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Maple Leafs Recall Artur Akhtyamov

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The Maple Leafs added some goaltending depth before puck drop in Sunday’s series opener against Ottawa.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to serve as their third goaltender for the time being.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs back in 2020, going 106th overall.  He spent the next three seasons primarily playing at the VHL level (one tier below the KHL) with his 2022-23 performance being a stellar one that saw him post a 1.73 GAA and a .943 SV% in 39 regular season games with Neftyanik Almetievsk before improving on those in six postseason outings.

That was enough for Toronto to sign Akhtyamov to a three-year, entry-level deal back in July 2023 although they loaned him back overseas last season.  That allowed him to see some regular KHL action, getting in 17 games with Ak Bars Kazan along with 19 outings with Neftyanik before coming to North America this season.

This year, Akhtyamov played in 26 games for the Marlies, second among their goalies with the team largely running through three netminders this season.  In those outings, he posted a 2.81 GAA along with a .901 SV%.  The other two goaltenders – Dennis Hildeby and Matt Murray – will remain with the Marlies for their playoff run which gets underway on Thursday in Cleveland.

McCabe, Ekman-Larsson, Kämpf, Pacioretty Return For Round One

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Saturday: Defenseman Jani Hakanpää will be the only rostered player on the Toronto Maple Leafs who won’t be available for the team in their Round One matchup against the Ottawa Senators. In an article from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Fox reports that defensemen Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forwards David Kämpf and Max Pacioretty will be available for Toronto on Monday.

Given that the Maple Leafs have few issues scoring goals, McCabe and Ekman-Larsson are the most notable returnees, particularly concerning the team’s penalty kill. Despite finishing the year with a 77.87% success rate, Toronto’s kill average dropped to 75.00% throughout their final seven games without McCabe. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill ranked just below the NHL average of 78.36%, which could be an avenue to success for Ottawa, given their capable 11th-ranked powerplay.

With respect to the Senators and their season, they arguably present Toronto with their best opportunity to reach Round Two of the postseason for the second time in nine years. After finishing the regular season on a 12-2-1 tear, having a wholly healthy roster for Round One will do nothing but help the Maple Leafs’ chances.

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Minor Transactions: 4/18/25

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There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:

  • The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
  • The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
  • Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner’s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
  • Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson’s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
  • The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
  • The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
  • The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
  • Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
  • The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

11 Teams To Carry Bonus Overage Cap Penalties In 2025-26

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The end of the regular season also means the end of daily salary cap calculations across the NHL. With no more cap-related transactions left in the year, 11 teams have officially finished over the salary cap because players on entry-level or 35+ contracts earned performance bonuses that put them above the upper limit. They’ll carry bonus overage penalties in 2025-26 as a result. Those teams break down as follows, per PuckPedia:

Carolina Hurricanes: $33K – $1.076MM

Carolina’s numbers vary wildly here because of the $1.0375MM bonus rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin will incur if he wins the Conn Smythe. Their guaranteed $33K penalty comes from Logan Stankoven’s post-acquisition games-played bonuses. There’s the potential for an additional $5K penalty if rookie Juha Jaaska plays at least two playoff games. Carolina ends the year in LTIR, so they can’t afford any bonuses. They don’t have any other cap charges next year.

Dallas Stars: $368K

The Stars ended the year in LTIR, so all of Wyatt Johnston’s $319K in Schedule A bonuses and Logan Stankoven’s $49.5K games-played bonus, which they paid out before he was traded to the Hurricanes, count as penalties next year. Their total dead cap charges will total $1.801MM with another year of Ryan Suter’s buyout on the books.

Detroit Red Wings: $871K

Detroit ended the year with a comfortable $2.02MM in cap space but had $2.888MM in performance bonuses to dole out, so they’ll get hit with a six-figure penalty next year. Patrick Kane hit $1.75MM in games played bonuses this year as part of his 35+ contract, while Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper each hit multiple Schedule A bonus categories for $638K and $500K in respective bonuses. They also have a $1.056MM cap charge next season for the final year of Justin Abdelkader’s buyout, bringing their total dead cap next season to $1.927MM.

Edmonton Oilers: $150K – $250K

All of the Oilers’ penalties stem from Corey Perry’s 35+ contract after ending the season in LTIR. He’s already earned $150K in games played bonuses and could earn up to $100K in playoff bonuses – $50K if the Oilers win two rounds and Perry plays in either half of the second-round games or half of the total first and second-round games, and another $50K if they win three rounds and Perry plays in either half of the Western Conference Final games or half the total games through the WCF. That’s on top of the $2.3MM cap charge Edmonton faces from buying out Jack Campbell.

Los Angeles Kings: $213K

It’s simple here – the Kings couldn’t fit the performance bonus earned by Brandt Clarke for hitting 25 assists. That gives them $813K in dead cap next year, combined with the Mike Richards buyout.

Minnesota Wild: $1.1MM – $1.15MM

The Wild ended the year with just $36K in cap space, so virtually all of the performance bonuses earned by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber hitting their full complement of Schedule A targets ($850K and $250K, respectively) will count as a penalty. The number could increase slightly if rookie defenseman Zeev Buium plays five playoff games or wins the Conn Smythe, each landing him a $25K bonus. Minnesota’s total dead cap charges will be at least $2.767MM with Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s buyouts still on the books, albeit at a drastically reduced cost from the last few years.

Montreal Canadiens: $1.728MM – $2.308MM

All of the Canadiens’ performance bonuses awarded this season will count toward their overage because they ended the year with Carey Price on long-term injured reserve to remain cap-compliant. Star rookie Lane Hutson maxed out his Schedule A bonuses for $750K, Juraj Slafkovsky earned $500K in A bonuses for finishing top-six among Montreal forwards in average time on ice and top-three in plus-minus rating, defenseman Kaiden Guhle maxed out his $420K in A bonuses, and rearguard Jayden Struble earned his $57.5K games played bonus. Their penalty will increase based on the performance bonuses rookie Ivan Demidov incurs in the postseason. He’ll earn $25K for five playoff appearances, $30K for 10, and a whopping $525K bonus if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Habs don’t have any other dead cap charges next year, but still have to contend with the final year of Price’s deal.

New Jersey Devils: $1MM

The Devils ended the season in long-term injured reserve and thus can’t afford reigning Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes’ $1MM in Schedule A bonuses. At present, it’s the only dead cap charge New Jersey will have next year.

New York Islanders: $600K – $850K

Mathew Barzal’s and Semyon Varlamov’s LTIR placements kept the Isles cap-compliant at season’s end, so the entirety of Matt Martin’s $100K in games played bonuses and Maxim Tsyplakov’s $500K in Schedule A bonuses (plus-minus and ice time). If Tsyplakov makes the NHL’s All-Rookie Team, he’ll incur an additional $250K bonus. New York doesn’t have any other dead cap charges next year.

St. Louis Blues: $2.153MM

The Blues are currently set to incur the most significant bonus overage penalty of any team next year. Most of that comes from the $2.225MM in performance bonuses awarded to veteran Ryan Suter in his 35+ contract last summer. He earned all of them, while sophomore Zachary Bolduc earned a $212.5K bonus for finishing in the top three in plus-minus rating among St. Louis forwards. Those, less the Blues’ $284K in season-ending cap space, give them a bonus overage carryover penalty of $2.153MM. Barring any buyouts this summer, that will comprise their entire dead cap hit for 2025-26.

Toronto Maple Leafs: $626K

Since they ended the season in LTIR, the performance bonuses Max Pacioretty earned for playing 37 games on his 35+ contract will count against the Leafs’ cap next year. As things stand, they could begin the year with an additional $300K in dead cap if Ryan Reaves and Matt Benning are buried in the minors as they were to end 2024-25.

The Capitals could find themselves added to this list if rookie Ryan Leonard wins the Conn Smythe. He’s owed $275K if he does, which the Caps can’t accommodate after ending the year in LTIR.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Maple Leafs Expect Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe Back For Game 1

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  • The Maple Leafs expect defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe to be available for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Senators on Sunday, head coach Craig Berube said today (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Neither will dress in tonight’s season finale against the Red Wings. OEL will end up missing the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury, while McCabe will miss a seventh straight game with an undisclosed injury. Both have been invaluable pieces of Toronto’s blue line in 2024-25, averaging north of 21 minutes per game with some of the best two-way metrics on the team.

Maple Leafs, Knies Have Gap In Contract Length

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  • In addition to their upcoming attempt to win the 14th Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, one of the main storylines off the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs is their contract negotiations with forward Matthew Knies. According to a new report from The Fourth Period, there is no worry from either side that a new deal won’t be agreed upon, but there is a lengthy gap in the expected length of his next contract. The report indicates that the Maple Leafs prefer a six-to-eight-year deal, while Knies’ camp prefers a three-to-five-year agreement. Given that only a one-year gap exists between Toronto’s low end and Knies’s high end, it should make for a reasonable compromise between the sides. 
  • Unfortunately, there’s some negative news for the Maple Leafs as they prepare for a lengthy post-season. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported that there’s no guarantee defenseman Jake McCabe will be available for the team in their Round One matchup. McCabe hasn’t played since early April due to an undisclosed injury and would be a major missing piece for Toronto’s blue line in the playoffs. The 12-year veteran is second on the team in blocked shots (135) and seventh in expected +/- (6.6) through 66 games played.

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Mermis Recalled On Emergency Basis

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  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto on an emergency basis. On Saturday, the Maple Leafs played short one defenseman, qualifying them for a cap-free emergency recall.  It’s the second promotion for Mermis since he rejoined Toronto following his waiver claim from Utah back in February.  Mermis has played in 32 games for the Marlies this season, notching seven assists.

Maple Leafs' Borya Valis Signs AHL Tryout

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  • Recent Maple Leafs signing Borya Valis will finish the season with AHL Toronto, the minor league’s transactions log reflects. His Prince George Cougars were recently eliminated in the first round of the Western Hockey League playoffs by the Portland Winterhawks – he had 3-4–7 in the seven-game defeat. He’ll finish his breakout 80-point season by making his professional debut.

Jani Hakanpää Hoping To Be Playoff Option

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  • Could injury-plagued defenseman Jani Hakanpää be an option for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs? The defender remains hopeful he can suit up again for Toronto and says his recovery from continued knee problems is “trending really good,” per Evan Doerfler of The Hockey News. Hakanpää, whose 2023-24 season ended prematurely due to arthroscopic knee surgery, only got into a pair of games for Toronto in November as he continues to deal with lingering issues. The 6’7″, 225-lb Finn will be a UFA this summer after signing a one-year, $1.47MM deal with the Leafs late in the summer after a drawn-out saga.

Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Miss Saturday For Leafs

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  • Johnston also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will miss Saturday’s game with a day-to-day injury. The Leafs will also be without Jake McCabe per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, though Siegel adds that McCabe is nearing a return. He has missed the last three games. Both defenders have served strong roles with the Leafs this season, and sit right next to each other across many stats. Ekman-Larsson has scored 29 points in 77 games, while McCabe has managed 23 points in 66 games. Both defenders average 21 minutes of ice time, and round out Toronto’s left-hand side alongside Morgan Rielly. The Leafs will watch for the return of both options closely as they prepare for a long playoff run, after clinching a spot on April 2nd.

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