Afternoon Notes: Faksa, Demko, Kampf
The Dallas Stars will be adding forward Radek Faksa back to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s Game 7, head coach Peter DeBoer confirms to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Faksa was injured late in Game 2, leaving with an injury that remains undisclosed. He’s been a game-time decision in all four games since – finally getting upgraded to game-ready this weekend. Faksa is coming off his second 19-point season in the last three years and hasn’t been able to change his stat line in two postseason appearances so far.
Faksa’s return will bump young winger Ty Dellandrea back out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in four appearances this series, adding to the three goals he managed in 15 playoff games last season. Interestingly, he’s still searching for his first postseason assist. He’ll now move to a skybox that will also feature Mason Marchment, who DeBoer confirmed remains out with an undisclosed injury. While Faksa’s return is timely ahead of a Game 7 that’s sure to be gritty, it’s the 20-goal-scoring Marchment that could bring substantial reinforcements in Round 2. He has one goal in two playoff games so far this Spring.
Other notes from around the league:
- To no surprise, Vancouver Canucks head coach has ruled Vezina-finalist Thatcher Demko out of the second round’s Game 1, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Demko is missing time with a knee injury suffered ahead of the first round’s Game 2. He carries a week-to-week designation and isn’t expected to return any time soon, although he is traveling with the team. Arturs Silovs has risen to notoriety in Demko’s place, posting his first career shutout in the series-clinching Game 6. Silovs should remain Vancouver’s starter until Demko is ready to suit up again. He’ll be backed up by Casey DeSmith and Nikita Tolopilo.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has been added to Team Czechia’s roster ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, shares the team (Twitter link). Kampf’s season just came to a close, as Toronto was bested by the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Kampf posted just one goal in seven playoff appearances – matching his measly 19 points in 78 games during the regular season. He’ll have to put that tough loss behind him, now headed towards his second appearance at Worlds. Kampf previously posted three points in six games during the 2022 World Championship.
Atlantic Injury Notes: Bruins, Bennett, Nylander
The Boston Bruins will get reinforcements in their upcoming series against the Florida Panthers, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that he expects both Andrew Peeke and Danton Heinen to return from injury in the Second Round, per Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Peeke suffered a finger injury in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sitting out of the third period and earning a week-to-week designation. Heinen has been recovering from an undisclosed injury and was designated as a game-time decision in Game 7, ultimately sitting out. Sweeney shared that the team is still waiting to see each player’s exact timeline.
Injuries put Boston’s depth to the test in the First Round – and the fill-ins came up strong. Rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei was the most impressive addition, recording one assist and looking well-adjusted to playoff pace in the first five Stanley Cup appearances of his career. He won out Peeke’s role over Derek Forbort, who is himself recovering from injury. Lohrei should remain the team’s go-to replacement, though he’ll need a strong start in Game 1 if he wants to fight for a role when Peeke returns. Justin Brazeau has stepped in for Heinen, also recording one assist in his three postseason games so far.
Other injury notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- Florida Panthers’ centerman Sam Bennett is progressing from injury, with head coach Paul Maruice upgrading him to a day-to-day designation per David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Maurice added that Bennett is progressing better than he was expecting, though he’ll still be out for Game 1 of the Second Round. Bennett suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, reportedly sustaining the injury on a blocked shot. He left the ice after just 7:42 in ice time, though he made sure to leave his mark on the series – recording two points in Game 2 prior to leaving. His absence opened the door for Steven Lorentz to step back into the lineup. Lorentz has recorded two points in four postseason games – enough for Florida to get by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Panthers will surely be excited to get back the strong depth scoring Bennett brings.
- Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander has finally revealed the ailments that held him out of the first three games of Round One, saying that he was struggling with “head issues and eye migraines” and adding that he was struggling to see at times, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Nylander returned for the final four games of Toronto’s season, recording three goals before being bounced by the Bruins. He had a career-year, scoring 40 goals and 98 points in 82 games. With the off-season now in front of him, Nylander will need to focus on nursing a migraine issue that’s followed him for the last two seasons.
West Notes: Toffoli, Brossoit, Hague, Kiviranta
The Jets don’t have a ton of pending unrestricted free agents, but enough to lead to some significant depth turnover after failing to win a playoff series for the third year in a row. Two players who could opt not to re-sign and test the open market are veteran winger Tyler Toffoli and backup netminder Laurent Brossoit, Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press posit.
Brossoit’s return to the Jets last summer for his second stint with the club was a surprise. The 31-year-old’s stock was at an all-time high after posting a .927 SV% in 11 games down the stretch for the Golden Knights after returning from injury, and he was serviceable in eight playoff appearances as Vegas won the Stanley Cup. Some believed he would be able to land a role as a tandem netminder and eclipse his previous career-high of 24 appearances, but he instead opted to return to a familiar role backing up Connor Hellebuyck on a one-year, $1.75MM deal.
It worked out as well as it possibly could for Brossoit, who was excellent with a .927 SV% and three shutouts in 22 starts and one relief appearance. Back-to-back strong seasons after a rather roller-coaster career now have him fully primed to look for more starts on the UFA market in a couple of months.
Toffoli, meanwhile, was underwhelming after the Jets paid a second and third-round pick to acquire him at 50% salary retention from the Devils at the trade deadline. He posted seven goals and 11 points in 18 games down the stretch in the regular season but saw his ice time dip in the postseason, averaging only 14:05 per game against the Avs while scoring twice with a -2 rating in the five-game loss.
Elsewhere out West:
- The Golden Knights won’t get defenseman Nicolas Hague back for Game 7 against the Stars tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger). The bottom-pairing fixture sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1 and hasn’t yet returned to practice. Hague, 25, also missed eight games with a lower-body injury early in the season. He finished the regular season with two goals, 10 assists, 12 points and a -5 rating in 73 games while averaging 18:33 per contest.
- Avalanche depth winger Joel Kiviranta is working his way back to full health while Colorado awaits the winner of tomorrow’s Dallas/Vegas game. He returned to practice yesterday for the first time since sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 3 against Winnipeg, Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reports. He had one assist before exiting their first-round win, averaging 10:14 per game with a +2 rating.
Auston Matthews Returns, Joseph Woll Out For Game 7
6:41 p.m.: Woll is indeed out for Game 7 due to an undisclosed injury he sustained in Game 6, the team confirmed. Samsonov will start as the Leafs attempt to win three straight and advance to the second round. Matthews was cleared to play today and will return, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports.
5:38 p.m.: The Maple Leafs may be getting generational goal-scorer Auston Matthews back in the lineup for tonight’s Game 7 against the Bruins, as he took morning skate and arrived at the arena with the team’s starters, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. It’s not all good news for Toronto, though, as netminder Joseph Woll may be dealing with an undisclosed ailment and is now questionable after allowing a combined two goals in the Leafs’ Games 5 and 6 wins, per Friedman. Ilya Samsonov would get the start if he’s unable to go; his first since Game 4.
Matthews has not played since the second period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss due to a combination of illness and an undisclosed injury. The Leafs have managed to extend their series without their 69-goal man, winning in overtime on the road in Game 5 and holding on for a 2-1 win in Game 6 thanks to two goals from William Nylander.
While their game on both sides of the puck has undoubtedly improved after going down 3-1 in the series, Woll’s goaltending is the primary reason the Leafs have reached Game 7. The 25-year-old entered the series in the third period of Game 4, relieving Samsonov after he’d allowed three goals on 17 shots. He’s been incredible since, stopping 54 of 56 shots faced across seven periods plus Game 5’s brief overtime. That’s good enough for a .964 SV%, 0.86 GAA and 4.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Woll was 0.1 seconds away from a shutout in Game 6, but a Morgan Geekie shot crossed the goal line just before time expired.
It’s hard to blame Samsonov entirely for the Leafs’ three losses in the series, especially with Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman and his .947 SV% at the other end. But after an inconsistent regular season that ended on a high note, Samsonov has been decidedly below average with a .883 SV%, 3.31 GAA and -1.8 goals saved above expected in the series. Only the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (-2.4 GSAx) and the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck (-5.0 GSAx) have cumulatively allowed more rubber below league average given the shot quality they’ve faced.
If Matthews is able to return, there’s no indication he’ll be at 100%. With Toronto’s new-look first line of Max Domi centering Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner posting better results in the series than Matthews with Bertuzzi and Domi on his wings, he may slot lower in the lineup than usual. While he may not have his normal impact at even strength, Matthews will be an important factor in jumpstarting Toronto’s dreadful power play, which has gone just 1 for 20 (5.0%) in the series. Only the Kings, who failed to convert on their 12 power play opportunities against the Oilers, have fared worse.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Snapshots: Smith, Schenn, Second Round, DiPietro
Forward Cole Smith was held out of Friday night’s Game 6 lineup due to a lower-body injury, per the team (Twitter link). Smith was replaced by Juuso Parssinen making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut. Parssinen took on a larger role than Smith’s received, stepping into the team’s second line and bumping Mark Jankowski down the lineup. Only three Predators forwards, including Smith, have failed to record at least one point through their first five playoff games. Parssinen will need to quickly join that list, with Nashville down 3-2 in the series.
The Predators also welcomed Luke Schenn back to the lineup, after he missed Game 5 with illness, shares The Athletic’s Thomas Drance (Twitter link). Schenn’s absence made way for Tyson Barrie to return to the lineup. Barrie brought speed and tempo to the lineup, even recording an assist in Nashville’s eventual 2-1 win. But with elimination so close, the Predators opted for the more physical and defensive presence of Schenn.
Other notes from around the league:
- The NHL has announced the start times for the Second Round’s Eastern Conference matchups. The round will begin with Game 1 between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers on Sunday, while the Florida Panthers will take on the winner of Toronto versus Boston on Monday. Start times for each of these games haven’t yet been announced. This schedule marks a quick turnaround for Boston or Toronto, while each of Carolina, New York, and Florida will have at least five days off.
- The Boston Bruins have returned goaltender Michael DiPietro to the minor leagues, per NHL.com’s Mark Divver (Twitter link). DiPietro has served as Boston’s emergency third-string goalie for a handful of playoff games, though he’s yet to play his first game as a Boston Bruin. He instead spent all season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, where he recorded 18 wins and a .918 save percentage in 30 appearances. He’ll now return to a prime role for Providence, as they prepare to take on one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Charlotte, or Hartford in the Atlantic Division’s Semifinals.
Islanders Notes: Lamoriello, Roy, Mayfield, Bortuzzo, Martin, Clutterbuck
The Islanders held their end-of-season press availability today after being eliminated in the first round in five games at the hands of the Hurricanes. Most notably, general manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed that he and Patrick Roy will be back in their respective roles with the team for 2024-25 (via NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner).
However, Lamoriello said (via Rosner) that no decision has been made other than retaining Roy on next year’s coaching staff. That leaves Benoit Desrosiers’s future, who was appointed by the Isles midseason after Roy was hired to replace the fired Lane Lambert and had worked with Roy on the bench for the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts for the past few years, up in the air. It’s also now unclear if assistants Doug Houda and John MacLean, as well as goaltending coach Piero Greco, will return to the club for 2024-25.
There will be immense pressure on the 81-year-old Lamoriello this offseason to add talent to a solid-structured existing core. The Isles are dangerously approaching permanent mediocrity territory, making the postseason in back-to-back seasons but never coming close to winning a round since their third-round appearance in 2021. He’s been at the helm of the Islanders since 2018, during which time the team has only missed the playoffs once (2022).
Other notable tidbits from the Isles today:
- After undergoing season-ending surgery in late March, defenseman Scott Mayfield expects to be ready to go for training camp in the fall, he said today (via The Athletic’s Arthur Staple). The 31-year-old revealed he played through a broken ankle that he sustained in the season opener for most of the year, finally getting shut down and placed on LTIR with around six weeks left in the campaign. Playing in 41 games this season, he was limited to five assists and a -7 rating while averaging 18:46 per game, his lowest usage in five years. After inking him to a seven-year, $24.5MM extension last summer, the Islanders are hoping theirs and Mayfield’s decision to put off surgery doesn’t inhibit his skating ability long-term.
- Pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Robert Bortuzzo would like to stay on Long Island this summer but doesn’t yet have an indication of where extension talks will go, he said today (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). Lamoriello acquired the veteran shutdown blue liner from the Blues in early December for a 2024 seventh-round pick. After finishing the regular season with no points and a -2 rating in 23 games while averaging 14:19 per night, the 35-year-old isn’t in a position to earn a raise on his previous $950K AAV.
- The Isles have a pair of much longer-tenured pending UFAs in fourth-line fixtures Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. There had been existing speculation that the aging grinders would consider retirement, but they each said today that won’t be the case (Twitter/X links). Martin’s spent 13 of his 15 NHL seasons in an Islanders uniform, totaling 73 goals and 155 points in 823 games. The 34-year-old played only 9:19 per game this season, his lowest average as an Islander, and registered four goals and eight points in 57 games. Clutterbuck, 36, has appeared in 718 games with the team since 2013 but played in all 82 games this season for the first time, posting seven goals and 19 points while averaging 11:53 per game.
Jets Notes: Bowness, Monahan, Dillon, Barron
The Jets’ second-best regular season in franchise history came to an unceremonious end in the postseason, losing in five games to the Avalanche in the first round. That’s led some to wonder if head coach Rick Bowness will be back for his third season with the team next season.
Speaking to reporters today, Bowness confirmed he has a club option for next season on his contract (via The Athletic’s Murat Ates). Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t yet decided whether or not to exercise it, and Bowness said today that he still needs to talk with his family and Jets management about his future.
The 69-year-old was away from the Jets twice this season – once in October after his wife was hospitalized and once near the end of the season after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure. Associate coach Scott Arniel assumed interim head coaching duties on both occasions.
Under Bowness, the Jets have a 98-57-9 record over the past two seasons and have made the playoffs in consecutive campaigns after missing out in 2022. If he doesn’t return to the club for next season, Winnipeg would become the seventh team with an active vacancy at head coach.
Elsewhere from Winnipeg with their season wrapped up:
- Pending unrestricted free agent center Sean Monahan is open to re-signing, he said today (via the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck). He told reporters that he “is looking for a place that wants to win,” and his last few months in a Jets uniform evidently satisfied that requirement. Winnipeg picked up the 29-year-old pivot from the Canadiens in early February, parting with their 2024 first-round pick. He gelled well in Manitoba, posting 13 goals and 24 points with a +9 rating in 34 games while locking down the second-line center spot behind Mark Scheifele. Between the Habs and Jets this year, his 59 points in 83 games were his most since his career-best 82-point season with the Flames in 2018-19.
- Another pending Jets UFA interested in sticking around is defenseman Brenden Dillon, who told reporters today he was frustrated with the lack of extension talks in-season (via Billeck). Dillon, 33, signed a four-year, $15.6MM extension with the Capitals in 2020 but was traded to Winnipeg for a pair of draft picks after one season. He’s been a consistently above-average shutdown defender in that time, accumulating 63 points with a +38 rating and 235 PIMs in 238 games with the Jets. He averaged 18:44 per game this season, fourth among Jets defenders behind Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk.
- Depth forward Morgan Barron‘s previously undisclosed injury, which kept him out of the Avs series, was related to his knee, Bowness said today (via Billeck). He wouldn’t have played had the series extended to seven games. The 25-year-old sustained the knee injury in the team’s penultimate game of the regular season against the Kraken. It was otherwise a strong second season for Barron in Winnipeg, providing solid depth scoring in a fourth-line role with 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games, along with a +10 rating and team-average possession metrics. He has one season left on his contract at a $1.35MM cap hit and will be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1.
Bruins/Maple Leafs Notes: Matthews, McMann, Toronto Black Aces, Heinen
Unlike Game 5, we won’t have to wait until warmups of tonight’s Game 6 to know whether star Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews will be available. He’s already been ruled out of the lineup as Toronto aims to push the series back to Boston for a Game 7, head coach Sheldon Keefe said this morning (via The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby).
Matthews hasn’t played since the second period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss, missing Game 5 with what multiple reports indicate is a combination of an illness and an undisclosed injury. The Leafs responded well to keep their season alive without him on Tuesday, outshooting Boston 33-28 en route to an overtime win off the stick of rookie Matthew Knies.
After scoring a franchise-record 69 goals in the regular season, Matthews was held without a point in three of his four appearances in the series thus far. He did have a dominant performance in Game 2, though, factoring in on every goal Toronto scored in a 3-2 win.
His line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi has been the most high-event trio Toronto has iced, leading them in both expected goals for (4.68) and expected goals against (4.83) per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck. Domi shifted to center between Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner for Game 5, controlling 65.7% of shot attempts and factoring in on defenseman Jake McCabe‘s game-opening goal. That trio projects to stay together tonight.
Other updates ahead of Game 6, tonight at 7 p.m. CT:
- Leafs depth forward Bobby McMann is “progressing” in his recovery from a lower-body injury that’s kept him from making his playoff debut, but Keefe said today he isn’t close to returning and shouldn’t be expected back tonight or for a potential Game 7. McMann, 27, had 15 goals and 24 points with a +13 rating in a career-high 56 appearances in the regular season but hasn’t been a full participant in practice since sustaining the injury on April 10 against the Red Wings.
- Toronto’s AHL club was eliminated by the Belleville Senators in a best-of-three First Round series in the Calder Cup Playoffs earlier this week. With Marlies players’ seasons done, the Leafs added nine players to their playoff roster, per CapFriendly. Forwards Nicholas Abruzzese, Kyle Clifford, Dylan Gambrell and Alex Steeves; defensemen Mikko Kokkonen, Maxime Lajoie, Topi Niemelä and Marshall Rifai; and goaltender Dennis Hildeby are now available to dress for Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Leafs if needed.
- Switching over to the Bruins’ side, forward Danton Heinen will not be in the lineup for Game 6 due to an undisclosed injury, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports. He’s listed as day-to-day, and while he hasn’t missed any game action yet in the series, he’s missed some practices over the last few days. Now in his second stint in Boston, the 28-year-old has been riding shotgun on the first line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrňák for most of the series but has been moved down the lineup after managing a lone assist and a -1 rating in five games. Rookie John Beecher is expected to re-enter the Boston lineup in a fourth-line role alongside Jesper Boqvist and Pat Maroon after being scratched in Game 5.
Bruins Notes: Carlo, Peeke, DiPietro
Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo will play in tomorrow’s Game 6 against the Maple Leafs after sustaining an undisclosed injury in yesterday’s Game 5 overtime loss, head coach Jim Montgomery said today (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman).
Carlo’s last shift ended with 1:55 remaining in the third period. He did not come out with the team for overtime, which ended after Toronto winger Matthew Knies scored 2:26 into the extra frame to keep his team alive in the series, now trailing Boston 3-2. Carlo also did not participate in today’s optional practice, The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan reports.
The 27-year-old shutdown defenseman has had a good series, scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1 and averaging 21:35 per game. He’s managed a +2 rating and 44.5 CF% at even strength despite almost 90% of his zone starts coming in defensive usage. He and partner Hampus Lindholm have logged 64 minutes together in the series, the most of any pairing on either team and have controlled 55% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
Other updates from the Bruins as they gear up for their second chance to close out the Maple Leafs:
- Defenseman Andrew Peeke is still multiple weeks away from returning to the lineup, Montgomery said (via Ryan). The deadline acquisition from the Blue Jackets sustained a broken finger in the second period of Boston’s Game 2 loss last week and did not travel to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. If the Bruins advance, he hasn’t been ruled out entirely for a second-round date with the Panthers, but today’s quote indicates he wouldn’t be ready for the beginning of the series. The right-shot blueliner began the postseason in a bottom-pairing role with Kevin Shattenkirk, who did a good job at controlling scoring chances when Montgomery deployed them together in the final weeks of the regular season. Peeke, 26, had two assists and a +1 rating in 15 regular-season games with Boston after the trade.
- The Bruins recalled goaltender Michael DiPietro from AHL Providence to serve as their designated emergency backup before Game 5 yesterday, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. 25-year-old Brandon Bussi had held the EBUG role for the first four games of the series, but he was returned to Providence over the weekend to start in their Atlantic Division Semifinal series against Hartford in the Calder Cup Playoffs. DiPietro, 24, has a .771 SV% in three NHL appearances with the Canucks spanning from 2019 to 2022. He’s spent the last two seasons in the Bruins organization after they acquired him via trade in October 2022, locking down a full-time AHL role this season with a 2.51 GAA, .918 SV%, four shutouts, and an 18-9-2 record in 30 appearances.
Capitals Notes: Oshie, Backstrom, Extensions, Bear
Veteran forward T.J. Oshie told the media on Tuesday that he’ll need reassurance that injuries won’t be an issue before he decides on if he’ll play next season, shares Monumental Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir in a video of the press scrum (Twitter link). Oshie has one season remaining on the eight-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2017. He was limited to just 56 games this season, bearing with a nagging back issue that ended his season a few weeks early last year. Oshie also shared that he broke his left hand on a hit from New York Ranger Matt Rempe in Game 3 and played through the injury in Game 4.
Back injuries late in a career always deserve extra care, as most veterans can attest to. So it makes sense that the 37-year-old Oshie could hesitate to push himself much more. He’s done it all throughout his 16-year NHL career, winning the 2018 Stanley Cup and representing America at one Olympic Games and three World Championships or World Cups. He polished off his résumé by reaching the 1,000-game mark this season, a feat he was eager to achieve. Oshie seems open to working his way back to full health, though Caps fans will have to hope he’s able to overcome his long battle with his back injury.
Other notes out of D.C.:
- Oshie’s fellow assistant captain Nicklas Backstrom is also facing injury questions next season, with general manager Brian MacLellan saying he expects Backstrom to remain on LTIR, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Backstrom attempted to come back from back from hip resurfacing surgery this past season, but only managed eight games before his hip issues flared back up. The hip injury has forced Backstrom out of 152 games over the last three seasons, including ending his 2022-23 season in January. The Capitals will continue to receive $9.2MM in LTIR relief with Backstrom remaining sidelined.
- MacLellan also shared that the team has engaged forwards Beck Malenstyn and Connor McMichael in extension conversations, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Both McMichael and Malenstyn carved out daily roles this season, playing in 80 and 81 games and scoring 33 and 21 points respectively. While they rotated around the lineup, especially in response to Washington’s injury bug, both players found a home on the team’s third line. They’re each set to become restricted free agents on July 1st, coming off deals that paid them just above the league minimum. They’re not likely to cost too much more on new deals, though the Capitals will still have to be careful with the money they hand out, with just $6.685MM in projected cap space this summer.
- Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has exited the NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program, per Silber (Twitter link). Bear entered the program in late March, missing out on Washington’s last 11 regular-season games. After recovering from shoulder surgery, Bear signed a two-year contract with Washington in late December. He’ll look to vindicate that deal and its $2.0625MM price tag with a strong return next season.