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Flyers Sign Hunter McDonald To Entry-Level Deal

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The Flyers have signed left-shot defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins in the 2024-25 season, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed. McDonald, a 2022 sixth-round pick, was already on an ATO with AHL Lehigh Valley.

McDonald made his professional debut on March 23 and has made nine appearances with the Phantoms, adjusting well with two assists and a +5 rating. He turned pro after his sophomore season at Northeastern University, which was shortened by an injury that kept him out for most of the first three months of the campaign.

2023-24 was a bit of a step back for McDonald, who was named to the Hockey East conference’s All-Rookie Team and was awarded Best Defensive Defenseman honors in his freshman year after posting 14 points and a +21 rating in 35 games. In 23 appearances this season, though, he mustered only six points and a +3 rating.

The 21-year-old is a shutdown-only threat and has been since joining the junior hockey ranks in 2019. His 14 points during his freshman year with the Huskies exceeded most offensive expectations. The New York native has NHL-ready size at 6’4″ and 205 lbs and is a decent outlet passer, but otherwise has poor offensive instincts and is a slow skater with even slower acceleration. He’s still an incredibly strong defender with a high-end ability to box out opposing forwards around the net, but he carries a third-pairing ceiling at the NHL level.

McDonald’s deal expires after the 2025-26 season, at which point he will be an RFA. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2029.

Senators Recall Zack Ostapchuk

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The Senators have recalled center Zack Ostapchuk from AHL Belleville, per a team announcement. He’ll play Ottawa’s final two games of the season instead of Mark Kastelic, who left Saturday’s shootout win over the Canadiens with an upper-body injury.

Ostapchuk, 20, got a brief stint with the Sens last month but failed to record a point in six games. He was returned to Belleville on March 22.

Before and after his first NHL call-up, the 2021 second-round pick showed flashes during his inaugural professional season but has struggled with inconsistency. In 66 games for Belleville this season, he’s scored 17 goals and has added 11 assists for 28 points and a +4 rating. The 6’3″, 205-lb forward has gotten into a fair amount of penalty trouble, too, recording 47 PIMs on the year. Most of his scoring has come in bunches – he has quite a few two-point games this season, but he has also routinely gone more than five games without getting on the scoresheet.

There’s no risk on the Sens’ part of giving him another crack in the NHL lineup for their season-ending back-to-back this week, though. They’re guaranteed a bottom-three spot in the East with a 36-40-4 record, and their final two games are against likely divisional champions in the Rangers and Bruins. It should be a good test for Ostapchuk to see how he fares against contending teams’ depth. He’s expected to center their third line, flanked by Boris Katchouk and Parker Kelly. Ottawa is dealing with a rash of injuries at forward to end the season, including star centers Tim Stützle and Joshua Norris, Kastelic, and depth winger Angus Crookshank.

While Ostapchuk signed his entry-level contract back in September 2021, it only took effect this season after sliding twice. He has two seasons remaining on his deal at a $825K cap hit and is under team control through 2029.

Jakob Silfverberg Signs With HockeyAllsvenskan’s Brynäs IF

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Brynäs IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league, has signed Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg to a two-year contract, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed. Silfverberg announced last week that he would be retiring from the NHL at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old now returns to the club where he spent the entirety of his junior and professional career before arriving in the NHL with the Senators in 2012. It’s far from an unexpected move. As far back as May 2023, reports out of Sweden indicated that Silfverberg planned to return to Brynäs after his contract in Anaheim expired this offseason.

The pair of news items over the last week put a bow on Silfverberg’s decade in SoCal, which began when the Ducks acquired him, along with Stefan Noesen and a first-round pick that became Nick Ritchie, from Ottawa for Bobby Ryan in the 2013 offseason. He’s been a mainstay in the Anaheim lineup since, suiting up 771 times over the past 11 years. The 2009 second-round pick posted 158 goals and 354 points while averaging 16:23 per game, earning Selke Trophy votes in three straight seasons from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

Now in his mid-30s, it may be ambitious for Brynäs supporters to hope Silfverberg picks up where he left off. His final season with the club in 2011-12 was nothing short of electric. He played in the top-level Elitserien (now Swedish Hockey League) and captained the club while posting 54 points in 49 games, leading the league in points per game. The two-way winger is likely in line for a middle-six role there.

Brynäs may currently be in the HockeyAllsvenskan, but there’s a strong chance Silfverberg will play in the SHL next season. They were the best team in the regular season with a 33-5-3-11 record and have advanced to the finals against Djurgårdens IF. Their best-of-seven series begins Wednesday. The winner will gain promotion back to the top level in 2024-25.

Lightning Sign Dylan Duke To Entry-Level Deal

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The Lightning have signed forward Dylan Duke to a three-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed. The center, who the Lightning drafted in the fourth round in 2021, will immediately report to AHL Syracuse on an ATO.

Duke, 21, had been with the University of Michigan since his draft year and had his season end late last week in a national tournament semifinal loss to Boston College. He opts to turn pro after his junior year.

In 41 games this season, he scored 26 goals, 23 assists and 49 points with a +8 rating, setting career highs offensively and ranking third on the Wolverines in scoring. He’s the second high-profile Michigan player to turn pro in recent days, joining Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar.

Duke doesn’t let his small frame (5’10”, 181 pounds) stop him from being a problem for opposing netminders. He’s consistently a solid net-front presence once his team gets set up, earning most of his tallies from within 10 feet of the crease. He’s a bright spot in a relatively weak Tampa Bay pool, checking in as their fourth-best prospect in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings for The Athletic.

Don’t expect to see Duke’s name on the NHL roster come opening night this fall. He’s not the fastest player in the world, and considering his frame already puts him at a disadvantage, the Lightning would probably like to see how he stacks up against professional opponents in the AHL. He also profiles more as a winger than a center at the NHL level – he shifted to wing for most of his collegiate career – likely in a middle-six role.

That’s not ideal for the Lightning, who are incredibly thin at center among their up-and-comers. However, they won’t complain about an influx of young talent at any position as their contention window slowly closes. Duke, along with top-40 picks Ethan Gauthier and Isaac Howard, are a promising group of potential secondary scorers.

Duke will be under contract with the Bolts through 2026-27. The following summer, he will be an RFA without an extension.

Red Wings Recall Ville Husso From Conditioning Stint

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The Red Wings have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from his conditioning loan to AHL Grand Rapids, per CapFriendly. Unfortunately, the move doesn’t indicate the netminder is ready to return to action. He was scheduled to start for Grand Rapids on Friday against Rockford but was pulled from warmups after sustaining what Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde called a “little setback” (via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press).

Husso, 29, landed in Detroit last year after two seasons with the Blues but struggled in his first season as a true starter. In 56 starts, he posted a .896 save percentage, a 3.11 goals-against average, four shutouts, and a 26-22-7 record.

Multiple lower-body injuries this season, the most recent of which has kept him out of action since February, have derailed his attempts to return to his elite form in a tandem role in St. Louis. He made 19 appearances earlier this season with a .892 SV%, including just eight minutes of action against the Oilers on Feb. 13 after missing nearly two months with a separate lower-body injury.

With this setback, it’s safe to assume Husso is done for the regular season. He would have been the third goalie on Detroit’s depth chart anyway, as both Alex Lyon and James Reimer have put up far better numbers as they chase the franchise’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade. Those two have posted save percentages of .906 and .905, respectively, although Lyon’s done so over a much larger sample size with 42 starts and one relief appearance.

The Wings are tied with the Capitals for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 87 points through 80 games but lose the tiebreaker due to having three fewer regulation wins. Detroit has a much easier schedule over their final two games, a back-to-back home-and-home with the Canadiens starting tonight, while the Caps have to face the Atlantic Division champion Bruins and the Flyers.

Five Key Stories: 4/8/24 – 4/14/24

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With the playoffs now just days away, there was plenty of news of note around the hockey world.  We recap the biggest news from the past seven days in our key stories.

Coyotes To Salt Lake City? Early in the week, it came out that an alternate schedule was being drafted that had the Coyotes playing out of Salt Lake City.  Soon after, momentum increased toward a full relocation and while it hasn’t officially been announced yet (that should come as soon as this week), things are trending in that direction with players reportedly being told that the move is happening.  With an uncertain arena situation in Arizona, this is an outcome that the league and NHLPA will both likely be pleased with.  However, this might not be the end of NHL hockey in Arizona.  Outgoing owner Alex Meruelo is believed to have a five-year window to trigger an expansion franchise, giving him ample time to secure a new arena, whether it’s by winning the current auction that will end in June or on another site altogether.

Golden Knights Get Stronger: Vegas got a big boost to their lineup early in the week when they activated center Tomas Hertl off LTIR.  One of their key deadline pickups, Hertl will give the Golden Knights another impact center and some more firepower.  When they acquired him, it was expected that Hertl would be available for the stretch run, allowing him to get some games in before the playoffs.  Meanwhile, captain Mark Stone has been cleared to return to practice as he works his way back from a lacerated spleen.  Vegas used Stone’s LTIR savings to make their trade deadline additions so they won’t be able to activate him now as they did for Hertl.  However, with a full week next week of practice, the winger might be available when the playoffs get underway.

Sticking Around: One of the other players Vegas added at the deadline using Stone’s LTIR placement is defenseman Noah Hanifin.  He won’t be a short-term rental after all, however, as he signed an eight-year, $58.8MM contract extension.  The $7.35MM AAV will make the 27-year-old the second-highest-paid blueliner on the Golden Knights behind Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM).  Hanifin has seen his offensive output increase in recent years while remaining a strong defensive blueliner, making him a relatively safe bet for this long of an extension.  Worth noting is that Vegas now has over $85MM in commitments for next season already, per CapFriendly.  While Robin Lehner’s $5MM will likely stay on LTIR giving them a bit more wiggle room, Jonathan Marchessault, Anthony Mantha, and Chandler Stephenson are among the players who need new deals and it will be near-impossible to keep all of them around.

Not Sticking Around: When the buzzer sounds at the end of the game on Thursday against Vegas, Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg’s NHL career will come to an end as he announced he plans to retire from the NHL.  The 33-year-old started his career with Ottawa but was moved to Anaheim the following season and has stayed there ever since, spanning 11 seasons.  In his prime, he was an impactful two-way player with a stretch of four 20-goal seasons in five years.  Since then, he has become more of a depth piece and rather than search for a new contract in free agency, Silfverberg will instead return to play back home in Sweden.

Injury News: The Devils have been without their star center for the last few games as Jack Hughes underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.  The 22-year-old ends his campaign with 74 points in just 62 games, his third straight year of averaging more than a point per game.  Hughes is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp in the fall.  Meanwhile, their state rival got some good news on the injury front as center Filip Chytil was cleared to start skating with the Rangers.  He has missed the majority of the season after sustaining what’s believed to be two concussions with the team shutting him down for the year back in January.  Now, while he’ll undoubtedly be ramped up slowly, the 24-year-old could potentially return at some point in the playoffs which would certainly be a big boost to their lineup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Kane, Pacioretty, Highmore

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It was only a few months ago that we were talking about Patrick Kane’s free agency before he signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract with Detroit in late November.  Now less than three months out from testing the open market again, the veteran told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan that he’s not concerned about his next deal just yet:

Obviously, it’s in the back of your mind. Right now, it’s more about being in the moment, being here with this team and trying to get in the playoffs. I think just with the situation I was in and coming in and being here for maybe three-quarters of the season, it’s just this year and then we’ll see what happens. Hopefully all that stuff figures itself out.

The contract has worked out well for both sides.  Kane is averaging nearly a point per game, notching 20 goals and 26 assists in 48 appearances.  That’s a strong return on Detroit’s investment while Kane has demonstrated that he has fully recovered from his hip resurfacing surgery which should put him in a better position for a pricier multi-year deal in July.  Whether that deal comes with the Red Wings or not will have to wait a little while longer.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • When Capitals winger Max Pacioretty didn’t move at the trade deadline, it came as somewhat of a surprise. Speaking with Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, the 35-year-old outlined his reasons for not waiving his NTC.  On top of staying close to his family, the veteran has enjoyed playing a notable role after missing so much time the last couple of years; it’s quite likely his role would have been more limited had he accepted a move.  Pacioretty has just four goals in 45 games this season but has added 19 assists while averaging over 14 minutes a night.  He’s certainly playing in meaningful games too with Washington in the thick of the race for the final playoff spots in the East.
  • After Saturday’s victory over Montreal, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that forward Matthew Highmore was assigned to AHL Belleville. The 28-year-old missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury but returned to practice yesterday and has been given the green light to return.  Highmore has played in seven games with Ottawa this season, picking up two assists while adding 29 points in 40 appearances with Belleville, a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race in the AHL’s North Division.

Devils Prospect Samu Salminen Transfers To University Of Denver

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On Saturday, the University of Denver won the Frozen Four, beating Boston College 2-0.  Now, their reloading begins.  Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald notes that Devils prospect Samu Salminen has officially transferred to Denver, a move first reported earlier this month by PHR’s Gabriel Foley (Twitter link).

The 21-year-old was a third-round pick by New Jersey back in 2021, going 68th overall.  He had a strong showing in Jokerit’s junior program, averaging over a point per game in 2021-22 before making the jump to UConn for the 2022-23 campaign.

In his freshman year, Salminen recorded nine goals and eight assists in 27 games, solid production for a first-year player.  However, he was only able to match that this season, notching seven goals and ten helpers in 35 contests, resulting in the decision to try his hand elsewhere.

That Salminen wound up with Denver shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.  On top of the fact they’re now the reigning champions, he actually originally committed there in 2022 before reportedly running into difficulty with their admissions, resulting in the decision to join UConn instead.  Two years later, Salminen now lands as his originally intended destination.

Ducks Sign Cutter Gauthier

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The Ducks have reached an agreement with one of their top youngsters, announcing that they’ve signed forward Cutter Gauthier to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The team confirmed that the first year of the contract will be this season, meaning he will be eligible to play in their final game of the season on Thursday against Vegas.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that it breaks down as follows:

2023-24: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $950K ’A’ performance bonuses
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $950K ’A’ performance bonuses, $950K ’B’ performance bonuses

That puts the cap hit for Gauthier at $950K and the AAV at $1.9MM.

The 19-year-old was the fifth overall pick back in 2022, going to Philadelphia.  At the time, it looked as if the Flyers had landed a key cog for their forward group for the future.  However, last year, Gauthier informed them that he was not willing to sign with Philadelphia.  The Flyers’ brass made efforts to try to convince him to change his mind but were unsuccessful.

Instead of waiting longer in the hopes he’d eventually have a change of heart, Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere opted to trade Gauthier while his value was at its peak not long after the World Juniors where he tied for the tournament lead in scoring with a dozen points in seven games.  While many teams showed interest, it was Anaheim’s offer that the Flyers accepted, acquiring blueliner Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick in return.

After being a go-to scorer with the U.S. National Team Development Program, Gauthier became an impact scorer with the Eagles right away, recording 16 goals and 21 assists in 32 contests.  This season, he took that even further, notching 38 goals along with 27 helpers in 41 appearances.  While that wasn’t enough to lead the Eagles in scoring – San Jose’s Will Smith was six points ahead of him, he finished second in NCAA Division I scoring.  Gauthier was named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist, NCAA All-American, and a Hockey East First Team All-Star for his efforts.

Gauthier, who spent the majority of the season at center, joins an Anaheim group of middlemen that is quickly becoming one of the deepest in the NHL.  The Ducks already have 2021 third overall selection Mason McTavish, 2023 second overall pick Leo Carlsson, and Trevor Zegras (who went ninth in 2019) among their group of centers.  That allows them to let Gauthier get his feet wet on the wing next season if they want although lots can change roster-wise between now and the time the puck drops on the 2024-25 campaign in October.  Regardless, the Ducks now have another core forward under contract as their rebuild continues.

Snapshots: Hronek, Hurricanes, Wood

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The Canucks have one of the better defensemen on expiring deals this summer in top-pairing threat Filip Hronek. He’s broken out alongside Quinn Hughes in his first full season in Vancouver and is under team control this summer as an RFA with arbitration rights. Speaking on the Sekeres and Price podcast today, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli thinks that Hronek is in a position to land an AAV in the $8MM range this summer after Vegas blue-liner Noah Hanifin signed a max-term extension with a $7.35MM cap hit last week. With the far superior Hughes locked in at $7.85MM through 2027, however, it’s nearly unfathomable that Canucks GM Patrik Allvin would dole out that kind of cash. If the 26-year-old’s camp holds firm in that ask, a one-year deal awarded via arbitration to walk him to unrestricted free agency in 2025 could be the outcome if Vancouver doesn’t trade his signing rights.

Other tidbits from around the league this afternoon:

  • A flurry of lineup changes are taking place for the Hurricanes in today’s match against the Blackhawks, the team’s Walt Ruff relays. Captain Jordan Staal and defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Brett Pesce will return after missing Friday’s win over the Blues with undisclosed injuries. Brady Skjei will exit the lineup for load management down the stretch, while winger Teuvo Teräväinen remains out for a second straight game with an undisclosed injury. It’s the second-to-last game on Carolina’s schedule, and a regulation loss today locks them into second place in the Metropolitan Division.
  • The Avalanche have the services of depth winger Miles Wood back in the lineup against the Golden Knights today, per the game’s roster report. The 28-year-old had missed three games with a lower-body injury. Wood, who signed a six-year, $15MM contract to join the Avs last offseason, returns in a third-line role with Ross Colton and trade-deadline pickup Brandon Duhaime. He has nine goals and 24 points in 72 games on the year.

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