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Sharks’ Shakir Mukhamadullin Out For Season, Quentin Musty Assigned To AHL

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4:00 PM: In additional news from the Meier trade return, star Sharks prospect Musty has been assigned to the AHL per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He will join the Barracuda for their final few games of the season and potential postseason run. Musty scored a dazzling 30 goals and 59 points in 33 games with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves this season. His year staggered a bit due to a hand injury suffered in November that forced Musty out of roughly two months of action. But he returned with intent – scoring five points in his first game back from injury and scoring 42 points in 25 games since the start of 2025. Musty is a power-forward with a great drive down the boards and a powerful shot. He’ll slot in as a high-upside addition to the Sharks’ depths for the rest of the season.

3:00 PM: The San Jose Sharks received bad news from their depth on Monday, when the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda announced that defense prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin will miss the rest of the season with an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. This will include any potential run in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, which the Barracuda seem comfortably headed towards.

Mukhamadullin’s second full season in North American pros will come to an end with quiet results. He recorded nine points in each of the NHL and AHL, reaching the mark in 30 games with the Sharks and 21 with the Barracuda. His NHL scoring included the first two goals of Mukhamadullin’s career, after he managed just one assist in the first three games of his NHL career last season. He scored a much more stout 34 points in 55 AHL games last year. That performance lined up far closer to Mukhamadullin’s break-in to the AHL in 2022-23, when he scored 10 points in 12 games after joining the Barracuda following the end of the KHL season.

Mukhamadullin was an accomplished and young Russian pro in his years before San Jose. His six-foot-four frame lent itself to pro opportunity early on, and earned Mukhamadullin his KHL rookie season at the age of 18. He recorded just one assist in 27 games with Ufa that season – enough to convince the New Jersey Devils to draft him 20th overall in the ensuing NHL Draft, but still an indication of room to grow. Mukhamadullin took the steps towards that growth in his second KHL season, growing to 10 points in 39 games. He staggered back to seven points in 34 games in year three, but followed it with a career-high 25 points in 67 games of the 2022-23 KHL season. Partway through that season, New Jersey traded Mukhamadullin to the Sharks as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Timo Meier to the Devils. Winger Fabian Zetterlund and the first-round pick to select Quentin Musty joined Mukhamadullin in the move out West.

Much of the Sharks’ defensive future seemed staked on Mukhamadullin last season. But other top prospects have joined the pro flanks this season, and hot-scorer Luca Cagnoni has seemingly taken over the title of top defense prospect. That takes some heavy weight off of Mukhamadullin’s back as he looks to recover from a difficult shoulder injury. He’s a smooth-moving puck-handler who’s shown prowess at getting the puck across both blue lines and creating chances. Next season will need to bring a wave of good health and returned scoring should Mukhamadullin was to hold his standing in the Sharks organization.

Western Notes: Benn, Wood, George

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The Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn was back in the lineup in today’s 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild after missing two consecutive games with a minor injury. Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reported Benn’s availability. Benn slotted back into a third-line role alongside Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov. The Stars’ captain ended his game with 21 shifts, 15:49 of ice time, and a minus-one rating. On the season, Benn has recorded 16 goals, 29 assists, 45 points, and a plus-six rating. He has spent all 16 years of his career in Dallas and only trails Mike Modano in games played for the franchise. He’s also second in franchise history in goals and points, third in assists, and tied for third with seven hat tricks. And as they ready for the postseason, the Stars will look to lean on Benn’s playoff experience. He has suited up in 102 career playoff contests, registering 27 goals, 50 assists, 77 points and a plus-12 rating. Just last season, Benn showed the type of playoff competitor he is, recording 15 points in 19 contests. His return to the lineup, albeit after a short absence, is a welcomed sight for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. With Benn’s return, veteran Colin Blackwell was made a healthy scratch.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • The Los Angeles Kings assigned 2024 second-round selection goalie Carter George to the AHL, per a team announcement. George, 18, recorded a 17-22-6 record to go along with a .909 save percentage in 47 contests for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. Carter also shined this year in the Under-20 World Junior Championships for Team Canada. Despite his 2-2 record, Carter recorded a .936 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average for the tournament. The teenager will now look to make an impact for the AHL’s Ontario Reign. George signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Kings in 2024.
  • After signing a three-year, entry-level deal just eight days ago, Predators forward Matthew Wood will be playing in his first NHL game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, per the team. The 20-year-old was the 15th overall selection back in 2023 and is coming off of a strong season at the University of Minnesota, where he scored 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games. The 6’4, 205-pound winger also recorded two goals and two assists for Team Canada during last season’s World Junior Championship.

Oilers Notes: Carfagna, Clattenburg, Rodrigue

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Sunday has been a busy day for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL ranks. It was kicked off when the Bakersfield Condors announced that they’ve signed college free agent Damien Carfagna to an amateur try-out for the remainder of the season. Carfagna will turn pro after wrapping up his junior year of school at The Ohio State University. He was first draft eligible in 2021, during his time with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.

Carfagna was a high-impact defender in juniors on the back of strong play on both blue lines. He began his final year in the USHL – the 2021-22 campaign – with a strong 37 points in 40 games with the Green Bay Gamblers, then joined the eventual championship-winning Sioux City Musketeers via trade and contributed an additional 13 points in 31 games. Carfagna moved to the University of New Hampshire in the following year, and managed a stout 16 points in 35 games as a freshman. He moved to Ohio State for his sophomore season, and saw a dip to just six points in 34 games in his first year as a Buckeye. But Carfagna straightened that out this season, finishing the year with 28 points, six penalty minutes, and a plus-16 in 38 games.

He’ll now look to maintain his strong footing into the pro ranks. Carfagna is likely to serve as a depth option, rotating in-and-out of the lineup, through Bakersfield’s final seven games of the season.

Other notes out of Edmonton:

  • Joining Carfagna on the Bakersfield blue-line will be Connor Clattenburg, who the Oilers have reassigned to the AHL after the end of his OHL season. Clattenburg has spent the last two seasons with the Flint Firebirds and totaled 35 points, 108 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 46 games this season. His OHL career – which was split between tenures with the Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds – ends with 74 points in 162 career games. Edmonton drafted Clattenburg in the fifth-round of the 2024 NHL Draft – drawn in by the hard-hitting style of the six-foot-two, 205-pound centerman. Clattenburg will also serve a depth role through Bakersfield’s remaining season.
  • Longtime Bakersfield goaltender Olivier Rodrigue is expected to receive his first career NHL start on Monday night per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Rodrigue made his NHL debut in relief of Calvin Pickard on March 27th, after the latter allowed five goals on 29 shots. Rodrigue went on to allow one more goal on eight shots. Pickard has allowed 13 goals and platooned starter Stuart Skinner has allowed 15 in their last five games respectively. With that precedent, and a playoff spot all but guaranteed, Edmonton will look for a spark with their AHL starter. Rodrigue has set a 18-15-7 record and .899 save percentage in 40 AHL games this season. He posted a .916 in 37 games, and a .912 in 29 games, in the last two seasons respectively.

Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette Away From Team For Family Matters

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Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette missed the team’s Saturday practice due to family matters, and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Assistant coach Todd Richards ran Saturday’s practice in Brunette’s absence and will be in line to man the bench should Brunette need to miss another day.

Richards has been in an assistant coach role for the last nine seasons, splitting time between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators. Before that, he served as the head of the Columbus Blue Jackets for parts of five seasons – starting his tenure as a midseason replacement for Scott Arniel in 2012. Richards led Columbus to three winning seasons, though they missed the playoffs in all but one year – and lost in the first round in the other year – of his reign. He was replaced by infamous Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella in 2016. Richards also served two seasons as the Minnesota Wild head coach from 2009 to 2011; and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a loss in the Calder Cup Championship Final in 2008. His career head coaching record at the NHL level sits at 204-183-37, or a win percentage of 0.481.

A new voice at the helm could be aptly timed for the Predators. They’re in the midst of a five-game losing streak and have a dismal 8-13-1 record since the Four Nations Face-Off Break – seventh-worst in the NHL. Brunette led the Predators to a first-round exit in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but will miss the postseason by a large step this year. His .408 win percentage on the year is the second-lowest in Predators history, behind their 28-47-7 campaign in 1998-99.

Blues Recall Dalibor Dvorsky

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled top center prospect Dalibor Dvorsky from the minor leagues. Dvorsky was reassigned to the AHL on Wednesday, but will now return to the Blues roster after news that top-line winger Dylan Holloway is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Dvorsky made his NHL debut on his last recall. He didn’t manage any scoring in what was a productive 4-1 over the Nashville Predators, but Dvorsky looked effective enough in a bottom-line role. He returned to the minors for two games and one point this weekend, bringing his year long totals in the AHL up to 20 goals and 44 points in 59 games. That scoring ranks Dvorsky fourth on the Springfield Thunderbirds and eighth among all AHL rookies in total points. He’s carried his strong scoring into international play this season as well – netting five goals and nine points in nine games of the 2025 World Junior Championship, while captaining Team Slovakia. Everywhere he’s gone, Dvorsky has earned top scoring totals on the back of his confidence on the puck and poise on the forecheck. His strengths look like they’ll clearly translate to the top flight once he gets comfortable, and this recall could be a golden chance to find that footing before the season ends.

It seems clear that Dvorsky is headed right back into St. Louis’ lineup with this move. The Blues managed a closely-fought 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, extending their win streak to a franchise-record 12 straight games. But nobody in St. Louis’ bottom-six managed any scoring through the record-setting win, and names like Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa seemed near invisible. St. Louis is now confidently in hold of a Western Conference Wild Card, and adding Dvorsky to the lineup over a quiet fourth-line veteran could go far in giving them another spark plug. With the season dwindling down, the Blues will have to find some way to make up for Holloway’s electric 63 points in 77 games this season, and 14 points in his last 10 games. High-offense rookies like Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud, who recorded his first NHL point on Saturday, may be the key to keeping the offense afloat.

Evening Notes: Mrazek, Soderblom, Holloway, Stastney

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The Detroit Red Wings received split injury updates early on Thursday. Head coach Todd McLellan shared that goaltender Petr Mrazek will continue to sit out with a head injury, but that winger Elmer Soderblom could return from his undisclosed injury on Friday, per Max Bultman of The Athletic. Both players have missed Detroit’s last four games.

The Red Wings have maintained a duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon while Mrazek’s been absent – the same tandem they ran before acquiring Mrazek at the Trade Deadline. Talbot has returned to the starting role after briefly missing time in March – and quickly found a hot streak. He’s posted a .922 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in four games since returning – though the low numbers have only led to a 1-2-1 record. His performances have lifted up Alex Lyon’s struggles as of late, with a 1-4-0 record and .843 save percentage in his last five games. Detroit will hope that pair continues to balance each other out as they continue to chase the Eastern Conference Wild Card.

Meanwhile, Soderblom will return looking to find his spark again after netting two goals in his last three games before injury. The pair doubled Soderblom’s year-long totals up to that point, pushing him to four goals and 10 points in 23 games this season. The six-foot-eight winger is playing through his rookie season in the NHL, though he did appear in 21 games and score eight points last season. He’ll step back into a role in Detroit’s bottom-six when he’s good to go.

Other notes from around the league:

  • St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway exited their Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before the second period with a lower-body injury. He appeared to sustain the injury on a check from Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty early in the first period. Holloway has been a major proponent of St. Louis’ 10-game winning streak. He’s scored 15 points across the streak, and was riding an 11-game scoring streak of his own before the early exit. That scoring brought Holloway up to 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games this season. Any missed games as a result of this injury would be his first as a Blue.
  • Across the Central Division, the Nashville Predators were without defenseman Spencer Stastney for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury. He was slated to serve as the team’s seventh dressed defenseman in the matchup, but in his absence, the Predators decided to instead promote rookie forward Ozzy Wiesblatt to the rotation. Stastney has tallied three points, all assists, in 22 games this season and filled a minimal role in Nashville’s lineup as of late.

Injury Notes: Tkachuk, Guenther, Thrun, Penguins

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The Ottawa Senators will be without team captain Brady Tkachuk for a second straight game on Thursday night per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Senators head coach Travis Green told Garrioch that there was no update on Tkachuk’s injury after his first missed game. The top-line forward continues to carry a day-to-day injury designation after sustaining an upper-body injury in the overtime period of Ottawa’s Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ottawa suffered a tough 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres without Tkachuk on Tuesday. Fabian Zetterlund held onto a top-line role, and David Perron into a second-line role, in Tkachuk’s absence. Perron has managed four goals and five points over his last 10 games, while Zetterlund has recorded just one assist – hardly enough to make up for Tkachuk’s 11 points in 15 games since the start of march. The Senators’ captain is up to 29 goals and 55 points in 71 games on the season. Tkachuk is on pace for 64 points on the season – which would be the lowest he’s scored since breaking out with 67 points in the 2021-22 campaign. But even in a down year, the Senators will need to find a way to make up for Tkachuk’s net-front presence in his absence. They currently have a firm grip of the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Utah Hockey Club forward Dylan Guenther is going to stick in the lineup despite breaking his nose in Tuesday night’s loss to the Florida Panthers, shares Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. Guenther took a puck to the face but opted to play through Tuesday’s game, telling Fraser after that his nose is a far away from his legs after the game. He added earlier today that he had to get nine stitches and that his breathing is at about 70 percent, but neither fact will hold him out of the lineup on Thursday. Guenther has three points in his last five games, and a dazzling 26 goals and 52 points in 63 games this season. He stands as Utah’s leading goal scorer – at the young age of 21 – and should continue to contribute to Utah’s playoff race. Utah currently sits nine points out of the Western Conference’s second Wild Card, with one game in hand.
  • San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun has confirmed that he’ll be returning to the lineup on Thursday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Thrun has been out of the lineup since February 27th with an upper-body injury, save for making a spot start on March 8th where he reaggravated his injury. Thrun was finding his NHL legs in the games leading up to his injury, and even played in a career-high 24 minutes of action in San Jose’s February 24th loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He’s recorded 10 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a minus-16 in 52 games this season. Those marks fall just narrowly shy of his 11 points, 16 penalty minutes, and a minus-22 in 51 games last season. Thrun is expected to return to San Jose’s third pair alongside veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Thursday.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins embarked on a three-game road trip on Thursday. They brought with them star Evgeni Malkin, who hasn’t played since March 23rd, while leaving behind Thomas Novak and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, per Penguins play-by-play voice Josh Getzoff. The pair of depth skaters will be forced to miss the next few games with undisclosed injuries. In the meantime, Malkin will look to make his return on Pittsburgh’s final multi-game road trip of the season. He’s continued to be a force in the Penguins lineup, with 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games this season. That’s the lowest scoring pace of Malkin’s career, though he still ranks fifth on the team in total scoring. Of the missing duo, only Joseph has managed a point – netting one assist in 24 games -while Novak has no scoring in two games with Pittsburgh. With two holes to fill, Pittsburgh is expected to enter Joona Koppanen and Ryan Shea back into the lineup.

Panthers Recall Jaycob Megna, Reassign Tobias Bjornfot

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The Florida Panthers have swapped depth defensemen on the roster, assigning Tobias Bjornfot to the minor league and recalling Jaycob Megna per the AHL Transactions Log. Bjornfot will return to the minors after appearing in Florida’s last six games. He manageed no scoring, two penalty minutes, and a minus-five in the appearances.

Bjornfot is now up to no scoring and a minus-three through 14 NHL appearances this season. He’s had a bit better footing in the minor leagues, where he’s potted 16 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 43 games. Bjornfot has developed into more-and-more of a stay-at-home defenseman as his professional career progresses, though his lack of offense at the top flight has made him hard to routinely trust.

With a three-game road trip on the horizon, Florida will opt to instead reward Megna with the first call-up of his season. He’s matched Bjornfot’s AHL scoring, with 16 points in 64 games of his own. Megna adds to that 23 penalty minutes and a strong plus-26, which ranks second on the Charlotte Checkers. The six-foot-six defender appeared in 44 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season – recording two assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-15. He’s totaled 27 points in 185 career games in the NHL, and 114 points in 434 games in the AHL. Megna could be in store to step immediately into the NHL roster on this recall, headed for the third-line left-defender role that Bjornfot previously occupied.

Predators Prospect Gunnarwolfe Fontaine Signs ATO With Iowa Wild

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It appears the Nashville Predators will elect not to sign 2020 seventh-round draft pick Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, who has instead signed an amateur try-out with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The Predators were set to lose Fontaine’s rights at the end of this season if they didn’t sign him to his entry-level contract. They’ll expedite the process here, allowing Fontaine to turn pro in the AHL after completing his graduate season at The Ohio State University.

Fontaine was drafted after his second season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He scored 26 goals and 57 points in 45 USHL games that season, apt support to a Steel roster that also contained Brendan Brisson, Sam Colangelo, Mackie Samoskevich, and Matthew Coronato. Fontaine followed his draft selection by moving to Northeastern University for the 2020-21 campaign. He scored a stout six goals and 15 points in 21 games of his freshman season, and grew to 25 points in 39 games in his sophomore year.

But Fontaine seemed to plateau a bit after the 2021-22 season. His scoring dipped as high-tier teammates like Cameron Lund and Justin Hryckowian began challenging his ice time. Fontaine managed 30 points in 35 games as a junior and fell to 27 points in 36 games in 2023-24. He failed to find his groove as Northeastern’s leading playdriver – sparking a search for bigger minutes at OSU in his graduate year. Fontaine did grow to 40 points in 40 games in the Big Ten – marking his first point-per-game season since his draft-year campaign in the USHL. He’ll look to bring that momentum to the AHL, with hopes that strong play can push him back into the attention of NHL clubs.

Flames Sign Aydar Suniev To Three-Year Contract

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The Calgary Flames have made official the reports that 2023 third-round draft pick Aydar Suniev signed a three-year, entry-level contract per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Suniev will turn pro after completing his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts. News of his signing comes just minutes after news that Suniev’s teammate Cole O’Hara has signed his entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators.

Suniev scored 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games this season. It was a strong continuation of his collegiate scoring after he potted 12 goals and 35 points in 36 games last season. Suniev ranked second on the UMass Minutemen in scoring this season, only behind O’Hara’s 51 points. While Suniev posted modest scoring last year, his climb up the leaderboards this year has been impressive – coming on the back of growing confidence on the puck. He’s seemed to take a hardy stride forward in his ability to work the puck into the middle of the ice, effectively rounding out his ability as a puck-hog on the perimeter.

Suniev was a part of a strong Flames draft class in 2023. With this deal, he could become the second member of that class to make their NHL debut, with Steinberg adding that Suniev’s deal should mirror that of former collegiate star and current Flame Matthew Coronato. Coronato played in one NHL game at the end of the 2022-23 season, after wrapping up his sophomore year at Harvard University.

Calgary has eight games remaining in their 2024-25 campaign, and currently sit four games back from the second Western Conference Wild Card with one game in hand. That’s treacherous ground to award an undersized winger his NHL debut, though Calgary could use Suniev’s strong puckhandling and speedy motor as a spark plug as they attempt one final push for the postseason. If they want to stay careful, the Flames could also assign Suniev to the minor leagues, and avoid burning the first year of his contract on an abbreviated stint in the 2024-25 NHL season.

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