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Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg Announces Plans To Retire

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Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg has announced his plans to retire from the NHL at the end of the season (Twitter link). Friday will mark his last time suiting up at the Honda Center, as the Ducks host the Calgary Flames in their last home game of the season.

This news comes as a surprise from the 33-year-old Silfverberg. While injuries limited him as the 2020s rolled around – he’s otherwise had a generally healthy career, playing in 70-or-more games in seven different seasons, including each of the last two. His scoring has taken a major hit, though, with Silfverberg netting just 19 points in 78 games this season – less than half of his totals from just four seasons ago.

Still, Silfverberg has had a fruitful career, totaling 817 games over the last 12 seasons. All but one of those seasons came with Anaheim, who acquired the Swedish winger in the 2013 trade that sent Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators. Silfverberg would go on to play in the fifth-most games in Ducks history – playing 769 with the Ducks – and score the seventh-most points with 354. He also added the fourth-most playoff points, scoring 41 in 57 postseason performances. While he hasn’t dominated the scoresheet like former teammates Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry, Silfverberg provided invaluable consistency for a long time in Anaheim, always carrying a controllable cap hit.

While Silfverberg’s NHL career is coming to a close, there is no indication of whether he’ll return to Sweden’s SHL or not. Silfverberg played in 166 games with Brynäs IF before moving to the NHL, after growing up through the organization’s youth program. He served as team captain in the 2011-12 season – his last year in Sweden – while wearing #100.

Atlantic Notes: Byram, Dahlin, Edmundson, Lyubushkin

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The Buffalo Sabres will be without newcomer defenseman Bowen Byram on Thursday due to a personal matter (Twitter link). Byram also missed the team’s morning practice. He has so far played in 16 games with the Sabres, netting three goals and seven points. That’s a 0.438 point-per-game pace, a significant boost over the 0.363 scoring pace he managed prior to being traded, when he scored 20 points in 55 games with the Colorado Avalanche. His combined 27 points in 71 games mark a new career-high for Byram, topping his 24 points last season.

Buffalo will now be back to square one, trying to make up for a lack of defense depth now without Byram or Erik Johnson, who was also traded at the Trade Deadline. This likely opens the door for Kale Clague to step back into the lineup for Buffalo’s last three games. Clague has made two other appearances in the Sabres lineup this season, recording one assist and one penalty. He was a much more frequent lineup piece last season, playing in 33 games with Buffalo and recording four assists, but he lost his platoon role to rookie Ryan Johnson this year. Johnson, who has played in his first 41 NHL games this year, is currently assigned to the minor-leagues but could receive a call-up if Buffalo wants added depth to close out the season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Staying with the Sabres defense, star Rasmus Dahlin has shared that he is ready to take on the Sabres captaincy, if the opportunity presents itself, per Paul Hamilton of WGR550 (Twitter link). Buffalo recently traded two-year captain Kyle Okposo, leaving the role once again vacant. Dahlin is serving alongside Zemgus Girgensons as the team’s assistant captains, though Girgensons is on an expiring deal and faced trade rumors earlier in the season. That leaves Dahlin, who is signed through the 2031-32 season, as seemingly the last man up in Buffalo’s search for leadership. He could face competition from top centerman Tage Thompson, long-tenured veteran Jeff Skinner, or grizzled personality-piece Alex Tuch – though it’s hard to envision the Sabres not once again placing their trust in Dahlin, who this season became the first Sabres defender since Phil Housley to score 20 goals.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson has shared that he’s good to go, after missing the team’s last eight games with an undisclosed injury, shares TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). He will be joined in re-entering the lineup by Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed Toronto’s last three games. Masters adds that Conor Timmins and Jake McCabe will step out of the lineup – with McCabe getting rested after an extended stint in the lineup.

West Notes: McDavid, Stephenson, Ludwinski

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The Edmonton Oilers are without the services of superstar center Connor McDavid this evening as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights. McDavid was called a game-time decision by head coach Kris Knoblauch earlier today but ultimately missed tonight’s game after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday against the Calgary Flames.

McDavid needs just one assist to reach 100 on the season and would become just the fourth player to ever tally 100 assists in a season alongside Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux. The 27-year-old has 31 goals to go along with his 99 helpers in 74 games this season as he and the Oilers sit second in the Pacific Division behind the Vancouver Canucks.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson didn’t dress tonight against the Oilers for personal reasons. The 29-year-old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has seen his numbers dip this season from a career high 65 points last year. In 73 games, Stephenson has 16 goals and 31 assists and a -11 plus/minus. Recent callup Brendan Brisson replaced Stephenson in the Golden Knights lineup.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have loaned forward Paul Ludwinski to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The 19-year-old was assigned to Rockford last year as well but didn’t appear in any games. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Ludwinski was selected in the second round of the 2022 NHL entry draft by Chicago and appeared in 60 games this season for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He set career highs in most offensive categories as he tallied 23 goals and 46 assists and added six points in five playoff games.

Evening Notes: Tortorella, Fantilli, Jones, Vlasic

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Despite their recent collapse, it doesn’t appear as though the Philadelphia Flyers are planning to make a coaching change to replace John Tortorella anytime soon. This news comes from TSN’s Darren Dreger who reports that Flyers sources have told him that “Torts is not leaving the bench.” The speculation around Tortorella’s job security makes sense given that the team is mired in a 1-6-3 streak in their last ten and are currently chasing a playoff spot after sitting comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division just a few short weeks ago.

The Flyers are winless in eight straight games and have looked lost the last month, particularly in their last three games where they have been outscored 19-7 by the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens. Last night’s 9-3 loss to Montreal was particularly difficult to watch as the Canadiens dominated the Flyers from start to finish which further added to speculation about Tortorella’s future.

In other evening notes:

  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli won’t play again this season after suffering a lacerated calf against the Seattle Kraken back on January 28th. While that news isn’t overly surprising given that there are just a handful of games left on the NHL schedule, what is surprising to hear is that the 19-year-old rookie might play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships if he is healthy a month from now. Fantilli played for Team Canada last year at the tournament and could return on May 10th if he is at 100 percent. Last year’s third-overall pick will finish his first NHL regular season with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games.
  • Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic will suit up for Team U.S.A. at the IIHF World Championships. The 22-year-old Vlasic hasn’t represented the United States internationally for over five years, last suiting up for the Americans at the U18 World Championship in 2018-19. Jones last suited up internationally two years ago at the World Championships when he captained the Americans to a fourth-place finish.

Coyotes Recall Vladislav Kolyachonok, Re-Assign Maksymilian Szuber

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The Arizona Coyotes are swapping a pair of defensemen this evening as they are recalling Vladislav Kolyachonok from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and re-assigning Maksymilian Szuber. Szuber was recalled from Tucson two nights ago and made his NHL debut last night against the Seattle Kraken, logging nearly 17 minutes and going -1. The 21-year-old didn’t look out of place as he registered a pair of hits, as well as a blocked shot, and a takeaway. The former sixth-round pick has had a surprisingly quick ascension to the NHL and could be in line for a longer look next season.

Kolyachonok has also seen just one game of NHL action this season, suffering an injury in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights back on November 25th. Despite the limited NHL minutes this season, the 22-year-old does have 35 career NHL games to his name, the bulk of which came in the 2021-22 season when he played 32 games as a 20-year-old. Kolyachonok has a goal and two assists over parts of three seasons and has struggled with turnovers in his young NHL career.

With Travis Dermott out of the lineup for the rest of the season, and Matt Dumba now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Coyotes will likely be looking at some of the young defensemen in their farm system as they close out the season. Given the prospects and draft picks that the Coyotes have available, they could have a very different-looking defensive core to start next season, one that Kolyachonok and Szuber would no doubt like to be part of.

Pacific Notes: Morin, Nesterenko, Turcotte

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With his 2023-24 season coming to an end with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, the Calgary Flames announced that Etienne Morin has been reassigned to the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Having yet to sign his entry-level contract with the Flames organization, Morin will play with the Wranglers for the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout agreement.

Morin originally came to the Flames organization by way of the 48th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. In his draft year, Morin was a very efficient defenseman for the Wildcats, scoring 21 goals and 72 points in 67 games while also achieving a +/- rating of 29.

While his year-on-year offensive production certainly took a dip in the 2023-24 season, Morin became even more effective as a physical player on the blue line. With the Wranglers having already clinched a playoff spot in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, Morin is set to receive valuable experience as the organization prepares for the postseason.

Other Pacific notes:

  • After having spent five days with the Anaheim Ducks, Nikita Nesterenko is headed back down to the AHL as the organization announced they have reassigned back to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Nesterenko was able to make his season debut with the Ducks over this emergency recall, suiting up in three games while scoring one goal. Now returning to San Diego, the former sixth-round pick will look to build upon his 15-goal, 33-point campaign in the last few contests.
  • Out of the lineup for the Los Angeles Kings for nearly a month, it appears that forward Alex Turcotte is close to returning for the club. In an update today, the Kings organization announced that Turcotte has been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on a conditioning loan. Before going down with an undisclosed injury in March, Turcotte was not a heavily utilized player by Los Angeles, scoring one goal and four points in 20 games while only averaging 9:17 of ice time per night.

Colorado Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner

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Earlier this morning, the Colorado Avalanche announced the organization has reassigned forward Chris Wagner to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. While an otherwise unremarkable transaction, the reassignment of Wagner points to the return of Mikko Rantanen to the lineup.

While Rantanen has been out for the team’s last two games due to a concussion, Wagner has been with the team for the better part of two weeks, playing in four of the team’s last five games. In those four contests, Wanger has averaged 6:45 of ice time over 46 shifts, scoring one goal in total.

Before signing a one-year, $775K contract extension with the Avalanche a few days ago, Wagner had primarily been playing in AHL Colorado but has been an oft-called-upon depth forward at the NHL level. Over 13 games with the Avalanche this season, Wagner has scored one goal and two points overall, while also scoring four goals and eight points over 17 games with the Eagles.

With respect to Wagner, Colorado will be more than happy to get Rantanen back into the lineup with three games remaining in the regular season. The Avalanche’s schedule will not get any easier down the stretch after losing an important contest against the Dallas Stars this past weekend. In hopes of earning a fourth-straight Division title, Colorado lines up against the Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and Edmonton Oilers to close out their regular season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Trey Fix-Wolansky

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Less than a week removed from being placed on the waiver wire, forward Carson Meyer of the Columbus Blue Jackets left the team’s game last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he was limited to only two shifts. Once again in a position to round out their depth at the bottom of the lineup, the Blue Jackets have recalled Trey Fix-Wolansky on an emergency basis.

Having already played in 10 games for Columbus this season, Fix-Wolansky will now get another opportunity to show his value at the NHL level. In those 10 games, Fix-Wolansky has only averaged 11:00 of ice time and has tallied only one assist.

As a late-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, and a bit undersized as well, that has not stopped Fix-Wolansky from becoming one of the premier scorers on the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Since making his debut for the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate in the 2019-20 season, Fix-Wolansky has played in 221 games, scoring 84 goals and 197 points overall.

Leading the Monsters in scoring for back-to-back seasons, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Columbus should give Fix-Wolansky an extended look at the game’s top level. As the new front office heads into its first offseason, the top brass in Columbus may look to thin out the forward core over the summer, giving Fix-Wolansky an opportunity for a full-time position with the Blue Jackets.

Wild Recall Liam Ohgren

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The Wild have recalled left-wing prospect Liam Öhgren from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. The 2022 first-round pick is now in line to make his NHL debut in the final few games of the regular season.

Öhgren, 20, spent the season on loan to Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League but was assigned to Iowa early this month after Färjestad was upset by Rögle BK in a 4-0 sweep in the SHL quarterfinals. Injuries kept him out for most of the first half of the campaign, but that didn’t stop him from fitting well into a top-six role with Färjestad upon his return. The speedy, sharp-shooting winger notched 12 goals and 19 points in 26 games with a +12 rating, although he was held without a point in their abbreviated playoff run.

His early adjustment to a weak Iowa squad hasn’t been terribly promising, but a small sample shouldn’t count for much. He’s yet to record a point in three games with the Wild’s top farm team with a -4 rating, but he did log five shots on goal in his last outing, a 4-3 loss to Rockford yesterday.

The 19th overall pick in 2022 is a top-three prospect in Minnesota’s system, checking in behind Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt and Russian winger Danila Yurov in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2024 ranking of NHL prospect pools. He was bar none the best player in the Swedish junior circuit during his draft year, potting 33 goals in just 30 games with Djurgårdens IF’s U-20 club in the J20 Nationell. His 1.93 points per game led the league among qualified skaters, as did his +41 rating, 11 points higher than the second-best, teammate and Sabres prospect Noah Östlund.

That performance rightfully earned him Best Forward honors in the Nationell, and he also cracked the top Swedish national junior team roster at 17 and won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Juniors. He returned for both the 2023 and 2024 tournaments, serving as captain for this year’s squad and taking home the silver medal, although he was limited to two assists in seven games.

The Stockholm native isn’t quite ready for full-time NHL work and is likely a long shot to make next season’s opening night roster, although it shouldn’t be ruled out. His entry-level contract will slide to next season as he’s guaranteed to have played less than 10 NHL games in 2023-24, meaning he’ll remain signed through 2027.

Devils Reassign Brian Halonen, Akira Schmid

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The Devils announced multiple roster moves today, namely that winger Brian Halonen and goaltender Akira Schmid were assigned to AHL Utica. No corresponding transaction is coming for Schmid, who was up while Kaapo Kähkönen was sidelined with an undisclosed injury yesterday against the Maple Leafs. Halonen’s roster spot goes to right-wing prospect Graeme Clarke, who was recalled from Utica.

Halonen had been on the Devils’ roster longer than Schmid, coming up on an emergency loan over two weeks ago. Both have spent decent chunks of the season in the minors – Schmid made the Devils out of camp but has been in Utica for the most part since being demoted in late December. This was Halonen’s second recall of the season and Schmid’s fourth.

Halonen’s season began late, remaining on season-opening injured reserve until Dec. 30 with a lower-body injury. The free agent signing out of Michigan Tech two years ago has been spectacular with Utica since returning, scoring 16 goals in only 30 games. He’s only gotten into two NHL contests this season and has played sparingly when in the lineup, though, averaging 8:17 and failing to record a point with two shots on goal. He’s put up decent possession numbers at even strength (45 CF% and 58.5 xGF%, per MoneyPuck), but it’s hard to gauge anything with such a small sample.

The 23-year-old Schmid has taken a tumble this season, struggling no matter where he’s played after a strong postseason showing in 2023. In the majors, he’s put up a 5-9-1 record with a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA in 15 starts and four relief appearances and posted save percentages south of .900 in each of his two NHL starts since his December demotion. His numbers have been no different with Utica, posting a .891 SV%, 3.12 GAA, one shutout, and an 8-8-4 record in 20 appearances. The pending RFA may still earn a qualifying offer after his 2022-23 showing, posting a .922 SV% in 18 NHL appearances, but he’s unlikely to be considered for the backup job in training camp this fall.

With the Devils now eliminated from playoff contention, the 22-year-old Clarke gets a chance to build on his NHL debut, which came in January. The older brother of Kings rookie Brandt Clarke gets his second recall of the season after leading Utica thus far with 24 goals, totaling 47 points in 64 games. He logged a +1 rating, one shot attempt, and one hit back in January against his brother’s squad while logging 9:32. The 2019 third-round pick is a pending RFA upon completion of his entry-level deal.

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