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Kraken Sign Carson Rehkopf, Assign David Goyette To AHL

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While Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf is certainly disappointed that his OHL playoffs came to an end, there was some good news for him.  The Kraken announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will carry an AAV of $950K; CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:

2024-25: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K ’B’ performance bonuses
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus

The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by Seattle back in 2023, going 50th overall.  Early indications are that the Kraken got good value with that selection.  Rehkopf finished second in the OHL in goals this season, posting 52 in just 60 games with Kitchener while chipping in with 43 assists.  He also was productive in the playoffs, notching six goals and five helpers in 10 contests before being swept in the second round by London.

As a result of his elimination in junior, the Kraken can assign Rehkopf to AHL Coachella Valley if they so desire to keep him skating during the Firebirds’ postseason.  However, that will not be an option for him for the start of the 2024-25 campaign; he’ll either have to stick with Seattle or return to junior.  If the latter happens and he plays in fewer than 10 NHL games, his contract will slide and not start until 2025-26.

While they finalize their plans for Rehkopf, they have elected to send another OHL prospect to the Firebirds.  CapFriendly reported on Saturday (Twitter link) that the Kraken re-assigned forward David Goyette to Coachella Valley.  The 20-year-old center led the OHL in points this season, tallying 40 goals and 77 assists with Sudbury before adding five goals and five assists in ten playoff contests prior to their elimination at the hands of North Bay in the second round.  It’s the second straight year that Goyette has been loaned after the OHL postseason so he’ll get a chance to get some more experience before playing at that level full-time next season.

Evander Kane Diagnosed With Sports Hernia

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Oilers winger Evander Kane’s up-and-down regular season ended on a low note, missing the final three games with an undisclosed injury. Meeting with reporters ahead of tomorrow’s Game 1 against the Kings, he told reporters he was diagnosed with a sports hernia but will likely return to play (via Sportsnet’s Gene Principe).

Sports hernias don’t always require immediate surgery. In less severe cases, rest and cortisone injections may relieve pain and restore range of motion in the groin area, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s a playable injury for now, but surgery could be on the table for Kane this summer if it doesn’t fully heal with other treatments throughout the postseason.

Kane, 32, is in the second season of a four-year, $20.5MM contract. He hasn’t been as advertised, playing at a 50-point pace over the life of the deal after producing at a 60-point pace or better in each of the previous four seasons. This season was his healthiest as an Oiler, playing in 77 games, but his 44 points and poor relative possession numbers led to him averaging 16:47 per game, his lowest usage since his rookie season.

He’s seen his usage dwindle down the stretch, playing less than 10 minutes in a game against the Flames a few weeks back and being scratched against the Senators in late March. The Oilers’ secondary scoring has been buoyed by the emergence of Warren Foegele, who had a career-high 20 goals and 41 points with far superior possession metrics to Kane. He’ll likely slot in on Edmonton’s second line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ regardless of Kane’s availability. If he can go, it would presumably be in a third-line role with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry.

Kane is still a more offensively consistent player than other bottom-six options like youngster Dylan Holloway, who’s been limited to six goals and nine points in 38 games this year. If he can recapture even some of his form from the 2022 postseason when he had 13 goals and 17 points in only 15 games, he could be key in canceling out a balanced L.A. forward lineup.

East Notes: Nylander, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio

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The Maple Leafs have been tight-lipped about the status of star winger William Nylander, who was absent from yesterday’s Game 1 loss to the Bruins with an undisclosed injury. It appears he’s nearing a return, though. He practiced with the team at an optional skate this morning – his first time on the ice since the last game of the regular season against the Lightning last Wednesday reports Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN.

Nylander played all 82 regular-season games for the second straight season, matching last year’s career high in goals (40) and setting a new one in points (98). He cooled off somewhat in the second half of the season, but a torrid start that included a 17-game point streak helped the 27-year-old avoid unrestricted free agency with an eight-year, $92MM extension. The return of Calle Järnkrok from a hand injury helped negate his absence somewhat last night, but Nylander’s third wave of attack behind the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner/John Tavares-anchored lines may have helped reverse Toronto’s fortunes against a rock-solid Jeremy Swayman in net for Boston. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe likely won’t confirm Nylander’s status before Game 2 tomorrow until he is or isn’t on the ice for warmups.

Moving over to the American capital:

  • The Capitals remain without a pair of defenders in today’s Game 1 against the Rangers, as Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin are absent. Jensen sustained an undisclosed injury last weekend after a scary hit from Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont required him to be stretchered off the ice, but he’s since returned to practice in a non-contact jersey and should be an option for Washington at some point in their first-round series. Before missing the final two games of the regular season, the 33-year-old had a goal and 14 points in 78 games with a -9 rating while averaging 19:38 per game. Sandin, 24, has also yet to graduate from a non-contact designation in practice after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Senators on April 7. Including today’s postseason tilt, he’s now missed six games with the injury, his second-longest absence of the season. The young Swede is in his first full campaign with the Caps after they picked him up from Toronto before last year’s trade deadline. He had three goals, 23 points, and a -13 rating in 68 regular-season games with Washington while averaging 21:07 per game, second among Caps defenders.
  • Things didn’t get any better for Washington on the injury front today, as rookie defenseman Vincent Iorio is questionable to return to the contest with an upper-body injury, per the team. He took a heavy hit from Rangers winger Alexis Lafrenière on the play that ended with Artemi Panarin putting the Blueshirts up 2-0 in the second period. Iorio, 21, was a second-round pick of the Caps two years ago and was playing in his first postseason game. He’s played most of the season with AHL Hershey, logging only six NHL appearances and averaging just 9:50 per game. He has one NHL assist to his name, which game during a three-game call-up last season.

Kraken Reassign Ryker Evans

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The Kraken sent defenseman Ryker Evans to AHL Coachella Valley on Sunday, per a team announcement. With Seattle wrapping up their season last week, the rookie blue-liner returns to the minor leagues to suit up in playoff action with the Firebirds.

Evans, 22, was passed over when he was initially eligible for the NHL Draft in 2020, but his follow-up campaign with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats in 2020-21 made him a second-round pick by the Kraken the following offseason. The Calgary native has immediately cemented himself as the organization’s best up-and-coming defenseman, making a seamless transition to professional hockey after his major junior career wrapped up with Regina in 2022.

Last year on the farm with Coachella Valley, Evans immediately logged top-pairing minutes on one of the best teams in the AHL, taking home All-Rookie Team honors, an All-Star Game nod, and leading all minor-league rookies in assists with 38. His playoff run was exceptional, recording 26 points and a +13 rating in 26 games as the Firebirds lost to the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup Final.

After another strong start in the minors, Evans received his first NHL call-up in December. He ended up playing more for the Kraken this season than the Firebirds, making 36 NHL appearances compared to 25 AHL games. Coachella Valley has one contest left on their regular-season schedule, a tilt against San Diego in a few hours, that Evans may suit up in before playoff action gets underway later this week.

Evans was strong in his first NHL showing, consistently receiving top-four minutes down the stretch with top blue-liner Vince Dunn injured. He had a goal and nine points in 36 games, and despite his -5 rating, had strong possession metrics. Seattle controlled 54.05% of shot attempts with Evans on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, the most of any qualified Kraken defenseman this season. As a result, the left-shot defender has likely locked down a spot on the 2024-25 opening night roster.

Coachella Valley has clinched first place in the Pacific Division and the first-round bye that comes with it. Their playoff run will begin with a best-of-five division semifinals series against the lowest-seeded Pacific team to win their best-of-three First Round series. He’s got one season left on his entry-level contract, which carries an $897.5K cap hit.

Canucks Recall Arturs Silovs

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The Canucks have recalled netminder Arturs Silovs from AHL Abbotsford, per a team announcement. He’ll serve as the club’s emergency backup (EBUG) for tonight’s Game 1 of their first-round series against the Predators.

Unlike regular-season contests, there’s no designated amateur EBUG in the arena for postseason games. As such, teams are allowed to insert a third contracted netminder into the game if both their starter and backup leave with injuries, even if they were listed as a scratch on the roster report.

Silovs, 23, has spent most of the season on assignment to the minors. He’s had a strong campaign after backstopping Latvia to a bronze medal and being named the tournament’s best goaltender at the 2023 World Championship, recording a .907 SV%, 2.74 GAA and four shutouts in 34 games with Abbotsford.

The 2019 sixth-round pick saw some brief NHL action down the stretch with Thatcher Demko sidelined due to a lower-body injury. While he routinely backed up Casey DeSmith, who saw the majority of the starts in Demko’s absence, Silovs made four starts. His numbers weren’t impressive, logging a .881 SV% and 2.47 GAA, but those reflect some poor defensive efforts in front of him. He saved exactly as many goals as expected, per MoneyPuck, and Vancouver recorded a point in all four of his appearances (3-0-1).

Including five starts last season, Silovs has a .898 SV%, 2.62 GAA, and a 6-2-1 record in his brief NHL career. He won’t see any postseason action for the Canucks unless disaster strikes, but with DeSmith set to be a UFA this summer, Silovs will be in contention for a full-time backup job next season. He needs a new contract, too – his entry-level deal expires in a few months, and he’s set to be an RFA.

Snapshots: Pinto, Sergachev, Girard

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The Ottawa Senators are reportedly working on signing young forward Shane Pinto to a new deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts article. Friedman adds that negotiations have been a “grind”. That lines up with Pinto’s previous negotiations, with Pinto holding out on a new deal last summer, before being suspended for 41 games in late October for sports wagering. Pinto signed a one-year, league-minimum contract in January that carried him the duration of this season. He went on to tally nine goals and 27 points in 41 games – a big step down from his 20-goal season last year.

The Senators originally drafted Pinto with the 32nd-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft – then a second-round selection. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21, after two years at the University of North Dakota, and has since managed 70 points in 140 career NHL games. The 23-year-old centerman has proven capable of scoring, though he’s yet to find a consistent groove. He’s entering this off-season as a restricted free agent, meaning he’s likely due for a reunion with Ottawa, even if negotiations take some time.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has shared that Mikhail Sergachev will miss at least Round One, says Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Sergachev hasn’t played since breaking his leg on February 7th. It was a freak injury that occurred in Sergachev’s first game back from a separate lower-body injury that held him out for two months. He was limited to just 34 games last season, though he did manage a solid 19 points. Sergachev has remained a top defender for the Lightning, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time this season. The Bolts will hope he can return as soon as possible to patch up what is currently a weaker defense group.
  • Colorado Avalanche defender Samuel Girard has returned to full practice, wearing a regular jersey at the team’s Sunday morning skate per Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal (Twitter link). Girard has been battling a concussion that held him out of the team’s final two regular-season contests. They seem to have benefited from taking their time with the defender, who is now possible for Sunday’s Game One – though nothing has been confirmed. Girard has once again provided stout depth for Colorado, scoring 18 points in 59 games and averaging over 19 minutes of ice time.

Panthers Interested In Extending Dmitry Kulikov

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The Panthers hope to extend pending UFA defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest “32 Thoughts” column. Kulikov, a first-round pick of the Cats in 2009, signed a one-year, $1MM deal last summer to begin his second stint in South Florida after suiting up for six different clubs over the past four seasons.

The 33-year-old Russian had surgery last summer to address back problems that had plagued him since 2016-17. He played only 47 games that campaign, his first and only one as a member of the Sabres after they acquired him from the Panthers the previous offseason.

His results as a high-end depth shutdown option have been wildly up and down since. He’s had a few effective campaigns – namely, his 2021-22 season with the Wild when he put up 24 points in 80 games and a career-high +23 rating while averaging 18:12 per game with markedly positive possession quality numbers. But he followed that up with a stinker last year, albeit on a Ducks squad that was one of the worst defensive teams in recent memory. He failed to secure a full-time job with the Penguins after a deadline deal, though and didn’t post positive possession metrics in easy minutes when in the lineup.

That placed him on the open market this summer after completing the two-year, $4.5MM contract he signed with the Wild in free agency in 2021, which saw him dealt twice despite carrying modified trade protection. Florida picked him up on the cheap to help address their early-season depth issues, with Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour set to miss some time from offseason shoulder surgeries. Kulikov, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, has been one of the best signings of the bunch, beating out Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura and Mike Reilly for a spot in the lineup when everyone returned to full health.

He’s dressing in the Panthers’ Game 1 lineup today in a third-pairing role alongside Ekman-Larsson after skating in 76 regular-season games, only his second season with more than 70 appearances since 2016. Despite his lengthy injury history, an extension in Florida would put him in line to cross the 1,000 games plateau as a Panther next season – he sits at 948 entering the summer.

Kulikov was quite effective in his bottom-pairing role, posting a goal and 20 points with a +15 rating while averaging 16:31 per game. He finished third on the club in blocked shots (84) and fifth in hits (145), all the while posting a 54.0 CF% at even strength – a career-high – and a 54.1 xGF%. However, he wasn’t used in his traditional shutdown role. Kulikov instead acted as an anchor for Ekman-Larsson for most of the year, deployed in offensive situations at even strength more often than not. That certainly contributed to his increase in shot attempt control, although that shouldn’t be interpreted as diminishing his value.

After again establishing himself as an everyday player, he’s likely in line for a small raise. But at age 33, don’t expect more than a two-year term on a potential extension. The Panthers have $20.7MM in projected cap space next season with a roster size of 13, meaning they can afford an average of around $2MM on the deals they sign this summer for their NHL roster. They have more than a few higher-priority UFAs to sort out before Kulikov, though, including breakout sniper Sam Reinhart and Montour. Young center Anton Lundell is also in line for a raise on his $925K cap hit as an RFA.

Morning Notes: Luukkonen, Mantha, Blackhawks, Oilers

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The Buffalo Sabres are working on signing goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to an extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shares in the latest 32 Thoughts article. Luukkonen is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Goalie partner Eric Comrie is also set to enter free agency this summer, while rookie Devon Levi is signed through the end of next season.

Luukkonen unexpectedly found his way into the starter’s net this season, appearing in 54 games despite competition from Levi and Comrie. He performed well with the chance, recording 27 wins and a .910 save percentage. – serving as the only Sabres goalie to record a save percentage above .900. This season marked Luukkonen’s first year in a full-time NHL role, after splitting the last three years between the major and minor leagues. And while he performed well, he wasn’t the starter many Sabres fans expected entering the season. That weight was instead on 22-year-old Levi’s shoulders – but he quickly lost the role after posting four wins and a .887 save percentage through his first 10 games. Luukkonen stepped in as relief and didn’t let go of the role.

At 25, Luukkonen seems poised for at least another chance at a starting role, though Levi’s presence could make a long-term extension challenging for the Sabres to commit to. How they decide to organize their goaltenders for next season could be very telling into Buffalo’s long-term plans.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Anthony Mantha returned to the Vegas Golden Knights practices on Saturday, donning a no-contact jersey, per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (Twitter link). Mantha has been red-hot with Vegas since the Trade Deadline, scoring 10 points in his first 18 games with the club – though he missed the team’s season finale with an undisclosed injury. Still not taking contact, Mantha will likely be on the fringe of the lineup as the Golden Knights prepare for Monday’s Game One.
  • Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson shared that it’s time for the team to build up, says Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Chicago finished second-last in the league this season, on the back of a forward group that looked desolate when it lost Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall to injury. Finding offensive support will likely be the focus of their building efforts, as the Hawks prepare to weaponize their $38MM projected cap space this summer.
  • Both Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark are expected to return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup for their Monday Game One against the Los Angeles Kings, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kane sat out of the team’s final three games of the season with injury, capping his year off at 24 goals and 44 points in 77 appearances. Meanwhile, Janmark was able to finish out the season but missed the team’s Saturday practice. Neither injuries have been disclosed.

Blackhawks Notes: Vlasic, Murphy, Blackwell

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The Chicago Blackhawks could ink rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic to a long-term deal this summer, shares Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Vlasic told Pope, “I want to be [in Chicago] as long as possible.” The 22-year-old defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time in his career this season, having played through his 2021 entry-level contract.

Vlasic was maybe the surprise of the season in Chicago, fighting his way up to top-pairing ice time early in the year and not relinquishing it. He would go on to record 16 points and 45 penalty minutes in 76 games, while averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He became the de facto partner for top defenseman Seth Jones – with the pairing recording over 850 even-strength minutes together, Chicago’s only pair to play even 400 minutes together.

Vlasic carved out a confident role and should be due a confident deal when he re-signs this summer. Pope compared Vlasic’s negotiations to K’Andre Miller and Mattias Samuelsson when trying to project what a new deal may look like. Both players pulled in a cap hit of around $4MM, though Miller signed a short-term bridge while Samuelsson received seven years. It’s likely Chicago leans on the side of longer term, with brighter days yet to come.

Other notes out of the Windy City:

  • Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy shared that the injury that held him out of the season finale wasn’t exactly a reinjury of his groin injury, but more of a “tweak”, per Pope (Twitter link). Murphy added that the injury will affect his off-season training plans, though he’s happy to have time off to get back to full health. Murphy played in just 46 games this season, recording eight points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -19. He served in a solid role, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time, though that may have been out of necessity more than desire for a Hawks blue-line that iced 12 different defensemen this season. Murphy will hope to regain health and hang onto his strong role in Chicago as he approaches his eighth season with the club next year.
  • Hawks forward Colin Blackwell shared that he would love to stay in Chicago, per NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). Blackwell is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer – one of 19 free agents in Chicago’s system. He’s spent the last two seasons in Chicago, totaling 22 points in 97 games with the club. While meager scoring, Blackwell has served in a reliable bottom-six role and maintained his discipline, totaling just 16 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. He’ll likely return to a consistent fourth-line role if he signs a new deal with Chicago.

Sharks Notes: Couture, Vlasic, Kunin, Smith

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Long-running San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is hoping to return to skating in July and be fully healthy for the start of next season, shares team reporter Curtis Pashelka. Couture was limited to just six games this season, grappling with osteitis pubis, a painful groin injury that’s lingered since last off-season.

This season marked the first time in Couture’s 15-year career that he hasn’t played in at least 25 games. He’s been a backbone of the Sharks lineup for much of recent memory, recording 701 points across 933 games with the club, including 67 points in 82 games last season. San Jose certainly felt the impact of his absence, ranking dead-last in the NHL for most of the season and emotionally parting with Couture’s long-time centerman Tomas Hertl at the Trade Deadline. The fall has conveniently set up San Jose to take homegrown prospect Macklin Celebrini, the unanimous top name in the 2024 NHL Draft. But even with the boost of the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner and the return of their captain, San Jose will still need hefty change to make sure a performance as dim as this season’s doesn’t happen again.

Other notes from San Jose:

  • The team has reportedly not discussed buying defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic out of his contract, per Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 18-year veteran of San Jose appeared in just 57 games this season, missing action to both injury and being healthy scratched. He managed just 12 points in his appearances, the third-lowest point totals of his career. Buying out Vlasic’s $7MM cap hit this summer would leave San Jose with a $3.833MM cap hit next season, a $4.833MM cap hit in 2025-26, and then two years of a $1.33MM cap hit – a palatable price given Vlasic has two seasons remaining on his lofty deal anyways. But with $37.97MM in projected cap space this summer, it seems the Sharks are content to let legacy stick around.
  • Pending restricted-free agent Luke Kunin is reportedly open to a multi-year deal with the Sharks, per Pashelka (Twitter link). The 26-year-old centerman is coming off of his first full season with the Sharks, after being limited to just 31 games last year. He recorded measly numbers – tallying 11 goals, 18 points, and a -30 – but is clearly eager by the opportunity offered in San Jose. With a career-high of just 31 points, posted all the way back in the 2019-20 season, it’s likely that Kunin sticks around on a cheap deal and fights to earn a bigger role next season.
  • Sharks general manager Mike Grier shared that the team is actively talking to top prospect Will Smith about an entry-level contract, shares Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). Grier added that he believes Smith is ready for the NHL – a point that’s hard to argue after Smith posted 25 goals and 71 points in his first 41 collegiate games. It was the most that any Boston College freshman has ever scored, by a substantial margin, lining up behind Johnny Gaudreau’s 80-point junior season for the most by any Eagle since 2000. And to boot, Smith showed his clutch ability, recording 20 points in his latest 10 games, as the Eagles ran to the National Championship. Signing the 2023 fourth-overall pick to an NHL deal would be a huge boost for the Sharks.

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