Devils Acquire Kurtis MacDermid From Avalanche
The Devils have acquired winger/defenseman Kurtis MacDermid from the Avalanche in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick and the signing rights to center prospect Zakhar Bardakov, per a team release. New Jersey didn’t have an opening on its roster before the trade, so winger Brian Halonen has been assigned to AHL Utica in a corresponding transaction, per CapFriendly.
The 29-year-old MacDermid moves to his third NHL team, spending four years with the Kings before joining the Avalanche via trade in 2021. Strictly an enforcer, MacDermid was briefly a member of the Kraken after they selected him from the Kings in the 2021 Expansion Draft, but they dealt him to Colorado for a fourth-round pick less than a week after picking him up. Primarily playing defense in his days with Los Angeles, he’s shifted to wing on a deeper Colorado blue-line, averaging 7:12 per game over his 131 appearances in the Mile High City.
MacDermid logged 29 games for the Avs this year, recording two goals and a +3 rating with an unusually low 23 PIMs. He has been a healthy scratch in nine of Colorado’s 12 games since the beginning of February.
New Jersey, who already has eight defensemen on the roster, will utilize MacDermid in a similar role. He’ll likely skate as their fourth-line left wing when in the lineup, rotating in and out with players like Tomáš Nosek and Chris Tierney.
The Avalanche, on the other hand, likely care more about clearing MacDermid’s $987.5K cap hit than they do about losing his bottom-six presence. They now have two open roster spots and $2.3MM in space with captain Gabriel Landeskog and goaltender Pavel Francouz on long-term injured reserve, significantly opening up their options to take on a player with double salary retention. They could realistically take on a player whose cap hit is in the $8MM range if the selling team and a third party each retain 50% of his contract.
MacDermid is in the second season of a two-year, $1.975MM contract and will reach unrestricted free agency this summer. If the Devils choose to buy at the deadline in a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs, they have $8.3MM in space remaining with Dougie Hamilton on LTIR for the rest of the season, per CapFriendly.
In Bardakov, the Avs pick up a 2021 Devils seventh-round pick who’s remained in his native Russia since his draft year. The 23-year-old Seversk native logged middle-six minutes for second-place SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, scoring six goals and 12 points in 51 games with a -3 rating.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 lbs, Bardakov possesses a physical element to his game and adds slightly to a thin pool of center prospects in Colorado. His contract with St. Petersburg is up this season, so he’s an option to sign with Colorado once SKA St. Petersburg’s run in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, which began today, wraps up.
Canucks Reassign Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks have assigned left-winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford, GM Patrik Allvin said Friday. Bains had been on the roster since a Feb. 17 recall, the first of his NHL career.
The 23-year-old didn’t record a point in his first five NHL outings, posting a -3 rating and three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. He spent a little over a third of his 5-on-5 ice time with Conor Garland and Elias Lindholm, although the trio struggled to maintain possession with a 38.1% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Individually, Bains posted poor possession numbers with a 45.5 CF% at even strength and an expected rating of -1.6, although starting 61% of his shifts in the defensive zone likely didn’t help matters.
That showing shouldn’t detract much from a promising season for the Surrey, British Columbia native, though. An undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks from the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels in 2022, Bains has broken out for nine goals and 30 assists for 39 points in 42 games in his sophomore season with Abbotsford, leading the team in scoring. His +13 rating is also a team-high.
Bains doesn’t yet require waivers for a minor-league assignment, and it’ll be a while before he does. He must play two more professional seasons or 75 NHL games, whichever comes first, before his waiver exemption lapses.
He now returns to Abbotsford, where he’ll earn his minor-league salary of $70K compared to his NHL salary of $775K. He has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $816.7K. He’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2025.
Maple Leafs Notes: Trade Deadline, Giordano, Lyubushkin, Liljegren, Järnkrok
The Maple Leafs are willing to part with a first-round pick at the trade deadline for the right deal, GM Brad Treliving said Friday (via Jonas Siegel of The Athletic). That deal won’t take the form of a rental acquisition, as Treliving preached being “careful with first-round picks for short-term help,” which falls in line with the organization’s reported unwillingness to surrender one in a deal for former Flames blue-liner Chris Tanev, now traded to the Stars.
In terms of blue-line targets, that could include Capitals shutdown man Nick Jensen, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Maple Leafs may have interest in on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast episode. He’s having a down year offensively, with eight assists in 56 games, but he logs top-four minutes consistently. He’s also controlled possession quality well over the past few seasons in shutdown-only usage.
Jensen’s $4.05MM cap hit through 2026 may be too much term for Treliving’s liking, though, especially if the Capitals are averse to retaining salary. With Jensen locked up for a few more years, there’s also little incentive for Washington to move him while they’re in the middle of a playoff race unless a significant offer is tabled.
Other updates from the Leafs:
- Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano sustained a concussion when he crashed into the boards during the first period of yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Coyotes, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed (via Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun). He has been designated for injured reserve before tomorrow’s game against the Rangers, opening the roster spot necessary for Ilya Lyubushkin after the team acquired him from the Ducks last night. The Leafs are hoping Lyubushkin can debut in his second stint with Toronto tomorrow if travel issues don’t pose any threats, Keefe said. If he makes it, he’s expected to be reunited with former partner Morgan Rielly. He would replace Giordano in the lineup and allow T.J. Brodie to slide back to his natural left side along with Jake McCabe on a shutdown second pairing.
- Another question mark for tomorrow is the health of Timothy Liljegren, who did not practice today but hasn’t been ruled out against the Rangers, Keefe said. Liljegren, 24, has now missed two games with an undisclosed injury but would provide the Leafs with two right-shot options if he and Lyubushkin are both okay to play. His return would push William Lagesson to the press box, and he would likely replace McCabe on the second pairing alongside Brodie. That duo was quite effective during Rielly’s recent five-game suspension, dominating possession play while shouldering top-pairing minutes. McCabe would then form a third pairing with Simon Benoit, giving Toronto perhaps their most well-rounded defense lineup of the season.
- Someone who could force an additional roster move is winger Calle Järnkrok, who practiced today and is nearing a return from a knuckle fracture that’s kept him out since late January. Keefe did not rule him out for tomorrow’s game, although he seems unlikely to return just yet. The Leafs will need to open a spot on the roster for his return, which could result in placing recent frequent healthy scratch Noah Gregor on waivers or demoting their lone waiver-exempt depth forward, Nicholas Robertson, to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Järnkrok replaced Robertson’s role in the lineup during line rushes at this morning’s practice, skating alongside Bobby McMann and captain John Tavares in his new third-line role.
Ducks Recall Olen Zellweger
The Ducks recalled top defense prospect Olen Zellweger from AHL San Diego on Friday, per a team release.
This is the 20-year-old’s second recall of the season. He played in four games for the Ducks just before the All-Star break, recording an assist and a +2 rating while logging 16:20 per game.
Zellweger had middling possession impacts with a 46.8 CF% at even strength and an expected -0.5 rating, but that’s not awful on a bottom-dwelling team. He also looked decent in limited power-play reps, recording his only point as a primary assist on a Sam Carrick marker with the man advantage.
An early second-round pick of Anaheim in 2021, Zellweger leads his team’s defenders and all AHL rookie defensemen with 12 goals and 37 points in 44 games. He fell in the draft due to scouts being concerned about his 5-foot-9, 174-lb frame, but he’s quieted most of those concerns in his transition to the minor leagues.
The Calgary native is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he added significantly to his trophy cabinet. After posting 32 goals, 48 assists, 80 points, and a +30 rating in just 55 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers, he took home the league’s Bill Hunter Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman, as well as the Canadian Hockey League’s Defenseman of the Year honors. He also took home the gold medal with Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championship, recording six assists in seven games.
Zellweger could be in for an extended stint in the NHL after the Ducks traded veteran shutdown blue-liner Ilya Lyubushkin to the Maple Leafs on Thursday night in a three-team deal. At the very least, he earned the first recall in Lyubushkin’s vacancy ahead of more experienced options like Trevor Carrick, Robert Hägg and Colton White.
It’s unclear if Zellweger will return to the Ducks’ lineup tonight against the Devils or if he’ll sit as a seventh defenseman. He’ll mainly compete for minutes with bottom-pairing blue-liner Gustav Lindström, who’s been an occasional healthy scratch since the Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Canadiens in January.
Predators Sign Austin Roest To Entry-Level Deal
The Predators signed right-wing prospect Austin Roest to a three-year, entry-level contract Friday, per a team release. The deal will begin next season, expiring and making him an RFA in 2027. Terms were not disclosed.
Nashville selected Roest, 20, in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The son of former Red Wings and Wild center Stacy Roest has played the last four seasons with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and has served as team captain this season. He’s tied for the team lead in goals this season with 31, and his 59 points in 54 games rank fourth.
Roest becomes the third player selected by the Predators in last year’s draft to ink his entry-level deal. All have come from the WHL. First-round pick Tanner Molendyk and second-round pick Kalan Lind signed theirs last summer.
The 5-foot-10, 181-lb forward’s production has dipped slightly from last season’s 78 points in 60 games that got him selected last year after being passed over in 2022. If he cracks the NHL lineup further down his development path, he projects as a playmaker whose forechecking game makes him an ideal fit for an offensively-inclined third or fourth line.
His chances of cracking the NHL lineup next season are slim. Thus, his professional career will begin with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals or ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators in 2024-25.
Golden Knights Recall Grigori Denisenko
The Golden Knights recalled right-winger Grigori Denisenko from AHL Henderson on Friday, per a team announcement. To open space on the active roster, the team returned rookie right-winger Jakub Demek to the minors.
Denisenko, 23, is the latest in a series of minor-league call-ups that’s seen time on the NHL roster with forwards William Carrier, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Brett Howden, and Mark Stone all out with injuries. He’s played in four games for Vegas this year, going without a point while averaging 9:57 per game.
A first-round pick of the Panthers in 2018, Denisenko signed a two-year, $1.55MM deal to remain in Florida after reaching restricted free agency last summer. However, he was claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights when the Panthers attempted to send him to the minors after he failed to make the team out of camp in October.
Vegas placed him on waivers again the day after claiming him, but Florida opted not to bring him back to the organization. As such, he was assigned to Henderson to begin the campaign, where he’s up to 14 goals and 40 points in 47 games on the season. It’s his best offensive showing since coming to North America in 2020, although it hasn’t yet translated into NHL success.
It’s unclear if Denisenko will slot into the lineup against the Sabres tomorrow or if the Golden Knights plan to keep him around as a 13th forward. If he draws in, it would be on their fourth line, currently staffed by a trio of AHL call-ups in Byron Froese, Mason Morelli, and Sheldon Rempal.
Meanwhile, Demek has yet to make his NHL debut after being recalled twice last month. The 6-foot-4 forward out of Slovakia has five goals and 13 points in 44 games for Henderson during his first professional season. Vegas selected him in the fourth round, 128th overall, in the 2021 draft.
Bruins Recall Marc McLaughlin On Emergency Basis
The Bruins recalled center Marc McLaughlin from AHL Providence on Friday, per a team release. It’s the first recall of the season for the 24-year-old, which comes under emergency conditions.
Boston was down to 12 forwards and 19 skaters on the active roster after returning minor-league veteran Anthony Richard to Providence yesterday. McLaughlin’s recall gives the Bruins an extra forward in case of emergency on their two-game road trip to Long Island and Toronto over the coming days.
An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, McLaughlin hasn’t panned out as hoped. He came directly to the NHL to close out the 2021-22 season, notching three goals in 11 games after representing the United States at that year’s Winter Olympics. However, McLaughlin failed to make the team out of camp in back-to-back seasons. He’s struggled in Providence, posting just six goals and 11 points in 53 games this season with a -6 rating.
The Bruins re-signed him to a one-year, two-way contract with a $125K salary guarantee after he reached restricted free agency last summer. He’ll be an RFA again with arbitration rights in a few months, although given his AHL production, he may not receive a qualifying offer.
As Boston has an open roster spot and the cap space to recall the Massachusetts native, who carries a $775K cap hit, no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Capitals Sign Zac Funk To Entry-Level Contract
The Capitals have nabbed one of the top undrafted free agents hitting the market today, signing WHL leading goal-scorer Zac Funk to a three-year, entry-level deal. In a team release, the Capitals confirmed the contract will carry a cap hit of $810K, equivalent to his NHL salary, and $82.5K in the AHL.
Funk, 20, has exploded for 56 goals and 99 points in just 58 games with the Prince George Cougars, sitting third in the league in points behind Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus and Wild prospect and Prince George teammate Riley Heidt. The 6-foot, 209-lb Funk can play both wings and has NHL-ready size.
He’s unlikely to crack Washington’s NHL roster next season, but he will join one of the best minor-league franchises in the world in the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The defending Calder Cup champions are on a roll again in 2023-24, boasting a league-best 41-9-3 record.
Their success stems mainly from more veteran minor-leaguers. Still, they will likely continue to be staffed by top Capitals prospects Ivan Miroshnichenko and Vincent Iorio next season, giving Funk a solid core of young players to grow with.
Funk will be an RFA when his deal expires in 2027. He will require waivers after playing three professional seasons or skating in 80 NHL games, whichever comes first.
Rangers Agree To Terms With Connor Mackey On Extension
The Rangers have agreed to terms with left-shot defenseman Connor Mackey on a two-year contract extension, per a team release. It’s a two-way deal with a cap hit of $775K, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
Mackey, 27, has been the Rangers’ top recall option for most of the season. He’s been recalled from AHL Hartford eight times since clearing waivers during training camp, but most of them were one-day stints as injury insurance, with Zachary Jones remaining around the team as their seventh defenseman.
He’s been limited to one NHL appearance this season, a Jan. 27 contest against the Senators. He recorded a +1 rating, one hit, three blocks, and one shot on goal in a win, also fighting Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in the third period.
He’s played in 36 games on the farm with Hartford, recording 11 points, 63 PIMs, and a team-high +13 rating. A top-pairing-caliber shutdown defender at the AHL level, Mackey is well worth keeping around as a safe option to insert into the lineup if necessary.
Mackey joins veteran Ben Harpur and 24-year-old Brandon Scanlin as Rangers defensemen under contract who are likely destined for the Wolf Pack in 2024-25. Mac Hollowell and Matthew Robertson are both pending RFAs who will probably be reassigned to Hartford if re-signed by the Rangers.
The Tower Lakes, Illinois, native will be a UFA in 2026 when his new deal expires. An undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2020, Mackey has four goals, seven assists, 11 points, and a -1 rating in 40 career NHL games with the Coyotes, Flames, and Rangers. He appeared in a career-high 30 games with Arizona and Calgary last season, recording seven points with a -4 rating while averaging 14:03 per game.
Lightning Sign Milo Roelens To Entry-Level Contract
4:12 p.m.: Roelens’ ELC carries a cap hit of $870K, per PuckPedia. In all three seasons, the deal carries a $775K salary, a $95K signing bonus, up to $80K in games played bonuses, and a minors salary of $82.5K.
12:01 p.m.: Free agent center prospect Milo Roelens signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning on Friday, per a team release. The agreement, for which terms were not released, will begin next season and make Roelens an RFA in 2027.
Roelens, 21, is in his final season of junior hockey and has spent the last four seasons in the QMJHL. The massive 6-foot-6, 207-lb pivot was traded from the Sherbrooke Phoenix to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last summer, a move that’s allowed him to break out for 25 goals, 37 assists, and 62 points with 90 PIMs in 56 games this year.
Crossing over the point-per-game threshold for the first time in his major junior career, Roelens now has his professional home secured for the next three seasons. The Canadian-Belgian dual national was born in Ste-Pétronille, Québec, and received some outside consideration for selection in last year’s NHL Entry Draft but was ultimately passed over.
A decent two-way pivot, Roelens can also play left wing. Like many young UFAs who will sign deals over the coming days, his NHL prospects are limited given his delayed offensive breakout at the junior level, but he’s done well enough in junior play this year to likely secure a spot with Tampa’s primary affiliate, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, next season. If he doesn’t crack their roster out of camp, he’ll be demoted to the second-tier ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears.
Roelens’ +17 rating leads Acadie-Bathurst this season, as do his 25 goals. His 62 points are second on the team behind former Hurricanes prospect Robert Orr, another potential free-agent pickup for teams in the coming days or over the summer.
Roelens is the second unsigned prospect to ink an entry-level deal today, joining former Sharks draft pick Max McCue. McCue inked a three-year contract with the Blue Jackets to open this year’s free-agent signing period for UFA prospects coming out of junior hockey.