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Maple Leafs Recall Artur Akhtyamov

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The Maple Leafs added some goaltending depth before puck drop in Sunday’s series opener against Ottawa.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to serve as their third goaltender for the time being.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs back in 2020, going 106th overall.  He spent the next three seasons primarily playing at the VHL level (one tier below the KHL) with his 2022-23 performance being a stellar one that saw him post a 1.73 GAA and a .943 SV% in 39 regular season games with Neftyanik Almetievsk before improving on those in six postseason outings.

That was enough for Toronto to sign Akhtyamov to a three-year, entry-level deal back in July 2023 although they loaned him back overseas last season.  That allowed him to see some regular KHL action, getting in 17 games with Ak Bars Kazan along with 19 outings with Neftyanik before coming to North America this season.

This year, Akhtyamov played in 26 games for the Marlies, second among their goalies with the team largely running through three netminders this season.  In those outings, he posted a 2.81 GAA along with a .901 SV%.  The other two goaltenders – Dennis Hildeby and Matt Murray – will remain with the Marlies for their playoff run which gets underway on Thursday in Cleveland.

Avalanche Sign Zakhar Bardakov To Entry-Level Deal

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The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have signed forward Zakhar Bardakov to a one-year, entry-level deal, per a team release.

In 53 games this season for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, Bardakov posted 17 goals and 35 points. The 24-year-old set career highs in goals and assists this season (while nearly doubling his previous career high in points) and served as an alternate captain. He added two points in six KHL playoff contests. In 209 regular season games in the KHL, he scored 79 points. The Russian native also spent three seasons in the MHL, scoring 70 points in 104 games.

Bardakov plays center and utilizes his 6’2, 210-pound frame to fend off defenders. He was originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the seventh round in the 2021 draft, but acquired by the Avalanche in a trade with the Devils last season.

While the Avalanche continue with their Stanley Cup aspirations, the club’s prospect pool has quite a few promising forwards, including Maxmilian Curran, Cooper Gay, and Taylor Makar, younger brother of superstar Cale Makar. There is also forward Christian Humphreys, whose rights belong to Colorado although he remains unsigned. After 10 games at the University of Michigan this previous season, Humphreys joined the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, where he posted 33 points in 28 games.

For Bardakov, he appears to have the physical traits to break camp with the Avs to start next season, although he’ll likely start in the AHL as he acclimates to a North American style of play.

Mathew Barzal, Semyon Varlamov Expect To Be Ready For Training Camp

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New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov and forward Mat Barzal both expect to be ready for the start of next season, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

Varlamov has been out since November with an injury that required season-ending surgery. The 36-year-old appeared in only 10 games on the season, finishing with a 3-3-4 record and an undesirable .889 save percentage. Speaking to reporters, Varlamov noted the injury is something that he’s been dealing with for quite some time. He added that he is looking forward to returning to action next season.

If healthy, Varlamov should provide the Isles with a solid backup option behind star Ilya Sorokin. Marcus Högberg ended up appearing in 15 games this year, but didn’t make the most of his opportunity, finishing with a 2-6-3 record to pair with a .878 save percentage. Varlamov has two years remaining on his contract, paying a $2.75MM AAV. Despite a rough 2024-25 season, he’s just one year removed from providing New York with a .918 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average. If he can rediscover that type of play, the combination of him and Sorokin should help the club’s efforts to return to the playoffs.

Barzal, who suffered an injury to his knee back in early February, also expects to be 100 percent for next season. In fact, had the Isles made the playoffs, there’s a chance Barzal could have played. In 30 games on the year, he posted six goals and 20 points. The three-time All-Star is coming off of an 80-point season and has produced 190 points in the three seasons prior to this year. The 27-year-old still has six years remaining on his $9.125MM AAV deal.

Capitals Notes: Fehervary, Protas, Chychrun

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Martin Fehervary and Aliaksei Protas did not practice for the Capitals today, per NHL.com reporter Tom Gulitti. He adds that defender Jakob Chychrun did practice despite a puck deflecting into his face at practice yesterday.

Fehervary appeared in 81 games in the regular season but missed the final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an ankle injury. The 25-year-old defender scored 25 points on the year to go along with a plus-18 rating, 150 blocked shots and 139 hits. He also averaged 19 minutes of ice time per game, so his return will play a major factor in the team’s Stanley Cup aspirations. The same can be said for Protas, who burst on the season this year and produced 30 goals, 66 points, and an incredible plus-40 rating. He’s been out since April 4 with a foot injury.

Head coach Spencer Carbery was vague in discussing the potential return of Fehervary and Protas, recently stating: “I’m just going to leave it as we’ve got a bunch of guys working through some things, progressing, potentially playing on Monday, potentially not. Once we get going in the series, I can give you more updates as guys are obviously warming up and in the lineup or not.”

Chychrun has appeared to avoid any serious injury after being struck with a puck in practice yesterday. His return to practice today is obviously a great sign for the Capitals, especially considering the unknown return of Fehervary. Chychrun produced 20 goals and 47 points from the blueline on the season and serves as a key member of the team’s top power play unit.

Kings’ Tanner Jeannot Remains Out Week-To-Week

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While the Kings are relatively healthy heading into their first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, forward Tanner Jeannot remains out week-to-week, per Mayor’s Manors. It appeared Jeannot hurt his ankle on a no-contact injury while setting up to block a shot in March 25th’s win over the New York Rangers, and he’s been out of the lineup ever since. He has not begun skating and isn’t expected to play in the first round.

Jeannot scored seven goals and 13 points in 67 games on the season but served the Kings well as a physical presence on the fourth line, where the 6’2″, 220-pounder produced 211 hits. In 294 career games, Jeannot has delivered 1,083 hits, good for a 3.7 average per game. However, the 27-year-old has never been able to match the offensive production of his rookie year during the 2021-22 season, when he scored 24 goals and 41 points.

He also hasn’t been able to produce much offensively in 16 career playoff contests, where he’s produced just three assists and a minus-nine rating. However, he has showcased his physicality with 65 hits in those contests while averaging 13:04 of ice time. His return would provide the team’s bottom-six with a high-energy presence that can change the momentum of a game.

In his absence, rookie center Samuel Helenius and depth winger Jeff Malott have received more minutes. Helenius produced seven points in 50 regular season games but also doled out 150 hits in his rookie campaign. Malott produced well in the AHL this season, scoring 51 points in 61 games, but only secured one assist in 12 NHL games on the year.

Oilers To Activate John Klingberg, Evander Kane And Trent Frederic Close

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The Edmonton Oilers are expected to activate defenseman John Klingberg off of long-term injured reserve before Monday shares Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. Klingberg will be a Game 1 option for the Oilers as they prepare for a first round series against the Los Angeles Kings, after missing 20 of Edmonton’s last 21 games with a lower-body injury. Nugent-Bowman added that Evander Kane and Trent Frederic will also be close to full health in time for Game 1, though neither forward has been confirmed just yet.

Klingberg signed with the Oilers in late January. He took some time to get up to speed, but worked his way into the daily lineup through much of February. Head coach Kris Knoblauch rotated Klingberg through reps on all three defensive pairings. The 11-year-veteran averaged just over 17 minutes of ice time each game and found his way to four points, 13 blocked shots, and five hits. But Klingberg’s run at the Oilers’ lineup was short-lived, and he fell to injury after just 10 games. His departure came just ahead of the Trade Deadline, and could have been part of why Edmonton paid the lofty price of Carl Berglund and a first-round draft pick to acquire Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks. That’s proved the expert’s bet as the season’s second-half wrapped up, with Walman netting eight points in 15 games before the end of Edmonton’s season.

Klingberg attempted to return from his injury on March 27th – two weeks after he left the lineup. But he needed a longer recovery window, keeping the Oilers back from rostering a much-needed right-shot defenseman. Edmonton will get that benefit back just in time now – and at a perfect time too. The Oilers have already ruled out top-four defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the entire first round. Walman was also questionable for the start of the first round, though the defender told media on Friday that he feels ready to go. Walman will instantly assume a top-four role on Edmonton’s left-side, while the club decides between icing Klingberg – or one of Brett Kulak or Ty Emberson on their off-hand – to round out their right-side.

The Oilers could get more good news out of Frederic or Kane soon. The former was another Trade Deadline pickup, but has only managed one appearance with the Oilers since March. Frederic has been coping with an ankle injury, but made his return to full practice in the skates leading up to the first round. If he is indeed headed back to the lineup, he’ll bring a mix of shooting luck and heavy-frame physicality needed to back up Edmonton’s superstars. Kane could bring the same mix, though he missed the entirety of the regular season with a mix of injuries and surgeries. Frederic recorded eight goals and 15 points in 57 games with the Boston Bruins prior to his trade to Edmonton; while Kane scored 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games last season. It seems Frederic will be the healthier of the two, though both could factor into Edmonton’s bottom-six over the course of round one.

Adam Boqvist, Kyle Palmieri Nearing Extension With Islanders

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The New York Islanders are looking to stay busy as their season comes to an end. The team is closing in on extensions for winger Kyle Palmieri and defenseman Adam Boqvist, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. The pair of moves would go a long way towards solidifying New York’s early look for next season, by holding onto longtime lineup pillars and bringing back new additions.

Boqvist and Palmieri are two of 12 pending free agents on the Islanders’ roster. Palmieri joins the camp of five unrestricted free-agents, while Boqvist is one of seven restricted-free agents with arbitration eligibility. That standing will likely earn the former a hardier payday.

Palmieri is coming off of a four-year, $20MM contract signed ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. That deal guaranteed his long-standing with the Islanders organization, after he joined the team via a mid-season trade from the New Jersey Devils in the shortened 2020-21 season. Palmieri was a routine 25-goal, 50-point scorer in the Devils lineup, but struggled to carry that momentum over to the Islanders. He scored 33 points in each of his first two seasons on the Island, through 69 and 55 games respectively. But New York was soon rewarded for hanging onto the aging winger, as Palmieri sprung back to form with 30 goals and 54 points last season. He kept it up with 24 goals and 48 points this season – made better by the fact that Palmieri hasn’t missed a game since January of 2023.

Palmieri has performed well enough to maintain a high price tag on his next deal, but he’s not likely to get much of a raise. At 33 years old, any multi-year extension will very likely carry Palmieri into retirement. Even better, Palmieri is only 100 games off of his 1,000th appearance in the NHL. The right term could make sure he enters both of those gates as a member of the Islanders, though New York will hope he doesn’t face the same scoring slump he went through after signing his last contract.

News of Boqvist’s extension is a bit more encouraging. The 24-year-old defenseman landed with the Islanders via waivers from the Florida Panthers in January of this season. He had previously signed a one-year, one-way, league-minimum contract with Florida this summer, and scored six points in 18 games with the club. Boqvist boosted those numbers to eight points in 17 games in a second-half run with the Islanders. He found strong footing on New York’s bottom pairing and became the choice pick over fellow new addition Scott Perunovich.

A new contract will be a bode of confidence in the young Boqvist. He was a top-10 selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, but has since played for four different clubs. Boqvist has only ever signed one extension with a club – in 2022, when he inked a three-year re-up with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being bought out two years later. A new deal with the Islanders will be a rare chance for the young defender to find his footing in an everyday lineup role behind the heavy-hitters of New York’s top-four.

Canucks’ Filip Chytil Healthy Entering The Offseason

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Vancouver Canucks centerman Filip Chytil missed the last 16 games of the season after sustaining a concussion in the team’s March 15th win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was yet another concussion for the 25-year-old, after brain injuries limited his 2023-24 season to 10 games and forced a brief return to his native Czechia. But good news has finally crested, with Chytil sharing that he’s feeling back to 100 percent and even skated at Canucks practice last week, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor.

Were the Canucks able to make up the six-point difference between their final result and a playoff entry, they could have been entertaining the thought of working Chytil back into the lineup soon. Even then, his return to full health is encouraging. Chytil’s career has been marred by persistent injuries – including no fewer than three suspected long-term concussions. He has never played in more than 75 games in a single season – with that mark set in his rookie season, which was ended early by a suspected concussion. Upper-body injuries forced Chytil out of long stretches through each of the next three seasons, before he returned to mostly-good health in 2022-23. That was a breakout season for Chytil, marked by a career-high 22 goals and 45 points. But he couldn’t hold his footing through either of the last two seasons.

The constant injuries are made extra frustrating by just how bourgeoning Chytil’s game seems. He seems to be emerging as a proud second-line center capable of reaching 20 goals and 50 points. Even through injury this season, Chytil totaled 13 goals and 26 points in 56 games this season – an 82-game pace of 19 goals and 38 points. The performance was evidence of a stride forward in his offensive output, after he scored 22 or 23 points in every season between 2018 and 2022 regardless of how many games he played.

Reaching full health at the cusp of the offseason could be perfectly timed for Chytil. He’s signed to the Canucks roster through the end of the 2026-27 season, and should have a clear path to a top-six center role pending any summer additions. That stability and projection will let Chytil focus solely on training and nursing his persistent injuries. With a summer of dedicated effort, next season will hopefully be the year that Chytil can embrace a year of good health.

Central Injury Notes: Heiskanen, Josi, Vilardi

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After being dealt several injuries and disappointingly finishing the season, the Dallas Stars got one piece of positive news before their Round One matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Although he won’t play tonight, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reported that defenseman Miro Heiskanen joined the team for optional practice this morning for the first time since sustaining his knee injury in late January.

Heiskanen has been upgraded to day-to-day status, which means he could be available to the Stars as early as Game 2. He will be a crucial player to reintegrate into the lineup since they are facing one of the top offenses in the league. While the Stars’ defense is strong, the Avalanche’s defense presents a tougher matchup as currently constructed.

There is a clear difference in Dallas with Heiskanen on the ice and Dallas without. The team earned a 64.0% winning percentage through the first 50 games of the regular season before Heiskanen’s injury, and saw it drop to 56.25% once he exited the lineup. There’s no questioning the Stars’ talent, and it would be a fool’s errand to write them off already, but the loss of their top defender has negatively impacted them as expected.

Other injury reports from the Central Division:

  • Heiskanen wasn’t the only All-Star defenseman from the Central Division to have his season cut short. Nashville Predators’ captain Roman Josi has not played since February 25th due to an upper-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean has confirmed that Josi was dealing with a concussion. Fortunately, there’s no expectation the concussion will impact Josi’s availability for the 2025-26 season, where he’ll look to rebound on a disappointing 38-point campaign. 
  • Before Game 1 of their Round One matchup against the St. Louis Blues, the Winnipeg Jets indirectly confirmed that winger Gabriel Vilardi wouldn’t be in their lineup. Vilardi hasn’t played since March 23rd due to an undisclosed injury. In a positive spin on the injury, Vilardi’s spot in the lineup was taken by depth forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who scored his first-career postseason goal in the first period.

Atlantic Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Bjorkstrand, Söderblom

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Sunday: Toronto head coach Craig Berube expects Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play tonight, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. In 77 games on the season, the defender produced 29 points and a plus-14 rating. He missed the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury.

Saturday: Defenseman Jani Hakanpää will be the only rostered player on the Toronto Maple Leafs who won’t be available for the team in their Round One matchup against the Ottawa Senators. In an article from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Fox reports that defensemen Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forwards David Kämpf and Max Pacioretty will be available for Toronto on Monday.

Given that the Maple Leafs have few issues scoring goals, McCabe and Ekman-Larsson are the most notable returnees, particularly concerning the team’s penalty kill. Despite finishing the year with a 77.87% success rate, Toronto’s kill average dropped to 75.00% throughout their final seven games without McCabe. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill ranked just below the NHL average of 78.36%, which could be an avenue to success for Ottawa, given their capable 11th-ranked powerplay.

With respect to the Senators and their season, they arguably present Toronto with their best opportunity to reach Round Two of the postseason for the second time in nine years. After finishing the regular season on a 12-2-1 tear, having a wholly healthy roster for Round One will do nothing but help the Maple Leafs’ chances.

Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that trade deadline acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand won’t be available for the team’s Round One matchup against the Florida Panthers (Tweet Link). Bjorkstrand sustained a lower-body injury a few days ago, and his Round One availability was in doubt, given that his recovery timeline was designated as week-to-week. The Herning, Denmark native scored five goals and nine points in 18 games for the Lightning after being acquired from the Seattle Kraken before the trade deadline.
  • According to Rachel Hopmayer of CBS Detroit, Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Söderblom is expected to join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the Calder Cup playoffs once his undisclosed injury has healed. In his first extended stay in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, Söderblom scored four goals and 11 points in 26 games for the Red Wings after being recalled in late January. His addition will boost the Griffins’ postseason chances, given Söderblom scored five goals and 17 points in 38 games with Grand Rapids earlier this season.

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