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Jason Robertson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

April 18, 2025 at 12:27 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Stars leading goal-scorer Jason Robertson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will miss at least Game 1 of their first-round series against the Avalanche tomorrow, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today (including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic).

Even just a one-game absence could be enough to tilt what’s set to be one of the most tightly matched series of the postseason. Dallas was already entering at a disadvantage without top defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who won’t be available until late in the first round at the earliest as he tries to recover from the knee surgery that’s kept him out since late January. The absence of their top winger against one of the league’s better scoring chance suppression teams could prove too much to overcome.

Robertson left Dallas’ final regular-season game on Wednesday after an awkward collision with Predators forward Michael McCarron in the second period. He was seen wearing a brace on his right knee following the game, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. The Stars had a pair of healthy extra forwards on hand, Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell, but opted not to rest Robertson or any of their top forwards.

A slow start kept Robertson from hitting the point-per-game mark for the second season in a row. He’s been on a tear coming out of the 4 Nations break, though, posting 15 goals and 29 points in 27 games to end the campaign. His 35-45–80 scoring line was still good enough to finish second on Dallas behind Matt Duchene, although his 17:48 average time on ice was his lowest since his rookie season.

There hasn’t been a ton of injury luck for the Stars this year, but there is a consolation prize in the return of Tyler Seguin to the lineup. He returned for Game 82 after missing over four months after undergoing hip surgery and had an assist to lock in his first season above a point per game in nine years, albeit in only 20 appearances. That means it’s nearly a lateral move in the Stars’ top nine compared to how it looked for much of the stretch run, but Dallas would still love all of their scoring weapons at their disposal to overcome Heiskanen’s absence, which causes strain on their depth defenders.

Robertson’s also been a steady playoff threat for Dallas, even if he hasn’t flashed a postseason peak as high as his regular-season one. He has 14-24–38 in 45 playoff games for the Stars over the past three years as the team looks to make a third straight trip to the Western Conference Final.

His absence will cause the Stars to break up Robertson’s usual first-line mates, Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. Hintz will center a line with Mikael Granlund and Evgenii Dadonov. Rantanen is expected to slot onto the wing with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, according to today’s line rushes (via Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports).

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

11 Teams To Carry Bonus Overage Cap Penalties In 2025-26

April 18, 2025 at 12:12 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

The end of the regular season also means the end of daily salary cap calculations across the NHL. With no more cap-related transactions left in the year, 11 teams have officially finished over the salary cap because players on entry-level or 35+ contracts earned performance bonuses that put them above the upper limit. They’ll carry bonus overage penalties in 2025-26 as a result. Those teams break down as follows, per PuckPedia:

Carolina Hurricanes: $33K – $1.076MM

Carolina’s numbers vary wildly here because of the $1.0375MM bonus rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin will incur if he wins the Conn Smythe. Their guaranteed $33K penalty comes from Logan Stankoven’s post-acquisition games-played bonuses. There’s the potential for an additional $5K penalty if rookie Juha Jaaska plays at least two playoff games. Carolina ends the year in LTIR, so they can’t afford any bonuses. They don’t have any other cap charges next year.

Dallas Stars: $368K

The Stars ended the year in LTIR, so all of Wyatt Johnston’s $319K in Schedule A bonuses and Logan Stankoven’s $49.5K games-played bonus, which they paid out before he was traded to the Hurricanes, count as penalties next year. Their total dead cap charges will total $1.801MM with another year of Ryan Suter’s buyout on the books.

Detroit Red Wings: $871K

Detroit ended the year with a comfortable $2.02MM in cap space but had $2.888MM in performance bonuses to dole out, so they’ll get hit with a six-figure penalty next year. Patrick Kane hit $1.75MM in games played bonuses this year as part of his 35+ contract, while Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper each hit multiple Schedule A bonus categories for $638K and $500K in respective bonuses. They also have a $1.056MM cap charge next season for the final year of Justin Abdelkader’s buyout, bringing their total dead cap next season to $1.927MM.

Edmonton Oilers: $150K – $250K

All of the Oilers’ penalties stem from Corey Perry’s 35+ contract after ending the season in LTIR. He’s already earned $150K in games played bonuses and could earn up to $100K in playoff bonuses – $50K if the Oilers win two rounds and Perry plays in either half of the second-round games or half of the total first and second-round games, and another $50K if they win three rounds and Perry plays in either half of the Western Conference Final games or half the total games through the WCF. That’s on top of the $2.3MM cap charge Edmonton faces from buying out Jack Campbell.

Los Angeles Kings: $213K

It’s simple here – the Kings couldn’t fit the performance bonus earned by Brandt Clarke for hitting 25 assists. That gives them $813K in dead cap next year, combined with the Mike Richards buyout.

Minnesota Wild: $1.1MM – $1.15MM

The Wild ended the year with just $36K in cap space, so virtually all of the performance bonuses earned by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber hitting their full complement of Schedule A targets ($850K and $250K, respectively) will count as a penalty. The number could increase slightly if rookie defenseman Zeev Buium plays five playoff games or wins the Conn Smythe, each landing him a $25K bonus. Minnesota’s total dead cap charges will be at least $2.767MM with Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s buyouts still on the books, albeit at a drastically reduced cost from the last few years.

Montreal Canadiens: $1.728MM – $2.308MM

All of the Canadiens’ performance bonuses awarded this season will count toward their overage because they ended the year with Carey Price on long-term injured reserve to remain cap-compliant. Star rookie Lane Hutson maxed out his Schedule A bonuses for $750K, Juraj Slafkovsky earned $500K in A bonuses for finishing top-six among Montreal forwards in average time on ice and top-three in plus-minus rating, defenseman Kaiden Guhle maxed out his $420K in A bonuses, and rearguard Jayden Struble earned his $57.5K games played bonus. Their penalty will increase based on the performance bonuses rookie Ivan Demidov incurs in the postseason. He’ll earn $25K for five playoff appearances, $30K for 10, and a whopping $525K bonus if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Habs don’t have any other dead cap charges next year, but still have to contend with the final year of Price’s deal.

New Jersey Devils: $1MM

The Devils ended the season in long-term injured reserve and thus can’t afford reigning Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes’ $1MM in Schedule A bonuses. At present, it’s the only dead cap charge New Jersey will have next year.

New York Islanders: $600K – $850K

Mathew Barzal’s and Semyon Varlamov’s LTIR placements kept the Isles cap-compliant at season’s end, so the entirety of Matt Martin’s $100K in games played bonuses and Maxim Tsyplakov’s $500K in Schedule A bonuses (plus-minus and ice time). If Tsyplakov makes the NHL’s All-Rookie Team, he’ll incur an additional $250K bonus. New York doesn’t have any other dead cap charges next year.

St. Louis Blues: $2.153MM

The Blues are currently set to incur the most significant bonus overage penalty of any team next year. Most of that comes from the $2.225MM in performance bonuses awarded to veteran Ryan Suter in his 35+ contract last summer. He earned all of them, while sophomore Zachary Bolduc earned a $212.5K bonus for finishing in the top three in plus-minus rating among St. Louis forwards. Those, less the Blues’ $284K in season-ending cap space, give them a bonus overage carryover penalty of $2.153MM. Barring any buyouts this summer, that will comprise their entire dead cap hit for 2025-26.

Toronto Maple Leafs: $626K

Since they ended the season in LTIR, the performance bonuses Max Pacioretty earned for playing 37 games on his 35+ contract will count against the Leafs’ cap next year. As things stand, they could begin the year with an additional $300K in dead cap if Ryan Reaves and Matt Benning are buried in the minors as they were to end 2024-25.

The Capitals could find themselves added to this list if rookie Ryan Leonard wins the Conn Smythe. He’s owed $275K if he does, which the Caps can’t accommodate after ending the year in LTIR.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

David Savard To Retire Following Season

April 18, 2025 at 10:55 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Canadiens defenseman David Savard will retire whenever Montreal’s time in the postseason ends, he confirmed to reporters today (including Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports).

Savard, 34, will close the book on an 870-game career spanning 14 seasons. It began at the 2009 draft, when the Blue Jackets selected him in the fourth round from the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. An elder statesman for his draft year, thanks to his October birthday, the defensive-minded defender had still managed 44 points in 68 games in his draft year with a +29 rating. Combined with his 6’1″, 234-lb frame as a right-shot defender, it’s surprising at first glance that he slipped that far in the draft.

In turn, his development path quickly outpaced that of the average fourth-round pick. Savard erupted for over a point per game the following year with Moncton, earning QMJHL Defensive Defenseman of the Year honors while also leading the league’s blue liners in scoring. That landed him his entry-level deal with Columbus, and he joined the team’s AHL affiliate, then the Springfield Falcons, for the 2010-11 campaign.

Savard spent most of his three-year rookie deal in the minors, although he did appear in 35 NHL games in limited minutes during that span. After posting 97 points in 176 minor-league games with a +12 rating, Savard entered Blue Jackets camp in 2013-14 looking to land a full-time role after inking his qualifying offer over the summer. He achieved his goal. While he wasn’t yet a top-four force, he avoided an AHL assignment that year and hasn’t touched minor-league ice since. Following a five-goal, 15-point performance in 70 regular-season games and an exceptional postseason showing in Columbus’ first-round loss to the Penguins, the Jackets signed Savard to a two-year, $2.6MM bridge deal.

That was quite the prudent decision from former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Savard had the best season of his career in 2014-15, serving as the team’s No. 2 defenseman behind Jack Johnson while posting an 11-25–36 scoring line in 82 games. He led the Jackets with 195 hits to boot and posted an even rating on a streaky Jackets team that finished with a -21 goal differential and missed the playoffs. That was also Savard’s first season averaging over 19 minutes per game, a mark he’d eclipse in every following season until this year.

Before leading Blue Jackets defensemen in scoring in 2015-16 with 25 points in 65 games, Savard agreed to the first long-term deal of his career: a five-year, $21.25MM commitment to keep him in Columbus through the 2020-21 season. He continued to serve as the Jackets’ premier shutdown defenseman for most of that contract, including a team-leading +33 rating when the Jackets recorded the only 50-win season in franchise history in the 2016-17 campaign.

Coming out of the pandemic, Savard’s game nosedived in the final year of his deal. He managed just six points and a -19 rating in 40 games for Columbus in the shortened 2021 season, and with the Jackets entering a rebuild, there wasn’t a path toward an extension. They retained some of his salary and traded him to the Lightning before the deadline, ending his time in Columbus after nearly 10 seasons with the club.

Savard’s time in Tampa was short but fruitful. He continued to struggle down the stretch in the regular season and had his minutes slashed in the playoffs, averaging just 14 minutes per game in third-pairing duties with Mikhail Sergachev. His play improved when he was lower in the lineup, posting five assists and an even rating in 20 games as he helped the Bolts win their second consecutive championship.

A free agent the following offseason, Savard inked a four-year, $14MM contract with the Canadiens – the team he defeated in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final – to help fill the void left by captain Shea Weber hanging up the skates due to multiple injuries. While Savard’s possession impacts lacked in Montreal on a team that’s failed to control possession well during his tenure, the Quebec native has been a vital leadership figure as the Habs continue to graduate younger rearguards into NHL minutes. With his regular-season career now behind him, he posted 13-63–76 and a -45 rating across 259 appearances for Montreal, averaging 19:50 per game.

Savard had averaged over 20 minutes per game in his first three seasons with the Canadiens but saw his minutes slashed to 16:35 per game in 2024-25, slipping down the depth chart behind Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier. That, plus the toll injuries have taken over the past few years, likely influenced his decision to step away from the game. Lavoie adds that Savard informed Montreal’s front office of his intent to retire a few weeks ago.

He ends his career with 54-188–242 and a -29 rating in 870 career regular-season games. Despite spending the last four-plus years of his career elsewhere, Savard’s 597 games played in a Blue Jackets uniform still rank fifth in franchise history and first among defensemen, although Zach Werenski will eclipse that record next season, barring injury. All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Savard on his lengthy career and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports.

Predators Re-Sign Andreas Englund

April 18, 2025 at 10:06 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Predators announced today they’ve re-signed defenseman Andreas Englund to a league-minimum contract for the 2025-26 season. It is unclear whether it is a one-way or two-way deal.

Englund, 29, was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He split the 2024-25 campaign between Los Angeles and Nashville after the Preds claimed him off waivers from the Kings in February.

Nashville claimed Englund, who was in the final season of the two-year, $2MM deal he signed with L.A. in free agency in 2023, to serve as depth support after hard-hitting defender Jeremy Lauzon sustained a season-ending lower-body injury. He played all 82 games for the Kings last year but tumbled down the depth chart in 2024-25 after L.A. signed Joel Edmundson in free agency and promoted Brandt Clarke to a full-time role.

Englund was a healthy scratch for weeks at a time in Hollywood as a result, only playing 11 games for the Kings until they waived him well past the halfway point of the season. He finished the year in far more regular usage for Nashville, recording two assists and a minus-eight rating in 24 games while averaging 14:36 per contest. To little surprise, the 6’4″, 200-lb lefty led the Preds in blocks per 60 minutes this year with 5.65 and also racked up 36 PIMs over the last two months of the campaign.

Now, he’ll return to Tennessee to serve as a No. 7/8 defender for the Preds in 2025-26. Nashville already has six defensemen signed to one-way deals for next year, not including Adam Wilsby, who emerged as a legitimate NHL option before sustaining a season-ending upper-body injury in February. They’re also likely to weaponize a good chunk of their $18MM in cap space to add a right-shot defenseman this summer to complement Roman Josi or Brady Skjei in the top four, addressing easily the biggest hole in their lineup as they attempt to retool on the fly with a veteran-heavy roster following 2024’s free agent spending spree.

Hurricanes Reassign Scott Morrow

April 18, 2025 at 9:52 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Hurricanes have assigned rookie defenseman Scott Morrow to AHL Chicago with the regular season behind them, per a team announcement. The club also sent forwards Skyler Brind’Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and defenseman Domenick Fensore down to the minors after recalling them for the final few games of the season to allow for some stars to rest.

Morrow’s demotion is notable because he wasn’t part of the foursome that Carolina recalled on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has been up with Carolina since the trade deadline and frequently slotted into the lineup down the stretch, including the final five games of the regular season. Morrow, a 2021 second-round pick, finished the year with 1-5–6 in 14 games with all of his points coming at even strength.

He and impact prospect Alexander Nikishin were slated to begin the playoffs as Carolina’s extra defensemen, but the team will instead opt to keep the more veteran Riley Stillman around in the press box after recalling him along with Brind’Amour, Fensore and Nadeau this week. The stay-at-home rearguard is less of a redundancy compared to the dynamic Nikishin, who’s likely to see his NHL debut in the playoffs after signing his entry-level contract last week.

Morrow instead gets to bolster Chicago’s blue line and play meaningful postseason minutes as the Wolves have clinched a playoff berth. The first-year pro leads Wolves defensemen in scoring with 13-26–39 in 51 games, earning an AHL All-Star game appearance ahead of trying to land an opening night roster spot in Carolina in the fall.

As for the trio heading back to Chicago, the late-season call-up was most notable for Brind’Amour. The 25-year-old son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour scored his first NHL goal in last night’s loss to the Senators. Nadeau, Carolina’s first-rounder in 2023, also recorded his first NHL point, an assist, on Wednesday against the Canadiens. Fensore will have to wait until his next NHL call-up to get on the scoresheet.

The Red Wings Need To Have A Strong Summer

April 18, 2025 at 8:17 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 17 Comments

The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, prompting hockey pundits and fans to question the direction of the team and whether general manager Steve Yzerman is the right man to lead the club. Yzerman was hired six years ago to steer the Red Wings through a rebuild, and while he has hit on some of his moves, he hasn’t been able to lead the Red Wings back to the playoffs in what has become the longest postseason drought in the franchise’s 98-year history. The Red Wings have been close to making the playoffs the last few seasons, but they need a big summer to get them over the hump and back into the hunt in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit’s play has been incredibly inconsistent in the past two seasons. They start slow and then pick up their play in the middle of the season, only to fall apart down the stretch. This year, the club was boosted by a coaching change after Christmas when they relieved Derek Lalonde of his duties and replaced him with Todd McLellan. The Red Wings went 17-5-2 after the coaching change to get back into the thick of the playoff race, but then rattled off six regulation losses and never recovered.

Assessing what went wrong is essential before determining what needs to be done this summer. Detroit was undone by the worst penalty kill in the NHL this season, with a success rate of just 69.5%, almost three percent lower than the Wild’s second-worst penalty kill. The other issue the Red Wings need to address is their poor 5-on-5 offensive numbers, largely covered up by their effective power play. Detroit scored the fourth-lowest 5-on-5 goals in the league, which they must improve upon if they hope to reach the playoffs next year.

Detroit’s rebuild could be characterized as still in motion or taking too long. Despite that, the Red Wings have plenty of reasons for optimism. Many of their top players, such as Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, are in their early to mid-20s, and they have several promising prospects, including Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who are nearing NHL readiness. This summer, it will be crucial to surround these younger pieces with capable NHL talent who can elevate the team and play within McLellan’s structure.

Yzerman’s work has been a mixed bag in Detroit, with some successes and setbacks regarding trades and free agency. This summer, he badly needs to avoid mistakes in free agency, which he has had his fair share of in recent seasons. Defenseman Justin Holl’s three-year $10.2MM contract has been an unmitigated disaster, and center Andrew Copp was signed to a massive five-year deal worth $28.125MM in 2022 but has fallen to the bottom six and has seen his offensive numbers drop off. The list could go on, but the point is that Yzerman has struggled to build around his stars. Many of his forwards are overpaid, and Yzerman likely isn’t going to find much help in free agency without overpaying even more players. The trade market is probably the best avenue for Yzerman, and it is a place where he has found a lot of success in his career as a GM, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t dip his toe in the free agent market.

Detroit needs a right-shot defenseman to slide in behind Seider on the second pairing after Holl and Jeff Petry did not work out in that role in previous seasons. This is one spot where Yzerman could find help with free agency, as Aaron Ekblad is available. However, the cost could become prohibitive. The Red Wings are projected to have $22MM in cap space this summer but will need to sign five players and have a handful of RFAs. Daily Faceoff projects Ekblad to sign a contract in the range of $6.9MM annually. If Detroit were to miss on him, Brent Burns of the Carolina Hurricanes would also be available, but at 40 years old, he wouldn’t be a long-term fit.

The most prolific right-shot defenseman on the trade market will likely be Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Karlsson would help the Red Wings at 5-on-5 but wouldn’t relieve their penalty kill. Karlsson can still put up points, but he comes with a $10MM price tag that Pittsburgh might be willing to retain part of. Detroit was 25th in offense this season, and Karlsson could help from the backend, but his presence would put a lot of pressure on whoever he is paired with. At 34 years old, the three-time Norris Trophy winner can still put up points, but the turnovers and defensive lapses have reached another level this season, giving any team that tries to acquire him serious pause.

Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers could be a player of interest to the Red Wings, but they would be wise to avoid making that move, given the past state of his game and the $5.1MM cap hit he carries. There will be an appeal to Ristolainen’s game since he is a big body with a nasty shot, but the warts in his game would be too much for Detroit to add to a top-four that is already not very good.

If Detroit can’t compensate for their penalty-killing and goal-scoring troubles, Mitch Marner is an available UFA who would help in both areas. The 27-year-old forward is the type of player the Red Wings could and should be aggressive in pursuing. Sure, he would eat up most of the remaining cap space they have, but he would be a top-line player who could help improve their penalty-killing and 5-on-5 play. The Markham, Ontario native has received Selke Trophy consideration for six straight years and could be just the piece Detroit has been missing in their top six.

Detroit could look to the free agency and trade markets for scoring depth. If that is a route they are interested in, Yzerman would be wise to avoid overspending on another mid-tier player and instead look for a short-term bounce-back candidate, such as Andrei Kuzmenko, who has performed well since being traded to the Kings at the deadline. Detroit has too much money tied up in too many underperforming depth players and can’t afford to insert another one into the lineup long-term. Marner is an exception, as he is a top-line player and should perform well through the bulk of his next deal.

Detroit fans are hopeful that a playoff position is within their grasp for next year, and the bones are in place to make that happen; they will just need a strong summer to address the holes in the roster construction and the shortcomings that kept them out of the postseason this year.

Photo by James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Mukhamadullin, Gushchin, Schuldt, Carlsson

April 17, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 9 Comments

Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. The rookie was actually originally named to the squad last year but ultimately didn’t play. The number one pick last year, Celebrini had an impressive rookie campaign, tallying 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games to lead San Jose in scoring, five points ahead of William Eklund, who will play for the host Swedes. Meanwhile, Miller adds that it’s unclear if their other top rookie, Will Smith, will play for Team USA at the event. Smith was fourth on the Sharks in scoring with 45 points in 74 games.

Minor Transactions: 4/17/25

April 17, 2025 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

With several teams seeing their 2024-25 seasons come to an end in recent days (with more to come tonight), there has been an influx of players being returned to the minors. We’ll keep track of the moves that have not been already covered here.

The Ducks have returned wingers Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo to AHL San Diego, per a team release. Nesterenko played in a career-best 20 games with Anaheim this season, potting four goals and two assists. With the Gulls, he has 13 goals and 21 assists in 48 contests. As for Colangelo, he had ten goals and two helpers in 32 NHL outings while he’s just shy of a point per game in the minors with 35 points in 38 contests.
The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defensemen Kirill Kudryavtsev and Victor Mancini, forwards Aatu Raty, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, and Ty Mueller, along with goaltender Nikita Tolopilo to AHL Abbotsford. Raty, Sasson, and Karlsson saw the most action with Vancouver this season with Raty being the most productive with 11 points in 33 appearances. Mancini got into 16 games after being acquired in the J.T. Miller swap, while the other three all made their respective NHL debuts in recent days. They will be big additions to an Abbotsford team who has been the hottest team in the league over the last several weeks.
The Devils announced that they’ve returned forwards Mike Hardman and Marc McLaughlin to AHL Utica. Both players were recalled on Wednesday and suited up in their regular season finale. Hardman had an assist in two NHL games while contributing 35 points with the Comets. As for McLaughlin, his NHL season wrapped up with two goals and three assists in 14 games between New Jersey and Boston while adding 19 points in 48 outings between their respective AHL franchises.

Kraken Notes: Francis, Mahura, Grubauer, Hayden

April 17, 2025 at 6:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While this season was certainly a disappointing one for the Kraken, there won’t be a big change coming in the front office. Team CEO Tod Leiweke confirmed to reporters including Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times (Twitter link) that GM Ron Francis will return for his fifth season in 2025-26. Seattle has missed the playoffs in three of its first four seasons which generally isn’t abnormal for an expansion franchise but the early success Vegas had increased expectations. Their lone playoff year came in 2022-23 when they had 100 points but they managed just 76 this season despite handing out two of the bigger deals in free agency last summer to Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson. The team projects to have more than $21MM in cap room this summer, per PuckPedia, so Francis could be a big spender once again.

Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers, Bruins Reassign Six To AHL

April 17, 2025 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 1 Comment

Thursday: Mitchell has cleared waivers, relays Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. He has been returned to Providence as well.

Wednesday: The Boston Bruins have made a wave of roster moves after playing their final game of the season on Tuesday. Most notably, defenseman Ian Mitchell has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the minor leagues. If he clears, he’ll join five other Bruins headed to Providence: forwards Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten, John Farinacci, and Vinni Lettieri; and defenseman Frederic Brunet. All six players have spent time in the minor leagues this season.

Mitchell will be available to all teams in the league, though post-Trade Deadline roster rules would require a claiming team to assign him to their own AHL squad. In returning to the minors, Mitchell will return to the productive 27 points he scored in 46 games with Providence earlier this season. That mark led all Providence defensemen in scoring this season, even despite the rest of the blue-line playing upwards of 20 more games. Mitchell’s two-way impact and stout scoring earned him the role of extra defenseman after Boston traded top-four defender Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline.

Mitchell stepped into 15 games with the Bruins this season but only managed one point, two penalty minutes, and a minus-two. His appearances were quiet once again, lining up with the two points and 10 PIMs he recorded in 13 games with Boston last season – though he did manage a stronger plus-six that year. Mitchell has rotated between major and minor rosters for the last five NHL seasons. He has six points in nine career Calder Cup Playoff games, and would be an impactful addition to either Providence’s – or another squad’s – postseason run.

This wave of roster moves also features Boston’s top two prospects in Minten and Lysell. Both forwards rotated into the NHL lineup through the latter half of this season, but struggled to find much scoring. Minten scored just one goal in six appearances with the Bruins. Lysell recorded three points in 12 games, though they were all scored within his last four appearances. Both rookies seemed to become more-and-more comfortable in the NHL lineup as the season went on. Lysell ended the season on an impressive hot-streak that saw him actively seeking out the puck and making long-stretches of plays. Minten seemed to adjust well to a move to Boston, after being acquired in the aforementioned Carlo trade.

Both prospects have been productive in the minors. Lysell has 34 points in 51 AHL games this season – a mark he outscored with 50 points in 56 games last season. Minten has scored 30 points in 36 combined AHL games this season, including seven points in 10 games with Providence. The duo will look to carve out top roles and meaningful impacts as Providence enters the postseason.

They’ll be backed by a wave of veteran depth in Farinacci, Lettieri, and Brunet. All three have found top-end roles in Providence, led by Lettieri, whose 48 points in 46 games this season leads the AHL Bruins in point-per-game scoring. Farinacci is scoring at a career-high pace from behind Lettieri in the lineup, netting 37 points in 57 AHL games – just shy of his 38 points in 71 games last season. Even Brunet has found production from the blue-line, with 24 points in 68 games the second-best on the Providence defense behind Mitchell. All three players carved out their roles in Providence early in the season and will reassume them with this move – Lettieri and Farinacci headed back to the top-six on offense, and Brunet headed for a clear top-four role on the defense.

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