Blackhawks Reassign Wyatt Kaiser
The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports reports Monday. This leaves the Blackhawks with only six healthy defenders, suggesting Connor Murphy may be ready to come off injured reserve before Wednesday’s game against the Blues.
Kaiser, 21, has looked promising when given NHL minutes this season. He’s goalless through 32 games but has seven assists, 46 blocks, and only slightly below-average possession metrics on a badly understaffed Chicago blue line. The Minnesota native has largely been limited to bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 17:19 on the season, but had seen over 20 minutes of ice time in three of his last five outings.
He made the team out of camp but was assigned to Rockford in early December, where he remained for most of the season aside from a brief emergency loan later that month. Chicago brought him back a few weeks ago, playing him in each of their last nine games. The left-shot defender has been decent on the farm, where he has three goals and 15 points in 31 games.
A strong skater and good outlet passer, he’s done enough to put himself in consideration for an opening-night job again this fall. He has one season left on his entry-level contract, which carries a $917K cap hit, and will be an RFA in 2025.
Murphy looks to return after missing the last two and a half months with osteitis pubis, the same inflammatory groin issue that sidelined Sharks captain Logan Couture for all but six games this season. The 31-year-old told NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis last week that being “a part of the solution” has pushed him to close out the season back in the lineup. The veteran shutdown man complemented his eight points in 43 games with some of the team’s better possession numbers prior to exiting the lineup in January, posting a 44.4 CF% and -7.4 expected rating.
Toronto Maple Leafs Assign Noah Chadwick To AHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defense prospect Noah Chadwick to the minor leagues to finish the season (Twitter link). Chadwick signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Toronto in December, but finished out his year in the WHL before moving to the pros. He’s so far played in 66 WHL games this season, scoring a career-high 12 goals and 56 points.
Chadwick was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, on the back of stalwart play on the defensive side of the red line. While his 20 points in 67 games last season certainly wasn’t inspiring, his long reach and ability to contain opponents stood out every single game. Chadwick’s impact remained largely on the defensive side this season, though his boost in scoring could give him good momentum going into the AHL.
Chadwick will have seven games to fight into the Toronto Marlies lineup before the AHL Playoffs begin. The Marlies sit at fourth in the North Division right now, three points ahead of the Laval Rocket and Belleville Senators with two games in hand. That should be plenty of playoff security, and buys Chadwick added time to earn his professional debut. He’ll face plenty of competition in the lineup, with the Marlies adding three defensemen earlier this week following the end of the Newfoundland Grizzlies’ season. The Marlies now sit at 13 defensemen, including Chadwick.
Injury Notes: Barabanov, Sandin, Kostin, Bryson
Winger Alexander Barabanov has reportedly played his last game with the San Jose Sharks, with a lower-body injury expected to end his season and the Sharks not likely to re-sign him this summer, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Web link). Barabanov suffered the injury from a blocked shot on March 26th and hasn’t played since, missing San Jose’s last five games.
This is an abrupt and quiet end to what was a quiet season for Barabanov. He played in 46 games, scoring just four goals and 13 points – the lowest scoring rate of his career. It’s a disappointing follow-up to what seemed to be Barabanov’s breakout season last year, when he managed a career-high 15 goals and 47 points in just 68 games. He’ll now set his eyes on free agency – the 30-year-old’s first chance to play outside of San Jose since he became a full-time NHL player in 2021. While he’ll certainly have to take a price cut from his current $2.5MM cap hit, Barabanov could be an intriguing pick-up for teams needing more depth down the wings.
Other notes from around the league:
- Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin left the team’s Sunday matchup against the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury, following a hit at the end of the first period (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has moved into an integral role for the Capitals, averaging 21:34 in ice time over his last 10 games. Rookie Vincent Iorio is currently Washington’s seventh defenseman. He could be poised for a crucial role, with Washington currently two points back of an Eastern Conference Wild Card with just six games to go.
- The San Jose Sharks were without hot-streak winger Klim Kostin on Sunday due to illness, per Curtis Pashelka (Twitter link). Kostin has nine points through his first 14 games with the Sharks, averaging six more minutes of ice time than he did in 33 games with Detroit. The Sharks traded minor-league defenseman Radim Simek and a 2024 seventh-round pick for Kostin at the Deadline and have him signed through next season. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Collin Graf, getting his NHL debut just days after signing his first professional contract. Graf recorded one assist in the start.
- Jacob Bryson suffered an upper-body injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ Sunday afternoon game, leaving after just nine minutes of play (Twitter link). Bryson has played in just 31 games this season – the fewest of his career. He’s recorded one goal and eight points in those appearances, extended his streak to four consecutive seasons with just one goal on the year. Buffalo will have to decide between Kale Clague and rookie Ryan Johnson, who is currently in the AHL, if Bryson has to miss any time.
Metropolitan Notes: Lazar, Marino, Kuraly
The Devils will likely be without forward Curtis Lazar for the rest of the season after he sustained an upper-body injury in yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Senators, head coach Travis Green said (via James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now). Green confirmed that Lazar’s injury will make way for Shane Bowers to enter the lineup tonight against the Predators after being recalled from Utica earlier today.
Lazar will end his season with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points in 71 games while averaging 12:23 per game with a +10 rating. His assists and points figures are both career-highs, adding some highlight to what’s transpired to be a journeyman career for the 2013 first-round pick. The 29-year-old was picked up from the Canucks at last year’s deadline and is in the second season of a three-year, $3MM deal signed with Vancouver in free agency in 2022. He did quite well at controlling possession quality in a shutdown role, maintaining a solid 51.1 xG%.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- New Jersey will also be without defenseman John Marino against Nashville, as the team’s Amanda Stein relays he remains out with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury while fighting Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller in a game-opening line brawl last Wednesday and already missed yesterday’s contest against the Sens. Injuries have sidelined Marino, the Devils’ top right-shot defender with Dougie Hamilton out long-term, for five of their last 12 games. The shutdown blue-liner has been better offensively but worse defensively than last year, notching 25 points in 71 games but logging an xG% south of 50 for only the second time in his career. He has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $4.4MM cap hit, with an eight-team no-trade list that kicks in this summer.
- The Blue Jackets have center Sean Kuraly back in the lineup today against the Hurricanes, per the team’s Jeff Svoboda. The news ends a few days of will-he-won’t-he from head coach Pascal Vincent and marks his first appearance since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 12. Now in his third season in his native Ohio, Kuraly has nine goals and 17 points in 57 games this year while averaging 13:33 per game, down from the 15-plus minutes he’d averaged since arriving in Columbus in 2021.
Hurricanes Sign Bradly Nadeau To Entry-Level Deal
The Hurricanes have signed 2023 first-round pick Bradly Nadeau to a three-year, entry-level contract, GM Don Waddell announced today. The contract begins immediately, allowing him to join the team and potentially make his NHL debut down the stretch.
Nadeau’s contract pays him a $855K base salary each season plus a $95K signing bonus, which works out to the maximum ELC cap hit of $950K. When in the minors, he’ll earn a salary of $82.5K.
The 18-year-old turns pro much earlier than expected after a strong freshman season at the University of Maine. Last year’s 30th overall pick led or tied for the lead on the Black Bears in every notable stat, notching 19 goals, 27 assists, 46 points, and a +20 rating in 37 games.
Nadeau’s recruitment out of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees was instrumental in helping the Maine program overcome a years-long stretch of mediocrity. They advanced to the Hockey East semifinals and earned a bid to the national tournament for the first time since 2012. He was named to Hockey East’s year-end Second All-Star Team and was the Black Bears’ nominee for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate player nationwide.
The victor of back-to-back BCHL championships with Penticton in 2022 and 2023, Nadeau was the highest-drafted player last year who did not play in a major junior, collegiate, or professional league. The now-independent BCHL is a tier below the main Canadian junior circuit, the CHL. Teams hadn’t used a first-round pick on a player selected directly out of the BCHL since the Avalanche took Alex Newhook 16th overall in 2019.
His quick rise and subsequent breakout with Maine has him positioned as the Hurricanes’ top forward prospect and the second-best overall behind Russian defenseman Alexander Nikishin, posits The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Their third-ranked prospect, blue-liner Scott Morrow, inked his ELC last week and immediately joined the NHL roster, although he’s yet to debut.
Size isn’t his biggest advantage at 5’10” and 172 lbs, but his incredibly accurate and powerful shot gives him a top-six ceiling in the majors. He boasts a rather well-rounded offensive game and is nearly as good a passer as he is a finisher. While his straight-line speed isn’t the fastest, his agility and edgework have made up for it at the collegiate and junior levels.
It’s unlikely Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour will opt to thrust the New Brunswick native into playoff action, but he’s eligible for postseason play if needed. Along with Morrow, Nadeau will likely make his NHL debut over Carolina’s five remaining regular-season games.
Nadeau’s signing age is technically 19, so his entry-level contract is eligible to slide once. Since playing more than 10 NHL games this season isn’t possible, his ELC will defer to 2024-25. It’ll carry a slightly reduced cap hit, too, as his initial $95K signing bonus will be paid out this season. As such, the deal won’t expire until 2027, at which point he’ll be an RFA with five years of team control remaining.
Blue Jackets Place Carson Meyer On Waivers
April 7: Meyer has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minors at will, per CapFriendly.
April 6: It’s not very often that we see waiver activity in April but there was a placement on the wire today. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Blue Jackets have placed winger Carson Meyer on waivers.
It’s the second time on waivers for the 26-year-old who also cleared at the beginning of the season. At that time, Meyer was assigned to AHL Cleveland where he was relatively productive, notching 22 goals and 15 assists in 55 games, setting new career-highs in goals and points.
That helped earn Meyer a recall on an emergency basis back on March 11th. He had been a regular most nights in the lineup since then as he got into a dozen games with the Blue Jackets, picking up a goal along with 33 hits while averaging a little under ten minutes a night. Because Meyer played in more than ten games on this recall, he has to clear waivers to return to the Monsters. Since the recall came after the trade deadline, he retained his AHL eligibility for the stretch run.
It’s quite likely that Meyer will once again clear on Sunday. If a team were to claim him, he’d be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season at both the NHL and AHL levels. Meyer will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency in July, his first opportunity to hit the open market.
West Notes: Kane, Hill, Hertl, Bogosian
Oilers winger Evander Kane has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Flames forward Dryden Hunt in last night’s 4-2 win, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced. The play occurred early into the second period. After Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard stopped a shot from Hunt on a 2-on-1 rush and froze play, Kane checked Hunt away from the crease and then laid a slash across his wrists as the two were circling behind the net after the whistle (video via RDS). It was a night to forget for Kane, who was benched for stretches and played just 9:54 – a season-low, discounting games where he’s sustained injuries. Near the end of the second period, he was on the receiving end of a fiery tirade from teammate Corey Perry as well. The 32-year-old still has solid totals with 23 goals and 41 points in 74 games this season, but he’s been among the Oilers’ worst players defensively and is averaging 16:43 per game, the lowest since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers 14 years ago.
Other notes out of the West:
- Golden Knights starter Adin Hill is nearing a return as he practiced with the team today and will travel on their two-game road trip through Western Canada, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Cassidy also told reporters that forward Tomáš Hertl will “probably” make his Vegas debut tomorrow in Vancouver. Hill has been out since March 24 with a lower-body injury, his second of the season. He also missed two weeks in early December with a lower-body ailment, although it’s unclear if the two are related. It’s been a battle for last year’s Stanley Cup hero to stay healthy this season, but he’s been Vegas’ best and most consistent option when available. He’s started a career-high 32 games, posting an 18-10-2 record with a .914 SV%, 2.62 GAA, two shutouts, and 9.5 goals saved above average. Hertl, meanwhile, has been ramping up in practice over the past few days and is set to play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery as a member of the Sharks shortly after the All-Star break.
- The Wild have depth defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the fold against the Blackhawks today, notes The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 33-year-old has recently logged top-four minutes alongside Jonas Brodin but missed Minnesota’s last two games, both losses, with an undisclosed injury. The Wild are teetering on the edge of playoff contention and realistically need to win out to sniff a chance at making the postseason. Bogosian has actually been quite good for Minnesota since being picked up from the Lightning in an early-season trade, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 55 games while averaging 18:06 per game, his highest usage and offensive production since 2018-19 with the Sabres. He’s done so with positive possession metrics, too, logging a 50.7 CF% and +3.3 expected rating.
Devils Recall Shane Bowers
The Devils recalled forward Shane Bowers from AHL Utica on Sunday, per a team announcement.
Bowers, 24, gets his second major league call of the season one week after erupting for four points in a game against Springfield. He factored in on every goal Utica scored as they try to make a late push for a playoff spot in the North Division.
It’s otherwise been a season to forget for the 2017 first-round pick, whose hopes for a long-term future in the NHL are quickly dwindling. He’s made 40 appearances with the Comets but has put up bottom-six numbers with nine goals, 13 points and a -11 rating.
New Jersey is his fourth NHL organization, having seen his rights traded three times after being picked up by the Senators in the draft. The Devils acquired his signing rights from the Bruins in late June 2023 in exchange for the signing rights to minor league defenseman Reilly Walsh.
Bowers was a non-factor in a three-game call-up to New Jersey in January, going without a point while averaging 6:26 per game. He went 4-for-13 in the faceoff dot and had a negative possession impact in advantageous offensive usage, posting a 44.7 CF% and a -0.8 expected rating.
The Canadian center was a solid point producer in college with Boston University, but injuries have derailed his ability to adjust to the pro game after signing with the Avalanche in 2019. His games with the Devils this season were just the second, third and fourth of his NHL career, and his overall AHL production has been underwhelming with 40 goals and 79 points in 214 games over the past six seasons.
Bowers is signed to a two-way deal this season that pays him $775K in the NHL and $125K in the AHL. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer but is a strong candidate not to receive a qualifying offer and reach unrestricted free agency for the first time.
Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Wood, Kovalenko
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
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.