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Calle Sjalin

East Notes: Marchand, Sjalin, Rochester

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As expected, Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand was not an option for the team tonight against the Florida Panthers, as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury (X Link). It will be the second straight game that Marchand has not been able to suit up, and he will not be able to help the Bruins stave off elimination this evening.

Although Marchand’s injury has been classified as an upper-body injury, it is more than likely he is dealing with a head injury. In the first period of Game 3, Marchand attempted to deliver a hit to Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett in between the benches and quickly fell to the ice. Slowly getting back to Boston’s bench, alternate footage of the incident showed that during the play in question, Bennett appeared to throw a punch, making contact with Marchand’s head.

Currently battling in an elimination game, the play in question could potentially mark an unceremonious end to Marchand’s season. Throughout the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs, Marchand has led the Bruins in scoring, putting up three goals and 10 points in 10 games played.

Other East notes:

  • As previously rumored, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Calle Sjalin, has decided to sign with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (X Link). Despite being a solid contributor during his last season in the SHL, Sjalin never got much of an opportunity throughout his time in North America, appearing in only 70 AHL games over two seasons. Without much productivity throughout his tenure in the Panthers organization, Sjalin was traded to the Sabres organization this past deadline in a deal that sent team captain Kyle Okposo to the Sunshine State.
  • Staying in the Sabres organization, Buffalo beat writer Bill Hoppe reports that Rochester Americans assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch will be staying in the organization, and one may even become the next head coach. The team’s most recent head coach, Seth Appert, has been named an assistant coach for the Sabres for the 2024-25 NHL season, leading to the vacancy behind the bench.

Prospect Notes: Sjalin, Kulonummi, Ambrosio

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Sabres blueline prospect Calle Sjalin intends to return to Sweden next season, his agent Claes Elefalk told Hockeysverige’s Mans Karlsson.  The 24-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline from Florida as part of the Kyle Okposo trade.  Sjalin was brought over two years ago but has exclusively played in the AHL and doesn’t appear to be on the verge of pushing for an NHL opportunity.  However, his planned return to the SHL doesn’t mean this is it for him in North America as Elefalk indicated that Sjalin plans to sign for a year or two back home and then give it another go at trying to reach the NHL level.

Other prospect news from around the hockey world:

  • Predators prospect Kasper Kulonummi has signed with Kiekko-Espoo in Finland’s top division, per a team announcement on their Instagram page. The 20-year-old blueliner was picked 84th overall two years ago and had his first taste of extended Liiga action this year, getting into 40 games where he had four assists.  His new team has been promoted from the second-tier Mestis level so Kulonummi will likely be earmarked for a bigger role in 2024-25, the first of the two-year contract he signed.
  • Avalanche prospect Colby Ambrosio has elected to transfer for his final season. The center announced (Twitter link) he has moved to Miami University (Ohio).  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Colorado in 2020 (118th overall) and spent the last four seasons at Boston College.  Ambrosio struggled in a limited role this season, notching just eight points in 40 games after reaching the 20-point mark the previous two campaigns.  He could have elected free agency this summer but coming off the year he had, it made more sense for him to try his hand elsewhere.  He’s now reunited with his former USHL coach who will now try to get enough out of Ambrosio to land a pro contract next year.

Panthers Acquire Kyle Okposo

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After adding Vladimir Tarasenko earlier this week, the Panthers have made another addition up front.  They’ve acquired winger Kyle Okposo from the Sabres in exchange for defenseman Calle Sjalin and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick.  The pick will elevate to a fifth-round selection if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.

Okposo has served as Buffalo’s captain in each of the last two seasons, a fitting reward after eight years with the club. Florida will become just the third team that Okposo has played for in his 17-year career, which kicked off when the New York Islanders selected him seventh-overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, taking him in the same top 10 that featured Erik Johnson, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Backstrom. Okposo would play two seasons at the University of Minnesota before making his professional debut in the 2007-08 season and playing out his rookie NHL season in 2008-09. He scored 18 goals and 39 points in 65 games as a first-year, quickly establishing the reliable, top-six impact that he’s brought throughout his entire career. Okposo has since had five seasons of 50 or more points, including a career-high 69 points scored in the 2013-14 season. In full, he’s totalled 1045 games and 614 points in the NHL.

Okposo has only entered the open market once, signing a seven-year contract with the Sabres in the summer of 2016. He’s since played through some of Buffalo’s worst seasons, experiencing four different coaches and no playoff berths with the team. But he’s stuck through it all, providing a consistent impact in all three zones that he’s sure to bring to Florida now. His departure marks the end of an era for the Sabres, with Zemgus Girgensons the last Sabre from the 2016-17 team. Okposo is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at 35, he’ll likely begin considering his future. But with this move to Florida, he’ll first get the chance to chase a Stanley Cup – an opportunity he hasn’t had much of across his 1,000-game career.

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