Golden Knights Fire Bruce Cassidy, Name John Tortorella Head Coach
A massive storyline has emerged this afternoon as the Vegas Golden Knights have fired Bruce Cassidy and named John Tortorella their new head coach in an announcement from the team.
Currently third in the Pacific Division with more than an 80% chance to make the playoffs per Moneypuck, Vegas’ decision to part ways with the franchise’s most accomplished coach, in late March no less, comes as a shock. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the group will now be led by Tortorella, who last coached with the Flyers until being fired 367 days ago.
In a statement from General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, he said “With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club”.
On Tortorella, he continued, “His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face”.
Sitting 19th in the league, it’s fair to say that Cassidy’s efforts came short this season. With 232 goals scored, 19th best across the league, they sit at -2 in overall goal differential. It’s a step below a team which had some hype as a Stanley Cup favorite in the fall.
The 60-year-old emphasizes an aggressive zone entry system with layered defense. Often tailoring his strategy to fit the skills of his players, roster construction has played a part in the Golden Knights’ performance this year.
The summer addition of Mitch Marner was a no-brainer, but it made the team even more top heavy. Depth scoring has been hard to come by, as Vegas has had to rely on various unacclaimed wingers in their bottom six. McCrimmon added depth forwards Nic Dowd and Cole Smith at the deadline, improving penalty killing, but hardly moving the needle offensively.
On the back-end, Vegas made a splash as they acquired Rasmus Andersson from Calgary in January. His underlying numbers have improved, but the 29-year-old’s adjustment to the Golden Knights after nine years as a Flame is still a work in progress. Alex Pietrangelo has been sorely missed, with his career in jeopardy from chronic hip issues.
Finally, goaltending has been another issue for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill, locked up for six more years, is having his worst season as a pro, with injuries a factor. Akira Schmid has held things down respectably, but he’s not a name any real contender would be associated with as their #1 option.
All that to say, Vegas management still believes the roster has more to offer than where they stand today, and they’re making a tremendously bold move in turning to Tortorella. Cassidy immediately becomes the top coach available entering the off-season, with a .630 win percentage including four 50+ win seasons between his time in Boston and Vegas, and of course, a Stanley Cup to boot.
Tortorella, a Stanley Cup winning coach himself (2004, Tampa Bay), is a veteran of 1,620 games behind the bench. He’s also a two-time Jack Adams winner, bringing in the award for the NHL’s best coach in 2004 and 2017. Last in charge in Philadelphia from 2022-25, he was unable to steer the Flyers into the postseason, and did not win more than 38 games in a season. The Massachusetts native had been filling in as an analyst with ESPN, also serving as an assistant on the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Games.
His more “old school” approach with relentless work ethic and defensive responsibility brought success to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the late 2010s, able to get the most out of lesser skilled teams. The Jackets’ incredible sweep of the President’s Trophy winning Lightning in 2019 stands as the organization’s most proud moment. A franchise never able to find their footing beforehand, the Jackets turned the corner during Tortorella’s term.
How Tortorella may fit into a team like the Golden Knights will be fascinating to watch, especially with the season nearing its end. Never shy to criticize his players, his relationship with Marner, Jack Eichel, and the rest of the Vegas stars will captivate the league.
As far as mid-season coaching changes can go, Tortorella is always an intriguing candidate for his ability to change the culture. Some may be critical of his most recent Flyers tenure and its lack of on-ice success, but Philadelphia management sought out “Torts” to guide the team into a re-tooling period where they’d implement the “Flyers way”. It ended last March unceremoniously, but given their step forward this year, his imprints helped shape the team into what it is today.
With all of that in mind, his latest gig presents a challenge unlike any of the others. It’s hardly a “mid-season” shift. Tortorella inherits a skilled team right on the cusp of the playoffs, in a move that will be scrutinized for years to come.
If any club were to make such a ruthless and unexpected change, it would be the Golden Knights based on their history. They are on to their fourth head coach in nine seasons in existence; such change is despite missing the playoffs just once in that time.
Gerard Gallant led the expansion team to an unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, returning to the playoffs the next year, yet found himself out of a job the following January. Peter DeBoer then took over, leading the Knights to a dominant 2020-21 season where they tied for most points in the NHL before coming up short in the Conference Finals. After a respectable 2021-22 where they did miss the playoffs, he was subsequently dismissed, as Cassidy took the helm.
Much like his previous tenure in Boston which brought a Jack Adams in 2020, Cassidy had immediate success, leading Vegas to their best regular season in franchise history in 2022-23 by point total (111). He capped it off by raising the Stanley Cup, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. The Golden Knights’ sometimes questionable moves had paid off; they’d reached the pinnacle in just their sixth year as a franchise.
Since then, they’ve won just one playoff round, as the success has been harder to come by. Still, the Golden Knights are right in the playoff mix. The additions of Eichel and Marner have the team set up for years to come, as they etch a new post- “misfits” era.
Now they’re starting over behind the bench yet again, as the trio of Gallant, DeBoer, and Cassidy all ended their tenure with win percentages over .600. In comes Tortorella, 67, whose .479 win percentage in his Flyers tenure came in at the worst compared to his previous jobs (Lightning, Rangers, Canucks, Blue Jackets).
With April just days away, Tortorella will have to hit the ground running, set to make his Vegas coaching debut tomorrow night at home against his former club in Vancouver.
Image Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports (Tortorella)
Image Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports (Cassidy)
Flyers Sign Porter Martone
12:00 PM: Martone’s signing has been made official, the Flyers announced. The entry-level deal carries the standard three years of term, and he will join the big club immediately.
The 19-year-old joins the group with high stakes still in play, as the Flyers are battling for an unexpected playoff berth. Despite their standing, things might be moving along quickly. Martone could debut as soon as Thursday against Detroit, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, but time will tell in the coming days.
9:00 AM: The Philadelphia Flyers are close to signing top prospect Porter Martone to an entry-level contract, reports Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The signing should happen at some point later today, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated the Flyers’ signing of Martone “could move very quickly.”
The news comes just one day after Martone’s NCAA season ended with Michigan State’s stunning loss to Wisconsin in the regional playoff finals held in Worcester, Mass. The Spartans held a 3-1 lead with just five minutes remaining in the contest, but the Badgers scored two goals in under a minute to tie the game before taking it in overtime.
The loss appears to have ended Martone’s NCAA career after just one season. The Canadian forward joined Michigan State after a three-year OHL career that saw him develop into not only one of the league’s best players, but also one of the game’s top prospects. Martone was recently ranked No. 27 on Elite Prospects’ ranking of NHL-affiliated players under the age of 23. He scored 25 goals and 50 points in his lone season of college hockey.
Martone’s unique blend of size and dynamic offensive talent have made him a highly anticipated prospect, and with today’s expected signing, he will enter the pro ranks during a crucial state of the Flyers’ season. They remain in the playoff hunt in an extremely competitive Eastern Conference, sitting at 84 points through 72 games played.
A 7-2-1 stretch in their last 10 games has given Philadelphia a slim chance to make the playoffs, as they’ll be just one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot, with the same number of games played, if they can manage to defeat the Dallas Stars later today.
Given how important the next few games are for the Flyers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Martone begin his pro career in the AHL, similar to how the Boston Bruins have handled fellow top prospect James Hagens. Hagens was taken one spot behind Martone at last year’s draft, and signed an ATO to allow him to begin his pro career at the AHL level.
With that said, it’s also possible the Flyers will simply sign Martone to his entry-level deal and plug him directly into their NHL lineup. There is an argument to be made that Martone is a little bit more NHL-ready than Hagens, but it ultimately comes down to what the Flyers and Martone believe is the best step for his development.
Stars Activate Mikko Rantanen Off Injured Reserve
The Stars will welcome back one of their top players as they kick off a back-to-back set this afternoon in Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) they have have activated winger Mikko Rantanen off injured reserve.
Rantanen was one of several impactful NHL players to be injured at the Olympics last month. He sustained a lower-body injury in the semi-final game against Canada and hasn’t played since then. Considering the long break for the Olympics, Rantanen last suited up for Dallas back on February 4th.
At that time, Rantanen led the team in assists and points. He’s still the team leader in assists with 49 although he now sits third on the team in points with 69 through 53 games. He’s now 16 behind Jason Robertson and nine behind Wyatt Johnston, both of whom have played in all 72 appearances this season.
Rantanen’s absence was never originally expected to keep him out this long. At the time he landed on IR last month, he had previously been listed as doubtful for their first game back after the break and questionable after that. Instead, he wound up missing 15 games.
At this point, it’s highly unlikely that Dallas will be able to chase down Colorado for the Central Division lead; they enter play today with a nine-point deficit in that regard. With that in mind, their focus will likely just be trying to lock down home ice advantage for their eventual first-round matchup against Minnesota.
With that in mind and Dallas playing in a back-to-back set, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if Rantanen played today but was given tomorrow off for precautionary reasons over throwing him into two games in barely 24 hours. At any rate, getting a top-line winger back should be a big lift for the Stars heading into the stretch run.
Peter Chiarelli, Kevin Maxwell Departing Blues Front Office
Blues vice president of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli and pro scout Kevin Maxwell will not return to the club next season, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Chiarelli’s departure comes as he’s progressed in the interview process to fill the Predators’ pending general manager vacancy, while Maxwell will be joining the Rangers in a yet-to-be-disclosed management role, Dreger adds.
It may not be the only front office turnover St. Louis will see in the coming weeks. This is Doug Armstrong’s last season in the GM role. The team announced way back in 2024 that following the end of the 2025-26 campaign, Armstrong would elevate to president of hockey operations, while Alexander Steen, who played 765 games as a Blue and has been a special assistant to Armstrong over the past two years, would step into the GM’s chair.
It’s not a complete overhaul – Armstrong will still hold a fairly powerful role – but one that will nonetheless lead to a bit of a shakeup. Chiarelli, 61, had been part of the Blues’ front office for the past seven years. He first joined Armstrong as a senior advisor following their Stanley Cup win in 2019 and was promoted to his current VP role two years later.
As one of the league’s more experienced executives, it’s no surprise the Predators have reached out to him about succeeding Barry Trotz. It would be Chiarelli’s third go-around as a GM, first heading up the Bruins from 2006-15 (and winning a Stanley Cup in the process) before managing the Oilers from 2015-19.
The Predators have cast a wide net in their search, opening themselves up to experience-heavy candidates like Chiarelli while also considering up-and-comers. They’ve previously been linked to former Habs GM and current Sabres AGM Marc Bergevin as well as Panthers AGM Brett Peterson. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported today that they’ve also interviewed Oilers AGM Bill Scott.
Meanwhile, Maxwell has been with the Blues since 2022. In addition to his scouting duties, he’s also served as the GM for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, a role normally reserved for an AGM. St. Louis will need to find a replacement there.
The 65-year-old Maxwell has been in scouting roles as far back as the late 1980’s with the Flyers, and has also logged stints with the Whalers, Islanders, and Stars. He then joined the Rangers, where he’s set to return now, as a pro scout in 2008 and was promoted to their director of pro scouting in 2011. He held that role until his departure from the organization to join the Blues in 2022.
That the Blues are willing to part ways with Maxwell is unsurprising. Springfield is on track to miss the playoffs for the second time in four seasons under Maxwell – a hard feat in a league where 23 of 32 teams qualify. The year before he took over, Springfield had advanced all the way to the Calder Cup Final.
Sidney Crosby Leaves Game With Apparent Lower-Body Injury
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left Thursday’s game against the Senators early in the second period and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per a team announcement.
Crosby went down the tunnel and didn’t return after taking the opening shift of the period. He previously left the bench late in the first period, favoring his left leg following a seemingly innocuous collision with Ottawa forward Nick Cousins (video via Gino Hard on X).
If there’s a saving grace, that’s not the same knee Crosby sustained a Grade 2 MCL sprain in last month when he fell awkwardly on a hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas while representing Canada at the Olympics. That cost the three-time Stanley Cup champion 11 games coming out of the Olympic break, returning to the lineup just over a week ago.
In Crosby’s first four games back in the lineup, he was immediately back to being his old self offensively. He had at least one point in each outing, totaling a goal and four assists with an uncharacteristic -4 rating. He had a +1 rating and one shot on goal in 6:39 of ice time tonight before bowing out of the contest.
Pittsburgh’s injury situation, particularly among its forwards, has been tenuous of late. Evgeni Malkin is dealing with an upper-body injury and is missing his second consecutive game tonight. Anthony Mantha missed Wednesday’s practice with a lower-body injury but was healthy enough to dress tonight. Blake Lizotte is likely done for the regular season with an upper-body issue, but should be an option for the first round of the playoffs.
That’s if the Penguins can weather the storm – both from inside and out – and hold onto a playoff berth. The Blue Jackets’ recent surge has unseated the Pens from the second-place spot they’ve held in the Metropolitan Division for most of the season. They’re still a relatively safe bet to make it at 74.2%, but have next to no cushion. At the time of writing, they’ve been leapfrogged by the Islanders, who defeated the Stars in regulation tonight, for third in the division and have slipped to the second wild-card slot.
Blues’ Robert Thomas Out Day-To-Day
After a few days to assess the injury, top St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will indeed be forced to miss games with a day-to-day, upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s win over the Washington Capitals per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Thomas was injured on a body-slam from Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois in the third period. Dubois was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, while Thomas was removed from the game by concussion spotters. He cleared concussion protocol, per head coach Jim Montgomery, but has still missed St. Louis’ last two practices with a minor injury.
Injury ended a quiet night for Thomas on Tuesday. He has otherwise been red-hot as of late, with five goals and 13 points in 11 games since the start of March. Thomas has averaged 20 minutes of ice time and a 25.0 shooting percentage over that span. His performance has helped St. Louis drive to a 8-1-2 record in March. It is also an encouraging turnaround after Thomas’ name was mentioned in many rumors around the Trade Deadline. The 26 year old has assumed even more responsibility following the trade of Brayden Schenn.
Thomas missed the entire month of February, and 13 games in total, with an injury sustained on January 10th. In his absence, St. Louis leaned heavily on Pavel Buchnevich and Schenn to fill holes at the center position. Buchnevich scored five goals and 12 points in his move to the center role, though he only managed a 40.4 faceoff percentage. Jordan Kyrou led the team in scoring during Thomas’ previous injury, with 15 points. It will be those two veterans who have to step up once again with Thomas out. Buchnevich will likely shift back to center, while Pius Suter and Otto Stenberg continue to split reps filling Schenn’s third-line role.
St. Louis faces a shifting lineup as they approach mathchups with teams in similar spots. Both the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs have also struggled through points this season, which could support the Blues’ attempt to keep their hot streak rolling without their top center. They will need to lean on their proven scorers, and emerging goaltender Joel Hofer, to lift up the lineup until Thomas can return to his starring role.
Senators’ Thomas Chabot Undergoes Surgery, Out Six To Eight Weeks
Bad injury luck has struck at the worst time for the Ottawa Senators. Top defenseman Thomas Chabot will have to miss six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to address a broken arm, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Chabot suffered the injury on a cross-check from New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller in the first period of Monday’s game. A two-month timeline will likely keep Chabot out until at least the Eastern Conference final, if the Senators make it that far.
The Senators are also facing injuries to defensemen Lassi Thomson (day-to-day) and Dennis Gilbert (two to three weeks), per Garrioch. Thomson made his season debut in Monday’s game against New York but only played four minutes. Gilbert served a bottom-pair role through five games in mid-March but hasn’t played since Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators will have a slight silver lining. Defenseman Jake Sanderson has returned to skating at practice and will join the Senators on their upcoming two-game road trip to Florida, per Garrioch. Sanderson has been out of the lineup since March 7th, missing nine games since. He routinely plays upwards of 24 or 25 minutes a night when fully healthy, a role that could increase as Ottawa looks to make up for Chabot’s absence. Sanderson leads the Senators’ blue line in scoring with 11 goals and 48 points in 62 games. It has been a career-year for the 23-year-old, who won an Olympic Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in addition to scoring at the highest pace of his NHL career.
But even with Sanderson progressing towards a return, the Senators will be losing major firepower with Chabot on the shelf. The alternate captain was a focal point of the lineup after Sanderson was injured, even playing 31 minutes of ice time in Ottawa’s regulation win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Chabot has nine points in his last 12 games, dating back to the last day of February. His hot streak has brought him to 31 points in 55 games this season, a scoring pace well on par with Chabot’s trend of 45-point seasons.
Chabot faced injury at multiple points this season, including missing 13 games between November and December. He has found his way back to consistent performance in the new year, netting 10 points in 16 January games, followed by nine points in 16 games since the start of February. It was a difficult season, capped off by a long-term injury at the worst time, but the year will support Chabot’s hold over a starring role on the Senators’ blue line leading into next season. He could also spur the bad luck with a quick recovery and a return to Ottawa’s playoff run, if the team can stay alive until he’s back.
Ottawa rotated its defense pairings with both of its star blue-liners out of Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Artem Zub and Jordan Spence filled the main play-driving roles, each receiving roughly 11 minutes of even-strength ice time in the process. The openings also made room for top defense prospect Carter Yakemchuk to make his NHL debut. He scored two points, a goal and an assist, in the effort. Yakemchuk could become a focal point of the Senators’ blue line until Sanderson is back to full health. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in per-game scoring this season with 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Yakemchuk is well-known for his all-out style, focused on throwing big hits and driving the puck 200 feet.
Red Wings Extend Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year, $3.2MM ($1.6MM AAV) contract extension. The contract will run through the 2027-28 NHL season, and Bernard-Docker will become an unrestricted free agent upon expiry.
Bernard-Docker, 25, is in his first year with Detroit after signing a one-year, $875K contract last summer. The former first-round pick began last season with the Ottawa Senators and finished the campaign with the Buffalo Sabres after being included in the Dylan Cozens, Joshua Norris swap at the trade deadline. Buffalo opted not to tender him a qualifying offer last offseason, making him free to sign with any team.
Although he doesn’t provide much offense from the blue line, he’s had an otherwise solid debut with the Red Wings. Through 55 games this season, Bernard-Docker has tallied four assists with a +5 rating, averaging a flat 15 minutes per game.
Most of his value is made up on the defensive side of the puck. Not only is Bernard-Docker averaging the highest on-ice SV% at even strength (95.0%) of his career, but he is averaging the highest on the team by a significant margin — a team that has flirted with postseason positioning for much of the season.
Still, the Red Wings don’t typically utilize Bernard-Docker on the special teams as they usually opt for a veteran-heavy rotation, particularly on the penalty kill. At even strength, he is almost exclusively partnered with Albert Johansson, and the two have combined for a 51.0% xGoals% throughout the year, according to MoneyPuck.
The biggest question mark with this extension is how Bernard-Docker will be utilized next season and beyond. Detroit brought in Justin Faulk at the deadline, and with Moritz Seider and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it leaves little room on the right side of the defensive corps. The Travis Hamonic experiment, if you want to call it that, is assuredly over after this season. If nothing else changes, Bernard-Docker may have to move to his off-hand, or Detroit will have to do some shifting around of some kind.
At any rate, Bernard-Docker’s new deal locks up every Red Wings defenseman for next season outside of Hamonic and Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson, who is scheduled to become a restricted free agent, isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, giving Detroit a lot of flexibility with his next deal.
Devils Expect To Sign Anton Silayev
The Devils are expected to sign 2024 10th overall pick Anton Silayev to his entry-level contract this offseason, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
Silayev, 20 next month, is in the final weeks of his contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Torpedo is up 1-0 in their first-round playoff series against Severstal Cherepovets, but unlike with prospects in most other leagues, the timing of when Silayev’s postseason schedule ends is irrelevant to his ability to sign an entry-level contract this season.
KHL contracts run through May 31, and due to the lack of a transfer agreement with the NHL, it’s rare for Russian clubs to release players to sign with an NHL team before the legal expiry of their deals. With the Devils out of the playoff picture, they won’t be able to sign him until well after their season is over, but the hope is to get him to North America in time for their development camp following the draft, Pagnotta reports.
The monster 6’7″, 207-lb lefty was drafted with the hope he could be New Jersey’s top shutdown threat long-term. Getting him under wraps two years after his draft is better than the usual case for Russian prospects, so that’s a definite positive to take away from today’s news.
Silayev was viewed by some as a risky bet to take that high in the draft due to his evident lack of offensive upside, but he still grades out as the organization’s top prospect according to Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and their #2 according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. Still, this season was tough for him.
He’s continued to demonstrate defensive development, but his already limited offensive utility was almost nonexistent this year, recording just three points in 61 regular-season games for Torpedo after hitting low double-digit totals each of the prior two seasons. His ice time was lessened as a result.
With that in mind, expecting him to emerge with a roster spot in the fall is hasty. A likely outcome is that Silayev anchors a top-four job with AHL Utica, with the expectation that a strong start will lead to a quick call-up. Players with similar archetypes over the last few seasons have adjusted well to minor-league duties but don’t routinely make the immediate jump to a full-time NHL role.
There were similar concerns in Dmitriy Simashev‘s game when the Coyotes, now Mammoth, selected him sixth overall in 2023, but he’s produced nearly a point per game upon his arrival in the AHL this season after a similar lack of offensive success in Russia. He has just one assist and a -9 rating in 25 NHL outings this year, though, so Utah has opted to keep him stashed in the minors amid their push for the franchise’s first playoff berth.
Blackhawks Recall Anton Frondell
March 24: The Blackhawks announced Tuesday morning that they’ve officially recalled Frondell from Djurgardens. He has joined the team on their road trip ahead of tonight’s game against the Islanders, and he will be available to play. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters earlier this week (including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Frondell would “play right away” once he arrives, so there’s a good chance he’s in the lineup tonight.
March 21: Chicago’s already young roster is about to get even younger for the stretch run. Top prospect Anton Frondell’s playoff run in the SHL came to an end today, paving the way for him to officially make his debut in North America. To that end, Scott Powers of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the Blackhawks are expected to recall the youngster and he could make his NHL debut as soon as next week.
The 18-year-old was the third overall pick last June and the second forward to come off the board. Frondell spent most of his draft year in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan level, helping his club team Djurgardens earn a promotion to the SHL for this season. He fared quite well, tallying 11 goals and 14 assists in 29 regular season games while adding seven points in 16 playoff contests.
Although Frondell is a natural center, he spent the bulk of this season playing on the wing with Djurgardens. It allowed his scoring side to come out as he potted 20 goals (with eight assists) in 43 games, good for a tie for seventh league-wide in tallies. He also played a big role for Sweden at the World Juniors, chipping in with eight points in seven games en route to a gold medal. Now, he’s ready to take that next step and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him deployed on the wing in Chicago to allow him to ease in.
While Sacha Boisvert’s debut is presently on hold while he waits to receive his work visa, that won’t be the case for Frondell. The team clarified that Frondell already went through the visa process when he signed his entry-level deal over the summer. Accordingly, he’ll be eligible to play as soon as he joins the team.
But even with that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago manage Frondell’s minutes somewhat. While it rarely comes up at this time of the season, the Blackhawks would officially burn the first season of his contract if he plays in ten or more games. A Sunday debut seems highly unlikely but if he joins the team on their upcoming road trip, there will be a dozen games left in the season. It doesn’t seem worth burning a year to get him three extra games so the Blackhawks will likely limit Frondell’s game action to nine appearances or less to ensure he’ll still have three years left on his contract heading into next season. But even with that, Frondell will have some runway to get his feet wet at the top level before making a push for a full-time opportunity in 2026-27.