East Notes: Bruins, Korpisalo, Power, Charron
Jonathan Aspirot was certainly a feel-good story for the Bruins this season, going from a journeyman minor leaguer to a fixture on the top defense pairing alongside Charlie McAvoy. However, Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe argues that Boston’s top priority this summer should be upgrading McAvoy’s partner on the left side. Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Mason Lohrei have all been attempted with varying degrees of success to the point where Aspirot was given a chance and made the most of it. But with the Bruins looking to build on their return to the playoffs, adding a player who could help McAvoy find another gear would certainly help their fortunes considerably.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Still with the Bruins, com’s Conor Ryan examined some potential cap casualties should the team decide to make some bigger swings that they can’t fit into their roughly $16MM of cap room this summer. Chief among those is goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who has two years left on his deal with Boston responsible for $3MM of his cap hit. With Michael DiPietro winning AHL MVP this season, he could plausibly become Jeremy Swayman’s backup next season, allowing them to move Korpisalo to open up a bit of cap space. With several teams likely looking to shake things up between the pipes, there could be a market for his services.
- Facing elimination tonight, the Sabres should have one of their top blueliners available. Owen Power was banged up late on Thursday but head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the defenseman should be good to go. In his first taste of playoff action at the NHL level, the 23-year-old has five assists through 11 games and is averaging 20:44 per game of ice time, down just a tad from his season ATOI of 21:39. Ruff wouldn’t comment on any potential lineup changes for Buffalo for tonight’s game.
- Earlier this week, Penguins prospect Jordan Charron announced that he was committing to UMass-Amherst. However, it appears he won’t be making the jump to the college ranks right away. His former GOJHL team, the Ayr Centennials, noted (Twitter link) that the commitment is for 2027-28, meaning that he’ll stay with OHL Soo for one more year. The winger was a fifth-round pick last year and moved to the OHL level this season. He had a solid first year with the Greyhounds, notching 25 goals and 22 assists in 66 games and finished up on a tryout in the minors with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. However, since he didn’t play a game on that agreement, he retains his NCAA eligibility.
Evening Notes: Kings Outdoor Game, Predators, Charron
Rumors are floating around that the Los Angeles Kings could be getting an outdoor game in a Southern California beach setting, as written by Andy Tonge of Mayor’s Manor.
An idea which has been tossed around for over a decade, Tonge wrote that Santa Monica is a possibility, with the NHL reaching out to the city in the past, and talks turning more serious in recent months. Hypothetically it’s thought that the Lot 1 North parking lot, by the renowned pier, would be the landing spot. No date is in mind at this point but in all likelihood it would be sometime after next season.
Last January the Winter Classic took to Miami, not to be outdone by the Stadium Series a month later in Tampa. Unusually cold weather in the Bay worked to the league’s advantage that day, although more creativity was required for the New Year’s action at LoanDepot Park. The ice was modified, nearly doubling in thickness, with an extra mobile refrigeration unit.
A pair of breakthrough events in Florida which would have seemed impossible not long ago, concerns surrounding ice conditions as well as declining fan viewership have been a damper on outdoor games over the past several years. Still, it’s fun to speculate on the possibility of the Kings taking to the ice on the Pacific Ocean, with the iconic Ferris Wheel in the background, even if an exhibition.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Nashville Predators scouting meetings are underway as they prepare to walk on the stage at 10th overall next month in Buffalo. Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty told Brooks Bratten, Beat Reporter, that the team could target their overall best player available, having a well stocked pool but craving high-end upside. Also featured in the article, Tom Nolan, Chief Amateur Scout, had high praise for forward prospect Wyatt Cullen whose father Matt played for the Predators at the tail end of his 1,516 game career. Brady Martin, their fifth overall selection last summer, was the team’s first top 10 selection since 2014. Somewhat hard to believe, in their entire history the Predators have drafted and developed just two forwards who went on to score 30 or more goals in a season for them; Viktor Arvidsson and Patric Hörnqvist, who were fourth and seventh rounders respectively. A franchise which has never bottomed out in their history, with no apparent plans to do so anytime soon, they must connect on some swings at the podium to reverse the trend.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Jordan Charron committed to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he shared on Instagram. A fifth round pick in last summer’s draft, the 6’2” winger notched 47 points in 66 games with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, a teammate of the aforementioned Martin. With Charron into the fold, the Minutemen are up to six NHL-drafted prospects on their roster for next year. He came out of the gate blazing in his final OHL campaign, raising eyebrows with seven goals in his first six games. Already having a physical edge, if Charron’s scoring touch can continue to grow amidst the challenges of the collegiate game, the Ontario native has a real middle six upside for the Penguins.
Snapshots: Kuzmenko, Hintz, Dach, Charron, Hayes
Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko is set to draw into the postseason lineup for the first time for tonight’s Game 3 of the Avalanche, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports. He took line rushes at morning skate on the left wing on the third line with Scott Laughton and Joel Armia. Rookie Jared Wright had occupied that slot for the first two games of the series but was bumped down to fourth-line duties this morning. Trade deadline pickup Mathieu Joseph was the odd man out and projects to head to the press box after playing in six straight. Kuzmenko hasn’t played since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus on Feb. 28, but was activated from injured reserve at the beginning of the playoffs. After flourishing with 17 points in 22 games last season following his acquisition from the Flyers at the trade deadline, the Russian offensive weapon posted a more conservative 13-12–25 scoring line in 52 games this season and has been bumped off the top line thanks to Artemi Panarin‘s injection into the roster.
More from around the league Thursday:
- The Stars have now officially ruled center Roope Hintz out for Game 4 against the Wild, head coach Glen Gulutzan said (via Dan Rosen of NHL.com). He had initially left the door open for Hintz to join the team in Minnesota, depending on how he felt earlier in the week, but that won’t happen. Hintz did skate for the first time yesterday since sustaining a lower-body injury back on March 7, so while he’s still considered doubtful for Game 5 and questionable for the rest of the first round, there’s tangible progress toward his return. Dallas has eked out a 2-1 series lead without him, thanks to Wyatt Johnston‘s double-overtime heroics last night and an exceptional performance from their defense and penalty kill in Game 3, holding Minnesota to zero inner-slot shots the entire night despite the Wild having seven power plays.
- The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed a trio of Pittsburgh unsigned draft picks to amateur tryouts ahead of their Atlantic Division Semifinal series kicking off soon, per a team announcement. Most intriguing among them is center Kale Dach, who, despite being drafted last out of the three in last year’s draft (seventh round, 201st overall), had the most impactful post-draft season. Some had viewed Dach as more of a mid-round pick, and they were proven right to some degree by him having a 34-goal, 75-point campaign in 63 games for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen after spending last season with the junior ‘A’ Sherwood Park Crusaders of the BCHL. He’ll be off to Penn State in the fall but maintains his collegiate eligibility by not signing an NHL contract. Also joining the Baby Pens for the postseason are right-winger Jordan Charron, a 2025 fifth-round pick and St. Lawrence commit who scored 25 goals and 47 points in 66 games this season for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, and Travis Hayes, selected in the fourth round last year. Hayes is the brother of now-teammate Avery Hayes and suited up alongside Charron in Sault Ste. Marie this season, posting a 16-24–40 scoring line in 63 games with a team-high +27 rating.