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Hurricanes Sign Spencer Martin To One-Year Extension

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Spencer Martin has made a positive impression since joining the Hurricanes on waivers in mid-January.  He was rewarded for his efforts today as the team announced they’ve signed the goaltender to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $775K.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the move:

Spencer has been an excellent addition to our team. He stepped right in and played well for us, and we’re excited to sign him for next season.

Waddell is certainly correct about Martin playing well since Carolina picked him up.  The 28-year-old has made five starts with his new team, winning four while posting a 1.97 GAA along with a .922 SV%.  Those numbers are a vast improvement on the 3.65 and .887 marks he put up in 13 appearances with the Blue Jackets.

Martin has bounced around this season.  He attended training camp with Vancouver but was waived soon after they picked up Casey DeSmith from Montreal.  Columbus quickly scooped him up with Daniil Tarasov being injured to start the season.  Once he returned, the Blue Jackets briefly carried three goalies before putting him back on the wire where Carolina picked him up with injury concerns of their own.

At the moment, Martin is Carolina’s third-string goalie with Antti Raanta playing in the minors.  That’s likely to remain his role for next season with Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen both under contract for 2024-25.  Martin could have become an unrestricted free agent in July but instead, he has decided that staying put is the right course of action with what will be his third-straight season on a one-way agreement.

Lightning Recall Emil Lilleberg On Emergency Basis

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The Lightning have added an extra blueliner to their roster heading into their five-game road trip as the team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg from AHL Syracuse.

It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old who was originally drafted by Arizona in 2021 but signed with Tampa Bay after the Coyotes elected not to sign him.  Lilleberg played in 23 games with the Lightning during his first stint with the big club, picking up three assists along with 24 blocks and 69 hits while logging nearly 16 minutes a night of ice time.  With the Crunch, meanwhile, Lilleberg has two goals and 11 helpers in 33 contests so far.

CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that this has been classified as an emergency loan, meaning that it won’t against Tampa Bay’s four post-deadline recalls.  It also suggests that the availability of one of their blueliners is in question for tonight’s game against Florida.  However, that designation also means that Lilleberg has to be returned to the minors once the emergency situations ends or be converted to a regular recall which would count against their recall limit.

Snapshots: Ducks, Bortuzzo, Larkin

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Prior to their game tonight against Winnipeg, the Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Radko Gudas was out with an upper-body injury while center Mason McTavish was out with a lower-body issue.  Gudas was injured early in Thursday’s contest against Minnesota while McTavish made it through the game.  Gudas is averaging 19:24 per night in his first year on Anaheim’s back end, his highest ATOI since the 2015-16 season, his first in Philadelphia.  McTavish, meanwhile, has had a strong sophomore year with 40 points in 56 games so far, good for fourth on team scoring.  There’s word for how long either player will be out for.  Notably, Anaheim could only dress 11 forwards so if McTavish is to miss any time beyond tonight’s action, a recall will likely be coming from AHL San Diego.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Islanders have activated defenseman Robert Bortuzzo off LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 34-year-old was acquired from St. Louis back in December but then suffered a lower-body injury in early January, one that has kept him out for the last ten weeks.  Bortuzzo has been limited to third-pairing duty in his 15 appearances so far this season as he’s averaging just 13:40 per night while chipping in with 20 hits and 21 blocked shots.  Bortuzzo is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • Red Wings center Dylan Larkin briefly took part in practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan. However, he has already been ruled out for their two games this weekend and head coach Derek Lalonde expressed some hesitance about his captain returning on Tuesday as well.  Detroit has lost five straight without Larkin, who is still tied for the team lead in scoring with 26 goals and 28 assists in 55 games so far.

Blackhawks Recall Lukas Reichel

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With Lukas Reichel being an important part of Chicago’s rebuild, it was only a matter of time before he was given another look with the Blackhawks.  That time has come as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the winger has been recalled from AHL Rockford although he was a healthy scratch tonight against Los Angeles.  In a corresponding move, winger Zach Sanford was assigned to the IceHogs.

Expectations were high for the 21-year-old coming into the season after how he fared last season in Chicago when he collected seven goals and eight assists in just 23 games.  With the Blackhawks having several openings up front, the hope was that Reichel could grab hold of a full-time top-six role.

However, that didn’t happen.  Instead, Reichel struggled in a variety of spots on the depth chart while also getting a look at center for a handful of games.  He wound up notching just three goals and seven helpers in his first 50 appearances, resulting in Chicago deciding to send him down last month for a bit of a reset.

While Reichel didn’t light it up with the IceHogs, he did have some success with a goal and six assists in nine appearances.  Last year, Reichel made his biggest impact following a post-deadline recall and now, the Blackhawks hope that history will repeat itself.  With Reichel being a restricted free agent this summer, he’ll be counting on a big finish to help his case in contract discussions in the offseason.

As for Sanford, he has split the season between Arizona and Chicago, who claimed him off waivers back in January.  He has played in 29 NHL games between the two organizations, collecting six assists while averaging just under 11 minutes a night of action.  Sanford cleared waivers last month and had been papered down at the trade deadline, permitting him to play in Rockford moving forward.

2024 AHL Trade Deadline Roundup

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The AHL trade deadline was today, one week after the NHL’s trade deadline.  We saw the Senators swing a pair of trades today for the NHL rights to players who were then assigned to their affiliate while a handful of other moves were made.  Here’s a rundown of those per the AHL’s transactions log.

  • The Red Wings recalled defenseman Jared McIsaac from his loan in Switzerland and moved him to Boston’s farm team in exchange for center Curtis Hall. McIsaac had four points in 15 games for Grand Rapids and suited up just three times with Ambri-Piotta.  Hall, meanwhile, has been fairly productive in limited action with the Bruins’ affiliate, notching six points in a dozen appearances.  Both players are restricted free agents with arbitration rights this summer and if the swap works well, the two teams could execute it at the NHL level in the summer.
  • The Sharks have found a new place to play for winger Ozzy Wiesblatt, loaning him to Milwaukee. The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by San Jose back in 2020 (31st overall) but has struggled this season, notching just three goals and eight assists in 34 games.  Wiesblatt is signed through next season and his AHL rights will revert to the Barracuda for 2024-25.
  • Tampa Bay’s affiliate picked up defenseman Quinn Schmiemann from Abbotsford. It’s a return of sorts for the 22-year-old who was drafted by the Lightning back in 2019 but didn’t sign with them.  Schmiemann played in 25 games this season with the Canucks’ affiliate, picking up a goal and five assists.
  • New Jersey’s affiliate picked up blueliner Austin Osmanski from St. Louis’ farm team. The 25-year-old has seen AHL action in the past three seasons but has been limited to just ten contests so far where he has an assist and 20 penalty minutes.

Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen On Emergency Basis

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The Blue Jackets summoned defenseman Jake Christiansen on an emergency basis from AHL Cleveland on Friday, per a team release. The recall is on response to an injury blue-liner Adam Boqvist sustained in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Senators, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Christiansen is expected to draw into the lineup for the fourth time this season when Columbus faces the Sharks on Saturday. The Blue Jackets were only carrying six defensemen on the NHL roster after dealing Andrew Peeke to the Bruins at last week’s trade deadline, so they’re eligible to use an emergency recall to ensure they have six healthy defenders for their next game. As such, Christiansen does not count toward Columbus’ four post-deadline standard recalls, of which they’ve already used one.

Boqvist is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The Blue Jackets have not issued a timeline for his return to the lineup.

The 24-year-old Vancouver native is in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets organization after signing as an undrafted free agent in March 2020. The former Everett Silvertips star has consistently put up solid offensive numbers in the minors, solidifying a top-four role in Cleveland but never earning a spot on Columbus’ opening night rosters over the years. He signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K NHL/$275K AHL/$350K gt’d) to remain with the Jackets before his entry-level deal expired last summer.

After leading all AHL defensemen in goals two seasons ago, Christiansen is now on pace for career-highs across the board with 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points in 54 minor-league games this season. His +8 rating leads Monsters defenders, his 40 points are second on the team, and only Colorado’s Brad Hunt and Manitoba’s Kyle Capobianco have more points among defenders league-wide.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown the ability to replicate that success in the majors. He’s suited up for 35 NHL games since his debut in 2022, three of which came this season, logging one goal and five assists with a -5 rating while averaging 14:02 per game. His possession numbers have been middling in a sheltered offensive role, posting a career 43.9 CF% at even strength, suggesting he’s not ready to take on more minutes, either.

He remains an intriguing call-up option for Columbus, though, who are still getting bang for their buck based on his minor-league contributions. If they opt to issue him a qualifying offer, Christiansen will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer.

Canucks Sign Christian Felton To Entry-Level Deal

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4:19 p.m.: Felton’s ELC carries a cap hit of $870K and is signed for next season, per CapFriendly. He’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2025. The deal will pay him $775K in base salary, $95K in signing bonuses, and up to $80K in performance bonuses along with a $82.5K minors salary.

12:06 p.m.: The Vancouver Canucks have joined in on NCAA free agency, signing defenseman Christian Felton to a one-year, entry-level contract. Felton joins Vancouver as an undrafted free agent after spending the last three seasons with Merrimack College, which he joined after one year with Bentley University. Felton has been out of action since February, battling with an upper-body injury. He’ll join the Abbotsford Canucks and is poised to make his pro debut when healthy.

Felton was the only undrafted defenseman invited to Vancouver’s development camp last year and he clearly made an impact, now signing his first pro contract with the club despite a shortened season. Felton, who had many teams interested in him per Rick Dhaliwal of Chek News, is a stout defender who mans the defensive side of the ice well – using good physicality, an active stick, and cheeky passing to gather and maintain possession. While he could benefit from improved foot speed, Felton’s awareness and reaction speed help him keep up with any opponents. His calm demeanor was a key piece of both Merrimack’s power-play and penalty kill, speaking to his versatility.

Felton is also a right-hand shot, something highly coveted to a Canucks organization that’s currently boasting 14 left-handed defenders to 11 right-handed defenders. That could give Felton a leg-up in the depth chart, though he’ll still have to carve his teeth in the AHL before he earns a role with the Canucks. If he’s able to adjust to pros well, Felton could start to challenge Jett Woo as the team’s de facto right-handed call-up.

Rangers Sign Hugo Ollas To Entry-Level Contract

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4:17 p.m.: The contract begins next season, per CapFriendly. As such, Ollas will reach RFA status in 2026. The deal carries a cap hit of $855K and will see him earn $775K in base salary, $80K in signing bonuses, and $75K in minors salary in each of the next two years.

1:43 p.m.: The Rangers have signed goaltender Hugo Ollas to a two-year, entry-level contract, according to a team release. He’ll likely finish the season with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The team did not specify if Ollas’ deal began immediately or was signed for the 2024-25 campaign.

Ollas was a seventh-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 draft, and they had until Aug. 15, 2025, to sign him before losing his exclusive rights. The 21-year-old has spent the last three seasons in collegiate hockey with Merrimack, where he was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team in 2022-23.

His upside comes from his calm yet fluid movements in the crease—although at 6-foot-8 and 238 lbs, he doesn’t have much ground to cover to move from post to post. His numbers at Merrimack have consistently declined since his strong freshman season, though, going from a .920 SV% and 2.24 GAA in 2021-22 to a .908 SV% and 2.84 GAA this season.

The Rangers did not disclose the financial terms of Ollas’ contract. The Linköping, Sweden, native will be an RFA in either 2025 or 2026, depending on if his contract begins immediately or defers to next season.

Stars Sign Tristan Bertucci To Entry-Level Deal

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The Stars signed left-shot defenseman Tristan Bertucci to his entry-level contract on Friday, per a team announcement. The three-year deal with a cap hit of $878K will begin in 2024-25, making him an RFA upon expiry in 2027 – which could push to 2028 if he plays less than 10 NHL games next season and activates an entry-level slide. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the deal, which is as follows:

2024-25/2025-26: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary
2026-27: $800K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $55K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary.

The initial $95K signing bonus will get paid out next season regardless of whether he plays more than 10 NHL games or not, which, in the case of a slide, would lower the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect in 2025-26.

Bertucci, 18, was a late second-round pick of the Stars in last year’s draft. Taken off the board at 61st overall, the Ontario native’s production has stagnated in his post-draft season, logging 41 points and a +10 rating in 56 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds this season compared to 50 points and a +12 rating in 63 games last season. He’s still a solid two-way presence with good shutdown and transition potential at the NHL level, though, and doesn’t have much support on a Firebirds team that’s been relegated to mediocrity this year with a 29-30-4 record.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 180 lbs, Bertucci has to fill out his frame a little bit more before he’s ready for NHL action. He’ll likely return to the Firebirds next year for his fourth season of major junior play, sliding the beginning of his ELC to 2025, and will join the AHL’s Texas Stars at the end of next season. He’ll take a year or two of development there as well before hopefully cracking the NHL roster in 2026 or 2027.

Bertucci’s deal will not count against the 50-contract maximum next season if he’s not in the NHL. The Stars had until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an ELC before his draft rights lapsed.

Senators Acquire Jamieson Rees From Hurricanes

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The Senators have acquired center prospect Jamieson Rees from the Hurricanes, per a team release. Ottawa has sent their 2024 sixth-round pick to Carolina in return.

This is the Senators’ second minor-league pickup of the day after nabbing center Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Jets. Both players are ineligible to play for Ottawa down the stretch as they were acquired after the March 8 deadline, but they can suit up for the team’s AHL affiliate in Belleville for the remainder of the season. Today was the AHL’s trade deadline, explaining the flurry of minor-league movement.

Carolina is selling Rees at a loss after drafting him in the second round in 2019. The 23-year-old has been affected by the Hurricanes’ lack of an AHL affiliate this season more than anyone in the organization, recording just four assists in 37 games split between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Charlotte Checkers. Last season, Rees finished fourth on the Chicago Wolves (then Carolina’s primary affiliate) in scoring, notching 14 goals and 42 points in 65 games.

While the 5-foot-11 pivot has continued to display his high-end skating at the pro level, he hasn’t scored with consistency. 2022-23’s showing was a breakout campaign at 0.65 points per game – he’s notched 0.48, 0.39 and 0.14 points per game in his other three full AHL seasons. A Calder Cup champion with Chicago in 2022, there’s still upside to be had if he can regain his confidence along with some organizational stability in Ottawa, but a write-off season this late in his development is concerning.

Rees is in the final season of his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $839K. He’ll be an RFA this summer if the Senators issue him a qualifying offer, although he does not have arbitration rights.

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