Montreal Canadiens Sign Lucas Condotta
The Montreal Canadiens have signed college free agent Lucas Condotta to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins in 2022-23 and will carry an NHL cap hit of $830K. Condotta will join the Laval Rocket on a professional tryout agreement for the rest of the season.
Undrafted, the 24-year-old forward has spent the last four seasons at UMass-Lowell, only really becoming a consistent offensive presence this year. As a senior, he scored ten goals and 23 points in 33 games, play that reminded of his days in the OJHL where he was an offensive star.
He also served as captain this season for the River Hawks, and trailed only Andre Lee–recently signed to an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings–and Carl Berglund in team scoring.
While this obviously isn’t a turning point for the organization, it is the first time that new manager Kent Hughes has dipped into the college free agent waters. Whether that becomes a trend for the Canadiens remains to be seen, but with his and Jeff Gorton’s background, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising.
Clayton Keller Undergoes Surgery; Out Rest Of Season
12:30pm: The Coyotes have announced that Keller underwent surgery to repair a broken leg and is expected to make a full recovery. He will be out for four to six months, however, meaning training camp is certainly in doubt.
8:50am: It was some scary moments in Arizona last night, as Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was stretchered off the ice after crashing hard into the boards. His leg, which was awkwardly pinned behind his body on the fall, was obviously injured, but it wasn’t clear exactly what the extent of the injury was. The Coyotes issued a press release indicating that Keller had been moved to a local hospital, and this morning he revealed that his season is over.
Want to thank my teammates, the fans, and medical personnel for the love and support last night! Unfortunately the season’s over for me, but I’m resting comfortably at the hospital in good spirits. I will be back better than ever for day 1 next season!!!!
With his season over, Keller will miss a chance to set a career-high in points, and finish with 63 in 67 games. The 23-year-old forward already did hit a career-high in goals with 28 and was averaging more than 20 minutes a night for the rebuilding club. In fact, it’s been quite a renaissance for a player who hadn’t broken the 50-point mark in any of the previous three seasons. There was starting to be some concern that Keller would never get back to the levels he showed as a rookie but this year proved he can still be a top-end offensive player.
Unfortunately, all that work will be put aside as he faces a long rehab process. When he eventually returns, the Coyotes will be playing at a different rink–Arizona State University–and will likely have a much different team. Players like Phil Kessel and Anton Stralman are pending unrestricted free agents, names like Jakob Chychrun are still on the trade block, and general manager Bill Armstrong is still obviously looking to strip down the roster to the studs, before rebuilding it.
Keller, one of the only players signed long-term in Arizona, is under contract through 2027-28 and might even have been considered a trade chip himself this offseason under normal circumstances. An injury like this could complicate that situation, though it is still not clear what kind of recovery timeline he faces.
2022 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists Announced
With the collegiate hockey season coming to a close, the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but still became NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.
2019’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and is now dominating the league with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2020 the award was given to Scott Perunovich, who is dealing with some unfortunate injury issues to start his career but still looks like a future contributor to the St. Louis Blues blueline.
In 2021, Cole Caufield took home the award after leading the nation in scoring at the University of Wisconsin. Caufield made an immediate impact by helping the Montreal Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final a few months later and, while struggling early this season, is now back to his scoring ways under new coaching.
The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.
Earlier this year, 77 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and ten finalists were announced earlier this month. Those ten players have been narrowed to just three, your Hat Trick Finalists.
Bobby Brink – University of Denver (Philadelphia Flyers)
The 34th overall selection in 2019, Brink has shown once again that if you give him a chance to get acclimated to a new league, he’ll dominate it. The DU junior had 14 goals and 56 points in just 39 games, blowing by his total from the first two years of his college career. Listed at just 5’9″ 166-lbs, he led the entire nation in scoring on both a total and per-game basis, and now has Denver into the Frozen Four. They’ll take on Michigan on April 7, a game that will have general managers all across the NHL waiting by their phones to call up whichever prospects are eliminated.
Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University-Mankato (undrafted)
McKay is a Hat Trick Finalist for the second year in a row, after losing the award to Caufield in 2021. His placement this year will certainly come with some raised eyebrows because of the performance that Devon Levi had, but there’s no doubt that McKay was once again one of the most valuable players in the country. Undrafted, the 24-year-old netminder put up a .934 save percentage in 41 games, winning 37 of them. If he can win a national championship, his college career will go down as one of the best of all time. McKay has gone 112-19-4 with a .932 save percentage over his four seasons and will have plenty of interest from clubs when he’s eliminated, even if he isn’t quite the prototypical NHL goaltender build.
Ben Meyers – University of Minnesota (undrafted)
Captain of the Golden Gophers, Olympian, and sixth-leading scorer in the nation, Meyers has come a long way since the undersized forward that barely got drafted into the USHL. Despite doubters at every level, he continues to improve and will now be a huge focus for NHL teams next month. In 33 games this season he had 17 goals and 41 points, while adding another four points in four Olympic games with Team USA. While he technically could return for a senior season, it’s going to be difficult to turn down the offers that come his way in a few weeks–especially if a good number of other Minnesota players decide to turn pro.
AHL Shuffle: 03/31/22
Another busy night in the NHL this evening, as nine games are on the schedule. That includes a battle of the top two teams in the Pacific Division, though the Edmonton Oilers are certainly trying to change those designations. The Los Angeles Kings travel to Calgary to take on the Flames after losing in a shootout to Edmonton last night, and now sit just one point ahead of the Oilers in the division standings. As they and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The New Jersey Devils have activated Janne Kuokkanen and Tyce Thompson off injured reserve, with the latter assigned to Utica immediately. Thompson, 22, has played in two games this season and nine overall for the Devils, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The New York Islanders have recalled Robin Salo under emergency conditions. The 23-year-old defenseman is in his first season of North American hockey and has entered 18 games for the Islanders already. Selected 46th overall, he has four points in those games. Cory Schneider is also back up, though he never really left.
Central Division
- Morgan Barron has been recalled under emergency conditions, suggesting he could make his Winnipeg Jets debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. The team is without Kyle Connor and Nate Schmidt because of positive COVID tests, meaning Barron is another forward option as they go on a back-to-back.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Hudson Fasching from the AHL following the injury to Clayton Keller. Fasching, 26, has played in eight games so far for the team, recording zero points. In fact, he doesn’t have an NHL point since the 2016-17 season, when he registered one as part of the Buffalo Sabres.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Jaret Anderson-Dolan, this time under emergency conditions. The 22-year-old forward has 41 points in 45 games this season for the Ontario Reign, but still hasn’t really managed to establish himself at the top level.
This page is updated throughout the day
Petr Mrazek Expected To Miss Six Weeks
When the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to add a goaltender at the trade deadline, many questioned the decision given the injury history (and struggles) of both Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek. It appears as though the worst has come true, as while Campbell slowly works his way back from a rib injury, Mrazek is now expected to miss six weeks following his injury earlier this week. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who spoke with reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the netminder is undergoing further evaluation but is out for the rest of the regular season.
Campbell meanwhile has been medically cleared to return, though the team will go with Erik Kallgren tonight and recalled Michael Hutchinson to serve as the backup. Jake Muzzin is “real close” to a return from his latest concussion, while Ilya Lyubushkin is still dealing with the effects of Taylor Hall‘s punch. Justin Holl, who left the Maple Leafs’ last game after being struck in the head with a puck, is expected to play tonight.
It’s not like Mrazek was playing extremely well–though he had seemed to be turning things around–but losing him for the rest of the regular season puts a huge question mark in net for the Maple Leafs. When he returns (if he returns), will Kallgren have solidified himself as a full-time NHL option? Will Campbell be able to regain the form that made him an All-Star in the first half? Will Michael Hutchinson once again be called upon, despite annual struggles at the NHL level?
All of those are valid questions for Toronto fans now, and the situation only amplifies the frustration of losing Harri Sateri on waivers at the deadline to the Arizona Coyotes. Sateri isn’t even in Arizona yet, meaning he’s going to barely play for the Coyotes before the end of the year, with only 15 games remaining. In Toronto, he likely would have been pressed into duty right away, and provided some extra depth for the organization as they try to figure out the most important position on the ice.
For Mrazek, it means his first regular season with the Maple Leafs will end how it began, with a lower-body injury forcing him out of a game. In 20 appearances, he recorded an .888 save percentage and went 12-6.
Nathan MacKinnon Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury
March 31: So much for that concern. Today on Altitude Sports Radio, Bednar announced that MacKinnon is expected to play tonight for the Avalanche when they take on the San Jose Sharks.
March 29: The Colorado Avalanche will not have Nathan MacKinnon in the lineup tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames, and it’s not clear when he’ll be back. The superstar center has flown back to Denver to have an upper-body injury evaluated, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, and there is no timeline for his return at this point. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Baugh that it was “possible” that the injury occurred in MacKinnon’s recent fight against Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild and that concern was currently “high” from the team.
MacKinnon took exception to a hit that Dumba laid on Mikko Rantanen the other night, and immediately engaged in a fight with the Wild defenseman. While the Colorado forward didn’t immediately appear to have an injury–he returned to the game for five more shifts after his penalty was served–he now faces an uncertain timeline at one of the worst possible points in the season.
Luckily, the Avalanche have built up quite a lead in the Central Division, as even the surging Wild (currently on a six-game winning streak) are 14 points behind them in the standings. If MacKinnon is out for any length of time, the team should certainly be able to hold onto that lead and still head into the playoffs as the top seed in the Central Division.
The worry obviously is whether the injury will keep him out longer-term, as there are only a little over four weeks left in the regular season. MacKinnon has already missed a good chunk of the season, but has 70 points in 51 games and continues to be one of the most dynamic, valuable players in the entire league.
AHL Shuffle: 03/30/22
Six games grace the NHL schedule this evening, including an all-important matchup between the two newest teams in the league. The Vegas Golden Knights can’t afford to lose games like tonight’s match against the Seattle Kraken if they have any hope of making the playoffs, as they currently sit a point behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card position despite having played three more times. Two other important games between playoff hopefuls happen in Edmonton and Vancouver, while several other teams around the league are also in action. As they and others prepare, here are today’s minor league moves.
Atlantic Division
- The Grand Rapids Griffins have signed a pair of local college free agents, bringing in Drew Worrad from Western Michigan and Trenton Bliss from Michigan Tech on AHL contracts that run through 2022-23. Both players had outstanding offensive seasons this year, scoring 45 and 40 points respectively and will now try to carry over that play to the professional level.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
- Connor Dewar has been returned to the AHL from the Minnesota Wild, after last playing on March 19. The 22-year-old rookie has suited up 30 times this season but has just five points to his name, and has averaged fewer than ten minutes of ice time in those appearances. It’s been different in the minor leagues, where Dewar has 11 points in 12 games.
Pacific Division
This page is updated throughout the day
Krystof Hrabik Suspended 30 Games In AHL
March 30: After serving 28 of his 30 games, Hrabik has been reinstated by the AHL. This follows an evaluation of his progress in an education and training program, conducted in conjunction with the NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee. He is eligible to re-join the Barracuda for the stretch run, but Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News tweets that Hrabik will continue training on his own while he awaits assignment to the ECHL.
Jan 21: The AHL has issued a suspension of 30 games to San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for a racial gesture directed at Tucson Roadrunners forward Boko Imama. The incident occurred on January 12, and Hrabik was put on indefinite suspension. He has served three games so far and will be eligible to return to the lineup on April 3. He may apply for a reduction in suspension after March 12, based on an evaluation of his progress in the necessary education and training with the Player Inclusion Committee.
AHL president Scott Howson released the following statement:
The AHL stands with Boko Imama. It is unfair that any player should be subjected to comments or gestures based on their race; they should be judged only on their ability to perform as a player on the ice, as a teammate in the locker room and as a member of their community.
The San Jose Sharks, NHL affiliate of the Barracuda, have also released a statement, which in part reads:
The Barracuda and San Jose Sharks organizations were appalled to learn of this incident. We offer our sincerest apologies to Boko, the Roadrunners organization, the AHL, our fans, and the entire hockey community. While we support the ability for individuals to atone and learn from disrespectful incidents in this context, these actions are in direct opposition to the Barracuda and Shark organizations’ values.
Hrabik, 22, is not under contract with the Sharks. He signed a one-year AHL contract last summer which covers the 2021-22 season. In 21 games, he has four points.
Imama, 25, was acquired by the Arizona Coyotes last summer in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings and signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract in August. He has played in 27 games for the Roadrunners this season, recording eight points. This is not the first time that an incident like this has occurred to him in the minor leagues. In 2020–exactly two years ago–Brandon Manning, then playing with the Bakersfield Condors, was suspended five games for directing a racial slur at Imama.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Kim Nousiainen
After signing him to an amateur tryout for their AHL affiliate earlier this week, the Los Angeles Kings have now inked Kim Nousiainen to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will start in the 2022-23 season and carries an average annual value of just over $859K.
Nousiainen, 21, was selected 119th overall in the 2019 draft, the seventh player off the board for the Kings. He’s now also the seventh player from that class to sign his entry-level deal, following Andre Lee‘s just a few days ago. Standing just 5’8″, the undersized defenseman has been a regular in Liiga for three seasons, suiting up with KalPa Kuopio. This season in 35 games, Nousiainen recorded four goals and 14 points, which actually ranked second among the team’s defensemen.
Just last month, the Kings’ prospect pool was ranked second in the NHL by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, and Nousiainen landed 18th in their group. Wheeler suggested at the time that it would be prudent to bring the young defenseman into the system and give him a chance to prove himself at the AHL level–exactly what they’ve now done.
Not really an overly offensive player, Nousianien is a non-stop workhorse whose feet never stop moving and even engages physically more than you might expect from such a small frame. Whether that frame can handle those kinds of minutes in North America is unclear at this point, but he’s obviously done enough to land a contract from the Kings. The next step is proving he can compete in the AHL, on an Ontario Reign team he joined this week.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Mikko Kokkonen
The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken care of some prospect business, signing Mikko Kokkonen to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in 2022-23 and will carry an average annual value of $847K.
Kokkonen, 21, has actually already played in 11 games for the Toronto Marlies, joining the club at the end of the season on a tryout contract. He managed seven points in those 11 games and gave Maple Leafs fans a taste of what might be on the horizon.
This season, back in Finland, the young left-shot defenseman had 15 points in 58 games playing for the Lahti Pelicans, his fourth full season in Liiga already. A member of the bronze medal-winning Finnish World Junior team a year ago, the third-round pick has played a huge number of games on the most competitive stages already and will likely join the Marlies once again down the stretch this season.
Of course, the obvious question would be if Kokkonen could help the Maple Leafs immediately after they lost both Ilya Lyubushkin and Justin Holl to injury last night. Since this contract doesn’t start until 2022-23, he is not eligible for recall.