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Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Wood, Kovalenko

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Star Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has avoided the worst after leaving Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers. He’s entered concussion protocol after taking back-to-back heavy hits from Edmonton blue-liner Mattias Ekholm and is listed as day-to-day, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters (via Meghan Angley of DNVR Sports). Colorado will still be without the Finnish forward in a crucial match against the Stars tonight that will have a major impact on the race for the Central Division title, but it doesn’t appear his absence will stretch into the postseason. Bednar said Rantanen did off-ice workouts yesterday and skated on his own prior to today’s practice. It’s been another banner season for Rantanen, eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second season in a row and leading all forwards in time on ice (23:04/GP). His 62 even-strength points are tied with Oilers center Leon Draisaitl for eighth in the league, and his 62 overall assists are tied for fifth with Draisaitl and Canucks center J.T. Miller.

Other injury notes out of Denver:

  • Middle-six winger Miles Wood is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Bednar said (via Angley). He didn’t take the final two shifts of the game against Edmonton with linemates Ross Colton and Zach Parise, although it’s unclear on what play he sustained the injury. He’s provided decent checking-line play in his first season in Colorado, in line with what the Avs expected when they inked him to a controversially lengthy six-year, $15MM deal over the offseason. The 28-year-old has nine goals and 24 points in 72 games, slightly south of his career point-per-game average, but has posted some of the better possession metrics of his career with a +1.7 expected rating and 50.6 CF% at even strength, the latter tying last season’s career-high with the Devils. Former Star Joel Kiviranta will enter the lineup in his place tonight against Dallas.
  • Forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko still isn’t close to making his Avs debut, per Bednar (via Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). Colorado brought the 24-year-old winger over from the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod after their brief playoff run ended in March, but he’s yet to play for either the Avs or AHL Colorado after playing through an undisclosed injury at the end of the campaign. He’s been skating sparingly and working with the club’s coaching staff in the meantime, but time is running out for the 2018 sixth-round pick to make his NHL debut before the end of the regular season. The son of longtime NHL winger Andrei Kovalenko exploded after a move to Torpedo in 2022, serving as an alternate captain since the transfer and posting 89 points in 98 games. Colorado signed him to an ELC last summer but loaned him back to the KHL for 2023-24.

Winnipeg Jets Reassign Colby Barlow To AHL

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After being eliminated by the Saginaw Spirit in the First Round of the 2024 OHL playoffs, the Owen Sound Attack will be losing one of their best players over the last three seasons. Earlier, the Winnipeg Jets announced they have reassigned forward Colby Barlow to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, ending his career in the OHL.

Barlow originally came to the Jets organization by way of the 2023 NHL Draft, as the team selected him with the 18th overall pick in the first round. Shortly before the beginning of the 2023-24 NHL season, Barlow signed a three-year, $3.6MM entry-level contract in Winnipeg, with the contract likely starting next season.

Over three years in Owen Sound, Barlow played in a total of 168 games, scoring 116 goals and 184 points while also chipping in nine goals and 12 points in 15 total postseason contests. As advertised, Barlow has a tremendous ability to put the puck on the net from nearly any angle of the offensive zone.

With only six games remaining in the regular season for the Moose, they will need to win between three and four of those contests to qualify for the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. Since the team is still effectively in the playoff hunt, it will allow Barlow to play in meaningful games to end his season.

Injury Notes: Oshie, Neighbours, Harkins

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Even though he has returned to the team’s practice this morning, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News is reporting that Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie will not be in the lineup for the team tonight. Currently dealing with an upper-body injury, Oshie has not played since March 30th, Oshie will miss his fourth straight game for the Capitals.

In nearly every month of the 2023-24 NHL season, Oshie has missed a handful of games for Washington, and is on pace to play in less than 60 games for the fourth straight season. Since his eight-year, $46MM extension with the Capitals kicked in at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Oshie has played in a total of 414 games for Washington, missing 21.7% of the team’s total games due to injury.

Even when healthy, Oshie’s production has certainly dipped this season, as he’s only managed 11 goals and 22 points in 47 games, on pace for the lowest total of his 16-year career. Nevertheless, as the Capitals are still within striking distance for a playoff spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, they will need Oshie’s assistance in getting the team across the finish line.

Other injury notes:

  • In last night’s game between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks, the Blues organization announced that forward Jake Neighbours sustained an upper-body injury after receiving a hit into the boards from Sharks’ forward Luke Kunin. After the hit was absorbed, Neighbours did not play in the remainder of the second period or the entirety of the third period for the Blues. With a game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, there have been no further updates regarding Neighbours’ availability for the contest tonight.
  • Working his way back from a hand injury sustained at the beginning of March, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Jansen Harkins is ready to begin a conditioning stint with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Harkins, who is a veteran of 211 games at the AHL level, should start the conditioning stint relatively soon to resume his role on Pittsburgh’s fourth line.

Dallas Stars Send Down Mavrik Bourque

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After two days spent with the Dallas Stars, forward Mavrik Bourque will be headed back down to AHL Texas according to a team announcement. Since Bourque was originally recalled to replace the minutes of forward Tyler Seguin, it appears that Seguin will re-enter the lineup tonight for Dallas against the Colorado Avalanche.

Luckily, Bourque made his NHL debut on Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring zero points in almost 11 minutes of ice time. Playing on a line with Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven, the trio generated a decent amount of offense but ultimately lost the contest to their Central Division foe.

Now returning to the Texas Stars of the AHL, Bourque will be able to help the team that he has spent much of the year with clinch a playoff spot. However, it will not come easy to the team as they line up against the Milwaukee Admirals, who are currently leading the AHL Central Division.

Outside of tonight’s contest, AHL Texas will still have four games remaining to clinch a position in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs and will rely heavily on Bourque’s offensive prowess. Over 66 games this season at the AHL level, Bourque has scored 26 goals and 72 points, sitting atop the league in scoring. After such an impressive season, Bourque has put himself in a position to win both the Les Cunningham Award and the John B. Sollenberger Trophy at seasons end.

Detroit Red Wings Injury Updates

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Earlier, Ansar Khan of MLive issued several injury updates to several players on the Detroit Red Wings. Still having six games remaining in the regular season, the Red Wings control their destiny for the playoffs and will have to do so without a good portion of their depth.

Specifically, Khan notes that forward Michael Rasmussen will not be in the lineup for the team’s game tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres, and will also not be present for the team’s following game against the Washington Capitals. Rasmussen originally went down with an upper-body injury on April 1st and did not play for the team on Friday in a loss to the New York Rangers.

It will be a big subtraction for several reasons, as Rasmussen’s size and athletic ability have allowed Detroit to move him up and down the lineup for much of the year. With this being his most successful season, Rasmussen has scored 13 goals and 33 points over 75 games this year, leading to a four-year, $12.8MM extension with the Red Wings back in February.

On the defensive side of the lineup, Khan also mentioned that defenseman Olli Maatta is questionable for tomorrow’s contest as he is also dealing with an upper-body injury. Playing primarily with offensive defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for much of the year, Maatta’s presence on the back end has been able to hide much of Gostisbehere’s defensive shortcomings.

In his second season in the Winged Wheel, Maatta has scored three goals and 17 points over 66 games, which is right on par with his production from last year. On the puck’s defensive side, Maatta has managed a 93.6 On-Ice Save Percentage in All Situations, a massive testament to his game, given that Detroit is 24th overall in goals against per game.

Lastly, in an update between the pipes, Khan reports that goaltender Ville Husso is close to beginning a rehab assignment with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Husso has been out for nearly two months for Detroit as he works his way back from a lower-body injury.

Before the emergence of Alex Lyon in the crease, Husso started the year as the Red Wings starting option in the net. Although he was a bit streaky to start the year, Husso has put together a 9-5-2 record over 18 starts, carrying a .892 save percentage and a 3.55 goals-against average.

Pacific Notes: Bellemare, Danault, Turcotte, Pospisil

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Close to reaching a milestone of playing in 700 regular season games at the NHL level, it appears that Seattle Kraken forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare does not want to stop there. In an article from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Bellemare indicated that even if he is unable to reach 700 this season with the Kraken, he would be content with reaching it next year.

In the article, Bellemare was quoted as saying, “So, I feel like it’s more the people that know me and maybe have an idea about my path and the work and everything. But at the end of the day, I’m not planning on retiring, so if it doesn’t happen this year, it will be at another point. And if it takes me 80 more games to pick up whatever’s left it will be what it is“.

Even if Bellemare does not hold the benchmark in high regard, it is quite a testament to his work ethic, as he originally came into the league during the 2014-15 season to the Philadelphia Flyers organization as a free agent. Throughout his 10 years in the league, Bellemare has suited up for the Flyers, Kraken, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning, earning a total of $10.525MM up to this point in his career.

Other Pacific notes:

  • In an update from Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Kings will be receiving center Phillip Danault back into the lineup this evening. Usually one of the more consistently healthy players in the league, Danault went down with an upper-body injury on March 28th and has missed the last four games for the Kings. Included in the report was an update on injured Los Angeles forward Alex Turcotte, who was spotted back at practice in a non-contact jersey this morning. Compared to Danault, Turcotte has been out much longer for the Kings, as he has not appeared in a contest since March 19th due to an upper-body injury.
  • In the Calgary Flames most recent matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, forward Martin Pospisil delivered a check to Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey, with Pospisil’s elbow appearing to make contact with Morrissey’s chin. Pospisil was ejected based on the play; however, it does not appear that the league will be giving him supplemental discipline (X Link). Earlier this year, Pospisil hit Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn from behind and was suspended for three games by the Department of Player Safety.

Atlantic Notes: Maroon, Olson, Fleury, Senators

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The Bruins are hoping to have trade deadline pickup Pat Maroon make his Boston debut a week from today against the Penguins, head coach Jim Montgomery said (via Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe). Maroon hasn’t played in over two months, last suiting up on Jan. 27. He’s been out since with a back injury, missing over six weeks for the Wild before they dealt him to Boston at the deadline for a sixth-round pick and a minor league player. It was the fifth time the well-traveled Cup winner has been traded in his career, only changing teams in free agency twice. Prior to exiting the lineup, Maroon had four goals and 16 points in 49 games while averaging 12:46 a night, his highest usage since winning the Cup with the Blues in a top-nine role in 2019. The Bruins will look to him to add veteran experience and penalty minutes to a fourth line that’s mainly revolved around rookies and call-ups.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Bruins forward prospect Quinn Olson has signed outside the organization, landing with AHL Ontario for the rest of the season, per Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. Boston will lose their exclusive signing rights to Olson if they can’t agree to an entry-level contract by Aug. 15. 23 next month, Olson just wrapped up a five-year stint at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he served as an alternate captain in his senior and graduate seasons and totaled 27 goals and 96 points across 175 games. Not being offered a tryout by Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence is a strong indication that the 2019 third-round pick will reach unrestricted free agency in August.
  • Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury left today’s loss to the Penguins and didn’t return after a freak neutral-zone collision with referee Steve Kozari, as relayed by Bally Sports’ Gabby Shirley. Kozari was briefly unconscious after the collision and required a stretcher off the ice, although the league confirmed in a statement that he has full use of his extremities and is expected to make a full recovery. Fleury was able to skate off the ice, but the severity of the hit will require further evaluation. The depth blue-liner has five points and a +5 rating in 23 showings this season, his second in a Lightning uniform.
  • The Senators have parted ways with professional scouts Jim Clark and Rob Murphy, GM Steve Staios announced. This could end an illustrious front-office career for the 70-year-old Clark, who’s held roles with the Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Panthers as well since breaking into the league in 1990. He was brought on by the Sens in 2008 after being let go as Columbus’ assistant GM, serving on their scouting staff for six years before being promoted to their Director of Professional Scouting in 2014. Ottawa demoted Clark out of the head scout role ahead of this season, replacing him with Murphy, who’d been a pro scout for the organization since 2018. This was Murphy’s second run with the Sens, also serving in their pro scouting department from 2010 to 2014 before leaving for a Director of Scouting role with the Sabres.

Central Notes: Forsberg, Seguin, McGroarty, Wagner

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Predators winger Filip Forsberg is in the middle of a career year as he leads the team in scoring with 43 goals and 44 assists through 76 games so far. However, he’s playing through some kind of injury as he has been rarely practicing with the team. In an appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), head coach Andrew Brunette indicated that the issue isn’t going away anytime soon. While he termed it as something that’s manageable, the bench boss also added that it might take the entire offseason before Forsberg heals up. The winger hasn’t shown any ill effects from whatever is bothering him, helping to lead the Predators on an improbable 18-game point streak recently, taking them from out of the playoffs to safely in the postseason picture.

Other updates out of the Central:

  • The Stars were without veteran forward Tyler Seguin in today’s loss to the Blackhawks, but they’ll get him back in the lineup tomorrow against the Avalanche, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury, potentially related to the issue that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. The Stars have been cautious with the 32-year-old’s deployment since he returned a few weeks back, making him a scratch for maintenance/load management reasons against the Sharks early last week. The 2010 second-overall pick is having his best season since missing nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury, potting 23 goals and 50 points in 64 games.
  • One storyline surrounding the Jets is the future of top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who has at most one week left in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. He told Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that his agents haven’t had serious discussions with Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff about an entry-level deal but have kept in touch. The 20-year-old Nebraska tore apart Big 10 opponents this season, finishing second on the Wolverines in scoring with 16 goals and 52 points in 35 games. Coming off a point-per-game freshman season and captaining the USA at the 2024 World Juniors, it wouldn’t be surprising to see McGroarty turn pro and finish the season as a Black Ace on Winnipeg’s playoff roster.
  • After being sent to the minors yesterday, Avalanche center Chris Wagner was recalled back to the NHL roster. The move comes in the wake of an upper-body injury to star winger Mikko Rantanen, who left partway through last night’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers and didn’t return. Wagner gives the Avs 13 healthy forwards without Rantanen, providing additional injury insurance for tomorrow’s all-important clash for divisional playoff positioning against the Stars. He’s got a goal and an assist in 11 games with Colorado this season, his first in the Avs organization.

Hurricanes Sign Gleb Trikozov To Entry-Level Contract

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The Hurricanes have signed forward prospect Gleb Trikozov to his three-year, entry-level contract, according to Trikozov’s agent, Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. In a press release Saturday, the team confirmed that his contract begins in the 2024-25 season and carries an $862.5K cap hit, broken down into a $775K base salary and $87.5K signing bonus each season. Trikozov will earn a $82.5K salary when assigned to the minors or overseas.

Carolina selected Trikozov, 19, with their first selection in the 2022 draft, coming late in the second round at 60th overall. They parted with their first-round pick as compensation for signing then-RFA center Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet in September 2021, although it later changed hands multiple times and eventually ended up with the Sharks. San Jose used it on Swedish pivot Filip Bystedt, who recently made his North American debut for their AHL affiliate.

The 6’1″ Russian winger spent time with three different clubs in the Avangard Omsk system in his home country this season but closed out the season on assignment to the MHL, Russia’s top junior league. He was electric in regular season play throughout the year, scoring 12 goals in 10 games while totaling 18 points. He also added nine points in seven playoff games as Omskie Yastreby was eliminated last month.

He only appeared in two games in the top-level KHL, spending most of the year on assignment to the VHL, the top minor professional circuit. There, with Omskie Krylia, he was the team’s leading per-game scorer, notching 11 goals and 21 points in 39 games on a team that was nowhere near playoff contention.

Trikozov remains a high-ceiling yet unpolished prospect and could stand to get more comfortable in puck battles and improve his defensive awareness, although that’s the case with most mid-tier prospects his age. Those concerns led to some rather polarizing rankings in his draft year, as multiple public scouting sites believed Trikozov’s raw shooting ability made him worthy of a late first-round selection.

The Hurricanes still don’t have a full-time AHL affiliate on the books for next season, a situation that’s proven challenging for prospect development in 2023-24. The lack of consistent playing time and organizational ethos has completely derailed the development of some, such as 2019 second-round pick Jamieson Rees, who had just four assists in 37 AHL games split between Charlotte and Springfield before Carolina cut ties and traded him to the Senators a few weeks ago.

Nonetheless, GM Don Waddell said in a statement that the organization is “excited to see how [Trikozov’s] game continues to develop in North America,” implying they won’t be loaning him back to Russia next season. He’s not ready for NHL action, though, so they’ll need to find him a minor-league home if their affiliate situation isn’t rectified.

Trikozov will be 20 before Sep. 15, making him ineligible for an entry-level slide. His deal will take effect next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays, and upon expiry in 2027, he will be an RFA.

College Transfer Updates: Pohlkamp, Benoit, Makar, Kukkonen

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As college seasons have largely wound up aside from the four teams participating in the Frozen Four next week, activity in the transfer portal has picked up.  Here’s a rundown of the recent transfer news involving NHL prospects, via Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.

  • Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp has transferred from Bemidji State to the University of Denver. The 20-year-old defenseman was a fifth-round pick last June, going 132nd overall after a strong season offensively with Cedar Rapids of the USHL.  Pohlkamp had a productive freshman year for a blueliner, notching 11 goals and 13 assists in 32 games for the Beavers and will now join Denver, a program that has three of the top 15 blueline scorers in Division I.  Two of those could be turning pro soon which would open up a spot for Pohlkamp to play a prominent role.
  • Wild blueliner Nate Benoit is looking for a new school as he has entered the transfer portal. Drafted in the sixth round in 2021 (182nd overall), Benoit only made his college debut this season with the University of North Dakota but was limited to just 19 games and just 8:31 per night.  The 21-year-old will undoubtedly be looking to find a program where he can play a more prominent role.
  • After three years at UMass, Avalanche forward Taylor Makar is off to the University of Maine. The 23-year-old, who is Cale’s brother, was Colorado’s seventh-round pick in 2021 (210th overall) but hasn’t had much success so far at the NCAA level and tallied just four goals and five assists in 36 games this season.
  • After Kyle Kukkonen’s sophomore year at Michigan State didn’t go anywhere near as well as his freshman campaign, he has transferred to Wisconsin. The Ducks drafted the 21-year-old in the sixth round in 2021 (162nd overall) and things were looking up last year when he had 18 goals and nine assists in 39 games.  However, the center was limited to just a goal and 11 helpers in 27 contests this season, leading to the change of scenery.

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