Edmonton Oilers Sign Xavier Bourgault
The Edmonton Oilers have inked a top prospect, signing Xavier Bourgault to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in 2022-23 and Bourgault will remain with the Shawinigan Cataractes for the rest of his season in the QMJHL.
Selected 22nd overall in 2021, Bourgault has shown once again why he was regarded as such an interesting NHL prospect, recording 26 goals and 51 points in 31 games for Shawinigan this season. While he has missed multiple chunks of the season with injuries–including a freak eye injury in November–he’s back on the ice now and has scored in each of his last four contests.
Shawinigan is in a good position in the standings and poised to fight for the QMJHL championship, though it certainly would be interesting to see Bourgault join the Bakersfield Condors at some point before the end of the season. The 19-year-old forward won’t be in consideration for the Oilers, but Bakersfield could add him on a tryout contract for their own championship run, after winning the Pacific tournament last year (the Calder Cup was not awarded in 2021).
If you ask his coach, Bourgault is already ready for the professional lifestyle, even if he has yet to suit up for the Oilers organization. Last month, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic wrote about the young forward, and how Shawinigan general manager Martin Mondou has always been impressed with his training. If “everything he does is in the sense to be playing for the Oilers one day” as Mondou put it, signing this contract is a big step toward that goal.
Given he will turn 20 in October, Bourgault will be eligible to play full-time for the Condors next season–that is if he doesn’t land an NHL role out of camp.
Looking At Josh Manson’s Impending Free Agency
It’s only been seven games with the Colorado Avalanche, but Josh Manson has apparently enjoyed his time there. The long-time Anaheim Ducks defenseman told Peter Baugh of The Athletic today that while he hasn’t really thought about things he can’t control, he would love to be in Colorado in the future.
Manson, 30, is an interesting player to watch this summer when he hits unrestricted free agency ahead of his age-31 season. For a long time, he was considered one of the most valuable shutdown defenders in the league, punishing opponents every night, logging a ton of ice time in difficult minutes, and, as ridiculous as it sounds, being right-handed. For years, Manson’s name was bandied about in trade rumors as a potential fit for a team that needed a stay-at-home complement to one of their puck-moving defensemen.
In the days leading up to this year’s trade deadline, the Ducks had a choice to make on whether to extend Manson or not. After nearly 500 games in an Anaheim sweater, they chose the latter and sold him to the Avalanche for a top prospect and second-round pick. That’s a hefty price for a player that has taken a noticeable step backward in recent years, but the Avalanche already know his limitations–they’ve iced him for fewer than 17 minutes in five of his seven games, and with his heaviest usage (18:41) coming in his debut for Colorado.
Even though he is serving in a depth role though, Manson has to look no further than last year to get a gauge on what his market may look like this summer.
At last year’s deadline, the Tampa Bay Lightning spent a similar asset package to land David Savard, a right-handed, 30-year-old who was a pending free agent and known more for his defensive acumen than his offensive upside. Similarly, Savard took on a depth role on the eventual Stanley Cup champions, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, he was seeing just 14 minutes a night on the bottom pair.
Savard still landed a four-year contract in the summer with the Montreal Canadiens, one that carries him through his age-34 season at a $3.5MM cap hit. Whether Manson wants it (or would “love” it) or not, that kind of a contract doesn’t seem to make much sense for the Avalanche. The team already has Cale Makar and Samuel Girard locked up long-term and still has big contract extensions for some key forwards to think about (not to mention a starting goaltender also scheduled for UFA status).
Like Savard before him, even if Manson ends up playing a relatively small role on the Avalanche in a long playoff run, he should be set up to land a multi-year deal at a mid-range cap hit because of his history. Sure, the deal doesn’t look very good for the Canadiens after their collapse this season, but that may not be enough to scare off the whole league when a similar player and situation presents itself this summer.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Nick Perbix
The Tampa Bay Lightning have added an Olympian to the mix, signing Nick Perbix to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal will start in 2022-23 and Perbix will play the rest of this season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL on an amateur tryout.
Perbix, 23, actually could have reached unrestricted free agency had he waited until the middle of August, but he’ll join the team that decided to spend a sixth-round pick on him five years ago.
Before he even played in the USHL, Tampa Bay grabbed the Elk River High captain 169th overall and have watched him turn into a star at St. Cloud State. This season, as a senior, he managed 31 points in 31 games and joined Team USA for the Olympics, suiting up four times.
Perbix’s brother, Jack Perbix, is also a prospect that may land an entry-level contract in the coming weeks. The younger of the two, Jack is a fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks who will be in the Frozen Four as a key member of the University of Minnesota squad.
Nick Perbix though is a nice signing for Tampa Bay, especially because of how close he was to the open market. With a long history of drafting and developing NHL talent in the middle and late rounds, the Lightning will hope that his game can translate to the next level quickly.
Nashville Predators Sign Spencer Stastney
The Nashville Predators have added another defenseman to the pipeline, signing Spencer Stastney to his two-year entry-level contract. Stastney is coming off his senior season at Notre Dame and could have become an unrestricted free agent later this summer. The contract will start in 2022-23.
A product of the USNTDP, Stastney was selected 131st overall in 2018, before going to Notre Dame for four seasons. That draft may seem like a decade ago for Predators fans, especially because they didn’t have any picks in the top three rounds and haven’t received a single game of NHL action from any of their four selections.
The 22-year-old Stastney will try to change that in the future, though he still has some work to do before stepping into the Predators lineup. The undersized defenseman is certainly going to have to fight for his opportunity too, as Nashville still has quite a few names signed for next season. In fact, there are now already 11 defensemen signed before restricted free agents are even taken into consideration, meaning it will be a battle to climb the depth chart.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Lucas Condotta
The Montreal Canadiens have signed college free agent Lucas Condotta to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins in 2022-23 and will carry an NHL cap hit of $830K. Condotta will join the Laval Rocket on a professional tryout agreement for the rest of the season.
Undrafted, the 24-year-old forward has spent the last four seasons at UMass-Lowell, only really becoming a consistent offensive presence this year. As a senior, he scored ten goals and 23 points in 33 games, play that reminded of his days in the OJHL where he was an offensive star.
He also served as captain this season for the River Hawks, and trailed only Andre Lee–recently signed to an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings–and Carl Berglund in team scoring.
While this obviously isn’t a turning point for the organization, it is the first time that new manager Kent Hughes has dipped into the college free agent waters. Whether that becomes a trend for the Canadiens remains to be seen, but with his and Jeff Gorton’s background, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising.
Clayton Keller Undergoes Surgery; Out Rest Of Season
12:30pm: The Coyotes have announced that Keller underwent surgery to repair a broken leg and is expected to make a full recovery. He will be out for four to six months, however, meaning training camp is certainly in doubt.
8:50am: It was some scary moments in Arizona last night, as Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was stretchered off the ice after crashing hard into the boards. His leg, which was awkwardly pinned behind his body on the fall, was obviously injured, but it wasn’t clear exactly what the extent of the injury was. The Coyotes issued a press release indicating that Keller had been moved to a local hospital, and this morning he revealed that his season is over.
Want to thank my teammates, the fans, and medical personnel for the love and support last night! Unfortunately the season’s over for me, but I’m resting comfortably at the hospital in good spirits. I will be back better than ever for day 1 next season!!!!
With his season over, Keller will miss a chance to set a career-high in points, and finish with 63 in 67 games. The 23-year-old forward already did hit a career-high in goals with 28 and was averaging more than 20 minutes a night for the rebuilding club. In fact, it’s been quite a renaissance for a player who hadn’t broken the 50-point mark in any of the previous three seasons. There was starting to be some concern that Keller would never get back to the levels he showed as a rookie but this year proved he can still be a top-end offensive player.
Unfortunately, all that work will be put aside as he faces a long rehab process. When he eventually returns, the Coyotes will be playing at a different rink–Arizona State University–and will likely have a much different team. Players like Phil Kessel and Anton Stralman are pending unrestricted free agents, names like Jakob Chychrun are still on the trade block, and general manager Bill Armstrong is still obviously looking to strip down the roster to the studs, before rebuilding it.
Keller, one of the only players signed long-term in Arizona, is under contract through 2027-28 and might even have been considered a trade chip himself this offseason under normal circumstances. An injury like this could complicate that situation, though it is still not clear what kind of recovery timeline he faces.
2022 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists Announced
With the collegiate hockey season coming to a close, the three 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 over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but still became NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.
2019’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and is now dominating the league with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2020 the award was given to Scott Perunovich, who is dealing with some unfortunate injury issues to start his career but still looks like a future contributor to the St. Louis Blues blueline.
In 2021, Cole Caufield took home the award after leading the nation in scoring at the University of Wisconsin. Caufield made an immediate impact by helping the Montreal Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final a few months later and, while struggling early this season, is now back to his scoring ways under new coaching.
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, 77 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and ten finalists were announced earlier this month. Those ten players have been narrowed to just three, your Hat Trick Finalists.
Bobby Brink – University of Denver (Philadelphia Flyers)
The 34th overall selection in 2019, Brink has shown once again that if you give him a chance to get acclimated to a new league, he’ll dominate it. The DU junior had 14 goals and 56 points in just 39 games, blowing by his total from the first two years of his college career. Listed at just 5’9″ 166-lbs, he led the entire nation in scoring on both a total and per-game basis, and now has Denver into the Frozen Four. They’ll take on Michigan on April 7, a game that will have general managers all across the NHL waiting by their phones to call up whichever prospects are eliminated.
Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University-Mankato (undrafted)
McKay is a Hat Trick Finalist for the second year in a row, after losing the award to Caufield in 2021. His placement this year will certainly come with some raised eyebrows because of the performance that Devon Levi had, but there’s no doubt that McKay was once again one of the most valuable players in the country. Undrafted, the 24-year-old netminder put up a .934 save percentage in 41 games, winning 37 of them. If he can win a national championship, his college career will go down as one of the best of all time. McKay has gone 112-19-4 with a .932 save percentage over his four seasons and will have plenty of interest from clubs when he’s eliminated, even if he isn’t quite the prototypical NHL goaltender build.
Ben Meyers – University of Minnesota (undrafted)
Captain of the Golden Gophers, Olympian, and sixth-leading scorer in the nation, Meyers has come a long way since the undersized forward that barely got drafted into the USHL. Despite doubters at every level, he continues to improve and will now be a huge focus for NHL teams next month. In 33 games this season he had 17 goals and 41 points, while adding another four points in four Olympic games with Team USA. While he technically could return for a senior season, it’s going to be difficult to turn down the offers that come his way in a few weeks–especially if a good number of other Minnesota players decide to turn pro.
AHL Shuffle: 03/31/22
Another busy night in the NHL this evening, as nine games are on the schedule. That includes a battle of the top two teams in the Pacific Division, though the Edmonton Oilers are certainly trying to change those designations. The Los Angeles Kings travel to Calgary to take on the Flames after losing in a shootout to Edmonton last night, and now sit just one point ahead of the Oilers in the division standings. As they and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The New Jersey Devils have activated Janne Kuokkanen and Tyce Thompson off injured reserve, with the latter assigned to Utica immediately. Thompson, 22, has played in two games this season and nine overall for the Devils, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The New York Islanders have recalled Robin Salo under emergency conditions. The 23-year-old defenseman is in his first season of North American hockey and has entered 18 games for the Islanders already. Selected 46th overall, he has four points in those games. Cory Schneider is also back up, though he never really left.
Central Division
- Morgan Barron has been recalled under emergency conditions, suggesting he could make his Winnipeg Jets debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. The team is without Kyle Connor and Nate Schmidt because of positive COVID tests, meaning Barron is another forward option as they go on a back-to-back.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Hudson Fasching from the AHL following the injury to Clayton Keller. Fasching, 26, has played in eight games so far for the team, recording zero points. In fact, he doesn’t have an NHL point since the 2016-17 season, when he registered one as part of the Buffalo Sabres.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Jaret Anderson-Dolan, this time under emergency conditions. The 22-year-old forward has 41 points in 45 games this season for the Ontario Reign, but still hasn’t really managed to establish himself at the top level.
This page is updated throughout the day
Petr Mrazek Expected To Miss Six Weeks
When the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to add a goaltender at the trade deadline, many questioned the decision given the injury history (and struggles) of both Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek. It appears as though the worst has come true, as while Campbell slowly works his way back from a rib injury, Mrazek is now expected to miss six weeks following his injury earlier this week. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who spoke with reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the netminder is undergoing further evaluation but is out for the rest of the regular season.
Campbell meanwhile has been medically cleared to return, though the team will go with Erik Kallgren tonight and recalled Michael Hutchinson to serve as the backup. Jake Muzzin is “real close” to a return from his latest concussion, while Ilya Lyubushkin is still dealing with the effects of Taylor Hall‘s punch. Justin Holl, who left the Maple Leafs’ last game after being struck in the head with a puck, is expected to play tonight.
It’s not like Mrazek was playing extremely well–though he had seemed to be turning things around–but losing him for the rest of the regular season puts a huge question mark in net for the Maple Leafs. When he returns (if he returns), will Kallgren have solidified himself as a full-time NHL option? Will Campbell be able to regain the form that made him an All-Star in the first half? Will Michael Hutchinson once again be called upon, despite annual struggles at the NHL level?
All of those are valid questions for Toronto fans now, and the situation only amplifies the frustration of losing Harri Sateri on waivers at the deadline to the Arizona Coyotes. Sateri isn’t even in Arizona yet, meaning he’s going to barely play for the Coyotes before the end of the year, with only 15 games remaining. In Toronto, he likely would have been pressed into duty right away, and provided some extra depth for the organization as they try to figure out the most important position on the ice.
For Mrazek, it means his first regular season with the Maple Leafs will end how it began, with a lower-body injury forcing him out of a game. In 20 appearances, he recorded an .888 save percentage and went 12-6.
Nathan MacKinnon Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury
March 31: So much for that concern. Today on Altitude Sports Radio, Bednar announced that MacKinnon is expected to play tonight for the Avalanche when they take on the San Jose Sharks.
March 29: The Colorado Avalanche will not have Nathan MacKinnon in the lineup tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames, and it’s not clear when he’ll be back. The superstar center has flown back to Denver to have an upper-body injury evaluated, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, and there is no timeline for his return at this point. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Baugh that it was “possible” that the injury occurred in MacKinnon’s recent fight against Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild and that concern was currently “high” from the team.
MacKinnon took exception to a hit that Dumba laid on Mikko Rantanen the other night, and immediately engaged in a fight with the Wild defenseman. While the Colorado forward didn’t immediately appear to have an injury–he returned to the game for five more shifts after his penalty was served–he now faces an uncertain timeline at one of the worst possible points in the season.
Luckily, the Avalanche have built up quite a lead in the Central Division, as even the surging Wild (currently on a six-game winning streak) are 14 points behind them in the standings. If MacKinnon is out for any length of time, the team should certainly be able to hold onto that lead and still head into the playoffs as the top seed in the Central Division.
The worry obviously is whether the injury will keep him out longer-term, as there are only a little over four weeks left in the regular season. MacKinnon has already missed a good chunk of the season, but has 70 points in 51 games and continues to be one of the most dynamic, valuable players in the entire league.