Oilers Sign Atro Leppanen
The Oilers will soon be announcing the addition of Quinn Hutson and they’ve made another addition to their prospect pool today. The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Atro Leppanen to a one-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal, which begins next season, were not disclosed by the team but PuckPedia reports that it will carry a $975K cap hit.
The 26-year-old is the definition of a late bloomer. Just two seasons ago, Leppanen was playing in Finland’s second-tier Mestis but that year, he had a dominant showing with Kiekko-Espoo that saw him put up 23 goals and 35 assists in 51 games, finishing fourth in the league in scoring, tops among defensemen. That earned him a tryout agreement with Sport at the Liiga level, one that he was able to convert to a full-season contract.
Last season, Leppanen did well in his first season with Sport, tallying 12 goals and 16 assists in 55 games, good numbers for a first-year defenseman. But this year, he found an entire new gear. Leppanen set a new league record for points by a blueliner (breaking a record shared by former NHLers Brian Rafalski and Pekka Rautakallio) while leading the entire league in scoring, collecting 21 goals and 42 assists in 60 games while averaging more than 23 minutes a night of playing time.
That performance had Leppanen on the radar heading into free agency. It’s believed he had an SHL contract on the table but he was able to beat that with this deal. It will be interesting to see if the Oilers envision Leppanen pushing for a spot at the end of the NHL roster to provide some secondary offense from the back end or if their intention is to start him with AHL Bakersfield. As things stand, Edmonton has five of their regular blueliners under contract for 2025-26 with Evan Bouchard and Ty Emberson needing new deals as restricted free agents.
Atlantic Notes: Panthers, Tkachuk, Power
While the defending champion Florida Panthers are still missing some key players from their lineup, they did provide a few positive updates on this front. Per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, forward Sam Bennett will return to the lineup tomorrow against the Rangers, while forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to join full practice starting this week.
Just last week, head coach Paul Maurice noted Tkachuk was still “weeks away” from a return from injured reserve after sustaining an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. Tkachuk has been spotted on the ice a few times since, either skating on his own or joining the team for morning skate as he did in Montreal last week. In 52 games on the season, Tkachuk has registered 22 goals and 57 points to go along with 84 hits. Now in his third season with the Panthers, he has produced 265 points in 211 career regular season games with Florida, and his return will certainly be a key to their back-to-back cup aspirations.
Although Maurice recently noted Bennett would not return during the regular season, that decision has appeared to reverse course, with the coach stating Saturday that Bennett is, “At a point where he feels great.” It’s welcomed news for the team, as his return allows him to shake off some rust during the final two games of the regular season. In 74 games on the season, Bennett has scored a career-high 50 points.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators star Brady Tkachuk remains out with an upper-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Tkachuk skated on Saturday, but that there’s a likelihood the power forward doesn’t play until the playoffs. Tkachuk has missed the last eight games since sustaining an upper-body injury in Ottawa’s overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 30. He was hit late in the second period from defender Ryan Graves that drew a penalty, and Tkachuk did not return to the game. In 71 games, he has put up 29 goals and 55 points.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power sustained a lower-body injury during last night’s loss to the Panthers, and he is not expected to play in tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. He ended last night’s game with just 15 shifts and 13:27 of total ice time. On the season, Power has put up a career-high 40 points. At just 22, Power has put 111 points in 242 career NHL games. He still has six years remaining on his eight-year, 8.35MM contract he signed in October 2023.
Capitals Loan Terik Parascak to Hershey Bears
The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Terik Parascak to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced today. One of the team’s top prospects, Parascak was selected 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and has been on a tear in the WHL this season.
Parascak, 18, has 82 points in 59 games for the Prince George Cougars, which is second on the team behind Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt (90). Despite his lofty numbers, he actually put up more points with the Cougars last season, when he posted 43 goals and 105 points in 68 games. He has added 24 points in 19 playoff games in the WHL, including 10 points in seven games this season. The Cougars’ season ended after a first-round exit, opening the door for Parascak to join the Caps’ AHL-affiliate. At 6’0, 180, the right-handed winger is known for his ability to set up and finish plays.
Last season, he was named to the 2024 CHL All-Rookie Team and the WHL B.C. Division Second All-Star Team, led CHL rookies in goals and points and finished eighth overall in WHL scoring. Parascak’s 105 points were the most by a CHL rookie since Patrick Kane (145 points) and Sam Gagner (118 points) in 2006-07 and the fourth most since 2000-01, trailing only Kane, Gagner and Sidney Crosby (2003-04: 135 points), per the release.
Parascak, a native of Alberta, joins the Atlantic Division-leading Bears as they gear up for a deep run toward the Calder Cup. The team currently sits at 43-16-6-1, and adding a playmaker like Parascak should only support their efforts. He joins fellow Caps’ forward prospects in Hersey like Pierrick Dube and Ivan Miroshnichenko.
Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson
The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson, per a team release. The 24-year-old is expected to make his NHL debut as Braden Schneider will sit out the final two games of the season with an upper-body injury, adds Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
The team’s second round selection in the 2019 draft, Robertson has spent the last four seasons in the AHL. In 60 games for the Hartford Wolfpack this season, Robertson has put up one goal, 25 points and 55 penalty minutes. Throughout his time in the AHL, the 6’4, 200-pound defender has put up 80 points and 176 penalty minutes in 250 games. Prior to that, Robertson spent five seasons in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he put up solid numbers for a defender. In 208 WHL games, Robertson posted 127 points, which included averaging a point-per-game in his final season.
While he was a highly regarded prospect, the left-handed Robertson hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup since being drafted. Although he’ll be making his first appearance with the Rangers, he is set for restricted free agency following the season. With this said, Robertson still ranks toward the top of the franchise’s defensive prospects list, so it stands to reason the Rangers will look to bring Robertson back into the fold.
Robertson may also have a clearer path to playing in New York next season, as K’Andre Miller is also set to be a restricted free agent and is a due a raise on his current $3,872,000MM AAV. Zachary Jones is also set for restricted free agency. Calvin de Haan, who the team acquired earlier this year in a trade with the Avalanche, is set to become a free agent after the season and recently had choice words for how he feels he’s been treated by the team. So, it’s safe to say de Haan will be looking a role elsewhere starting this summer.
Avalanche Recall T.J. Tynan
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward T.J. Tynan from the AHL, per a team release. Tyran will likely suit up in Colorado’s final regular season game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
In the eight games on the season in Colorado, Tynan has registered one assist, while adding four hits, four blocked shots, and four penalty minutes. This season represents the first NHL playing time for Tynan since the 2021-22 season, when he suited up in two games for the Kings. A 2011 third-round selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tyran, 33, has skated in 29 career NHL contests and has added two assists and zero goals. While Tynan doesn’t seem destined to support the club past today’s contest, it will be fun to see if he can light the lamp post for the first time in his career.
While he hasn’t been able to produce in the NHL, his statistics at the AHL-level have been a stark contract to what’s he’s been able to do at the top level, including this season where he has produced eight goals, 41 assists and 49 points in 50 games for the Colorado Eagles. He has scored 642 points in 691 AHL games, while adding another 35 points in 59 Calder Cup playoff games. Known for his passing abilities, 532 of his 642 AHL points have been assists, including 84 assists during the 2021-22 season with the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL-affiliate.
His recall provides some depth as Colorado is already without several lineup fixtures, including star Nathan MacKinnon. He’s dealing with a minor injury that wouldn’t hold him out of playoff action, but he’s expected to sit for both contests this weekend. However, forwards Ross Colton (undisclosed) and Jonathan Drouin (lower body) both carry more serious injuries, although both could be ready for game one of the playoffs. These injuries also necessitated of forward Jere Innala from AHL Colorado. Innala suited up in last night’s 5-4 loss to the Kings, where he registered two shots on net and recorded a hit in 10:10 of total ice time.
Nick Cousins Returns to Senators Lineup
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been activated from LTIR and is in the lineup for today’s afternoon tilt against the Flyers, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. It represents his first game action since suffering a knee injury in late January. He is skating on a Sens’ third line alongside center Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio.
Originally expected to miss three months with the injury, GM Steve Staios recently stated the 31-year-old Cousins has been “attacking his rehab,” and he now returns ahead of his recovery timeline and in time to help make an impact in the playoffs. Cousins will provide the Sens with a reliable bottom-six option for their playoff lineup, as well as a trustworthy penalty killer. In his career, Cousins has appeared in 63 playoff contests and helped the Panthers capture the Stanley Cup just last season. In 47 games this season, Cousins has produced five goals, 13 points, 80 hits, and 24 blocked shots while averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game.
Coach Travis Green told reporters Saturday that he’s happy to see Cousins return to the lineup but added he will be rusty and that the team will have to get him up to speed.
Garrioch adds that forwards David Perron and Ridly Greig and defenders Nikolas Matinpalo and Nick Jensen are out of the lineup today, while Cousins, Angus Crookshank, Dennis Gilbert and Travis Hamonic are all playing. As Garrioch notes, Jensen has been playing with an unspecified lower-body injury for some time, and with the Sens already locked into a playoff spot, now serves as good time to give the veteran some recovery time. With Jensen and Matinpalo out, the door was opened for Hamonic and Gilbert to return to the lineup. Hamonic, who has played in 56 games this season and recorded six points and -17 rating, is skating on the team’s second pairing with Thomas Chabot, while Gilbert is skating with Tyler Kleven on the team’s third pairing. Gilbert has skated in 26 games this season and has recorded five points.
While the other absences from today’s game don’t appear to be serious in nature, Green noted the team is also not mailing in these final games of the season, per Garrioch. Green added that experienced teams understand that the intensity picks up in the playoffs, so he’ll look for his team to continue to showcase that energy in the final games of the season. It’s also one of the reasons the team recently recalled winger Hayden Hodgson to add some physicality to the lineup.
Lightning’s Oliver Bjorkstrand Out Week-To-Week
The Lightning will be without deadline pickup Oliver Bjorkstrand to begin the playoffs. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters this morning he’s out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. They’re not ruling him out for the entirety of the postseason, but his availability anytime during the first round is certainly in doubt.
That offers some context for Tampa opting to recall top prospect Conor Geekie from AHL Syracuse this morning, aside from just giving him another crack at NHL minutes. With Cam Atkinson sent to Syracuse to make room for Geekie’s recall, Bjorkstrand’s absence will force the Bolts to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen this evening against the Sabres.
Bjorkstrand hasn’t been quite as productive as Tampa hoped for after acquiring him and Yanni Gourde from the Kraken at the trade deadline. He’s posted 5-4–9 through 18 games, down from his point pace with Seattle prior to the trade and, if projecting over a full season, his worst point pace since the 2018-19 campaign. It’s understandable, though, considering his more conservative deployment. While he’s gotten some power play reps, he’s spent virtually all of his even-strength deployment in third-line minutes and is only averaging 14:03 per game overall.
Still, missing Bjorkstrand aggravates Tampa’s most significant weakness before his acquisition: secondary scoring. It makes the Gourde pickup all the more essential to help reduce the workload of players like Nick Paul, Geekie, and Gage Goncalves, with Bjorkstrand likely to miss at least a few playoff games. It won’t mark the end of Bjorkstrand’s Lightning tenure if he does not get into postseason action. He’s signed through next season at a $5.4MM cap hit.
Blackhawks Sign Ryan Greene To Entry-Level Deal
The Blackhawks have signed center Ryan Greene to a three-year, entry-level contract, a source tells Scott Powers of The Athletic. The deal begins immediately and he’s expected to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Canadiens. Chicago quickly confirmed the deal, which carries a $950K cap hit.
Greene, 21, turns pro after three seasons at Boston University. A second-round pick by Chicago in 2022, he captained the Terriers to a berth in the national championship game but lost 6-2 to Western Michigan last night. The 6’2″ pivot finished his junior season with a career-best 13 goals, 25 assists, and 38 points in 40 games to rank third on the team in scoring.
The Newfoundland native is the No. 12 prospect in Chicago’s system, as ranked by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, but that’s more a testament to the Blackhawks’ exceedingly deep talent pool. A good two-way piece, it’s unclear if he has the offensive ceiling to develop past a third-line role, but he should get an early audition in that spot here. This comes in advance of the Blackhawks anticipating Greene on their opening night roster next fall, Powers reports.
That puts him as Chicago’s third-line pivot for the foreseeable future behind Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, who are both ending the season playing their natural center position while anchoring the Hawks’ first and second lines. Despite just signing his first NHL contract, Greene’s October 2003 birthday already makes him the oldest of the bunch. As for captain Nick Foligno, who’s played center for much of the year and is currently anchoring Chicago’s third line, he could shift to a fourth-line role in the final season of his contract next year or slide back over to the wing. There’s also 2023 first-rounder Oliver Moore as an option down the middle, but he’s taken frequent reps on the wing since making his NHL debut late last month.
Greene will remain bound by his entry-level contract through the 2026-27 season. He’ll be a restricted free agent the following summer, the same year Chicago will need to negotiate extensions for fellow RFAs Moore, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Landon Slaggert.
Wild Sign Zeev Buium To Entry-Level Deal
April 13: Buium signed his three-year entry-level deal today and will join the team immediately, Minnesota confirmed. Per Michael Russo of The Athletic, his deal carries a $975K cap hit, including $97.5K in signing bonuses per season. There’s a $25K bonus in his deal if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy this season, allowing Minnesota to max out his Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses in the second and third years of the contract.
April 11: The Minnesota Wild are expected to sign star defense prospect Zeev Buium to his entry-level contract in the coming days. Wild general manager Bill Guerin appeared on Minnesota’s KFAN-1003 to share the news per Joe Smith of The Athletic. Buium later told Smith that he would join the Wild at their Monday practice, just ahead of their season finale on Tuesday. Minnesota has all but clinched the top Western Conference Wild Card – though they could theoretically lose their top spot should they lose their final three games, the Calgary Flames win each of their final four games, and the St. Louis Blues win at least one of their final two games.
The Wild will lean on Buium to help them through their final push towards the postseason. When discussing his ice time, Guerin remarked, “He’ll play. These kids are different, man. They’re ready for this stuff.”
It’s hard to question Guerin’s claim. Buium was far and away the star of the Denver lineup over his two seasons in school. He supported the school to a national championship in his freshman year while leading all collegiate defensemen in scoring with 50 points in 42 games. He also recorded a plus-33 – tied with his brother Shai Buium for fourth-highest in the league. With brother Shai and star partner Sean Behrens both signing in the AHL, Zeev was able to graduate to Denver’s No. 1 defender role this year. He repeated as the NCAA’s top-scoring defenseman with 48 points in 41 games and helped push Denver to the Frozen Four before their semi-final elimination at the hands of a double-overtime loss to Western Michigan University.
Buium was worth the price of admission with the Pioneers. He was constantly involved in play through all three zones and moved quickly up the ice with long strides. Buium earned control of the puck quickly and stayed on it with strong stickhandling. He drove Denver’s movement up the ice and had a special knack for creating time and space from off the offensive blue line. Buium beat opponents cleanly and repeatedly this season. With this news, he’ll get to test his fancy puck-handling and nose for the net against the top flight. His 1.18 points per game in college hockey are the third-highest from a defender through multiple seasons since 2000 – behind Lane Hutson (1.26) and Adam Fox (1.20).
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.
Sharks’ Nikolai Kovalenko Eyeing KHL Return
It’s looking unlikely that Sharks pending RFA winger Nikolai Kovalenko will sign a new contract with San Jose. The 25-year-old has been unhappy with his deployment after the Sharks acquired him from the Avalanche in December and is considering a return to the Kontinental Hockey League with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod next season, his father, ex-NHLer Andrei Kovalenko, told Russia Hockey.
“It was understandable when Nikolai played in the third line of Colorado in the first half of the season, after all, this club is a contender for the championship, the competition in the top lines is extremely high,” Kovalenko said (translated from Russian). “In San Jose, with all due respect, the situation is different. It is obvious that there are personal sympathies on the part of the coach – and there is no agreement with the management policy. Watch the Sharks’ games – and you will see who deserves what.”
“I know that Nikolai’s agent is in contact with Torpedo’s management, and various options are possible,” Kovalenko continued. Nizhny Novgorod still holds Kovalenko’s KHL signing rights after he left the club last year to report to the Avalanche.
A sixth-round pick by Colorado back in 2018, Kovalenko arrived in Denver last spring to much fanfare. He’d been one of the KHL’s top scorers over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, scoring 32-57–89 in 98 games with Torpedo after they acquired him from Ak Bars Kazan. He made his NHL debut for the Avs in the 2024 playoffs after a brief AHL stint and, unsurprisingly, made Colorado’s opening night roster.
But even amid a plethora of injuries for the Avs out of the gate, Kovalenko never commanded anything more than a third-line role. After averaging 12 minutes per game through his first 28 appearances, posting four goals and eight points, Colorado dealt him to San Jose in the trade that saw Mackenzie Blackwood head to Denver.
As the elder Kovalenko alluded to, Nikolai’s ice time has barely changed in San Jose. In and out of the lineup due to injury, he’s averaged 12:24 per game. Despite that, his offensive production has increased, totaling 3-9–12 through 26 games post-trade. He’s also seen increased usage in the past three games, averaging north of 15 minutes per night during that stretch, and has a three-game point streak as a result.
He’s shown the ability to be a dependable top-nine presence with even some upward second-line mobility, boasting acceptable possession impacts while playing a physical game. He’s recorded 24 blocks and 79 hits in 54 total appearances and would be on pace for 30 points over an 82-game schedule. Nonetheless, he believes he’s capable of more and won’t achieve that development with the Sharks.
Even if Kovalenko opts to return to Russia, the Sharks can retain his signing rights until 2027 by giving him a qualifying offer. If he desires an NHL return before then, he’ll either need to sign with San Jose or get them to trade his rights for an asset.