his next contract. The report indicates that the Maple Leafs prefer a six-to-eight-year deal, while Knies’ camp prefers a three-to-five-year agreement. Given that only a one-year gap exists between Toronto’s low end and Knies’s high end, it should make for a reasonable compromise between the sides. 
  • Unfortunately, there’s some negative news for the Maple Leafs as they prepare for a lengthy post-season. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported that there’s no guarantee defenseman Jake McCabe will be available for the team in their Round One matchup. McCabe hasn’t played since early April due to an undisclosed injury and would be a major missing piece for Toronto’s blue line in the playoffs. The 12-year veteran is second on the team in blocked shots (135) and seventh in expected +/- (6.6) through 66 games played.
  • For the first time in five years, Sabres forward Tage Thompson will play for Team USA in the World Championships (Twitter Link). After being excluded from the United States’ Four Nations Face-Off roster in February, this strikes as a move for Thompson to raise his Olympic profile for next season. He scored one goal and five points in eight games during his last appearance in the offseason tournament in 2021.

John Hayden And Cale Fleury Clear Waivers

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Saturday: Unsurprisingly, both players have cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Friday: According to a team announcement, the Seattle Kraken have placed forward John Hayden and defenseman Cale Fleury on waivers. The team will reassign them both to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, should they go through waivers unclaimed.

Hayden is in his third season with the Kraken organization after signing as an unrestricted free agent before the 2022-23 NHL season. He’s primarily been an AHL talent in that stretch but has registered 19 games for the Kraken this season, scoring one goal and one assist while averaging 8:29 of ice time per game.

He’s been a valuable veteran presence with AHL Coachella Valley, helping the team secure back-to-back Calder Cup Final appearances. Throughout his tenure with the club, Hayden has scored 43 goals and 86 points in 155 AHL appearances, with another 10 goals and 15 points in 28 postseason contests.

Meanwhile, Fleury hits the waiver wire one day after he qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency. Fleury can sign with any organization this upcoming summer since he is older than 25 and has yet to reach 80 games played throughout his NHL career.

Still, he shouldn’t expect anything more than a two-way agreement. He’s tallied one assist in 14 games with Seattle this season while averaging 12:52 of ice time a night and has registered six goals and 24 points in 36 AHL appearances. Plenty of teams will want solid AHL options on hand should they need defensive depth throughout the regular season, meaning Fleury should feel safe in securing a new contract in a few months.

Dallas Stars Sign Arno Tiefensee To Entry-Level Contract

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The Dallas Stars have signed one of their selections from the 2023 NHL Draft. According to a team announcement, the Stars have signed netminder Arno Tiefensee to a two-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season.

Dallas selected Tiefensee with the 157th overall pick in 2023, making him the 16th netminder off the board in that summer’s draft. The Weißwasser, Germany native had just played in his first year with the DEL’s Adler Mannheim, managing a 13-10-0 record with a .910 SV%, 2.43 GAA, and three shutouts in 23 games.

Germany’s highest professional league is where he’s made his way since. In the two seasons following his draft year, still with Adler Mannheim, Tiefensee brought his career record up to 51-33-0 with seven shutouts, a save percentage of .910, and a goals-against average to 2.37. Unfortunately, Tiefensee failed to bring his team beyond the semifinals of the postseason tournament, losing in his rookie year and this season.

Tiefensee will likely join the Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, next year. There’s no guarantee the organization will retain third-string netminder Magnus Hellberg beyond this season, and his tandem partner, Remi Poirier, will also need a new contract as a restricted free agent. Assuming the AHL Stars give Poirier a higher share of starts next season, the team could offer Tiefensee the backup role, making his transition to professional hockey in North America easier.

Canadiens, Ducks Discussed Potential Trevor Zegras Trade

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In many sports, trades that don’t occur can be just as captivating—if not more so—than those that do. A recent example of this involves the Montreal Canadiens, who were reportedly close to acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2024 NHL Draft, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his column 32 Thoughts.

Friedman writes in his column that he’s never received clarity on why the deal didn’t take place, but he believes it had to with Ivan Demidov falling to the Canadiens as the fifth overall pick. Friedman asserted that Montreal wasn’t offering their fifth overall pick for Zegras, but he filled their immediate need for a younger top-six forward.

Although it’s hard to say with certainty, it’s easy to think Zegras would have fit in nicely with Martin St. Louis’s system in Montreal. St. Louis has been regarded as an offense-first coach and is credited for allowing sniper Cole Caufield to blossom when he took over behind the bench in 2021-22.

Zegras isn’t as highly praised as Caufield for putting pucks in the net, but he has been known as a capable point-producer when healthy. He’s scored 67 goals and 185 points in 265 games with Anaheim, including back-to-back 60-point campaigns from 2021 to 2023.

Unfortunately, his ability to stay healthy has been an issue for the past few years. Since the 2023-24 campaign began, Zegras has appeared in 85 games for the Ducks, equating to 52.79% of potential contests. Furthermore, his defensive shortcomings haven’t meshed well with Greg Cronin’s system, leading to a flurry of trade rumors during that stretch.

Still, it could be a trade that the Canadiens revisit this off-season. It is widely recognized that Zegras, Caufield, and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils share a close friendship that dates back to their time with the U.S. National Team Development Program. It would be an interesting storyline to see at least two of them reunited on the same team.

Depending on how their postseason run turns out, Zegras would be an interesting candidate to usurp Alex Newhook as the team’s second-line center. That would give Montreal a bona fide top-six, taking some pressure off their first line, who has carried them on their shoulders this season.

Lightning Notes: Howard, Guentzel, Glendening

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On today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL insider touched on the ongoing situation between the Tampa Bay Lightning and prospect Isaac Howard. The product of Michigan State University has already announced he’ll return to the Spartans’ program for the 2025-26 NCAA season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever wear a Lightning uniform.

Friedman indicates there’s no bad blood between the Lightning and their top prospect, but the odds are against them signing him to an entry-level contract. As Friedman puts it, Howard will play through his final year of eligibility at Michigan State and become an unrestricted free agent on August 15, 2026. The Hobey Baker Award finalist would quickly become one of the highest-profile collegiate free agents in recent memory.

Howard is unlikely to sign with Tampa Bay partly due to the organization’s preferred usage of him. The plan was for Howard to play in the AHL for the 2025-26 season, and the collegiate standout has indicated he’d make more in NIL money in East Lansing than he would on an AHL salary. Friedman hinted that Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois could look to trade Howard at the 2025 NHL Draft, with plenty of teams likely having an interest.

More notes from Tampa Bay:

  • According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, the Lightning will have winger Jake Guentzel back tonight for their intra-divisional contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Guentzel had missed Tampa Bay’s most recent contest because of personal reasons, and it appears he’s at a point in his life off the ice where he can return. Fortunately, that’s only one of two games Guentzel has missed for the Lightning this season, scoring 38 goals and 77 points in 76 games.
  • Unfortunately, there is one Tampa Bay forward who won’t be available to the team for their remaining regular season contests. Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson reported earlier that Luke Glendening, who’s out with an undisclosed injury, is out for the rest of the regular season, although the Lightning are hopeful he’ll return for the postseason. Glendening will finish the 2024-25 season with four goals and seven points in 77 contests with a customarily high 57.0% success rate in the faceoff circle.

Jets’ Prospect Chaz Lucius Announces Retirement

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In an unfortunate announcement from Newport Sports Management Inc., Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Chaz Lucius is retiring from hockey due to medical concerns.

The announcement shared a statement from Chaz, where he openly shared his recent Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome diagnosis. In the statement, Chaz wrote,

“It is with great disappointment that I am announcing my retirement from playing professional hockey. Recently, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which is a hereditary disorder that affects the connective tissue that stabilizes and supports the joints and organs throughout the body. As I struggled with incurring and recovering from various joint injuries over the past several years, I had thought I was just unlucky. With this diagnosis of EDS, I now realize that my body impacted by EDS could not handle the physical nature of playing hockey. Given this condition, my injury history, and the physical nature of hockey, I have been medically advised not to continue to play.“

In response, the Jets put out an immediate press release saying,

“After much discussion and consultation with Chaz, his representatives, and medical professionals, the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club fully supports his difficult decision to retire. Chaz’s condition and struggles with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) put him at risk of injury if he continues to play at the professional level, so we understand his choice. We wish Chaz all the best in his efforts to be an advocate for those dealing with EDS and hope for a bright future in front of him.“

Winnipeg selected Lucius with the 18th overall selection of the 2021 NHL Draft after an impressive few years with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTD). During his draft season, Lucius scored 13 goals and 18 points in 12 games playing for the USHL’s USNTD program and another 13 goals and 20 points in 13 games with the U.S. National U18 team.

He spent one year with the heralded University of Minnesota, scoring nine goals and 19 points in 24 contests with a +5 rating. Unfortunately, the Golden Gophers were eliminated in the Regional Finals of the National Tournament to in-state rival, Minnesota State University.

That was the end of Lucius’s time as a top prospect with Winnipeg. As he alluded to in his statement, Lucius has suffered a string of injuries over the last several years that have limited him to only 54 contests with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose since the 2022-23 season. Still, when healthy, Lucius was an effective secondary scorer, managing seven goals and 27 points.

There should understandably be some grace for Lucius when it comes to his inability to stay healthy during that stretch. Had he remained healthy throughout his professional career, the generic wear-and-tear that comes with professional ice hockey could have led to some long-standing physical issues when it comes to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Although it’s not the path he likely envisioned for himself, we at PHR send our congratulations to Lucius for being one of the rare few able to play even one game of professional hockey in North America and wish him the best for his next chapter.

Metro Notes: Hamilton, Hurricanes, Penguins

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Heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the New Jersey Devils will be without their top forward and defenseman. However, it may not be long before the latter returns. Earlier today, Peter Baugh of The Athletic relayed a note from the Devils’ head coach, Sheldon Keefe, indicating Dougie Hamilton could return for Round One.

Originally, Hamilton had been ruled out for the regular season in mid-March, with a projected return date of Round Two of the postseason. A week ago, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Hamilton was recovering faster than expected, with the likelihood of a Round One return increasing exponentially now that he’s returned to skating.

There’s no question the Devils could use him. Hamilton scored nine goals and 40 points in 63 games for New Jersey this season, with 15 coming on the team’s powerplay. The Devils have slowed down since Hamilton and forward Jack Hughes exited the lineup, while their projected Round One opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, have managed a 9-4-0 record since the trade deadline, meaning New Jersey will need every advantage available.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Speaking of Carolina, the Hurricanes are expected to welcome forwards Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov back to the lineup for tonight’s contest against the Buffalo Sabres. Staal and Svechnikov had missed a handful of games for Carolina over the past week. Unfortunately, in the report from Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer, the Hurricanes are expected to be without center Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the next week. Still, Alexander did reiterate a sentiment from head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating it’s not a serious ailment for Kotkaniemi.
  • Earlier today, Seth Rorabaugh of The Tribune Review contextualized Matthew Nieto’s emergency recall last night. Rorabaugh reports that forward Philip Tomasino has been diagnosed with a concussion, and forward Blake Lizotte is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Unfortunately, the concussion will likely result in the end of Tomasino’s 2024-25 season. Still, he’s had a promising run with the Penguins since being acquired from the Predators earlier in the year, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 48 contests with the new organization.

Vancouver Canucks Reassign Jonathan Lekkerimaki

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Earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks announced they’ve reassigned forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Now that the Calder Cup playoffs are around the corner, Lekkerimaki may finish the year with Abbotsford.

Lekkerimaki has been rostered with the Canucks since the trade deadline. Before then, he had been a frequent call-up in November and January, scoring two goals and one assist in his first 11 contests. Unfortunately, he hasn’t broken out in any meaningful way with more consistency in the NHL, scoring one goal and two assists in 13 games between March 5th and April 5th.

To say the least, it’s been a difficult transition for a prospect Vancouver was understandably high on entering the 2024-25 campaign. The Canucks drafted Lekkerimaki with the 15th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft, and brought him to North America toward the end of last season.

Still, he’s performed up to par at the AHL level. Throughout the year, Lekkerimaki has scored 19 goals and 28 points in 32 games for AHL Abbotsford, which is good for 16th in points-per-game average among AHL rookies.

The transition to the NHL can be intimidating, and it’s clearly impacted Lekkerimaki’s performance this year. Hopefully, for Vancouver’s sake, Lekkerimaki will feel comfortable down the stretch with AHL Abbotsford and regain the confidence he’ll need to succeed at the NHL level.

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