Sharks Recall Thomas Bordeleau
This hasn’t been the type of season that Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau had hoped for. Instead of landing a full-time spot in San Jose, he has played exclusively with the AHL’s Barracuda thus far. However, it appears as if he’ll gets at least one chance with the big club as the team announced (Twitter link) that Bordeleau has been recalled.
The 23-year-old played in 27 games with the Sharks last season, notching six goals and five assists in a little over 15 minutes a night, appearing to give himself a realistic shot at securing a regular role in the lineup. He accepted his qualifying offer in late July but after spending the first two weeks of the season on injured reserve, Bordeleau was sent down and until today, hadn’t been recalled.
Bordeleau has had a decent season with the Barracuda. Through 59 games, he has 14 goals and 24 assists, putting him three points shy of his personal best set back in 2021-22, his first full professional campaign. However, his assist total is a new career-high. He’ll once again be a restricted free agent this summer and should sign for close to his new qualifying offer of $917.8K.
Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News notes (Twitter link) that the Sharks have already used their four post-deadline regular recalls, meaning that this is an emergency recall. It’s unclear which forward’s availability for Sunday’s game against Calgary is in question at this time but head coach David Warsofsky noted earlier this week that Alexander Wennberg has been playing through an injury for a while now.
Panthers Sign Jack Devine
After an impressive college career, Jack Devine is turning pro. The Panthers announced that they have signed the winger to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. GM Bill Zito released the following statement:
Jack is an agile skater with high-end offensive talent who has excelled throughout his collegiate hockey career over the past four seasons with the University of Denver. We are thrilled for Jack to join the Florida Panthers organization.
The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick in 2022, going 221st overall after playing his freshman season at the University of Denver that saw him record 19 points in 31 games. It’s fair to say that he has significantly outperformed that selection already.
After upping his point total to 31 in his sophomore year, Devine found another gear offensively last season. In 44 games for the Pioneers, he notched 27 goals and 29 assists, leading Denver and all of Division I in scoring while helping lead Denver to the NCAA title. This season, he showed that the uptick wasn’t a one-off as he collected 13 goals and 44 helpers in 44 games, once again leading all of Division I in points. Overall, his four-year college career ends with him averaging just over a point per game with 163 points in 162 games.
While Devine won’t be able to play for Florida down the stretch, he will be able to make his professional debut. While not announced by the team, he has signed with Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte, per the AHL’s transactions log. The Checkers have already locked up a playoff spot so it might not take long for Devine to see game action with them. A good showing with them could help Devine get on the NHL radar for next season with the Panthers likely needing some low-cost forwards to round out their roster, especially if they re-sign or replace pending UFAs Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad.
Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo And Ty Mueller
The Canucks have brought up a pair of players for their game tonight against Minnesota, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Nikita Tolopilo and forward Ty Mueller from AHL Abbotsford on an emergency basis.
It’s the third recall in the last two months for Tolopilo, who has still not made his NHL debut. The 25-year-old has played in 34 games with Abbotsford this season, putting up a 2.68 GAA and a .901 SV%, numbers that are pretty close to his first year in North America last season (2.83 and .905, respectively). He’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. Sportsnet 960’s Brendan Batchelor adds (Twitter link) that Thatcher Demko didn’t take part in the morning skate, suggesting that Tolopilo’s recall is to cover Demko’s spot on the roster.
As for Mueller, it’s his first career NHL recall. The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Canucks in 2023 and signed one year later. This is Mueller’s first professional season and he has fared reasonably well, sitting fourth on Abbotsford in scoring with 12 goals and 26 assists in 62 games. Batchelor adds (Twitter link) that Max Sasson is not taking part in the morning skate so it appears Mueller – who lined up on the second line at the skate – is up to take Sasson’s place.
With both moves qualifying as emergency recalls, they won’t count toward Vancouver’s post-deadline regular recall limit.
Oilers Recall Derek Ryan On An Emergency Basis
With Edmonton’s long list of injuries continuing to grow, the Oilers have brought back a familiar forward. The team announced that they’ve recalled center Derek Ryan from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis. Additionally, blueliner Cam Dineen is back up as well; he was recalled on Thursday and papered back to the minors late Friday.
Ryan spent the first half of the season in Edmonton but struggled to produce in limited minutes, notching just one goal and four assists in his first 33 outings. That resulted in the 38-year-old being placed on waivers in January with the Oilers opting to look at some other options for that roster spot. Eventually, they turned to the trade market to try to fill it but their most notable deadline acquisition up front, Trent Frederic, has only played once and is injured once again.
Aside from a two-game stint with the big club last month, Ryan has played with the Condors, his first taste of AHL action since the 2015-16 season when he returned to North America after playing in Sweden. Ryan has suited up in 13 games with Bakersfield so far, picking up three goals and five assists. His absence will certainly hurt the Condors, who remain in a close battle for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Dineen wasn’t needed last night with Mattias Ekholm returning to the lineup. However, with Ekholm being injured just a few shifts in and Jake Walman’s availability for Sunday still in question, Dineen will get to stay with the big club a little while longer.
Injury Notes: Golden Knights, Avalanche, Middleton
The Vegas Golden Knights were one of many teams to get a wave of positive injury updates on Friday. Neither star forward Jack Eichel nor top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo are expected to play on Saturday, but both are nearing a return, head coach Bruce Cassidy told Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Both players have missed Vegas’ last two games – Eichel with a day-to-day upper-body injury and Pietrangelo with illness. That same illness has also held winger Victor Olofsson and defender Nicolas Hague out of Vegas’ last two games. Cassidy shared that he had no updates on the latter two absentees, as they’re away from the rink with their sickness.
Getting Eichel back from injury will be a major addition as Vegas prepares for the postseason. He leads the squad in scoring this year with 27 goals and 93 points in 76 games – nearly 30 more points than Mark Stone‘s 67 points ranked second. This is Eichel’s first season playing more than 70 games since the 2018-19 season, when he recorded his previous career-high 82 points with the Buffalo Sabres. The year has been more a return to routine health than a true breakout, but either way, Eichel has smashed his career-mark and is set to rival 100 points for the first time in his career. He’ll likely fall just short, as Vegas has just two games left after Saturday’s matchup against Nashville.
Meanwhile, Pietrangelo leads a strong – but sick – supporting cast. He has 33 points in 70 games this season, third-most on the Vegas blue-line. Pietrangelo leads the Golden Knights lineup in average ice time per game with 22:24 – surprisingly the lowest ice time average he’s recorded since his rookie season in 2010-11. He’ll jump right back to a top-pair role when he returns, while Olofsson and Hague will find their way in Vegas’ middle lines. Olofsson has managed 14 goals and 27 points in 54 games this season – stout scoring for his first year with the club. Hague, meanwhile, once again ranks near the bottom of scoring among Golden Knights defenders, with just 11 points in 66 games so far.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- A pair of veteran members of the Avalanche took a step toward returning as Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette relays that winger Jonathan Drouin joined the team for practice yesterday in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) skated on his own. Drouin has been banged up all season but has been productive when healthy, collecting 37 points in 43 games, good for sixth on the team in scoring despite missing 37 contests. Manson, meanwhile, has been out for nearly a month now but has done well when playing, collecting 15 points in 48 games while averaging a little over 18 minutes per night of playing time.
- Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton missed his third straight game last night due to an upper-body injury. However, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that the blueliner is a possibility to return for tonight’s contest in Vancouver. Middleton has been a critical part of Minnesota’s back end this year, logging nearly 22 minutes per game of ice time while also chipping in with 20 points in 66 outings. The Wild are still trying to lock down a playoff spot and getting Middleton back would be a big boost to help them try to do just that.
PHR’s Brian La Rose also contributed to this post.
John Hayden And Cale Fleury Clear Waivers
Saturday: Unsurprisingly, both players have cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Friday: According to a team announcement, the Seattle Kraken have placed forward John Hayden and defenseman Cale Fleury on waivers. The team will reassign them both to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, should they go through waivers unclaimed.
Hayden is in his third season with the Kraken organization after signing as an unrestricted free agent before the 2022-23 NHL season. He’s primarily been an AHL talent in that stretch but has registered 19 games for the Kraken this season, scoring one goal and one assist while averaging 8:29 of ice time per game.
He’s been a valuable veteran presence with AHL Coachella Valley, helping the team secure back-to-back Calder Cup Final appearances. Throughout his tenure with the club, Hayden has scored 43 goals and 86 points in 155 AHL appearances, with another 10 goals and 15 points in 28 postseason contests.
Meanwhile, Fleury hits the waiver wire one day after he qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency. Fleury can sign with any organization this upcoming summer since he is older than 25 and has yet to reach 80 games played throughout his NHL career.
Still, he shouldn’t expect anything more than a two-way agreement. He’s tallied one assist in 14 games with Seattle this season while averaging 12:52 of ice time a night and has registered six goals and 24 points in 36 AHL appearances. Plenty of teams will want solid AHL options on hand should they need defensive depth throughout the regular season, meaning Fleury should feel safe in securing a new contract in a few months.
Ducks Sign Ian Moore
The Ducks have officially signed one of their defense prospects, announcing that they’ve inked defenseman Ian Moore to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins this season while financial terms were not disclosed.
The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Anaheim in 2020, going 67th overall after playing at St. Mark’s at the high school level. Moore then spent one season with USHL Chicago before beginning his college career at Harvard in 2021.
Moore spent four seasons with the Crimson with his best offensive showing coming in his sophomore year when he had 19 points in 34 games. This season, he came up a bit short of that point total, notching three goals and 11 helpers in 32 contests before turning pro last month on a tryout deal with AHL San Diego.
Moore has done well with the Gulls, collecting a goal and four assists in nine games which has helped him officially secure this contract. Speculatively, the concept of starting in the minors and then being converted to an NHL deal that begins this season was likely discussed last month when Moore first joined San Diego. While it’s not a common route for prospects, Anaheim did this with Sam Colangelo last season, starting him with the Gulls and then converting his deal late.
With the signing, Moore will now report to Anaheim for their final three games and will join the team today for practice. By burning a year early, he’ll become a restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason.
Blackhawks Sign Aidan Thompson
The Blackhawks have signed another one of their promising prospects. A couple of weeks after inking Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel, they announced that they’ve signed forward Aidan Thompson to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins next season and will carry a cap hit of $895K.
The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Chicago back in 2022, going 90th overall after an impressive showing with USHL Lincoln where he had 82 points in 57 games, putting him fourth in league scoring. Thompson then made the jump to the University of Denver for the 2022-23 campaign and did well in his freshman year, notching 32 points in as many games with them.
Things didn’t go as well for Thompson from an individual standpoint last year. While Denver won the NCAA title, his output dipped slightly to 11 goals and 19 assists in 44 games, raising some question marks heading into this season. Those were certainly answered and then some, however, as Thompson finished the year with 21 goals and 34 assists in 44 games, good for not just second on the Pioneers in scoring but second in Division I overall. That performance was clearly enough for Chicago to get him to put pen to paper on his first professional contract.
While Thompson’s deal doesn’t start until next season, he should have a chance to make his pro debut in the coming days as he has inked a tryout agreement with AHL Rockford. The IceHogs have five games left in their regular season and are getting close to clinching the final playoff spot in the Central Division so Thompson should be able to get into the lineup with them in the near future.
Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic
The Stars have added a bit of depth to their back end heading into tonight’s game versus Utah. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas.
It’s the fourth recall of the season for the 33-year-old although playing time on the first three was hard to come by. Petrovic has been limited to just three games this season in Dallas, being held off the scoresheet in a little over 35 minutes of action. Still, it’s the second straight season of him getting into an NHL game which is notable as prior to last year, Petrovic’s last action at the top level was back in 2018-19.
Petrovic has once again spent the bulk of the season in Texas and through 58 outings with them, he has five goals and 20 assists. Texas has been Petrovic’s professional home for the last four years and likely will be his home again next season as he has one season left on his two-year, two-way contract signed last summer.
Team radio analyst Bruce LeVine relays (Twitter link) that several players are questionable for tonight’s game due to illness so it appears as if Petrovic is up as insurance if some of the defensemen can’t go. In that case, he’ll qualify as an emergency recall and not count against their post-deadline limit of four.
Latest On Edmonton Oilers Injuries
Teams around the NHL received long lists of injury updates headed into the weekend. None were more important than for the Edmonton Oilers, who learned that Leon Draisaitl will return before the end of the regular season, head coach Kris Knoblauch told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic before Friday’s win over San Jose. Draisaitl has missed Edmonton’s last four games with an undisclosed injury. Knoblauch also shared that goaltender Stuart Skinner will return to start two of the team’s last four games, that defenseman Mattias Ekholm is back to full health, and forward Trent Frederic might not be ready for the first game of the postseason. Nugent-Bowman also shared that defenseman Jake Walman would continue to sit out on Friday, but is expected to return in one of the team’s back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday.
Both Ekholm and Skinner rejoined the lineup on Friday night after missing Edmonton’s last seven games. Ekholm’s injury wasn’t disclosed but Skinner had sustained a head injury on a collision with Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen in late March. Skinner served as the backup in his return, but Ekholm wasn’t as lucky. He stumbled a few times in his first few shifts and eventually left the game after just two minutes of total ice time. Winger Zach Hyman also left the game early, after just seven minutes of ice time. It wasn’t entirely clear where either Oilers skater was hurt. Knoblauch told Nugent-Bowman after the game that both Ekholm and Hyman will be questionable for game one of the playoffs.
No injury updates were provided about center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has missed the last two games with illness, or defenseman John Klingberg, who has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury. Knoblauch did add that forward Evander Kane, who hasn’t played this season due to multiple surgeries, still does not have a clear timeline.
The wave of injury updates come at the right time for the Oilers. They have three games remaining in their season and a cushy role as the third-ranked Pacific Division squad all-but-locked up. The Oilers appear to be headed for a feud with the Los Angeles Kings in round one, and will need their offensive firepower to get over the defense that’s allowed the second-fewest goals in the Western Conference.
Draisaitl’s addition will go a long way towards achieving that goal. He’s among the top favorites for the Hart Trophy this season, after amassing 52 goals and 106 points in just 71 games. His scoring average puts him on pace for 122 points in 82 games – just shy of the career-high 128 points he recorded in the 2022-23 season. Draisaitl has performed at a superstar level once again this season, and getting a chance to return before the postseason kicks off should help him get back up to star speed before Edmonton’s must-win games.
Draisaitl will help pull the Oilers offense forward while Walman looks to assume a major role on defense. Ekholm leaves a top-pair role and over 22 minutes of ice time each game up for grabs, and Walman will be the primary beneficiary when he’s ready to return. The Trade Deadline acquisition has posted a fantastic eight points, six penalty minutes, and plus-five in 15 games with the Oilers, while averaging more than 21 minutes a game. He’s become an adequate support for top left-defender Darnell Nurse, and together the two will look to split Edmonton’s top role on the left-side. Ekholm will join the duo when he’s back to full health, giving the Oilers one of their deepest blue-lines headed into the postseason in recent memory.
That boost will help make up for blows to Edmonton’s complimentary cast. Hyman has continued to stand as a top scorer on the lineup with 27 goals – second-most on the team – and 44 points in 73 games this season. He’s once again dominating the net-front, a role that Edmonton has struggled to fill in his absence. That role could be managed by Trade Deadline buy Trent Frederic, though he’s only been healthy for one game since Edmonton sent a second-round and fourth-round draft pick to Boston for the centerman. His return will likely line up closely with Hyman’s, effectively defaulting Frederic to a role in Edmonton’s bottom-six – where he’ll look to carve out a role on the back of his size, 15 points in 58 games, and underperforming 10.3 shooting percentage this season.
Edmonton’s skaters will collectively look to bolster the product in front of starting goaltender Stuart Skinner, who has again struggled with consistency this season. Skinner has two shutouts on the year, but a .894 save percentage and 24-18-4 record through 48 starts. He’s been ever-so-slightly outperformed by backup Calvin Pickard in his absence, though Pickard’s 22-9-1 record and .902 save percentage don’t jump off the page either. Goaltending has been Edmonton’s achilles heel in past postseasons, and how Skinner is able to return from injury could go a long way towards shaping their playoff hopes. The Oilers will be looking to run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in due time, after they lost in game seven of the Finals to the Florida Panthers last season.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.