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San Jose Sharks Reassign Collin Graf

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According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have reassigned forward Collin Graf to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Graf is not expected to play in the NHL again this season.

Graf had a quality longer-term stay with the Sharks this season. He scored five goals and 11 points in 33 games with a -4 rating, a nine-point improvement from his 2023-24 output in 26 additional games. He saw notable improvement in his possession and defensive metrics, but that’s understandable given his increased usage.

The Lincoln, MA native didn’t excel in any one area of his game this season. Still, he appeared to find some chemistry alongside center Alexander Wennberg this season. Graf spent much of his time in the NHL alongside Wennberg, with Tyler Toffoli or William Eklund operating on the opposite wing. Those line combinations were above average, producing a 62.2% xGoals% and a 52.5% xGoals%, respectively.

Still, although he played well, it can’t be overlooked that Graf didn’t offer much in point totals alongside some of the Sharks’ best offensive weapons. The obvious counterargument is that despite having some prominent forwards, San Jose’s offense is one of the worst in the league, so any of Graf’s output, or lack thereof, should be taken with a grain of salt.

If he becomes the player he is in the AHL, the Sharks will have a quality secondary scorer in their midst. Graf has scored eight goals and 32 points in 35 games for AHL San Jose this season, which is good for seventh on the team in scoring. Now that the Barracuda appear headed for a First Round appearance in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, Graf will assist their efforts the rest of the way.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Ivan Demidov To Entry-Level Contract

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2:33 p.m.: The news is official. Montreal announced they’ve signed Demidov to a three-year entry-level contract from 2024-25 to 2026-27. He’ll burn the first year of that contract during the remaining games of the regular season.

1:21 p.m.: The Montreal Canadiens won’t have to wait long for their top prospect to join the NHL ranks. According to his now-former team, the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg, Ivan Demidov will join the Canadiens for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

In the announcement, SKA said:

“Thank you, Ivan. 

SKA and Ivan Demidov have taken a joint decision which will see the forward join the Montreal Canadiens this season. His KHL rights will remain with SKA. He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL.”

Montreal selected Demidov as the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has drawn significant comparisons to Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, as both players possess an exceptional blend of speed and offensive talent. On draft day, concerns arose regarding Michkov’s contractual commitments in the KHL, and similar worries existed about Demidov’s obligations with SKA.

However, these concerns are now a thing of the past for the Canadiens. Demidov has just completed his first full season in the KHL, during which he scored 19 goals and tallied 49 points in 65 games, achieving a +14 rating. This season marked the highest scoring for a KHL player under 20, with the closest competitor being Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect Nikita Artamonov, who recorded 22 goals and 39 points in 63 games.

Depending on the timing of his arrival, Demidov will have access to meaningful hockey with Montreal. Before their important matchup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, the Canadiens own the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a six-point gap on Detroit.

With the Canadiens unlikely to separate their top forward unit, Demidov is expected to join the second line alongside Alexander Newhook and Patrik Laine. Demidov could create a dangerous duo next to Laine, who’s recorded 20 goals and 47 games this season, 15 of which came on the powerplay.

There may be some concerns regarding Demidov’s performance in the defensive zone. Similarly to Michkov, who owns a well below-average 85.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength this season, Demidov doesn’t focus much on his defensive game, which could hurt Montreal in the playoffs.

The Canadiens don’t have a particularly challenging defensive unit to play against, either. The team has given up the 12th most shots in the league this year, and a 23rd-ranked save percentage blocking those shots. Montreal is entering a territory where they could overwhelm teams with offensive pressure, but defensive prowess is typically customary in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Regardless, the Canadiens will be enthusiastic about the recent development. Montreal has drafted well after embarking on their rebuild after finishing as runner-up in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and will soon begin reaping the rewards of their moves.

Kraken Sign Nathan Villeneuve To Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken are formally bringing one of their higher-round selections from the 2024 NHL Draft to the organization. According to a team announcement, the Kraken have signed Nathan Villeneuve to a three-year entry-level contract.

Seattle selected Villeneuve with the 63rd overall pick of last summer’s draft. He had just concluded his sophomore campaign with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, scoring 23 goals and 27 assists in 50 games with a +10 rating.

This year has been a bit more of a mixed bag. He did improve his offensive output, scoring 34 goals and 70 points in 57 games, but he took far more penalties than at any point in his playing career. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 120 PIMs, the third-highest of any player in the OHL.

Still, that primarily came from Villeneuve’s physicality and high pace of play. He’s an aggressive forechecker and was known as a pest by opponents during his major junior career. He’ll want to clean up many of those penalties should he have a future in the NHL, but he’s starting with an impressively high motor.

Villeneuve will likely finish the 2024-25 campaign playing on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Firebirds have already clinched a position in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs and will look to qualify for the Calder Cup Final for a third consecutive year.

Flyers’ Olle Lycksell Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Apr. 8th: Philadelphia announced that Lycksell has successfully cleared waivers. The team also shared that they have reassigned Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Apr. 7th: The Flyers placed winger Olle Lycksell on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move is presumably to get him some playing time with AHL Lehigh Valley down the stretch. As a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, there’s no risk of a claim since he’d be ineligible to dress for his new team for its final few regular season games.

Lycksell was a healthy scratch against the Canadiens on Saturday, the first time he’d been one since being brought back up to the NHL following the trade deadline. While historically a productive player in the minors and top-level European leagues, he hasn’t carried that offensive momentum to the NHL. He has five assists and a minus-three rating in 19 showings for the Flyers this year. All of that offense came in his 13 post-deadline appearances.

Selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, the 25-year-old Swede has produced above a point per game for the second consecutive year in the minors. He’s recorded 17-24–41 in 40 games with Lehigh Valley, and his 1.03 points per game since the beginning of last season rank eighth in the AHL among players with at least 50 games played. He has 50-75–125 in 131 appearances for the Phantoms since arriving in North America in 2022.

Back in his home country, the 5’11” forward put up 42-53–95 in 221 career Swedish Hockey League games with Linköping HC, Färjestad BK, and Växjö Lakers HC. He could be headed back to one of those clubs this summer, with the Flyers set to lose team control over his signing rights. He’s certainly shown enough at the AHL level to get a lucrative two-way deal from another NHL club, but he may prefer to return home for more stability and a guaranteed role.

Since Lycksell was on the Phantoms’ roster on trade deadline day, he’s eligible to suit up for Lehigh Valley in the Calder Cup Playoffs, to which they’ve clinched their berth already. He remains their leading scorer despite his extended stints on the NHL roster this year.

Canadiens Sign Tyler Thorpe To Three-Year Contract

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1:00 p.m.: According to PuckPedia, Thorpe’s entry-level contract breaks down as follows:

  • Year 1: $775K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K unspecified games played bonus
  • Year 2: $775K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K unspecified games played bonus
  • Year 3: $775K salary, $85K signing bonus

9:47 a.m.: The Montreal Canadiens have signed 2024 fifth-round pick Tyler Thorpe to a three-year, entry-level contract. Thorpe has also signed an AHL professional try-out agreement with the Laval Rocket for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Laval has five regular season games, and likely a hardy playoff run, remaining in their year.

Thorpe has spent the last three seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, where he’s grown from a menial bottom-six power-forward to a top-six scorer. He managed 27 goals and 52 points in 68 games this season, good for third on the team in goals and fifth in scoring among forwards. The performance was a slight downtick in point-per-game scoring from Thorpe’s 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games last season. It was on the heels of that performance that Montreal chose to draft Thorpe in the midrounds – no doubt allured by his six-foot-five, 215-pound frame.

Thorpe does it all in his hefty frame – capable of filling a strong role in front of the net, beating opponents with a heavy shot, or throwing his body around in the corners. He’s grown substantially in his ability to move around in his big frame, a direct contributor to his growth from just six points as a rookie to 44 last year, and then to 52 this season. Thorpe’s finding new ways to make an impact in all three zones, and should enter the pro flight with a projectable style thanks to his size advantage. He’ll find comfort in his abilities to control the netfront, but Montreal will surely watch for his hard shot to reach a pro level.

With this move, Thorpe becomes the third 2024 fifth-round pick to sign their entry-level deals, behind Utah’s Owen Allard and Edmonton’s Connor Clattenburg.

Calgary Flames Recall Zayne Parekh

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One of the game’s top defensive prospects will debut tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks. The Calgary Flames announced they’ve recalled defenseman Zayne Parekh from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, and he’ll join the club immediately.

The Flames selected Parekh with the ninth overall selection of the 2024 NHL Draft, and there’s reason to believe he should have been selected higher. In his draft season, Parekh scored 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games with a +39 rating, easily winning the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s best defenseman and being named the CHL Defenseman of the Year.

He followed that performance up with an even better year. Parekh scored 33 goals and 107 points in 61 games for the Spirit this season with a +42 rating, finishing fifth in the league in scoring. Not only did Parekh lead all OHL defensemen in scoring, but there was a 16-point gap between him and Sam Dickinson, who finished in second. Furthermore, the only other defenseman in OHL history to record back-to-back 30-goal campaigns came in the 1965-66 season, when an 18-year-old Bobby Orr tallied 38 goals for the Oshawa Generals.

Despite seeing his postseason end at the hands of the Erie Otters, Parekh still has a chance to play meaningful hockey down the stretch with Calgary. The Flames are four points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card position in the Western Conference with five games remaining and a game in hand.

Calgary ranks 21st in the league with 129 points contributed by defensemen. That number should improve marginally over the five remaining regular season contests if Parekh contributes even fractionally to his performance in the OHL.

Still, his position in the lineup could be up in the air. The Flames already have two top-four right-handed defensemen in MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, with the former having played on the left side several times. Calgary can allow Parekh a quality opportunity over the next two weeks alongside Weegar or a more defensive-minded option like Kevin Bahl or Joel Hanley. Should Parekh play as advertised, the Flames may enter the off-season one blueliner away from having an elite defensive unit.

Seattle Kraken Recall Victor Ostman, Ryan Winterton

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The Seattle Kraken will have a few additional players on their bench for their matchup against the Utah Hockey Club tonight. Seattle announced they’ve recalled goaltender Victor Ostman from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, on an emergency basis. A few moments later, the Kraken also shared they’ve recalled Ryan Winterton on a standard recall.

Ostman’s recall suggests that either Joey Daccord or Philipp Grubauer won’t be available for Seattle tonight, but there haven’t been any updates regarding their availability. The Swedish netminder is likely considered the Kraken’s fourth-string goaltender and has yet to debut in the NHL.

Still, the 2024-25 campaign is his first playing in the professional ranks. He signed with Seattle as a collegiate free agent out of the University of Maine after managing a 35-38-7 record in 86 NCAA contests with a .905 SV% and 2.82 GAA. This season, he’s primarily played for the Kraken’s ECHL affiliate, the Kansas City Mavericks, posting a 21-7-4 record with a .903 SV%, 2.52 GAA, and two shutouts in 32 contests.

Meanwhile, Winterton earns his fifth call-up of the season with this transaction. Seattle selected Winterton with the 67th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he debuted with the club last year. This season, the Markham, Ontario native has scored 18 goals and 37 points in 55 games for AHL Coachella Valley with a +11 rating. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone great in the NHL with Seattle, as he’s only mustered one assist while carrying a -7 rating in nine contests.

Edmonton Oilers Recall Noah Philp On Emergency Basis

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Following yesterday’s announcement about Trent Frederic’s aggravation of his ankle injury, the Edmonton Oilers made an emergency recall as soon as permitted. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have recalled Noah Philp from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

It’s not the first time Philp has been recalled this season for similar reasons. Despite spending most of the year with AHL Bakersfield, Philp has suited up in 12 games with Edmonton this season, with his last NHL contest coming in early February.

He wasn’t heavily utilized in those appearances. Philp has tallied two assists while averaging 8:40 of ice time for the Oilers, maintaining a +1 rating while playing on the fourth line. He displayed quality possession and defensive metrics, but Philp wouldn’t have been an improvement on their other options when healthy.

Still, he’s had a quality season with the Condors, scoring 15 goals and 30 points in 52 contests. That offensive output places him seventh on the team in scoring, and he remains one of the best defensive-minded forwards on the roster.

The season is even more impressive considering Philp’s 2023-24 campaign, or lack thereof. Just over two years ago, Philp retired from professional hockey, citing personal reasons. After spending a year away from the game, the Oilers quickly signed Philp to a one-year, $775K contract on the opening day of free agency.

Florida Panthers Injury Updates

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It’s challenging to think of a team that has dealt with more injuries over the last few weeks than the Florida Panthers. Two weeks ago, the Panthers were the top team in the Atlantic Division. Unfortunately, injuries have limited Florida to a 1-4-1 record in their last six games, watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning pass them in the standings.

However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking to reporters this morning, head coach Paul Maurice commented on the status of nearly every injured member of the typical roster. First, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports that captain Aleksander Barkov will return to the lineup for Florida’s important matchup against Toronto tomorrow night. He had missed the Panthers’ past three contests with an upper-body injury.

Barkov’s importance in Florida’s lineup can’t be understated. As one of the premier two-way forwards of this era, Barkov helps the Panthers keep the puck out of their net just as much as he helps them put pucks in their opponent’s net. Since beginning his career during the 2013-14 season, Florida has a 60-63-16 record during the regular season when Barkov isn’t in the lineup.

Guy later reported that trade deadline acquisition Nico Sturm should also return on Wednesday, with defenseman Dmitry Kulikov expected back toward the end of the week. Shortly thereafter, TSN’s Mark Masters shared that Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling are also expected back in the lineup on Wednesday.

By the end of the week, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aaron Ekblad will be the only regular players who haven’t returned to the lineup. It appears that Bennett will not play in another regular season game for the Panthers.

Senior digital content manager for the team Jameson Olive shared that Bennett’s next game for Florida will be Game One of their Round One matchup, primarily for precautionary reasons. The physical middleman is dealing with an upper-body injury, and the Panthers want him to be as close to 100% as possible for what is bound to be a hotly contested opening round of the playoffs.

Florida has five games left in their regular season schedule, and it will be a challenge to overcome the difficulties they have faced in recent weeks. Currently, they are four points behind the Lightning and six points behind the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. They risk losing home-ice advantage for their Stanley Cup defense. Still, with one game against Toronto and one game against Tampa Bay sandwiched between relatively easier matchups against the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres, the Panthers could control their destiny for their opening-round matchup.

Penguins Recall Matthew Nieto Under Emergency Conditions

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Matthew Nieto from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. Pittsburgh continues to face injuries to forwards Tommy Novak, Philip Tomasino, and Bokondji Imama; as well as defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Nieto will rejoin the NHL ranks to help push the team through their final four games of the season.

Nieto’s season began a month late as he recovered from a pair of knee surgeries last season. He initially returned with a pair of AHL games, but earned a call-up in mid November that glued him to the NHL roster. Serving as Pittsburgh’s extra forward, Nieto stepped into 31 games through the return of the 4-Natiosn Face-Off Break, but only managed a measly three points. That low production earned Nieto a waiver placement and assignment to the minors in late February. The move has proven to be a helpful spark. Intercut with routine call-ups to the top flight, Nieto has managed three goals and seven points in 15 AHL games – productive scoring in his first games since the 2013-14 season.

Nieto will likely serve as Pittsburgh’s extra man in Tuesday’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Penguins could also opt to push him into the lineup over a player like Joona Koppanen, who has just one goal in seven games this season, or Connor Dewar, who has one point in his last seven games.

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