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Devils’ Santeri Hatakka Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden

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Devils pending restricted free agent defenseman Santeri Hatakka has signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, per a club announcement. It’s unclear if the deal carries an NHL out clause. New Jersey can retain his exclusive signing rights through 2028 if they decide to issue him a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline.

Hatakka’s move overseas comes after an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old Finn was expected to compete for an opening night roster spot after posting strong defensive results in limited minutes last season, but he sustained a shoulder injury during training camp that required surgery. He wasn’t cleared to return until February, upon which he cleared waivers and finished the season with AHL Utica. The 6’1″ lefty posted a goal, an assist, 20 PIMs, and a plus-one rating in 19 minor-league appearances to end the campaign.

A sixth-round pick by the Sharks back in 2019, San Jose traded Hatakka to New Jersey in the 2023 Timo Meier deal. While he’s flashed upside as a reliable stay-at-home defensive presence, injuries have been a constant. He was limited to just eight AHL games in 2022-23.

In his Devils debut last season, Hatakka recorded two assists and a plus-five rating in 12 appearances while averaging 14:39 per game. He posted a 49.8 CF% at even strength, 1.9% better than the Devils’ shot attempt share without him on the ice, and was widely expected to spend most of this season as a reliable press-box or call-up option. Given he didn’t receive that opportunity and he wasn’t even part of New Jersey’s Black Ace callups last week, it’s clear neither side envisions much of an immediate future for Hatakka in New Jersey.

Attention now shifts toward whether the Devils will want to keep him on their reserve list with a qualifying offer. If they do so, Hatakka would have to sign with the Devils or have his signing rights traded if he wants to return to the NHL when his contract with HV71 expires in 2027. He joins a club whose 2025-26 roster also includes former Senator Olle Alsing, ex-Maple Leaf Andreas Borgman, and former Lightning depth piece Sean Day on the back end.

Valtteri Filppula Announces Retirement

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16-year NHL veteran Valtteri Filppula has ended his playing career. Helsinki-based Jokerit of Finland’s second-tier league, Mestis, where he spent the 2024-25 campaign, made the announcement today.

Filppula, 41, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2020-21 campaign but remained steadily active overseas. After a strong three-year run in Switzerland with Genève-Servette HC of the National League, he returned to Jokerit, where he began his professional career, last summer as player and part-owner.

Jokerit, a staple of top-flight Finnish hockey, joined Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League in the mid-2010s but withdrew from the league abruptly in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They were denied re-entry into the top-level Liiga and thus restarted play in Mestis in 2023-24. Filppula captained the team to a Mestis championship this season and finished second on the team in scoring with 14-27–41 in 39 games, but Jokerit dropped the Liiga relegation series against Pelicans and will thus remain in Mestis for 2025-26.

It was a mostly triumphant end to Filppula’s 22-year professional career. He made his Liiga (then the SM-liiga) debut with Jokerit in 2003-04, one year after the Red Wings selected him in the third round of the 2002 NHL draft. He led the league in rookie scoring that year and then reached the championship series in 2004-05 before heading to Detroit for 2005-06.

Filppula spent most of his first season in North America with AHL Grand Rapids, where he exploded out of the gate for a 20-50–70 scoring line in 74 games and was naturally a participant in the league’s All-Star Game. He earned a full-time role on the powerhouse Red Wings for 2006-07 and never looked back. The 6’0″ center played a key depth role in Detroit’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2008 and 2009, winning the only ring of his career in the former year, recording 27 points and a +15 rating in 45 games across the two runs.

The left-shot pivot got more of a run in top-six minutes in the years to come, but his offense was hot and cold from year to year. After scoring 23 goals and a career-high 66 points for Detroit in 81 games in the 2011-12 campaign, he mustered just 17 points in 41 games in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, leading the team to let him walk in unrestricted free agency after the five-year, $15MM deal he signed in the 2008 offseason expired.

Filppula landed another five-year deal on the open market, receiving $25MM from the Lightning to stay in the Atlantic Division. His offensive production came roaring back, lighting the lamp a career-best 25 times in 75 games in 2013-14 while playing just south of 20 minutes per night. In Year 2 in Tampa, he played a crucial top-line role with Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos as the Bolts marched to the Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Blackhawks. He scored 4-10–14 in 26 games in that playoff run.

His offense soon began to taper off for good. He never eclipsed the 20-goal mark again after that 25-goal season, and his last time hitting 40 points was in the 2016-17 campaign. He remained a capable defensive presence in dwindling minutes, though. After brief stints with the Flyers and Islanders in the late 2010s, Filppula hit the open market in 2019 and reunited with Detroit on a two-year, $6MM deal.

An aging Filppula understandably wasn’t much of an impact player, especially on a 2019-20 Red Wings squad that finished with the worst points percentage of any team in the salary cap era. After recording a 12-24–36 scoring line with a -43 rating in 108 games for the Wings over two seasons, Filppula opted to play out the remainder of his career in Europe.

Filppula was one of Switzerland’s premier talents in his three-year run in the NL, scoring 47-84–131 in 145 games with a +16 rating for Genève-Servette after signing there in 2021. He won a league title with the club in 2023 while leading the postseason in assists and won a Champions Hockey League title as the top club in Europe in 2024. Heading overseas at the time also allowed him to represent Finland in the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he recorded two assists in six games as captain and won a gold medal. He also won a gold medal at the World Championship that year, making him the only Finnish member and most recent entrant of the Triple Gold Club.

Filppula retires after scoring 197 goals, 333 assists, and 530 points in 1,056 career regular-season games. The ever-steady center also won 50.8% of his career faceoffs and ranks 34th in playoff scoring since the 2004-05 lockout with 86 points in 166 career postseason games. All of us at PHR wish Filppula the best in retirement.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.

Coaching Notes: Carle, Quenneville, Tocchet

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As the NHL offseason inches closer, the annual coaching carousel is off and spinning. A number of teams have already moved on from their head coaches, and rumors have been heating up on who their replaces may be. The list includes established veterans, up-and-coming assistants, and even standout coaches from the college ranks. One name that continues to surface in these conversations is David Carle, head coach of the University of Denver. However, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said on today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast that the belief is Carle will be returning to Denver.

Carle recently withdrew consideration for the Blackhawks position, but it appears he’s not currently interested in any coaching jobs in the NHL. As Friedman notes, things can always change as more positions become available, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins position becoming available today. But for now, it appears the 35-year-old coach has unfinished business at the NCAA-level.

In other coaching news:

  • Friedman discussed the Anaheim Ducks and their level of interest in former coach Joel Quenneville. He said the belief is that Quenneville is in fact a serious contender for the position and added he believes several teams are also looking into Quenneville. With Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek expressing a clear goal of reaching the playoffs next season, Friedman suggests that’s why the team is showing interest in Quenneville—a three-time Stanley Cup champion and the second-winningest coach in NHL history. With that said, Friedman also acknowledged how any team’s fanbase may be opposed to the hiring of Quenneville based on his past, all teams are going to have to weight when determining whether or not to move forward with the veteran coach.
  • Elsewhere, Friedman also mentioned that multiple teams seem to be working from a similar shortlist of coaching candidates—a list that, for several, includes Rick Tocchet. While Friedman doesn’t believe Tocchet has been granted permission by the Canucks to talk with other teams, he did key in on a piece of information president of hockey operations Jim Rutheford spoke on in a press conference recently. Rutherford acknowledged that the Canucks currently lack a dedicated practice facility—something Friedman believes Tocchet may have expressed frustration about. With positions available in Philly and Pittsburgh, Tocchet has ties with a few franchises currently looking for a head coach, so it will be interesting to see how things play out in Vancouver.

Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Wilson, Devils

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With Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreeing to part ways, reporters at general manager Kyle Dubas’ press conference today asked several questions related to Sidney Crosby’s involvement in the process. At one point during the conference, tensions appeared to rise slightly when Dubas was asked if Crosby was happy with the change. Dubas immediately responded that he wouldn’t speak on behalf of the team’s long-time captain.

Dubas was also asked if he thought the decision to move on from Sullivan would cause Crosby to want to leave Pittsburgh as well, to which he simply replied, “No,” per Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Dubas noted that he called Crosby on Sunday to give him the heads up on the decision and added that his job is to do what’s best for the franchise.

This past offseason, Crosby signed a two-year extension that is scheduled to keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $8.7 million. It is fair to wonder what Crosby’s thoughts are on a potential rebuild, which isn’t a term that Dubas used today, but was the tone he used in discussing the immediate future of the franchise. With that said, the two previous coaching changes Crosby was around for (Sullivan and Dan Bylsma before him) resulted in immediate Stanley Cup victories.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson’s physicality has been a key catalyst in the team’s first-round matchup against the Canadiens, writes The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber. As Silber notes, Wilson delivered a big hit on Alexandre Carrier that led to the game-tying goal in game four, which the Caps would go on to win 5-2. Washington is now just one win away from moving on to the second round. While the hit has drawn speculation as to its legality, no penalty was called, and momentum was clearly shifted toward the Capitals. As Wilson said after the game: “It’s been a physical series both ways, getting hit, giving hits, they’ve been really physical, so it’s a long series. You just try and kind of invest and continue to play hard every shift you’re out there. It was a big hit and the boys were able to score right after. That’s the way hockey goes.” It was the second consecutive game Wilson’s physicality came into play. In game three, Wilson and Josh Anderson engaged in a wrestling match that ended up spilling into Washington’s bench. Both players received roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts and were also assessed $5,000 fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • Missing key blueliners Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic, the Devils struggled badly in their game four loss to the Hurricanes—and with all three expected to remain out for game five, their defensive woes are likely to continue. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, all three will miss game five, which will likely require veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to continue to play extended minutes, Dennis Cholowski to continue to play his first career playoff games, and force higher than anticipated ice time for Jonas Siegenthaler, who just returned from an injury himself. from his own injury. With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. Carolina currently leads the series 3-1.

 

 

Metro Notes: Flyers, Perevalov, McIlrath

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As one of the several teams looking for a new head coach this offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers are taking their time with the search. In a new article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Philadelphia-based journalist publicized the most recent developments from the Flyers organization.

As expected, Kurz indicates the Flyers are monitoring Rick Tocchet’s situation in Vancouver, as he’s viewed as their favorite candidate. Philadelphia won’t be allowed to engage with Tocchet until his contract formally expires on June 30th, but the Flyers will have interest if he doesn’t extend with the Canucks.

The only candidate that Kurz explicitly stated isn’t considered a fit is David Carle from the University of Denver, who recently withdrew his name from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks. As other potential candidates, Kurz reports that Joel Quenneville and Western Michigan University’s Pat Ferschweiler haven’t been ruled out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Flyers will target either.

Lastly, after the Flyers dismissed three of their assistant coaches last week, Kurz believes this indicates the team will retain Brad Shaw as an assistant coach. Before being named the team’s interim head coach toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Shaw served as Philadelphia’s associate coach for approximately three years.

Other happenings from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have one of their 2022 draft selections for at least one more year. In a report from Sport42, Hurricanes prospect Alexander Perevalov has agreed to a one-year extension with the VHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Perevalov got off to a bad start last season, scoring three goals and six points in 21 games for the Omskie Krylia. Still, he rebounded nicely upon joining Metallurg, tallying eight goals and 23 points in 26 contests.
  • Similarly to Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, the Department of Player Safety has fined Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath $2,018.23 for unsportsmanlike conduct in yesterday’s pre-game warm-up. Again, the league didn’t share any specifics of the altercation, but video footage indicates the two sharing words with several members of the opposing teams.

Central Notes: Heiskanen, Johansson, Wiesblatt

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Before the Round One matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars shifted to Denver for Games 3 and 4, there was some belief defenseman Miro Heiskanen would return to the Stars lineup in one of those contests, given he was traveling with the team. Heiskanen was not activated, and that will not change this evening either.

According to Brien Rea of Victory+, it’s already been confirmed that Heiskanen won’t return for Game 5 as the series moves back to American Airlines Center. Still, Heiskanen is considered on a day-to-day recovery timeline after already returning to the ice for practice, and should be back in the lineup any day now.

Fortunately, the series isn’t as lopsided as it should be for the Heiskanen-less Stars. Despite being outscored by a margin of six and having only had the lead for 62 seconds in the entire series, Dallas has still managed to keep the series split two games apiece.

Other Central notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild could get a boost to their forward core for an important Game 5. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Wild winger Marcus Johansson has returned to practice after missing Game 4 with a lower-body injury. Still, Johansson wasn’t as impactful as some of his peers through the first three games of the series, as he only tallied one assist while averaging 13:54 of ice time per game.
  • The AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, affiliated with the NHL’s Nashville Predators, have inked a forward to a rare three-year AHL contract beginning in the 2025-26 AHL season. Oasiz Wiesblatt, brother of Ozzy Wiesblatt, is joining the club from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. The younger Wiesblatt recently finished his fourth full major junior season as captain of the Tigers, scoring 36 goals and 103 points in 66 games.

Atlantic Notes: Pastrňák, Lauko, Xhekaj, Tavares

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Team Czechia got a boost to their repeat efforts for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Boston Bruins announced that star winger David Pastrňák and depth forward Jakub Lauko would play for their native country during this year’s rendition of the international competition.

It’ll be the sixth time Pastrňák has played in the tournament, as he’s usually joined Team Czechia relatively quickly after the Bruins have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped Czechia win the gold medal last year, tallying one goal in four contests. Throughout his career, Pastrňák has scored 14 goals and 30 points in 32 tournament contests, additionally helping Czechia to a bronze medal in 2022.

Meanwhile, Lauko will participate in his first international tournament since the 2019-20 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was typically an unnoteworthy player in those tournaments, scoring one goal and three points in 12 games throughout three tournaments.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Due to some extracurricular activity before Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, the league’s Department of Player Safety decided to bestow some punishments. The Department of Player Safety announced they’ve fined Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct during warm-ups of yesterday’s contest. The league didn’t allude to any specific actions from Xhekaj, but he was seen exchanging words with a few Capitals players from his side of the red line.
  • Despite failing to close the series in Game 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided a serious injury to one of their top centers. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a concussion spotter pulled Maple Leafs forward John Tavares during overtime in Game 4, but he cleared the tests to return. The concussion spotter’s worry likely came from Tavares receiving a high hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub in front of Ottawa’s net, which made contact with Tavares’ head.

Blues Recall Nikita Alexandrov, Colten Ellis, Corey Schueneman

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The Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, had their season end last night when they were bounced in the first round by the Providence Bruins. St. Louis is thus adding a few Springfield fixtures to their roster as healthy extras for the playoffs, announcing they’ve recalled center Nikita Alexandrov, goaltender Colten Ellis, and defenseman Corey Schueneman. Netminder Will Cranley, who was previously rostered as the Blues’ third goalie to begin the postseason, was returned to ECHL Florida in a corresponding move.

It’s Alexandrov’s first stint on the roster since the 2023-24 campaign. After playing 51 games over the prior two seasons and signing a two-way deal late in training camp after spending much of the summer on the restricted free agent market, St. Louis waived Alexandrov and subsequently reassigned him to Springfield to begin 2024-25. While the 24-year-old Russian didn’t get a call-up opportunity, he made the most of his time in Springfield and exploded for a 21-28–49 scoring line in just 48 appearances. He didn’t record a point in three playoff outings, but Alexandrov’s 1.02 points per game led Springfield and ranked 12th among AHLers with at least 25 games played.

A 2019 second-round pick, Alexandrov is headed for restricted free agency again this summer. The Blues likely intend to qualify him after a strong minor-league showing, but he may hold out in hopes of landing a clearer path to NHL minutes elsewhere. He could be a cheap in-house replacement for pending UFA Radek Faksa if St. Louis wants to use that cap space elsewhere, though.

Ellis will now serve as the No. 3 in net behind Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer after a spotless 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old erupted for a 2.63 GAA, .922 SV%, three shutouts, and a 22-14-5 record in 42 regular-season showings for Springfield and was rewarded with a two-year extension in March. He also posted a .933 SV% in the T-Birds’ three-game loss to Providence. While he may not have an NHL appearance on his resume, there are far worse EBUG options on postseason rosters.

Schueneman will end his campaign with the NHL club after making four appearances for the Blues in the regular season, his first since the 2022-23 campaign. The 29-year-old lefty got a run of games in November and was called up as a healthy extra a few more times throughout the year. The former Canadiens rearguard signed a two-way extension in January to keep him in St. Louis/Springfield through 2025-26. He posted 4-16–20 with a plus-eight rating in 63 AHL contests.

Cranley will re-join the Florida Everblades, who swept their first-round series against the Jacksonville Icemen in their quest for a Kelly Cup four-peat. He put up a .896 SV% in 23 regular-season appearances there. The 2020 sixth-rounder likely won’t see playoff action, though. AHL-contracted veteran Cam Johnson has been in the crease for the Everblades’ last three championship runs and had a .935 SV% in the first round.

Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi Likely To Play Game 5

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Jets top-line forward Gabriel Vilardi is expected to make his 2025 playoffs debut in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Blues, head coach Scott Arniel said today (via John Lu of TSN).

Vilardi won’t have his minutes limited in his return to the lineup, Arniel said. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Sabres on March 23, missing over a month.

Riding shotgun with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to form the most-deployed line at 5-on-5 in the league this season, Vilardi enjoyed a career-high 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points in 71 games before injury ended his season. The 6’3″, 216-lb forward averaged 18:08 per game, third-most among Winnipeg forwards behind his linemates, and led the team with 12 power-play goals. That’ll make him a huge boost to a Jets power play that’s clicking at just 16.7% against St. Louis thus far, 13th among 16 playoff teams and 12.2 percentage points worse than their league-leading 28.9% conversion rate in the regular season.

Vilardi’s return comes at a crucial point in the series. After scoring seven goals at home to take a 2-0 series lead, Winnipeg managed to put the puck past Jordan Binnington just three times in Games 3 and 4 as St. Louis stormed back to tie the series. It’s now a best-of-three between the Presidents’ Trophy winners and the second wild-card team in the West.

Alex Iafallo, fresh off an extension, has taken Vilardi’s place on the top line to begin the series. He scored in Game 1 but hasn’t registered a point since and was a minus-five across Games 3 and 4. Inexplicably, his line with Connor and Scheifele has been the Jets’ worst at driving play in the postseason. The trio’s 36.7% expected goals share is the only Jets line with at least 10 minutes of ice time to register an xG share under 50, per MoneyPuck. In the regular season, Connor and Scheifele controlled 52.6% of expected goals when paired with Vilardi.

Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images.

Jets Recall Five Black Aces

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With their AHL affiliate’s season over, the Jets announced they’ve recalled five players from the Manitoba Moose to serve as extras for the remainder of their playoff run. Forwards Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Mason Shaw, and defensemen Dylan Coghlan, Isaak Phillips, and Elias Salomonsson will travel with the Jets and practice with the club while technically being available for game action if necessary.

Jonsson-Fjallby did not appear for Winnipeg in the regular season, his first campaign without an NHL appearance since 2020-21. The 27-year-old Swede was on a one-way deal this year so he still received his league-minimum $775K salary, but the pending unrestricted free agent seems unlikely to remain with the Jets beyond this playoff run as a result. The fifth-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016 struggled to produce with Manitoba this year as well, limited to 12-15–27 in 65 games after posting 30 points in only 41 AHL contests last year. He last saw NHL ice for Winnipeg in the 2024 postseason and has 23 points in 99 career NHL games across three seasons.

Shaw also did not make an NHL appearance in 2024-25. It was his first professional season outside the Wild organization, which drafted him in the fourth round in 2017 but did not tender him a qualifying offer last summer after he recovered from his fourth ACL surgery (twice in each knee). After landing a two-way deal with Winnipeg a few days later, Shaw cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and reported to Manitoba. The 26-year-old posted a 17-20–37 scoring line with 114 PIMs and a -21 rating in his first non-injury plagued season since 2021-22. Winnipeg can retain the 26-year-old’s signing rights with a qualifying offer this summer, but he’s eligible for salary arbitration.

[RELATED: NHL Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents For 2025]

Coghlan is the only member of the group to appear in a regular-season game for the Jets this year. He skated in six games in December and January after spending the first two months of the season as a healthy scratch. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to Manitoba for the rest of the season in mid-January. While he went without a point in his six big-league games, the two-way righty lit up the minors with a 12-16–28 scoring line in just 36 appearances for the Moose. He’s one year removed from leading the AHL in goals by a defenseman but sits firmly in the No. 10 spot on Winnipeg’s defense depth chart behind names like Ville Heinola, Colin Miller, and Logan Stanley.

Phillips played early in the season with the Blackhawks but didn’t see a recall to the Jets’ roster after they acquired him via trade in January. The 2020 fifth-rounder has 2-10–12 with a -37 rating in 56 career appearances with Chicago over the past four years. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, the young shutdown blueliner had 3-5–8 with a -11 rating in 39 appearances for Manitoba after the trade.

Salomonsson has yet to make his NHL debut but is likely Winnipeg’s top prospect at this point. The 20-year-old rearguard adjusted well in his first season in North America in 2024-25, logging heavy minutes for Manitoba and finishing second among their defensemen in scoring behind Coghlan with 5-22–27 in 53 games. The smooth-skating 6’2″, 185-lb righty is a long shot to make next season’s opening night roster but is likely to at least make his big-league debut within the next 12 months.

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