Free Agent Stock Watch: Right Wing
With the regular season behind us, player movement between teams is now almost entirely restricted. Teams are in the thick of hotly contested playoff series, and many players with expiring contracts have either concluded their campaigns or are playing crucially important games. The players still in action are playing games that could help determine what magnitude of contract they might receive in the summer.
In a multi-part series, we’ll take a look at each position group of the upcoming free agent class, and do a rundown on how those upcoming unrestricted free agents have performed this year. Which players have increased their odds of scoring a jackpot on the open market? Which players have potentially hurt their earning potential with their play? What are the stakes for these free agents in the playoff games that remain? We’ll break it all down here.
The Marquee Names
Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres
As numerous pending free agents have signed extensions to remain with their current team, Tuch has emerged as one of the very best players remaining on the upcoming free agent market. While there is still a chance that the Sabres could come to an agreement with Tuch, who is repped by Brian and Scott Bartlett, the most recent reporting from the regular season indicates there is still a gap in those negotiations.
Unless substantive progress is made in those talks, it appears Tuch, a native of the Central New York region, which is just east of Buffalo, could be playing out his final campaign with the Sabres.
If he does hit the open market, he’d be one of the most in-demand players available. Tuch was a focal point of the Sabres’ return from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel trade, and has blossomed into a legitimate first-line winger for the team. He scored a career-high 36 goals last season and has scored at least 20 goals in each full season he’s played in Buffalo.
He concluded 2025-26 with 33 goals and 66 points in the regular season, and has two goals and two assists in the Sabres’ first three playoff contests.
With the Sabres hoping get past the Boston Bruins and make a deep playoff run, Tuch is in a position where he could author some big moments with the entire league watching.
While Tuch has been in form, there are factors beyond just his play that are contributing to his immense earning potential this summer. Firstly, the number of players who have signed extensions and taken themselves off of the free agent market means Tuch will be one of the few borderline star-level players left on the open market. Secondly, the sharp rise in the salary cap upper limit means there are quite a few teams with cash to burn this summer.
That means more teams will have the financial bandwidth to enter a bidding war for Tuch. The more teams that aggressively pursue an unrestricted free agent, the more money that free agent is often able to make. That bodes well for Tuch.
Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings
Like many other aging stars who have already made massive amounts of money in their career, Kane has prioritized on-ice fit and stability over maximizing his earnings in his last few trips to free agency. He found a good fit for himself in Detroit, and the Red Wings would not have come close to ending the league’s longest playoff drought without his efforts.
Now 37 years old, Kane likely has a place in Detroit for as long as he wants to continue playing. His contracts are loaded with performance bonuses, and it’s likely his next deal, in whatever form it takes, will be laden with bonuses as well. While he’s not as tied to Detroit as other similar free agents are to their teams, such as Alex Ovechkin with the Capitals or Jamie Benn with the Stars, it’s tough to imagine Kane entertaining a full free agency process at this stage of his career.
The Solid Contributors
Bobby McMann, Seattle Kraken
NHL history is littered with offensive players who have changed teams mid-season and had slow starts in their new NHL homes. So much of creating offense is about chemistry, and the inherent challenge that faces these players is the fact that they’re entering lineups with teammates whose styles and tendencies are entirely unfamiliar to them.
With that said, some players change teams and find themselves able to hit the ground running despite those inherent challenges; Bobby McMann is one of those players. In his 18 games in Seattle, he scored 10 goals and 14 points, bringing his full-season production to 29 goals, 46 points.
The 29-year-old was dealt from the Maple Leafs as the team could not reach an agreement with him on a contract extension. It was reported that McMann’s asking price on his next deal, said to be over $5MM per year, was a little above where Toronto was willing to go.
Having authored a second consecutive season with at least 20 goals, it appears McMann has given himself a real chance to earn the kind of contract offer Toronto reportedly wasn’t willing to extend him. While he’s not a one-to-one comparable, the fact that Kiefer Sherwood was able to earn a $5.75MM AAV on a five-year term has helped McMann’s case for his next deal. He’s an endearing winger, a player whose hard-working style allowed him to grab hold of an NHL role.
As an undrafted product of Colgate University, which is a quality ECAC program but not one with an overwhelming record of producing NHL players, McMann faced somewhat long odds of becoming an impactful NHL player. But with his compete level, work ethic, and knack for finding the back of the net, McMann managed to beat those odds and become a valuable NHL goal scorer. After making just over $1MM on his last deal, McMann has positioned himself to land a massive pay raise as a free agent this summer.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Minnesota Wild
While Tarasenko’s star has certainly faded since his trade from St. Louis in 2023, he remains a capable NHL scorer and one of the better offensive options set to be available on the open market this summer. He was a mid-season trade addition in back-to-back years, first with the Rangers and then with the Panthers the following year. In Florida, he showed he could still be a valuable player on a contending team, scoring 14 points in 19 regular-season games and chipping in nine points on the Panthers’ run to their first ever Stanley Cup championship.
Fresh off of the championship, Tarasenko signed a two-year, $4.75MM AAV deal with the Detroit Red Wings. But after he only managed 11 goals and 33 points in Detroit, his lowest scoring total in a healthy season of his career, Tarasenko was dealt to the Wild for future considerations. The Red Wings, it appeared, were content to be rid of Tarasenko’s $4.75MM cap hit without needing compensation from the Wild.
That deal has paid dividends for Minnesota, as the Russian forward finished the regular season with 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games. At 34 years old, though, getting term on his next deal could prove difficult. Going on another deep playoff run – provided the Wild can get past the Dallas Stars in the first round – would certainly help position him to potentially get one.
Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild
When the Wild originally signed Zuccarello, back in 2019 during the tenure of former GM Paul Fenton, the deal was largely criticized. Although most outside observers acknowledged Zuccarello was still a quality player, and the $6MM per year price tag was seen as fair, the length of the deal (five years) was met with concern.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski wrote at the time that “there’s simply no defendable reason” why the Wild decided to sign Zuccarello for such a long term. The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy echoed the sentiment, adding “Zuccarello will eventually wear down and he will still have term on his contract when that happens.”
That concern from the media was not unreasonable, of course, as Zuccarello was into his thirties at that point. But the deal aged fabulously for Minnesota. Fenton’s successor, Bill Guerin, led the team to a quick turnaround, fueled in large part by the arrival of superstar Kirill Kaprizov from the KHL. Zuccarello found instant chemistry with Kaprizov.
After scoring 37 points in his debut campaign in the Twin Cities, Zuccarello managed 35 points in 42 games in 2021-22, Kaprizov’s rookie year.
Since Kaprizov arrived, Zuccarello has enjoyed the best, most productive years of his career even as he’s aged deeper into his thirties. He scored a career-high 79 points in just 70 games in 2021-22, which is a 92-point 82-game scoring pace. He scored 67 points the following year, and managed 63 points (in 69 games) in 2023-24.
His scoring rate has fallen a bit below where it once was as other Wild forwards have emerged as key focal points of the team’s attack (namely 2019 first-rounder Matt Boldy) but has still hovered at a clear top-six rate. This season, Zuccarello scored 15 goals and 54 points in 59 games, his games played total limited by upper-body injuries.
Over the course of his tenure with the Wild, Guerin has shown a willingness to invest in keeping his team’s core intact. His faith in this Wild core has been rewarded this season, without question. Given how well Zuccarello has played, it’d be tough to imagine Guerin letting him walk.
It’s unclear what Zuccarello’s expectations might be in free agency. Assuming he wants to continue his career and play his age-39 season, the fact that Zuccarello is able to be signed with performance bonuses means Minnesota has some flexibility in the route they decide to take with his extension.
Eeli Tolvanen, Seattle Kraken
There are many former top prospects who, after losing their spot on their original team and landing on waivers, have begun a downward spiral in their career. That spiral typically ultimately ends with the player leaving for the European pro ranks or the minor leagues. At one point, Tolvanen appeared to be at risk of following that path.
He was ranked as one of the top prospects in the game in 2018, and broke into the NHL in 2020-21 scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 40 games. But he wasn’t able to build on his rookie season in Nashville, and by late 2022, found himself on the waiver wire. The Kraken, in just their second season in franchise history, placed a claim on Tolvanen. The natural opportunity that comes with playing on an expansion franchise allowed Tolvanen to revive his career trajectory.
While he still isn’t the star he was once projected to be, he has finally begun to deliver some of the offensive upside that had tantalized scouts in years past. He scored 16 goals and 27 points in his first 48 games with the Kraken, and added eight points in 14 playoff games.
That first campaign with the Kraken showed what was to come for Tolvanen. He has become a reliable middle-six goal scorer, hitting a career-high 23 goals last season. This year, he scored 12 goals and 36 points.
Tolvanen has taken steps to round out his game this season, which bodes well for him entering free agency. He didn’t sniff the penalty kill when he began his tenure in Seattle, but is now playing over a minute per game short-handed. In a free agent class short on ascending options, Tolvanen, at 27 years old, will represent a relatively rare commodity.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tampa Bay Lightning
For much of his NHL career, Bjorkstrand has been a model of consistency as a second-line scoring forward. The Danish winger has been close to a lock to score at least 20 goals and between 45 and 55 points when healthy, but his fit in Tampa Bay hasn’t been perfect. Despite averaging over three minutes of power play time on ice per game, Bjorkstrand’s production has been below the standard he’s set earlier in his career. Bjorkstrand finished the regular season with 12 goals and 32 points, well below the 21 goals and 46 points he managed last season.
A contributing factor to Bjorkstrand’s decline in production has been his role outside the power play. While he was a top player for Tampa on the man advantage in the regular season, he’s often occupied a bottom-six role at even strength. His 10:30 time on ice per game at even strength is below career bottom-sixers such as Pontus Holmberg and Zemgus Girgensons.
The playoffs have not helped Bjorkstrand’s case. He’s been unable to secure a spot in head coach Jon Cooper’s lineup, serving as a healthy scratch for all three contests thus far. Cooper has even elected to play journeyman Scott Sabourin, who at 33 has played in just 73 career NHL games, over Bjorkstrand.
That puts Bjorkstrand on somewhat shaky ground entering free agency. At 30 years old, he is in a position where he could reasonably get a medium or even long-term deal. But with the way his role has declined in Tampa, he could face a challenge trying to reach his current cap hit, $5.4MM, in free agency.
Alexander Nikishin Suffers Concussion
4/26/26: The Hurricanes issued an update on Nikishin’s status Sunday morning, revealing the defenseman was diagnosed with a concussion as a result of Kleven’s hit. Nikishin returned with the team to Raleigh and will continue with the NHL’s concussion protocol there.
Carolina is set to have a decent break before its next game thanks to the team’s first-round sweep, which increases the likelihood that Nikishin won’t have to miss too much time, though it’s impossible to project a return date with exact certainty at this stage.
4/25/26: Despite earning the sweep over the Ottawa Senators earlier today, it’s not all good news for the Carolina Hurricanes. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin exited the game early after being on the receiving end of a huge hit from Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven.
Nikishin finished the game with one shot, two blocked shots, and one hit across 5:16 of ice time. Before leaving today’s contest, he had averaged over 20 minutes through the first three games of the series, although he remained scoreless. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Nikishin just had the wind knocked out of him. After the game, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer shared a note from head coach Rod Brind’Amour that the team fears Nikishin suffered a concussion.
Still, depending on the severity of the concussion, if that’s what it is, Nikishin may have ample time to recover. Unless the Pittsburgh Penguins pull off a miraculous comeback, the Hurricanes will likely play the Philadelphia Flyers in Round Two, a team they would have a significant advantage against, even without Nikishin. Carolina earned seven points against the Flyers this season in four games.
Additionally, although it doesn’t directly concern the Hurricanes at the time of writing, the other two Eastern Conference matchups are in tight series and may prolong the start of Round Two. If any Round One series goes to seven games, that could give Nikishin more than a week-and-a-half to recover.
Regardless, veteran blue liner Mike Reilly should begin getting ready for his first playoff action in some time. He was held out of every game in Round One against the Senators, but he was always the first man up in case of injury. Reilly last played in the postseason in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring one goal and two points in five games with the New York Islanders.
Morning Notes: Tkachuk, Kero, Schnarr
The offseason has begun earlier than just about everyone in the Ottawa Senators organization had hoped, with the team swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night. With Ottawa’s loss, focus has shifted to the future of the organization – and more specifically, the future of the team’s captain and franchise face: Brady Tkachuk. Sportsnet’s Alex Adams wrote that “next season could even be a last dance of sorts for this core” of Senators players. More specifically, Tkachuk’s “future and the chatter around him will hang over the team until he’s signed to an extension, is traded or walks away from the nation’s capital.”
The 26-year-old is now just two years away from unrestricted free agency, putting a definitive time frame on the Senators’ hopes of competing for a Stanley Cup. As much as Tkachuk struggled to make his mark against Carolina, he remains one of Ottawa’s most important players and a uniquely coveted asset across the league. The team isn’t able to sign Tkachuk to an extension just yet, but once that window opens, every day that passes without his signature will likely only heighten the speculation that he could see his future elsewhere, the way his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, did before being traded from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers. That’s obviously an outcome the Senators will be desperate to avoid, and their planning for this offseason is likely to reflect a level of aggression designed to quickly strengthen the team to show Tkachuk Ottawa is a place where he can win a Stanley Cup.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Former Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks forward Tanner Kero will depart the DEL’s Kölner Haie and become a free agent, according to a team announcement. The 134-game NHL veteran has spent the last two seasons playing in Europe, spending 2024-25 with the SHL’s HV71 and this past year with Cologne. He has been solid at each stop, scoring 22 points in 52 games in the SHL and 29 points in 41 games in Germany. He helped Cologne finish in first place in the DEL’s regular season standings but the club fell to Berlin in six games in the league semifinals.
- 2017 Arizona Coyotes third-round pick Nate Schnarr has also decided to depart Cologne and become a free agent after just one year in Germany. The 184-game AHL veteran has spent the last three years playing in Europe, his first two as a top scorer in Finland’s Liiga and this past year as a point-per-game scorer in Germany. He’s proven to be a capable top-six scoring forward in two of Europe’s better leagues, and is likely to receive considerable interest from clubs across the continent this summer.
Central Notes: Lundkvist, Manson, Zuccarello
In the second period of tonight’s game between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist left the contest after taking a skate to the face. Lundkvist was fighting for a puck with Michael McCarron toward Dallas’ net, and McCarron’s skate hit Lundkvist in the left cheek as both were falling to the ice.
Initially, there was some hope that Lundkvist could get a few stitches and get back to the game. The Stars announced that Lundkvist was “questionable” to return, although he ultimately never did before Dallas lost in overtime. In an update after the game from Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News, head coach Glen Gulutzan described the injury as far more serious, saying Lundkvist suffered a deep facial laceration and he didn’t know whether he had already gone to the hospital.
Fortunately, given that both teams need a travel day, Game 5 isn’t until next Tuesday. If Lundkvist is unable to go by then, it’s expected that 32-year-old veteran Ilya Lyubushkin will draw into the lineup.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- In other news regarding injured defensemen, the Colorado Avalanche will be without Josh Manson tomorrow night. According to Jesse Montero of Guerilla Sports, Manson was still “sore” from his upper-body injury at practice today. This means that instead of Manson, depth defender Nick Blankenburg will help the Avalanche in their attempt to close out their Round One series against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4. Blankenburg scored two goals and three points in 12 games for Colorado after being acquired from the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline.
- Moving to the other side of the now-even series between the Stars and Wild, the latter team was without Mats Zuccarello for the third consecutive game. Michael Russo of The Athletic indicated that Zuccarello had been elevated to a game-time decision for tonight’s contest, but was still battling lingering effects from being elbowed in the head by Dallas defenseman Tyler Myers.
Canadiens’ Noah Dobson Resumes Skating
Already with a one-game edge in the series, the Montreal Canadiens are inching closer to returning one of their top defenseman. Earlier today, Luc Gélinas of RDS reported that defenseman Noah Dobson has resumed skating.
Dobson, 26, has been out for the last few weeks with a lower-body injury. Before missing the last three games of the regular season, and the first three of Montreal’s Round One matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dobson was exactly what the Canadiens hoped he would be.
He finished second on the team in scoring among defensemen, and sixth overall, with 12 goals and 47 points in 80 games with a +5 rating, averaging 22:29 of ice time per game. Additionally, he was third among Canadiens defensemen in CorsiFor% at even strength, and had the second most takeaways on the team.
Should he return toward the back half of this series, it would undoubtedly give Montreal a larger edge over Tampa Bay. The Lightning are already without their captain, Victor Hedman, due to illness. Reports from a few days ago indicated that Hedman is doubtful to play in the Bolts’ opening round matchup.
For the time being, the Canadiens have been deploying Alexandre Carrier in Dobson’s stead. He hasn’t looked out of place, registering one assist in three games while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time, largely due to the multiple trips into overtime. Additionally, Carrier is tied for the team lead in blocked shots (10) with fellow blue liner Mike Matheson.
PHR Mailbag: Predators, Lottery, Hellebuyck, Rookies, Playoff Pressure Players
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Nashville’s open GM position, what players have a lot to gain or lose by their playoff performances, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in one of our next two mailbag columns.
Gbear: Who gets the Preds GM job and does Bruno stay or go?
While Barry Trotz is on the way out, I tend to believe his words from earlier this week when he talked about the thought of keeping a lot of this roster intact. That has me leaning toward a candidate that’s a little more predictable in Tom Fitzgerald. While he took some swings toward the end of his tenure in New Jersey, he’s not going to come in saying that they need to execute a full rebuild. I can’t help but wonder if some of the other first-time candidates might be recommending the other direction which might hurt their chances.
I think what also works in Fitzgerald’s favor is that he has held a dual President/GM role before with the Devils. Throughout this long search, it certainly doesn’t sound like the team is looking to hire two separate people for those roles. If that’s the case, having an experienced candidate who can handle both might appeal a little more.
Fitzgerald, of course, is familiar with head coach Andrew Brunette, as he hired him to join the Devils as an assistant coach. Brunette then left a year later to take this job. With what seems like a good history from their one year together and how this group finished the season, I suspect they’d stay conservative and keep the status quo intact for now if it winds up being Fitzgerald getting the job. If things don’t go well in 2026-27, then it would be easier for them to make a change.
rayk: What is your opinion of the draft lottery which is approaching on 5/5? Is having teams like the Islanders and Mammoth move up so many slots as they did in 2025 really help promote league parity?
For me, the lottery is a partial solution to a problem that doesn’t have a great solution to it. Teams that want to tank are going to try to position themselves as low in the standings no matter what the draft order rule is. If it’s straight reverse standings, we’ve seen how bad that can go. The lottery creates some randomness which is fun but the bottom-feeding teams are still going to want to get as low as possible to increase their odds of picking first and ensure they don’t slide down as much. There’s no getting around that.
One solution that is gaining some popularity is the Gold Plan. Named after its inventor, Adam Gold, the idea is that the first pick goes to the team that gets the most points after being eliminated from playoff contention. The PWHL uses it. However, the workaround there is that a team struggles early, has a bunch of core guys get ‘injured’ midseason, then they all come back in March after the team has been mathematically eliminated. All it does is change when a team decides to sit all its players for tanking purposes.
The lottery isn’t perfect. But I don’t think there is a perfect solution out there as they’re all easily manipulable. So having some randomness that gives teams (and fans) a bit more hope seems like a good enough solution for now, at least.
SkidRowe: Will the league rig the lottery so the Toronto Maple Losers are in the top 2?
I feel like this is an important time to remind you that the lottery is done with ping pong balls. Literal dollar store ping pong balls. They first provided the video of it in 2022 and if you’re not familiar with the mechanics of how it’s done, I recommend you watch it. It’s dry and boring but it does provide a good overview of each step.
It’s 14 equally weighted ping pong balls and a lottery-drawing machine. This isn’t drawing for an envelope that may or may not have been left in a freezer, it’s a 10-cent ball which somehow is harder to rig. The lottery combinations are assigned to teams in advance (and sometimes are even posted online before the actual proceedings) so there’s no room for uh, excess creativity on that front either. Conspiracy theories can be fun but how they do the lotteries is legit.
Toronto has greater than a 17% chance of picking in the top two. After what has happened in recent years, their landing a top-two spot is very much within the realistic range of possibilities.
Cla23: With Hellebuyck’s frustration with the Jets’ season, do you see a trade? If so, where do you think he lands and what do the Jets get in return?
Keep in mind he wants to contend, not rebuild, and NT/NM contracts come into play.
Probably not this summer. His comments about not wanting the team to be too complacent again this summer suggests to me that he still wants to be there; he just wants to see some other changes to the roster. If that doesn’t happen, then yeah, he might want out. The problem is that by the time Hellebuyck will have a chance to assess the state of the roster, most teams will already have their rosters set (or at least wouldn’t be looking to trade for a number one netminder). So even if he looked at their roster in August and said it’s time for a move, there probably isn’t one available until midseason at the earliest or, more likely, next summer.
But, let’s say he does ask out so that I can tackle the second part of the question. Vegas stands out to me as a potential fit. Adin Hill had a rough year while Carter Hart and Akira Schmid have shown good flashes at times but have been inconsistent. Hellebuyck would give them a much more proven starter. I could see both Hill and Schmid in the return, negating the need to bring back Eric Comrie. To make the money work, I think William Karlsson could also be in there, giving Winnipeg at least a short-term center at the same time. Hill and Karlsson both have 10-team no-trade clauses which could scuttle things so let’s get that out of the way.
Given Hill’s struggles and Karlsson’s short-term deal, either Karlsson would need to come with an extension or there would need to be another piece of significance in there. I could see Kevin Cheveldayoff asking for Trevor Connelly but he’s someone Vegas doesn’t want to move. If it landed them a top-end goalie though (and got them out of Hill’s contract), maybe that’d make it worthwhile.
I could also see Florida in there but the potential return is harder to peg down. They don’t have a starter to send the other way which makes it a tough sell right away. With both Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett signed long-term, teams will call about Anton Lundell and I imagine Winnipeg would do that, hoping to fill the longstanding 2C issue and then trying to get a goalie from elsewhere. I’m not sure the Panthers would, however. But at any rate, I don’t expect Hellebuyck to be asking out this month.
Ian Mitchell Signs With NL’s SC Bern
Lightning pending unrestricted free agent Ian Mitchell has agreed to terms with SC Bern of Switzerland’s National League on a two-year contract beginning next season, the team announced earlier this week. The move had been in place for months, as we relayed back in February.
Mitchell, 27, did not see NHL ice this season after appearing in five straight campaigns with the Blackhawks and Bruins from 2020-25. Non-tendered by Boston last summer, he landed a one-way league minimum deal from the Red Wings in free agency but cleared waivers to begin training camp. After going all year without a call-up, Detroit dealt him to Tampa Bay in mid-March – after the NHL trade deadline but before the AHL one – so he could serve as added defensive depth for the Bolts’ farm team in Syracuse down the stretch.
Mitchell’s contractual obligations with Tampa are still ongoing. In fact, he suited up for Syracuse just last night – after the announcement that he was headed to Bern – in Game 1 of their North Division Semifinal series against Cleveland. However, since he was acquired after the trade deadline, he’s not eligible for recall to the Lightning as long as they’re still in the postseason.
The 6’0″, right-shot Mitchell is a skilled puck-mover. He’s shown as much in the minors, where he had seven assists in 15 games to close out the regular season with Syracuse. His lack of physical acumen in one-on-one defending and battles, plus underwhelming shot power, has prevented him from locking down any sort of notable NHL role, though.
A second-round pick by the Blackhawks back in 2017, Mitchell won an NCHC championship with the University of Denver before ultimately turning pro three years later. He suited up in 39 of Chicago’s 56 games in the COVID-shortened 2021 season, but that mark still stands as a career high. He’s now passed through waivers unclaimed in each of the last three seasons, so it’s clear interest in his services hasn’t been wide-spanning for quite some time.
Mitchell’s NHL resume stands with a 4-15–19 scoring line, a -17 rating, and an underwhelming 42.6% Corsi share at even strength through 110 appearances. His minor-league body of work is strong – tallying 120 points and a +55 rating in 216 career AHL games – but it hasn’t been enough for him to earn serious bottom-pair consideration.
He’s now officially off to Switzerland, potentially putting a bookend on his NHL career. He could easily step in as Bern’s #1 from the drop on a roster that also boasts former NHLers Emil Bemström and Anton Lindholm.
Metropolitan Notes: Greaves, Fisher, Vladar
Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves will play for Canada at the Worlds next month, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). This was the 25-year-old’s first full NHL season and it was a good one as he posted a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV% in 55 games. That showed that his hot finish to last season wasn’t just a one-off and he’s now in place as their starter of the future. Notably, Greaves is a pending restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights and is poised for a significant raise on his current $812.5K price tag. That makes it a little surprising that Greaves will play for Canada in the tournament as pending free agents usually take a pass to avoid the risk of an injury sustained there affecting contract negotiations. Instead, he’ll make a strong case to be the starter regardless of whichever other two goalies participate, something that Dreger added is still being worked out.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Still with the Blue Jackets, prospect James Fisher has changed schools. Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald relays that the forward has transferred from Northeastern to St. Lawrence University for next season. The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Columbus back in 2022 and has not progressed particularly well thus far. After two post-draft seasons at junior levels, he spent two years with the Huskies, managing just five points in 60 games over that stretch. He’ll be hoping that a change of scenery can land him a bigger role and a chance to get back on the radar for a contract down the road.
- After a bit of an injury scare in Game 3 of their opening round series against Pittsburgh, it appears Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar is good to go as the team announced (Twitter link) that he’ll get the start tonight. Bryan Rust fell over him in the third period on Wednesday and didn’t practice the following day but it won’t cost him any time. Vladar’s first foray into the playoffs as a starter has been successful so far as he has turned aside 70 of 74 shots to help Philadelphia take the first three games.
Nikolaj Ehlers Sidelined With Lower-Body Injury
As the Hurricanes look to finish off their opening-round series in Ottawa today, they’re doing so without one of their better wingers. Prior to today’s game, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nikolaj Ehlers was not in the lineup due to a lower-body injury. The team did not indicate how long he may be out for.
Ehlers is in his first season with Carolina after signing a six-year, $51MM contract on the third day of free agency last summer. The Hurricanes have long coveted impactful free agents and were able to get one with this big offer.
The 30-year-old was an impactful player for the Hurricanes this season. With 26 goals and 45 assists, he finished second on the team in scoring and set new career highs in assists and points despite not getting a big uptick in playing time. When he left Winnipeg, part of his concern was a lack of top-line minutes but Ehlers only saw his ice time go up by 48 seconds per game, from 15:48 to 16:36.
After Ehlers performed well last spring in the playoffs for the Jets, the Hurricanes were undoubtedly hoping that he’d give them a boost this postseason. That didn’t happen through the first three games as Ehlers has been limited to just one assist although it’s unclear if this lower-body issue is something that has been lingering and affecting his play.
With Ehlers out of the lineup, Carolina moved William Carrier into his spot on the third line. Meanwhile, they turned to veteran winger Nicolas Deslauriers to fill the lineup vacancy, giving him his first playoff appearance since 2022 when he was with Minnesota.
Daniil Miromanov Considering KHL Return
Things didn’t go quite to plan for Flames defenseman Daniil Miromanov, who spent most of the year in the minors. A pending unrestricted free agent, it appears that he’s considering a return home for next season, as Sport-Express’ Artur Khairullin reports (Telegram link) that Miromanov may return to the KHL next season, with SKA St. Petersburg a leading candidate for his services.
Miromanov was a full-timer on Calgary’s roster last season, albeit often in a seventh defenseman role. The 28-year-old broke camp with the Flames out of training camp this year as well, but barely a week into the season after just one game played, he found himself on waivers. He passed through unclaimed and aside from a brief recall in November, he was exclusively with AHL Calgary the rest of the way, posting 11 goals and 27 assists in 66 games as he took full advantage of playing in a prominent role.
Miromanov originally broke into the NHL with Vegas, signing with them back in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. He saw time in parts of three seasons with them before being moved to the Flames back in 2024 as part of the return for Noah Hanifin. Between the two franchises, he has 94 career NHL appearances under his belt, posting 23 points and 110 blocked shots in 17:26 per night of playing time.
A big right-shot defender, Miromanov would undoubtedly generate some interest on the open market this summer. While he cleared waivers in October, his $1.25MM contract may have been a reason for that. On a contract closer to the minimum salary ($850K starting in 2026-27), he might have a better chance at sticking on an NHL roster next season.
However, Miromanov would likely be in a seventh defender role if he caught on with another NHL team next season. If he wants to have a chance to play more prominently as he did with the Wranglers this season, he could certainly get that chance by returning to the KHL where he’d also have a chance to play much closer to home.