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Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi Out Week-To-Week

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Jets head coach Scott Arniel told reporters today that Gabriel Vilardi is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury (via the team’s Mitchell Clinton). While Arniel declined to say what exactly is ailing the winger, he confirmed it’s unrelated to the puck he took to the ear in yesterday’s loss to the Sabres. The injury will leave Vilardi out of the lineup for the first time this season and will lead to either David Gustafsson or Rasmus Kupari re-entering the lineup.

Who moves up to Vilardi’s spot on the top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele remains to be seen, especially since the line has barely been touched this year. Vilardi’s appeared with Connor and Scheifele in all 71 of his appearances this season, and their 907 minutes together makes them the most frequent forward line combination in the league, per MoneyPuck. No other forward unit has more than 650 minutes together.

A week-to-week designation could presumably end Vilardi’s regular season. Winnipeg has 11 games remaining, and even a two-week absence – likely optimistic – means he’ll return with only four games left. Without a firmer timeline, it’s possible he may remain unavailable for a portion of their first-round playoff series as well.

That’s bad news for a Jets team that didn’t land a big fish at the trade deadline, instead opting for depth pickups Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev. The 25-year-old Vilardi has set career-highs across the board with his 71 appearances, 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points. Averaging over 18 minutes per game, he seemed to have finally overcome his career-long injury bug that caused him to average just 40 games per season over the first five years of his NHL career.

He’ll now miss significant time again as the Jets teeter on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. They’re almost certainly slated for a Central Division title and a first-round matchup against the second wild-card team in the West, whoever that may be, but doing so without a player who accounts for 11% of their goals this season is a significant blow. Vilardi is humming at a 20.8% shooting rate but, as per usual for Winnipeg’s top line, has struggled to control possession at even strength. They’re all underwater in their shot-attempt numbers but have managed to control 52.6% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.

Vilardi’s season hits pause amid a cold streak. He’d gone without a point in his last four games, compiling a minus-three rating during that stretch. Nonetheless, he’s a huge loss during the final month of the regular season as Winnipeg looks to seal the deal on their best regular season in franchise history.

Stars Hopeful Tyler Seguin Can Return Before End Of Regular Season

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Stars forward Tyler Seguin will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip after recently returning to practice, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters today (including Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports). He’ll still likely be sidelined well into April, but the possibility of him coming off long-term injured reserve – or at least getting a conditioning stint with AHL Texas – before the postseason is coming into view.

Seguin hit the injured list 19 games into the season, undergoing two surgeries on his left hip in December. He was initially given a four-to-six-month return timeline, so the possibility of April game action isn’t too surprising. It’s nonetheless a great sign for Seguin, who had multiple issues in his recovery from a similar surgery on his right hip at the beginning of the decade that threatened his career.

Getting Seguin acclimated in a forward group that’s since acquired Mikael Granlund and Mikko Rantanen is a legitimate priority for Dallas heading into the postseason. The 33-year-old started the season on a tear, posting 9-11–20 with a +14 rating in 19 games. Assuming he doesn’t add to that total, it will stand as his first season above a point-per-game pace since 2015-16. He did so on a line with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment, a role that’s been filled by Granlund since his acquisition from the Sharks last month. The Finn hasn’t been quite as productive as Seguin was in those minutes, though, posting 3-9–12 in 18 games since the trade.

Even if Seguin’s playoff scoring over the past few years isn’t particularly outstanding, adding him back to a top-nine role – potentially bumping Granlund down or reuniting on a “third” line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston – is a mouth-watering prospect for DeBoer. Getting him back up to speed to kick off Game 1 of a likely first-round meeting with the Avalanche is paramount, especially since they’ll likely need to focus their efforts on outpacing Colorado’s similarly well-constructed offense to win the series. Star defenseman Miro Heiskanen likely won’t be returning from his knee injury until the second round if they make it.

Seguin still has two years remaining on his deal with a $9.85MM cap hit, so this playoff run won’t be a last hurrah with Dallas. They are, however, likely to lose nearly all of their pending free agents with just $5.32MM in cap room for 2025-26 and up to seven roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia. Since returning from his first hip surgery, Seguin has 79-92–171 in 244 games.

The Stars don’t quite have enough cap space to activate Seguin at present, but it’s doable if they send one player down to the minors. That would likely be rookie Mavrik Bourque, who was a healthy scratch this weekend.

Flames To Sign Owen Say To Entry-Level Contract

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The Flames have signed goaltender Owen Say to a one-year contract worth $872,500 for the 2025-26 campaign. While the team announced it as a two-way deal, it’ll be an entry-level one since his age on Sep. 15 of the calendar year the agreement was signed will be 24.

Say, who turns 24 in June, is an undrafted free-agent pickup out of Notre Dame. He started his collegiate career at Mercyhurst in 2022-23 but transferred to the Fighting Irish for his junior year last summer.

The 6’2″ Canadian has steadily upped his numbers in the NCAA ranks, averaging a .914 SV% and a 3.09 GAA across 69 career appearances for the two schools. He posted a .903 and .913 in his two seasons behind a weak Mercyhurst club before bettering himself with a 2.82 GAA and a .920 SV% in 27 games for Notre Dame. While they finished last in the Big 10, Say had a 10-15-0 record and posted those numbers behind the conference’s worst defense.

Assuming they filed this deal as a standard two-way contract, as they announced it, instead of an entry-level one, the league will likely reject it, and they’ll need to re-file it properly as an ELC. Calgary made the opposite mistake last season when attempting to sign forward Sam Morton out of college – while he was 24 at the time of signing, he turned 25 before Sep. 15. He was thus ineligible for the entry-level contract they attempted to sign him to. The league rejected the deal and had to re-file it as a two-way agreement.

Say will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026. Calgary now has 24 contracts on the books for next season.

Blue Jackets Activate Erik Gudbranson, Sean Monahan

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March 24: Gudbranson and Monahan will be coming off injured reserve and making their returns tonight, head coach Dean Evason confirmed. The team later announced they’ve both been activated.

March 23: Columbus Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda tweeted that center Sean Monahan and defenseman Erik Gudbranson may return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Blue Jackets take on the New York Islanders.

Monahan hasn’t played since January 7th, when he suffered a wrist injury in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old was in the midst of a career year, having tallied 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games. The Brampton, Ontario native signed with Columbus as a free agent last summer on July 1st, inking a contract that was largely panned by critics. However, Monahan has played well above expectations for the Blue Jackets and helped lead them into the playoff picture in a year where they weren’t expected to contend for the postseason. His return should give Columbus a boost as they try to snap a six-game losing streak.

Gudbranson hasn’t played since mid-October after he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. The 33-year-old has played just three times during the 2024-25 season, last suiting up on October 15th. The Ottawa, Ontario native had a career year last season, tallying six goals and 20 assists in 78 games while continuing to provide his usual physical presence.

The Blue Jackets sit four points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will certainly welcome the return of two veterans who should help them in their push for the postseason.

Lightning Sign Cooper Flinton To Entry-Level Deal

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The Lightning have signed left-winger Cooper Flinton to a two-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, according to a team release. The forward just wrapped up his junior season at Dartmouth College. He will finish the season with the Bolts’ AHL affiliate in Syracuse on a tryout agreement.

Flinton, 21, was a seventh-round selection of the Lightning in the 2021 draft but barely played that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent his post-draft season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League before making the jump to Division I NCAA play with Dartmouth.

The 6’2″, 205-lb winger was more of a power forward in his junior days, but he’s shifted his game to be more scoring-oriented since joining the Big Green. In 2022-23, he made a decent impact as a freshman – ranking fifth on Dartmouth in scoring with 6-9–15 in 27 games. He’s upped that production over the last two years, posting 15-10–25 in 30 games last season and 11-13–24 in 32 games this year. He’s a strong top-six forward on a Dartmouth team coming off an 18-win season, its highest total since 2015-16.

Flinton doesn’t earn mentions in most public rankings of the Bolts’ prospect pool. A recall is certainly possible before his deal runs out at the end of the 2026-27 season, but he’s likely destined to play a full-time role with Syracuse. His performance there will dictate whether he receives a qualifying offer that summer to remain in the Tampa organization. The Bolts now have 28 out of the maximum 50 contracts on their books for next season, per PuckPedia.

Canucks Expected To Activate Thatcher Demko

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The Canucks are expected to reinstate goaltender Thatcher Demko from injured reserve today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Vancouver plans to start the netminder for tonight’s Hughes bowl against the Devils.

Demko, 29, was a Vezina Trophy nominee for the first time in 2023-24 but sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of the postseason that ended his campaign. The injury, later revealed to be a complex issue with his popliteus muscle, also kept him on the sidelines through the first two months of 2024-25. Upon returning to the lineup, he wasn’t himself – posting a .881 SV% and a 2-1-3 record in seven starts before briefly exiting the lineup again with a back injury. That one only cost him a couple of starts, and he returned a week later. He logged an improved but still underwhelming .899 SV% in 10 appearances leading into the 4 Nations break.

In Vancouver’s final game before the break, Demko left midway through the first period of his start against the Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since. While unrelated to his popliteus muscle issues, it kept him off the ice for over a month. He only returned to practice as a full participant yesterday, but Friedman reports he’s been doing “a lot of work behind the scenes” in an attempt to return to play as soon as possible for the stretch run.

Demko’s return could make a considerable impact in the Western Conference wild-card race. Back-to-back losses have slashed Vancouver’s playoff chances to 11.3%, per MoneyPuck, now sitting five points back of the Blues with two games in hand, but the Flames are still ahead of them in the catch-up race. While Demko hasn’t been great this year, his season numbers are better than what Kevin Lankinen has given them since the break. After signing a five-year, $22.5MM extension last month, he’s posted a 5-6-1 record and a .885 SV% in 12 appearances. Fatigue has likely played a factor for Lankinen, who’s started 10 of Vancouver’s 11 games in March. His 44 starts and 46 appearances on the year are already career-highs by a significant margin.

Since we’re past the trade deadline, the Canucks won’t need to make a corresponding move to activate Demko from IR. Nonetheless, they’ll presumably return current backup Arturs Silovs to AHL Abbotsford unless they have a desire to carry three goalies.

Hurricanes Reassign Juha Jaaska

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March 24: Carolina returned Jaaska to Chicago yesterday, according to the AHL’s transactions log. He saw a season-high 12 minutes of ice time on Saturday against the Kings, although it didn’t go particularly well for him – he was a minus-three in a 7-2 loss. He was scratched in yesterday’s win over the Ducks, with captain Jordan Staal returning to the lineup after a one-game absence.

March 22: The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forward Juha Jaaska from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Jaaska spent just over a month on the NHL roster from early January to early February. He played in the first 17 NHL games of his career on the call-up and recorded four assists, nine penalty minutes, and a plus-three.

This is Jaaska’s first season in North American pros. He’s made good work of it, netting 10 goals and 24 points in 41 games with the Wolves – good for sixth on the team in scoring. Jaaska previously spent the last nine seasons with HIFK Helsinki of the Liiga, Finland’s top pro league. He worked his way up through the HIFK system and slowly climbed his way up their pro roster. Jaaska made his Liiga debut in the 2015-16 season and played through his first full year in 2017-18. He had five points in 26 games as a rookie and grew those numbers to 21 points in 47 games as a sophomore.

Jaaska was typecast as a power-forward early in his pro career, the natural result of a 6’0″, 210-lb frame. But he found a scoring groove over the last two Liiga seasons. He’s scored double-digit goals in each of his last five seasons – now including 10 goals in the AHL – and managed a career-high 37 points in 56 games of the 2022-23 Liiga campaign. Jaaska followed that with 30 points in 57 games last year. Those numbers, and his ability to reach the 30-point mark in back-to-back years, was enough to inspire Carolina to sign him to a one-year, $850K contract this summer. Now, Jaaska will get yet another chance at hardy NHL minutes after posting five points in his last five AHL games.

Penguins’ Goalie Prospect Sergei Murashov Making Waves

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Pittsburgh Penguins’ goalie prospect Sergei Murashov is making the most of his first season playing in North America, as he recently set a franchise record for the AHL-affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by winning his 10th game in a row, per a team release.

Pittsburgh’s fourth round selection in the 2022 draft, Murashov spent 26 games in the ECHL to begin the season before getting called up to the AHL. In 11 games for the Baby Pens, he has a 10-0-0 record to pair with his .916 save percentage. The 20-year-old from Yaroslavl, Russia also posted a 13-game win streak with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers from Nov. 6 to Jan. 8, which set the longest streak in their history as well.

While Murashov still has room to grow, his statistics and results this season show that he’s at least knocking on the door of the NHL. His development adds an extra element to Pittsburgh’s goaltending situation moving forward, which includes the shaky play of former all-star Tristan Jarry, the up-and-down contributions of backup Alex Nedeljkovic, and the continued development of fellow prospect Joel Blomqvist.

The most polarizing of these names is of course Jarry, who has struggled mightily since signing a five-year, $26,875,000 contract in July 2023. The 29-year-old, two-time all-star, has recorded a .894 save percentage this season, and found himself demoted to the AHL in an effort to rediscover his once promising game. His play of late has significantly improved – corresponding with the team’s surge in play – and has recorded a .928 save percentage over his last five games.

Due to Jarry’s mid-season demotion, Nedeljkovic has played the most games in Pittsburgh this season (33 starts) but has also struggled compared to previous success. Just last season, “Ned” played in 33 games for the Pens and recorded an 18-7-7 record to go along with a .902 save percentage. That was good enough to secure a two-year, $5MM contract to stay in Pittsburgh. But despite his usual standing as a trustworthy NHL-level backup, Nedeljkovic has recorded just a .893 save percentage on the season.

Blomqvist, Pittsburgh’s second round selection in the 2020 draft, has struggled in 15 games in the NHL this season, recording an .885 save percentage and a 4-9-1 record. However, in 15 games at the AHL-level, the 23-year-old has registered a strong .915 save percentage.

While there appears to be a bit of a log jam between the pipes in Pittsburgh, none of the goalies ahead of Murashov on the organization’s depth chart has done themselves any favors – even when factoring in the poor defensive play of Pittsburgh’s blueliners this season. General manager Kyle Dubas will have key decisions to make if he intends to clear a path for Murashov moving forward.

Injury Notes: Martinez, Dickinson, Demko, Greenway

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Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Jason Dickinson and defenseman Alec Martinez were both out of the lineup in today’s 7-4 win against the Flyers after leaving yesterday’s game early with injury, per WGN Radio reporter Charlie Roumeliotis. Both players sustained undisclosed injuries in Saturday’s 4-1 loss against the Blues and both only registered six shifts before being removed. In 59 games, Dickinson has recorded 7 goals and 16 points this season, a disappointing showing after setting a career high 22 goals and 35 points last season in Chicago. The veteran Martinez has recorded 12 points, 80 blocked shots, and a minus-15 rating in his first season with the Blackhawks. Martinez, who has appeared in 861 career games, signed a one-year, $4MM contract with Chicago this past summer and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

In other injury news:

  • Thatcher Demko was a full participant in practice for the first time since being injured six weeks ago, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. Demko suffered a lower-body injury during Vancouver’s 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 8th and has been on injured reserve since. With the Canucks just three points out of the final wild card spot in the west, the potential return of Demko would serve as a key reinforcement down the stretch. However, with just 12 games remaining in their season, it will be interesting to see how long it will take Demko to get the official greenlight to return to play.
  • Buffalo Sabres’ forward Jordan Greenway exited today’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets with a lower-body injury and did not return, per Michael Derosa of Yahoo Sports. Greenway logged just 4:44 of ice time before exiting after blocking a shot. After setting a career high with 10 goals and 28 points last season, Greenway has struggled to stay healthy this year and has suited up in just 33 games for the Sabres. The 6’6, 230-pound winger has still showcased his physical presence, registering 100 hits in 33 games, all while averaging 15:23 of ice time per game.

Vancouver’s Hoglander And Pettersson Out Day-To-Day

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Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet stated that forwards Nils Hoglander and Elias Pettersson are each day-to-day, per NHL.com reporter Mike Morreale. Tocchet also added that Aatu Raty will likely join the team ahead of their matchup in New Jersey on Monday.

The status of Hoglander and Pettersson for tomorrow’s tilt against the Devils are not known, nor are the exact injuries they sustained. Both were unable to play in the third period of a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday, per an NHL release. Tocchet noted that both were, “pretty sore and banged up, so we’ll see what 24 hours does.” He added that he wasn’t sure if they’d be available against the Devils.

In 66 games, Hoglander has put up 21 points and a plus-6 rating in a bottom-six role. The 24-year-old was Vancouver’s second round choice in the 2019 draft and is coming off of a breakout season where he posted 24 goals and a plus-23 rating. While he hasn’t found that type of offensive success this year, he has established himself as a reliable depth piece for the Canucks moving forward.

Petterson, on the other hand, is clearly a staple to Vancouver’s success. The four-time all-star has posted five seasons with 30-plus goals with the Canucks and has registered 457 points in 471 career games. However, Petterson has struggled this season to the tune of 45 points in 64 games. He has recorded a minus-10 rating and has seen his career-high faceoff percentage of 50.8 last season dip down to 47.5 this year.

Despite Petterson and Hoglander’s dip in offense this season, the Canucks find themselves just three points out of the final wild card spot in the west. The team’s -17 goal differential speaks to their offensive struggles, but a return to health for both players will be key during the stretch run. The Canucks, who have 12 games remaining on the season, are already without center Filip Chytil (upper body).

The Canucks recalled Raty on Sunday in the event Hoglander or Petterson can’t go on Monday. He has appeared in 21 games with Vancouver this season, recording four points. He’s added an impressive 39 points in 41 games in the AHL.

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