Hudson Malinoski

Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous exited tonight’s game against Montreal and did not return, relays team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link).  The 27-year-old took a hit from Josh Anderson and Jake Evans simultaneously; Anderson was called for a charging minor on the play.  D’Astous has been a bright spot on Tampa Bay’s back end this season.  Signed out of Sweden, he has played exclusively with Tampa aside from a brief stint in the minors to start the year.  He had 29 points and 110 penalty minutes in 70 games during the regular season, a nice find for an undrafted free agent.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

• The Islanders have recalled Semyon Varlamov from his LTIR conditioning stint, per the AHL’s transactions log. He got into two games with AHL Bridgeport, winning both while stopping 46 of 49 shots in his first game action since November 2024.  While Varlamov would normally be eligible for a two-game extension, that’s not the case here as he is not eligible to play in the AHL playoffs.  Varlamov has one year left on his contract and the team will now have to decide if they think he’s going to be good to go as their backup in 2026-27 or if they’ll want to add extra depth in case he’s not able to get through a full year.
• The Avalanche have recalled Isak Posch to serve as their emergency third goaltender, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old spent most of the year with AHL Colorado, posting a 2.78 GAA with a .891 SV% in 28 games in his first full professional season.  Posch, who signed as an undrafted free agent last spring, was briefly called up in January but didn’t see any action.
• Maple Leafs prospect Hudson Malinoski will have a new team for his final NCAA season. Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the center has transferred to the University of North Dakota for the upcoming season.  A fifth-round pick by Toronto back in 2023 (153rd overall), the 21-year-old spent the last three years at Providence College.  Malinoski’s output dropped this season, going from 23 points to 15 while he found himself in the bottom six as the year went on.  He’ll look to play a bigger role for the Fighting Hawks in the hopes of landing an entry-level deal next spring.