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Sharks’ Shakir Mukhamadullin Out For Season, Quentin Musty Assigned To AHL

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4:00 PM: In additional news from the Meier trade return, star Sharks prospect Musty has been assigned to the AHL per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He will join the Barracuda for their final few games of the season and potential postseason run. Musty scored a dazzling 30 goals and 59 points in 33 games with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves this season. His year staggered a bit due to a hand injury suffered in November that forced Musty out of roughly two months of action. But he returned with intent – scoring five points in his first game back from injury and scoring 42 points in 25 games since the start of 2025. Musty is a power-forward with a great drive down the boards and a powerful shot. He’ll slot in as a high-upside addition to the Sharks’ depths for the rest of the season.

3:00 PM: The San Jose Sharks received bad news from their depth on Monday, when the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda announced that defense prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin will miss the rest of the season with an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. This will include any potential run in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, which the Barracuda seem comfortably headed towards.

Mukhamadullin’s second full season in North American pros will come to an end with quiet results. He recorded nine points in each of the NHL and AHL, reaching the mark in 30 games with the Sharks and 21 with the Barracuda. His NHL scoring included the first two goals of Mukhamadullin’s career, after he managed just one assist in the first three games of his NHL career last season. He scored a much more stout 34 points in 55 AHL games last year. That performance lined up far closer to Mukhamadullin’s break-in to the AHL in 2022-23, when he scored 10 points in 12 games after joining the Barracuda following the end of the KHL season.

Mukhamadullin was an accomplished and young Russian pro in his years before San Jose. His six-foot-four frame lent itself to pro opportunity early on, and earned Mukhamadullin his KHL rookie season at the age of 18. He recorded just one assist in 27 games with Ufa that season – enough to convince the New Jersey Devils to draft him 20th overall in the ensuing NHL Draft, but still an indication of room to grow. Mukhamadullin took the steps towards that growth in his second KHL season, growing to 10 points in 39 games. He staggered back to seven points in 34 games in year three, but followed it with a career-high 25 points in 67 games of the 2022-23 KHL season. Partway through that season, New Jersey traded Mukhamadullin to the Sharks as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Timo Meier to the Devils. Winger Fabian Zetterlund and the first-round pick to select Quentin Musty joined Mukhamadullin in the move out West.

Much of the Sharks’ defensive future seemed staked on Mukhamadullin last season. But other top prospects have joined the pro flanks this season, and hot-scorer Luca Cagnoni has seemingly taken over the title of top defense prospect. That takes some heavy weight off of Mukhamadullin’s back as he looks to recover from a difficult shoulder injury. He’s a smooth-moving puck-handler who’s shown prowess at getting the puck across both blue lines and creating chances. Next season will need to bring a wave of good health and returned scoring should Mukhamadullin was to hold his standing in the Sharks organization.

Oilers’ Trent Frederic Re-Injures Ankle

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Oilers deadline pickup Trent Frederic re-aggravated his ankle injury when making his Edmonton debut against the Kings this weekend. He’ll miss tonight’s game against the Ducks as a result, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports. The team’s Tony Brar adds Frederic is expected back when the playoffs begin later this month.

Injuries are piling up for the Oilers, who will remain without Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm, John Klingberg, Connor McDavid, and Stuart Skinner tonight as well. That doesn’t leave them with enough cap space for a call-up from AHL Bakersfield to replace Frederic in the lineup. Since they only have 17 healthy skaters without him, they’ll be down a player for tonight’s game before being able to use a $0 emergency exception to add a 12th forward from the AHL for their next game Wednesday against the Blues.

Frederic skated just 7:10 in his debut, recording two shots on goal and a minus-two rating in a 3-0 loss. The Oilers surrendered forward prospect Shane Lachance, young defenseman Maximus Wanner, and a second-round and fourth-round pick to acquire him from the Bruins in a three-team deal with the Devils the week before the trade deadline.

The Oilers hoped Frederic, a pending unrestricted free agent, could add some tertiary scoring and, more importantly, physicality to their bottom six in the postseason. That’s still tracking to be the case, but he’s not going to have the adjustment period from one of the league’s worst offensive systems in Boston to one of the best in Edmonton that either side hoped for. He’s posted 8-7–15 in 58 showings this year with 29 blocks and 157 hits. That’s a far cry from the career-best 40 points he recorded with the Bruins last year, but the Oilers hope he can rediscover that production in a more scoring-friendly environment.

While dealing with so many short-term injuries is always a difficult situation to juggle, it comes at a rather inconsequential time for Edmonton. They’re a win away and a Flames loss from clinching a playoff berth, and realistically, they stand very little chance of moving up or falling down from third place in the Pacific Division. They have an eight-point lead on Calgary with six games remaining and trail the Kings by four.

Hurricanes Notes: Svechnikov, Staal, Carrier, Kotkaniemi, Robidas

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The Hurricanes are getting closer to full health at the right time. They’ve got a trio of forwards on the verge of returning to play, none more important than top-six winger Andrei Svechnikov. He participated fully in today’s practice and is tracking to return to the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres, although head coach Rod Brind’Amour wouldn’t confirm his availability one way or another (via the team’s Walt Ruff).

It’s been an extremely trying recent stretch for Svechnikov. He sustained an upper-body injury back on March 9 and missed seven games. His return only lasted three appearances until he sustained another undisclosed injury in a game against the Capitals last week. He’s missed a pair of games due to that one. The injury troubles come as Svechnikov is doling out his worst offensive performance since his rookie season. His 0.68 points per game pace is decently south of the 0.77 career average he’s set for himself over his seven seasons in the league.

He’s still one of the more important contributors on a Carolina roster that lacks a point-per-game contributor after trading Martin Nečas to the Avalanche earlier this season. Including Nečas, Svechnikov ranks fourth on the Canes with 19-26–45 in 66 showings. His 17:12 average time on ice is up slightly from last year’s 16:59, although his underlying are a tad concerning. While he’s controlling 58.7% of shot attempts at even strength, that’s on an exceptional two-way club in Carolina. He’s tracking to post a negative relative CF% for the first time in his career.

Nonetheless, they’d love to get Svechnikov back into the fold and hopefully on a hot streak entering postseason play. They’ve clinched a postseason berth and are essentially locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division with a first-round matchup against an injury-plagued Devils team, but more scoring from him is needed to make a deep run and advance to the Conference Final or further.

Elsewhere in Carolina’s forward group, captain Jordan Staal practiced ahead of tomorrow’s game and, like Svechnikov, remains questionable. He’s sat out the last four games with a lower-body injury and five of the last eight, so he’s clearly nursing something. The 6’4″ pivot remains a veritable two-way force in his 19th NHL season, posting his best offensive performance in three years while winning 53.9% of his draws, tying for fifth on the team with a +13 rating, and adding 42 blocks and 127 hits.

They’re also on the verge of getting depth winger William Carrier back in the lineup after a months-long absence. The 30-year-old was a full participant in today’s practice along with Staal and Svechnikov. He underwent lower-body surgery in late January and was ruled out indefinitely, although he never landed on injured reserve. He posted 4-5–9 in 39 games with 136 hits before exiting the lineup, averaging 11:37 per game in his first season in Carolina after signing a six-year, $12MM commitment last summer that could see him finish his career in Raleigh.

As they land some returnees, there might still be a departure from the lineup. Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi “tweaked something” in Saturday’s loss to the Bruins, Brind’Amour said, and he’s still being evaluated. It’s likely he’ll at least miss the Buffalo game after going without a point in his last six appearances. The 24-year-old has 11-20–31 in 76 games, an improvement from last year’s totals while averaging 14 minutes per game.

It stands to reason Carolina expects at least a net positive in terms of lineup influx for tomorrow’s contest. They returned rookie center Justin Robidas to AHL Chicago last night, per Ruff. The 22-year-old came up under emergency conditions late last week and recorded a point in each of his first two career NHL appearances, including Carolina’s lone goal in the loss to Boston. It was quite the initial showing from the 5’8″ centerman, who the Canes picked up in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He has 17-31–48 in 65 AHL appearances after spending all of 2023-24 on assignment to ECHL Norfolk.

Jets Notes: Ehlers, Vilardi, Pionk, Miller, Kupari

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Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers will be a game-time decision against the Blues tonight, head coach Scott Arniel told Mitchell Clinton of the team’s official site. The 29-year-old is day-to-day with a foot injury and sat out Saturday’s 4-1 loss as a result. He left their previous game, a win over the Golden Knights on Thursday, after taking a shot to the foot in the first period – returning only to leave for a second time in the third period after a shot from teammate Cole Perfetti inadvertently hit him in the knee. Such a short-term absence is welcome news for a Winnipeg forward group already down Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari (more on them later) as they try to stave off the Capitals for the President’s Trophy and the Stars for the Western Conference and Central Division titles.

Ehlers’ health will be a crucial factor in winning those races and, ideally, multiple playoff series. The Danish forward is having one of the better seasons of his 10-year career, placing third on the team in scoring with 24-39–63 through 67 games. That’s despite continued inexplicably limited deployment by Arniel – among players with 60 or more points this season, Ehlers’ 15:56 ATOI ranks last. He’s one of just four players to hit the mark while averaging under 17 minutes per game. This spring is also an important one for Ehlers to rebuild his damaged postseason reputation. While he’s produced 0.77 points per game over his regular-season career, he’s clicked at just a 0.38 points per game rate in the playoffs (4-10–14 in 37 GP).

As for Vilardi, Arniel said the first-line fixture has returned to the team and will return to practice soon. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury on March 23, missing Winnipeg’s last six games. They’ve managed to go 4-2-0 without him in what marked their first games of the campaign without his services. He’s lined up with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele in all 71 of his appearances this season and has shattered his previous career-high in points, logging a 27-34–61 scoring line in his second season in Manitoba. He’s also averaging a career-high 18:08 per game. It remains unclear if he’ll return for any of the Jets’ final five regular-season games, but the statement bodes well for his availability for Game 1 of an increasingly likely first-round date with the Wild.

The Jets aren’t just banged up on offense. They’ve also been without second-pair defenseman Neal Pionk since March 14 with a lower-body injury. He remains week-to-week but skated in practice today with the extras, per Clinton. That indicates his return is ahead of Vilardi’s, and he could very well get a couple of games of action before the playoffs to get back to game pace. The pending unrestricted free agent has 9-28–37 in 66 games from the Winnipeg blue line, the second-highest offensive production of his career. He boasts a career-best +21 rating while averaging over 22 minutes per contest, improving his possession play to reestablish himself as the Jets’ unquestionable No. 2 defenseman behind Josh Morrissey.

He won’t be returning against St. Louis, though, and they may be down an additional rearguard in veteran Colin Miller. He wasn’t at practice this morning and will be a game-time decision due to illness, Arniel said. With Pionk out, the depth piece has skated in 11 straight contests. He has 4-10–14 with a +11 rating in 59 appearances after re-signing with the Jets on a two-year, $3MM deal last offseason, missing time with a fractured larynx back in January.

Arniel also said Kupari skated before practice today as the 25-year-old pivot remains in concussion protocol. He’s played just three times since the beginning of last month, sustaining a concussion against the Isles on March 4. He exited protocols after three games but remained on the sidelines as a healthy scratch until March 25 against the Capitals. He had a setback in his post-concussion symptoms after that contest and will remain unavailable for a sixth straight contest tonight as a result. He’s posted 5-3–8 in 59 contests while winning 52.5% of his draws.

Central Notes: Blues, Yamamoto, Korchinski

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The Blues are one of two teams eligible to clinch a playoff spot tonight. They and the Oilers can book their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation. St. Louis will need to hold up their end of the bargain by defeating the Jets in regulation to wake up tomorrow morning with an “X” next to their name in the standings. Doing so would mark their 13th straight win, the longest winning streak since Edmonton won 16 straight last year between Dec. 21 and Jan. 27. The Blues haven’t lost since a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Penguins on March 13. They’re now 34-16-6 since replacing Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery behind the bench in November and are two points ahead of the Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference. Both St. Louis and Minnesota have four games remaining. The Blues have a 64% chance of holding onto the WC1 spot, a 33% chance of falling back behind the Wild and finishing in the WC2 slot, and a 1% chance of lapping the Avalanche for third place in the Central, per MoneyPuck. Their streak has been fueled by top-line center Robert Thomas, who leads the league in scoring since March 15 with 4-19–23 in 12 games.

More from the Central Division:

  • Utah has recalled winger Kailer Yamamoto from AHL Tucson after papering him down to the minors yesterday. The 26-year-old righty has a goal and an assist in five games since being recalled from Tucson on March 26, his first time on the NHL roster since clearing waivers early in the year. The 2017 first-round pick signed a rich two-way deal with Utah at the end of training camp following a successful professional tryout, although he’s spent most of the year in the minors for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. While he only has those two points to show for eight NHL appearances this year, he’s Tucson’s leading scorer with 19-34–53 in 52 games with a +14 rating. He’s recently seen time in a second-line role with Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz and will presumably return there when Utah hosts the Kraken tomorrow.
  • Despite iffy boxcar stats this season, the Blackhawks are pleased with how 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski has developed in 2024-25. “We forget how young he is,” Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sörensen told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. “His development curve this year overall has been a positive one, and it’s going up.” Korchinski highlighted his own defensive improvement – a must this season, considering his lack of offensive production. The 20-year-old lefty is a passer first and foremost and was dominant offensively in juniors, but he has no points to speak of in 13 NHL games this season and has been underwhelming with AHL Rockford with 3-24–27 in 54 games.

Jets Sign Kieron Walton To Entry-Level Contract

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The Jets have signed forward Kieron Walton to his entry-level contract, Murat Ates of The Athletic reported Sunday night. PuckPedia adds his three-year deal carries a cap hit of $858,333 and begins next season. His deal carries the minimum base salary of $775K throughout and includes a signing bonus and minors salary of $80K in 2025-26 before jumping to $85K each for the final two years of the contract.

Walton, 19 later this month, is coming off a major breakout season with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6’6″, 212-lb playmaker more than doubled last year’s offensive production, leading the Wolves in scoring with 38-54–92 in 66 games. He added a goal and four assists in four playoff games as Sudbury was swept out of the first round of the OHL playoffs by the Kingston Frontenacs.

Selected in the sixth round (No. 187) of last year’s draft, Walton is undoubtedly one of the biggest risers year-over-year – not just in Winnipeg’s prospect pool but league-wide as well. A natural center who can shift to the left wing, the Toronto native finished ninth in the OHL in scoring this year, having better offensive showings than fellow 2024 draft class members like Oilers first-rounder Sam O’Reilly. Walton ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Jets’ system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings, notably ahead of plateauing first-rounders Chaz Lucius and Colby Barlow.

With names like Barlow (2023, No. 18 overall) and Lucius (2021, No. 18 overall) more uncertain than ever as impact contributors down the line, it’s important for Winnipeg’s scouting staff to hit on a few later-round picks to keep some youth infusion coming during their playoff contention window. Early returns suggest that’s what’s happened with Walton, who could make his professional debut by joining AHL Manitoba for the stretch run of the 2024-25 season. He’ll remain ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment next season but could see full-time duties with the Moose beginning in 2026-27.

As such, Walton’s contract is slide-eligible for 2025-26. If he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, the contract will begin in 2026-27 instead and run through the 2028-29 campaign. He’s still owed his $80K signing bonus for 2025-26 in that event, lowering the cap hit of the deal to $831,667 when it goes into effect. In either scenario, he’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry and isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2033.

Utah Hockey Club Could Be Busy This Summer

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The Utah Hockey Club surprised many people at the NHL Trade Deadline by signing several veterans to contract extensions rather than trading them for prospects and draft picks. This indicates they plan to contend very soon and could be a team to watch this summer.

Utah locked up veteran forward Alexander Kerfoot and defensemen Ian Cole and Olli Määttä to short-term deals in the one- to three-year range. Also, it extended goaltender Karel Vejmelka to a five-year contract worth $4.75MM a year. While the moves surprised some people, they make sense on a longer timeline as Utah aims to make the playoffs next season after contending for a postseason spot this year. Utah has a good mix of young homegrown players and veterans who have won in other markets and will likely be busy this summer trying to shore up some holes in their roster.

Some folks might expect Utah to spend big on the free agent market, given that they project to have $21.5MM in cap space this summer (as per PuckPedia) with 20 players already signed for next season. Realistically, Utah needs just three players to fill out a lineup and could have more prospects join the fray on entry-level deals for under $1MM. The door is wide open for Utah to make some noise, and given that the team is just a year old, they will be looking to make their presence known in the Western Conference.

Utah will need to be cautious on the free agent market; while there is plenty of talent to be had, the team has to avoid the same fate that happened to the Nashville Predators last year after they signed several high-profile free agents then flopped this season and have already been eliminated from playoff contention. The other issue facing Utah in free agency is that they must leave room to sign their younger stars, who will eventually finish their ELCs. Logan Cooley will need a new deal after next season, as will Josh Doan and, eventually, in a few years, Tij Iginla. The money goes quickly when high draft picks pan out; ask the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of those three, Cooley is the only one on course to earn a monster long-term deal, but Iginla was just drafted and has the pedigree to get there.

Utah is well positioned to be aggressive this summer and likely will be, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who believed in February that Utah would pursue forwards Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen. Now, the latter of those two is off the table after signing an extension with the Dallas Stars, but Marner hitting free agency is very much in play, and Utah could offer an attractive landing spot for the 27-year-old. Acquiring a dynamic playmaker like Marner would significantly boost Utah’s offense and fill out their top six, which lacks a second-line winger and currently has Kailer Yamamoto filling in. Signing Marner would likely push youngster Dylan Guenther to the second line, opening up more opportunities for him to flourish offensively.

If Utah strikes out on Marner, plenty of secondary free-agent options could boost them. Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers will almost certainly be available, as he has stated that he would welcome a change of market (according to Pagnotta). The 29-year-old would slide nicely onto the second line for Utah, and his versatility, speed, and skill could help an offense that currently ranks 22nd in the NHL. Ehlers can play on both wings, which might be a better fit than Marner; he will also come in at a significantly lower cap hit.

Another name that should be out there is Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks. Boeser is a proven goal scorer who could fit in well on the second line next to Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton. It’s hard to gauge what kind of a market there will be for Boeser as interest at the trade deadline appears to have been tepid at best. Boeser may be looking at a short-term deal depending on what the market is giving him, something that might suit Utah just fine as it lines up with when their younger players will need extensions.

If Utah wanted to bump Hayton to a third-line center, they could look to Florida center Sam Bennett, who appears poised to test the market. The 29-year-old has developed into a physical center that offers a unique skill set and could bring valuable experience and leadership to Utah. Bennett will be a hot commodity on the free agent market and could sign a contract that becomes an albatross when his physical style eventually catches up with him.

Many players will be available on the trade front, and Utah has the assets to acquire just about anyone. Rickard Rakell of the Pittsburgh Penguins will likely be out there, although Pittsburgh will be looking for a king’s ransom to let one of Sidney Crosby’s preferred wingers go. Other veterans, such as Blues center Brayden Schenn, Pens defenseman Erik Karlsson and Islanders middleman Jean-Gabriel Pageau, could be available again. However, given Utah’s timeline, targeting younger players with upside might be preferred.

Marco Rossi would be a name that makes a lot of sense for Utah. The 23-year-old has had his name thrown around in trade rumors for over a year and would be a good fit in Utah. The trickier part with Rossi is that Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin has stated publicly that he wants to keep Rossi in the fold, so any move for Rossi might require an overpay on Utah’s part.

Another name that could fit in Utah is New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec. The former second-overall pick has not been a fit with the Devils and voiced his displeasure in December, although he eventually walked his comments back. Nemec is a promising puck mover who probably shouldn’t be playing in the top four at this early stage of his career. In Utah, he could be slotted into the third pairing and have an opportunity to flourish while having his minutes sheltered. The tricky part in a trade for the 21-year-old is that New Jersey won’t be looking for futures, meaning that Utah would have to subtract off of their current roster to facilitate a move or get a third team involved.

Utah will be a team to watch as the excitement grows in the market this summer. They likely aren’t ready to be a Stanley Cup contender next year, but with a summer of new additions, they could be a team to watch as they try to build a winning culture.

Photo by Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Kings Injury Notes: Turcotte, Doughty

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Forward Alex Turcotte skated at practice today for the Los Angeles Kings in a non-contact jersey, per team reporter Zach Dooley. Dooley also noted that he heard that Turcotte skated with the team’s healthy scratches prior to yesterday’s game against the Oilers.

Turcotte, 24, has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury he sustained against the Boston Bruins on March 23. This represents the second multi-game injury for Turcotte on the season, as he was placed on the IR in November with an upper-body injury. All told, the spark plug center has appeared in 64 games on the season and has registered eight goals and 23 points in a bottom-six role. A high pedigree draft choice (fifth overall in the 2019 draft), Turcotte is enjoying his first full season in the NHL this year. Last season, he recorded 29 points in 35 games at the AHL-level, while also appearing in 20 contests for the Kings, where we put up one goal and three assists. While the organization would no doubt benefit from his continued offensive development, he has formed a formidable depth line with wingers Tanner Jeannot and Samuel Helenius, although as Dooley points out, Jeannot remains out with his own injury. While Head Coach Jim Hiller noted Turcotte’s return to practice as a positive step in his recovery, he did caution patience in the young forward’s return.

Dooley added that veteran defenseman Drew Doughty did not practice today after not playing the final 7:46 of yesterday’s win against the Oilers. While his status will be something to monitor, Hiller did not seem overly negative about Doughty’s availability moving forward, calling the decision to sit Doughtry “precautionary.” He added that Doughty’s may not return to 100 percent health the rest of this season and that the club will look to support Doughty by way of managing his schedule and ice time. On the season, Doughty has appeared in just 28 games. But when healthy (or healthy enough to suit up), the vet has still produced offensively to the tune of four goals and 19 points. Doughty has spent his entire 17-year career with the Kings, registering 160 goals, 526 assists, and 686 points in 1,205 career games. He is third in franchise history in games played, but first amongst defensemen. He’s added 57 points in 95 career playoff games and has hoisted the Stanley Cup on two separate occasions. He and longtime teammate Anze Kopitar will look for a third cup run as the team recently clinched their spot in the playoffs.

Canadiens’ Prospect Ivan Demidov Concludes KHL Season

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Montreal Canadiens’ top prospect Ivan Demidov’s KHL season has just concluded, per a SKA St. Petersburg social post, and now eyes turn to the future of the skilled forward. Selected fifth overall by the Habs in the 2024 draft, Demidov, 19, scored 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games this season in Russia’s top league. He added an additional five points in six playoff contests.

The 6’0, 192-pound right wing is believed to have an NHL-ready offensive game, and his performance this year in the KHL has done nothing to diminish his buzz in Montreal. He also produced a robust 60 points in 30 games in the MHL (the KHL’s junior league) last season. Despite this success, Demidov often found himself in head coach Roman Rotenberg’s doghouse throughout the season and averaged only 13:45 of ice time per contest. Even with limited playing time, the teen led St. Petersburg in scoring. So, what’s next for the rising star?

Russ Cohen of The Hockey News noted that it’s not uncommon for younger stars to play limited minutes in the KHL to accommodate the playing time of veterans. He added that while Demidov is offensively gifted, he does have work to do in the defensive zone. While his situation has parallels to that of Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, Demidov’s contract with the KHL is set to expire in May, making his transition to America easier than that Michkov. This could set the stage for Demidov to make his North American debut for the Habs next season. If that is the case, the Canadiens will gladly sign up for a duplicate of the success Michkov has had in Philly this season, where he has produced 24 goals and 58 points in 75 games.

Whenever he does make his way overseas, another one of his countrymen is optimistic the top-five pick will have a strong run of success in Montreal. Former Canadiens winger Alexander Radulov spoke to Sergey Demidov of Responsible Gambling about the 2024 fifth-overall pick and said Demidov will be “having a blast” when he likely begins his NHL career in the closing days of the 2024-25 season. Radulov played for the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the KHL this year, scoring 18 goals and 34 points.

Western Notes: Benn, Wood, George

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The Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn was back in the lineup in today’s 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild after missing two consecutive games with a minor injury. Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reported Benn’s availability. Benn slotted back into a third-line role alongside Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov. The Stars’ captain ended his game with 21 shifts, 15:49 of ice time, and a minus-one rating. On the season, Benn has recorded 16 goals, 29 assists, 45 points, and a plus-six rating. He has spent all 16 years of his career in Dallas and only trails Mike Modano in games played for the franchise. He’s also second in franchise history in goals and points, third in assists, and tied for third with seven hat tricks. And as they ready for the postseason, the Stars will look to lean on Benn’s playoff experience. He has suited up in 102 career playoff contests, registering 27 goals, 50 assists, 77 points and a plus-12 rating. Just last season, Benn showed the type of playoff competitor he is, recording 15 points in 19 contests. His return to the lineup, albeit after a short absence, is a welcomed sight for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. With Benn’s return, veteran Colin Blackwell was made a healthy scratch.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • The Los Angeles Kings assigned 2024 second-round selection goalie Carter George to the AHL, per a team announcement. George, 18, recorded a 17-22-6 record to go along with a .909 save percentage in 47 contests for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. Carter also shined this year in the Under-20 World Junior Championships for Team Canada. Despite his 2-2 record, Carter recorded a .936 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average for the tournament. The teenager will now look to make an impact for the AHL’s Ontario Reign. George signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Kings in 2024.
  • After signing a three-year, entry-level deal just eight days ago, Predators forward Matthew Wood will be playing in his first NHL game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, per the team. The 20-year-old was the 15th overall selection back in 2023 and is coming off of a strong season at the University of Minnesota, where he scored 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games. The 6’4, 205-pound winger also recorded two goals and two assists for Team Canada during last season’s World Junior Championship.

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