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Big Hype Prospects: Fowler, McKenna, Lardis, Frondell

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Mid-March is rolling around and hockey seasons are entering their waning point. Many college seasons are already concluded, while plenty of players in junior hockey are beginning to prepare for long playoff runs or springtime international hockey. It’s the final wave of action before the season comes to an end, so let’s take the chance to once again borrow from MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to bring you four of the hottest U21 players in hockey.

Four Big Hype Prospects

Jacob Fowler, G, Boston College (NCAA Hockey East, ’23 Montreal Canadiens)
32 GP – 24-5-2 – 0.941 Sv% – 1.62 GAA

Another season is coming to its end, which means it’s time for Jacob Fowler to receive his annual flowers. He’s won MVP awards and (or) championship rings in every single season of his junior hockey journey, and this year proved no exception. Fowler posted an incredibly .941 save percentage this season, the second highest in all of college behind 24-year-old junior Alex Tracy (.944). That masterclass performance was recognized on Thursday when Fowler unanimously won the Hockey East goalie of the year award. He beat out fantastic competition, namely Maine’s brick wall Albin Boija. The 20-year-old Fowler took a major stride forward from his 32-6-1 record and .926 Sv% last season – which was itself a continuation of the pair of above-.920 seasons he posted in the USHL. Fowler now holds the record for U17 save percentage in the USHL, won the USHL playoff MVP in a 2023 championship run, and now just matched Connor Hellebuyck’s save percentage in his age-20 season. Fowler is cool, calm, collected – and above all else – amazingly consistent. He’s proven to be a star at Boston College, and likely won’t be long from trying to do the same in the NHL.

Gavin McKenna, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL, 2026 NHL Draft)
53 GP – 34 G – 80 A – 114 TP – 17 PIM – +51

This is now Gavin McKenna’s third mention in our big hype prospects series – but there is simply no other player worth such acclaim. McKenna has continued to show his superstardom, dazzling even without standout centerman and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom and Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha. He extended his active scoring streak to 37 games on Friday, tying thee Sidney Crosby for the second-longest point streak among CHL players since 2000-01. He’s only behind Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, who stretched his streak to 65 games. McKenna has taken to a more prominent center role this season, to great effect. It’s pushed him to be more physical, or find even niftier ways to beat defenders. He’s slick on the puck and makes incredibly intelligent plays – capable of beating defenders with some of the simplest, but most effective, punch stops and quick cuts. There’s been no doubt that McKenna was going to be the first-overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft – but his performance this season, and namely this calendar year, have cemented that fact in a way that hasn’t been rivaled since Rasmus Dahlin, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid. McKenna is thee clear-cut star of his age group – and still has a year of junior (or collegiate) hockey to find yet another gear to his game.

Nick Lardis, LW/C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL, ’23 Chicago Blackhawks)
63 GP – 71 G – 44 A – 115 TP – 16 PIM – +20

Continuing the conversation of record-setting seasons is Blackhawks wing prospect Nick Lardis, who sits just one goal back from all-time heights. His 71 goals this season are the second-highest in the OHL since 2000 – and just one back from what former exceptional status superstar John Tavares managed in the 2006-07 season. Lardis has taken an incredible stride forward after potting 29 goals and 50 points in 37 games last year; and 25 goals and 46 points in 33 games of 2022-23. He’s developed a knack for the scoring imbalance, finding more goals than assists on the back of great positioning around the net, hard-nosed puck battles, and a killer wrist shot. Lardis simply can’t be left alone in the lower two-thirds of the offensive zone – which has proven a major challenge considering defenders also have to monitor teammate and fellow Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker. The mix of Vanacker’s nifty hands and ability to control space, and Lardis’ hot-shot scoring, has been simply too much to bear for OHL defenses. With both players in their pipeline, Chicago has a real chance to ensure that their chemistry remains overwhelming for NHL opponents as well.

Anton Frondell, RW/C, Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan, 2025 NHL Draft)
29 GP – 11 G – 14 A – 25 TP – 16 PIM – +11

Health has been the obstacle for star 2025 NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell. He’s missed big chunks of games in October, November, December, and February of this season – intercut with spot starts. But when he’s healthy, there may be no international talent that rivals Frondell in this draft class. He has a simply jaw-dropping 14 points in his last eight games in the HA – Sweden’s second-tier pros. That scoring includes a four-point night and a three-point night in what is a very competitive, and often low-scoring, pro league. Finally, with his feet and his health under him, Frondell’s offense is exploding. He may be dancing a little too late for the crowd, but his ability to control the puck and work through space on the boards is incredible. Frondell has a powerful frame and drives hard to the slot – or steps back for hard wrist shots when defenders block his lanes. He’s a lethal threat north of the red line, with the positioning and grit to stay effective on the defensive side as well. Frondell will – or, should – be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft. If he keeps up this recent performance, that number could rise north of top-five. The World U18 Championships will be his best chance to prove his worth to NHL brass. That tournament begins on April 23rd.

Ducks Recall Nikita Nesterenko

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With injuries mounting, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled winger Nikita Nesterenko from AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the team announced. He is in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Predators.

This marks the second recall on the year for Nesterenko, 23, who previously registered a goal and an assist during a seven-game stretch earlier this season. In 19 career games with the big club, he has registered three goals and four points.

He has fared much better offensively at the AHL-level, where he has 13 goals and 34 points in 48 games with the Gulls this season, along with 71 points in 118 career AHL games. He’s been particularly hot of late, ranking third among all AHL players in points (19) since the AHL’s all-star break.

The Ducks acquired Nesterenko, defender Andrej Sustr (who never dressed for the Ducks and is now playing overseas) and a 2025 fourth-round selection from the Wild for defenseman John Klingberg in March 2023. Nesterenko was selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (173rd overall) in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

While his recall may be deserving, it also comes with a degree of necessity as forwards Sam Colangelo and Ross Johnston are both out day-to-day with injuries. The 23-year-old Colangelo has scored 6 goals in 20 games this season and his injury comes at a particularly inopportune time, as he scored four goals in his last five games. This included his first career two-goal game at home against the Islanders on March 9. The right-handed winger was selected by Anaheim in the second round of the 2020 draft.

Johnston, a veteran of 245 NHL games, has registered just four points in 45 games on the season. Now in his ninth NHL season and second with Ducks, Johnston has averaged just 8:41 of ice time on the year.

Utah Hockey Club Activates Nick Bjugstad From IR

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The Utah Hockey Club has activated forward Nick Bjugstad off injured reserve, but the veteran will remain a healthy scratch, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

It’s been a tough season for the 32-year-old veteran, who has fought injuries and posted only five goals and 15 points through 53 games. He landed on the IR on March 1 with an upper-body injury, which marked his second stint on IR on the year after missing the first eight games of the season with an additional upper-body injury.

As Utah continues to soar up the standings – aided by a 6-2-2 record over their last 10 games – and sits just two points out of a wild card spot, it stands to reason they wouldn’t want to make a roster change at this time. Bjugstad is in the final year of his deal that comes with a $2.1MM cap hit.

The disappointment in Bjugstad’s season is only heightened by his success for the franchise just a year ago. In 76 games in Arizona last year, he put up 22 goals, 23 assists and 45 points, the second highest total of his now 13-year NHL career.

Still, Bjugstad’s veteran presence and experience in the playoffs could serve as a positive for the team moving forward. A veteran of 747 career NHL games, Bjugstad sports a 0.44 career points per game total and has added six goals in 27 career playoff games.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Current Cap Hit: $90,148,437 (over the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Knies (one year, $925K)

Knies is quickly looking like one of the better-value picks of the 2021 draft. He debuted for the Leafs late in the 2022-23 season after his sophomore campaign at the University of Minnesota and has since skated almost exclusively in top-six roles. He has 76 career points in 139 games, second in the draft among non-first rounders behind the Lightning’s J.J. Moser. Luckily for Toronto, his strong performance won’t activate any performance bonuses in his contract – all of his ELC compensation is through base salary and signing bonuses. However, that will incentivize Knies to push for more money in contract negotiations this summer after agreeing to limit his earning potential through his first few NHL seasons.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Jani Hakanpää ($1.47MM, UFA)
F Pontus Holmberg ($800K, RFA)
F Steven Lorentz ($775K, UFA)
F Mitch Marner ($10.903MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($874K, UFA)
F Nicholas Robertson ($875K, RFA)
F John Tavares ($11MM, UFA)

After his 2023-24 campaign with the Stars ended prematurely due to a knee injury, the Leafs picked up Hakanpää as a cheap shutdown option on the right side (but not without some lengthy drama). Lingering knee issues limited him to just a pair of appearances back in November, though, and it’s all but certain he won’t return this season. Holmberg likely doesn’t have a ton of room left to grow at age 26, but the versatile Swede has been a nice fit in Toronto’s bottom six this season and has even been elevated to the second line with John Tavares on brief occasions. He’s averaging north of 13 minutes per game and is encroaching on his career high in points, so he’ll likely be brought back on a low-cost deal in the $1MM range.

Lorentz has been a nice pickup after a successful training camp tryout, appearing in nearly every game for the Leafs after serving as a frequent healthy scratch for the Panthers last year. He’s scored 14 points in 63 games while leading the team’s forwards with 156 hits, so it stands to reason they’ll try to bring him back on a sub-$1MM deal. Pacioretty, also a PTO pickup, seems like he’ll be one-and-done in Toronto after continued injury troubles have limited him to 13 points in 37 games, failing to hold onto a top-six job (and posting subpar defensive metrics when doing so). Robertson requested a trade last summer and, after it didn’t come to fruition, has seen his offensive production drop slightly from last year. He could be a non-tender option if the Leafs can’t find a taker for his signing rights.

The big fish are unquestionably the duo of Marner and Tavares. The former has had a spectacular campaign and still has a chance to finally crack the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, leading the Leafs in scoring with 80 points through 64 games. He’s also been Toronto’s most-deployed forward on the penalty kill this season at 2:16 per game. Easily the Leafs’ most valuable skater this season, no extension is imminent – especially after his name was thrown out in trade talks for Mikko Rantanen at the deadline. Pending his playoff performance, Toronto will likely need to step into the $13MM range annually on a max-term deal to keep him from looking elsewhere on the open market. Tavares is still chugging along with 56 points in 58 games in his age-34 season but is in line for a multi-million dollar pay cut next season, wherever he ends up. The former captain is open to continuing negotiations down the stretch and shouldn’t exceed the $8MM threshold on what’s likely to be a three-to-four-year pact.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Matt Benning ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Calle Järnkrok ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Scott Laughton ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Bobby McMann ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.35MM, UFA)
G Anthony Stolarz ($2.5MM, UFA)

Benning and Reaves won’t be brought back at the end of their deals – if they’re even still in Toronto at that point. The former hasn’t suited up for the Leafs after they acquired him from the Sharks early this season in the Timothy Liljegren trade. Toronto waived him shortly after the deal, and after there were no takers on the wire, they sent him to their AHL affiliate. The 30-year-old righty has played just 21 NHL games since the beginning of last year and has just eight points in 33 AHL games. Reaves, a last-of-his-kind enforcer, hasn’t captured an everyday role and even landed on waivers last week to open up some pre-deadline financial flexibility.

Järnkrok was a solid depth pickup for the Leafs in free agency in 2022, although injuries have significantly hampered his availability over the past two years. He just got back into the lineup this month after missing most of the year following groin surgery. He’ll be 34 next summer and could likely replicate his current AAV, likely even with a slight raise amid a rising cap, on a short-term deal. Toronto just picked up Laughton at the deadline from the Flyers, who are retaining half of his full $3MM cap hit. The consistent 30-to-40-point center likely won’t be in line for a pay cut barring a disastrous 2025-26 outing.

McMann and Stolarz are the two names likely to see considerable increases on their next deals. The former is a late bloomer, but now at age 28 has emerged as a legitimate top-nine piece. He’s scored at a 23-goal pace per 82 games over the last two seasons and could conceivably sniff the $4MM mark on his next deal. Stolarz, who will set a new career-high in starts this year and is tied for second in the league with a .920 SV%, stands to double his cap hit on a short-term deal considering how quickly salaries for 1A tandem netminders are rising.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Simon Benoit ($1.35MM, UFA)
D Brandon Carlo ($3.485MM, UFA)
F David Kämpf ($2.4MM, UFA)
D Philippe Myers ($850K in 2025-26 and 2026-27, UFA)

None of the players in this group are true impact pieces outside of potentially Carlo, who the Leafs managed to snag from the rival Bruins at the deadline with a decent chunk of salary retention despite there being two years left on his deal. A longtime bona fide top-four shutdown righty in Boston, he’s the Hakanpää upgrade they were looking for and will remain under contract for Toronto at an under-market-value price. Whether his level of play holds up enough for a pay rise at age 30 in 2027 remains to be seen.

Benoit and Myers’ term means the Leafs don’t have to worry about building out their depth defense. Both will likely alternate between bottom-pairing usage and nights in the press box for the remainder of their deals. Kämpf gives Toronto security at the fourth-line center slot, but that’s a steep price tag for his meager offensive production (10 points in 52 games), even considering the pending salary cap rise and his shorthanded deployment. It’s not expensive enough to truly be classified as an anchor deal, but his deal sticks out as an inefficiency on the Leafs’ books.

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Predators Activate Michael Bunting From IR

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The Predators are slated to get one of their top returns from the trade deadline in the lineup, as winger Michael Bunting has been removed from IR and is a game-time decision for tonight’s game in Anaheim, according to reporter Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game.

The Preds acquired Bunting and a fourth-round pick from the Penguins in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn. After the deal, Nashville GM Barry Trotz stated Bunting was an “impact player” the Preds were interested in acquiring, and noted the team’s desire to keep the 29-year-old Bunting in the fold moving forward.

Bunting has fought through injuries this season – as well as a short stint as a healthy scratch – in Pittsburgh prior to the trade. However, after a slow start, he started to turn things around to the tune of 14 goals and 29 points through 58 games. He also led the Penguins in power play goals (9) at the time of the trade. Through 326 career games, Bunting has scored 90 times, including two 20-plus goal seasons under his belt.

Although he’s only in his ninth NHL season, the Predators will mark the fifth NHL team Bunting will suit up for after stints with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina, and Pittsburgh. But Bunting should provide a veteran presence, solid top nine play, and power play production to the rebuilding Preds.

Bunting has one year remaining on his current contract with a 2025-26 cap hit of $4.5MM.

Stars Recall Kyle Capobianco, Lian Bichsel Out

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The Dallas Stars have recalled depth defenseman Kyle Capobianco to the NHL roster. He is expected to serve as the team’s extra defenseman with rookie Lian Bichsel set to miss Friday night’s game with illness, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News. Bichsel’s role is expected to be filled by Brendan Smith.

This move marks just the second call-up of Capobianco’s season. The first came on January 31st, when he was brought up for just one game before being returned to the minor leagues. He managed no scoring, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two in his sole NHL outing this year. But Capobianco has been red-hot since returning to the minors on Feb. 1. He has seven points in 14 games since being reassigned, including three goals. That scoring streak brings Capobianco up to 35 points in 49 AHL games this season, narrowly shy of the scoring pace that led him to 54 points in 69 AHL games last year.

Capobianco is in his first season with the Dallas Stars organization. His career began with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017-18 season, where he quickly carved out a role of hot minor league scoring and menial NHL impact. He spent five seasons with the Coyotes organization, before moving to the Winnipeg Jets for the last two seasons. He hasn’t been able to find a consistent NHL groove despite the change of scenery, though Capobianco has totaled 12 points in 74 NHL games and 201 points in 273 AHL games throughout his seven-year career. He isn’t likely to step into the lineup on this recall, though his next crack at the NHL will be a chance to improve on a low-grade performance in his Dallas Stars debut.

Meanwhile, Dallas will find a similar impact in replacing Bichsel with Smith. Both defenders bring heft and physicality to the blue-line, though Bichsel’s six-foot-seven, 231-pound frame is hard to replace. The 20-year-old rookie has five points, 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in 22 NHL games this season, the first of his career. Smith has managed four points, all assists, and 31 penalty minutes in 27 games of his own. Pending a big performance, Bichsel should head back to his lineup role once he’s kicked the flu.

Sharks Recall Zack Ostapchuk

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled recently-acquired center prospect Zack Ostapchuk to the NHL. The Sharks acquired Ostapchuk in a Trade Deadline move that sent Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins, and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and a 2025 second-round pick. This roster move will set Ostapchuk up to play his first game as a member of the Sharks organization.

Ostapchuk split the early season between Ottawa’s NHL and AHL rosters. He didn’t originally make the NHL roster out of training camp, but earned a call-up just three weeks into the season after scoring five points in his first six AHL games. Ottawa brought him up for their October 29th matchup against the St. Louis Blues, where Ostapchuk recorded an assist as part of an 8-1 Ottawa win. He went without any scoring in five games after that, prompting a return to the minor leagues that Ostapchuk quickly forced Ottawa to reverse – on the back of three points in three more AHL games. He was brought back to the NHL roster on November 25th and went on to tally one goal and two assists across 40 NHL appearances, while operating off of Ottawa’s fourth-line.

The Senators again returned Ostapchuk to the minor leagues on February 24th. It was in the AHL that he finished out his tenure in the Senators organization, which allowed him to be immediately assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda following his deadline move. San Jose will now follow in the footsteps of the Senators, and bring Ostapchuk up to the NHL roster on the back of three points in his last seven AHL games.

Ottawa drafted Ostapchuk with the 39th-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft – drawn to his full-sized frame and leadership role with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. Ostapchuk followed his draft selection with two more seasons in juniors, and ultimately totaled 134 in 187 games and five seasons in the WHL. He made his pro debut last season and spent the bulk of the year with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, where he managed 28 points in 69 games. He’s far surpassed that point production this year, with 11 points in 15 AHL games. Ostapchuk also served as one of Belleville’s alternate captains this year, at just 21 years old. It will be that boosted scoring and leadership presence that San Jose looks to tease out with this move.

Blue Jackets’ Erik Gudbranson Expected To Return Soon

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Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been out of the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup since their third game of the season. He sustained a shoulder injury on a collision with teammate Sean Monahan on October 15th, and required shoulder surgery one week later. But after nearly five months out of the lineup, Gudbranson could return as soon as early next week, head coach Dean Evason shared with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

This is fantastic news for the oft-injured Gudbranson. His career has been marred by routine long-term absences, dating back to his second year in the NHL in 2012-13 – when he was held to just 34 games between the NHL and AHL due to injury. Gudbranson has seemed to suffer a setback in nearly every season since then, including going through a stretch of playing just 254 games across four seasons between 2017 and 2021.

Gudbranson spurred his bad luck when he returned for the 2021-22 season. At the age of 30, he appeared in a career-high 78 games in a one-off season with the Calgary Flames. He joined the Blue Jackets on a four-year, $16MM contract in the following summer and carried his good health through a move to Ohio. Gudbranson appeared in 70 games of the 2022-23 season, then matched his career-high 78 appearances last year. Through the three seasons, he totaled 56 points in 226 total games – while missing just 20 games in total.

It was a promising stretch that helped Gudbranson plant his feet as one of Columbus’ most-utilized defensemen. He averaged 21:18 and 19:40 over his last two respective seasons with the Blue Jackets and appeared to be headed for another top-end role this year. But his lucky streak snapped this year. Columbus has just 17 games remaining in their season – and it will likely take Gudbranson at least a couple more to work his way back into the lineup. That will leave him pushing to appear in even 20 games this season, which would mark the fewest games he’s played in a single season in his 14-year NHL career.

But despite the bad news, Gudbranson still stands as a popular name on the Columbus blue-line. He’s recorded 39 points, 133 penalty minutes, and a minus-38 in 151 career games with the Blue Jackets, while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. Much of that playing time was split between menial roles next to depth defenders – like Jake Bean and Tim Berni – and top-end roles next to Blue Jackets superstar Zach Werenski.

Werenski is in the midst of a career year and stands as a favorite for the Norris Trophy and found a strong partner in mid-season acquisition Dante Fabbro. Columbus also has plenty of strength down their lineup, with hard-hitting veteran right-shot defender Ivan Provorov supporting rookie Denton Mateychuk on the second pair and veterans Jack Johnson and Damon Severson making up the third pair. That right-side depth could make it hard for Gudbranson to sneak back into the Blue Jackets lineup, even with the precedent of playing top minutes with the club. It won’t be low scoring that earns Gudbranson a hardy shot, with Provorov and Werenski recording 17 and 11 blocked shots over their last 10 games respectively.

How the Blue Jackets opt to return Gudbranson to the lineup could be telling as they attempt to hold onto their control of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Veteran depth behind the lineup is a coveted asset for many playoff-bound teams, and the Blue Jackets could opt to lean into that by shelving the former third-overall draft pick Gudbranson until his services are called upon. Should they want to push him back into a spot, it will likely be Johnson taking a step back – leaving Evason with the challenge of juggling four right-shot defensemen.

Sabres Notes: Kozak, Peterka, Norris, Bernard-Docker, Tullio

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Friday morning’s practice brought a wave of roster moves, injury updates, and lineup implications for the Buffalo Sabres. Most notably, the team has recalled depth winger Tyson Kozak from the minor leagues. Kozak has been back and forth between the minor leagues since the start of December, with his most recent call-up coming to an end on January 31st. He’s recorded two points, 11 penalty minutes, and 10 shots on net in seven games since returning to the minors.

Kozak received the first NHL recall of his career on December 5th. He didn’t manage any notable stat changes in his NHL debut, but did score his first NHL goal in his second career game. Buffalo rewarded Kozak with one more game, but returned him to the minors immediately after. He stayed buried through the start of the new year, before being called back up on January 9th for another eight NHL appearances. Kozak didn’t pot any scoring in those games – giving him just one goal in 11 NHL games on the season – though he did see his ice time climb from 7:23 at its lowest to 16:06 at its highest over the extent of the call-up. Another recall will give Kozak a chance to continue carving out a role in the Sabres lineup, while hopefully padding his scoring stats along the way. He has eight goals and 14 points in 31 AHL games this season.

Buffalo should have plenty of room to insert Kozak into the lineup, after top forwards JJ Peterka and Joshua Norris both missed Friday’s practice, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Peterka missed Buffalo’s Wednesday matchup against the Detroit Red Wings due to a day-to-day, lower-body injury. He is expected to also miss Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, but will travel with the team on their four-game road trip next week. Peterka has been one of Buffalo’s hottest players over the recent stretch, with a team-leading 10 points in his last nine games. He’s up to a career-high 51 points in 61 games this season.

Norris’ injury remains undisclosed. Head coach Lindy Ruff told Lysowski that Norris has been dealing with the injury for a little bit, and that he’s currently being evaluated by the Sabres’ medical staff. Norris has appeared in three games with Buffalo since joining the team at March 7th’s Trade Deadline. He has two points, split evenly, and 10 penalty minutes in those appearances. News of an injury will force Sabres fans to hold their breath thanks to Norris’ extensive injury history. He hasn’t played more than 66 games in a single season since his pro career began in 2019-20. He’s been impaired by shoulder injuries in every season since 2022. Those injuries have limited Norris in multiple seasons, including holding him out of all but eight games of the 2022-23 campaign. With that in mind, there has been no indication that Norris’ current, undisclosed injury is connected to his previous shoulder troubles.

While Norris was unavailable on Friday, the skate did mark fellow trade acquisition Jacob Bernard-Docker’s first practice with the Sabres. Bernard-Docker was held off the ice for the last week while he tried to secure a work visa that would make him eligible to move from a Canadian team to an American team. He’s spent the season as the extra defender for the Ottawa Senators. He tallied four points in 25 games in the role. This season marks Bernard-Docker’s first full pro season with, so far, no AHL appearances – after bouncing between the major and minor rosters over the last three years. He’s totaled 20 points in 129 NHL Games, and 15 points in 101 AHL games over the course of his short career. The Sabres will likely utilize Bernard-Docker in the same depth role, though he could carve out a roster spot after fellow right-handed defenseman Henri Jokiharju was traded to the Boston Bruins.

In the final move of a busy day in Buffalo, the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, also loaned middle-six winger Tyler Tullio to the Calgary Wranglers. Tullio – acquired in the trade that shipped Ryan McLeod to Buffalo and Matthew Savoie to Edmonton – hasn’t yet found his groove in the Americans lineup. He has just one goal, seven points, and 30 penalty minutes in 30 games played – far below the 21 points he scored in 54 games last year. With no sign of lineup progress in place, he’ll get a chance to carve out a role on a new minor-league squad. Tullio recorded 47 points in 117 games with the Bakersfield Condors over the last two seasons.

Canucks Sign Linus Karlsson To One-Year Extension

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The Canucks have signed winger/center Linus Karlsson to a one-year, one-way extension carrying the league-minimum $775K salary, per a team announcement. He was set to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent if not re-signed by July 1.

A third-round pick by the Sharks in the 2018 draft, the Canucks picked up his signing rights the following year in exchange for Jonathan Dahlén. The 6’1″ forward was in the Karlskrona HK organization in his native Sweden at the time, and after slowly climbing up the European ladder to top-flight minutes with the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK in 2021-22, he inked his entry-level deal with Vancouver the following summer and arrived in North America for the 2022-23 campaign.

While Karlsson was a decent top-six AHL piece in his first season for Vancouver’s affiliate in Abbotsford, he’s exploded for over a point per game since the beginning of 2023-24. After posting 23-37–60 in 60 AHL contests last year, he’s topped that pace with 19-13–32 in 28 showings this year. Injuries have limited his availability at the minor-league level, but so have a few NHL call-ups. He’s skated in nine games for Vancouver in the regular season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process back on Jan. 29 against the Predators.

That remains his only career NHL point across 13 regular-season games dating back to his debut last season, also going without a point in two postseason appearances for the Canucks last year. The one-way structure of his extension is intriguing – perhaps signaling the Canucks plan on the 25-year-old cracking the opening night roster next fall. That would make sense, considering he’s in his last season of waiver-exempt status and would need to clear them on his way down to the minors in 2025-26.

If Karlsson doesn’t reach the 80-game mark for his career by the end of 2025-26, he’ll be eligible for Group VI UFA status again. If not, the Canucks will retain team control for one more summer before he’s eligible for standard UFA status in 2027. Vancouver still has just 27 of 50 contract slots filled for next season, per PuckPedia.

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