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Jalen Chatfield And Sean Walker Unlikely For Game 4

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After missing Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes will appear to be without two key defenders for Game 4. Coach Rod Brind’Amour announced he doesn’t expect to have either Jalen Chatfield or Sean Walker, per NHL.com reporter Dan Rosen.

Both defenders remain out with undisclosed injuries. The 29-year-old Chatfield has been out since the final game of last round’s matchup against the Capitals. While Chatfield has been a full participant at practice for some time, he hasn’t been able to clear the final hurdle to return to the lineup. Chatfield averaged a career high of 18:53 of ice time per game during the regular season, and that figure has climbed to 20:24 during the playoffs. He has contributed one goal and a plus-six rating in nine playoff games thus far.

Walker, who appeared to suffer his injury in the second period of Game 2 (he didn’t return for the third), took part in Saturday’s practice but wasn’t back in the lineup for Game 3.

“I don’t know because I haven’t even been down to the medical part yet, but if they couldn’t play (Saturday), it’s probably doubtful they play,” Brind’Amour said Sunday.

With that said, it does appear the coach is holding out hope. He said he hopes he’s wrong about their availability, though that may be more a reflection of the team’s desperation down 3-0 than genuine optimism about their chances of returning.

“That’s my guess. I hope not. Maybe I’m wrong. But that one, we won’t know until (Monday) on that,” he said.

Rookies Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin filled in for the two veterans during Game 3, but both struggled mightily, combining for a minus-six rating. In three games this postseason, Morrow has a minus-five rating and no points while averaging just 12:04 of ice time per game. Nikiskin, who has been thrown into the fire by starting his NHL career during these playoffs, has skated in two games with a minus-four rating.

While the Hurricanes have run into the buzzsaw that is the defending champions, they may still wonder how the series might have unfolded with a healthy Chatfield and Walker, especially with their replacements being talented but inexperienced rookies.

Mattias Ekholm Remains Out For Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers will continue to wait for the return of their top defender, as veteran Mattias Ekholm remains out of the lineup. Before the game, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed there would be no changes to the lineup, indirectly indicating that Ekholm would remain out.

Despite fully participating in practice, Ekholm remains out after sustaining an injury that has limited him to just one game since late March. He returned for a single game on April 11 after a seven-game absence, only to aggravate his injury again. The Oilers announced before the start of the Western Conference Final that Ekholm would miss the first two games of the series, with a possible return afterward. However, the team will now assess his availability beyond Game 3.

The 34-year-old played in 65 regular-season games, recording nine goals and 33 points while averaging 22:12 of ice time per game. While the Oilers have continued to find success without Ekholm in the fold, his return would undoubtedly support the team’s efforts. While he has posted 360 career regular-season points in 884 games on the blueline, he has elevated his game even more in the playoffs. His postseason points-per-game average (0.46) currently exceeds his career regular-season mark, and his solid performance in last year’s playoffs (10 points and a plus-nine rating), played a key role in the club’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

That said, rust is still likely to be a factor, even for a player with over 1,000 career games between the regular season and postseason. In his absence, the Oilers have used a variety of combinations on the back end, which includes the likes of Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher.

Roope Hintz Unavailable For Game 3

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2:03 p.m.: Hintz is out for Game 3, the Stars’ Bruce LeVine relays. Back will re-enter the lineup in his place.

1:01 p.m.: The Stars may have center Roope Hintz in their lineup for today’s matinee Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Oilers after all. He’s a game-time decision after taking a slash to the left skate from Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse that prematurely ended his Game 2, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today (including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News).

Hintz needed assistance getting off the ice after the slash from Nurse early in the third period, which initially yielded a major penalty but was reduced to a minor upon review. Nurse was also not subject to supplemental discipline for the play.

After a tough postseason showing in last year’s run to the WCF, Hintz has looked more like his usual self in the 2025 playoffs. He’s put up a 5-6–11 scoring line through 15 games, tied for second on the team in scoring with Thomas Harley, and is tied for the league lead in playoff power-play goals with three alongside teammate Mikael Granlund. Only Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston are seeing more ice time per game among Stars forwards than Hintz, who’s logging 17:47 on a nightly basis.

Most of Hintz’s scoring came in the first round against the Avalanche, though, namely a four-point effort in Game 6. He’s managed just one assist in his last five games dating back to Game 4 of the second round against the Jets. They’d prefer him healthy and effective to break a true deadlock so far in the West Final, which is tied 1-1 with the Oilers and Stars also tied in aggregate scoring at 6-6.

If Hintz can’t play, either Mavrik Bourque or Oskar Back will enter the lineup in his stead. Bourque hasn’t played since Game 4 of the first round, while Back has just three appearances in the second round and WCF combined – he did play in Game 1 before being replaced by Colin Blackwell in Friday’s loss.

Panthers Notes: Jones, Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer

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Seth Jones has played up to his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman in the Panthers’ playoff run. On the verge of advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, Jones has six points and a +11 rating in 15 games while averaging the most minutes per game of any Florida skater, by far, at 25:20 per night.

Rejuvenated after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the deadline, Jones’ game is back to where it was during the heights of his career several years ago with the Blue Jackets. He spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times last week about the transition from being the minute-munching option on a rebuilding Hawks team to being back in a competitive environment in Florida.

“It definitely feels like there’s some pressure off [me] after the trade,” Jones told Pope. “In Chicago, I was just forcing things and trying to do too much – out of my realm, to be honest. It was always hopefully for the betterment of the team, in my opinion, [even though] it didn’t always turn out that way or look that way. But here, I can just play my game.”

“This system forces the defensemen to get up, gap up, be tight and force [opposing] wingers to make plays under pressure,” Jones continued – all obvious strengths of his game throughout his 12-year career. “Everyone is responsible and understands their job.”

There’s more out of Florida as they gear up for a potential series-clinching Game 4:

  • Winger Sam Reinhart’s status for Game 4 remains in the air after he missed Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). His day-to-day designation hasn’t changed, and he’s been neither cleared nor ruled out for tomorrow’s contest. He’s been limited to four goals and 11 points through 14 games – significantly below pace compared to last year’s 10 goals in 24 playoff games and this year’s 81 points in 79 regular-season games. Still, he remains Florida’s leader in average time on ice among forwards at 20:07 per game.
  • Rangy defender Niko Mikkola is expected to be available for tomorrow’s game after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury last night, Maurice said (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). After scoring a goal in the third period, Mikkola appeared to injure his shoulder in a collision with the boards and didn’t play the final 12 minutes of the 6-2 win. Skating primarily as Jones’ partner in the postseason, the 28-year-old has five points and a plus-six rating through 15 contests while averaging 19:19 per game.
  • The “should be good to go” status is the same for winger A.J. Greer, Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). It’s unclear what ailed him, but he left the bench with just over four minutes left in the game. The fourth-line heavyweight has played in eight straight games after starting the playoffs as a healthy scratch. He’s got two goals and an assist, all coming in his last six games.

What Can The Avalanche Do This Summer?

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The Colorado Avalanche were bounced in the first round of this year’s playoffs in catastrophic fashion, blowing a third-period lead in Game 7 to the Dallas Stars. Despite the early exit this year, Colorado remains a team that will be in playoff contention again next season. However, as their core ages and pieces start to move out, their window to win another Stanley Cup is quickly closing. Colorado has 18 players signed for next season (11 forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies) for $86.8MM (per PuckPedia). While that isn’t a terrible position to be in, that is where the rosy outlook ends, as the Avalanche do have some notable free agents to try and retain and a few contracts they would probably like to shed. So, what can they do to remain a contender?

The Avalanche faced a situation that wasn’t dissimilar to that of previous Stanley Cup Champions. Their depth has been eroded, their prospect cupboard emptied, and their draft pick capital dwindling. A lot of that happened because Colorado took healthy runs at essential players, which worked out well as they won a championship in 2022. But since then, Colorado has had to patch the holes in their lineup with less-than-ideal solutions.

For the Avalanche, one of the key areas of concern has become their center depth, which has become a weakness following the departure of Nazem Kadri in free agency. On their second line, the Avalanche have tried Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Johansen, Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle. That’s a list of talented players, but none have been able to stick, which has created a major issue for Colorado.

If the Avalanche hope to contend again, they need to solidify that position, which will be easier said than done. There are a few options available in free agency. Still, unless the Avalanche dump a contract such as Ross Colton ($4MM) or Josh Manson ($4.5MM), they will not have the required cap space to compete for a free agent center such as Nelson, John Tavares or Sam Bennett and fill out the rest of their roster.

One might think that if Colorado can’t make a move in free agency, they could look at trading for a center. However, their lack of draft picks and prospects makes acquiring an impact center nearly impossible on the trade market unless they can trade a player on their roster and recoup some significant assets. Colorado has no picks in the first three rounds of the subsequent two drafts and only has maybe two or three prospects who project to make an impact in the NHL.

A player like Manson might be an option to move, as he doesn’t appear to be a top-four NHL defenseman anymore and probably needs to be at his current salary ($4.5MM) and Colorado’s cap constraints. Teams likely wouldn’t line up to acquire him at that price, but if Colorado could move him, it would allow them to upgrade their second defensive pairing and maybe take some of the pressure off Cale Makar and Devon Toews. The Avalanche could also move Manson via trade and slide Sam Malinski into the top four, but it would be a massive gamble as he probably isn’t ready for that type of assignment. With limited cap space, it is unlikely that Colorado can keep Manson and try to upgrade their top four, which means they will need to make some type of decision this summer or opt to remain status quo and focus their attention on the forwards.

Trading players off the current roster could help Colorado move to restock the cupboards, but it will leave them in a challenging position for this upcoming season if they further reduce their team depth. The Washington Capitals pulled off a similar move just a few years ago, shedding several costly veterans but keeping their core players to make another run eventually. It worked out well for the Capitals as they have now reaped the rewards of their gamble, but there are no guarantees that their strategy could work in Colorado. It’s a delicate line to straddle as Colorado will try to avoid the same fate as previous Stanley Cup Champions who either constructed their roster poorly or waited too long to pivot into a retool.

A key for Colorado is not to panic because of a first-round playoff exit and to recognize the unique position that the club is in. They were a period away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs over Dallas, and likely would have gotten past Winnipeg to reach the Western Conference Finals. The window is open for them to contend, and their star players remain at a high level. The Avalanche need to be aggressive with the cap space and remaining tradeable assets and try to push to position the team for another deep playoff run. It seems counterproductive for Colorado to subtract from their current roster depth in an attempt to get younger for future playoff pushes. Colorado must steal a line from John Cena and understand, “My time is now.” It should make for interesting theatre to see how keen they are on taking calculated risks this summer after a playoff loss that has undoubtedly left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The pipeline is bare, the cap space is limited, but Colorado has pieces in place that would be the envy of almost every NHL team. The so-called heavy lifting is done; now it is up to Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland to put a series of moves together that will elevate the likes of MacKinnon and Makar to try and win another Stanley Cup before the Avalanche’s window to contend slams shut.

Photo by Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Free Agent Focus: Anaheim Ducks

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Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We start our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Ducks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

G Lukas Dostal – Dostal had been viewed as Anaheim’s goalie of the future for some time now. He rewarded the franchise’s faith in spades with a breakout 2024-25 campaign. Now entirely supplanting John Gibson as the team’s No. 1 option between the pipes, his numbers slipped a bit down the stretch but still managed a 23-23-7 record, a .903 SV%, a 3.10 GAA, and one shutout in a career-high 54 appearances behind one of the league’s worst defensive teams. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just $892.5K coming off a cheap partial two-way deal, but will land much more than that on his coming deal, especially with arbitration rights in his back pocket. A one-year bridge likely keeps Dostal in the $4MM range, but for a Ducks club with ample salary cap flexibility, general manager Pat Verbeek could award him something in the $5MM-$6MM range on a mid-term deal if they’re unprepared to go eight years.

F Mason McTavish – McTavish’s game has steadily improved since being drafted third overall in 2021, and this season was no different. While the 22-year-old was robbed of a full 82-game schedule due to a few here-and-there injuries, he still set career-highs with 22 goals, 30 assists, and 52 points in 76 appearances. Now a legitimate top-six center with still room to grow, he’ll significantly outpace the $874,125 qualifying offer he’s owed as he comes off his entry-level deal. A deal in the $4MM range on a shorter-term commitment seems apt if the Ducks are still uncertain about his ceiling. Still, with his linear development so far, he could earn a long-term deal approaching the $7MM mark to lock him in as Anaheim’s No. 2 center behind Leo Carlsson long-term.

F Isac Lundestrom – A first-round pick back in 2018, Lundestrom’s role hasn’t fluctuated much since establishing himself as a full-timer in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. His ice time has steadily decreased as the player they once thought could be a long-term, defensively responsible third-line pivot hasn’t produced the level of offense they’d like for that role. 2024-25 was Lundestrom’s worst offensive performance of his five-year run as a full-time NHLer at just 0.19 points per game (4-11–15 in 79 GP). That’s not to say he’s not valuable – he’s one of the Ducks’ top penalty killers, and his possession metrics this season were passable given his extended defensive zone deployment at 5-on-5. Still, he’s likely more of a high-end fourth-line option long-term than a third-line one. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him accept his $1.5MM qualifying offer as a result, or take a multi-year deal in that range annually to gain some added stability in Anaheim if he desires.

F Brett Leason – Claimed off waivers from the Capitals at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Leason capped off his third year in Anaheim with nine healthy scratches in 12 games. He was still serviceable in bottom-six minutes, scoring 17 points in 62 games with a minus-two rating in similarly heavy defensive deployment to Lundestrom. Still, he’s at risk of being non-tendered for the second consecutive year. Of course, he signed a one-year, $1.05MM contract on the first day of free agency to return to the Ducks despite not receiving a qualifying offer, but his willingness to do so again may be diminished after his lack of usage to end the campaign.

D Drew Helleson – Helleson, 23, somewhat surprisingly emerged as a roster fixture this year. He didn’t play anywhere close to a full schedule, suiting up 56 times, but remained on the Ducks’ roster for the balance of the season after being recalled from AHL San Diego in mid-November. The 6’3″, 214-lb righty did better than most would have expected given his limited minor-league success, posting 13 points and a plus-six rating in bottom-pairing minutes (16:21 ATOI). A 2019 second-round pick of the Avalanche who was acquired for Josh Manson in 2022, Helleson’s likely earned an opening-night job in the fall. He could even challenge Jacob Trouba for top-four minutes next year since the latter was a non-factor after his early-season acquisition from the Rangers.

Other RFAs: F Judd Caulfield, G Calle Clang, F Sam Colangelo, F Josh Lopina, F Jan Mysak, F Nikita Nesterenko, F Tim Washe

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Robby Fabbri – When healthy, Fabbri has been a decent secondary scorer throughout his nine-year NHL career. However, injuries have been a constant, and this year was no different. Knee surgery and a hand injury took away nearly half of his 2024-25 campaign, and he ended the year with an 8-8–16 scoring line in 44 contests. The 29-year-old has still hit at least 30 points twice in the last four years despite significant absences, which should help his case on the open market. With 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke pushing for an opening-night job and the Ducks likely to be active in free agency, though, there may not be a fit for him on next year’s team. If they want to retain him, his injury concerns should make him a low-cost pickup around $1MM.

F Brock McGinn – From one injury-prone winger to another, McGinn’s season ended back in December due to ACL reconstruction. His recovery timeline may stretch into next year’s training camp, so his hope will likely be for a PTO opportunity somewhere, which could still be Anaheim, instead of searching for a guaranteed contract. Still, the defensive-minded winger has made just 50 appearances over the last two seasons combined with 11 points and a minus-four rating. They could still want to keep him in the fold with his over 500 games of experience, though, compared to some more unknown quantities in the system as a 13th or 14th forward.

D Oliver Kylington – Acquired at the deadline in what was effectively a three-team deal with the Avalanche and Islanders involving Brock Nelson, Kylington didn’t get much of an opportunity down the stretch in Anaheim. He averaged just 10:48 per game in six appearances, including his time in Colorado, where he spent most of the year in the press box with only 19 appearances to his name. The 28-year-old is now three years removed from his 31-point, +34 campaign with Calgary, and hopes of returning to those heights as a No. 2 left-shot option are slimmer than ever. He’s ticketed for a league-minimum or even two-way deal this summer, and it likely won’t be with the Ducks, who have plenty of young defenseman still to rotate/graduate into NHL minutes.

G Ville Husso – Husso began the season with the Red Wings, where he’d tumbled down to No. 3 on the depth chart and had cleared waivers in the final season of a three-year, $14.25MM contract. Anaheim, who had injuries to their AHL netminders and Gibson missing significant chunks of action, picked him up down the stretch to serve as a veteran backup option for Dostal. He did quite well in the few starts he received, posting a .925 SV% and 2.99 GAA in four appearances. While it’s a small sample size, that could go a long way toward earning Husso a chance at a No. 2 job next year on the open market instead of settling for a two-way deal and likely lengthy AHL assignments.

Other UFAs: F Justin Bailey, G Oscar Dansk, F Carson Meyer

Projected Cap Space

Few teams have more cap space than the Ducks this summer. They check in at $38.7MM, including $2.5MM worth of retention on the final season of Cam Fowler’s contract. A good amount of that will get eaten up by new deals for Dostal and McTavish, but they’ll still have over $25MM to spend after getting those deals done. As a result, expect them to be active on both the trade and free agent markets this summer as they aim to end their playoff drought at seven years.

Photos courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images (Dostal) and Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images (Fabbri). Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.

West Notes: Nurse, Hintz, Connelly, Wakely

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According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety isn’t expected to bestow supplemental discipline to Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse for slashing Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Nurse was assessed a minor penalty on the play.

The news is disconcerting for a few reasons. The penalty was retaliatory, and Hintz was visibly injured after the play. Not only did Hintz leave Game 2 early in the third period, but it’s unknown if he’ll play in Games 3 or 4.

According to independent writer Robert Tiffin, Dallas head coach Peter DeBoer was noncommittal when asked if Hintz would travel with the team to Edmonton. Hintz’s absence would likely prove a major loss for the Stars, as he’s scored five goals and 11 points in their 15 postseason contests this year.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • One of the Vegas Golden Knights’ top prospects is on the move in the WHL. The new Penticton Vees selected Trevor Connelly from the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL Expansion Draft and will own his rights for the foreseeable future. It won’t matter much, however. Connelly played for the NCAA’s Providence College last season before signing his entry-level contract on the first day of April. Since he will not be returning to the NCAA, it is highly unlikely that Connelly will move back to the Canadian major junior leagues anytime soon.
  • Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported that Oilers prospect Dalyn Wakely has secured a school in the NCAA. He’ll join the University of Massachusetts-Lowell after spending one year with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. The former 2024 sixth-round pick scored 23 goals and 58 points in 55 games for the Colts this past season.

Atlantic Notes: Shanahan, Geekie, Heponiemi, Merrill

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In an article from The Buffalo News, journalist Mike Harrington argues that the Buffalo Sabres should appoint Brendan Shanahan to a senior advisory role, even if only for one year. Recently, it was confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not renew Shanahan’s contract, and since then, he has only been publicly linked to the New York Islanders.

While the Islanders were allowed to interview Shanahan, there is no indication of any remaining interest, especially after they hired Mathieu Darche as General Manager and executive vice president of hockey operations yesterday. The Sabres would be the only remaining team seeking a high-level executive this summer. Harrington noted that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Buffalo’s interest in adding a senior advisor to work alongside Kevyn Adams.

The hire would make a lot of sense. The Sabres appointed Adams as a rookie General Manager ahead of the 2020-21 NHL season, and the needle hasn’t moved for the organization one iota. Toronto didn’t make it to the Eastern Conference Final during Shanahan’s 11 years of stewardship, but that’s more than the Sabres can say, who have missed the postseason for 14 consecutive years.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • In an interview with Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, recently extended General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, expressed confidence that the team would re-sign forward Morgan Geekie at some point this summer. Geekie will become a restricted free agent on July 1st, and is eligible for an offer sheet from the 31 other teams in the league. Still, Sweeney hopes a contract can be agreed upon sooner rather than later, saying, “We’ve been in constant communication with Morgan’s camp since the time the season ended.“
  • There’s a small chance that a Florida Panthers prospect could return to the organization this summer. According to a team report, the NL’s EHC Biel-Bienne have released forward Aleksi Heponiemi from his contract. Heponiemi scored 13 goals and 35 points in 59 games for EHC Biel from 2023 to 2025. Still, since the Panthers own his contractual rights in the NHL, he won’t be able to join a different team this summer unless the Panthers choose to leave him unqualified.
  • A Montreal Canadiens prospect is on the move at the junior level. Forward Ben Merrill shared on his Instagram that he’s committed to Boston University for the 2025-26 NCAA season. The former 2024 sixth-round selection scored 15 goals and 23 points in 50 games for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees this past year.

Maple Leafs Showed Strong Interest In Acquiring Rasmus Ristolainen Earlier This Season

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Back at the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs and Flyers made one of the bigger trades of the day with Toronto picking up center Scott Laughton.  However, it appears that Laughton wasn’t the only veteran Flyer they were going after as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that Toronto also made a serious run for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen at the deadline with a league source suggesting that the Maple Leafs made a very strong offer but were rebuffed.

The 30-year-old has been in trade speculation for the last couple of years now but he wasn’t moved at the 2024 deadline with the team still in the mix for a playoff spot.  Well out of contention by then this season, Ristolainen was believed to have more of a chance of moving although it appears GM Daniel Briere set a very high asking price.

Ristolainen enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2024-25, picking up 19 points in 63 games, his second-best output over the last five seasons.  More important, he upped his playing time by nearly four minutes per game compared to the year before, going from being a depth piece to one of former head coach John Tortorella’s more trusted options.

As it turns out, the deadline might have been the best time for the Flyers to move Ristolainen.  Soon after the deadline, he was shut down with an upper-body injury.  Then last month, he underwent triceps surgery, a procedure that carries a recovery timeline of six months, meaning that Ristolainen will miss training camp and the first couple of weeks of the regular season.  Speculatively, teams will want to ensure that he has fully recovered from that before putting forth their best efforts to acquire him and the final two years left on his deal that carries a $5.1MM cap charge.

On the surface, it seems unlikely that Toronto would rekindle their interest.  After failing to acquire Ristolainen, GM Brad Treliving turned his focus to acquiring defenseman Brandon Carlo to seemingly fill the same top-four role that they were likely viewing Ristolainen to fill.  With their top six on the back end intact and some prominent free agents up front, reshaping the forward group will likely be Toronto’s top priority in the coming weeks.  But with a relatively thin free agent market for right-shot blueliners, Briere should expect to be receiving some phone calls about Ristolainen once again this offseason.

Metropolitan Notes: Ovechkin, Chatfield, Blue Jackets, Laperriere

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Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is the winner of this year’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, the league announced.  First awarded in 2007, the award goes to “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”  Ovechkin helped lead Washington to an improbable top spot in the Eastern Conference while breaking the all-time goal-scoring record on the heels of a 44-goal, 73-point campaign.  Ovechkin has captained the Caps for the last 16 years and this is his first time winning the award; there has yet to be a repeat winner league-wide thus far.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • It appears that Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield will miss another game as Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is out for tonight’s third game against Florida. This will be the fourth straight game that the 29-year-old will miss due to an undisclosed injury sustained last round against Washington.  Chatfield has a goal in nine games so far in the playoffs while averaging over 20 minutes a night.  Scott Morrow is expected to once again take his place in the lineup.
  • The Blue Jackets have a pair of prospects that they will lose the rights to if not signed by June 1st, wingers Tyler Peddle and Martin Rysavy. It appears they’ll be letting both go as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Columbus won’t sign them before the deadline.  Peddle was a seventh-round pick in 2023, going 224th overall and had just 29 points in 54 games with QMJHL Saint John this season.  Meanwhile, Rysavy was a seventh-rounder two years earlier, going 197th overall.  He spent this season in the Czech Extraliga, posting five goals and four assists in 52 games with Liberec.
  • While Ian Laperriere will no longer be coaching the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, his days with the organization aren’t numbered. Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period relays (Twitter link) that the former NHLer will remain in the organization in a different capacity.  Laperriere has been with Philadelphia since 2012, spending time in player development while also coaching at the NHL and AHL levels.

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