Minor Free Agent Signings: Atlantic Division
With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Atlantic Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.
Boston Bruins
F Cole Koepke (one year)
D Jordan Oesterle (two years)
D Billy Sweezey (two years)
F Riley Tufte (one year)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year)
Buffalo Sabres
F Joshua Dunne (two years)
F Mason Jobst (one year)
F Brett Murray (one year)
D Jack Rathbone (one year)
G Felix Sandström (one year)
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries (two years)
F Joe Snively (one year)
Florida Panthers
F Rasmus Asplund (one year)
Montreal Canadiens
none
Ottawa Senators
D Jeremy Davies (one year)
F Hayden Hodgson (one year)
F Garrett Pilon (two years)
D Filip Roos (one year)
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Derrick Pouliot (one year)
D Steven Santini (one year)
F Jesse Ylönen (one year)
Toronto Maple Leafs
none
Lightning Sign Jesse Ylönen, Two Others To Two-Way Deals
The Lightning are picking up winger Jesse Ylönen on a two-way contract, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He was non-tendered by the Canadiens yesterday, making him a UFA. They also inked veteran depth defenders Derrick Pouliot and Steven Santini to one-year, two-way pacts with $775K cap hits, per CapFriendly.
Ylönen, 24, has the greatest chance to crack the Tampa roster out of camp. The 2018 second-round pick struggled to produce with Montreal last season, limited to four goals and eight points in 57 games. But his minor-league numbers (32 points in 39 AHL GP in 2022-23) suggest greater offensive upside, something he may get the chance to showcase with many depth spots up for grabs in Tampa. He’ll compete for time with recent adds like Zemgus Girgensons and internal options like Mitchell Chaffee and Gage Goncalves.
Pouliot and Santini, meanwhile, are solely depth signings for AHL Syracuse, with the Lightning’s top seven defensemen already locked in. Pouliot, 30, remains a quality power-play option in the minors, suiting up in the Stars organization with AHL Texas last year. There, he recorded nine goals and 46 points in 64 games and earned a brief cup of coffee in the NHL with Dallas, where he went without a point in five games. Once a top-ten pick by the Penguins in 2012, he hasn’t stuck around as an NHL full-timer since 2018-19 with the Canucks.
Santini, 29, is a 6’2″ right-shot defender who’s changing NHL organizations for the second summer in a row. After a few years in the Blues’ pipeline, he spent last season on a one-year deal with the Kings, where he had 10 points and a +9 rating in 64 games for AHL Ontario. A second-round pick of the Devils in 2013, he has 123 games of NHL experience, mostly with New Jersey. He last suited up in the NHL for St. Louis in 2022-23, recording an assist in a four-game call-up.
Stars Recall Derrick Pouliot And Matt Murray
The Stars have made a pair of additions to their roster heading into their opening-round series against Vegas. The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot and goaltender Matt Murray from AHL Texas.
Pouliot has spent most of the season in the minors, getting into 64 AHL contests where he has been quite productive, notching nine goals and 37 assists, setting new personal benchmarks across the board. That helped earn him five appearances with Dallas where he was held off the scoresheet while logging just over a dozen minutes a night of ice time.
Jani Hakanpaa is making progress in coming back from a lower-body injury that has kept him out for the last month but he’s not quite ready to return. It appears Pouliot will be the seventh defenseman while waiting for Hakanpaa to eventually return.
As for Murray, his addition to the roster isn’t due to an injury to either Jake Oettinger or Scott Wedgewood. Instead, the team has termed his recall as “for purposes of emergency during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs”. There are no emergency (EBUG) options in the postseason so teams will often make sure to have a third netminder on hand which Murray will serve as.
The 26-year-old played in one NHL contest this season, collecting a 23-save shutout over Minnesota back in January. Meanwhile, he got into 31 contests in Texas, posting a 14-15-2 record with a 3.02 GAA and a save percentage of .896.
West Notes: Lankinen, Kempe, Pouliot
During media availability today, the General Manager of the Nashville Predators, Barry Trotz, mentioned that the team has received trade calls on backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen (X Link). This announcement now confirms that both Nashville goaltenders are receiving trade interest, as some viable playoff candidates remain interested in Juuse Saros, as well.
In his second season within the Predators organization, Lankinen has continued to be a serviceable backup option for the team, producing an 8-4-0 record in 17 games played, coupled with a .892 SV% and 3.23 GAA. For any acquiring team, it is more than unlikely that Lankinen will become a serviceable starting option, although he has been required to play nearly half the season earlier in his career with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fortunately, if Nashville ends up moving either goalie in their current tandem at this year’s deadline, Yaroslav Askarov appears ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL. Currently rostered on the Milwaukee Admirals, Askarov holds a 21-7-1 record, a .920 SV%, 2.11 GAA, as well as riding a current 19-game winning streak in the American Hockey League.
Other West notes:
- TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe is returning to California to receive an MRI. Although the Kings have not performed as well as initially expected this season, the team still sits in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. With Kempe being the team’s leading scorer at this point in the year, and the recent injury to forward Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles may be an active team at the deadline in acquiring a top-six forward.
- The Dallas Stars have loaned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, per a team announcement. Taking part in a critical game against the Colorado Avalanche tonight, the loan of Pouliot means that either Nils Lundkvist or Jani Hakanpaa are ready to return to the lineup tonight. In five games with the Stars since February 19th, Pouliot has failed to score a point while averaging a touch over 12 minutes of ice time per night.
Stars Recall Derrick Pouliot, Logan Stankoven
Feb. 26: Pouliot and Stankoven were both recalled to Dallas on Monday morning, per a team announcement. With Seguin not at the Stars’ Monday morning practice, per Bally Sports Southwest’s Brian Rea, Stankoven will play his second career NHL game tonight against the Islanders. Hakanpää and Lundkvist also remain out, per Rea, so Pouliot will play as well.
Feb. 25: The Stars returned Pouliot and Stankoven to the AHL on Sunday, per a team announcement. Both players suited up in last night’s 2-1 win over the Hurricanes, with Stankoven logging a +1 rating and three shots on goal in 15:20 of ice time during his NHL debut. Pouliot played a team-low 9:56, recording one hit. One or both of Pouliot and Stankoven may find themselves back on the NHL roster ahead of Monday’s game against the Islanders, depending upon the availability of Tyler Seguin (lower body), Hakanpää, and Lundkvist.
Feb. 24: The Stars have brought up some reinforcements for their game tonight in Carolina, announcing the recalls of forward Logan Stankoven and defenseman Derrick Pouliot from AHL Texas.
It’s the second recall of the week for Stankoven although his first one only lasted a matter of hours without him getting into the lineup. That said, it’s worth noting that he was a late scratch for Texas on Friday, suggesting that the 20-year-old might get a chance to suit up this time around. Stankoven has been dominant in the minors in his first professional campaign, leading the league in scoring with 57 points in 47 games.
As for Pouliot, he returns to Dallas after spending just one day off the roster having been sent down yesterday in a move that at least temporarily delayed his waiver clock. The 30-year-old has played in just three NHL games this season but has been productive in the minors, collecting 31 points in 44 appearances so far. With the status of Nils Lundkvist (concussion) and Jani Hakanpaa (upper body) both in question for tonight’s game, Pouliot will once again serve as injury insurance.
With the two recalls, Dallas is now carrying a full 23-player roster.
Afternoon Notes: Pouliot, Jankowski, Johnson
The Dallas Stars made a move today as they’ve assigned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. Pouliot was called up earlier in the week and dressed in three games for Dallas, posting no points while averaging 13:15 of ice time per game. Pouliot’s demotion could mean that one of Jani Hakanpää or Nils Lundkvist is set to return.
The 30-year-old Pouliot was the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft and has never been able to establish himself as a full-time NHLer. At this point in his career, he continues to be a productive AHL defenseman and a good depth option for NHL teams. Pouliot has eight goals and 23 assists in 44 AHL games this season.
In other afternoon notes:
- The Nashville Predators have reassigned Mark Jankowski to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Jankowski had a goal in the Predators’ 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings last night and has two goals in seven NHL games this season. The 29-year-old was also a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft and is having a terrific AHL season with 15 goals and 32 assists in 40 games. Jankowski will rejoin a Milwaukee team that has won 18 games in a row.
- Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson missed practice this morning due to an illness. Johnson joined the likes of Victor Olofsson and Eric Comrie who have also been dealing with an illness. Johnson will not play tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets and will likely be replaced on the third pairing by Ryan Johnson. The Sabres will be without several regular defensemen as Owen Power also remains sidelined with a hand injury. Johnson has had his name in trade rumors as of late and will likely continue to hear that as the trade deadline nears.
Stars Recall Alex Petrovic, Derrick Pouliot
The Stars have recalled defensemen Alex Petrovic and Derrick Pouliot from AHL Texas, the team announced Monday morning. In a corresponding transaction, the Stars returned forward Matěj Blümel to Texas to stay compliant with the 23-player roster limit.
Dallas summoned Blümel, 23, yesterday to optimize their accruable cap space limit before placing winger Evgenii Dadonov on LTIR. Blümel’s $925K cap hit was the highest of any player they had stored in the minors aside from defenseman Lian Bichsel, who is on loan to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League. He allowed the Stars to capture their ACSL at $83.37MM, just $13K short of the salary cap.
However, defense is Dallas’ positional need with Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist sidelined with upper-body injuries. At least one recall on defense was necessary to avoid dressing 13 forwards and five defensemen against the Bruins for Monday’s Presidents’ Day matinee.
By swapping Blümel for an extra defenseman, the Stars have one backup in case of further injuries. If they want to carry an extra forward while Dadonov is on LTIR, they still can – they have $1.625MM remaining in their LTIR salary pool after executing today’s transactions. However, it would require moving Hakanpää to IR to free up a roster spot.
As such, one of today’s two recalls will make their season (and Stars) debut in Boston, likely Petrovic, who would replace Hakanpää as the only right-shot defenseman in the Dallas lineup with Lundkvist on IR. If so, it would be the 31-year-old’s first NHL game in over five years, last suiting up with the Oilers on Feb. 16, 2019.
Petrovic has bounced around the AHL since falling out of an NHL role, signing a pair of two-way deals with the Bruins and Flames before joining the Stars in 2021. He’s signed three straight one-year, two-way contracts to remain in the Dallas organization, clearing waivers at the beginning of the season in every occurrence and only seeing recalls to serve as a Black Ace during playoff runs in 2022 and 2023. Monday marks his first in-season recall as a member of the Stars.
The Panthers’ 2010 second-round pick played in 263 NHL games with Florida and Edmonton between 2012 and 2019, recording five goals, 45 assists and 50 points with a -10 rating and 360 PIMs. The Edmonton native struggled in his most recent NHL showing, recording only two assists in 35 games with the Panthers and Oilers in 2018-19 while averaging bottom-pairing minutes to complement a career-worst -15 rating and underwhelming possession metrics.
Petrovic has been a stabilizing force for the Stars’ up-and-comers in Texas, though, serving as an alternate captain since arriving in Cedar Park in 2021. Through 44 games this year, he has three goals, 13 assists, 16 points, and a +5 rating. He’s coming off arguably his best two-way season as a pro in 2022-23, when he notched a career-high 27 points in 71 games and a +34 rating.
The 30-year-old Pouliot will likely serve as Dallas’ seventh defenseman until one of Hakanpää or Lundkvist is ready to return. The eighth overall selection in the 2012 draft by the Penguins has, like Petrovic, settled into a consistent minor-league role at this stage in his career. However, he does have much more recent NHL experience, recording two assists and a -1 rating in eight games with the Sharks last year and posting four assists and a +6 rating in 11 games split between the Golden Knights and Kraken in 2021-22.
Pouliot signed a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$325K) to join the Stars on Jul. 4, 2023, and passed through waivers unclaimed during training camp. He leads Texas blue-liners with eight goals, 23 assists and 31 points in 44 games.
Dallas Stars Sign Derrick Pouliot
The Dallas Stars announced today that they have signed former Stanley Cup champion defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal runs through the 2023-24 season and carries a cap hit of $775K at the NHL level while paying him a salary of $325K for his time in the AHL. It is the fifth straight two-way contract that Pouliot has signed since 2018-19 and marks a new beginning for the once highly touted prospect.
Pouliot was drafted eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2012 and at one point was the top prospect in their system. He dressed in 67 games for the Penguins over parts of three seasons culminating in a Stanley Cup in 2016-17 for the 29-year-old. Pouliot spent last season in the San Jose Sharks organization and dressed in eight games for the big club posting two assists. He spent the bulk of the year with the San Jose Barricuda in the AHL where he had four goals and 21 assists in 37 games.
At 6’0”, Pouliot is a bit undersized, however he is regarded as an excellent passer and a bit of a playmaker. He has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his time in the AHL but has never been able to find his footing in the NHL. Dallas will be his seventh organization in the last nine years and although he has played 221 career NHL games in that time, he has posted just eight goals and 46 assists.
Dallas has a lot of defensemen in front of Pouliot on the depth charts, however depending on how their summer shakes out Pouliot could be one of their first call-ups next season.
San Jose Sharks Assign Shakir Mukhamadullin To AHL
The San Jose Sharks welcomed Shakir Mukhamadullin to North America today. The 6’4” 195-pound defensemen arrived in San Jose this morning after travelling from Russia. He was acquired by the Sharks in last month’s Timo Meier trade with the New Jersey Devils. San Jose quickly assigned Mukhamadullin to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL where it appears he will finish the season after just completing his fourth year with Salavat Yulayev-Ufa of the KHL.
It is not yet known when the 2020 first round pick will suit up for his first game, but early indications are that he could play as early as this weekend against the Texas Stars. Should he not be ready to play by the end of the week, he will likely dress against Colorado next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Salavat was just eliminated from the playoffs in the KHL conference quarterfinals, now the young defenseman will have an opportunity to make a playoff push with the Barracuda as they have just 12 games left in the regular season. The Barracuda will certainly welcome the addition as they are without their top defenseman Derrick Pouliot who has been playing with the Sharks recently.
Contractually, Mukhamadullin was loaned (by New Jersey) to Salavat Yulayev Ufa at the start of the season, meaning that he will play out the string under the first year of his entry-level deal. He was also on loan to Salavat last season but did not burn the first year of his contract, despite dressing in three playoff games for the Utica Comets.
San Jose Sharks Recall Derrick Pouliot, Reassign Nick Cicek
1:03 p.m.: The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka reports today that Pouliot will draw in tonight against Colorado, meaning MacDonald is officially out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury.
12:29 p.m.: The San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, the team announced Tuesday. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Nick Cicek was reassigned to the Barracuda.
This is Pouliot’s first recall since signing with the Sharks last Thursday. Pouliot was immediately waived and cleared the following day, re-joining the Barracuda on an NHL contract.
Pouliot, 29, signed an AHL contract with the Barracuda last offseason. His season there has been productive, although he missed nearly two months with an injury that’s limited him to 28 games. The veteran of 267 AHL games has 21 points and a -9 rating in those 28 appearances with the Barracuda.
It’s his second straight season signing an AHL contract that was converted into an NHL contract later in the year. Pouliot started 2021-22 on a deal with the Henderson Silver Knights before signing a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in mid-March. However, the Seattle Kraken claimed him on waivers just a few days later when Vegas attempted to return him to the minors.
Pouliot was an eighth overall draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012, mainly due to his offensive acumen during his time in juniors with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. However, Pouliot’s defensive game never developed enough to build a sustainable NHL career, last appearing full-time with the Vancouver Canucks in 2018-19.
He could make his season debut tonight against the Colorado Avalanche, depending on the status of former Colorado defender Jacob MacDonald. The 30-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury in last night’s 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets.
If MacDonald can’t go, Pouliot would be the only healthy defender available on the roster to replace him. Radim Simek is also out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury.
Cicek heads back down to the Barracuda after he served as a scratch for last night’s game. His recall lasted two days.