AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Kings To Acquire Scott Laughton From Maple Leafs
The Kings have acquired center Scott Laughton from the Maple Leafs in exchange for a third-round pick, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor reports. The selection will upgrade to a second-round choice if L.A. comes from behind to make the playoffs, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. The draft pick will be in 2026, whether it’s in the second or third round, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Los Angeles, still only three points out of a playoff spot, has toed the line between selling and buying over the last 24 hours. They’ve made two moves of each, trading away Warren Foegele and Corey Perry while signing Mathieu Joseph and now acquiring Laughton, a pending UFA who will cost $1.5MM down the stretch. In doing so, they’ve sent away a third-rounder but netted a second-rounder each for Foegele and Perry while upgrading 2026 third-rounders in a pick swap with Ottawa in the Foegele deal.
After giving up a first-rounder and forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin to land Laughton from the Flyers with 50% retention at last year’s deadline, the Leafs turn around and sell him at a loss here. With Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and a combo of Max Domi and Nicolas Roy ahead of him on the depth chart at center, he never held anything more than a fourth-line role for the Leafs. After getting top-nine minutes for a stretch in Philadelphia, he didn’t put up the kind of offensive production Toronto hoped for. He ends his tenure in the GTA with a 10-6–16 scoring line in 63 games with a -3 rating.
The Kings, in need of centers now and for next season, likely saw value in trying to land Laughton now – both to aid with their outside chance at the playoffs and to give them extra time to work out an extension if they were set to pursue him in free agency this summer anyway. A well-regarded defensive piece, he does excel in the faceoff dot, winning 56.7% of them this season. He didn’t fare so well in the possession department in heavy defensive deployment for the Leafs, though, only controlling 40.5% of shot attempts and 39.9% of expected goals at 5-on-5. Those should improve if he’s not stressed so heavily in D-zone starts in L.A.
Laughton could factor in as the Kings’ third-line center to start while Quinton Byfield works his way back from an upper-body injury. They’re currently running 23-year-old rookie Kenny Connors, with all of two games of NHL experience under his belt, in the 3C slot ahead of Samuel Helenius. With top-line fixture Anže Kopitar in the final few weeks of his NHL career, the Kings were anticipated to get stretched thin down the middle next season anyway, so they’ll likely hope to reach a deal with Laughton to fortify their bottom-six depth for the next couple of years.
Seattle Kraken To Acquire Bobby McMann
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The return heading to Toronto is a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-rounder in the upcoming 2026 draft, according to Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
The move ends McMann’s nearly six-year tenure with the Maple Leafs, a tenure in which he emerged a real developmental success story for the organization. He signed with the team as an undrafted player out of Colgate University, began in the ECHL, and worked his way up the professional ladder to the NHL, where he became a 20-goal scorer.
With his contract set to expire, McMann has been widely reported to be seeking a significant pay raise from his current $1.35MM cap hit. The recent signing of a comparable player, San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood, to a five-year, $5.75MM AAV contract may very well have pushed the price tag on a McMann extension past where the Maple Leafs were comfortable going.
With Toronto likely to miss the playoffs for just the second time since drafting Auston Matthews, collecting some assets for McMann became an important goal for the team’s deadline work.
Toronto may have been hoping to receive a first-rounder for McMann, who has 19 goals and 32 points this season, rather than a second-rounder. McMann is widely considered a more valuable player than Minnesota Wild center Michael McCarron, who net the Nashville Predators a second-round pick earlier this week. But it seems as though no team was willing to part with a first-rounder for McMann, and with the deadline looming, the Maple Leafs seem to have decided that a package for McMann that is lighter than they may have hoped is better than retaining him beyond today.
More to come…
Minimal Extension Talks With Laughton
While pending unrestricted free agent center Scott Laughton has made it known that he’d like to stay with the Maple Leafs, Chris Johnston reported in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that the veteran likely won’t get his wish. At this point, it appears that there have yet to be any substantive discussions about Laughton extending his time in Toronto and with the demand for middlemen being quite high, a trade remains the likeliest outcome. With Philadelphia covering half of Laughton’s contract, his remaining $1.5MM cap charge is certainly affordable which should have the Maple Leafs in a strong position to land a strong return, even if it’s not quite as strong as the one they gave up to get him this time last year, headlined by a first-round pick.
Maple Leafs Making Anthony Stolarz Available
Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has found his way into a few trade conversations, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The likelihood of him being on the move seems reasonably low with a limited goalie market and several higher-clout names out there, namely Jordan Binnington and Sergei Bobrovsky, as Weekes reaffirms, but it’s still a new development to see Stolarz’s name mentioned as available.
It’s understandable, given the season Stolarz has had. The 32-year-old has appeared in just 20 games for Toronto with a .891 save percentage and a 7-8-3 record. Behind the Leafs’ average defense, that translates to -8.8 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. On a per 60 basis, his -0.486 mark is fifth-worst in the league (min. 18 games). It’s a stunning reversal after leading the league in save percentage in back-to-back seasons in backup/tandem deployment with the Leafs and Panthers.
That two-year sample between 2023-25, in which Stolarz posted a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA in 61 starts with a 37-15-5 record, would make Stolarz an intriguing 1B option for a team that needs one. His contract, a four-year, $15MM extension with a modified no-trade clause that kicks in next season, won’t be particularly desirable with his injury history, though.
While his numbers haven’t been great, the lack of playing time this year has mostly stemmed from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for over two months and nearly half of Toronto’s schedule. It’s the third time in four seasons that he’s been available for at least a quarter of his team’s games. No matter how well he plays, he can’t be relied upon as a starting or 1A option year-to-year with that kind of propensity for injuries.
Maple Leafs Continue To Listen On UFAs; Troy Stecher Drawing Interest
The Maple Leafs are continuing to gauge the market on their pending UFAs, holding Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann out of last night’s lineup (plus a defender with term in Oliver Ekman-Larsson) for injury protection ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that rearguard Troy Stecher is now generating some interest as well.
Of course, the Leafs’ shootout loss to the Devils last night only pushed them further into sell mode, sitting eight points back of a playoff spot with no games-played advantage, and they already sent center Nicolas Roy to the Avalanche this morning.
Stecher, 31, already changed teams once this season. The Leafs claimed him off waivers from the Oilers in November. That’s proven to be a shrewd move, as Stecher’s posted up a 3-9–12 scoring line, a +1 rating, and 52 blocks in 42 games while averaging north of 20 minutes per game, the most deployment he’s seen at any stage of his career.
The veteran righty was a much-needed addition at the time, even if he only ended up being a depth piece, with both of Toronto’s top-four right-shots, Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev, dealing with injuries. Tanev has essentially remained sidelined for the balance of the season and now officially won’t be back after core muscle surgery this week, keeping Stecher primarily in a second-pairing role with Jake McCabe.
His possession impacts have been noticeable. His 47.1% Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 doesn’t jump out on its own, but it is admirable when considering that’s a relative mark of 3.0% while starting 58.6% of his shifts in the defensive zone. His duo with McCabe has also controlled 53.6% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck, among the team’s best.
Considering he’s been able to do all that while spending a good amount of time in the top four at even strength and averaging over two minutes per night on the penalty kill, it’s not surprising that right-shot-needy teams – a statement that can describe virtually every contender – are lining up for him as a pending UFA with a dirt-cheap $787,500 cap hit.
His playoff track record is limited but strong. He was excellent in a bottom-pairing role for Vancouver in the 2020 bubble, posting a +9 rating in 17 games, and was similarly effective as a #7 option for the Kings in their first-round loss to the Oilers in 2022. He only appeared in four out of seven games that series, but had a pair of goals and assists each with a +4 rating. Last year, he had a +2 rating in eight games on Edmonton’s march to the Stanley Cup Final.
Maple Leafs Recall Jacob Quillan
The Maple Leafs recalled center Jacob Quillan from AHL Toronto today, per a team announcement. He takes Nicolas Roy‘s roster spot after he was traded to the Avalanche this morning.
Quillan, 24, has been up and down between the Leafs and Marlies for much of this season but has made a strong case to stay up for the stretch run as Toronto enters sell mode. The second-year pro out of Quinnipiac has suddenly established himself as one of Toronto’s top “prospects,” even given his relatively advanced age, putting up a 12-21–33 scoring line in 38 AHL games.
Quillan has received brief looks in the NHL over the last two seasons, seeing his debut in January 2025 cut short by an injury. He’s been buried on the fourth line and hasn’t scored, only averaging 7:11 of ice time per game across five total appearances, but is averaging two hits per game in that small sample.
This year’s offensive surge has likely put him squarely on the Leafs’ radar for a roster spot in the fall, although the pending restricted free agent will need a new contract before that happens. Even if that scoring doesn’t translate to the NHL, he has the physical tools at 6’1″ and 204 lbs, plus a strong history of two-way play in the NCAA and AHL, to make him a fourth-line staple.
It’s worth noting that the Leafs might return Quillan to the AHL tomorrow to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs. He can then be recalled again after the trade deadline – players just have to be on an AHL roster at the time the deadline passes to be able to suit up in minor-league playoff action.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Nicolas Roy
The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick. The conditions on both picks read as follows:
In the event Colorado’s 2027 first-round selection is in the top-10 of the 2027 NHL Draft, Colorado will send its unprotected 2028 first-round pick to Toronto. Colorado currently holds three fifth-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft; the lowest of those three picks will be transferred to Toronto as part of the transaction.
Yesterday, Frank Seravalli reported that the Maple Leafs’ asking price of a first-round pick plus a prospect for Roy had “held steady,” and that Toronto was unwilling to retain salary at that price. The Maple Leafs ultimately got the first-rounder they sought, though the fifth-round pick will have to suffice in place of a prospect. 
The move ends what was a brief tenure in Toronto for Roy, who was acquired over the summer as part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of star winger Mitch Marner. Roy had been a solid middle-six center in Vegas, scoring 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games in 2024-25 and 41 points in 70 games in 2023-24.
His numbers took a tumble in Toronto, where he has just five goals and 20 points in 59 games, but his resume remains strong nonetheless.
That’s especially true considering he’s under contract for an additional year at an entirely affordable $3MM cap hit. Roy was also regularly playing on the penalty kill in Toronto, ranking No. 3 among Maple Leafs forwards in short-handed time on ice per game.
Roy is likely to slot in as Colorado’s No. 3 center, lining up behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson. As previously mentioned, he excelled in a similar role in Vegas, and given the team control afforded by his contract, it appears the Avalanche have their top three centers locked in for the next two playoff runs, at the minimum. His addition could also help the already-stellar Avalanche penalty kill.
While a first-round pick isn’t a cheap price to pay for any player, it looks to be a fair one for Roy. While his numbers are down, he should be able to capably occupy the No. 3 center role with some special teams value. That’s not an insignificant role whatsoever, and adding Roy now is more valuable to the Avalanche than selecting a player with that first-round pick likely would be. Colorado is looking to maximize its odds of winning another Stanley Cup with core players such as MacKinnon and Cale Makar in their prime, and adding Roy certainly helps in that pursuit.
From Toronto’s perspective, this trade begins what could be a larger effort to sell players and regroup with an eye to the future. The offseason loss of Mitch Marner, among other factors, helped destabilize what has been a consistent regular-season juggernaut over the last decade. Toronto looks more likely than not to miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2015-16, the year they earned the No. 1 pick and right to select franchise face Auston Matthews.
Landing a first-round pick for Roy will allow the team to bolster its prospect pool, which entered the season ranked No. 27 in the NHL by Elite Prospects. The team could also flip the pick for a younger player who is at or near NHL-readiness, in order to better support a competitive timeline centered around its existing stars.
In any case, this move is one that makes considerable sense for both involved teams, and it will be interesting to see what decisions Toronto makes moving forward as it navigates a wholly uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs Scratch Multiple Players
The writing is on the wall for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Firmly shifting their eyes toward selling, the Maple Leafs announced they had scratched Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann ahead of the trade deadline. The term they used in their announcement was “roster-management purposes.”
Although no deal is close on any of the trio, it’s the first indication that Toronto recognizes that the 2025-26 season is lost. The Maple Leafs are 0-3-1 since the Olympics, being outscored by 10. They have fallen nine points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Assuming they finish outside of a playoff spot, it’ll be the first time in a decade that the Maple Leafs have failed to qualify for the postseason. The biggest looming issue is that Toronto is projected to be without its first-round pick in the upcoming draft. The selection was moved to the Boston Bruins last season in the Brandon Carlo trade, but is top-five protected. As of right now, the Maple Leafs are projected to have the 11th overall pick, which would be of immense value to Boston.
All three of tonight’s scratches have been mentioned in trade rumors of late.
Defenseman Ekman-Larsson is in the second year of a four-year, $14MM contract. He’s been a solid top-four option for the Maple Leafs, scoring 12 goals and 64 points in 138 games, averaging 20:57 of ice time. Still, despite adding some physicality, Ekman-Larsson has seen his possession and defensive metrics drop mildly since joining Toronto.
According to The Fourth Period, the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Utah Mammoth are interested in Ekman-Larsson. After acquiring Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks earlier today, the Stars’ reported interest may have evaporated.
Meanwhile, Laughton and McMann are both expiring assets that have the flexibility to play up and down any team’s lineup. Laughton’s scoring output has dissipated throughout his first full year in Toronto, but he remains quite responsible in the defensive zone and has a 56.7% faceoff percentage this season. The Maple Leafs acquired Laughton at the last deadline for Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick.
McMann would likely have the most trade value of the group. He has scored 19 goals and 32 points in 60 games this year and is on an incredibly affordable $1.35MM salary. Toronto should have no shortage of phone calls on the pending unrestricted free agent over the next few days. Still, it’s important to remember that Toronto is attempting to sign McMann to a multi-year extension if the price is right.
Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
The Maple Leafs announced today that defenseman Chris Tanev has undergone a successful core muscle procedure in New York City. He will miss the remainder of the season but is expected to fully participate in training camp in September.
Tanev had not played since Dec. 28 with what was initially described as a groin injury. Surgery was mentioned as a possibility as far back as January. Tanev then skated on his own during the Olympic break, but evidently didn’t make enough forward progress with non-surgical rehab to return this season.
Combined with a pair of upper-body injuries earlier in the year, Tanev ends his 2025-26 campaign with just 11 games played. Injuries have long been a concern throughout the rugged defender’s career, but missing this much time is new territory. The top-four shutdown fixture closes the book on his age-36 season with two assists, a +8 rating, 18 shot attempts, a 17:58 time on ice average, 15 blocks, and two hits.
Injuries and durability were the primary concerns when the Leafs signed Tanev to a six-year, $27MM deal in free agency in 2024, worth $4.5MM per season. That cap hit is still a bit of a discount for what he brings to the table when healthy, but signing a player who’s hit 70 games just four times in his 16-year career until he’s 40 was a controversial decision. Combined with a no-movement clause, it could quickly become a nuisance deal if he spends more time on IR than on the ice moving forward, albeit less so as the salary cap continues to rise.
While a tough loss for the Maple Leafs, they’re used to it by now. With their playoff hopes this season all but gone, there was no reason to try to maintain Tanev’s health for the last few weeks of the year. Tanev’s continued absence means ongoing responsibility for depth pieces Philippe Myers and Troy Stecher to step into bottom-pairing duties, while potentially creating more opportunities for young recall options Henry Thrun and William Villeneuve, depending on how many defenders Toronto sells off in the next two days.