Atlantic Notes: Pastrňák, Lauko, Xhekaj, Tavares
Team Czechia got a boost to their repeat efforts for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Boston Bruins announced that star winger David Pastrňák and depth forward Jakub Lauko would play for their native country during this year’s rendition of the international competition.
It’ll be the sixth time Pastrňák has played in the tournament, as he’s usually joined Team Czechia relatively quickly after the Bruins have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped Czechia win the gold medal last year, tallying one goal in four contests. Throughout his career, Pastrňák has scored 14 goals and 30 points in 32 tournament contests, additionally helping Czechia to a bronze medal in 2022.
Meanwhile, Lauko will participate in his first international tournament since the 2019-20 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was typically an unnoteworthy player in those tournaments, scoring one goal and three points in 12 games throughout three tournaments.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Due to some extracurricular activity before Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, the league’s Department of Player Safety decided to bestow some punishments. The Department of Player Safety announced they’ve fined Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct during warm-ups of yesterday’s contest. The league didn’t allude to any specific actions from Xhekaj, but he was seen exchanging words with a few Capitals players from his side of the red line.
- Despite failing to close the series in Game 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided a serious injury to one of their top centers. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a concussion spotter pulled Maple Leafs forward John Tavares during overtime in Game 4, but he cleared the tests to return. The concussion spotter’s worry likely came from Tavares receiving a high hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub in front of Ottawa’s net, which made contact with Tavares’ head.
West Notes: Landeskog, Copley, George, Vilardi, Ehlers, Hronek
After flirting with an official comeback in Games 1 & 2, Gabriel Landeskog will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3. The NHL proudly announced that Landeskog will play in his first game for the first time in 1,032 days.
Landeskog’s return to the NHL minutes is one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sports. After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Swedish winger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which is an operation more inclined to return an individual to a generic standard of mobility rather than professional sports. Through intense willpower, Landeskog was able to overcome.
It’ll be important for the rest of the Avalanche, too. Based on multiple interviews with players on the team, the void of Landeskog has been present for some time, and having him back in the lineup, even for a few shifts, should lead to intense motivation.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Los Angeles Kings have switched up their emergency third goalies for Game 2. The Kings announced they’ve recalled netminder Carter George from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and have reassigned Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. Should George play, which is incredibly unlikely, it would be the first NHL appearance of his career.
- There are a few injury updates for the Winnipeg Jets as their opening-round series transitions to St. Louis. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that forward Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the team while Nikolaj Ehlers will not. Still, it’s important to note that Vilardi has yet to practice without a non-contact jersey, meaning he could remain a ways away from returning.
- Team Czechia will have a quality defenseman join them for their IIHF World Championship gold medal repeat bid. Earlier today, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will join his international team for the upcoming tournament. It’ll be the first time since the summer of 2022 that Hronek has played in the tournament when he tallied two assists in 10 contests.
Calgary Flames End Of Year Updates
Despite not making the postseason, the Calgary Flames had a promising year. The team improved by 15 points compared to last season but narrowly missed out on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, losing to the St. Louis Blues based on the first tiebreaker, regulation wins.
After establishing a solid foundation, this offseason is crucial for the organization to continue progressing in the right direction. First and foremost, General Manager Craig Conroy and staff must determine which players they plan to keep around for the long haul.
Outside of phenom netminder Dustin Wolf, there is no more important extension candidate in Calgary than defenseman Rasmus Andersson. If nothing changes this summer, Andersson will enter the 2025-26 season on the last year of a six-year, $27.3MM contract signed with the Flames in 2020. As long as the Flames are interested, an extension should be completed sooner rather than later, as Andersson indicated back in January that he hopes to remain in southern Alberta.
Not being extension eligible throughout the 2024-25 season, Andersson will start actively contemplating an extension after playing for Team Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. It’ll be the first time Andersson has played in the World Championships, having last played for Team Sweden during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
It is somewhat surprising that Andersson will continue playing throughout the summer, considering he played the final few weeks of the regular season with a broken fibula, according to Wes Gilberton of Postmedia. Still, it gives important context to Andersson’s slow finish to the regular season, scoring one goal and three points in 11 games with a -12 rating.
Andersson certainly wasn’t alone in being injured. TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji reported that captain Mikael Backlund tore his oblique and maintained rib and back ailments throughout the regular season. Furthermore, Steinberg shared that forward Yegor Sharangovich broke his foot in the team’s final game on Thursday, which landed him in a walking boot at today’s press availability.
The injuries aren’t expected to carry into next season, but they’ll preclude Backlund and Sharangovich from participating with their native countries in the World Championships. Still, the Flames will have plenty of participation, as Matthew Coronato will play for Team USA (Twitter Link), MacKenzie Weegar will play for Team Canada (Twitter Link), and Daniel Vladař will play for Team Czechia (Twitter Link). Dissimilarly, Steinberg shared that Jonathan Huberdeau won’t play for Team Canada, indicating that he denied an invitation from the team.
Circling back to Calgary’s devisement of strategy heading into the offseason, a few players indicated they’d love to re-sign with the Flames if afforded the opportunity. Defenseman Joel Hanley (Twitter Link) and Vladař (Twitter Link) were adamant on their desire to remain with the organization, with the latter having had contract talks throughout the regular season.
Sportsnet’s Logan Gordon reported that pending restricted free agent Morgan Frost wants to remain with Calgary, but the team hasn’t engaged in conversation regarding a new contract. Frost’s contract situation could become convoluted through the summer, given his lackluster play with the team after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers. Still, he’ll only require a $2.4MM qualifying offer to retain his rights, which the Flames can do comfortably.
Before going through a full offseason, Calgary doesn’t appear ready to compete for a top-three spot in the Pacific Division. Still, if this year wasn’t an apparition, and the Flames can repeat their performance from last year and the younger players continue to raise their games, it wouldn’t be a major surprise for Calgary to become a legitimate postseason contender for next season.
Czechia Releases Preliminary World Junior Roster
Last week, several countries released their preliminary rosters for the upcoming World Juniors (or in Sweden’s case, pretty much their entire tournament roster was revealed). Today, it was Czechia’s turn as their federation announced their preliminary roster, one that consists of three goalies, nine defensemen, and 15 forwards. The roster is as follows with NHL affiliation, if applicable, in parentheses:
Goalies:
Michael Hrabal (Utah)
Jan Kavan
Jakub Milota (Nashville)
Defensemen:
Jakub Dvorak (Los Angeles)
Jakub Fibigr (Seattle)
Tomas Galvas
Vojtech Husinecky
Matteo Koci
Adam Jiricek (St. Louis)
Vojtech Port (Anaheim)
Marek Rocak
Patrik Volas
Forwards:
Vojtech Cihar
Jiri Felcman (Chicago)
Miroslav Holinka (Toronto)
Vojtech Hradec (Utah)
Adam Jecho (St. Louis)
Ondrej Kos (St. Louis)
Matej Mastalirsky
Adam Novotny
Dominik Petr
Eduard Sale (Seattle)
Petr Sikora (Washington)
Pavel Simek
Jakub Stancl (St. Louis)
Richard Zemlicka
Adam Zidlicky
St. Louis is by far the most represented NHL team out of this group with four players on the initial roster. Their top prospect of the group is Jiricek, a player whose availability for this tournament remains in question. Jiricek, the 16th overall pick back in June, has been limited to just four games with OHL Brampton this season. The federation is in touch with the Blues and a decision will be made about him being released later on.
Up front, Sale is the headliner. The 20th overall pick in 2023 by the Kraken, Sale is off to a solid start in the AHL with a dozen points in 19 games after splitting last season between OHL Barrie and Kitchener. It’s expected that Sale will not be with the Czechs for the entire camp but join them later on; a release date is being worked out between the federation and Seattle.
Czechia is in Pool B with Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland for the event which gets underway on December 26th. They’ll have to have their roster down to three goalies (which they are already at) and no more than 22 skaters by the time the tournament begins.
Team Czechia Wins 2024 IIHF World Championship
Team Czechia has made history on home ice, taking home the Gold Medal at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in 14 years (Twitter link). It is Czechia’s fifth time winning Gold since 2000 – the second-most of any country, behind Canada’s seven wins. Czechia has now medaled in 10 of the 11 visits the World Championship has made to Prague, including winning Gold Medals on home ice in 1947, 1972, 1985, and now 2024.
Czechia entered this year’s tournament as a favorite among the European competition, though they faced a tall order against Team Canada and Team USA teams now filled with hopeful Olympians. That’s the story they started that played out through the preliminary round, with Czechia winning hard-fought games against Finland and Norway – though a surprise performance from Team Switzerland was enough to push Czechia to a shootout loss in their third game. The Czechs bounced back with wins against Denmark, Austria, and Great Britain – and then revealed an ace up their sleeve, adding each of Martin Necas, Pavel Zacha, and international standout David Pastrnak to their lineup ahead of their matchup with Team Canada to finish the preliminary round.
Perhaps jet lagged, the reloaded Czechia lineup fell to another shootout loss against Canada. But they showed their cohesion when the elimination games rolled around – winning a hard-fought, 1-0 quarterfinals game against Team USA, reinspiring their offense in a dazzling 7-3 semifinals win over Team Sweden, and then getting revenge on Switzerland with a strong 2-0 win in the Gold Medal Game.
It was, surprisingly, Martin Necas who made the biggest addition of the late-stage NHL additions – scoring seven points in five games comapred to Pastrnak and Zacha’s one point each through four games. But it was Czech hockey legend Roman Cervenka and former Columbus Blue Jacket Lukas Sedlak who led the way for the country’s offense, recording 11 and 10 points respectively through 10 games. Czechia was also helped along by a standout performance from Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who posted a .939 save percentage – saving 200 of 213 shots – through eight starts.
This World Championship win gives Czechia fantastic momentum headed into the 2026 Winter Olympics. They should be poised for a few notable additions in that tournament, including Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, while also holding their breath to see if Cervenka can play into his 40s. But even through changes, this Czech lineup has stamped their place on top of Europe’s hockey world.
Evening Notes: Vesey, Henrique, Rutta
New York Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey has been designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette shared with Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). Vesey took a hard hit from Florida Panthers’ forward Ryan Lomberg in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving the game after just 5:47 in ice time.
Vesey has played in all 12 of New York’s postseason games this season, recording three points while averaging third-line minutes. It’s just the third time in his career that Vesey has received considerable playoff ice time, appearing in seven games and scoring one point last year and scoring five points in 12 games in the 2017 playoffs. He’s receiving the ice time after a slight resurgence this season, with Vesey recording 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games and improving his consistency throughout the season.
Vesey’s absence will likely make way for Kaapo Kakko to return to the lineup, after being healthy scratched in Game 2. It was the second time in the last three years that Kakko was scratched in the Eastern Conference Finals, coming after he managed just two points through New York’s first 11 playoff games. Vesey’s injury will also provide a bit more lineup security to bruiser Matt Rempe, who stepped back into the lineup for Game 2 – though the Rangers were very deliberate with his ice time. If not Rempe, then New York will likely turn to veteran Blake Wheeler, who’s been out since February with a leg injury. Wheeler posted 21 points in 54 games this season – his first year away from the Winnipeg Jets since 2010-11.
Other notes from around the league:
- Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique sat out of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals after being named a game-time decision and taking warmups with the team, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Henrique has now missed Edmonton’s last seven games with an ankle injury. He continues to be replaced by Sam Carrick and Connor Brown, the latter scoring Edmonton’s first goal of Game 2. Henrique appears to be nearing a return to the lineup, though it’s becoming less clear who will step out to make way.
- Team Czechia and San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been suspended for one game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship for elbowing Team Sweden and Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom. Rutta was not penalized for the hit during the game. He will miss Czechia’s gold medal matchup against Team Switzerland. He’ll conclude his tournament with one goal and eight penalty minutes through nine games, while Team Czechia will likely turn towards David Spacek to fill Rutta’s second-pair ice time. Spacek has five assists in Czechia’s nine games.
Afternoon Notes: Drouin, Henrique, Bruins, Brandsegg-Nygard
Colorado Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin has shared that he’s hoping to re-sign with the team this summer, per Meghan Angley of TheDNVR.com (Twitter link). Drouin joined the Avalanche on a one-year, $825K contract last July and looked great in their system, posting a career-high 56 points. He appeared in 79 games – the second-most he’s played in any of his 10 NHL seasons, behind the 2018-19 campaign.
Drouin seemed to find his footing with the Avalanche and will now hope to solidify his future with the club. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring while admirably filling Gabriel Landeskog‘s role on the second line. That should be enough to earn him a substantial raise from his sub-$1MM salary this season, though he’ll still have to settle for a cheaper deal, with Colorado boasting just $15MM to re-sign their 11 free agents, including Sean Walker and Alexandar Georgiev.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Edmonton Oilers are expected to once again be without forward Adam Henrique for Game 6, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Knoblauch also shared that the Oilers will have an extra forward in warmups, with one lineup forward questionable with an illness. Henrique has missed five of the six games this series and hasn’t been particularly effective when he is on the ice – with just two points in six postseason games so far. Connor Brown will remain in the lineup in Henrique’s absence, while one of Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, or Adam Erne will likely skate as the precautionary extra forward.
- A pair of Boston Bruins could be set to join Team Czechia at the World Championship, with Czechia news outlet iDNES.cz reporting that both David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha could join the team as soon as Monday. That decision will be made by general manager Petr Nedved and assistant general manager Martin Havlat, who shared that Pastrnak and Zacha are set to undergo medical evaluation on Sunday. These would be substantial additions to a Czechia roster that’s already leading Group A, with four wins in six games. They recently added Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas following their elimination and are now set to add two more difference-makers – a substantial boost ahead of their Tuesday matchup with Team Canada, their final of the group stage.
- Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has signed a one-year deal with the reigning SHL champions: Skelleftea AIK. Brandsegg-Nygard spent the season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league, where he posted 18 points in 41 games. He’s also managed five points in five World Juniors games and 12 points in nine international friendlies with Norway’s U20 team – and is currently one of just six goal-scorers on Norway’s World Championship roster. It’s been a strong year for Brandsegg-Nygard, the fifth-ranked European by NHL Central Scouting. He should only add to his momentum on a flashy, high-skill Skelleftea team next year.
Afternoon Notes: Huhtanen, Lyle, Nečas
The Tampa Bay Lightning have made the signing of forward prospect Niko Huuhtanen official, following reports of the signing yesterday. The three-year, entry-level deal will kick off next year and carries $57.5K in performance bonuses and $92.5K in signing bonuses each season, in addition to its $867.5K cap hit. Huuhtanen is currently playing with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, appearing in two games of the Calder Cup Playoffs but still searching for his first AHL point.
Huuhtanen played through his second full season in Finland’s Liiga this season, recording 19 goals and 46 points in 52 games. Tampa drafted Huuhtanen in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft, selecting him out of Finland’s U20 league after he posted 20 goals and 34 points in 37 games. He moved to America in the following season – appearing in 65 games and recording 77 points with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. But his juniors career was short-lived, and Huuhtanen returned back to Finland ahead of last season – posting 17 goals and 30 points in 48 games as a Liiga rookie.
Huuhtanen has scored at every level and served as a staple for Finland’s international teams for the last six seasons. He’s a hefty winger who sacrifices swift feet for strength. He doesn’t lack finesse, though, and knows how to use his strong frame to fight for space and become an option for teammates. From there, Huuhtanen’s shot is strong enough to make him dangerous anywhere in the offensive end. He’ll likely return to the AHL next season, though his strong performances against pro competition in the Liiga could help him rival the Lightning lineup soon.
Other notes from around the league:
- Pending Calgary Flames free agent Brady Lyle has signed with HC Dynamo Minsk of the KHL. Lyle was previously a Group 6 free agent in the NHL, set to become an unrestricted-free agent if Calgary didn’t sign him by July 1st. He’ll now head to Russia, after posting 15 points in 47 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers this season. The scoring brought his career point totals up to 51 across 186 AHL games. With Lyle now headed to Russia, Calgary’s only remaining Group 6 free agent is centerman Benjamin Jones.
- Carolina Hurricanes centerman Martin Nečas is joining Team Czechia for the remainder of the World Championship, reports Walt Ruff of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nečas’ NHL season ended with Carolina’s Game 6 defeat on Thursday. He contributed nine points in 11 playoff games – a boost in production after he managed just 53 points during the regular sesaon. This will be the first time that Nečas has played with Team Czechia since the 2019 World Juniors, when he posted four points in five games. He made his World Championship debut in 2018, with five points in seven games.
Afternoon Notes: Faksa, Demko, Kampf
The Dallas Stars will be adding forward Radek Faksa back to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s Game 7, head coach Peter DeBoer confirms to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Faksa was injured late in Game 2, leaving with an injury that remains undisclosed. He’s been a game-time decision in all four games since – finally getting upgraded to game-ready this weekend. Faksa is coming off his second 19-point season in the last three years and hasn’t been able to change his stat line in two postseason appearances so far.
Faksa’s return will bump young winger Ty Dellandrea back out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in four appearances this series, adding to the three goals he managed in 15 playoff games last season. Interestingly, he’s still searching for his first postseason assist. He’ll now move to a skybox that will also feature Mason Marchment, who DeBoer confirmed remains out with an undisclosed injury. While Faksa’s return is timely ahead of a Game 7 that’s sure to be gritty, it’s the 20-goal-scoring Marchment that could bring substantial reinforcements in Round 2. He has one goal in two playoff games so far this Spring.
Other notes from around the league:
- To no surprise, Vancouver Canucks head coach has ruled Vezina-finalist Thatcher Demko out of the second round’s Game 1, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Demko is missing time with a knee injury suffered ahead of the first round’s Game 2. He carries a week-to-week designation and isn’t expected to return any time soon, although he is traveling with the team. Arturs Silovs has risen to notoriety in Demko’s place, posting his first career shutout in the series-clinching Game 6. Silovs should remain Vancouver’s starter until Demko is ready to suit up again. He’ll be backed up by Casey DeSmith and Nikita Tolopilo.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has been added to Team Czechia’s roster ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, shares the team (Twitter link). Kampf’s season just came to a close, as Toronto was bested by the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Kampf posted just one goal in seven playoff appearances – matching his measly 19 points in 78 games during the regular season. He’ll have to put that tough loss behind him, now headed towards his second appearance at Worlds. Kampf previously posted three points in six games during the 2022 World Championship.
Central Notes: Coyotes Relocation, Neighbours, Krug, Mrázek, Mišiak
Short of an official announcement from the league, the Coyotes are relocating to Salt Lake City next season and being sold to Smith Entertainment Group, the ownership of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, with the league as an intermediary. GM Bill Armstrong traveled to Edmonton yesterday to inform the team of the relocation while on their road trip, and players and staff are expected to travel to Utah sometime next week.
Over the next few days, when a sale announcement comes, it will become clear how complex this transaction will be. One rumored piece of the sale appears to be set in stone, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will indeed retain the intellectual rights to the franchise as part of the sale. If he can get an arena built within five years and various other benchmarks are met, he’ll have first right of refusal for a Phoenix-area team and can trigger an expansion draft. In doing so, he’d need to return the $1B he’ll receive from the league for the franchise this offseason as an expansion fee.
Other tidbits out of the Central Division:
- Blues breakout winger Jake Neighbours has likely played his last game of the season, interim head coach Drew Bannister said Saturday (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on April 6 against the Sharks. He’s missed the last three games and is on track to miss St. Louis’ final two after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night. It puts a bow on a good campaign for the 2020 first-round pick, who set career highs with 27 goals, 11 assists and 38 points in 77 games while creeping into top-six minutes (15:42 per game). While his nearly 19% shooting rate is likely unsustainable, he’s been steadily increasing his shot volume – averaging 1.88 per game this season compared to 1.23 last year. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1, with his entry-level contract set to expire in 2025. Bannister also said that defenseman Torey Krug won’t suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Kraken but could return for their final game of the season in Dallas on Wednesday. The left-shot offensive defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on April 10 against the Blackhawks, already keeping him out of one game.
- A pair of European Blackhawks players found themselves in the news today, including starting goaltender Petr Mrázek. He told reporters today, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he’ll join the Czech national team at the conclusion of the season in advance of this year’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava. The 32-year-old has only suited up at the Worlds twice, once as a teenager in a backup role in 2012 and again as the starter in 2017, posting a .881 SV% and 2.47 GAA in four outings. It was quite a strong season for Mrázek in the Chicago crease, managing to stay healthy and start a career-high 51 games. He did so quite competently, recording a .906 SV% behind a leaky Blackhawks blue line that resulted in him accumulating 4.7 goals saved above average, his highest mark in eight years. He or Ducks up-and-comer Lukáš Dostál will likely occupy the starter’s crease for Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Additionally, 2023 second-round pick Martin Mišiak signed an ATO with AHL Rockford today and will make his North American professional debut. The Slovak winger spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, racking up 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with a -14 rating.