Golden Knights Sign Trent Swick To Entry-Level Contract
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 2024 sixth-round pick Trent Swick to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is set to begin in the 2025-26 season. Swick is currently with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, where he’s scored 57 points in 55 games this season – second-most on the team.
Swick is a towering six-foot-six, 210-pound winger who skates smoothly, doesn’t take penalties, and gets back on defense. Those points are evidenced by his measly 38 penalty minutes and a strong plus-seven this year. His size limits what roles Swick can play in the offensive end, but he fills what’s asked of him well – holding space in the slot and using a long reach to disrupt opponents.
Swick had a breakout year last season. With the eyes of NHL scouts watching close, he jumped from 18 points in 33 games in 2022-23 to 62 points in 63 games last year. He found his niche as a passing catalyst for Kitchener’s smaller and more dynamic scorers. But Swick was distinctly helped along by an improved ability to hang onto the puck and work his way into space. He improved his play through traffic on and off of the puck, and continues to improve his scoring pace this year as a result.
With sixth-round acclaim and juniors scoring that, while strong, doesn’t jump off the page – it’s not likely that Swick will make an impact on the NHL roster in the short term. He’ll instead likely be forced to decided between the AHL and college hockey next season, with recent agreements between the CHL and NCAA opening the door for the soon-to-be 21-year-old to take either path. Should he turn pro, Swick’s body control in his lofty frame could earn Vegas’ attention very quickly. The New York Rangers have notably found their own successes leaning into their oversized forwards, with Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe each carving niche roles in the Rangers bottom-six.
Panthers Acquire Seth Jones From Blackhawks
The Florida Panthers have acquired defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The full trade sends Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Panthers for goaltender Spencer Knight and a 2026 first-round pick, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The first-round pick will become a 2027 pick if Florida decides to trade their 2026 pick in another deal, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Additionally, Chicago is retaining 26.3% of Jones’ hefty $9.5MM cap hit, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
The Blackhawks have made the deal official.
This marks the first blockbuster deal of true Trade Deadline season. Jones has been vocal about his desire for a move in the weeks leading up to the deadline, though he never requested a formal trade. Nonetheless, Chicago will find a great match in the contending Florida Panthers. It’s not the landing spot many expected, after Jones shared publicly that he’d welcome a return to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he previously spent six years.
Jones’ $9.5MM cap hit has stood as the barrier to any moves over the last few seasons. His presence, even at a reduced $7.0MM cap hit, will cash-strap the Panthers for the rest of the season. They now have only $629K in available deadline cap space, per PuckPedia.
Jones will be worth the investment, though. He’s been the clear-cut number-one defender in front of a rebuilding Chicago for the last four seasons. Jones
confidently led all Blackhawks defenders in scoring this season, with seven goals and 27 points in 42 games. It’s his highest scoring pace since the 2021-22 campaign – his first year in Chicago – when he scored 51 points in 78 games. His totals dwindled in the ensuing two seasons, with Jones netting 37 points in 2022-23 and 31 points last year. But while his scoring captures plenty of attention, Jones’ defensive play has stood as a glaring weakness. He has a minus-18 this season – slightly worse than the minus-15 he posted last year but far improved from a minus-37 and minus-38 in his first two years as a Blackhawk. While serving as the ice time leader on a perennial bottom-team will certainly drive those numbers down, Chicago has found their best success when Jones is flanked by a defensive specialist like Alex Vlasic.
If any team can afford Jones’ all-offense, no-defense style – it’s the Florida Panthers. They ceded top-pair defender Brandon Montour to the Seattle Kraken in this year’s free agent market. That left Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling standing alone on a defense that won last year’s Stanley Cup on the back of a tremendously deep blue-line. Jones could be the piece that spurs that weakness. Montour recorded a dazzling 73 points in 80 games with the 2022-23 Panthers, in a role that allowed him to drive the puck down the ice with little worry. Long-distance control and playmaking are Jones’ speciality, and what supported him to a career-high 57 points next to Zach Werenski on the 2017-18 Blue Jackets.
Chicago will find just as sweet of a match with their new additions. Knight was a premier youth hockey prospect and earned a first-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft after two strong years with the U.S. National Team’s Development Program. He broke into the NHL two years later and quickly flashed as someone who could eventually challenge Sergei Bobrovsky‘s starting role. Knight recorded a .909 save percentage and 23-9-3 record across his first 36 NHL games, and first two pro seasons.
But his play took a hard hit in the 2022-23 campaign, and Knight made the decision to enter the NHL Player’s Assistance Program in February of that year.
The decision ended his season early, and the Panthers opted to deploy Knight as their AHL starter in the ensuing 2023-24 campaign. He took to the role phenomenally, recording a 25-14-5 record and .905 Sv% in 45 games with the Charlotte Checkers. That was enough to earn Knight a jump back to the NHL backup role this year, where he’s continued to perform well – with a .907 Sv% and 12-8-1 record on the year.
Knight has had an up-and-down journey through the NHL – but he’s never played poorly for more than a short stretch. In fact, he hasn’t at any point in his hockey career recorded a save percentage below .900 across a full season. In his pro career, Knight has a .906 in 80 NHL games and a .905 in 58 AHL games.
Those numbers are beyond serviceable, and the former 13th-overall draft pick will now get a chance to show he can sustain them in a starter’s role. The Blackhawks’ crease is wide open with veteran Petr Mrazek struggling to stay above water this season. Mrazek has posted a .890 Sv% and 10-19-2 record – his worst numbers since he played 18 games with the Maple Leafs in the 2021-22 season. Mrazek’s slow play has landed him in the midst of trade rumors.
Those rumors won’t be helped along by the acquisition of a new top goaltender, though the Blackhawks could afford to ease Knight into what is sure to be a bombarded role. Mrazek recorded the most losses (31) and sixth-most shots against (1,724) last season. Since Mrazek joined the Blackhawks in 2022, only one goalie with more than 100 games played has faced more shots against-per-60 – Anaheim’s John Gibson, who has faced two more shots-per-60 than Mrazek.
That’s the setup of an incredibly difficult role – one that will be hard to turn over to the technically unproven Knight. The Blackhawks find themselves dead-last in the Central Division with March rolling around. With the season already lost, and surely more deadline moves awaiting them, the Hawks could dedicate the remainder of the year towards feeling out a new look to their roster of the future. If all goes well, former top pick Knight will lead the crop in net.
Meanwhile, Florida will have to find a new man to back up Bobrovsky’s heavy utilization. Longtime NHL backup Chris Driedger has served as the most-used netminder for the AHL’s Checkers, though he’s split time with career minor leaguer Ken Appleby. Appleby has posted the better stat line of the two – with an 11-7-1 record and .908 SV% to Driedger’s 10-6-4 record and .878 SV%. They’ve played 19 and 20 games respectively. But both veterans have been outdone by second-year pro Cooper Black, who has a dazzling .921 SV% and 7-2-1 record in 10 appearances this year. The strong AHL performances are a bit of a surprise, given Black started the year with a 4-3-0 record and .886 SV% in seven ECHL games. Nonetheless, he could be the sneaky pick to earn an NHL look should Florida want to find ways to lean into their young options, rather than turning towards their pair of perennial backups.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Pacific Notes: Flames, Thrun, Gibson
The Calgary Flames have defined the last two Trade Deadlines by selling a suite of impactful veterans, but they’re set up to take much more of a back seat this year. General manager Craig Conroy told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that their focus continues to be adding young players to round out their existing core – not to bring in any major additions. Conroy went on to add that the Flames would be interested in adding a left-shot defender, but that any deal would need to make sense for the club.
Calgary won’t have a ton of trade chips to move at the deadline, with veterans Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar all on the untouchables list. Conroy told Francis that their lack of assets has limited the calls the Flames are receiving – but that the market is also quieter than in years past. He went on to praise the efforts of players like Joel Hanley, Ilya Solovyov, and Jake Bean – who would stand in direct competition of any defenders acquired via trade.
The expressed interest could connect Calgary to a scant defender market at the deadline. Vancouver’s Carson Soucy, San Jose’s Mario Ferraro, and Pittsburgh’s Matt Grzelcyk headline a market full of middling left-defenders. The market price has already been set, after New York Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren was traded to the Colorado Avalanche alongside Jimmy Vesey in exchange for Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan, and two draft picks.
Other notes from out West:
- Speaking of left-defense, the San Jose Sharks will be without youngster Henry Thrun in Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Thrun has one goal and 10 points in 51 games this season – one fewer than he scored in just as many games last year. The former Harvard Crimson captain is still very early in his career, but has improved his standing in San Jose’s lineup seemingly every night. He played a career-high 24 minutes in San Jose’s Monday loss to the Winnipeg Jets, and averaged 17 minutes per night on the year. San Jose will turn Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jack Thompson – who have been exchanging minutes of their own – to fill in for Thrun’s absence.
- Netminder John Gibson will draw back in for the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. Gibson has missed Anaheim’s last three games after sustaining an upper-body injury on February 22nd. The Ducks recalled Oscar Dansk to serve as the backup behind Lukas Dostal in Gibson’s absence. Dansk has posted an .886 save percentage and 10-10-3 record in 27 AHL games this season. He’s been reassigned to the minor leagues per Mathieu Sheridan of The Hockey News. Meanwhile Gibson will return to platooning in the starter’s role, looking to build on his .916 save percentage and 9-9-2 record amid a resurging season.
Wild Recall David Jiricek, Reassign Two
The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman David Jiricek and reassigned forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Liam Ohgren. The moves clear space for winger Gustav Nyquist, who Minnesota acquired from the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick on Saturday morning.
Jiricek’s recall comes after news that both Zach Bogosian and Jonas Brodin are banged up. Bogosian sat out of Minnesota’s Friday game with a lower-body injury, per NHL.com’s Joe Smith. Brodin played just 15:47 of the outing, and his availability remains up in the air per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Jiricek will be the beneficiary of any open minutes, after he recorded his first point in seven AHL games on Friday. He’s struggled to find a consistent rut in the Wild organization, with two points in six NHL games and six points in 26 AHL games. The Wild acquired Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 30th, sending Daemon Hunt and three draft picks the other way. Jiricek is in his third season in North America, and his cold scoring has dragged through every year. He has 66 points in 114 career AHL games, and 13 points in 59 NHL games.
The Wild’s swap of forwards in this mix might not sway their scoring a ton. Ohgren and Khusnutdinov have combined for just four points across their last 10 games. Ohgren has often served as Minnesota’s extra forward, with just four points in 23 games this season. Khusnutdinov has served a hardier role as the fourth-line center, but has just seven points in 57 games. Nyquist has confidently outscored both youngster in his time with Nashville – netting 21 points in 57 games – but he’s managed just one assist in his last 10 NHL games.
Nyquist had a stint with the Wild during the 2022-23 season as well. He scored five points in three games on that stint, but an upper-body injury kept him from stepping into the lineup more before hitting unrestricted free agency. With these moves, Minnesota has carved out the lineup spot needed to give Nyquist a truer look this time around.
Rangers To Place Chris Kreider On IR, Recall Brett Berard
The New York Rangers have recalled rookie winger Brett Berard from the minor leagues. They’re also expected to place winger Chris Kreider on injured reserve in a corresponding move per Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. Kreider has missed New York’s last three games with an upper-body injury. He was a late scratch for each absence and doesn’t yet have a clear timeline to return. The Rangers can make Kreider’s IR placement retroactive to his last game on February 22nd. That will make him eligible to be activated as soon as he’s back to full health.
Berard spent six weeks on the NHL roster between November and January. He stepped into the first 19 games of his NHL career on that stint and recorded seven points, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-nine. The Rangers returned Berard to the minors in mid-January, and he’s shown the top-flight stint kicked his game into a new gear. He has 10 points, 25 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in 14 AHL games since returning to the minors.
Berard will join fellow rookie Brennan Othmann on the NHL roster. Othmann filled in Kreider’s vacancy over the last two games, with no scoring and just 18 minutes of combined ice time. Berard will give the Rangers a hotter hand to try and make up for Kreider’s lineup hole. They could also turn towards new addition Juuso Parssinen to fill a left-wing role, after acquiring him as part of a swap that sent Jimmy Vesey and Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche. Parssinen has 11 points in 37 games this season – split between time in Nashville and Colorado. The Rangers have two wing vacancies to fill.
Kreider has turned his season around in February, recording four points in six NHL games and one goal in two games at the 4-Nations Face-Off. He’s up to 17 goals and 21 points in 48 games this season. That’s enough to tie for second on the Rangers in goals scored, leaving a glaring hole in New York’s hot-and-cold offense. Their pair of rookies, and new acquisition, will have a golden opportunity to step up in Kreider’s absence. A hot performance could go a long way towards earning routine minutes with the Rangers now down Vesey.
Metropolitan Notes: Provorov, Devils, Michkov, Capitals
While there’s believed to be mutual interest in a contract extension between the Blue Jackets and pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov, there hasn’t been much traction in discussions, reports Pierre LeBrun in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link). He adds that Columbus and Provorov’s camp exchanged offers back in January but they were not close to an agreement while it’s believed that they haven’t circled back on talks since then. Provorov was widely viewed as a prominent trade candidate heading into the season but with the Blue Jackets continuing to be in the mix for a playoff spot, it would be risky for them to move him now, even though they’d be running the risk of losing him for nothing this summer in free agency. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides at least have a follow-up discussion about a possible new deal in the days leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Devils have been known to be looking for centers for most of the season, Gabriel Trevino of NJ Advance Media relays that they’re also looking to add scoring help although a move is unlikely to come until right before the deadline. He adds that New Jersey is in a spot where they’re open to accepting rentals or longer-term fits. However, while the latter would cost more to acquire, defenseman Simon Nemec is not someone the team intends to move despite the fact he has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, something he hasn’t been happy They’re projected to have less than $1.7MM in cap room available on deadline day, per PuckPedia, so they’ll need to get creative if they’re going to add an impact player to their roster.
- The NHL announced that Flyers winger Matvei Michkov has been named Rookie of the Month for February. He’s the first rookie this season to get the nod twice after also winning in October. Michkov had ten points in seven games last month while he’s the rookie leader in goals (19) league-wide while being tied for the lead in points with 44.
- The Capitals are looking to add depth both up front and on the back end before Friday’s trade deadline, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). With Washington leading the way in the Eastern Conference, it’s understandable that their preference would be to avoid doing anything to shake up the core of their group. They have $3.65MM remaining in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia, meaning that if they want to make a couple of additions while still leaving room for injury replacements, they’re going to be primarily looking at low-cost pickups.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Current Cap Hit: $86,676,870 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Conor Geekie (three years, $886.7K)
D Emil Lilleberg (one year, $870K)
Potential Bonuses
Geekie: $525K
Lilleberg: $80K
Total: $605K
Geekie was a key pickup in the Mikhail Sergachev trade back at the draft. He spent the first half of the season with the big club but was sent down after struggling. That makes it unlikely that he reaches his ‘A’ bonuses while at this point, a low-cost second contract seems likely unless he can establish himself as a core piece over the next two years.
Lilleberg has already signed an extension so we’ll cover that later on. For here, it’s worth noting that his bonuses are tied to games played so he’ll hit most if not all of his number.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Cam Atkinson ($900K, UFA)
F Michael Eyssimont ($800K, UFA)
F Luke Glendening ($800K, UFA)
F Gage Goncalves ($775K, RFA)
G Jonas Johansson ($775K, UFA)
D Nicklaus Perbix ($1.125MM, UFA)
After being bought out by Philadelphia, Atkinson was a low-cost flyer to see if he could provide Tampa Bay with some depth scoring. That hasn’t happened and at this point, it’d be surprising to see him land a guaranteed contract this summer. If so – or if he earns one off a PTO – it’s likely to be for the minimum. Glendening has been as advertised – a reliable faceoff player who can kill penalties but brings little offense to the table. There’s still a role for him beyond this year but it’s likely to be at or near the minimum of $775K once again.
Eyssimont had a breakout effort last season, notching 25 points despite playing primarily in their bottom six (often the fourth line). He hasn’t been able to produce at a similar rate this year which will hurt him a bit on the open market. Even so, as a fourth liner who can play with some jam and bring potentially a little offensive upside, he could jump closer to the $1.3MM range on his next contract. Goncalves has cleared waivers twice already but has spent more time with the Lightning than the Crunch so far. He has arbitration rights which could give the Lightning pause if they think a hearing could push him past the $1MM mark or so but he’s a candidate to take less than his qualifying offer of around $813K for a higher AHL salary or even a one-way NHL salary.
Perbix is the most notable of Tampa Bay’s pending free agents. While he has largely had a limited role this season, he had 24 points last year while logging a little over 17 minutes a night. Considering he’s still young (he’ll be 27 in June), big (6’4), and a right-shot player, his market could grow quickly from teams looking for a depth addition with a little upside, meaning that more than doubling this price could be doable.
Johansson remains a below-average NHL netminder but that’s something the Lightning knew when they signed him in 2023. The goal for them was getting someone at the minimum salary. Johansson’s staying power could give him a shot at a few more dollars but he’ll remain in the six-figure range.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Mitchell Chaffee ($800K, UFA)
D Ryan McDonagh ($6.75MM, UFA)
D J.J. Moser ($3.375MM, RFA)
D Darren Raddysh ($975K, UFA)
F Conor Sheary ($2MM, UFA)
Sheary received this deal coming off two strong years with Washington but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well with the Lightning. He scored just four goals last season and has spent most of this year in the minors, carrying a pro-rated $850K charge while down there. He’s a buyout candidate this summer although they could elect to hold onto him and take the $850K charge again next year instead of putting some money onto the 2026-27 books. Chaffee has established himself as a regular on the fourth line and is in a similar situation as Eyssimont was a year ago. Assuming that keeps up, he could push to land a $500K raise or so in 2026.
McDonagh’s contract was once deemed too expensive for Tampa Bay which resulted in them moving him to Nashville in 2022 for a very minimal return. Two years later, they gave up more value to reacquire the final two seasons of the agreement which is something you don’t see too often. But it reflects the need they had to bring in a veteran dependable defender which is what McDonagh is at this point of his career. He’s not a true top-pairing piece at this stage of his career nor is he enough of an offensive threat to provide value relative to his price tag. But if he can still hold down at least a top-four spot by the end of next season, he could still land a contract in the $4MM to $5MM range, perhaps a one-year deal which would allow for some incentives.
Moser was another piece of note in the Sergachev trade after being one of the more underrated blueliners with Arizona. The structure of the bridge deal gives him a $4.075MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights and assuming he’s still a full-timer in Tampa’s top four, he seems like a strong candidate to push past the $5MM mark on his next contract. Raddysh has become a capable producer of secondary scoring from the back end although he gives some of that back with his defensive play. Those players don’t always have the best markets year-to-year but barring a big drop in performance or playing time, he should be able to double this at a minimum in 2026.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Zemgus Girgensons ($850K, UFA)
F Nikita Kucherov ($9.5MM, UFA)
D Emil Lilleberg ($800K in 2025-26 and 2026-27, RFA)
Kucherov continues to be one of the top point-producing forwards in the NHL. He’s around $2MM below the highest-paid winger (Artemi Panarin) but that’s about to change with this upcoming UFA crop which will only widen that gap and give Tampa Bay even better value in the short term. Assuming he doesn’t slow down over the next three years, he could be someone conceivably pushing for a deal in the $14MM range himself even at 34. Girgensons saw his production drop in the last couple of years with Buffalo but it has cratered even more this year. Still, he’s a capable penalty killer and can play with some grit. That for $100K above the minimum isn’t bad value.
Lilleberg’s new deal is actually a dip in pay off his entry-level pact but gives him guaranteed money via a one-way salary no matter what. Assuming he remains a regular with the Lightning during that time, his arbitration eligibility could put him in line to double (or even triple) that price tag on his next contract.
Jets Activate Morgan Barron Off Injured Reserve
The Jets will welcome back a forward for their game tonight against Philadelphia. In their announcement of the projected lines for the contest (Twitter link), the team noted that Morgan Barron is expected to play, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan was reassigned to AHL Manitoba, per the AHL’s media site.
Barron has missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury sustained in late January. However, with the long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, he’ll wind up missing just eight games due to the issue. The 26-year-old has five goals and three assists in 52 contests this season while chipping in with 85 hits in 10:27 of playing time per night. Barron also takes a regular turn in the penalty kill rotation for Winnipeg so his return should also help on that front. He’s expected to suit up on the fourth line alongside Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo.
As for Anderson-Dolan, his recall was relatively short-lived after being up on Wednesday, his first recall of the season. The 25-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal signed last summer but he has struggled considerably with AHL Manitoba, notching just 13 points in 38 games with the Moose. For comparison, he had 47 points in 54 minor league contests in 2021-22, his last season as a regular in the minors. He’ll now have to wait at least a little longer to make his Jets debut.
Wild Acquire Gustav Nyquist From Predators
After being scratched earlier in the day for trade-related reasons, it felt like only a matter of time before the Predators traded winger Gustav Nyquist. That move has now happened as they have dealt him to the Wild in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. Both sides have announced the swap. As part of the move, Nashville is retaining half of his $3.185MM cap hit. To make room on the roster, Minnesota has assigned Liam Ohgren to AHL Iowa, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).
It’s the second time that Minnesota has acquired Nyquist in a move before the trade deadline after they picked him up from Columbus back in 2023 but at that time, the acquisition cost was only a fifth-round selection. Meanwhile, it’s actually the third time that the 35-year-old has been a near-deadline pickup as back in 2019, Detroit moved him to San Jose for a pair of draft choices.
Nyquist signed a two-year deal with the Preds back in 2023 on the heels of a solid playoff showing with Minnesota that saw him pick up five assists in six postseason appearances. Things couldn’t have gone much better for him last season as he wound up blowing past his previous career highs in assists and points, tallying 52 and 75 respectively in 81 games. He followed that up with four points in their first-round exit to Vancouver in the playoffs.
With his 2023-24 performance and Nashville’s big spending spree over the summer, expectations were high for Nyquist heading into this season. However, as has been the case for a lot of the Predators’ players, he has underachieved. Through 57 games this season, he has just nine goals and 12 assists despite still logging 17:39 per game of ice time.
Minnesota finds itself in the bottom half of the league offensively with key injuries to players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek playing a part in that. Nyquist should have an opportunity to jump into a middle-six role and at least deepen the lineup while ideally being able to provide them with a boost in their secondary scoring. They’re paying a fairly high cost to get Nyquist at half price so they clearly expect that the change of scenery will help get him going again.
With the move, Nashville has now used its three salary retention slots with the others being on Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen, whose grievance for his contract termination was held last week. If that termination is upheld by Friday, the Predators could get that third slot back but it seems unlikely a ruling will come that quickly. In the meantime, they now have eight picks in the first two rounds between the 2025 and 2026 drafts, positioning themselves well to add some young impactful talent to the cupboard relatively quickly.
Meanwhile, Minnesota now has roughly $6.6MM remaining in its LTIR pool, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). That’s with Kaprizov in LTIR and Eriksson Ek on regular injured reserve. Assuming both players return before the end of the season, the Wild will need to clear around $2.4MM in salary off their books to get back into cap compliance. Accordingly, unless they know one of their veterans won’t be back until the playoffs start, the Wild will be hard-pressed to make any other additions without clearing out some money either beforehand or as part of that trade.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Atlantic Notes: Knies, Evans, Pinto, Bernard-Docker
While the Maple Leafs have two prominent pending unrestricted free agents in Mitch Marner and John Tavares, they also have a notable pending restricted free agent in winger Matthew Knies. At times, it’s believed the two sides have talked about an extension but the 22-year-old told Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus that he expects a new deal will be worked out in the offseason. Knies has already passed his rookie-season totals in goals (22) and points (38) and has cemented himself as a fixture in Toronto’s top six. He’s the type of player they’d undoubtedly like to sign to a long-term contract but what happens with Marner and Tavares could ultimately dictate if they can afford to do that or if they’ll have to pursue a short-term bridge deal instead.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Maple Leafs are among the teams with strong interest in Canadiens center Jake Evans, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Evans is on pace for a career year offensively and has 11 goals and 26 assists through 59 games. He’s also the most-used forward shorthanded in the league while being a little above average at the faceoff dot and it’s his defensive play that will have teams interested in adding him over the coming days. With a $1.7MM cap charge, he’d be easier for Toronto to fit into their current cap structure compared to some of the more prominent but pricier middlemen potentially available.
- Senators center Shane Pinto told reporters including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that he will return to the lineup tonight against San Jose. He had missed the last four weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has had a bit of an up-and-down season but has still managed to put up 11 goals and 11 assists through 46 games, numbers that are a bit off last year’s pace when he had 27 points in 41 contests.
- Still with the Senators, Garrioch reported earlier this week that the team has made defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker available and they are hoping to add a prospect in return. The 24-year-old has been limited to only 25 games this season between injuries and being scratched while he’s logging just over 13 minutes a night. He’s waiver-eligible and it seems unlikely he’d pass through unclaimed so Ottawa’s intention appears to be to try to flip Bernard-Docker for some sort of tangible value beyond clearing up $805K in cap room. Garrioch suggests that the Predators might be one of the teams interested in the blueliner’s services.