Panthers Recall Seven Players Ahead Of Round Two
The Florida Panthers have built out their list of black aces, recalling seven players ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. The full list of call-ups includes forwards Mackie Samoskevich, William Lockwood, Justin Sourdif, and Rasmus Asplund; defenders Matt Kiersted and Mike Benning; and goaltender Magnus Hellberg, per Colby Guy (Twitter link). The group will join Spencer Knight, who was recalled on Thursday, and defenders Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, and Tobias Bjornfot as Florida’s extra players.
This roster move gives Florida a chance to flex just how deep their roster goes, with each of Samoskevich, Lockwood, and Sourdif slotting into Florida’s lineup at some point this season, and six of the seven recalls boasting NHL experience. While none of the sextet has managed much NHL scoring, their experience could prove invaluable down the stretch. Samoskevich and Asplund provide a burst of speed and technical skill, while Sourdif and Lockwood should bring grit and physicality that’s always much-needed in the postseason. Meanwhile, both Kiersted and Benning offer a rangy, off-puck defense, with Benning adding strong puck-moving skills. Both defenders will slot behind the stockier Balinskis but should provide a stout, bottom-pair impact if called upon.
Florida is in a rare spot for a playoff team, only facing one injury and one illness to forwards Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg respectively. Head coach Paul Maurice shared that Bennett should return to the lineup at some point during the second round, though he remains ruled out for Game 1. Steven Lorentz has stepped up in Bennett’s absence, recording two points in four postseason games. Florida could turn towards Asplund for a depth centerman role if they’re looking for a spark, though it doesn’t seem any lineup changes are incoming after the Panthers’ emphatic Round 1 win.
Team Finland Announces Final 2024 World Championship Roster
Team Finland has finalized their roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, with the additions of Jesse Puljujarvi and Valtteri Puustinen bringing the lineup to a full 23 skaters and three goalies. The lineup isn’t too deep with NHL talent, though it does feature top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Konsta Helenius, who joined the Men’s squad after posting seven points, all assists, in five games at the World U18 Championship. Helenius will have a chance to learn from San Jose Sharks centerman Mikael Granlund – who plays a similar pass-first, high-tempo style. Finland will hope the duo can click, with the support of NHL wingers, as they chase their third gold medal over the last five World Championships.
The full roster is as follows:
F Hannes Björninen (Örebro, SHL)
F Mikael Granlund (Sharks, NHL)
F Konsta Helenius (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Arttu Hyry (Kärpät, Liiga)
F Jere Innala (Frölunda, SHL)
F Juha Jääskä (HIFK, Liiga)
F Pekka Jormakka (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Oliver Kapanen (KalPa, Liiga, Canadiens)
F Saku Mäenalanen (SCL, National League)
F Ahti Oksanen (Oskarshamn, SHL)
F Iiro Pakarinen (HIFK, Liiga)
F Patrik Puistola (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Jesse Puljujarvi (Penguins, NHL)
F Valtteri Puustinen (Penguins, NHL)
D Oliwer Kaski (HV71, SHL)
D Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC, National League)
D Olli Määttä (Red Wings, NHL)
D Jesper Mattila (KalPa, Liiga)
D Juuso Riikola (SCL, National League)
D Rasmus Rissanen (Örebro, SHL)
D Vili Saarijärvi (SCL, National League)
D Veli-Matti Vittasmäki (Tappara, Liiga)
G Emil Larmi (Växjö, SHL)
G Lassi Lehtinen (MoDo, SHL)
G Harri Säteri (Biel, National League)
The World Championship is set to kick off in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia beginning on May 10. Finland will once again be commanded by head coach Jukka Jalonen set to coach in his 10th World Championship. Jalonen has also manned the Finnish bench at the World Juniors and served as a coach in the KHL and Liiga. He now works with Finland’s Men’s team full-time, building out this year’s roster with general manager Jere Lehtinen. Lehtinen, an 875-game veteran of the NHL and former Stanley Cup winner, has served as the GM for Finland’s men’s team for the last nine seasons.
Atlantic Injury Notes: Bruins, Bennett, Nylander
The Boston Bruins will get reinforcements in their upcoming series against the Florida Panthers, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that he expects both Andrew Peeke and Danton Heinen to return from injury in the Second Round, per Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Peeke suffered a finger injury in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sitting out of the third period and earning a week-to-week designation. Heinen has been recovering from an undisclosed injury and was designated as a game-time decision in Game 7, ultimately sitting out. Sweeney shared that the team is still waiting to see each player’s exact timeline.
Injuries put Boston’s depth to the test in the First Round – and the fill-ins came up strong. Rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei was the most impressive addition, recording one assist and looking well-adjusted to playoff pace in the first five Stanley Cup appearances of his career. He won out Peeke’s role over Derek Forbort, who is himself recovering from injury. Lohrei should remain the team’s go-to replacement, though he’ll need a strong start in Game 1 if he wants to fight for a role when Peeke returns. Justin Brazeau has stepped in for Heinen, also recording one assist in his three postseason games so far.
Other injury notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- Florida Panthers’ centerman Sam Bennett is progressing from injury, with head coach Paul Maruice upgrading him to a day-to-day designation per David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Maurice added that Bennett is progressing better than he was expecting, though he’ll still be out for Game 1 of the Second Round. Bennett suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, reportedly sustaining the injury on a blocked shot. He left the ice after just 7:42 in ice time, though he made sure to leave his mark on the series – recording two points in Game 2 prior to leaving. His absence opened the door for Steven Lorentz to step back into the lineup. Lorentz has recorded two points in four postseason games – enough for Florida to get by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Panthers will surely be excited to get back the strong depth scoring Bennett brings.
- Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander has finally revealed the ailments that held him out of the first three games of Round One, saying that he was struggling with “head issues and eye migraines” and adding that he was struggling to see at times, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Nylander returned for the final four games of Toronto’s season, recording three goals before being bounced by the Bruins. He had a career-year, scoring 40 goals and 98 points in 82 games. With the off-season now in front of him, Nylander will need to focus on nursing a migraine issue that’s followed him for the last two seasons.
NHL Announces 2024 Selke Trophy Finalists
The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2024 Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron took home the trophy last season, marking his sixth time winning the award.
This year’s Selke Trophy finalists are Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal.
Barkov is the only former winner of the group, having taken home the Selke in 2021 after not missing a beat during the shortened COVID-19 season. Barkov’s 200-foot impact has been clear throughout his career, with his style rooted in an elite ability to play with more speed, strength, and skill than any of his opponents. Barkov posted a 71.95 Corsi-For per-60 (CF/60) and a 1.99 expected-goals-against per-60 (xGA/60) while cruising to 23 goals and 80 points this season.
While Barkov may be the favorite, Matthews’ nomination may be the most impressive. He had a historic season on the opposite side of the puck, becoming the first player to reach 69 goals since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. Matthews led all Maple Leafs in scoring with a career-high 107 points in 81 games. But his effort didn’t stop in his own zone, with Matthews still showing a sixth sense for how to get in the way of opponents and steal away possession. While he posted the fewest hits and worst CF/60 and xGA/60 of the bunch, Matthews did record 85 takeaways on the season – more than Staal and Barkov combined, per Evolving Hockey. His ability to consistently make things happen in all three zones could be enough to earn him the edge over the rest.
Staal is the only nominee who didn’t play on his team’s top line this season – instead comfortably manning Carolina’s middle six, averaging 15:23 in ice time through 80 appearances. He proved incredibly stout in the role, serving as the safety net behind flashy wingers Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis. Staal posted the best statline of the three nominees, with a 76.67 CF/60 and 1.90 xGA/60 – showing just how well he controlled possession and limited opponents’ scoring chances. This nomination marks just the second time in Staal’s 18 year career that he’s been a Selke finalist – despite receiving votes for the award in 15 seasons. His last time as a finalist led to a third-place finish in the 2009-10 season.
The award will be announced at the NHL Awards this summer. That event is still pending a time and location.
USA Hockey Announces Final 2024 World Championship Roster
May 5: USA Hockey has invited nine more players to join their upcoming World Championship roster, including college hockey standouts Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The roster now carries 21 skaters and two goaltenders, one shy of the limit for both positions. There’s been no indication of who could round out Team USA’s roster, or if the team will look for additional hands at all.
It has also been announced that Dylan Larkin will no longer be able to participate due to injury, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Larkin has been removed from the official roster.
Apr. 24: USA Hockey announced the first 15 players named to their roster for the 2024 World Championship on Wednesday. The remaining eight-ish players will be announced before tournament action begins on May 10.
Only players on the 16 NHL teams who missed out on the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are on the initial roster. Others will join in as their clubs are bounced from postseason action, even after the World Championship begins.
Early on, it’s clear that the promise of potential spots on the United States roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics is making this a more well-attended World Championship than in years past. Some big-ticket stars like Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, and Blue Jackets stars Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski highlight the initial roster. The full slate is as follows:
F Matt Boldy (Wild)
F Cole Caufield (Canadiens)
F Michael Eyssimont (Lightning)
F Joel Farabee (Flyers)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Blue Jackets)
F Kevin Hayes (Blues)
F Luke Kunin (Sharks)
F Ryan Leonard (Boston College, Capitals)
F Brock Nelson (Islanders)
F Shane Pinto (Senators)
F Will Smith (Boston College, Sharks)
F Brady Tkachuk (Senators)
F Trevor Zegras (Ducks)
D Luke Hughes (Devils)
D Seth Jones (Blackhawks)
D Jake Sanderson (Senators)
D Alex Vlasic (Blackhawks)
D Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
D Jeff Petry (Red Wings)
D Matthew Kessel (Blues)
D Michael Kesselring (Utah HC)
G Alex Lyon (Red Wings)
G Trey Augustine (Michigan State, Red Wings)
This year’s Worlds will take place in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia, although some pre-tournament action is taking place across the border in Bratislava, Slovakia. The U.S. is the highest-ranked country in Group B, which will play its round-robin schedule in Ostrava’s 10,004-seat Ostravar Aréna.
Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson is at the helm of this year’s men’s national team before Wild GM Bill Guerin takes the reins for the truly best-on-best 2025 and 2026 tournaments. The Americans have won bronze medals in four of the last 10 World Championships (2013, 2015, 2018, 2021) but haven’t won gold since 1960, as part of that year’s Winter Olympics in California. Wild head coach John Hynes will be behind the bench.
Blackhawks Reach TV Deal With Standard Media Group
Like many other NHL teams, mostly those broadcasted on the Bally Sports-branded family of networks, the Blackhawks are changing their television home. Unlike others, they’re not divesting from the regional sports network model entirely. They, along with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and MLB’s Chicago White Sox, have reached a media rights deal with Standard Media Group to broadcast their games next season and beyond on a yet-to-be-named network, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers report.
The move succeeds NBC Sports Chicago as the Blackhawks’ TV home. Their contract is set to expire in October.
Per Lazerus and Powers, the unnamed network will have carriage agreements with both traditional cable providers as well as streaming options. Blackhawks fans within the Chicago media market had the option to stream games on the NBC Sports app if the channel was included in their cable package, but there was no separate streaming-only package offered. It’s unclear if that will change with the new agreement with Standard.
Previous reports indicated the Blackhawks’ next TV deal may have come in partnership with Stadium, a channel primarily broadcasting college sports of which Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Bulls and White Sox, is also the majority owner. That evidently will not be the case.
Other teams, namely the Coyotes and Golden Knights, stopped utilizing the RSN model entirely this season and opted to broadcast their games on over-the-air channels. Both clubs also provided additional streaming subscription options that could be purchased by in-market viewers who aren’t cable subscribers.
West Notes: Toffoli, Brossoit, Hague, Kiviranta
The Jets don’t have a ton of pending unrestricted free agents, but enough to lead to some significant depth turnover after failing to win a playoff series for the third year in a row. Two players who could opt not to re-sign and test the open market are veteran winger Tyler Toffoli and backup netminder Laurent Brossoit, Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press posit.
Brossoit’s return to the Jets last summer for his second stint with the club was a surprise. The 31-year-old’s stock was at an all-time high after posting a .927 SV% in 11 games down the stretch for the Golden Knights after returning from injury, and he was serviceable in eight playoff appearances as Vegas won the Stanley Cup. Some believed he would be able to land a role as a tandem netminder and eclipse his previous career-high of 24 appearances, but he instead opted to return to a familiar role backing up Connor Hellebuyck on a one-year, $1.75MM deal.
It worked out as well as it possibly could for Brossoit, who was excellent with a .927 SV% and three shutouts in 22 starts and one relief appearance. Back-to-back strong seasons after a rather roller-coaster career now have him fully primed to look for more starts on the UFA market in a couple of months.
Toffoli, meanwhile, was underwhelming after the Jets paid a second and third-round pick to acquire him at 50% salary retention from the Devils at the trade deadline. He posted seven goals and 11 points in 18 games down the stretch in the regular season but saw his ice time dip in the postseason, averaging only 14:05 per game against the Avs while scoring twice with a -2 rating in the five-game loss.
Elsewhere out West:
- The Golden Knights won’t get defenseman Nicolas Hague back for Game 7 against the Stars tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger). The bottom-pairing fixture sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1 and hasn’t yet returned to practice. Hague, 25, also missed eight games with a lower-body injury early in the season. He finished the regular season with two goals, 10 assists, 12 points and a -5 rating in 73 games while averaging 18:33 per contest.
- Avalanche depth winger Joel Kiviranta is working his way back to full health while Colorado awaits the winner of tomorrow’s Dallas/Vegas game. He returned to practice yesterday for the first time since sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 3 against Winnipeg, Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reports. He had one assist before exiting their first-round win, averaging 10:14 per game with a +2 rating.
Auston Matthews Returns, Joseph Woll Out For Game 7
6:41 p.m.: Woll is indeed out for Game 7 due to an undisclosed injury he sustained in Game 6, the team confirmed. Samsonov will start as the Leafs attempt to win three straight and advance to the second round. Matthews was cleared to play today and will return, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports.
5:38 p.m.: The Maple Leafs may be getting generational goal-scorer Auston Matthews back in the lineup for tonight’s Game 7 against the Bruins, as he took morning skate and arrived at the arena with the team’s starters, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. It’s not all good news for Toronto, though, as netminder Joseph Woll may be dealing with an undisclosed ailment and is now questionable after allowing a combined two goals in the Leafs’ Games 5 and 6 wins, per Friedman. Ilya Samsonov would get the start if he’s unable to go; his first since Game 4.
Matthews has not played since the second period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss due to a combination of illness and an undisclosed injury. The Leafs have managed to extend their series without their 69-goal man, winning in overtime on the road in Game 5 and holding on for a 2-1 win in Game 6 thanks to two goals from William Nylander.
While their game on both sides of the puck has undoubtedly improved after going down 3-1 in the series, Woll’s goaltending is the primary reason the Leafs have reached Game 7. The 25-year-old entered the series in the third period of Game 4, relieving Samsonov after he’d allowed three goals on 17 shots. He’s been incredible since, stopping 54 of 56 shots faced across seven periods plus Game 5’s brief overtime. That’s good enough for a .964 SV%, 0.86 GAA and 4.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Woll was 0.1 seconds away from a shutout in Game 6, but a Morgan Geekie shot crossed the goal line just before time expired.
It’s hard to blame Samsonov entirely for the Leafs’ three losses in the series, especially with Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman and his .947 SV% at the other end. But after an inconsistent regular season that ended on a high note, Samsonov has been decidedly below average with a .883 SV%, 3.31 GAA and -1.8 goals saved above expected in the series. Only the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (-2.4 GSAx) and the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck (-5.0 GSAx) have cumulatively allowed more rubber below league average given the shot quality they’ve faced.
If Matthews is able to return, there’s no indication he’ll be at 100%. With Toronto’s new-look first line of Max Domi centering Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner posting better results in the series than Matthews with Bertuzzi and Domi on his wings, he may slot lower in the lineup than usual. While he may not have his normal impact at even strength, Matthews will be an important factor in jumpstarting Toronto’s dreadful power play, which has gone just 1 for 20 (5.0%) in the series. Only the Kings, who failed to convert on their 12 power play opportunities against the Oilers, have fared worse.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Oskar Lindblom Expected To Sign In SHL
After a tough couple of seasons in San Jose, it appears as if pending UFA winger Oskar Lindblom won’t be waiting around to see what type of offers could await him in free agency in July. Instead, he told Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom that he has told his agent to solicit offers from the SHL in his native Sweden.
The 27-year-old’s journey is well-known. After a promising start to his career in Philadelphia, Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) in the 2019-20 campaign after getting off to a promising start. However, he was able to return in the bubble playoffs and earned a three-year, $9MM extension soon after along with a Masterton Trophy in 2021.
However, things didn’t go so well after that point. The Flyers elected to buy out the final season of that deal but he landed with San Jose quickly, inking a two-year, $5MM agreement. With San Jose heading into a rebuild, they were eyeing Lindblom as a young veteran with perhaps a bit of upside if a change of scenery could have kickstarted him.
Unfortunately for both sides, that didn’t happen. While Lindblom was a regular most nights in 2022-23 with the Sharks, that wasn’t the case this year. He cleared waivers at the end of training camp in October and spent almost the entire year with the Barracuda, save for a single NHL appearance in November. Lindblom struggled in the minors as well, notching just eight goals and eight assists in 41 games, battling through injuries and illness along the way.
Given the disappointing season he had, there was no guarantee that an NHL offer would be coming Lindblom’s way so he’s now going to try to land one back home. He played for Brynas coming up and asked his agent to reach out to assess if there’s mutual interest in a reunion. Assuming he winds up signing somewhere in Sweden, Lindblom will depart the NHL with 56 goals and 56 assists in 337 games over parts of seven NHL seasons, a pretty good showing for a fifth-round pick having been picked 138th overall back in 2014.
Metropolitan Notes: Fox, Pesce, DeAngelo, Wahlstrom
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, who had missed practice recently for maintenance, skated today and indicated to reporters including USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano (Twitter link) that he will be good to go for tomorrow’s series opener against Carolina. The 26-year-old was a point-per-game player for the first time this season, collecting 17 goals and 56 assists in 72 games while logging a team-best 23:27 per game. In the first round against Washington, Fox picked up a pair of helpers while averaging a little under 22 minutes a night which still led all New York defenders.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Hurricanes are hopeful that defenseman Brett Pesce (lower body) will return at some point in the second round, it won’t be at the beginning of the series. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) that the 29-year-old won’t be accompanying the team to New York and has been ruled out of the first two games of the series. However, Tony DeAngelo, who took a slash to the arm in Carolina’s last game, has been cleared to play and should continue to suit up in Pesce’s absence.
- Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom was non-committal about the prospect of returning next season, notes Ethan Sears of the New York Post. It was a rough year for the 23-year-old who struggled out of the gate as he worked his way back from offseason knee surgery. Once he did get up to speed, he struggled, finding himself a frequent healthy scratch down the stretch; he didn’t play at all during the playoffs. The end result saw Wahlstrom collect just two goals and four assists in 32 games. A pending restricted free agent owed a $917.8K qualifying offer next month with arbitration rights, a change of scenery might be best for him but his trade value will be at a low point coming off the year he just had.