Afternoon Notes: Trenton, Bruins, Senators, Flames
The Utah Grizzlies will relocate to Trenton, New Jersey for the 2026-27 season, with an announcement set for tomorrow, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli. If true, the Grizzlies will be set to move right after celebrating their 20th season in Utah. In doing so, they will bring ECHL hockey back to Trenton for the first time since 2013. The city previously hosted the Trenton Titans – briefly the Trenton Devils – for 24 years beginning in 1999. The club was red-hot at the turn of the century, reaching the Kelly Cup Finals in 2001 and taking the Cup home in 2005. They featured some incredible hockey names in their history. Stanley Cup winner and Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy presided over Trenton’s inaugural season, and current Utah Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong coached the team from 2002 to 2004.
The Utah Grizzlies are currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles, the latter an ironic twist given the Eagles’ rivalry with the Grizzlies when they were a part of the ECHL. This move would break that tension, and return pro hockey to an upgraded CURE Insurance Arena.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Sticking in the ECHL, the Boston Bruins have announced a three-year extension of their affiliation with the Maine Mariners. The affiliation began in 2021, and marked the first NHL partnership in Maine’s brief history. It was a continuation of a long history of work between the two teams. The Mariners served as Boston’s AHL affiliate from 1987 to 1992, before being relocated to form the Providence Bruins. The ECHL Mariners haven’t found their stride under Boston just yet – losing in the first round of the postseason three times, then missing the postseason last year. They’ll face a very interesting turnaround next season, after losing former player and head coach/general manager Terrence Wallin this summer. Maine hired Rick Kowalsky – aptly, a member of the Kelly Cup-winning Trenton Devils in 2005 – to fill the vacancy. Kowalsky has previously spent four years an ECHL head coach, 10 years as an AHL head coach, and six years as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.
- Shifting to looming NHL training camps – the Ottawa Senators are expected to bring multiple professional try-outs to the start of their camp, general manager Steve Staios told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ottawa could use a bit of padding to their depth at all three positions, setting them up nicely to bring in some of the top remaining free agents. The likeliest paths to the lineup will be on the fourth-line wing, where Michael Amadio and Nick Cousins currently reside on the depth chart. Some options for UFA candidates could include 36-year-old wing Max Pacioretty, 30-year-old centerman Tyler Motte, or 31-year-old defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.
- While Ottawa pursues the PTO market, the Calgary Flames are expected to stay away, per Ryan Pike of Flames Nation. While the Senators will look to vindicate a push to the playoffs last season, Calgary is likely much more geared towards keeping spots open for their emerging youngsters. Players like Rory Kerins, Dryden Hunt, William Stromgren, and Aydar Suniev could all make valiant pushes for bottom-six minutes next season.
Rangers Hire Blake Wheeler, Three Others To Hockey Operations Roles
Freshly-retired pro Blake Wheeler wasn’t able to stay away from the NHL for very long. He has been hired to an advisory role in the New York Rangers’ front office, per Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. Wheeler played in 54 games of New York’s 2023-24 season, but missed the entirety of last season due to a right-leg injury. Alongside this hire, Mercogliano shares that New York has also hired Chris Pryor, Mark Flood, and Darryl Williams to scouting roles. Pryor will preside over scouting, specifically, CHL players on NCAA tracks while Flood and Williams serve as pro scouts.
This news will mark the beginning of Wheeler’s career behind the bench, after playing through 16 seasons in the NHL. He was originally the fifth-overall selection in the 2004 NHL Draft, but didn’t make his NHL debut until 2008, after he had completed three years at the University of Minnesota. The wait proved worthwhile, as Wheeler jumped to 21 goals and 45 points in his rookie season – playing for the Boston Bruins, despite being drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes. Wheeler earned an entrenched role in the lineup, but didn’t find a true breakout until he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010-11.
Wheeler scored 17 points in his first 23 games with Atlanta, then jumped to 17 goals and 47 points in 80 games when the team relocated to Winnipeg for the 2010-11 season. That performance put Wheeler on the track that’d guide the rest of his career. He routinely rivaled 40 assists and north of 60 points throughout the rest of his career – though that streak was broken up by a pair of career-years, and 91-point seasons, in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Wheeler’s career spanned 13 years with the Jets organization, though he opted to move to the Rangers for his sunset years. He signed a one-year deal with New York that’d end sorely, with a freak injury in February 2024 ending Wheeler’s final season early. He returned to play nine minutes of one postseason game, to little effect.
Now, Wheeler will use his 1,172 games of NHL experience to help guide New York towards their next step. He headlines a true heap of experience in this hiring cohort. Pryor played parts of six seasons in the NHL between 1984 and 1990. He took to scouting just four years later, and has served in roles across the NHL ever since. That includes four years as the Islanders’ director of player development, 10 years as the Flyers’ director of scouting, and serving in assistant general manager roles for both the Flyers and Penguins. Pryor stepped away from front office roles in 2023, but now returns to take on a unique post in New York.
Flood and Williams carry similar stories, albeit with much less experience. Flood played in nine AHL seasons, on top of a career that led him to play in seven different countries. He retired in 2022 and immediately took on a pro scouting role with the Senators that he’s filled for the last three seasons. Williams played a fruitful minor-league career from 1989 to 1999, then rose the ranks of minor-league coaching before landing the Vancouver Canucks’ video coach role in 2008. He carried that role until 2014, when he joined the Rangers as an assistant coach for four seasons. Williams stepped away from New York for various roles in 2018, and has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach on the Flyers’ bench.
These hires will give the Rangers one more push towards a revamped room. They were among the toughest teams to watch last season – falling to a 39-36-7 record and no playoff experience in the midst of locker room drama and poor relationships. Moves like hiring head coach Mike Sullivan and loading the front office with pro experience will each go far in helping New York bounce back to form next season.
Afternoon Notes: Thompson, Reichel, Ovechkin
It has been an up-and-down year for Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson. He was excluded from Team USA’s roster at the Four Nations Face-Off in February, prompting a monster run through the rest of his games last season. He scored 33 goals in 57 games following the mid-year break, then added nine points in 10 games at the summer’s World Championship, including the decisive goal to earn the United States their first Gold Medal in recent history. As part of an extended interview, Thompson told Michael Russo of The Athletic that he’s hoping that goal can advance his spot on the watchlist as the USA prepares for the Olympics. He said:
I would hope scoring that goal would make a difference, but it’s also one play. It doesn’t define me as a player or mean that I had a great tournament or anything by that means… I want to be an Olympian, but getting the Sabres back into the playoffs is always at the forefront.
Thompson is undoubtedly one of America’s biggest scoring threats. His 120 goals in 225 games is the second-most from any American in the NHL since 2022, behind only Auston Matthews (142 goals in 222 games). Thompson has managed that feat despite playing for the only team to score more than 800 goals, and still get outscored, in the same timeframe. He’s the standing pillar of a struggling team, a point made literal by Thompson’s 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame. The United States tied Canada for the most goals (10) during their three games at the 4-Nations Face-Off. Adding a player of Thompson’s caliber to the lineup could be enough to will the Americans over their rival on the biggest stage next February.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Chicago Blackhawks winger Lukas Reichel told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that he hasn’t been able to dodge trade rumors – even hearing them on the streets of his native Germany. Despite that, Reichel emphasized that his focus is squarely on carving out a big role with the Blackhawks next season. He scored a career-high eight goals and 22 points in 70 games last season, but still seems well capable of achieving more. The Blackhawks will have plenty of new faces challenging Reichel for minutes next year, including newcomer Andre Burakovsky and rookies Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert. That competition will push Reichel to a breaking point. If he can show his might in the NHL, he’ll earn a strong role in the middle-six. If not, he could soon find a path away from the Blackhawks organization.
- NHL legend Alex Ovechkin has departed from his native Russia to return to the United States for the 2025-26 season, shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Ovechkin will kick off his 21st season in the NHL when he lands back in Washington D.C. That mark will make him one of just 42 NHL players to appear in at least 21 seasons. The future Hall-of-Famer broke the league’s record for all-time goals last season, en route to an incredibly 44 goals and 73 points in just 65 games. It will be hard to relieve those numbers as he inches as he prepares to play in his age-40 season. Even then, managing even half of that scoring pace would put Ovechkin on pace for the highest-scoring age-40 season since Teemu Selanne posted 80 points in 2010-11.
Extending Jack Eichel Will Be A Top Priority For Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights find their back to summer fireworks every single year. They pulled off a sign-and-trade deal for Mitch Marner this year, complete with an eight-year, $96MM contract for the superstar winger. Now, they face the looming task of signing top center Jack Eichel before he reaches free agency next July. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said that Eichel’s deal will be a top priority for the club in a recent conversation with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun further added that, while the two sides still have a long way to go, he’d be surprised if a deal didn’t get done.
Extension conversations between Eichel and Vegas began back in May, and the team began to work out contract estimates following their July acquisition of Marner. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that Vegas was ready to hand Eichel an even heftier deal than what Marner received – and with talks continuing at a strong cadence, it doesn’t seem that bar has created any barriers.
Targeting a deal richer than Marner’s will almost certainly land the value of Eichel’s next deal north of $100MM. That would put him among a limited, but growing, group of NHL stars to sign a nine-figure deal. Only seven players have signed such contracts – the most recent being Leon Draisaitl‘s record-breaking $112MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers. That deal – which carries a $14MM cap hit for eight seasons – could be where Vegas begins conversations with Eichel. The 28-year-old centerman hasn’t yet crossed the century mark in scoring, but he’s planted deep roots in Vegas’ top forward role and seems set for a big year with Marner’s support.
Aside from the importance of signing your lineup star, Vegas will need to cement Eichel’s deal before they even think of budgeting for the 2026-27 season. The salary cap is expected to rise to $104MM – nearly $9MM more than next season’s limit – which should give Vegas plenty of space to give Eichel a raise of $4MM or $5MM per year. The Golden Knights will be pushing up against the cap ceiling this next season, and will only manage any cap relief by placing top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve.
No matter where his salary ends up, Eichel’s next deal seems all-but-certain to carry through the bulk of his 30’s. They could be the best years of the one-time Stanley Cup winner’s career as well, as Vegas continues to load up on blue-chip talent through free agency and the draft. The Golden Knights will be as competitive as ever next season – with Marner’s debut, Pavel Dorofeyev‘s follow-up, and Trevor Connelly‘s push up the minor-leagues each providing plenty of sparks.
Evening Notes: Laine, Salary Cap, 84-Game Schedule
Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine has a path to more minutes this season, after averaging a career-low 14:18 in ice time last season. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes met with Laine to discuss areas he could focus growing in to earn a hardier role in the lineup, shares Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.
Laine finished the season with 20 goals in 52 games, but Montreal was also outscored 17-to-26 when Laine was on the ice at even-strength. Questions about Laine’s effort outside of the defensive zone have existed since his rookie season, but it’s hard not to imagine those are the attributes the Canadiens would like to see more. Finding an added step towards opponents in the defensive zone, and winning more battles in the dirty areas of the ice, would go a long way towards helping the 6-foot-4 Laine fit in with an otherwise undersized top-six. Laine reached the 30-goal mark in each of his first three seasons in the NHL, and could be a real X-factor in the Canadiens lineup should he take the necessary strides.
Other notes from around the league:
- NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly elaborated on upcoming changes to the league’s use of long-term injured reserve in an interview at the NHL’s pre-season coaches/GM meeting. He received many questions on the league’s new rule that playoff lineups must be cap-compliant. That includes one from Engels, who asked if there would be exceptions made for players working back from injury who are game-time decisions. Daly did not have an answer, other than to say that the league will answer that question in the future. The Stanley Cup playoffs are eight months away, allowing for plenty of time for the league to continue sorting out how they want to carry out changes to the CBA.
- More light has also been shed on the league’s upcoming shift to an 84-game schedule, set to begin in the 2026-27 season. With that expansion, the season will be slated to begin in late-September and end in mid-June, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The shift to an earlier start to the season will be welcomed by many hockey fans, though a heavier workload will keep the season’s end tight to the NHL Draft and start of free agency on July 1st. That will be bittersweet news for many, especially NHL front offices, who have recently urged for a longer break between the end of the season and start of free agency.
Poll: Who Is The Early Favorite To Win The 2026 Calder Trophy?
The hockey world was treated to a true gift by the race for the 2025 Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top rookie. The class lived up to years of expectations, headlined by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson tying Larry Murphy for the most assists by a rookie defender. He took home the Calder ahead of San Jose Sharks top center Macklin Celebrini and Calgary Flames starting goaltender Dustin Wolf – who both managed star-studded and historic performances of their own. The heap of talent left players who could have won the trophy outright in seemingly any other year – options like 26-goal-scorer Matvei Michkov. A rookie class so strong will be impossible to follow up, but the group in 2025-26 seem to have a great chance to come close.
Early predictions will have the Calder Trophy staying put through in 2026. The Canadiens are set to award star rookie Ivan Demidov with his first NHL season, after he led KHL super-club SKA St. Petersburg with in scoring with 49 points in 62 games last season. He was a sheer force at Russia’s top level, showing a pace, strength, and finesse that was unmatched by his competition. Demidov finished the year with five points in six Gagarin Cup Playoff matchups, before scoring four points in his first seven games with Montreal.
Demidov is now set to assume a key role in the Canadiens’ lineup. It’s hard to imagine he won’t play true top-line minutes. He offers the in-tight skill and low-zone grit to perfectly complement spot-shooter Cole Caufield and playmaking, two-way center Nick Suzuki. The stars will be Demidov’s ceiling if he gets a full year to such talented players. He nearly recorded a 20-30-50 season in the KHL – a league often lauded as near-equal to the NHL. That standing could set him up for 60, or even 70, points in his first year with Montreal.
It will be a tight race to catch up to, and overcome, Demidov. A slew of star collegiate players signed their entry-level contracts at the end of the season, and could easily be set for major minutes of their own. Sam Rinzel fills a need for right-shot defense for the Blackhawks and Oliver Moore seemed to bring his slick-passing to Chicago, Gabe Perreault looked like a strong utility player with the New York Rangers, and Ryan Leonard showed an ability to match the Washington Capitals’ pace.
And yet, all four could be outdone by Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, who managed an impressive 98 points in 83 games at the University of Denver. He appeared in four Stanley Cup Playoff games, but only managed one assist. Also atop the defense charts is top KHL defender Alexander Nikishin, who ended a stalemate when he finally joined the Carolina Hurricanes for the playoffs. Nikishin ranked second on SKA St. Petersburg with 46 points in 61 games, and matched Buium’s postseason statline.
Even still, the OHL could emerge. Sam Dickinson served as the star of the 2025 Memorial Cup-winning London Knights, and seems well-primed for a big role with the desolate San Jose Sharks. He could be joined by the reigning ‘OHL Player of the Year’ Michael Misa, who managed an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. Misa was drafted second in this year’s class, with New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer the only selection before him. The smooth-moving, sharp-eyed Schaefer could be another Calder candidate, though he hasn’t played a season-game since sustaining a broken collarbone during the World Junior Championships last December.
It will be hard for any player to rival the record-breaking heights that Hutson reached last season, but the list of candidates looking to follow him up seems endless. Any one of the aforementioned players could find their way into a star role, or the award could go to someone entirely different – like 2025 Hobey Baker Award-winner and Edmonton Oilers winger Isaac Howard.
With so much talent on the board, who do you think will win the 2026 Calder Trophy? If you choose ‘Other’, comment your pick below!
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Hurricanes Sign Oliver Kylington, Givani Smith To Professional Tryouts
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Givani Smith and defenseman Oliver Kylington to professional tryouts. Both players appeared in NHL games last season.
Kylington’s NHL action was split between the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks. He only totaled 19 games, and five points, on the year after sustaining a string of injuries throughout the 2024-25 season. Kylington stepped away from the NHL from October 2022 through January 2024 to focus on his mental health. He returned for 33 games of the Calgary Flames’ 2023-24 season and won the 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy.
Kylington is now 28 and looking to reinstate his spot in the NHL. He bounced back and forth between the major and minor leagues from 2018 to 2021 – but broke out with 31 points in 73 games of the Flames’ 2021-22 season. At his best, he looked like a smooth-moving, two-way defenseman capable of holding both blue-lines. That talent could be enough to fill the in-between role vacated by Scott Morrow when he was traded to the Rangers in June. First, Kylington will need to prove he can still play at NHL pace.
Meanwhile, Smith will look to flex his might as a bottom-of-the-lineup bruiser. He has fluctuated between the NHL and AHL for the last few seasons, and averaged at least one penalty minute per game everywhere he goes. Last season, Smith recorded no scoring and 18 PIMs in 13 NHL games, and three points and 21 PIMs in 16 AHL games. Those performances brought his career totals up to 22 points and 268 PIMs in 168 NHL games, and 55 points and 287 PIMs in 167 AHL games. He could be a candidate for an AHL contract, if he doesn’t earn a deal with the Hurricanes out of camp.
NCAA Grants Eligibility To Two Former Pros
In another milestone decision for collegiate hockey, the NCAA has granted eligibility to two players with experience in the AHL and ECHL. Forward Connor McClennon and defenseman Hudson Thornton will both suit up for the Bemidji State University Beavers, per Jared Rubado of The Bemidji Pioneer. This decision goes against the NCAA’s previous rule that stated any players who have signed pro contracts were ineligible from playing NCAA-sanctioned sports.
The future implications, or even the present justification, for this decision aren’t entirely clear. Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore told Rubado that the team wanted to “throw some darts” after seeing the NCAA allow former pros to participate in other sports. They worked with both players to submit request to the NCAA Eligibility Center, formerly the NCAA Clearinghouse. Both McClennon and Thornton pointed towards their reinstated eligibility for U Sports – Canada’s collegiate league – as one of the reasons why they should be granted a move to the NCAA.
Bemidji also pointed towards the NCAA’s extension of eligibility to pros in both basketball and football. As pointed out by Rubado, the NCAA allowed Ethan Burg to join the University of Tennessee’s men’s basketball team on July 24, despite Burg’s participation in the Israeli Basketball Super League.
The NCAA is also currently facing a U.S. District Court ruling that challenges how the NCAA counts years of eligibility. Previously, the collegiate association would include years in JUCO, or Junior College, against a player’s maximum five years of NCAA eligibility. This new antitrust lawsuit would look to reverse that decision, and extend additional eligibility to three players at West Virginia University, as well as players at Vanderbilt University, Rutgers University, and Memphis University.
The NCAA has released a statement challenging the court ruling, though they may face a tougher task overturning it after extending eligibility to two pro hockey players. McClennon played nine total games between the AHL and ECHL, scoring just one point in the former league. He spent last season at the University of Alberta. Thornton’s pro experience is much more extensive. He appeared in 49 ECHL games, and scored 14 points, this past season, in addition to making his AHL debut. Thornton has never played at the collegiate level, though he previously expressed interest in joining the University of Saskatchewan for next season.
While the long-term impact of this decision hasn’t had time to settle, it marks another boom to the ever-changing junior hockey landscape. It seems unlikely that the NCAA will officially acknowledge changes to their eligibility until after they conclude multiple lawsuits and court cases, leaving questions of who teams can recruit up in the air for now. On the other side, NCAA eligibility could begin mirroring U Sports. Currently, AHL or ECHL players are eligible to join U Sports programs, but must sit out for a season of competition if they are on a pro roster after January 10th. Even those guidelines seem uncertain, though, as U Sports commits to future changes and expansions of their own.
NHL To Organize 2028 World Cup Without IIHF Involvement
The NHL appears set to move forward with their plan on organizing a World Cup of Hockey. They’re ready to reach out to international clubs directly, rather than work with the IIHF, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. This news doubles down comments that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made in February.
The tournament will be an eight-country event and take place during the 2027-28 season – the year of the next summer Olympics – shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta adds that preliminary matches will be split between one North American, and one European, city – while semi-final and final rounds will be hosted in North America.
This news answers the question of what the NHL will do in the Olympics’ off-years. The World Cup will feature a wider cast than the 4-Nations Face-Off that took place this February, though the exact list of countries isn’t quite clear. In addition to the four countries that suited up this winter, both Czechia and Slovakia seem like locked-in options. The NHL could also bring in any one of Germany, Switzlerand, Austria, and Latvia – who have each reached varying levels of international success over the last few years.
But Russia will stand as the big uncertainty. Both Russia and Belarus have been barred from participation in IIHF events since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The IIHF upheld that decision for the 2025-26 season and 2026 Winter Olympics. The NHL deciding to go around IIHF involvement does open the door to Russia – one of the world’s top hockey countries – getting back into the swing of best-on-best competition. That would likely give aging stars like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Artemi Panarin a chance to show their might in their prime years. Commissioner Gary Bettman declined comment when asked, back in March, about if the NHL would entertain playing against Russia in the near future.
The World Cup tournament itself will serve as an exciting shove into the future for the world’s top hockey talents. High-potential young players like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson, and Juraj Slafkovsky will be just entering their prime years in 2028, and certainly looking for a chance to prove their country’s might at the top stage. The event will be a great run-up to the 2032 Winter Olympics, where all four players seem ready to play big roles.
The NHL will intercut the World Cup with All-Star games. Bettman has shared that he knows the All-Star matchup will need to live up to high expectations, after the popularity garnered by the 4-Nations Face-Off earlier this year. In an interview with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Bettman said that everything will be on the table for the next All-Star event. That will set a high bar for the mid-season breaks next season, though many fans will be looking ahead to an even bigger best-on-best tournament only three seasons away.
Rocco Grimaldi, Joseph Blandisi Sign In KHL
Former New Jersey Devils forward Joseph Blandisi has signed a two-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of Russia’s KHL. Blandisi will be joined in the move by fellow AHL veteran Rocco Grimaldi, whose contract details haven’t yet been revealed, per Pavel Panyshev of Russia’s Championat. This will mark the first overseas move of both player’s careers, after years of rooted roles in the minor leagues.
Grimaldi boast the slightly richer career of the two, accumulating 203 NHL games and 499 AHL games over his nine-year career. He was originally drafted with the 33rd-overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers. Grimaldi followed his draft selection with three seasons at the University of North Dakota. He found great success in college, despite a freshman year derailed by injury, and entered the pros with wind behind his sails in the 2014-15 season.
Grimaldi scored a hot 42 points in 64 games of his AHL rookie season. That was enough to earn the first seven games of his NHL career, though he only managed one goal in those appearances. He spent the next four years firmly rooted in the rut of hot AHL scoring and meager NHL totals, until the 2018-19 Nashville Predators opted to reward Grimaldi with his first full year in the NHL. He scored just 13 points in 53 games with the club, but shined through enough to cement a bottom-six role for the next three seasons. But after not finding another gear at the top flight, Grimaldi was relegated back to the minors in 2022. His role was defined as a top AHL scorer with limited upward mobility – a sentiment that’s kept Grimaldi from receiving any NHL games in three years, despite scoring 256 points in 252 games since 2022.
Blandisi has fallen into a similar rut over recent years. After bearing through split AHL and NHL minutes between 2015 and 2020, the former sixth-round selection landed a full-time role in the minors in the 2020-21 season. He’s since found upside as both a scorer and bruiser, a role best highlighted by his 59 points and 110 penalty minutes in 70 games with the Toronto Marlies in the 2023-24 season. He followed that performance with 35 points and 82 penalty minutes in 58 games last season, bringing his career-long totals up to 321 points and 664 penalty minutes in 448 games and 10 seasons in the AHL. He also has 31 points in 101 NHL games.
Both players will look to escape middling roles in North America with a move to Russia’s top squad. They’ll join a rich squad in SKA, headlined by returning scorers Sergei Plotnikov and Marat Khairullin. Grimaldi and Blandisi should have no trouble finding hardy middle-six minutes, following SKA’s loss of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Mikhail Grigorenko this off-season. SKA finished second in their division, and got bumped from the conference quarterfinals, last season.