Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers’ Drew Fortescue Remaining With Boston College For 2025-26

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers must wait another year for one of their top defensive prospects to play games for the organization. Despite encouraging him to turn pro over the past few weeks, Drew Fortescue will return to Boston College for a junior season. 

The Rangers selected Fortescue with the 90th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. He had just completed a season with the U.S. National U18 Team, scoring one goal and 26 points in 62 games, and had already committed to the Eagles’ program before the draft.

Fortescue wasn’t much of a point producer in his first year with Boston College, recording only four goals and eight points in 40 games. However, his defensive awareness was impressive, and he emerged as the most efficient breakout passer on the team. He played a crucial role in the Eagles’ victory at the Hockey East tournament at the end of the season, also helping lead the team to the National Championship game against the University of Denver Pioneers.

He improved nearly every metric of his game in 2024-25 and finished with 11 assists in 36 games with a +28 rating. Still, despite finishing with the best record in the Hockey East Conference, the program itself took a step back from his freshman campaign. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Conference tournament to Northeastern University and were ousted by the Pioneers again in the National Tournament, also in the quarterfinals.

The Rangers arguably have a solid case for Fortescue turning pro, but he wouldn’t have had access to meaningful hockey upon signing. Despite qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs the past two seasons, the Hartford Wolf Pack don’t appear poised to return this year. New York theoretically could have had Forescue join the NHL squad for the rest of the regular season, but he doesn’t offer an upgrade to any of their other options at the time.

Boston Bruins Recall Fraser Minten, Reassign Jeffrey Viel

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Boston Bruins will likely see the organizational debut of one of the prospects they acquired from their trade deadline firesale. Boston announced they’ve recalled forward Fraser Minten from their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, and have reassigned forward Jeffrey Viel in a corresponding roster move.

Minten, drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 38th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, was the principal player acquired by the Bruins in the Brandon Carlo trade. He’s suited up for the AHL Bruins since, scoring three goals and seven points in 10 games.

There’s been a slight uptick in scoring for Minten, who had only recorded six goals and 13 points in 26 games earlier this season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Still, that may partly be based on his stay with the Maple Leafs earlier in the 2024-25 calendar, when he scored two goals and four points in 15 games, averaging 12:14 of ice time per game.

Given their plummet in the standings since the trade deadline, the Bruins are positioned to give nearly every prospect a look on the NHL roster for their remaining games. Minten had shown the ability to play up and down the forward core during his stay with Toronto, and Boston will look to see if he’ll offer them the same.

Meanwhile, Viel suited up in his fifth game of the year a few days ago. The seven-year veteran is primarily known for fisticuffs rather than his talent with the puck, but he has registered 12 goals and 34 points in 62 games for the AHL Bruins this season.

International Notes: Larionov, Hållander, Söderström

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod will seek a new head coach for the 2025-26 season. Earlier this morning, the organization announced they had mutually terminated their agreement with NHL Hall of Famer Igor Larionov as the team’s head coach.

Larionov had a positive run in his first role as a head coach in the KHL. Hired before the 2022-23 season, he’ll end his tenure behind the bench with a 107-75-22 record in 204 contests, making it as far as the Western Conference semifinals in his first year at the helm.

His exploits in the NHL are well-known. Larionov and former teammate, Viacheslav Fetisov, were outspoken critics of the Soviet Union’s policies regarding the defection of athletes in the 1980s, and wouldn’t be allowed to play in the NHL until the 1989-90 season despite being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1985 NHL Draft.

After 921 games and 644 points, “the Professor” finished his NHL career at 43 years old after the 2003-04 season. He was an integral part of the famous “Russian Five” line deployed by the Detroit Red Wings and helped Detroit win three Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, and 2002.

Other international notes:

  • Former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Filip Hållander, could return to the team for the 2025-26 season. After an impressive season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23, Hållander returned to his native Sweden to join the SHL’s Timrå IK. The organization recently announced that Hållander has departed the team after scoring 26 goals and 53 points in 51 contests, finishing second in the league in scoring.
  • In an unconfirmed report from Jennifer Engstrom of Expressen, there is a growing belief that defenseman Victor Söderström will join the Chicago Blackhawks next year. Söderström has reportedly been in dialogue with the Blackhawks since the SHL playoffs started, having been acquired from the Utah Hockey Club in a salary dump trade involving Shea Weber’s contract at the recent trade deadline. Söderström would be a massive addition to Chicago’s blue line, as he recently won the Salming Trophy as the SHL’s top defenseman, scoring nine goals and 37 points in 49 games for Brynäs IF.

Pacific Notes: Draisaitl, Frederic, Gudas, Mølgaard

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers will again be without star forward Leon Draisaitl in their lineup. According to team TV host Tony Brar, Draisaitl has sustained a minor lower-body injury, although it’s unrelated to his previous ailment.

Draisaitl had recently missed four consecutive games for Edmonton with an undisclosed injury. Upon his return on April 1st, the 11-year veteran tallied one goal and one assist against the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks. Thankfully for the Oilers, there’s no concern that Draisaitl’s recent string of injuries will impact his availability for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On a more positive injury note for Edmonton, Brar also reported there is a “slight” chance that Trent Frederic could debut with the team tomorrow against the Los Angeles Kings. Frederic is still recovering from a lower-body injury suffered in February when he was rostered with the Boston Bruins.

Other notes from the Pacfic Division:

  • Contrary to a report from yesterday evening, Anaheim Ducks’ captain, Radko Gudas, isn’t headed for the operating room this off-season (Tweet Link). The initial was generated to contextualize Gudas’s “struggles” this season, but it doesn’t appear to be based on much accuracy. Gudas has essentially only struggled with his possession quality this year, as his physicality and defensive metrics (both of which he’s excelled at his entire career) have improved.
  • Moving to a prospect note, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, announced that prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard is joining the team for the remainder of the season. Mølgaard, the 52nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently finished a strong campaign with the SHL’s HV71, scoring five goals and 19 points in 38 contests.

Armstrong: Simashev, But Could Debut For Utah Next Season

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Utah Hockey Club could only be a summer away from seeing their top two prospects debut. In a report from Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune, team General Manager Bill Armstrong believes there’s a good chance defenseman Dmitri Simashev and forward Daniil But will join the roster next season.

Both players are rostered on the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, helping sweep their opening round matchup against the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in this year’s Gagarin Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, the former isn’t coming off a promising season and could benefit from another developmental year overseas.

Simashev was considered a lengthy reach at the time of his selection. He was ranked as the 19th best European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau before the draft. However, the Arizona Coyotes selected Simashev with the sixth overall pick. He’s been rostered with Lokomotiv since, scoring five goals and 16 points in 119 regular season contests.

It’ll be interesting to see how Utah utilizes him if he were to make the jump to North America. The team already has six defenseman signed to NHL contracts for the 2025-26 season, and it doesn’t make sense to bring him over just to practice with the NHL squad.

Meanwhile, But has shown more promise between the two. Selected 12th overall in the same draft, But is coming off a season where he scored nine goals and 28 points in 56 games, which is good for seventh on the team in scoring.

Luckily, no matter how well their game translates to the NHL level in the immediate future, both have professional size and are willing to play physically. Still, Utah may have to thin out the roster this summer to create space for the pair.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Gabriel Carriere

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Apr. 4th: Unfortunately, Carriere’s first recall will end without his NHL debut, as the Sharks have reassigned him back to AHL San Jose.

Apr. 3rd: The Sharks announced they’ve recalled goaltender Gabriel Carriere from AHL San Jose. He’ll back up Georgi Romanov tonight against the Oilers while starter Alexandar Georgiev is scratched due to an upper-body injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters (including Max Miller of The Hockey News).

Carriere’s first NHL recall comes weeks after his first NHL contract. The 24-year-old Ottawa native got a two-way deal from the Sharks on deadline day to make him recall-eligible for the remainder of 2024-25. He’s been in their system on an AHL contract since the end of last season, when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Vermont.

The Sharks needed another goaltender under contract after trading backup Vítek Vaněček to the Panthers last month, and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov remains unavailable due to the lower-body injury he suffered while on an AHL assignment in mid-February. His absence is drawing to a close soon, though. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News confirmed today that Askarov traveled with the Sharks’ farm team on their road trip and should make his return in the coming days.

That paves the way for Carriere to see his name on an NHL roster and earn a big-league paycheck for the day, although he’s unlikely to see game action. It’s still been a promising season for Carriere, who was quite good while on assignment to ECHL Wichita to begin the season until his services were needed in the AHL following Askarov’s injury. He posted a 2.60 GAA, .922 SV%, three shutouts, and a 14-9-2 record in 25 appearances for Wichita. Things haven’t gone as well in the AHL with the Barracuda, where Carriere has a .893 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 19 showings with an 8-8-3 record.

Carriere will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. He’s likely done well enough in the ECHL to earn a qualifying offer from San Jose, but that remains to be seen. Askarov, who signed a two-year, $4MM extension when the Sharks acquired him from the Predators last August, is the only goaltender under contract with San Jose for next season. He’s a virtual lock for their opening night roster after again excelling in the AHL and looking strong in his NHL viewings this year (.896 SV%, 1.7 GSAx, 3.10 GAA in 13 GP).

Predators Sign Magnus Chrona To Two-Way Extension

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Predators announced today they’ve signed goaltender Magnus Chrona to a two-way deal to keep him in the organization for the 2025-26 season. It carries the league-minimum cap hit of $775K. Nashville didn’t disclose his minor-league salary.

Chrona, 24, is in his first season with the Predators. Nashville acquired the depth netminder from the Sharks in last August’s Yaroslav Askarov blockbuster to help replace the latter’s minutes with AHL Milwaukee. He’s had a lukewarm showing with the Admirals, posting an 11-11-5 record, .901 SV% and a 2.87 GAA in 29 appearances. Those numbers are disappointing considering he’s been outperformed by 27-year-old Matt Murray (2.21 GAA, .927 SV%) by a wide margin. His career numbers – a 3.19 GAA and .897 SV% in 60 AHL matchups – don’t inspire a ton of confidence either.

Nonetheless, he’ll be back for another season, albeit as a No. 3 option at most. The Swede is in just his second professional season after turning pro with the Sharks out of the University of Denver in the 2023 offseason. He saw some brief NHL action last year, but he understandably fared poorly behind a league-worst San Jose squad. In eight starts and one relief appearance, he logged a 1-6-1 record, a .859 SV%, and a 4.71 GAA. He only managed three quality starts and conceded 7.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

After trading Askarov, the Preds don’t have any high-end prospects for Chrona to split time with in the minors. Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen remained signed through next season and will presumably return as their NHL duo. Nashville does have 2023 fourth-rounder Juha Jatkola in the system, but his signing rights are set to expire on June 1 if they don’t get him under contract. The 22-year-old had a .886 SV% in 28 games with Liiga’s KalPa this year. Thus, it’s likely they either re-up Murray on a two-way deal or look elsewhere on the free agent market to find a veteran depth netminder to pair with Chrona in Milwaukee next season.

Chrona was coming off his entry-level contract and would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. The same status now awaits him in 2026.

Blues’ Dylan Holloway Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Blues confirmed today that winger Dylan Holloway is considered week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury during the first period of their 5-4 overtime win against the Penguins last night. With just five games left on their regular-season schedule, a return before the postseason begins is questionable at best. It’s unclear when Holloway sustained the injury, but he didn’t come out following the first intermission and didn’t return to the game.

St. Louis is almost certainly headed to the playoffs, boasting odds of 95.8% entering tonight’s games, per MoneyPuck. That’s on the back of an 11-game win streak, during which the 23-year-old Holloway ranks third on the team in scoring with 5-10–15 and a +13 rating.

That’s just a snapshot of the strong campaign Holloway has enjoyed after the Blues signed him and defenseman Philip Broberg to offer sheets, parting ways with a second and third-round pick as compensation to the Oilers after they failed to come to terms with the restricted free agents. After failing to record more than nine points in his first two seasons in Edmonton, the 2020 No. 14 overall pick has now firmly established himself as a top-six fixture in St. Louis. Skating most of the year on a line with Jordan Kyrou and captain Brayden Schenn, he ranks third on the team in scoring with 26-37–63 in 77 games. He boasts a +21 rating and 165 hits while averaging 16:49 per game, all the while only registering 10 PIMs on the year.

In addition to his scoring breakout, Holloway grades out as St. Louis’ best two-way forward this season. He leads the team with a +18.1 expected rating, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength trails only Kyrou. With Holloway on the ice at even strength, the Blues score 3.5 goals per 60 minutes and allow just 2.3.

That makes him a gargantuan loss, even with a playoff spot firmly within grasp. If his absence stretches into the postseason, that’s a huge dent into their chances of pulling off an upset over a divisional champion – likely either the Golden Knights or Jets – in the first round.

Holloway’s absence creates a major opportunity for 2022 first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud, who moves into a top-six role after signing out of the University of Minnesota last week. He’ll skate alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas while Jake Neighbours slides down to take Holloway’s spot on the second line. The 20-year-old averaged 13:33 over his first two NHL appearances with the Blues and has one assist under his belt so far.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

USA Hockey Names Ryan Warsofsky Head Coach For 2025 Worlds

at CDT | by 5 Comments

USA Hockey announced today they’ve named Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky as its head coach for the men’s national team at next month’s World Championship in Denmark and Sweden.

It’s the 37-year-old’s first time serving as a head coach at any level for the Americans, although it’s not his first experience with USA Hockey. He was an assistant under David Quinn, whom he replaced as San Jose’s coach last offseason, at the 2023 Worlds, culminating in a bronze game loss for the second consecutive season.

Warsofsky, a Massachusetts native, remains one of the more intriguing young coaches in the sport. He began coaching after a brief playing career in 2012, serving as an assistant coach at Division III Curry College for one year before making the jump to the ECHL as an assistant with the South Carolina Stingrays. He spent five years there, including the last two as head coach and director of hockey operations, before landing a gig in the Hurricanes organization as an assistant for their AHL affiliate, then in Charlotte. Warsofsky took over as Charlotte’s head coach a year later before assuming the role with the Chicago Wolves when Carolina switched affiliates.

After coaching the Wolves to a Calder Cup championship in 2022, the Sharks interviewed Warsofsky for their head coaching vacancy. They opted to hire Quinn but still took him on as an assistant. Two years later, he got the promotion. San Jose remains in the basement with a 20-45-10 record, but the Sharks’ point pace has jumped slightly since 2023-24, and their 5v5 possession numbers have improved significantly under Warsofsky. The Sharks are controlling 46.3% of shot attempts and 44.9% of scoring chances compared to 44.4% of shot attempts and 41.1% of scoring chances last year. Overall, San Jose is also scoring more and allowing less per game.

He’ll now be tasked with getting the USA its first medal at the Worlds since winning bronze in 2021. Their roster is expected to be slightly stronger in years past, with more available NHLers willing to participate in hopes of boosting their chances of making the Olympic roster next year.

Ducks Recall Ville Husso

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from AHL San Diego after John Gibson left last night’s start with a lower-body injury, according to the AHL’s transactions log. In a corresponding move, the team reassigned prospect Damian Clara to replace Husso on San Diego’s roster. He was previously on loan to Liiga’s Kärpät.

Anaheim has recalled Husso frequently since acquiring him from the Red Wings in February, constantly as a fill-in for the oft-injured Gibson. This is Gibson’s third injury-related absence in the past six weeks, including a three-gamer in February and a seven-gamer last month. While the latter was due to a lower-body injury, it’s unclear if the injury he sustained last night against the Flames is related.

While Gibson’s absences have meant more playing time for the upstart Lukáš Dostál than for Husso, the third-stringer has made a start and a relief appearance for the Ducks since the move. He’s allowed five goals on 51 shots for a good .902 SV%, although his only decision was a 3-2 loss to Utah on March 12. When considering his nine appearances with Detroit, his numbers for the year are still underwhelming. The struggling 30-year-old has a 1-6-2 record, .874 SV% and 3.71 GAA in nine starts and two relief appearances across both clubs while allowing 7.0 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Husso won’t earn anything resembling his current $4.75MM cap hit on the open market this summer. A two-way deal may even be necessary for him to land another NHL contract. He’s still been strong enough in the minors to command a No. 3 role, posting a 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%, and a 15-6-0 record in 22 appearances split between AHL Grand Rapids and San Diego.

With the Ducks now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Husso remain up for the last two weeks of the campaign while Gibson gets an early start to his offseason.

As for Clara, the 20-year-old will get his first taste of life in North America to close his 2024-25 season. It didn’t go as well as he’d hoped overseas, posting a .879 SV% and 3.19 GAA in 21 appearances for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League before his late-season transfer to Finland. It’s worth noting that was Clara’s debut against top-level European competition – his breakout 2023-24 campaign was spent in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, helping Brynäs IF gain promotion back to the SHL for this season with a .913 SV% in 34 outings.

The 6’6″ Italian improved his play down the stretch, logging a 2.49 GAA, .910 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-7-0 record in 10 showings with Kärpät to end the season. He’ll almost certainly serve as Italy’s starting netminder for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which they’ll participate in as the host country. A second-round pick by Anaheim in 2023, he adds to a decent complement of young goalies in the organization behind Dostál that also includes Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek – neither of whom are available to San Diego right now because of injuries.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top