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Blues Agree To Terms With First-Round Pick Theo Lindstein

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The Blues have signed 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. The team did not disclose financial terms.

St. Louis selected the left-shot defenseman from Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League with the 29th overall pick. The 19-year-old was viewed as a potential top-10 choice in early 2023 prospect rankings as a shutdown blue liner but dropped down public boards throughout the year and was graded as low as a third-round pick by a few notable public scouting outfits, including Elite Prospects and McKeen’s Hockey. Elite Prospects’ final scouting report called him “safe, calm and a play killer with his stick” but criticized his ability to process plays quickly and said he “lacked initiative, often deferring to his partner on breakouts.”

Others are more optimistic about the 6-foot-1, 180-lb defender, such as Dobber Prospects, who list him as one of the Blues’ premier defense prospects and believe he has a top-four ceiling. Those who had him ranked lower tab his projection as a bottom-pairing, penalty-killing utility player at his peak. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Lindstein as the Blues’ best defense prospect and their fifth-best overall prospect, calling him an “unspectacular but solid two-way defenseman” with a “high likelihood of becoming a solid D partner to someone in the NHL long term.”

Even for shutdown players, a lack of point-producing ability at lower levels, such as what Lindstein displayed in his draft season, is generally indicative of a tough path to NHL minutes. His totals on the scoresheet improved markedly this season, however, leading all defensemen at the 2024 World Junior Championship with six assists and eight points in seven games for Sweden en route to a silver medal, as well as 15 points and a +13 rating in 49 games for Brynäs, who were demoted to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan after losing last year’s SHL relegation series.

Lindstein was the last of three first-round picks the Blues had in last year’s draft, selected after centers Dalibor Dvorský (10th overall) and Otto Stenberg (22nd overall). The Blues acquired the pick they used to select Lindstein from the Rangers in February 2023’s Vladimir Tarasenko trade, and the Rangers had previously acquired the pick from the Stars in exchange for defenseman Nils Lundkvist in September 2022.

NHL Rejects Flames’ Agreement With Sam Morton

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6:44 PM: CapFriendly reports that the NHL has rejected Morton’s contract.  The issue is that while he’s currently 24, the contract being submitted is for his age-25 season.  A player’s age for contract purposes is defined by their age as of September 15th in the year he signs; Morton turns 25 in July.  North American-born players are ineligible for an entry-level deal in their age-25 season and beyond.  The Flames will now have to resubmit a new deal without performance bonuses.

2:50 PM: The Flames have made their first splash in this year’s college free agent market, inking Minnesota State University forward Sam Morton to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2024-25 season. Morton’s contract will carry a $950K cap hit, and he’ll close out this season on a tryout with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports Morton’s AHL salary next season will be $82.5K, and he’ll also earn a signing bonus of $95K.

Morton, 24, was a bright spot in what was otherwise the Mankato school’s worst season in over a decade. In 37 games, he led the squad with 24 goals, 34 points and a +8 rating, earning CCHA First All-Star Team honors and a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player.

In signing his ELC, Morton wraps up a rare six-year collegiate career. After two seasons playing junior hockey with the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild, Morton joined Union College for two seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20 but left early in the latter campaign to rejoin Wenatchee until the COVID pandemic shut down the season. The Colorado native then entered the transfer portal, where he landed with MSU from 2020 onward. Over four years with the school, Morton registered 44 goals, 76 points and a +46 rating in 102 contests.

The two-time conference champion with Mankato will now immediately head to the pros, where he will join a Wranglers team that’s still trying to secure a playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division. The Wranglers have 14 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, so he should get a decent chunk of action down the stretch and in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Morton will be an RFA next summer when his ELC expires.

Wild Sign Rasmus Kumpulainen To Entry-Level Deal

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The Wild signed forward Rasmus Kumpulainen to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed, although Minnesota did confirm the deal will begin in 2024-25.

A natural center, Kumpulainen was the first of two second-round picks the Wild owned in the 2023 draft. Their other selection was WHL Prince George forward Riley Heidt, who’s third in the league in scoring with 114 points in 64 games.

The 18-year-old Kumpulainen went off the board earlier as a safer but lower-ceiling pick, as evidenced by his solid but not overly impressive transition to North American ice. After spending his draft year with Lahden Pelicans U20 in Finland’s top junior circuit, he came to Ontario after the OHL’s Oshawa Generals made him the 13th overall selection in last year’s CHL Import Draft. The physically-inclined two-way center (6-foot-2, 194 lbs) has 28 goals, 27 assists, 55 points, and a +13 rating in 56 games with the Gens, placing him sixth on the team in scoring. He’s heated up as of late, though, posting 14 points and a +8 rating in his last 10 outings. He’s registered a point in all eight of Oshawa’s games in March.

Kumpulainen also represented Finland at this year’s World Juniors, scoring twice in seven games en route to a bronze-game loss to Czechia. He’s ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the Wild’s system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, with his classmate Heidt checking in at fourth.

Kumpulainen’s contract is eligible for an entry-level slide as he’ll be 19 next season. If he plays under 10 NHL games in 2024-25, a likely scenario, the beginning of his contract will defer to 2025-26. Any signing bonuses included in the first season of his deal must be paid regardless. He’ll be an RFA at the end of the ELC, which could be in either 2027 or 2028.

Blackhawks Recall Wyatt Kaiser

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The Blackhawks recalled defenseman Wyatt Kaiser on an emergency loan Monday, per CapFriendly. It’s the 21-year-old’s first recall since Chicago assigned him to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in late December.

Since his recall comes under emergency conditions, the Blackhawks maintain their two remaining post-trade deadline standard recalls. Kaiser must replace one of Chicago’s six currently healthy defenders, one of whom is likely questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Kings, to remain eligible for an emergency loan. Otherwise, the Blackhawks must convert his recall into a standard one or return him to the IceHogs.

The 2020 third-round pick played in a career-high 23 games in the first few months of the season, recording four assists and a +1 rating. Averaging 16:40 per game, the former University of Minnesota-Duluth standout wasn’t quite the relative shutdown master his positive rating on a rebuilder suggests. Above-average goaltending boosted his actual results, while his even-strength possession numbers (42.7 CF%, 40.3 xGF%) reflected that of a developing talent.

Nonetheless, Kaiser is one of the Blackhawks’ more intriguing defense prospects and may get another shot to log some games after making the Blackhawks’ roster out of camp. Ranked as the 11th-best overall prospect in Chicago’s system and the third-best defenseman by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, he has three goals and 15 points in 31 games for Rockford in his first taste of AHL action this year. Over three seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, he recorded 45 assists, 52 points, and a +5 rating in 97 contests.

Kaiser is in the second season of his three-year entry-level contract, which took effect immediately after signing in March of last year. He carries a cap hit of $917K and will be an RFA in 2025.

Canadiens Reassign David Reinbacher To AHL

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The Canadiens reassigned 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday, per the minor league’s transactions log. The organization’s highest-drafted defense prospect will get his first taste of North American pro hockey to close out the 2023-24 season.

Reinbacher spent this season on loan to EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League, where he’s played since making his professional debut in 2021-22. The 19-year-old logged major minutes on one of the worst teams in the league, finishing second among Kloten defensemen with a goal and 11 points in 35 games with a -15 rating. It was a downturn in production compared to last season from the Austrian defender, although it’s excusable given the state of Kloten, which cycled through multiple head coaches and posted a -69 goal differential in 56 games. Once one of the best teams in the country before the turn of the century, Kloten was relegated to the second-tier Swiss League in 2018 before gaining promotion back to the NL in 2022.

The right-shot blueliner inked a lucrative three-year entry-level contract which could pay him up to $6.35MM shortly after last summer’s draft, but his European Assignment Clause meant he needed to return to his Swiss club after not making the Montreal roster out of training camp. However, by all accounts, that was the plan as early as draft day. If Reinbacher doesn’t get a recall to the Canadiens and remains under 10 NHL games played on the season, his ELC will not go into effect this year and will slide to 2024-25. If that occurs, he will be an RFA in 2027.

Laval is in a fight for a playoff berth in the North Division, trailing the Toronto Marlies by three points with two more games played for the final berth. The Canadiens hope Reinbacher can slot into a defense that’s allowed a division-worst 209 goals this year and play major minutes during their 12 remaining regular-season games in preparation for a battle for a roster spot during next season’s training camp.

Wild Reassign Vladislav Firstov To AHL

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The Wild reassigned forward prospect Vladislav Firstov to AHL Iowa on Sunday, per a team announcement. The 22-year-old returns to North America after spending most of the last two seasons on loan to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

Firstov inked his entry-level contract with the Wild in March 2022, nearly three years after they selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. The left winger had a highly unusual development path, playing his youth hockey with his local Russian club before heading to North America to suit up for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks in his draft year. Firstov then headed to the University of Connecticut for three seasons after being drafted, also suiting up for Russia at the 2021 World Juniors. The 6-foot-1, 181-lb winger barely played for the Wild organization inking his ELC, however. He logged two assists in eight games for AHL Iowa to close out the 2021-22 season after signing and played just one game to kick off 2022-23 before the Wild loaned him to the KHL at the player’s request.

The move has proven beneficial for the speedy forward, who’s emerged as a top-six threat for Torpedo. Over the past two seasons, Firstov logged 28 goals, 33 assists, 61 points, and a +12 rating in 114 games, routinely averaging north of 15 minutes per game. His 17 goals and 35 points ranked third on Nizhny Novgorod this season. The Yaroslavl native also recorded a team-high 68 PIMs in 2023-24 and has overall displayed upside as a bottom-six grinder with strong possession numbers overseas.

Firstov now gets a shot down the stretch to show if he can translate his strengths to North American ice with Iowa. Unfortunately for the Wild, they likely won’t see him in postseason action – Iowa ranks last in the AHL’s Central Division with a 20-33-5 record and is nine points back of a playoff spot.

While Firstov signed his ELC in March 2022, the contract didn’t begin immediately, instead deferring to the 2022-23 campaign. The deal, which carries a cap hit of $925K, still has one season remaining and makes him an RFA in 2025. As such, Firstov will likely remain in Iowa next season and has an outside shot to compete for an NHL spot out of camp later this year.

Rangers Sign Hugo Ollas To Entry-Level Contract

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4:17 p.m.: The contract begins next season, per CapFriendly. As such, Ollas will reach RFA status in 2026. The deal carries a cap hit of $855K and will see him earn $775K in base salary, $80K in signing bonuses, and $75K in minors salary in each of the next two years.

1:43 p.m.: The Rangers have signed goaltender Hugo Ollas to a two-year, entry-level contract, according to a team release. He’ll likely finish the season with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The team did not specify if Ollas’ deal began immediately or was signed for the 2024-25 campaign.

Ollas was a seventh-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 draft, and they had until Aug. 15, 2025, to sign him before losing his exclusive rights. The 21-year-old has spent the last three seasons in collegiate hockey with Merrimack, where he was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team in 2022-23.

His upside comes from his calm yet fluid movements in the crease—although at 6-foot-8 and 238 lbs, he doesn’t have much ground to cover to move from post to post. His numbers at Merrimack have consistently declined since his strong freshman season, though, going from a .920 SV% and 2.24 GAA in 2021-22 to a .908 SV% and 2.84 GAA this season.

The Rangers did not disclose the financial terms of Ollas’ contract. The Linköping, Sweden, native will be an RFA in either 2025 or 2026, depending on if his contract begins immediately or defers to next season.

Stars Sign Tristan Bertucci To Entry-Level Deal

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The Stars signed left-shot defenseman Tristan Bertucci to his entry-level contract on Friday, per a team announcement. The three-year deal with a cap hit of $878K will begin in 2024-25, making him an RFA upon expiry in 2027 – which could push to 2028 if he plays less than 10 NHL games next season and activates an entry-level slide. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the deal, which is as follows:

2024-25/2025-26: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary
2026-27: $800K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $55K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary.

The initial $95K signing bonus will get paid out next season regardless of whether he plays more than 10 NHL games or not, which, in the case of a slide, would lower the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect in 2025-26.

Bertucci, 18, was a late second-round pick of the Stars in last year’s draft. Taken off the board at 61st overall, the Ontario native’s production has stagnated in his post-draft season, logging 41 points and a +10 rating in 56 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds this season compared to 50 points and a +12 rating in 63 games last season. He’s still a solid two-way presence with good shutdown and transition potential at the NHL level, though, and doesn’t have much support on a Firebirds team that’s been relegated to mediocrity this year with a 29-30-4 record.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 180 lbs, Bertucci has to fill out his frame a little bit more before he’s ready for NHL action. He’ll likely return to the Firebirds next year for his fourth season of major junior play, sliding the beginning of his ELC to 2025, and will join the AHL’s Texas Stars at the end of next season. He’ll take a year or two of development there as well before hopefully cracking the NHL roster in 2026 or 2027.

Bertucci’s deal will not count against the 50-contract maximum next season if he’s not in the NHL. The Stars had until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an ELC before his draft rights lapsed.

Blackhawks Sign Landon Slaggert

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The Blackhawks have inked one of their more intriguing prospects, signing forward Landon Slaggert to a two-year, entry-level deal, per a team announcement. The deal, which begins immediately, carries a $912.5K cap hit, per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports.

As such, Slaggert will be eligible to make his NHL debut for Chicago down the stretch. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2020 and had his collegiate career with Notre Dame end yesterday after Michigan eliminated him and the Fighting Irish in the Big 10 Tournament. The South Bend, Indiana native ended his stint at Notre Dame with a 20-goal, 31-point showing in 36 games, both of which were career highs.

Slaggert is already decorated internationally, capturing the gold medal as a depth forward with Team USA at the 2021 World Juniors. He returned to the team for the 2022 tournament where he was among their best, posting six points in five games while serving as an alternate captain.

A speedy forward with decent size (6-foot, 190 lbs), Slaggert can play both wing and center but likely slots in at left wing at the NHL level. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler left Slaggert out of Chicago’s top 15 prospects in his latest pipeline ranking in February, while Dobber Prospects lists him as their fourth-best left-wing prospect. If he hits his long-term ceiling, he’s a good fit on a two-way third-line that can be relied upon for depth scoring and checking situations. He has a decent shot but will likely be most effective in the pros with his ability to create puck retrievals out of board battles.

Slaggert will be an RFA when his ELC expires in 2025.

Senators Notes: Bernard-Docker, Kubalik, Belleville

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The Ottawa Senators had a quiet deadline – only moving winger Vladimir Tarasenko – but it wasn’t from lack of trying, with Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reporting that teams called about defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker but weren’t willing to pay Ottawa’s high asking price. What that asking price was isn’t clear, though there’s no doubt that Ottawa highly values their former first-round pick, despite his struggles at the top level. Garrioch added that Ottawa likely wasn’t eager to move the 23-year-old, happy to continue letting him grow now in a full-time NHL role. Bernard-Docker, the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is still searching for a groove in the league, with just four goals and 12 points in 53 games this season. It’s his first full season in the NHL, entering the season with just 32 career games across the last three years.

Other Senators trade notes:

  • Garrioch also reports that Ottawa continued to try and find a trade for winger Dominik Kubalik, who the team has been shopping around since December. Garrioch adds that Kubalik will likely be out the door when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The 28-year-old winger has 10 goals and 14 points in 58 games this season, netting double digit goals for the fifth-straight season, despite a down-year in overall production. Kubalik has managed 92 goals and 175 points across 341 career NHL games.
  • Tarasenko’s move opened up space on the Senators lineup that the team hopes to fill creatively. While they did claim bottom-six staple Boris Katchouk off of waivers, Senators general manager Steve Staios shared that the team could give top Belleville Senators prospects – including Tyler Kleven, Zack Ostapchuk, and Oskar Pettersson – a chance at the majors as well. He told Garrioch, “All of those players have progressed nicely. They’re worthy of an opportunity to play.” Ottawa currently sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, with just 25 wins on the season. With a quiet deadline not providing much change, they could be well-poised to try out their top young names.

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