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Capitals Working On Extension With Charlie Lindgren

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After getting a six-year, $35.1MM contract done with pending UFA netminder Logan Thompson on Monday, the Capitals are looking to keep the other half of their goaltending tandem from reaching the open market. Washington is working on an extension with Charlie Lindgren with a cap hit between $3.5MM and $4MM, Kevin Weekes of ESPN said Thursday night.

If past reports indicate, we’ll likely see the official word on a Lindgren extension within the next week. Things moved quickly after Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported last Friday that the Caps were increasing their efforts to reach a deal with Thompson. LeBrun said earlier in the month that the Capitals were wary of disrupting team chemistry by leaving one without an extension for too long, so it’s not surprising that Washington general manager Chris Patrick is quickly looking to get business wrapped up with Lindgren.

Lindgren is now set to earn more in a single season on his next deal than the total value of any of his previous NHL contracts, putting him in the same company as Thompson. Both began their professional careers as undrafted free-agent signings, but it took much longer for Lindgren to establish himself as an everyday NHL option. Now 31, Lindgren was a standout netminder at St. Cloud State University over a three-year run from 2013 to 2016 and landed an entry-level contract with the Canadiens as his junior year ended.

The Minnesota native made his NHL debut for the Habs to close out the year before spending most of the next five seasons as their No. 3 option, logging significant time in the AHL for their affiliates in St. John’s and Laval. His numbers started strong – he put up a .914 SV% in 48 games in his first AHL season and earned an All-Star Game appearance as a rookie. Things quickly went downhill from there, though. Lindgren failed to record a save percentage above .900 in each of the subsequent four campaigns, at least at the minor-league level. He’d gotten call-ups to Montreal every year and had a decent but unimpressive for the time .907 SV% and 3.00 GAA in 24 starts, paired with a 10-12-2 record over parts of five seasons.

Lindgren spent most of the shortened 2020-21 campaign on the Canadiens’ taxi squad, only making three AHL appearances for Laval. But after failing to land an everyday NHL role over the life of a three-year, $2.25MM extension he signed in 2018, he understandably opted not to return to Montreal upon reaching unrestricted free agency that summer. He headed west on his next deal, landing a two-way offer from the Blues on the open market.

St. Louis breathed new life into Lindgren’s game. It was more the organization at large – he spent most of his time on assignment to their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he exploded as one of the league’s top netminders with a 2.21 GAA, .925 SV%, three shutouts, and a 24-7-1 record in 34 games. He was also lights out in his few call-ups to the Blues, allowing just five goals on 118 shots (.958 SV%) in four starts and one relief appearance while compiling a spotless 5-0-0 record.

That led to renewed optimism that Lindgren could be an everyday NHL option, and the Capitals gave him a three-year, $3.3MM commitment to prove it in Washington. His first year was unimpressive, posting a .899 SV% and 3.05 GAA in 31 appearances as Darcy Kuemper’s backup as the Caps missed the playoffs for the second time since 2007. However, the 2023-24 season amounted to Lindgren’s big break. He stole the starter’s crease from Kuemper midseason, tying for the league lead with six shutouts and complementing that with a .911 SV% and 2.67 GAA in 48 games. He finished eighth in Vezina Trophy voting and 12th in Hart Trophy voting as Washington snuck into the playoffs. Although they were quickly dispatched in four games by the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers, he started all of them over Kuemper, who had won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche two years prior.

While Lindgren won’t be in Vezina consideration this season after firmly slipping behind Thompson on the depth chart, he’s still been an above-average tandem option. His .904 SV% and 2.51 GAA through 23 games are the exact numbers you’d expect from the median netminder given the defense in front of him, per MoneyPuck. Last season’s numbers were more than likely a flash in the pan. Still, he’s given the Capitals enough sample to prove he can be a reliable 1B option with Thompson, who’s quietly put up numbers akin to some of the league’s most highly-touted netminders over the last three seasons.

The Caps will have their goalies locked in for the next few seasons at a combined cap hit in the $9MM range, less than what elite established starters are beginning to earn on their own per season. That’s good business from Patrick as he now turns his attention toward the team’s extensive slate of other pending UFAs, including defenseman Jakob Chychrun and reliable depth center Nic Dowd.

Flames, Flyers Swap Andrei Kuzmenko, Joel Farabee

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Jan. 31: Both teams officially announced the swap late last night. It’s the Flames’ own 2025 second-rounder and their 2028 seventh-rounder heading to the Flyers.

Jan. 30: The Flames and Flyers are working on a trade that will send winger Andrei Kuzmenko to Philadelphia, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet adds that winger Jakob Pelletier is heading to the Flyers as part of the swap. Heading Calgary’s way in return are forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, Seravalli reports. Friedman adds that the Flyers were on Kuzmenko’s 12-team no-trade list, but he waived the clause to make the move happen. Finally, Seravalli reports a second-round and seventh-round pick are headed to the Flyers along with Pelletier and Kuzmenko to complete the trade.

To put things plainly, Kuzmenko is a pending unrestricted free agent needing a change of scenery. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has struggled to stay in the lineup this season despite a $5.5MM cap hit. While he missed some time due to a lower-body injury in December, he was recently a healthy scratch for a three-game stretch and has been limited to 37 of Calgary’s 49 games overall. In those appearances, the Russian sniper is averaging just over one shot on goal per game and has converted at a career-worst 10.3% rate, working out to only four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

That dip in production is evidence of the 5’11” winger’s inconsistency, but he’s shown flashes of proper top-six play since arriving in the NHL as an undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks in 2022. He erupted for 39 goals and 74 points in his rookie season while playing primarily on Elias Pettersson’s wing, shooting at a league-high 27.3% and averaging over 16 minutes per game with strong possession metrics (52.9 CF%, 55.2 xGF% at even strength).

Kuzmenko landed a rich two-year, $11MM extension midway through his rookie campaign as a result of his efforts, but it’s been marred by up-and-down play. His production dropped to eight goals and 21 points through the first 43 games of the 2023-24 campaign before he was sent to Calgary in the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks. He rediscovered his sharp-shooting ways after the move to Alberta, ending the season with 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points in 29 appearances. He was the second-most productive Flames forward after the swap on a per-game basis, trailing only Nazem Kadri (36 points in 33 games).

But as in Vancouver, Kuzmenko hasn’t been able to carry his production over into year two with his new club. His minus-seven rating ranks fourth-worst on the team, but possession metrics paint a much rosier picture. His 53.6 CF% at even strength is sixth on the team and fourth among forwards, while his expected +1.9 rating is fifth. He’s not generating nearly enough individual offense to make his strength as a scorer shine through, but he’s not been a meaningful liability away from the puck, either.

Philly picks up an inconsistent but high-ceiling option on the wing in Kuzmenko, and they pick up a similar but younger archetype in Pelletier. Selected in the first round by the Flames in 2019, he’s only just beginning to break through as an impact NHLer. The 23-year-old has only 10 points in 37 career appearances entering the season and even cleared waivers on his way down to the minors at the beginning of the season. He’s gotten more chances in the NHL lineup as the campaign has progressed, though, and has earned an everyday role in the lineup over the last six weeks.

Since first being recalled at the beginning of December, Pelletier is tied for sixth on the Flames in scoring with 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 23 games. He also has a team-high +10 rating during that span despite averaging only 12:57 per game. There’s significant upside with both players, especially if thrust into consistent top-six roles.

The Flyers also open up some long-term flexibility by dealing Farabee, who’s had similar struggles to Kuzmenko this season, to Calgary. He costs slightly less than Kuzmenko against the cap – $500K, to be exact – but is signed through the 2027-28 campaign. Philadelphia will get out of Kuzmenko’s deal in a few months and also open up short-term cap space by swapping the $2.1MM Frost for a six-figure Pelletier.

Farabee has a much longer NHL track record than Kuzmenko despite being four years younger, but he’s also failed to flash the ceiling Kuzmenko has. His career-highs only check in at 22 goals and 50 points, both set last season while skating in all 82 games for Philadelphia. The 2018 first-rounder has 90 goals and 201 points in 383 career outings for the Flyers since entering the league six years ago.

At 24 years old (25 in a few weeks), Farabee fits the Flames’ retooling timeline better than Kuzmenko, and even if his $5MM cap hit is steep for his inconsistent production, he’s cost-controlled in the event he breaks out. This season has been difficult for Farabee, who’s shooting at a career-worst 8.1% and has eight goals with 11 assists for 19 points through 49 games. That’s the worst point-per-game pace of his career by a decent margin, and his possession impacts are also among the worst on the Flyers. While the cost control could be a gift if he returns to a 50-point pace in top-nine minutes, Calgary is taking on a significant amount of risk with three more seasons left on his contract.

They do pick up a promising young center in Frost, matching the type of player general manager Craig Conroy has been looking to acquire since their hot start to the season. Calgary was among the teams to check in with the Sabres on Dylan Cozens’ availability, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic said a couple of weeks ago, but Frost is a much lower-risk option contractually as a pending restricted free agent with a $2.4MM qualifying offer.

Frost, 25, was a first-rounder in 2017 and ranks fifth on the Flyers in scoring with 25 points (11 G, 14 A) through 48 games. He was an eyebrow-raising healthy scratch on a few occasions early in the season but has played every game since Nov. 23. He’s on pace to produce in the 40-50 point range for three years straight now, averaging north of 15 minutes per game and steadily improving in the faceoff circle. His 51.6% win rate on draws this season is a career-high and immediately ranks tops among Flames with at least 100 attempts this season.

The Flames ended up with a net cap gain of $800K in the swap, a negligible figure considering they entered the night with nearly $44MM in current space, per PuckPedia. No corresponding transactions will be required to execute the deal with an equal number of roster players changing hands, either.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the first to report the Flames were sending draft picks to the Flyers to complete the deal.

Connor Murphy Nearing A Return From Injury

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy will likely be in and out of the lineup for the next little while as he tries to work his way back from osteitis pubis (as per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). Osteitis pubis is an inflammation in the joint between the left and right pubic bones and typically causes pain and swelling in the groin or lower abdomen.

Murphy hasn’t played since New Year’s Eve when he suited up for the 2025 NHL Winter Classic and has been dealing with the ailment dating back to last season when he missed 38 games.

Pope writes that Murphy feels he could return to game action in the near future, however, doctors don’t share his sentiments and believe that he will struggle to play without interruptions. Murphy has dealt with injuries throughout his career, playing more than 70 games just twice since 2017.

The 31-year-old was on pace for the best offensive season of his career before the injury, posting a goal and 12 assists in 38 games. His overall play has improved this season compared to the previous few years, even though his deployment has remained difficult.

Given where the Blackhawks are in the standings, they would likely have shopped the 12-year NHL veteran, but now with the uncertainty surrounding Murphy’s health, it is likely his trade value has dropped which could mean he remains with the Blackhawks until the end of the season.

Hudson Fasching Loaned To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The New York Islanders have loaned forward Hudson Fasching to the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL on a conditioning stint (as per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News). The 29-year-old Fasching hasn’t seen NHL action since January 5th against the Boston Bruins and has dressed in just 19 games this year after suiting up in 45 NHL games last season.

When he has been in the lineup, Fasching has been used sparingly, averaging just 8:56 of ice time per game. This season has been a struggle for him, as he has yet to score, posting a -6 plus/minus and a CF% of 44.9% at even strength. Fasching has never been an offensive force in the NHL; however, in the previous two seasons with the Islanders, his numbers were considerably better, combining for 14 goals and 19 assists in 94 games.

In the AHL this season, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native has had better luck offensively, posting a goal and an assist in five games. With his conditioning loan, he will have an opportunity to add to his numbers and hopefully regain some confidence before getting back into NHL action.

Fasching is in the final year of a two-year contract and will be playing for his NHL career whenever he is called back up. He’s unlikely to receive much NHL interest in free agency this summer, however, a solid run down the stretch would certainly help him land a contract for next season.

Golden Knights Recall Cal Burke

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Cal Burke from the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL and he will play tonight when Vegas takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets (as per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). The 27-year-old had a brief stint with the Golden Knights in November, dressing in six games and notching a single goal while averaging 11:04 of ice time per game. The Golden Knights heavily sheltered Burke’s minutes at the time, giving him offensive zone starts in nearly 80% of his shifts.

Burke’s recall will push another recent recall Raphael Lavoie to the left side and allow him to play on the third line, while Burke is expected to play right wing on the fourth line alongside Tanner Pearson and Brett Howden.

The recall also pushes Jonas Rondbjerg to the bench after he played very well a few nights ago. Rondbjerg is pushing up against his waiver-exempt games limit which may have factored into the decision. While he played well, Rondbjerg hasn’t had any offensive impact this season with zero points in nine games, and Vegas may be looking elsewhere to see if another player can provide an immediate impact.

Burke is having a poor offensive season in the AHL compared to previous years, his seven goals and six assists in 34 games represent a significant drop from last season’s numbers when he had 39 points (16 goals and 23 assists) in 57 games.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning

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Defenseman Adam Ginning will make his season debut for the Philadelphia Flyers after the team announced his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ginning is expected to replace veteran defenseman Erik Johnson in the lineup as the Flyers face off against the New York Islanders this evening.

Shortly after Philadelphia’s announcement, Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports quickly contextualized Johnson’s absence for tonight’s game. O’Connor stated that the Flyers never intended for Johnson to play in any back-to-back games this year although he did suit up in the back-to-back against the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames to start the season.

Philadelphia selected Ginning in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft but he didn’t begin playing for the organization until the 2022-23 season. He’s primarily played for AHL Lehigh Valley collecting six goals and 39 points in 168 career games.

He’s already appeared in 10 games for the Flyers dating back to the 2022-23 season. He’s tallied one goal in those ten contests and has posted impressive possession numbers and physicality albeit in a small sample size.

That’s exactly what will be expected of him tonight and in the future should he have any staying power in Philadelphia’s lineup. There’s no question the Flyers are a physical team with 980 hits delivered already this year and Ginning should only help increase that total.

Shawn Simpson Passes Away At Age 56

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Shawn Simpson, a long-time member of the Ottawa Senators radio broadcast booth with TSN, has tragically passed away at 56, as the team announced.

Simpson entered professional hockey in the 1986 NHL Draft when the Washington Capitals selected him with the 60th overall pick. Unfortunately, besides two playoff games as a backup netminder, Simpson never played in the NHL with the Capitals and retired relatively quickly after the 1990-91 season.

He remained with the Capitals organization as a color commentator for several years while pursuing his education at Georgetown University. It was not until the 1993-94 season that Simpson transitioned into Washington’s front office to become a professional scout.

The Capitals promoted Simpson to director of hockey operations ahead of the 1997-98 season. Alongside general manager George McPhee, Simpson helped steer Washington to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history that spring.

Simpson continued as the Capitals’ director of hockey operations until the 2003-04 season when he decided to move closer to his hometown. He spent four years as a professional scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs before ending his tenure in the front office.

After spending many years away from his hometown of Gloucester, Ontario, Simpson joined TSN in 2012 as the co-host of “The Drive” radio show and as an on-air personality for Ottawa’s post-game broadcasts. In 2013, he transitioned to a new show called “Mornings” and continued to collaborate closely with the Senators organization.

In 2023, Bell Media, the controlling owner of TSN, ended its contract with Simpson. However, he remained a significant figure in Ottawa and with the Senators until the dreadful news broke this morning.

We at Pro Hockey Rumors send our condolences to Simpson’s family, friends, and peers.

Bruins Activate Charlie McAvoy, Reassign Max Jones

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The Bruins activated top defenseman Charlie McAvoy from injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. The club reassigned winger Max Jones to AHL Providence to open up a roster spot.

McAvoy has missed Boston’s last seven games with an upper-body injury. He landed on IR following a Jan. 11 game against the Panthers, during which head coach Joe Sacco said he aggravated a “nagging ailment” and would be shut down for at least a week to see how it responds. His absence lasted closer to three weeks, but he’ll return to the lineup tonight against the Jets in a top-pairing role flanked by sophomore lefty Mason Lohrei.

The lingering injury explains what’s been a down season for McAvoy. The 27-year-old has 20 points through 45 games, the lowest point-per-game pace of his eight-year NHL career. His possession metrics were dipping, too, with his +2.2 expected rating at even strength also tracking to be the worst of his career.

The 2016 first-rounder returns as Boston hangs on for dear life in a tight Eastern Conference wild-card race. Their 5-4-1 record in their last 10 has been enough to keep pace, but they’ll fall out of the picture with a loss tonight against Winnipeg and if the Lightning and Blue Jackets manage to get at least one point out of their games.

Boston went 4-2-1 in their last seven without McAvoy with a plus-one goal differential. They were outshot 241-176 during that span, however, and only controlled 45.5% of shot attempts at even strength.

Jones, 26, heads down after playing three out of four games since his Jan. 21 recall. The big-bodied winger has yet to record a point in seven games with the Bruins this season after signing a two-year, $2MM deal over the summer and passed through waivers unclaimed in early November. Selected a few spots after McAvoy by the Ducks in the 2016 draft, he has eight goals and 11 points with a plus-four rating in 26 games while on assignment to Providence this year.

Oilers Activate John Klingberg From Injured Reserve

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Oilers defenseman John Klingberg will make his debut for the team after signing a one-year deal nearly two weeks ago, head coach Kris Knoblauch told the team’s Bob Stauffer. He’ll need to come off injured reserve before Thursday’s game against the Red Wings, something Edmonton will have no problem doing with a pair of open roster spots.

Tonight will mark Klingberg’s first NHL game since Nov. 11, 2023. The 32-year-old, who had signed a one-year deal worth $4.15MM with the Maple Leafs for that season, ended up needing hip resurfacing surgery that ended his campaign and prevented him from signing anywhere on the open market over the summer. He only started skating last month as he geared up for an NHL return, eventually landing a $1.35MM commitment from the Oilers.

Klingberg told Mark Spector of Sportsnet that the 2023 procedure was the third he’s had on his hips in his career. He had double hip surgery twice between when he was drafted by the Stars in the fifth round in 2010 and when he made his NHL debut in 2014, neither of which fully addressed whatever issues he’d been having. He told Spector that he’s entering an NHL campaign pain-free for the first time in his 11-year career – a good sign for the Oilers that he might be able to recapture his form as a top power-play quarterback.

The 32-year-old will handle second-pairing duties alongside Darnell Nurse in his debut, giving Edmonton two offensively-inclined options at the top of their right defense depth chart with Evan Bouchard. Stay-at-home piece Ty Emberson, who’s logged a good portion of ice time alongside Nurse this season, moves down to more comfortable third-pairing duties with Brett Kulak, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. Klingberg and Nurse will stay together on the team’s second power-play unit with Viktor Arvidsson, Adam Henrique and Corey Perry.

Klingberg posted five assists and a minus-seven rating in 14 appearances with Toronto last year before the surgery ended his campaign. He’s averaged 0.65 points per game over his career, though, 14th among defensemen with at least 200 games played since he entered the league.

Blues Place Brandon Saad On Unconditional Waivers

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Jan. 30: Saad is on unconditional waivers today and will have his contract terminated assuming he clears Friday, Friedman confirms.

Jan. 29, 1:56 p.m.: The Blues and Saad are now heading toward a mutual contract termination, Friedman adds. The move will make him an unrestricted free agent, so he’ll be able to sign with any team down the stretch with new contract terms. However, he’ll be walking away from north of $5MM of cash he was still owed on his deal with St. Louis.

Jan. 29, 1:05 p.m.: Saad and Sylvegård cleared waivers Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Saad heads to the AHL for the first time in over a decade, while Sylvegård has had his contract terminated and is free to return to Europe.

Jan. 28: Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced Tuesday that they’re placing veteran winger Brandon Saad on waivers, per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. St. Louis also placed winger Marcus Sylvegård on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Saad is in the fourth season of a five-year, $22.5MM contract he signed with the Blues as an unrestricted free agent in 2021. The deal carries a $4.5MM cap hit, but he’s only owed $4.375MM in salary this season and $3.625MM in 2025-26.

Saad, who has struggled to the tune of seven goals, nine assists, and 16 points in 43 games this season, was a speculative trade candidate before the deadline but carries a full no-trade clause until July 1. Placing him on waivers will allow interested clubs to acquire him even if he would have otherwise blocked a trade. Notably, the Blues can’t retain any salary on Saad if he’s claimed off waivers rather than traded.

Armstrong told reporters, including Lou Korac of NHL.com, that Saad will report to and play for AHL Springfield if he goes unclaimed tomorrow. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Saad had told the Blues he was willing to waive his NTC, but no trade materialized. They won’t be making a corresponding recall after Saad is removed from the roster, Armstrong added (via Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

While things haven’t panned out for the 32-year-old Saad in St. Louis this season, he was a decent secondary scorer as recently as last season, when he turned in 26 goals and stayed healthy for all 82 games. It was Saad’s second-best goal-scoring season of his 14-year NHL career. However, his overall offense has continuously dropped off from his days of routinely producing around 50 points per season for the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets early on.

In Saad’s defense, a good portion of his struggles can be attributed to a significant dropoff in shooting percentage. He’s clicking at just 9.3%, the second-lowest rate of his career and down nearly 50% from last year’s 18.1% success rate. He’s due for regression, especially considering his 36 individual high-danger chances at 5-on-5 are tied for third on the Blues, per Natural Stat Trick.

A second-round pick by Chicago in 2011, Saad reached the NHL one year later and won championships with the Hawks in both 2013 and 2015. A salary cap crunch forced Chicago to trade him to the Blue Jackets for a package centered around Artem Anisimov following the second of those Cups, but the Blackhawks re-acquired him from Columbus two years later – unfortunately giving up superstar winger Artemi Panarin in the process.

But on the wrong side of 30 and with another year left on his deal, Saad finding a new home on waivers seems unlikely – especially if the Blues were previously willing to retain salary to facilitate a trade. Most teams interested in adding a veteran piece instead of subtracting likely won’t have the cap space for Saad at his full impact.

The Blues signed Sylvegård, 25, as an undrafted free agent from Sweden’s Växjö Lakers last offseason. He’s done well on assignment to Springfield, ranking fifth on the team with 21 points (10 G, 11 A) in 35 games, but has yet to receive an NHL recall. Evidently, both parties are satisfied with breaking ties early and allowing him to return to Europe. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent upon termination.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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