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Atlantic Notes: Kulich, Peterka, Norris, Jokiharju

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Sabres forward Jiri Kulich has been placed in concussion protocol, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (video link).  He left yesterday’s game against Vegas early after taking a hit.  However, there’s some hope that it won’t be a long-term injury for the 20-year-old as Ruff wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Kulich could join the team at some point on their upcoming road trip.  Kulich has done pretty well in his rookie NHL season, tallying 12 goals and seven assists through 49 games while logging a respectable 14:23 per night of ice time.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Ruff’s presser also provided updates on two other injured Sabres. JJ Peterka skated before practice today and accompanied the team on the trip; Ruff wouldn’t rule out the winger returning to the lineup on Monday.  Peterka has missed the last two games due to a nagging injury, resulting in him slipping to third on the team in scoring with 51 points in 61 games.  Meanwhile, recently acquired center Josh Norris had treatment today on his undisclosed injury and was expected to accompany the team on their road trip but he’s not believed to be as close to returning as Peterka.  Norris has a goal and an assist in his first three outings in a Buffalo uniform.
  • Things have gone relatively well for new Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju. After playing time was quite hard to come by in Buffalo, the 25-year-old is logging over 20 minutes a night through his first four outings with Boston.  Accordingly, he told reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he’s open to starting discussions on a contract extension already.  Jokiharju has a $3.1MM cap charge this season and will be slated to reach unrestricted free agency for the first time in July.  But with just seven points in 46 games this season and his limited role before the trade, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to command a similar price tag this summer.

Zach Hyman Out Tonight For Oilers Despite Practicing Fully

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Oilers’ left winger Zach Hyman is out for tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers, despite being a full participant in practice this afternoon, per Oilers commentator Bob Stauffer.

Hyman was officially listed as a game-time decision after sustaining what appeared to be a potentially severe injury Friday night against the New York Islanders. Hyman’s injury occurred early in the game, and despite remaining on the bench the entire game, he played limited minutes all night. He finished with just 10:36 of total ice time, a starch contrast from his season average of 19:11.

While Hyman won’t suit up tonight, it is welcomed news for the Oilers that he is already a full participant in practice. Hyman has once again surpassed the 20-goal plateau this season slotted alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Conor McDavid. Although he’s down from last year’s monster numbers of 54 goals and 77 points, Hyman still serves as a key piece to Edmonton’s Stanley Cup aspirations. In 10 NHL seasons, Hyman has registered 225 goals and 436 points in 641 games. He has registered at least 20 goals in each of his four seasons with the Oilers and adds an incredible plus-149 rating in 296 games with the club.

His importance to the team was perhaps never higher than their run to the Stanley Cup finals last year. Hyman scored 16 goals and 22 points in the team’s 25 playoff games. His 16 goals set a record for single-postseason goals in the salary-cap era. Hyman will look to remain healthy and return to that type of form as the Oilers gear up for another deep run.

 

Golden Knights Hope William Karlsson’s Return Is Imminent

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The Vegas Golden Knights are believed to be close to getting forward William Karlsson back from injury, but he remains without a return date, per SinBin.vegas.

Karlsson hasn’t played since January 20th, when he sustained a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues. He was placed on LTIR on Feb. 7 to allow the club to make recalls and remain cap compliant. Karlsson’s season has been defined by injuries and uneven offensive play, as shown by his 18 points in 38 games on the year. He also missed the first eight games of the season with an undisclosed ailment. Prior to his most recent injury, Karlsson was going through a seven-game scoring slump, and registered just one assist in his last 10 games played. His elite-level defensive prowess has remained, aided by his 58.9 percent faceoff win-rate and plus-eight rating.

As SinBin.vegas notes, Karlsson has been with the team and was expected to play on their current road trip per quotes from GM Kelly McCrimmon and coach Bruce Cassidy. McCrimmon noted on March 7 that Karlsson “isn’t far away” from returning. That was later echoed by Cassidy on March 11, who noted his hopes of Karlsson returning at some point during the team’s road trip.

Since Karlsson’s injury, Vegas has managed a 14-10-4 record, but would no doubt be aided by his return. Karlsson is one year removed from a 30 goal, 30 assist season and should slot back into the club’s top line as Vegas looks ahead to the playoffs. Despite missing Karlsson for an extended period of time, Vegas still finds themselves in first place in the Pacific Division.

In 723 career NHL games, Karlsson has registered 435 points, of which 385 have come as a member of the Golden Knights. “Wild Bill” was selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft after being left exposed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Karlsson was a key part of the team’s Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year of existence, scoring 43 goals and 78 points on the season, registering a league-high plus-49 rating, and capturing the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy along the way. He has added 65 points in 95 career playoff games with Vegas, all of which has solidified him as a fan-favorite in Sin City.

No Update From Canucks On Filip Chytil Injury

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Vancouver Canuck forward Filip Chytil was injured during the third period of last night’s game, leaving fans and the team uncertain about his condition, per Jim Cerny of Forever Blueshirts. As of now, there has been no official update on the severity of the injury, adding to the growing concern for a player with a troubled injury history.

During Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks, Chytil was helped off the ice following a blindside hit by forward Jason Dickinson with 4:42 remaining in the contest. Chytil was noticeably wobbled by the hit, falling to the ice after attempting to stand under his own power – a troubling site for a player with at least four known concussions in his career with the New York Rangers. Chytil, who spent eight seasons with New York, was traded to the Canucks as a part of the JT Miller deal in late January.

After the game, head coach Rick Tocchet did not provide an update on the injury but agreed that the optics didn’t look good. Tocchet called the hit “pretty ugly” in his post-game comments and added that he did not receive communication from the refs as to why Dickinson did not receive a penalty for the hit.

When healthy, Chytil has been a solid supporting cast member throughout his 393 career NHL games. He has eclipsed the 10-goal mark in four seasons, including 13 this year combined between the Rangers and Canucks. Originally a first rounder of the Rangers in the 2017 draft (21st overall), Chytil saw game action in nine NHL games during his age 18 season, before becoming a regular fixture in their bottom six the following season. In 378 career games in New York, he registered 75 goals and 164 points. He added an additional 13 points in 36 career playoff contests.

At just 25 years of age, there is still time for Chytil to flash his first-round pedigree. However, injuries continue to play a factor in his career’s trajectory. The Canucks will likely provide more information in the coming days, but for now, Chytil’s status remains unclear.

Islanders Notes: Reilly, Pelech, Boqvist

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Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly will return to the lineup Sunday vs. Florida after undergoing heart surgery in November, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The team activated him from injured reserve last week, but he’s remained out of action for the last four games as a healthy scratch.

Reilly will almost certainly have his minutes limited in his first NHL action since Nov. 1, when he sustained a concussion and entered protocol. Standard echocardiograms he underwent while he was out revealed an underlying heart condition. General manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed at the time that the procedure wouldn’t be career-ending but would cost him a significant chunk, if not all, of the 2024-25 campaign.

The 31-year-old is now available for the stretch run as the Isles look to overcome a six-point deficit in the standings and capture a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The lefty puck-mover went without a point and logged a plus-one rating in 11 games earlier this season, playing a regular role out of the gate. His role got muddied when the Isles picked up offensive-minded rearguards Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, and Scott Perunovich in the last few months with Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock each missing time with injuries, but he’ll now return to a third-pairing role alongside Scott Mayfield, per Rosner.

Here’s more on the Islanders:

  • Reilly’s return comes as Adam Pelech exits the lineup due to a lower-body injury, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters (including Ethan Sears of the New York Post). The veteran shutdown man is day-to-day after he logged over 23 minutes against the Oilers on Thursday. Dobson, a righty, is moving to his offside to replace the lefty Pelech in the top four while Pulock jumps up from a third-pairing gig with Mayfield, according to Rosner.
  • Boqvist, who missed the Edmonton game with an upper-body injury, is progressing toward a return but remained in a no-contact jersey at today’s practice, Rosner relays. He left Tuesday’s game against the Kings in the second period after being laid out in the neutral zone by Kevin Fiala. He has five points in 12 games since being claimed off waivers from the Panthers in January.

Utah’s Liam O’Brien Out At Least Four Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Utah Hockey Club has ruled out a popular depth forward for most of their remaining regular-season schedule. Head coach André Tourigny told reporters today (including Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune) that enforcer Liam O’Brien will miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury.

The injury occurred in the third period of Thursday’s game in Seattle. O’Brien took an awkward hit from Kraken winger Tye Kartye and skated one shift before heading to the room. He didn’t play in the final 10 minutes of the game and missed his final two regular shifts with linemates Michael Carcone and Kevin Stenlund. Third-line winger Josh Doan double-shifted with the fourth line in O’Brien’s place.

After recording a career-high 14 points and league-leading 153 PIMs in 75 games for the Coyotes last season, Utah signed O’Brien to a three-year, $3MM extension in June. But after the club added Stenlund to their forward group and promoted Doan from the minors for much of 2024-25, he hasn’t seen nearly as consistent a role. He’s played more as of late, skating in a season-high seven straight contests before his injury against the Kraken, but has made just 27 appearances for the season after lengthy strings of healthy scratches early in the campaign. He has two assists, a plus-one rating, 50 PIMs, and 98 hits while averaging 9:12 per game when dressed.

As Fraser notes, Nick Bjugstad will replace O’Brien on the fourth line tonight against the Canucks. The 11-year veteran hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Devils on March 1. Utah activated him from injured reserve late last week but sat him as a scratch for the Seattle game. The Club trails Vancouver by four points for the final wild-card spot in the West, making tonight’s contest the most important of the season. A regulation win would boost their playoff odds from 20.1% to 28%, per MoneyPuck, while a regulation loss would tank their chances to just 11%.

Ducks Expected To Reassign Stian Solberg To AHL

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The Ducks are bringing over 2024 first-rounder Stian Solberg from Europe to finish the season stateside, per an announcement from his Swedish Hockey League club, Färjestad BK.

Solberg, a 19-year-old Norwegian defenseman, put pen to paper on his entry-level contract days after he was drafted last summer. He’s expected to report to AHL San Diego for the stretch run – a move the Ducks can only do without Färjestad’s permission since they selected him in the first round.

The 6’2″, 205-lb lefty spent last season playing in the top league in his native Norway, posting 5-10–15 with a plus-two rating in 42 games with Vålerenga. A strong showing at the men’s World Championship against top-flight professional talent rocketed him up draft boards, making him, along with countryman Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, the first Norwegians to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

At the beginning of the season, Anaheim loaned Solberg to Färjestad to continue his development in a more familiar Scandinavian setting, although against much stronger competition than he faced in the Norwegian league. The defensive specialist and extremely physically engaged defender has taken the assignment in stride, posting 3-9–12 and a plus-one rating in 47 games for Färjestad. He also posted a pair of assists in three games for Norway at last year’s Olympic qualifiers.

Färjestad’s regular season is over, but they’re set to begin their playoff run in a few days. A reassignment before a player’s European season is over is exceedingly rare, but Färjestad says the Ducks are bringing him over amid a rash of injuries to their defensive complement in San Diego. The Gulls currently have seven defensemen on their roster, but only four are under contract with the Ducks.

His strong adjustment to high-level European pro hockey, plus his NHL-ready frame, should make him a long-shot candidate to crack the Ducks’ opening night roster next season. Solberg’s audition in San Diego over the next few weeks will likely go a long way toward informing Anaheim’s development plan for him.

Panthers And Sam Bennett Have Resumed Extension Talks

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last night on Saturday Headlines that the Florida Panthers and pending UFA center Sam Bennett have re-started contract talks. Bennett is in the final season of a four-year $17.7MM contract that he signed back on July 26th, 2021, just three months after the Panthers had acquired Bennett from the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in 2022 and Emil Heineman. The trade was a massive win for Florida as Bennett had never lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him in Calgary, but has developed into a strong two-way play driver with the Panthers.

The $4.425MM AAV has been a huge discount for the Panthers as Bennett signed the deal when the NHL was in a very different economic landscape and Bennett had yet to become the player he is today. Bennett had never topped 40 points in a season in Calgary but has done so in every season since joining Florida and is currently on pace for a career year with 22 goals and 23 assists in 65 games.

More importantly, Bennett has shown an ability to elevate his game when it matters most, evidenced by the Panthers’ last two playoff runs to the Finals and Bennett’s performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Holland Landing, Ontario native has 12 goals and 17 assists in 39 games over the last two playoff runs with the Panthers and was a crucial part of their Stanley Cup Championship last season.

Bennett’s contract negotiations will be tough as he will likely be looking for a salary in the range of $7MM-$8MM annually on a seven or eight year deal. Top six centers usually get an AAV in that range in July, but Bennett is a unique case given that his career offensive numbers don’t necessarily scream top six. However, Elias Lindholm received a $7.75MM AAV last summer from the Boston Bruins, and with a rising salary cap, Bennett will be looking for similar money and could certainly get it on the open market. Whether or not the Panthers will match that remains to be seen, they will have some tough decisions to make this summer as Aaron Ekblad is also a pending UFA and Anton Lundell appears ready to take on a bigger role in Florida’s top six.

Mikko Rantanen Says He Didn’t Want To Leave Avalanche

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Although it’s almost unheard of for a 100-point scorer to be traded twice in the same season, that’s precisely the situation Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen experienced this year. However, ahead of playing the Colorado Avalanche for the first time tomorrow, Rantanen is stating he never desired to leave the team, via Sportsnet.

In 10 seasons with the club, Rantanen registered 287 goals, 394 assists and 681 points. He added 101 points in 81 games in the playoffs and played a vital role in the club’s 2021-22 Stanley Cup championship.

However, the Avs shipped the star winger to the Hurricanes on January 24 in a three-team deal after contract negotiations stalled. It was a deal that sent shockwaves through the hockey world. In addition to Rantanen, Carolina received Taylor Hall, and Nils Juntorp, Colorado received Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and Chicago received a third-round pick (via Carolina) and retained half of Rantanen’s salary.

While the Avs and Rantanen tried to finalize an extension in the final year of his contract, terms were not reached and the ultimate decision to ship off the two-time 100-point scorer was made. Ironically, the Hurricanes ran into a similar scenario with the Finnish star, and eventually made the decision to deal him to the Stars on March 7. The third team proved to be the charm for Rantanen, who immediately agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $96MM, worth a cap hit of $12MM.

Ahead of tomorrow’s big matchup between his current and former clubs, Rantanen looked to clear the air with reporters about the bizarre circumstances surrounding his season. Meeting with Denver reporters, Rantanen led off his comments by thanking the Avalanche franchise (and its fans) for their years of support and then backed it up by stating he never wanted to leave Colorado. He noted the trade to the Hurricanes as “weird,” and said he believed he and the team were still in the negotiation process with six weeks remaining before the trade deadline. Rantanen said that’s when he was informed of the trade.

Rantanen also discussed how hard the last few months have been being traded twice before finally finding his home with Dallas. And while tomorrow marks his return to Colorado and first game against the team that drafted him 10th overall in the 2015 draft, the chances these two teams meet in the playoffs are high. If the season ended now, the two teams would square off in the first round of the playoffs.

Metropolitan Notes: Nieto, Aho, Allen

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Prior to their afternoon tilt against the Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned both forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per Tribune-Review reporter Seth Rorabaugh.

Both were still considered healthy scratches for the NHL game, and as Rorabaugh notes, their return to the AHL is a part of the procedural process of emergency recalls. Teams are only allotted four standard recalls post-trade deadline, so these type of paper moves are common this time of year.

Nieto’s two-year, $1.8MM deal he signed with the Penguins ahead of the 2023-24 season is set to expire at the end of the season. His first year in Pittsburgh ended with a knee injury that required two separate procedures. While he was able to return to Pittsburgh’s lineup in a fourth-line role this past November, his play had been ineffective, registering just three points and a minus-eight rating in 31 contests. With the team falling down the standings and looking toward the future, the decision was made to option Nieto to the AHL. After clearing waivers on Feb. 27, Nieto was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and appeared in AHL games for the first time in 10-plus years.

Aho, a veteran of 190 NHL games, has spent the entire season playing for the Penguins’ AHL-affiliate and has suffered through multiple injuries along the way. He signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Pens this past summer, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup to this point. In 17 games in the AHL this season, Aho has failed to register a goal and has collected seven assists. While he was able to post 23 points for the Islanders during the 2022-23 season, he has failed to find that success again and now finds himself buried behind younger prospects like Jack St. Ivany and Owen Pickering, and recent NHL-level additions Vladislav Kolyachonok, Conor Timmins and P.O. Joseph.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • The Devils’ 2024 deadline trade for goalie Jake Allen has officially been fulfilled and finalized, per James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now. The Devils will officially send the Canadiens a 2025 third-round pick. The terms of the deal came with stipulation that if Allen played in 40 or more games this season, the third-round pick would become the Devils’ 2025 second rounder. To this point, Allen has only participated in 25 contests, and at the completion of today’s game against the Penguins, the clock has run out on the Habs’ hopes of transferring the pick to a second rounder. As Jacob Markstrom’s backup, Allen has been solid for the Devils. Despite his 11-13-1 record on the season, he has a .910 save percentage and his goals against average sits at a nice 2.60. He is set for free agency following the season, and will undoubtedly be on the radar of many teams in need of support between the pipes.

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