Pittsburgh Penguins Place Dmitry Kulikov On Long-Term Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 12th. The move comes after Kulikov was knocked out of Sunday’s contest against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury.
At the time, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the media that Kulikov would be out on a week-to-week basis, and now the team has effectively confirmed that timeline by placing him on the long-term injured reserve list.
The veteran defenseman’s injury comes at an unfortunate time for Pittsburgh, as the team is looking to build some momentum and secure their spot in the playoffs. Kulikov was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks before the trade deadline and has played largely in a bottom-pairing role alongside offseason acquisition Jan Rutta.
While Kulikov averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in Southern California, he’s played a more limited role in Pittsburgh. As a Penguin, he’s averaging just under 13 minutes of ice time per game, but is logging nearly two of those minutes on the penalty kill.
While he’s a defenseman who is typically at his best when he goes unnoticed on the ice, the experience and stability he would bring to the Penguins’ bottom-pairing and penalty kill is valuable. In his place, Sullivan paired Pierre-Olivier Joseph next to Rutta, and Joseph struggled in over 17 minutes of ice time in the team’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Seeing as starting netminder Tristan Jarry has struggled immensely in recent games, it’s a difficult time for the team to lose such an experienced veteran defenseman like Kulikov.
While Pittsburgh eventually clinching a playoff spot seems like the likeliest outcome at the moment, (they have 78 points and two games in hand on the New York Islanders, who sit two points behind them in the second Wild Card Spot) losing Kulikov will certainly make things a little more difficult.
NHL Announces Draft Lottery, Stanley Cup Final Dates
On May 8, one NHL franchise will earn the right to select Connor Bedard this summer. The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will be held that night, determining the fate of the Regina Pats superstar a month and a half before he is actually selected.
Bedard has separated himself from the rest of the class with an incredible 61-goal, 125-point season for Regina, and is considered one of the greatest draft prizes in recent history.
While the worst teams in the league will cross their fingers and hope for some luck that day, Bedard won’t actually get to pull on a sweater until Wednesday, June 28, which will be the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
This year’s event will take place in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, with rounds 2-7 following on Thursday, June 29. That’s less than a month after the Stanley Cup is awarded, as the tentative start of the Final is set for June 3—though that could change, depending on how quickly the playoffs progress.
All of the key dates released from the league are:
Monday, April 17
Start of 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Monday, May 8
2023 NHL Draft Lottery
Saturday, June 3
Tentative start of 2023 Stanley Cup Final
Sunday, June 4 – Saturday, June 10
2023 NHL Scouting Combine presented by adidas (Buffalo)
Monday, June 26
2023 NHL Awards (Bridgestone Arena)
Wednesday, June 28
Round 1 of 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft(Bridgestone Arena)
Thursday, June 29
Rounds 2-7 of 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft (Bridgestone Arena)
Minor Moves: Red Wings, Bruins, Kraken, Coyotes, Panthers
This morning, the Detroit Red Wings assigned Matt Luff and Austin Czarnik to the AHL, as they await a game later this week. The Red Wings don’t play again until Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, giving them a chance to save some money in the meantime.
Here are some other minor moves from around the league today:
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Jakub Lauko under emergency conditions, after sending him down yesterday. Lauko hasn’t played since March 2 and has just 12 appearances this season, but has been bounced back and forth between leagues whenever the team is dealing with injuries. Through those 12 matches, he has five points in his first taste of NHL action.
- The Seattle Kraken have recalled John Hayden from the AHL, as they hit the road for a game in San Jose tomorrow night. The Kraken are coming off consecutive losses to the Dallas Stars and have now slipped below the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division playoff race. Hayden, 28, has just two points in five NHL games this year.
- The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned forward Bokondji Imama to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. The 26-year-old is an alternate captain for the Coyotes’ farm team, where he has provided hard-working physical play and 12 points of offense at that level. He’s played the last two games for the Coyotes, seeing time in both of the team’s consecutive overtime wins.
- The Florida Panthers have swapped goalies on their NHL roster, sending down 2022 Calder Cup Champion Alex Lyon in favor of rookie Mack Guzda. The move allows the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, to get the more experienced goaltender as they look to clinch a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Nikita Nesterenko
After turning down the Minnesota Wild, Nikita Nesterenko has decided to turn pro with the Anaheim Ducks. Acquired as part of the John Klingberg deal, Nesterenko recently finished his junior season with Boston College.
The sixth-round pick scored 34 points in 36 games this season, and enters the Ducks’ system as an intriguing mix of size and scoring ability. Now 21, the Ducks have announced he is signing a three-year contract that starts this season and will immediately report to Anaheim to start his career.
That would mean his contract runs through 2024-25, though there is some confusion over whether or not that is possible. As PuckPedia notes, Nesterenko’s September 10 birthday (when he will turn 22) would normally limit him to a two-year entry-level deal, meaning this year and 2023-24, making him an RFA next summer. Either way, the Ducks, who aren’t competing for anything this year, can let him get his feet wet before deciding where to assign him next year.
The Brooklyn native scored 77 points over his 97-game NCAA career, racking up 86 penalty minutes along the way. At the time of the trade, Michael Russo of The Athletic indicated that there had been “talk” that Nesternko didn’t plan on signing with the Wild, and would have tested free agency.
Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2023 Hobey Baker
With the end of collegiate hockey calendar approaching, the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, and Cole Caufield have all taken it home over the last decade, with each going on to star at the professional level.
Goaltender Dryden McKay, last year’s winner, is currently playing with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL, after a history career at Minnesota State-Mankato. McKay posted a .932 save percentage and 26 shutouts across 140 college games, winning 113 of them.
The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.
Earlier this year, 87 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.
The top 10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization that owns their draft rights in parenthesis:
Logan Cooley, University of Minnesota (Arizona Coyotes)
Adam Fantilli, University of Michigan (2023 draft eligible)
Sean Farrell, Harvard University (Montreal Canadiens)
Collin Graf, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)
Lane Hutson, Boston University (Montreal Canadiens)
Matthew Knies, University of Minnesota (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Devon Levi, Northeastern University (Buffalo Sabres)
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech University (undrafted)
Jason Polin, Western Michigan University (undrafted)
The Unleashed 2023: Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents
Though most players have to wait until after their 27th birthday to become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team in the league without compensation, there are a few other ways to get to the open market. Players that complete seven full seasons in the NHL are eligible for UFA status, as are restricted free agents that do not receive qualifying offers.
There is another way, however, offered to those players who don’t get many opportunities in the NHL but have put in several years at the professional level: Group VI unrestricted free agency.
Earlier today, CapFriendly compiled a complete list of players on track to become free agents through this category. To refresh your memory on how a player qualifies for Group VI free agency, they must meet three requirements:
- The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
- The player has completed three (3) or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19-year-old player), or one (1) or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
- The player has played fewer than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender. This games played requirement is subject to pro-rating due to the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
The entire list of players at risk can be found below, but make sure you check out CapFriendly for more detailed information on how they could avoid the designation this summer.
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Boston Bruins
Jack Ahcan
Matt Filipe**
Joona Koppanen
Nick Wolff
Buffalo Sabres
Joseph Cecconi
Austin Strand
Jeremy Davies
Calgary Flames
Matthew Phillips
Nicolas Meloche
Kristians Rubins
Carolina Hurricanes
Maxime Lajoie*
Jack Dugan
Zachary Sawchenko
Chicago Blackhawks
(none)
Colorado Avalanche
Columbus Blue Jackets
Joona Luoto
Justin Richards
Lane Pederson*
Dallas Stars
Riley Tufte
Ryan Shea
Fredrik Karlstrom
Ben Gleason
Dylan Wells
Detroit Red Wings
Chase Pearson
Victor Brattstrom
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Casey Fitzgerald*
Henry Bowlby
Connor Bunnaman
Lucas Carlsson*
Los Angeles Kings
(none)
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Otto Leskinen
Anthony Richard
Frederic Allard
Nashville Predators
Austin Rueschhoff
Devin Cooley
New Jersey Devils
(none)
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Timothy Gettinger
Wyatt Kalynuk
William Lockwood
Ottawa Senators
(none)
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
Alexander True
Carsen Twarynski
Joey Daccord*
St. Louis Blues
(none)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
(none)
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Axel Jonsson Fjallby*
Mikhail Berdin
*Indicates that the player could technically still play enough games this season to become ineligible for Group VI free agency, though in some cases this will be impossible because of injury.
**If Filipe does not play a game in 2022-23, he will not have the three professional seasons and will not qualify for Group VI status.
Sam Poulin Returns To Penguins Organization
In December, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from the organization for personal reasons. The Penguins expressed their full support for his decision allowing him the needed time.
Today, in an Instagram post, Poulin announced his return:
Three months ago I made a decision to take a break from hockey, and return home to take care of myself and my mental health. After seeking the help I needed, I am now ready to return to Wilkes-Barre and rejoin my team.
I want to thank everyone who helped get me through this difficult time, including my family, my girlfriend, my friends, my medical team, the entire Pittsburgh Penguins organziation, my teammates, and the fans, who showed unconditional love and support.
I strongly encourage everyone to speak openly about mental health because it affects us all. For those who may be struggling, please know that you are not alone.
The 2019 first-round pick scored four goals in 13 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh before taking his leave. Now 22, he still has another year left on his entry-level contract and has time to live up to the high expectations he brought out of the QMJHL.
Whether he makes it back to the NHL and becomes an impact player remains to be seen, but he and the team chose to prioritize his mental health—a decision no one can fault.
Chicago Blackhawks Recall Anton Khudobin
In the Max Domi trade, which saw the Dallas Stars send a second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks, another contract was included to even out the money. That was veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin, who had been playing in the AHL with the Texas Stars all season.
Now, after Petr Mrazek‘s latest groin injury, the Blackhawks have recalled Khudobin from the minor leagues. The 36-year-old goaltender will get a chance to appear in the NHL for a 14th season and add to his 114 wins.
When Khudobin led the Stars to an improbable Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the 2020 bubble playoffs, posting a .917 save percentage in 25 playoff games, he was rewarded with a three-year, $10MM contract. After the first year, the team already regretted it as young Jake Oettinger started to make his mark, and Khudobin’s performance dropped.
As he nears the end of that deal, the 36-year-old netminder has been buried in the minor leagues all season, collecting his full $3.75MM salary but playing AHL competition. He went 13-4-4 with Texas, but posted an .899 save percentage that doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.
Still, with nothing to lose for the Blackhawks, they can give Khudobin a chance at the highest level again. Where his future lies after this season isn’t clear, but for now, he’ll be suiting up for the sixth team of his career.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ryan Tverberg
The Toronto Maple Leafs have inked one of their interesting young prospects, signing Ryan Tverberg to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will start next season and Tverberg will join the Toronto Marlies on a professional tryout for the rest of 2022-23.
General manager Kyle Dubas released a statement:
The Maple Leafs organization is very thankful to the University of Connecticut. Ryan’s development through his three seasons with the Huskies and subsequent signing today is a testament to the tireless work of head coach Mike Cavanaugh and all the staff within the UConn men’s hockey program.
Tverberg’s entry-level deal will carry an average annual value of $851,667.
It is rare for a player drafted so late to earn an NHL contract well before his eligibility runs out, but Tverberg has shown he’s not the average seventh-round pick. The 21-year-old was selected 213th overall in 2020 and quickly showed he could be a difference-maker at the NCAA level.
In three years at UConn, he racked up 69 points in 85 games, was selected as a Hockey East First-Team All-Star, and was nominated for the Hobey Baker. The undersized center was the engine on many nights, and will now see if his game can translate to the professional ranks.
Because the contract starts next year, it still leaves Toronto with one slot left for this spring—expected to be used on Matthew Knies.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Jayden Struble
The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Jayden Struble to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins next year. That removes any concern that Struble could wait until August to become an unrestricted free agent.
The contract will carry an NHL salary of $775K, and includes a $92.5K signing bonus in each season. Struble is headed to the Laval Rocket, where he’ll sign a professional tryout to play the rest of the season.
There have been moments over the last few years, when the 21-year-old defenseman appeared ready to step directly into the NHL. Struble is a mix of skill, and power that should lend itself well to the next level, after a four-year career at Northeastern ended recently.
While not a huge player, Struble is one of the strongest defensemen in college hockey and racked up 190 penalty minutes in his 104-game career. The 2019 second-round pick should be competing for a spot with the Canadiens as soon as next season, though with the number of young defensemen in the system, he will have some stiff competition.
He joins the likes of Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, Mattias Norlinder, and other young options that will be looking for spots on the NHL roster alongside some of the more veteran names that are still signed for next season.