Flyers Return Six Players To AHL
Wednesday: All five players recalled yesterday – Bonk (who had two points in his NHL debut), Gaucher, Richard, McDonald, and Kolosov – were returned to Lehigh Valley, per a team announcement. Also sent down was defenseman David Jiricek, who had been brought up on Sunday.
Tuesday: The Flyers will be resting some talent for tonight’s season finale against the Canadiens after locking up a playoff berth with last night’s win. As such, they announced they’ve called up several reinforcements from AHL Lehigh Valley – including 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk, who will be making his NHL debut tonight. Joining the hard-nosed defender are forwards Jacob Gaucher and Anthony Richard, defenseman Hunter McDonald and goaltender Aleksei Kolosov.
Philly likely hoped to get Bonk a look earlier in the season. The 22nd overall pick saw some notable offensive regression in his final season of junior hockey last year but otherwise capped up a successful pre-pro career with a second straight showing for Canada at the World Juniors and a Memorial Cup win with the London Knights. However, he sustained an upper-body injury shortly before training camp that ended up keeping him sidelined until Christmas.
He’s spent the months since getting used to the pro speed in the AHL. Early returns suggest Bonk may end up topping out as a higher-end second or third-pairing shutdown threat, not the top-pair complement they hoped he’d be. The 21-year-old righty has managed a 6-13–19 scoring line with a -10 rating through 44 games with Lehigh Valley, which currently sits two points out of the Calder Cup Playoff picture with three games remaining.
Still, he sits as the Flyers’ #3-ranked prospect and the second-highest name that’s currently playing in North America behind only budding star Porter Martone, who has eight points through his first eight games since turning pro out of Michigan State at the end of last month, per Scott Wheeler of Athletic. Still, his assessment is that of a #4-5 man on Philly’s depth chart long-term.
Everyone else joining the team today does so with NHL experience, save for McDonald. Gaucher, an undrafted free agent who’s worked his way up from being an ECHL mainstay just two years ago, is a pending restricted free agent, so tonight’s game could double as a sort of audition for a qualifying offer in June. The 6’3″, 185-lb center has been a 20-goal man in the AHL in back-to-back years now, but doesn’t have a ton of growth left in his game at age 25. Through seven career NHL outings over the last two seasons, he’s gone pointless with a -1 rating while averaging 7:57 of ice time per game.
Richard is also a pending free agent of the unrestricted variety, but it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to see the Flyers extend or retain him. The 29-year-old was an efficient call-up option last year, although he’s yet to see NHL time this season. The former Predators fourth-rounder is now with his fourth NHL organization after making one-year stops with the Canadiens and Bruins in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. He’s been good for six goals and 14 points in 39 career NHL games in parts of five seasons. This year, he’s Lehigh Valley’s second-leading scorer with 18 goals and 44 points in 63 games.
McDonald, 23, was rostered for a few games back in January while Rasmus Ristolainen was sidelined but didn’t end up seeing any action. That should change tonight. The 6’4″, 238-lb lefty was a sixth-round pick in 2022 out of the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He proceeded to have a standout freshman season at Northeastern the following year that got him named to Hockey East’s All-Rookie Team while taking home Best Defensive Defenseman honors.
The New York native signed his entry-level contract, which expires this summer, back in 2024. Over parts of three seasons now in Lehigh Valley, he’s been a pure shutdown threat but a strong one. In 144 career outings, he’s amassed four goals and 27 points with 199 penalty minutes and a +22 rating. He’s much closer to being NHL-ready than his point production indicates and could very easily work his way into the conversation for a roster spot next fall.
Kolosov, after years of drama regarding whether he’d accept a consistent AHL assignment, has now firmly entrenched himself as the Flyers’ #3 netminder. Whether the Flyers will tender him a qualifying offer – or whether Kolosov will sign it – this summer is a different story. His numbers aren’t good. He hasn’t posted a save percentage above .900 at any level since arriving in North America in 2024, with a career .863 mark and a 3.64 GAA in 21 career NHL outings with a 5-11-1 record. As Lehigh Valley’s starter this season, he’s amassed a .898 SV%, 2.88 GAA, two shutouts, and a 15-20-2 record in 37 games.
Islanders Assign Victor Eklund, Calum Ritchie, Isaiah George, Liam Foudy To AHL
The New York Islanders have loaded up their AHL affiliate with the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of sight. Forwards Victor Eklund , Liam Foudy, and Calum Ritchie, and defensemen Isaiah George have all been assigned to the minor-leagues with the Islanders’ season now over. Eklund made his NHL debut in New York’s season finale. He recorded one assist. Ritchie has spent nearly the full season in the NHL, while Foudy and George spent most of their years in the minors.
Ritchie and Eklund could be X-factor additions for the Bridgeport Islanders’ playoff run. Eklund made his AHL debut in late-March, following the end of his season in Sweden. He has been an immediate impact with nine points in his first seven AHL games. It has been a boom in scoring after Eklund notched six goals and 24 points in 43 games of the SHL regular season and three points in three playoff games. He was a difference-maker for Djugardens in their promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan last season and finished the 2024-25 season with 31 points in 42 games.
Ritchie began the year in the minors but earned a call-up after just three games, and three points, with Bridgeport. He carved out a middle-six role for much of his rookie season and finished the year with 30 points in 65 games. Ritchie is only one season removed from a 70-point season in the OHL. He was mostly a center at the junior level but played right-wing in his first NHL season. Whether Bridgeport prioritizes Ritchie’s development as a center, or comfort as a pro winger, could add an interesting wrinkle to their playoff push. New York head coach Peter DeBoer said he sees Ritchie as a center moving forward per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner.
Foudy finished the AHL season second on Bridgeport in goals (25) and points (46). That finish is one point more than he scored in 70 games last year, his first season with Bridgeport. He has rotated between the NHL and AHL level since turning pro in 2020. Foudy’s only full season in the NHL came with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022-23. He finished that season with 14 points in 62 games.
George will also have a role carved out for him in the minors. He scored 17 points and a plus-10 in 45 games with Bridgeport this season, in addition to one point and a plus-one in four NHL games. George split last season between the major and minor leagues. He finished the year with five points in 33 NHL games and 14 points in 33 AHL games.
Blues Sign Arseni Koromyslov To Entry-Level Contract
The St. Louis Blues have signed 2022 fourth-round pick Arseni Koromyslov to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. This deal will move Koromyslov to North America after four seasons in Russia’s pro leagues. The contract details, per PuckPedia, are:
| Year | NHL Salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $850K | $102.5K | $72.5K | $82.5K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $82.5K |
Koromyslov, 22, filled an important role for the KHL’s Chelyabinsk Traktor this season. He recorded 17 points, 40 penalty minutes, and a plus-four in 61 games this season. This was Koromyslov’s second season in a full-time, KHL role. His 2024-25 season was spread across three teams, with Koromyslov recording five points in 26 games with Lada, two points in seven games with SKA St. Petersburg, and 10 points in 48 games with Traktor including the postseason. He scored one goal with each team, a pattern he kept up through this season.
Despite the low-scoring, Koromyslov has never recorded a negative plus-minus across a full season. He has proved to be a reliable defender at Russia’s junior and pro levels – a knack helped along by just how much Koromyslov has improved his game as he’s moved to higher roles. He was a noticeable physical presence this season, using a long reach and hard checking to stop opponents in the neutral zone. His ability to win puck battles from Traktor’s second-pair went far in supporting a forward group with seven players who scored 35 points or more.
Koromyslov will lean on that defensive prowess to earn minutes with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds next season. He joins a long list of left-defenders on the Thunderbirds roster but could offer a bit more defensive reliability than Marc-Andre Gaudet, Quinton Burns, or Michael Buchinger. Should that professional defense carry over, Koromyslov could plant his feet behind Leo Loof on St. Louis’ depth chart in the 2026-27 season.
Panthers’ Tomas Nosek Suffers Broken Leg
The end of the season has brought no relief to the Florida Panthers’ injury woes. Winger Tomas Nosek sustained a broken leg in Sunday’s win over the New York Rangers, head coach Paul Maurice told Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson. Nosek did not play the final three minutes of the game. It is not clear exactly when he suffered the fracture but Nosek specified that the leg he broke is not the same one that he underwent knee surgery on earlier in the season.
Nosek missed the first 60 games of the season with a knee injury sustained during the off-season. He has scored four points and a minus-eight in 21 games on the year, before sustaining another injury in the second-to-last game of Florida’s season.
This injury continues a long run of misfortune for Nosek. He missed the first month of the 2024-25 season with an upper-body injury and ultimately played only 59 games for the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers. Nosek scored nine points in those games, and three more in 16 playoff games. He missed multiple chunks of the 2023-24 season with a variety of injuries, including another upper-body injury, and ultimately only played in 36 games that year. Nosek even broke his foot in the latter-half of the 2022-23 season, only totaling 66 regular season games. In full, the 33-year-old winger has only averaged 55 games and 13 points per season dating back to his first full year in the NHL in 2018-19.
This will give Florida another injury to monitor as their off-season gets off to an early start. The Panthers are set to miss the postseason for the first time since 2019, on the heels of three-straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. Nosek will join many of the team’s stars in nursing an injury, including Brad Marchand, Aleksander Barkov, Gustav Forsling, and Aaron Ekblad. He faces the added wrinkle of entering free agency this summer and will face the challenge of convincing a team to renew the one-year, league-minimum contract he played on this summer with only 21 games to show for it. Nosek has 120 points in 514 career games in the NHL.
Wild Sign Ben Dexheimer To Entry-Level Deal
The Wild have signed University of Wisconsin captain Ben Dexheimer to a one-year, entry-level deal. The move was first reported by Michael Russo of The Athletic. The contract will begin next season, with Dexheimer expected to report to AHL Iowa on a tryout to finish out this year.
Dexheimer, a Twin Cities native, hops back across the border after spending the last five years in Wisconsin, including a one-year stint with the USHL’s Madison Capitols in 2021-22. The undersized right-shot defenseman proved to be a solid offensive weapon from the Badgers’ blue line over the last four seasons, leading them to the national championship this year for the first time since 2010, before losing a heartbreaker to Denver.
In 39 games this season, Dexheimer recorded a career-best seven goals while tying his previous career high of 28 points that he set during his sophomore season in one fewer game. He was named to the NCAA’s All-Tournament Team and was a Big 10 First Team All-Star, finishing fourth on the Badgers in scoring.
Coming in at 5’10” and 165 lbs, Dexheimer faces an uphill battle. He’ll likely need to unlock another gear offensively to make himself appealing as a bottom-pairing option who can log power play time. Behind Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota’s right side next year is in flux. Veterans Zach Bogosian and Jeff Petry are pending unrestricted free agents, and both are retirement candidates. They don’t have any depth options in Iowa, outside of maybe David Spacek, who is ready to step in. They’ll need to address that #3RD hole in free agency, but until they do, there’s a pathway for a name like Dexheimer to make headway on the depth chart with a strong first impression in Iowa.
Dexheimer will be under team control until 2029 if he signs, but will be a restricted free agent in 2027. He’ll bring Minnesota up to 27 out of the max 50 contracts for next season.
Red Wings Place Dominik Shine On Waivers
The Red Wings placed forward Dominik Shine on waivers ahead of tonight’s season finale against the Panthers, PuckPedia reports. Still technically eligible to dress tonight, he’ll be sent to AHL Grand Rapids tomorrow in the likely event he clears to join their playoff run.
Shine has been one of the best stories in hockey this season. This year’s Detroit nominee for the Masterton Trophy, the 32-year-old scored his first NHL goal – three of them, in fact – after several years as a farmhand in Grand Rapids, mostly on minor-league deals.
Saying Shine is a Michigan lifer feels like an understatement. The Pinckney native only left to play four seasons of junior hockey for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars but has since returned to his home state for every season, playing four years at Northern Michigan before joining Grand Rapids in 2017. He spent all of his time there on minor-league deals until finally earning his first NHL contract from the Wings midway through last season amid a career year offensively. He ended up playing in nine games for the Wings down the stretch, notching one assist.
This year, Shine upped things to a new level. Grand Rapids’ captain played a major role in an electric early-season surge, rattling off 21 goals and 37 points in 38 games en route to earning a two-year, two-way extension from the Wings in January. Now signed through 2028, he got another call-up in short order and ended the season with three goals in 18 NHL games for Detroit, remaining up on the roster since the Olympic break.
The 5’11”, 177-lb righty has been a 13th forward at best, averaging just 6:56 of ice time per game, but his dedication to the organization – and to the sport for waiting so long to get a big-league opportunity – has been deservedly lauded in Detroit. His poor possession play and propensity for some untimely penalties – the flip side of playing with the energy he does – will likely prevent him from ever jumping into a regular role, but he’ll now play out the next two years in similar spot duty call-up deployment before likely beginning to contemplate retirement at the end of his current deal.
Lightning Activate Maxwell Crozier From LTIR, Place Steven Santini On Waivers
Lightning defenseman Maxwell Crozier told reporters this morning that he’s stepping back into the lineup for tonight’s regular-season finale against the Rangers (including the team’s Benjamin Pierce). He had been on long-term injured reserve since mid-February after undergoing core muscle surgery. They’ve placed defender Steven Santini on waivers in a corresponding move with the intent to send him back to AHL Syracuse tomorrow, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. They’ve also recalled forwards Jakob Pelletier and Mitchell Chaffee from Syracuse to allow some forwards to get some extra rest tonight, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.
Crozier’s return gives the Bolts another option on defense for the first round that they weren’t expecting to have several weeks ago. When he underwent the procedure in February, the team gave him a 10-week timeline that appeared to rule him out for the regular season and at least a good chunk of the first round. Instead, he’ll come back in a little under two months’ time to essentially get a conditioning stint in a meaningless game tonight before potentially dressing for Game 1 against the Canadiens this weekend, likely contingent on the statuses of Victor Hedman (personal leave, indefinite) and Darren Raddysh (undisclosed, day-to-day).
Crozier, a 2019 fourth-round pick, also missed several games earlier in the year with an undisclosed issue. Between absences, he was well on his way to establishing himself as an everyday depth option. Turning 26 next weekend, Crozier put up a 1-9–10 scoring line in 34 games after making just 18 appearances over the previous two seasons combined. He averaged 16 minutes per night, and Tampa won his minutes handily, controlling 53.0% of shot attempts and 52.8% of expected goals at 5-on-5.
A smooth-skating option, he’ll be a natural fit as the #3 righty heading into training camp in the fall behind Raddysh and Erik Černák – if Tampa can work out an extension with the former. If not, given the dearth of high-impact options on this summer’s free agent market, Crozier might be tasked with a higher-leverage role than anticipated next season.
As for Santini, the 31-year-old has been called up as an injury replacement several times throughout the season. He hadn’t needed to clear waivers since training camp, but after playing his 10th game of the season on his most recent recall, he needs them now to head back down. In 11 appearances, his highest NHL workload since 2018-19, Santini has produced an assist and a +1 rating. He’d been a healthy scratch since March 28 and will now return to Syracuse, where he serves as team captain in his second season with the organization, to aid in their chase for a Calder Cup championship.
Pelletier and Chaffee have both been up with the Bolts relatively recently as they’ve opted to get their injury-plagued roster as much rest as possible before the postseason. Pelletier appeared in a pair of games last week before heading back to Syracuse over the weekend, while Chaffee skated in a trio of contests earlier this month. Neither recorded a point on their most recent recalls and have gone pointless across 14 combined NHL games this year.
For Pelletier, it’s one final reward for an electric minor-league performance before the former Flames first-rounder ideally snatches an NHL roster spot out of camp next fall. The 25-year-old leads the AHL with 77 points (28 goals, 49 assists) in 63 games, while Chaffee has also put up over a point per game with a 24-33–57 line in 54 outings. But while Pelletier is signed through 2027-28, Chaffee is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Islanders Sign Quinn Finley To Entry-Level Deal
The Islanders announced Wednesday that they’ve signed forward prospect Quinn Finley to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will kick in next season, making him a restricted free agent in 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed. It’s unclear if he’ll be joining AHL Bridgeport on a tryout for the balance of the regular season and playoffs.
Finley is the latest of his now-former Wisconsin teammates to make his exodus from the school after falling just short of a national title last weekend. Blake Montgomery inked his entry-level deal earlier today, while captain Ben Dexheimer is expected to sign with the Wild.
The 21-year-old is coming off his junior season, spending all of his three NCAA seasons with the Badgers. He’s been a star-level producer the past two years, capping things off with a 16-17–33 scoring line in 37 outings this year. That’s actually down from his big-time 20-goal, 40-point sophomore outburst but still enough for him to lead Wisconsin in goals and finish second in scoring.
Finley was a third-round selection in 2022 from the USHL’s Madison Capitols. He’s managed a couple of international opportunities, winning gold with the United States at the 2024 World Juniors and heading to Davos, Switzerland over this season’s holiday break to join a U.S. Collegiate Selects squad at the Spengler Cup invitational.
The 6’0″, 179-lb winger is a high-end finisher. As Scott Wheeler of The Athletic writes, his defensive game has started to come around in college as well and he checks in as the Islanders’ #8 prospect in a forward-heavy pool. He’ll presumably spend most, if not all, of that two-year ELC term in the minors (Bridgeport will be relocating to Hamilton, Ontario next season) before getting some NHL looks later in the decade.
Senators, Blake Montgomery Agree To Terms On Entry-Level Deal
The Senators announced Wednesday that they’ve agreed to terms with left wing prospect Blake Montgomery on a three-year, entry-level deal starting next season. He’ll join AHL Belleville on an amateur tryout contract to finish out this year. The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.075MM with a qualifying offer of $1.114MM upon expiry, per PuckPedia.
Montgomery, a fourth-round pick by Ottawa in 2024, will opt to be one-and-done in college. The 20-year-old two-way forward will end up playing in four different leagues in the span of two seasons if he manages to suit up for Belleville this year. Selected from the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, he stuck around for just 10 games in his post-draft season before jumping north of the border with the OHL’s London Knights. After rattling off nearly a point per game there, he took advantage of the new avenue for CHL players to make the jump to college hockey and committed to the University of Wisconsin.
Montgomery’s lone season with the Badgers will go down as a successful one. He helped them to their first national championship game appearance since 2010 and put up a 9-8–17 scoring line in 37 games along the way. He averaged two shots on goal per game but did end up with a team-worst -7 rating.
The younger brother of Hurricanes defense prospect Bryce Montgomery, it’ll be interesting to see how much – if any – of Blake’s scoring touch can translate to Belleville still relatively early in his development. He’ll turn 21 next month; he was initially draft-eligible in 2023 before being picked up by Ottawa a year later. He still grades out, improbably, as the Sens’ top forward prospect in a pool that’s been heavily decimated in recent years, sitting #4 overall according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He becomes just the third forward age 22 or younger that Ottawa even has under contract.
Montgomery’s contract brings Ottawa up to 28 registered for next season. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2029 with two years of team control remaining.
Wild Closing In On Signing Rieger Lorenz
The Wild have been busy locking up draft picks and free agents out of the college ranks over the past few days. That’s expected to continue as they’re closing in on an entry-level pact with 2022 second-rounder Rieger Lorenz, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. It will be a two-year deal beginning next season, although he’s expected to report to AHL Iowa on an amateur tryout to get some gameplay in now.
The 6’2″ Lorenz was an intriguing selection at the time. He went around the high end of where he was expected to go, but still within range at 56th overall. He was named the top prospect in Canada’s junior ‘A’ system in his draft year after logging 38 goals and 85 points in 60 games.
Fast forward four years, and a subsequent rocky freshman season for Lorenz at the University of Denver is a distant memory. The Calgary native has rattled off three straight 20-point seasons for the Pioneers, including a career-best 17 goals and 35 points in 43 games as a senior this year. He was the Pios’ highest-scoring forward this season en route to a second national championship in the last three years. Lorenz was named to the NCAA’s All-Tournament team on both occasions.
Lorenz ranked as the #10 prospect in Minnesota’s prospect system after removing most of the top end of their pool to acquire Quinn Hughes earlier this season, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. In addition to his consistent production over the last few years in Denver, he’s been a penalty-killer for them and could end up being something of a bottom-six checking force for the Wild with a decently well-rounded offensive game. His skating and passing will likely limit his ceiling, Wheeler writes, and he’ll need some serious AHL seasoning before competing for an NHL role.
Nonetheless, the 22-year-old will get a two-year window (and some change here) to prove his trajectory is strong enough to carry him to an NHL job. He’s tracking to be the fourth college signing the Wild have made this cycle. They inked 2023 first-round pick Charlie Stramel out of Michigan State to a deal beginning next season and landed free agent defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg from UConn. They’re also in the process of signing Wisconsin captain Ben Dexheimer.