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Atlantic Notes: Edmundson, Pinto, Rasmussen

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Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson won’t be available for their next two games, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). However, Keefe didn’t rule out the possibility of Edmundson returning later this week, potentially Thursday at home against the Devils. The 30-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Hurricanes on March 24, knocking him out for now at least eight games. He’d been solid otherwise for Toronto, controlling possession quality well with a 50.5 xGF% in tough shutdown minutes at even strength through seven games. The Manitoba native is still looking for his first point as a Leaf after they picked him up from the Capitals before the trade deadline.

Other updates out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators center Shane Pinto will suit up for the United States at the 2024 World Championship if invited, he confirmed to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia and TSN. While it’s unlikely he’ll crack the roster for the U.S. national team at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off or the 2026 Winter Olympics, Garrioch relays Pinto would like to extend his season regardless and gain experience playing meaningful games after the regular season ends. Pinto has been excellent for Ottawa since serving a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL’s sports wagering rules, racking up eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points in 36 games. He’s averaging 17:41 per game, a career-high by a long shot, and has some of the best possession numbers on the team with a 53.3 CF% and a 60.1 xGF%. The United States last medal at the 2021 tournament, winning bronze, and has lost the bronze medal game in back-to-back years.
  • Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen won’t be in the lineup tomorrow for a crucial game against the Capitals in a crucial game in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, head coach Derek Lalonde confirmed. The two-way winger will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has done well before his four-year, $12.8MM extension kicks in next season, posting a career-high 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 75 games. He’s logging over 15 minutes per game for the second consecutive campaign, and while his possession numbers have dipped from last season, he’s receiving much more frequent deployment in the defensive zone.

Flames Recall Ilya Solovyov

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The Flames have recalled defenseman Ilya Solovyov from AHL Calgary, per a team announcement. He comes up from the Wranglers after Oliver Kylington left Saturday’s loss to the Oilers late after colliding with teammate Nazem Kadri. Calgary has yet to give Kylington an official injury designation.

This is the 23-year-old Belarusian’s third career recall. The Flames brought him up for a four-day stint in late October and again for over two weeks in December. Both of those recalls were standard ones, while today’s comes under emergency conditions, according to CapFriendly.

The 2020 seventh-round pick has made six appearances across his two previous recalls. In that time, Solovyov captured his first two NHL points, both assists, and recorded a -3 rating with four PIMs, nine blocks, and eight hits. He did so in bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 14:59 per game.

Calgary has eight defensemen on the NHL roster, six of them healthy. Other than Kylington, Joel Hanley is day to day with an undisclosed injury. If Solovyov remains on the roster longer than necessary for the Flames to ice a minimum of six defenders, they’ll need to place him on their roster from his emergency loan.

Solovyov has put together a solid body of work since joining the Flames’ system in 2021, displaying his strengths as a confident outlet passer with a physical edge. He isn’t much of a factor in the offensive zone, but the 6’3″, 207-lb blue-liner has proven valuable in transition. He has 40 points and a +25 rating in 169 games with AHL Calgary and Stockton over the past three seasons, including 14 points and a +2 rating in 50 contests this season.

He’s in the final season of his three-year entry-level contract. He has arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency this summer, and he’s due a qualifying offer of $814K.

2024 Unrestricted Free Agency Preview: Goaltenders

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Less than two weeks remain in the regular season, meaning a significant number of teams have already turned their main focus toward the draft and free agency. In the run-up to the playoffs for the other half of the league, PHR will join those front offices in identifying the top targets expected to be available on the open market in July.

Kicking off this year’s free agency preview is the goalie market, which looks to be quite underwhelming yet again. There are no bonafide starters available for teams looking for a major shakeup between the pipes – they’ll have to accomplish that by examining the trade block for players like the Flames’ Jacob Markström, the Predators’ Juuse Saros and the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark. It’s a considerably weaker class than even last year’s, whose major targets (Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen, Adin Hill) all ended up re-signing with their previous clubs.

This series will only cover players who have spent time on NHL rosters in 2023-24, not accounting for college, junior, overseas, or otherwise undrafted free agents. Players’ ages are as of July 1, reflecting their true signing age. With that in mind, let’s delve into the options that could be available for teams to add depth:

Fringe Starter/Tandem Options

Cam Talbot, 36
2023-24 team: Los Angeles Kings

No slight to Talbot, but his name appearing first in this article should indicate how weak this UFA goalie class is. He’ll be viewed as the top option available based on 2023-24 play as the only one to play in over half of his team’s games. The journeyman veteran has largely washed away the stink of a forgettable 2022-23 campaign with the Senators, rebounding for a 25-18-6 record with a .915 SV%, 2.48 GAA, and three shutouts in 48 starts and two relief appearances. He’s arguably having his best season since his electric 2016-17 campaign with the Oilers when he led the league with 73 games played and 42 wins as he finished just short of a Vezina nomination and helped them end an 11-year streak of missing the playoffs. His career numbers are decently above average, too, logging a .914 SV%, 2.63 GAA, and 31 shutouts in 461 starts and 21 relief appearances since breaking into the league with the Rangers in 2013.

The aging curve will be a very real concern, however, and will certainly dampen Talbot’s market. He’ll be 37 just a few days into July and has only started more than 40 games twice since his last full season with the Oilers in 2018. As a result, the University of Alabama-Huntsville product will likely settle for a second straight one-year deal, a more palatable option for player and team as he remains eligible for a bonus-laden 35+ contract. This year’s gamble paid out well for Talbot, who perhaps bet on himself too little – his $1MM cap-hit deal with L.A. pays him $2MM in actual salary thanks to a $1MM performance bonus that kicked in once he played 10 games. After a decent workload, likely playoff starts, and top-ten numbers, even with a strong defense in front of him (13.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, his highest since 2016-17), he could earn as much as double that on a one-year deal this summer.

Anthony Stolarz, 30
2023-24 team: Florida Panthers

Stolarz has put up the best numbers of any pending UFA, but a smaller sample size than Talbot will limit his market value. His .922 SV% and 2.12 GAA lead all qualified netminders this year, albeit in only 22 starts and three relief appearances while backing up all-world Sergei Bobrovsky in South Florida. A recent sputter in play from Bobrovsky actually gives Stolarz the slight edge in goals saved above expected on the season – exactly 16, per MoneyPuck, remarkably placing him fifth in the league behind Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, and the Bruins’ tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. He’s no stranger to strong numbers – he logged a strong .917 SV% in 28 appearances (23 starts) while backing up John Gibson behind a bottom-10 Ducks team two years ago. The New Jersey native is undoubtedly ready for a slightly larger role, but he’s unproven even in tandem capacity, never cracking the 25-start mark.

Ilya Samsonov, 27
2023-24 team: Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Samsonov, who had what can only be described as a horrid start after guiding the Maple Leafs to their first playoff series win in 19 years last April. He logged an unplayable .862 SV% through his first 15 starts. While the Leafs were able to sneak by with a 5-2-6 record in games where he was awarded the decision, solid play from veteran third-stringer Martin Jones (mentioned later on) allowed them to waive Samsonov and give him a mental reset.

After working with their minor league club’s development staff for the first week and a half of January, he ended up back in the NHL with much more positive results. He hasn’t been a world-beater, but he has put up starter-caliber numbers, recording a 17-4-1 record, .912 SV%, and two shutouts in 22 showings since the calendar flipped to 2024.

Consistency has plagued Samsonov throughout his five-year NHL career, never putting together back-to-back above-average seasons. He is still one of the youngest and highest-ceiling options on the market, though. A contender shouldn’t feel comfortable putting all their eggs in Samsonov’s basket to take them to the promised land, but he’s valuable as a 1A netminder with solid support – just like he’s had in Toronto with Jones and young backup Joseph Woll, both putting together solid campaigns.

David Rittich, 31
2023-24 team: Los Angeles Kings

Rittich actually started the season in the minors, but an early season-ending injury to Kings backup Pheonix Copley allowed him to get back to the top level. He hasn’t disappointed, putting an airtight seal on the number-two role behind Talbot and putting up the best numbers of his eight-year career. This year’s .919 SV% and 2.21 GAA are well above his career averages, and like Stolarz and Talbot, his 12.8 goals above expected (per MoneyPuck) are top 10 in the league. This is another case of small sample size limiting a player’s value, though, as 21 starts and two relief appearances aren’t enough for a team to bet on him suddenly being able to be a high-end 1A option after that experiment fizzling out a few years back with the Flames. However, he has restored his market value as a 1B option after a string of below-average seasons.

Laurent Brossoit, 31
2023-24 team: Winnipeg Jets

Brossoit returned to Winnipeg last summer for his second stint as Connor Hellebuyck’s backup after capturing a Stanley Cup ring last year with the Golden Knights. His career numbers resemble that of a yo-yo, but he’s caught himself on the upswing for a second straight year and has excelled with a .925 SV%, 2.10 GAA, two shutouts, and 13-5-2 record in 20 starts and one relief appearance. His highs and lows have essentially made his numbers that of a garden-variety backup over his career, however, taking him out of consideration for any 1A roles. He could be in line for a slight increase in starts in a 1B slot if a team is willing to give him the chance.

Alex Nedeljkovic, 28
2023-24 team: Pittsburgh Penguins

Nedeljkovic has had a bounce-back campaign after being demoted to the AHL for an extended period last season, even wrangling away the starter’s crease from Tristan Jarry down the stretch as the Pens find themselves back in the playoff push. The two-year, $6MM deal he signed with Detroit in 2021 to be their starter after a breakout campaign as part of a three-goalie rotation with the Hurricanes didn’t pan out, but he’s back to putting up above-average numbers in a larger-than-expected role in Pittsburgh this season.

He has a .907 SV% and 2.82 GAA through 28 starts and five relief appearances, along with a 16-6-6 record, but his 1.8 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) are the lowest of anyone on this list so far outside of Samsonov. This year’s showing has confirmed that a 1B role with about 30-35 starts is likely what suits him best, and while he’s in line to earn a raise on his current $1.5MM cap hit, it likely won’t be much. He could be a solid value pickup for somebody, but like many others on this list, doesn’t appear to have a lot of upward mobility.

Kaapo Kähkönen, 27
2023-24 team: San Jose Sharks/New Jersey Devils

It’s hard to gauge any netminder who’s logged time behind the 2023-24 Sharks, one of the worst teams of the salary cap era. His numbers there weren’t all that catastrophic considering and even bordered on average, compiling a .895 SV% and 3.81 GAA despite winning only six of his 27 starts. In five starts with the Devils since a trade deadline swap for Vítek Vaněček, he’s been downright solid with a .918 SV% and 2.92 GAA, along with one shutout. The team in front of him hasn’t given him much help either way either, as that’s only translated into one win. There will likely be some teams interested in what he can do behind a more competent and healthy defense, and he could be one of the bigger wild cards on the market after spending the past few years toiling behind a rebuilding San Jose squad.

Backups/Depth

Kevin Lankinen, 29
2023-24 team: Nashville Predators

The 6’2″ Finn has only four years of NHL experience under his belt to differing results. An undrafted free agent pickup by the Blackhawks in 2018, he made his NHL debut three years later and earned himself some fringe Calder consideration after going 17-14-5 with a .909 SV% and 3.01 GAA in 37 starts in the starter’s net during the abbreviated 2020-21 season. His numbers nosedived the next season, however – his -28.6 goals saved above expected were the second-worst in the league behind Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer. That took him out of starter/tandem consideration upon reaching free agency in 2022, but he’s rebuilt his value with two above-average campaigns backing up Juuse Saros in Nashville. He has a .911 SV% and 2.84 GAA in that time but has started less than 20 games each season, likely dissuading teams from relying on him for a tandem workload.

Marc-André Fleury, 39
2023-24 team: Minnesota Wild

The second-winningest goalie of all-time is technically a pending UFA, but he won’t be on the open market. He’s already made it clear that retirement or re-upping with the Wild are his two options this summer. The three-time Stanley Cup winner has a 17-13-5 record, .899 SV% and 2.87 GAA in 34 starts and four relief appearances in Minnesota this year.

Martin Jones, 34
2023-24 team: Toronto Maple Leafs

Jones cleared waivers to begin the season and spent two months with AHL Toronto after losing the backup/1B job to Woll during training camp. He was recalled in early December after Woll sustained an ankle injury, though, and he’s remained in the majors since. It’s been an underwhelming past half-decade for the former All-Star starter with the Sharks, but he’s been quite solid this season with an 11-7-1 record, .908 SV%, 2.70 GAA, and two shutouts in 18 starts and three relief appearances. His 8.3 goals saved above expected are better than both Samsonov’s and Woll’s, putting up his first above-average season since 2018. That long track record of mediocrity will scare teams away from giving him a major role, but he has rebuilt his value as an NHL-caliber backup.

James Reimer, 36
2023-24 team: Detroit Red Wings

Reimer, who’s only started five of 15 games for the Wings since the trade deadline, has seen the least action of his 14-year career this season. The Manitoba native will be eligible for a bonus-laden 35+ contract but is solidly a veteran backup option at this stage of his NHL tenure. He’s put up a 9-8-2 record in Detroit this season, posting a .906 SV% and 3.03 GAA with two shutouts in 18 starts and five relief appearances. He’ll likely only be in line for one-year deals, similar to the $1.5MM agreement he inked in Hockeytown last offseason.

Casey DeSmith, 32
2023-24 team: Vancouver Canucks

DeSmith was part of the monster three-team Erik Karlsson trade last summer, heading from the Penguins to the Canadiens for cap management purposes. With Montreal having three other goalies ready for NHL time in the crease, they flipped him to the Canucks, who were happy to take his $1.8MM cap hit and deploy him as Demko’s backup. He’s put up passable but unimpressive results, which have nosedived lately, down to a .891 SV% and 2.96 GAA in 26 starts and two relief appearances. He’s received most of the workload over the past few weeks as Demko nears a return from a lower-body injury, but his late-season lack of success in pinch-starter duty keeps him firmly on the backup market this summer despite having started upwards of 30 games twice in his career.

Calvin Pickard, 32
2023-24 team: Edmonton Oilers

Pickard spent most of the past five seasons in the minors but got another NHL chance after Jack Campbell was demoted to AHL Bakersfield in November. He’s responded quite well, reaching 20 appearances for the first time since 2017 and recording a .913 SV% and 2.38 GAA with a 12-6-0 record. After spending the last three seasons on two-way deals, he’s likely in line for a one-way pact this summer and could be a cheap full-time backup for a cash-strapped team.

Scott Wedgewood, 31
2023-24 team: Dallas Stars

A minor-league option through most of his early-to-mid 20s, Wedgewood has since settled in as a solid backup/1B option for the Coyotes and Stars post-COVID. However, this season has disappointed after a three-year run of above-average play. He’s got a .899 SV% and 2.85 GAA in 28 starts and four relief appearances behind a strong defense, his worst numbers since his rookie campaign with Arizona in 2017-18. That’s quieted talks of relying on him for 30+ starts for now.

Antti Raanta, 35
2023-24 team: Carolina Hurricanes

Raanta has been with AHL Chicago since deadline day, actually posting worse numbers than his already disastrous NHL showing this season. A rock-steady tandem option who couldn’t stay healthy throughout his prime, Raanta hadn’t put up anything worse than a .905 SV% since his rookie season. He came crashing down in 2023-24, though, logging a .872 SV% and 2.99 GAA in 20 starts and four relief appearances before Carolina sent him to the minors for good to end the season. He’s failed to win a game in Chicago since this latest demotion, although he did log one win earlier in the campaign. He has only a .865 SV% in six games there, and while someone may give him a chance to see if he can recapture his previous form, the end appears near for Raanta’s NHL career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blackhawks Reassign Wyatt Kaiser

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The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports reports Monday. This leaves the Blackhawks with only six healthy defenders, suggesting Connor Murphy may be ready to come off injured reserve before Wednesday’s game against the Blues.

Kaiser, 21, has looked promising when given NHL minutes this season. He’s goalless through 32 games but has seven assists, 46 blocks, and only slightly below-average possession metrics on a badly understaffed Chicago blue line. The Minnesota native has largely been limited to bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 17:19 on the season, but had seen over 20 minutes of ice time in three of his last five outings.

He made the team out of camp but was assigned to Rockford in early December, where he remained for most of the season aside from a brief emergency loan later that month. Chicago brought him back a few weeks ago, playing him in each of their last nine games. The left-shot defender has been decent on the farm, where he has three goals and 15 points in 31 games.

A strong skater and good outlet passer, he’s done enough to put himself in consideration for an opening-night job again this fall. He has one season left on his entry-level contract, which carries a $917K cap hit, and will be an RFA in 2025.

Murphy looks to return after missing the last two and a half months with osteitis pubis, the same inflammatory groin issue that sidelined Sharks captain Logan Couture for all but six games this season. The 31-year-old told NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis last week that being “a part of the solution” has pushed him to close out the season back in the lineup. The veteran shutdown man complemented his eight points in 43 games with some of the team’s better possession numbers prior to exiting the lineup in January, posting a 44.4 CF% and -7.4 expected rating.

Toronto Maple Leafs Assign Noah Chadwick To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defense prospect Noah Chadwick to the minor leagues to finish the season (Twitter link). Chadwick signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Toronto in December, but finished out his year in the WHL before moving to the pros. He’s so far played in 66 WHL games this season, scoring a career-high 12 goals and 56 points.

Chadwick was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, on the back of stalwart play on the defensive side of the red line. While his 20 points in 67 games last season certainly wasn’t inspiring, his long reach and ability to contain opponents stood out every single game. Chadwick’s impact remained largely on the defensive side this season, though his boost in scoring could give him good momentum going into the AHL.

Chadwick will have seven games to fight into the Toronto Marlies lineup before the AHL Playoffs begin. The Marlies sit at fourth in the North Division right now, three points ahead of the Laval Rocket and Belleville Senators with two games in hand. That should be plenty of playoff security, and buys Chadwick added time to earn his professional debut. He’ll face plenty of competition in the lineup, with the Marlies adding three defensemen earlier this week following the end of the Newfoundland Grizzlies’ season. The Marlies now sit at 13 defensemen, including Chadwick.

Injury Notes: Barabanov, Sandin, Kostin, Bryson

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Winger Alexander Barabanov has reportedly played his last game with the San Jose Sharks, with a lower-body injury expected to end his season and the Sharks not likely to re-sign him this summer, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Web link). Barabanov suffered the injury from a blocked shot on March 26th and hasn’t played since, missing San Jose’s last five games.

This is an abrupt and quiet end to what was a quiet season for Barabanov. He played in 46 games, scoring just four goals and 13 points – the lowest scoring rate of his career. It’s a disappointing follow-up to what seemed to be Barabanov’s breakout season last year, when he managed a career-high 15 goals and 47 points in just 68 games. He’ll now set his eyes on free agency – the 30-year-old’s first chance to play outside of San Jose since he became a full-time NHL player in 2021. While he’ll certainly have to take a price cut from his current $2.5MM cap hit, Barabanov could be an intriguing pick-up for teams needing more depth down the wings.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin left the team’s Sunday matchup against the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury, following a hit at the end of the first period (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has moved into an integral role for the Capitals, averaging 21:34 in ice time over his last 10 games. Rookie Vincent Iorio is currently Washington’s seventh defenseman. He could be poised for a crucial role, with Washington currently two points back of an Eastern Conference Wild Card with just six games to go.
  • The San Jose Sharks were without hot-streak winger Klim Kostin on Sunday due to illness, per Curtis Pashelka (Twitter link). Kostin has nine points through his first 14 games with the Sharks, averaging six more minutes of ice time than he did in 33 games with Detroit. The Sharks traded minor-league defenseman Radim Simek and a 2024 seventh-round pick for Kostin at the Deadline and have him signed through next season. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Collin Graf, getting his NHL debut just days after signing his first professional contract. Graf recorded one assist in the start.
  • Jacob Bryson suffered an upper-body injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ Sunday afternoon game, leaving after just nine minutes of play (Twitter link). Bryson has played in just 31 games this season – the fewest of his career. He’s recorded one goal and eight points in those appearances, extended his streak to four consecutive seasons with just one goal on the year. Buffalo will have to decide between Kale Clague and rookie Ryan Johnson, who is currently in the AHL, if Bryson has to miss any time.

Metropolitan Notes: Lazar, Marino, Kuraly

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The Devils will likely be without forward Curtis Lazar for the rest of the season after he sustained an upper-body injury in yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Senators, head coach Travis Green said (via James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now). Green confirmed that Lazar’s injury will make way for Shane Bowers to enter the lineup tonight against the Predators after being recalled from Utica earlier today.

Lazar will end his season with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points in 71 games while averaging 12:23 per game with a +10 rating. His assists and points figures are both career-highs, adding some highlight to what’s transpired to be a journeyman career for the 2013 first-round pick. The 29-year-old was picked up from the Canucks at last year’s deadline and is in the second season of a three-year, $3MM deal signed with Vancouver in free agency in 2022. He did quite well at controlling possession quality in a shutdown role, maintaining a solid 51.1 xG%.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • New Jersey will also be without defenseman John Marino against Nashville, as the team’s Amanda Stein relays he remains out with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury while fighting Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller in a game-opening line brawl last Wednesday and already missed yesterday’s contest against the Sens. Injuries have sidelined Marino, the Devils’ top right-shot defender with Dougie Hamilton out long-term, for five of their last 12 games. The shutdown blue-liner has been better offensively but worse defensively than last year, notching 25 points in 71 games but logging an xG% south of 50 for only the second time in his career. He has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $4.4MM cap hit, with an eight-team no-trade list that kicks in this summer.
  • The Blue Jackets have center Sean Kuraly back in the lineup today against the Hurricanes, per the team’s Jeff Svoboda. The news ends a few days of will-he-won’t-he from head coach Pascal Vincent and marks his first appearance since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 12. Now in his third season in his native Ohio, Kuraly has nine goals and 17 points in 57 games this year while averaging 13:33 per game, down from the 15-plus minutes he’d averaged since arriving in Columbus in 2021.

Hurricanes Sign Bradly Nadeau To Entry-Level Deal

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The Hurricanes have signed 2023 first-round pick Bradly Nadeau to a three-year, entry-level contract, GM Don Waddell announced today. The contract begins immediately, allowing him to join the team and potentially make his NHL debut down the stretch.

Nadeau’s contract pays him a $855K base salary each season plus a $95K signing bonus, which works out to the maximum ELC cap hit of $950K. When in the minors, he’ll earn a salary of $82.5K.

The 18-year-old turns pro much earlier than expected after a strong freshman season at the University of Maine. Last year’s 30th overall pick led or tied for the lead on the Black Bears in every notable stat, notching 19 goals, 27 assists, 46 points, and a +20 rating in 37 games.

Nadeau’s recruitment out of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees was instrumental in helping the Maine program overcome a years-long stretch of mediocrity. They advanced to the Hockey East semifinals and earned a bid to the national tournament for the first time since 2012. He was named to Hockey East’s year-end Second All-Star Team and was the Black Bears’ nominee for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate player nationwide.

The victor of back-to-back BCHL championships with Penticton in 2022 and 2023, Nadeau was the highest-drafted player last year who did not play in a major junior, collegiate, or professional league. The now-independent BCHL is a tier below the main Canadian junior circuit, the CHL. Teams hadn’t used a first-round pick on a player selected directly out of the BCHL since the Avalanche took Alex Newhook 16th overall in 2019.

His quick rise and subsequent breakout with Maine has him positioned as the Hurricanes’ top forward prospect and the second-best overall behind Russian defenseman Alexander Nikishin, posits The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Their third-ranked prospect, blue-liner Scott Morrow, inked his ELC last week and immediately joined the NHL roster, although he’s yet to debut.

Size isn’t his biggest advantage at 5’10” and 172 lbs, but his incredibly accurate and powerful shot gives him a top-six ceiling in the majors. He boasts a rather well-rounded offensive game and is nearly as good a passer as he is a finisher. While his straight-line speed isn’t the fastest, his agility and edgework have made up for it at the collegiate and junior levels.

It’s unlikely Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour will opt to thrust the New Brunswick native into playoff action, but he’s eligible for postseason play if needed. Along with Morrow, Nadeau will likely make his NHL debut over Carolina’s five remaining regular-season games.

Nadeau’s signing age is technically 19, so his entry-level contract is eligible to slide once. Since playing more than 10 NHL games this season isn’t possible, his ELC will defer to 2024-25. It’ll carry a slightly reduced cap hit, too, as his initial $95K signing bonus will be paid out this season. As such, the deal won’t expire until 2027, at which point he’ll be an RFA with five years of team control remaining.

Blue Jackets Place Carson Meyer On Waivers

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April 7: Meyer has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minors at will, per CapFriendly.

April 6: It’s not very often that we see waiver activity in April but there was a placement on the wire today.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Blue Jackets have placed winger Carson Meyer on waivers.

It’s the second time on waivers for the 26-year-old who also cleared at the beginning of the season.  At that time, Meyer was assigned to AHL Cleveland where he was relatively productive, notching 22 goals and 15 assists in 55 games, setting new career-highs in goals and points.

That helped earn Meyer a recall on an emergency basis back on March 11th.  He had been a regular most nights in the lineup since then as he got into a dozen games with the Blue Jackets, picking up a goal along with 33 hits while averaging a little under ten minutes a night.  Because Meyer played in more than ten games on this recall, he has to clear waivers to return to the Monsters.  Since the recall came after the trade deadline, he retained his AHL eligibility for the stretch run.

It’s quite likely that Meyer will once again clear on Sunday.  If a team were to claim him, he’d be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season at both the NHL and AHL levels.  Meyer will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency in July, his first opportunity to hit the open market.

West Notes: Kane, Hill, Hertl, Bogosian

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Oilers winger Evander Kane has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Flames forward Dryden Hunt in last night’s 4-2 win, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced. The play occurred early into the second period. After Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard stopped a shot from Hunt on a 2-on-1 rush and froze play, Kane checked Hunt away from the crease and then laid a slash across his wrists as the two were circling behind the net after the whistle (video via RDS). It was a night to forget for Kane, who was benched for stretches and played just 9:54 – a season-low, discounting games where he’s sustained injuries. Near the end of the second period, he was on the receiving end of a fiery tirade from teammate Corey Perry as well. The 32-year-old still has solid totals with 23 goals and 41 points in 74 games this season, but he’s been among the Oilers’ worst players defensively and is averaging 16:43 per game, the lowest since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers 14 years ago.

Other notes out of the West:

  • Golden Knights starter Adin Hill is nearing a return as he practiced with the team today and will travel on their two-game road trip through Western Canada, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Cassidy also told reporters that forward Tomáš Hertl will “probably” make his Vegas debut tomorrow in Vancouver. Hill has been out since March 24 with a lower-body injury, his second of the season. He also missed two weeks in early December with a lower-body ailment, although it’s unclear if the two are related. It’s been a battle for last year’s Stanley Cup hero to stay healthy this season, but he’s been Vegas’ best and most consistent option when available. He’s started a career-high 32 games, posting an 18-10-2 record with a .914 SV%, 2.62 GAA, two shutouts, and 9.5 goals saved above average. Hertl, meanwhile, has been ramping up in practice over the past few days and is set to play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery as a member of the Sharks shortly after the All-Star break.
  • The Wild have depth defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the fold against the Blackhawks today, notes The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 33-year-old has recently logged top-four minutes alongside Jonas Brodin but missed Minnesota’s last two games, both losses, with an undisclosed injury. The Wild are teetering on the edge of playoff contention and realistically need to win out to sniff a chance at making the postseason. Bogosian has actually been quite good for Minnesota since being picked up from the Lightning in an early-season trade, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 55 games while averaging 18:06 per game, his highest usage and offensive production since 2018-19 with the Sabres. He’s done so with positive possession metrics, too, logging a 50.7 CF% and +3.3 expected rating.

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