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Flames’ Connor Zary Suspended Two Games

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Flames forward Connor Zary has been suspended two games for elbowing Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson in last night’s game, the league’s Department of Player Safety announced.

In their video statement, DoPS described the incident as follows:

Wednesday night in Calgary, Flames forward Connor Zary was penalized for extending his elbow to deliver a late, high retaliatory hit against Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson. As the video shows, the Flames skate the puck through the neutral zone with Pettersson defending and Zary on the rush in support. The puck is flipped towards the net and Pettersson finishes a clean, hard check on a Flames player. Then, after the hit and disregarding the rest of the play, Zary tracks Pettersson, raises his elbow and forearm, and elevates upward into a check, striking Pettersson with the extended arm and making significant contact with Pettersson’s head. This is elbowing.

Regarding their rationale for supplemental discipline:

It is important to note that this is not a case where a player’s sudden movements cause a hitter to reflexively extend an elbow in a way that turns a legal hit into an illegal one. On this play, Zary sees a teammate take a hard but legal check and responds intentionally in retribution by delivering a hit with his extended elbow that makes significant head contact and is delivered with reckless force for supplemental discipline. 

Zary has never been fined or suspended before, something the league undoubtedly took into consideration during his hearing this morning. The 23-year-old, whom Calgary selected in the first round in 2020, is in just his second NHL season with 112 career games under his belt.

After finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting last season, Zary has cemented himself as an important middle-six contributor for the Flames. He ranks sixth on the team among qualified skaters in points per game (0.49) and has averaged nearly 16 minutes per game, including regular second-unit power play deployment. His absence, plus injury concerns surrounding captain Mikael Backlund after he left last night’s game, will likely force Calgary to recall a forward from the AHL before tomorrow’s game against the Avalanche. If Backlund is out, they’d be able to recall someone under emergency conditions and not use their second of four post-deadline standard recalls. They already burned one on Adam Klapka this week.

That’s tough news for a Flames squad that already lost some ground in the wild-card race by dropping last night’s contest to their chief competitors for the spot in a shootout. They’re tied with the Canucks at 71 points but have a game in hand, so they remain in playoff position for now. The Blues and Utah are each two points back of Calgary as well, but like Vancouver, have played one more game than the Flames.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Sign Avery Hayes To Entry-Level Deal

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The Penguins have gotten another prospect signed to an entry-level deal. They announced they’ve signed undrafted free agent forward Avery Hayes to a two-year contract beginning next season, taking him through the 2026-27 campaign. Financial terms were not disclosed.

While Pittsburgh didn’t have Hayes’ exclusive signing rights, he’s not new to the organization. The 5’10” 22-year-old has spent the last two seasons on AHL contracts with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Last year was a tough adjustment to professional hockey coming out of the major junior ranks, limited to 6-3–9 in 29 games and had a brief demotion to ECHL Wheeling.

This season has been a breakout for Hayes, though. The Michigan native, who was initially eligible for the 2021 draft but was passed over multiple times, is tied for fifth on the Baby Pens in scoring with 17-18–35 in 44 games. He leads WBS forwards with a +17 rating. Among the top 100 U23 point-getters in the AHL, he was the only one not technically affiliated with an NHL team – until today.

His sophomore emergence gets rewarded with a two-year commitment from the organization, which now makes him eligible for an NHL recall starting next year. He becomes the 33rd player out of the maximum of 50 on the Pens’ books for 2025-26. He’ll be a restricted free agent when his ELC expires in 2027.

Hayes won two consecutive Ontario Hockey League championships in 2022 and 2023, albeit on two different teams – first the Hamilton Bulldogs, then the Peterborough Petes. The older brother of Blackhawks prospect Gavin Hayes is the third player to sign an ELC with Pittsburgh in the last four days, joining Chase Pietila and Daniel Laatsch.

Red Wings Sign Anton Johansson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Red Wings announced they’ve signed defense prospect Anton Johansson to his entry-level deal. It’s a three-year pact that doesn’t begin until next season, but he’ll still finish out 2024-25 in the organization on a tryout with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Johansson isn’t related to fellow Detroit rearguard Albert Johansson. He is, however, the cousin of Sharks center Alexander Wennberg. A 6’4″ right-shot defender, he’s spent his entire professional career to date with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League. This season, the puck-moving blue-liner has 5-5–10 in 46 games with a minus-one rating and a team-high 50 PIMs.

The 20-year-old throws the body frequently, but at a shade under 200 lbs, he’ll likely need to put on a little more weight for his height before he gets a look in NHL minutes. Johansson was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in Detroit’s system by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler last month. He tabbed Johansson as a “high-floor, low-ceiling guy” who can likely serve as good organizational depth out of the gate, but likely doesn’t top out any higher than being a semi-regular third-pairing option.

Nonetheless, he’s another intriguing option in Detroit’s rather deep stable of prospects. They’re thinner at the position now with the graduation of Simon Edvinsson taking on full-time NHL minutes, but still have Shai Buium, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and William Wallinder on the way as higher-ceiling options than Johansson.

Johansson was signed with Leksand through the 2026-27 campaign. In the likely event he doesn’t crack the NHL roster out of camp in the fall, he must first be offered back to Leksands on loan first before being assigned to the AHL because he’s a non-first-round pick under the age of 24. He’ll be a restricted free agent when his NHL deal expires in the summer of 2028.

West Notes: Zary, Barbashev, Howden, Gregor

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Second-year Flames forward Connor Zary is facing a suspension after he elbowed Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson in last night’s shootout loss, per the league’s Department of Player Safety. Officials assessed Zary a minor penalty for interference on the play, which occurred midway through the first period. The Calgary forward laid a retaliatory check on Pettersson after the rearguard laid a heavy hit on Flames center Nazem Kadri, leaving the ice and seemingly making Pettersson’s head the main point of contact (video via B/R Open Ice). Pettersson only took two more shifts before leaving the game entirely in the second period. This will be the first supplemental discipline, including fines, of Zary’s brief NHL career. The 2020 first-rounder is tied for sixth on the team in scoring this season with 12-12–24 in 49 games. He missed most of January and February with a knee injury, which kept him out of 15 games.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • The Golden Knights are getting reinforcements up front. Forwards Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden will re-enter the lineup tonight against the Blue Jackets, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters (including Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers). Barbashev missed Tuesday’s game against the Penguins due to personal reasons, while Howden sat out with an undisclosed injury. Neither’s absence will stretch into a multi-game one. Both players are among the team’s top 10 scorers, with Barbashev posting 19-22–41 in 53 games and Howden logging 17-13–30 in 62 appearances. Jonas Røndbjerg and Cole Schwindt will exit the lineup as a result of their returns.
  • Noah Gregor will kick off his second stint with the Sharks tonight after resolving his work visa issues, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Gregor, acquired from the Senators in the deadline day Fabian Zetterlund deal, was unavailable for San Jose’s last two games while getting his documentation sorted. The 26-year-old played parts of four seasons for the Sharks from 2019-20 to 2022-23, compiling 26-25–51 in 178 appearances for the club. He’d struggled in Ottawa this year after signing in the Canadian capital as a free agent last summer, posting 4-2–6 in 40 games with a -12 rating.

East Notes: Tanev, Ristolainen, Kucherov

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The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Chris Tanev back in the lineup tonight. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters this morning, including David Alter of The Hockey News, he’ll be a game-time decision for a key matchup against the Panthers in the Atlantic Division title race. The 35-year-old has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury. It’s believed to be a shoulder issue. He left a Feb. 25 game against the Bruins after taking a hit into the boards from Boston forward John Beecher, ending his contest after one shift. The Leafs have gone 3-2-1 in his absence, treading water without their top shutdown defender, but have allowed 4.17 goals per game over that stretch. They’ve struggled to control play at 5-on-5 with a 43.7 CF%, a number Tanev’s return will undoubtedly help boost. While his raw 47.4 CF% at even strength on the year isn’t particularly impressive, he dominates shot quality over quantity and leads the team with a +8.8 expected rating and +26 actual rating. He also ranks fifth in the league with 151 blocked shots.

More out of the Eastern Conference:

  • Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be held out of the lineup for tonight’s game against Tampa as he nurses a minor injury, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The 30-year-old was a speculative trade candidate at last week’s deadline but stayed put amid a lack of interest given general manager Daniel Brière’s reportedly high asking price. He’s thrived in a defensively-oriented role this year, posting a career-high plus-three rating while averaging 20:31 per game on a Philly squad with a -24 goal differential at 5-on-5. 24-year-old lefty Yegor Zamula will replace him in the lineup after sitting as a scratch for Tuesday’s game against the Senators, the team announced.
  • Lightning star winger Nikita Kucherov remains less than 100%. The 31-year-old wasn’t a participant in today’s morning skate, per the team’s Gabby Shirley, an increasingly frequent occurrence in recent days. While he has five points in his last four outings, he hasn’t logged over 20 minutes of ice time in any of them and played just 15:17 against the Hurricanes on Tuesday. He still has 28-64–92 in 61 appearances this year, the third-highest points-per-game pace of his future Hall-of-Fame career. Head coach Jon Cooper confirmed Kucherov is dealing with an illness and will be a game-time decision.

Sabres Loan Josh Dunne and Isak Rosen To The AHL

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they are loaning forwards Josh Dunne and Isak Rosen to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The Sabres called up both players just last weekend and both players dressed on Saturday against the Florida Panthers but have not played since, serving as a healthy scratch.

Dunne’s appearance on March 8th was his first in the NHL since he dressed for eight games with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old spent four seasons in the Blue Jackets organization, playing 134 games for the Cleveland Monsters. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Sabres last July and has dressed in 54 games this season for the Americans, tallying eight goals and 16 assists. In 15 career NHL games, the O’Fallon, Missouri native has yet to record a point and is -9 plus/minus with 35 hits and 12 blocked shots.

Rosen was the Sabres’ first round pick (14th overall) back in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old winger has played ten NHL games over two seasons and is also scoreless, with a -5 plus/minus, two hits and two blocked shots. In the AHL, the Stockholm, Sweden native has been nearly a point a game player this season, posting 26 goals and 24 assists in 51 games. Over his three-year AHL career, Rosen has registered 60 goals and 77 assists in 184 career games.

The Sabres don’t play again until Saturday afternoon against the Vegas Golden Knights and could recall both players before then. However, given that the Americans are in a battle to win the North Division, the Sabres may opt to keep both players in the AHL.

Dougie Hamilton To Miss The Rest Of The Regular Season

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New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told the Krackin’ Canuckleheads podcast that defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s regular season is over, and the team isn’t expecting to get him back until the second round of the playoffs. Fitzgerald added that he would have to double-check his math on that, but the team had no plans for him to return in the regular season. Fitzgerald spoke in a press conference after the NHL Trade Deadline last week and said that the 31-year-old would miss, “an extended period of time,” after he suffered a lower body injury back on March 4th against the Dallas Stars. With Fitzgerald’s comments yesterday, it does appear that the team has some clarity on just how much time his recovery will take.

Hamilton is dealing with an undisclosed injury that looks to be a leg injury given the nature in which he left the ice against the Stars. Hamilton collided with Stars forward Mason Marchment and limped his way back to the bench. He remained on New Jersey’s bench for a bit, but eventually headed back to the locker room and did not return.

It’s the second year in a row that Hamilton will miss an extended length of time after he missed most of last season due to injury. Hamilton played just 20 games a season ago and was in the midst of a bounce back year, registering nine goals and 31 assists in 63 games this season, while playing nearly 20 minutes per game.

New Jersey is going through it right now when it comes to injuries. The team has already lost forward Jack Hughes as well as defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler for the rest of the regular season. It pales in comparison to last year’s injury bug, but it is more devastating given that New Jersey was one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

The team did make some additions at the Trade Deadline, in hopes of patching the holes opened up by injury, acquiring forward Cody Glass as well as defenseman Brian Dumoulin. However, they did not come close to replacing the offense lost with Hamilton and Hughes now on the shelf.

David Savard Unsure Of Playing Future Beyond This Season

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Canadiens defenseman David Savard was a speculative trade candidate heading into last week’s deadline.  However, he wound up staying in Montreal with the team electing to neither buy nor sell, turning questions about him to next season.  But in a recent interview with 98.5 Sports (audio link), the veteran indicated that he’s not sure of his plans for next year in terms of whether he intends to play or not.

The 34-year-old has been a solid top-four defender for the bulk of his career, particularly on the defensive side of things.  That defensive utility made him worthy of a first-round pick and more at the trade deadline the last time he was on an expiring contract although his value league-wide was nowhere near that level last week, playing a role in him staying put.

This season, Savard has slowed down and his playing time has been cut accordingly.  After averaging over 20 minutes a night of playing time in each of his first three seasons with Montreal, he’s at 17:40 per night heading into Wednesday’s action against Seattle.  With nearly 1,600 career blocked shots and almost 1,500 hits, it’s fair to say Savard has a lot of mileage under his belt already in over 900 career NHL games played between the regular season and playoffs.

Savard is in the final season of a four-year contract that carries a $3.5MM AAV.  Even with the $7.5MM increase in the salary cap for next season, his reduced role likely has him ticketed for a smaller price tag should he choose to stick around.  If he’s viewed as more of a sixth option around the league, his offers will likely be closer to half of that amount and he’s not eligible yet for performance incentives on a one-year contract.

During the interview, Savard indicated that he wants to consult with his family about his playing future and thinks his decision will come closer to the end of the season.  It’s also quite possible that he waits until later in the spring to see how his body recovers from another grinding campaign before deciding if he has another year left in him.  If so, it will be interesting to see if the Canadiens make an offer for him to stick around or if they look for either a younger veteran to take that spot or save it for one of their prospects in the minors, likely either Logan Mailloux or David Reinbacher.

Hurricanes Believed To Have Shown Interest In Brock Boeser Before Trade Deadline

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When it was known that the Hurricanes would be acquiring a pair of first-round picks as part of their return for Mikko Rantanen, the fact the deal wasn’t officially finalized until close to the trade deadline complicated Carolina’s efforts on that front.

However, it appears as if they made an effort to flip one of those picks to get some win-now help as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic recently reported (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes are believed to have tried to make a run at adding Canucks winger Brock Boeser just before the deadline with one of those newly-acquired first rounders potentially in the offer.

The idea of adding Boeser certainly would have made a lot of sense from Carolina’s standpoint to help fill the void vacated by Rantanen and Martin Necas before the initial swap with Colorado.  While the 28-year-old isn’t necessarily as offensively gifted as Rantanen or Necas, he has been a pretty reliable scorer throughout his career.  Boeser isn’t on his way to his second straight 40-goal season but he has 18 goals and 20 helpers through 57 games which would have made him a good fit on the second line for the Hurricanes.

Of course, with Vancouver still squarely in the mix for a playoff spot in the West, it’s understandable why a futures-based return for one of their top wingers wouldn’t have been appealing to GM Patrik Allvin.  Even when they moved J.T. Miller, they quickly flipped the first-round pick to Pittsburgh for two players who were quickly signed to contract extensions as they continued to operate with a win-now mindset.  With that in mind, it’s reasonable to infer that if Boeser were to be moved, Allvin’s preference would have been a player-for-player type of swap over a futures-based offer like Carolina’s.

Dhaliwal also notes that the Canucks took a late run at trying to get Boeser signed to a contract extension.  The only reported offer that’s out there was a five-year, $40MM proposal from earlier in the season; it’s unclear how much their new offer differed from their original but with a big jump coming in the salary cap, Boeser’s camp likely feels that they’ll be able to beat that on the open market this summer if a new deal with Vancouver isn’t reached by then.  And if that doesn’t happen, there’s probably a good chance that the Hurricanes will be among the teams calling on July 1st.

Minor Transactions: 3/12/25

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While the NHL trade deadline has come and gone, the AHL trade deadline doesn’t hit until Friday.  We’ve seen a couple of recent moves on that front; we’ll go through those here as part of a rundown of minor transactions.

  • Earlier this week, Pittsburgh’s farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced the trade of defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to Grand Rapids for future considerations. The 26-year-old had his contract terminated by San Jose last offseason but he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed deal right away.  Instead, he played on a PTO in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for nearly three months before being converted to an AHL contract.  Knyzhov has seven points in 14 games this season and has 81 career NHL appearances under his belt.
  • The Red Wings have recalled goaltender Gage Alexander to their AHL affiliate, per an announcement from ECHL Reading. The 22-year-old hasn’t played in the AHL this season and was loaned to Reading, Philadelphia’s affiliate, in mid-January to get some playing time where he posted a 2.81 GAA and a .913 SV% in five games.  Acquired to match contracts in the Robby Fabbri trade last year, Alexander is a pending restricted free agent but is unlikely to be tendered a qualifying offer this summer.
  • Another former NHL player is on the move in the AHL, as San Diego announced that they’ve acquired Carsen Twarynski from Abbotsford in exchange for future considerations. The 27-year-old has played in 26 games in the minors this season, notching two goals and five assists.  Twarynski has 22 career NHL appearances to his name back with Philadelphia in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

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