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Blue Jackets Sign Three Assistant Coaches To Contract Extensions

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When Dean Evason was hired as head coach last season, he received a multi-year contract, but his assistants all entered the year on expiring deals.  While this would have provided an opportunity to shake up his staff and bring in some of his former assistants, that won’t be the case.  Instead, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that goalie coach Niklas Backstrom and assistant coaches Jared Boll and Steve McCarthy have all received contract extensions; terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Backstrom will return for his sixth season with Columbus but has held a variety of roles during that time, including being a European development coach, a scout, and a goalie coach which he has been the last two seasons.  Backstrom played in parts of 10 NHL seasons over his playing career, compiling a 2.49 GAA with a .914 SV%; all but four of his 413 appearances at the top level came with Minnesota.

Boll, meanwhile, spent five years as a development coach in Columbus before moving behind the bench as an assistant for the 2023-24 campaign for his first taste of coaching at the NHL level.  He spent the bulk of his playing days with the Blue Jackets as well, suiting up in 518 games for them over parts of nine seasons where he was most known for his physicality on their fourth line.

As for McCarthy, he has the most coaching experience outside of Evason behind the Columbus bench.  He spent five seasons as an assistant with AHL Cleveland before being promoted to run the defense back in the 2021-22 season.  As a player, he played in parts of eight NHL seasons, suiting up in a little over 300 games with Chicago, Atlanta, and Vancouver.

Kraken Fire Dan Bylsma

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It was a tough year for the Kraken this season as they were among the worst teams in the Western Conference.  As a result, they have made a coaching change as the team announced that they have dismissed head coach Dan Bylsma after just one year with them.  No replacement will be named right away and a full coaching search will take place.

This decision means that Seattle will have three head coaches in as many years.  Last spring, Dave Hakstol was let go after serving as the bench boss for the first three seasons in franchise history.  Two of those resulted in missed playoff appearances but in between those was an impressive 2022-23 season that saw them record 100 points and make it to the second round of the postseason before losing in seven games to Dallas.

After seeing their point total drop by 19 last season, now-former GM Ron Francis opted to make a change, promoting Bylsma who had been serving as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley, a team that made the championship final in each of his first two seasons behind the bench.  The hope was that he’d be able to turn things around and get them back into playoff contention.

However, that didn’t happen.  While they went from being one of the worst offensive teams in the league the year before to one that finished in the middle of the pack this season, the Kraken also saw their defensive play and goaltending take steps back, offsetting the offensive improvement.  In the end, they actually had five fewer points than in 2023-24 while finishing seventh in the Pacific Division and clearly, Francis has decided to shake things up again.

This was Bylsma’s third stint running an NHL bench but his first in quite a while.  He spent six years behind the bench with Pittsburgh, winning a Stanley Cup in his first one back in 2009.  But after the Penguins failed to make it past the second round in four of the next five years, he was let go in 2014.  However, it didn’t take long for him to land another chance as the Sabres hired him in 2015.  That tenure was much shorter, however, as he was fired after just two seasons with them after a pair of sub-.500 seasons.  Now, this latest opportunity was even shorter, lasting just one year and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll get a fourth shot at running an NHL team or if his ceiling moving forward might be best suited as an assistant coach, a role he has held previously with the Red Wings and Islanders.

Francis was particularly active in free agency last summer, handing out two of the biggest contracts to defenseman Brandon Montour (seven years, $50MM) and center Chandler Stephenson (seven years, $43.75MM).  With more than $21MM in cap space to work with this summer, per PuckPedia, and only a pair of impact RFAs to try to re-sign (Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans), new GM Jason Botterill will be well-positioned to be a big shopper in free agency.  But before then, they’ll be shopping around for a new bench boss.  Seattle joins the Ducks and Rangers as teams who have recently let go of their head coaches and will be conducting a full search for a replacement while other teams will evaluate the interim coaches they finished the season with against other options available.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that Bylsma was being let go.

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Kings Recall Pheonix Copley

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The Kings have recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario to serve as their league-mandated emergency backup during the postseason, the team announced.

Normally, teams recall depth names from the ECHL or other relative unknowns in the system to fill the role if their AHL affiliate is in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That’s not the case here. Copley, 33, appeared in 42 of Ontario’s 72 regular-season games and was their unquestioned starter with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, 24-17-1 record, and two shutouts. Backup Erik Portillo, who made his NHL debut this season, managed 15 wins but only a .889 SV% in 24 outings.

Nonetheless, it appears Copley won’t be available to Ontario as they begin their first-round series against the San Jose Barracuda. That’s a huge declaration of faith by the organization, not only in Portillo but in 18-year-old Carter George, who’s finishing the season with the Reign after his Owen Sound Attack was eliminated in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. The 2024 second-round pick is widely regarded as a top-five prospect in the organization and has allowed just one goal on 61 shots to begin his professional career, posting a 0.50 GAA and .984 SV% across two games with Ontario over the last week. With Copley out, the door is open for him to play professional playoff hockey, a rare feat for a teenage netminder.

As for Copley, it’s nice to see the veteran get back on track after ACL surgery in December 2023 upended his career. He only made one NHL appearance in relief this year, allowing two goals on 12 shots against the Maple Leafs early in the year, but he was L.A.’s No. 2 option as recently as two years ago when he went 24-6-3 with a .903 SV% and 2.64 GAA in 37 games in the 2022-23 season. An infrequent backup option throughout his lengthy professional career, he’s likely ticketed for AHL action as long as he’s still in the game.

Avalanche Activate Gabriel Landeskog From Long-Term Injured Reserve

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April 21: Contrary to what Bednar said, the official announcement has come. Landeskog has been activated from long-term injured reserve and is expected to make his return to NHL ice in tonight’s Game 2 of their first-round series against Dallas after sitting out Game 1, the team announced.

April 18: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is available to step onto NHL ice for the first time in nearly three years during their first-round series against the Stars, head coach Jared Bednar said today (via Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports). There’s unlikely to be an official announcement before they activate him from long-term injured reserve, Bednar said, but he’s an option for Game 1 tomorrow night.

Landeskog rejoined the NHL squad for practice earlier this week following a two-game conditioning stint in the AHL, his first game action since June 2022. He posted a goal and assist in the first minor-league action of his 12-year pro career stateside. Playing on back-to-back nights was an especially noteworthy accomplishment for Landeskog, whose multiple right knee surgeries have kept him sidelined since Colorado’s Stanley Cup win in 2022.

Whether he’s in the Game 1 lineup remains to be seen. Landeskog skated with the Avs’ projected scratches at practice for the second session in a row, so it’s not looking overly likely, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports relays. Aside from Landeskog, Bednar told reporters today that defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Josh Manson will be available and will slot in on the third and second pairings, respectively. Manson will need to come off long-term injured reserve before tomorrow night.

Their availability gives the Avalanche a fully healthy complement of players for the first time this season. Considering Landeskog’s injury, it’ll be the first time the Avs can say that since Game 3 of their second-round series against the Blues in 2022. Samuel Girard sustained a broken sternum in that game and did not play for the remainder of the postseason.

It’s impossible to put expectations on Landeskog’s on-ice impact after such a long absence, but it’s worth pointing out he remained one of Colorado’s best players in their Cup win despite not playing on a fully healthy knee. He finished fourth on the team in playoff scoring with 11-11–22 in 20 games and co-led the club with a +15 rating. He’s nearly at a point per game over his postseason career, which spans 67 games across six trips.

Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports.

Blackhawks Assign Marek Vanacker To AHL

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The Blackhawks have assigned 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker to AHL Rockford, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720. The 19-year-old left-winger will get to make his professional debut in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Chicago traded up to select Vanacker last offseason, sending a pair of second-round picks to the Hurricanes to acquire the No. 27 overall pick. Unfortunately, the Ontario native is coming off a difficult post-draft season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. His point production dipped back below the point per game mark (24-18–42 in 45 GP) after he managed well over the threshold in 2023-24. He led the Bulldogs in scoring by a wide margin last year with 36-46–82 in 68 games, but missed time due to injuries this year and ended up finishing in sixth. He did end the season on a high note with 11 points in 11 postseason games, though.

With Brantford’s season ending in a Game 6 loss to the Oshawa Generals in the second round of the playoffs, he’s now free to join Rockford. Vanacker just turned 19 earlier this month, though, so he won’t be eligible for a full-time assignment to the IceHogs next season. It’s either Chicago or Brantford again for him in 2025-26 with the latter seeming far more likely given his regression this season.

Vanacker was the last of three first-round selections Chicago made last year and ranked as the No. 7 prospect in their system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings. He is the top left-winger in the Blackhawks’ system. With no NHL games for him this season and none expected next year, his entry-level deal will presumably slide to the 2026-27 campaign before taking effect. He still earned $97.5K in signing bonuses from the Hawks this year and will do so again next season, though.

Canucks Won’t Exercise Club Option On Rick Tocchet

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The Canucks will not exercise their club option to keep head coach Rick Tocchet on his current contract for 2025-26, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told reporters today (including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). Vancouver continues to work on a new deal to keep Tocchet behind their bench, Rutherford said, and the organization remains hopeful he’ll stay. They expect a decision on Tocchet’s future later this week, Friedman relays.

Tocchet is the only coach in the NHL on an expiring contract this offseason, and even then the Canucks could have opted to keep him in Vancouver under the terms of his current deal. Thomas Drance of The Athletic indicated last month the Canucks were operating under the assumption Tocchet would continue as their head coach next year and would exercise their option if extension talks weren’t progressing. While that didn’t end up being the case, they continue to indicate a willingness to retain Tocchet and make him the highest-paid coach in franchise history. Whether he accepts the offer or opts to explore some of the other vacancies around the league remains to be seen.

The 61-year-old just completed his second full season and third overall as Vancouver’s head coach. Last season, he won the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year after guiding them to their first playoff appearance since 2020 and first division title since 2013. When he took over midway through the 2022-23 campaign, he was the Canucks’ third coach in two years. The club fired Travis Green and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau during the 2021-22 season, only to fire Boudreau for Tocchet one year later.

At present, there are five openings for Tocchet to explore. The Ducks and Rangers’ positions are completely vacant after firing Greg Cronin and Peter Laviolette over the weekend, while three teams, the Blackhawks, Bruins, and Flyers, ended the season with interim head coaches. There’s a clear speculative fit in Philadelphia, where Tocchet spent the bulk of his 18-year playing career, but interim coach Brad Shaw remains a legitimate contender for a full-time role after ending the year with a 5-3-1 record.

In nine years as a coach with the Lightning, Coyotes, and Canucks, Tocchet has a 286-265-87 (.516) record in 638 regular-season games. He’s only made the postseason twice (Arizona, 2020; Vancouver, 2024) and has an 11-11 (.500) record there. Since Tocchet took over in Vancouver on Jan. 22, 2023, the Canucks’ .608 points percentage ranks 11th in the league.

Rangers Notes: Kreider, Schneider, Edstrom

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Rangers winger Chris Kreider ended the season dealing with a hand injury that may require offseason surgery, he told reporters during today’s end-of-season media availability (via Peter Baugh of The Athletic). That’s on top of the known back troubles that bothered him earlier this season. Kreider also said an illness he developed shortly after the holiday break led him to develop vertigo temporarily.

Kreider said he sustained the hand injury in the first game following the 4 Nations break, so that ties into his six-game absence and injured reserve stint leading into the trade deadline. All of those ailments give some context to what was a disastrous season for Kreider, who was limited to 22 goals and 30 points in 68 games after topping the 30-goal and 50-point marks in each of the previous three seasons. That drop-off led to his name landing on the trade block for much of the campaign, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said last week he expects the Rangers to continue shopping him over the offseason.

Surgery to address his ailments could prove beneficial to his trade value with interested teams hoping his injuries were the principal reason for his steep offensive regression. He can block a trade to 15 teams and has two years left on a deal carrying a $6.5MM cap hit. He did still manage to score at a 27-goal pace this year while shooting slightly south of his career average, so if there are enough teams high on the 33-year-old’s rebound potential, there may not be a need for Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury to retain a portion of his salary. Kreider did end his season on a high note with a goal, three assists, and a plus-four rating in his final two outings.

On the back end, Braden Schneider has already undergone surgery to repair the torn labrum that caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season (via Baugh). Schneider said he’s been playing through the partial tear for the last two seasons but felt it impeded his physicality in 2024-25, influencing him to go under the knife. Those procedures can carry fairly lengthy recovery times, so his decision to undergo surgery as soon as the Blueshirts were eliminated from playoff contention could be the difference in determining whether he’s available when training camp begins in September.

Schneider, 23, scored a career-high 6-15–21 this year and played all 80 games up until undergoing surgery. He tied his career-high plus-nine rating and saw the most minutes of his career at 17:52 per game, seeing increased deployment after the Rangers traded ex-captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks in early December. Now the team’s de facto No. 3 defenseman behind Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller, he’ll garner a considerable raise on his current $2.2MM AAV after he becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

Depth winger Adam Edstrom said he underwent surgery to address his lower-body injury and should be fully healthy in time for training camp this fall (via Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today). The Rangers announced in early February that Edstrom would miss 10 to 14 weeks with a lower-body injury, and Edstrom reaffirmed today he would have been an option at some point in the postseason had New York qualified. The 6’6″ 24-year-old ended his rookie season with 5-4–9, a minus-five rating, and 27 PIMs in 51 appearances while averaging 9:16 per game.

Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo, Fedor Svechkov

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The Predators reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and center Fedor Svechkov to AHL Milwaukee on Monday, according to a team release. The pair will aid the Admirals in their Calder Cup quest after logging significant NHL ice time in 2024-25.

Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He split the season rather evenly between Nashville and Milwaukee and spent three distinct stints on the NHL roster, including from Feb. 27 onward to the end of the year aside from a brief demotion to the Admirals on March 7 to make him eligible to suit up for them in the postseason. It’s his first season requiring waivers after signing a two-way deal last September ($775K NHL/$125K AHL) following a lengthy stint on the restricted free agent market. Nashville won’t have the opportunity to retain his signing rights via a qualifying offer this summer because he’s eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old.

Whether Del Gaizo stays with the Predators next season remains to be seen. It’s looking unlikely after they extended Andreas Englund last week, meaning Del Gaizo is the only Nashville defenseman who ended the season on IR or the active roster who’s not signed for 2025-26. The 2019 fourth-round pick made a career-high 46 appearances for the Preds this year, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points and a minus-three rating while averaging 16:45 per game. Down in the minors, the 5’11” lefty posted 8-4–12 and a +10 rating in 30 regular-season games.

As for Svechkov, the Preds hope he’ll remain in Nashville for years to come. The 2021 No. 19 overall pick somewhat unexpectedly saw significant NHL usage this year after a strong start to the campaign in Milwaukee, posting 12 points in 13 games while spending the vast majority of the season up with the Predators. The 6’0″, 187-lb pivot played third-line minutes, scoring 8-9–17 while averaging 12:53 per game across 52 appearances. He needs some work in the faceoff dot, winning just 36.7% of his 335 draws, and had underwhelming possession impacts for his offensively sheltered usage at even strength (50.0 CF%, 47.0 xGF%). There’s no guarantee he’s on Nashville’s opening night roster in the fall, but a strong playoff run with Milwaukee could boost his chances.

Examining Summer Buyout Candidates

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The NHL salary cap is increasing dramatically this summer, but that won’t stop teams from looking to cut inflated cap hits from their salary ledgers. The buyout remains an option that NHL teams will regularly use to move out a player who has underperformed relative to their NHL salary. Teams often swap struggling players in a change-of-scenery trade, but they will use the buyout as a last resort if they can’t find a market. Let’s examine this summer’s buyout candidates, beginning with the forwards.

Andre Burakovsky cashed in on a Stanley Cup-winning year in Colorado, signing a five-year, $27.5MM deal with the Seattle Kraken in free agency, including a modified 10-team no-trade list. Since signing the agreement in July 2022, Burakovsky’s performance has declined, particularly last season, when he had just seven goals and nine assists in 49 games. The 30-year-old has bounced back this year, but still fell below the 40-point margin for the third consecutive season. He should be a trade or buyout candidate given his injury history and declining performance.

A modified no-trade clause will limit a small trade market and might force Seattle to relinquish an asset to move Burakovsky or take back another undesirable contract. A buyout would be spread over four seasons and save Seattle $5.83MM over the next two seasons total, but leave them with a $1.458MM cap hit the two seasons after (as per PuckPedia). Given the bounceback this season, it seems likely that Seattle either hangs on to Burakovsky or tries to trade him rather than eating the cost of a four-season buyout.

Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers is another forward who could be moved this summer. While a trade is likelier, it’s not an impossibility that the veteran winger could be bought out. The 33-year-old’s play has fallen off a cliff this season as he hasn’t been able to generate the same level of shot production as in previous seasons. Kreider averaged 42 goals between 2021 and 2024, but couldn’t top 25 goals this season and finished with just eight assists.

Kreider carries a 15-team no-trade clause and has two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $6.5MM, which will be prohibitive regarding potential trade talks. With the trade market cut in half, the Rangers might have to eat some of the remainder on Kreider’s deal. Still, given that general manager Chris Drury has gotten out from under more undesirable contracts (Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba), he may find a creative way to shed Kreider’s contract without a buyout.

Under normal circumstances, Detroit center Andrew Copp would be a buyout candidate, but given that the 30-year-old will be out well into the summer after pectoral surgery, it won’t happen. Copp posted just 10 goals and 13 assists in 56 games this season, but barring a trade, he will return to Detroit next season if he is healthy enough to play by the opening of training camp.

Shifting back to defense, Ryan Graves is a prime candidate to be bought out; however, a significant caveat exists regarding moving on from the 29-year-old. The structure of Graves’ contract makes a buyout nearly impossible (as per PuckPedia) because any buyout would only move on from Graves’ salary and not include the $8MM in signing bonuses that Graves is due in each of the last four years of his contract. If Pittsburgh wants to buy Graves out, he will remain on the books for eight more years and save them just $2.58MM total over those eight years. A Graves buyout isn’t worth it for the Penguins, and the only significant cap savings would happen in the first year of the deal, the season in which the Penguins are the least likely to contend. The Penguins will have to keep Graves, trade him, or play him in the minors for the foreseeable future.

Marc-Édouard Vlasic is another veteran whose contract has become an albatross. Vlasic was once one of the top defensive defensemen in the NHL, but has fallen on hard times as he plays on a poor San Jose Sharks team. Vlasic has one year left on his contract with a $7MM cap hit and is owed $5.5MM in actual salary. He played just 24 games last year, and while he wasn’t unplayable, he’s not a good NHL defenseman anymore. Much of Vlasic’s decision will depend on what the Sharks hope to do next season; if they intend to add around their young core, they may buy out Vlasic to give themselves as much cap space as possible. If they opt to have one more year of rebuilding before adding to their lineup, they will likely burn the final year on the deal and let Vlasic walk as a UFA next summer.

A Vlasic buyout doesn’t do much to help the Sharks, saving them $2.333MM next season while adding a cap charge of $1.167MM the following year. The Sharks seem likely to keep Vlasic in San Jose for the final year and perhaps assign him to the AHL or use him as a seventh defenseman in the NHL.

Another notable defenseman who could be bought out is Jacob Trouba of the Anaheim Ducks. Trouba became a lightning rod for criticism in New York while he was a member of the Rangers, and many people didn’t think it was possible to move him and his entire $8MM cap hit. Anaheim stepped in, taking Trouba and his whole contract, and appeared excited to do so, as Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek was happy to have Trouba as a leader for a young Ducks team. Since Anaheim placed such a high value on Trouba’s intangibles, it seems unlikely that they will buy out the last year of his contract, even though he will be vastly overpaid for his play on the ice.

The top buyout candidate in net is Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken. Grubauer has been a shell of the version he was with the Colorado Avalanche and hasn’t come close to being an average NHL goalie during his time in Seattle. At the time of his signing four years ago, Grubauer had a career save percentage over .920 in seven NHL seasons, but since then, he hasn’t produced a single season over .899, and it has fallen to .875 this year. With two years remaining at $5.9MM per season, Grubauer would be incredibly difficult to trade, even in a goaltender’s market that favors the seller. His -14.6 Goals Saved Above Expected was the third worst in the NHL among all goaltenders, and his numbers in the AHL, while better, don’t indicate that he is ready to recapture his game.

Buying out the 33-year-old would save Seattle almost $4MM in cap space next year and nearly $3MM in the 2026-27 season. They would then face a charge of $1,683,333 in each of the following seasons after that (as per Puck Pedia).

The next goalie on our list is Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while he feels like the most obvious candidate for a buyout this summer, goalies are in short supply, and anything is possible. Jarry has been better as of late, and with no actual workhorse starters available in free agency, a team may take a flier on the two-time NHL All-Star. Teams watched Los Angeles goaltender Darcy Kuemper bounce back this season after struggling last year, and with Jarry being just 29 years old, he could do the same. Jarry has the skillset to be a starting NHL goaltender, but has struggled with mistakes and letting in bad goals at inopportune times. He has also typically struggled the deeper he gets into a season, which will scare off teams with playoff aspirations.

It’s hard to imagine Jarry back in Pittsburgh next season, but they are transitioning, and many of their prospects are still a year or two away from being NHL-ready. Someone has to play goal for the Penguins, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic believes it could be Jarry going into next season. It’s hard to get a sense of what Pittsburgh will do, but none of the potential outcomes will be shocking given how the situation has played out over the last few years with the Penguins’ starting goaltender.

Photo by Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Capitals Sign Bogdan Trineyev To Two-Way Extension

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The Capitals signed left-winger Bogdan Trineyev to a one-year, two-way extension on Sunday. He’ll earn the league minimum $775K salary if on the NHL roster next season and $100K when in the minors.

It’s Trineyev’s second contract with Washington. A fourth-round pick of the Caps in 2020, the 23-year-old has spent parts of the last four seasons with AHL Hershey after signing his entry-level contract in May 2022. He was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason with that deal expiring.

Trineyev was the first selection Washington made in that draft after selecting Hendrix Lapierre with the No. 22 overall pick. The 6’3″, 203-lb Russian was coming off a gold medal-winning performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and flashed his speedy power forward game at the junior level, eventually logging 31-52–83 in 113 MHL games across four seasons with Dynamo Moscow’s U20 club. While he remained mostly in the Russian juniors or minors (VHL) until signing his ELC with the Caps, Washington loaned him back to Russia for the first year of that deal in 2022-23. That gave him the opportunity to see extended professional minutes for the first time, posting 2-11–13 in 39 KHL games with Dynamo before the Capitals ended his loan and brought him over to Hershey.

After seeing a pair of regular-season and postseason games with Hershey over the prior two seasons, Trineyev skated full-time for the Bears in 2023-24. He was a capable bottom-six checking presence in the minors, recording 9-7–16 in 63 games with 18 PIMs and a +12 rating. He added four assists in 20 playoff games to help Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship. Here in 2024-25, Trineyev bettered his offensive output with a 14-8–22 scoring line in 62 games, adding 23 PIMs and a +13 rating, the latter of which ranked third on the team.

Trineyev is a deep cut in a high-end Capitals prospect pool that includes names like first-rounder Ryan Leonard and dynamic collegiate defenseman Cole Hutson near the top, but his promising two-way and physical play in a depth role in the minors suggests there could still be a fourth-line role for him on Washington’s NHL roster in a couple of years’ time. Extending him for 2025-26 gives Washington another chance to see how his offensive game grows in his third year playing in the pros in North America before considering him for his first NHL call-up.

The Caps now have 33 contracts signed for 2025-26, leaving them up to 17 slots to fill.

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