Senators Reassign Angus Crookshank
The Senators loaned winger Angus Crookshank to AHL Belleville on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.
While the move is primarily made with the B-Sens’ Calder Cup Playoff hopes in mind, it does help open the door for captain Brady Tkachuk to return to the lineup in Ottawa’s regular season finale. He’s missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury but is widely expected back for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Maple Leafs at the latest. It’ll likely be up to Tkachuk to decide if he wants a tuneup against the Hurricanes tomorrow before getting into playoff action, head coach Travis Green told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Crookshank, 25, has been rostered since Tkachuk’s injury at the end of March. He’s played seven of Ottawa’s last nine games and recorded his first point of the season, an assist, on Sunday against the Flyers.
This year didn’t yield as much NHL action for Crookshank as he hoped. The 2018 fifth-rounder made just eight appearances after scoring 2-1–3 in 13 NHL contests last year. The Vancouver native’s still been a force in the minors, tied for the Belleville team lead in goals with 22 in 60 games. Overall, though, his point pace has dragged from last year’s near point-per-game effort in the AHL. He’s added 18 assists for 40 points through his 60 appearances after notching 46 in 50 games last year.
It’ll be curious to see whether Crookshank is part of the Sens’ plans for the future. He was set to be a restricted free agent last summer but signed a one-year, two-way ($775K/$120K) deal to stay with Ottawa before he hit the market. This year, though, the Senators won’t have a qualifying offer as a backup plan to retain his signing rights. His balance of low NHL games played with three years of professional experience means he’s headed for Group VI unrestricted free agency if they don’t re-sign him by July 1.
Devils Sign Shane Lachance To Entry-Level Contract
The Devils announced today that they’ve signed left-winger Shane Lachance to a two-year entry-level contract starting next season. The deal carries a $925K cap hit with an $832.5K salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, up to $250K in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses, and an $80K minors salary each season, according to PuckPedia. He’ll finish the season on a deal with AHL Utica before reporting to training camp in the fall.
New Jersey acquired Lachance’s signing rights from the Oilers last month in the three-team deal that sent Trent Frederic to Edmonton. He’s coming off his sophomore season with Boston University, dropping the national championship game to Western Michigan last weekend.
The 6’5″, 220-lb forward was a sixth-round pick by the Oilers back in 2021 from the Boston Jr. Bruins of the National Collegiate Development Conference, a Tier II junior league. Lachance made the jump to major junior the following year with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, spending two years there before emerging as an elder freshman for BU in 2023-24. After a 27-point effort in his first year, he recorded 12-18–30 in 40 games this season to rank fifth on the team in scoring while sharing the captaincy.
Lachance ends his collegiate career with 25-32–57 in 80 games for the Terriers. The son of longtime NHL defenseman Scott Lachance was named to Hockey East’s All-Academic Team in his freshman year.
The 21-year-old arrives in Jersey with a legitimate shot at carving out a role in their bottom six in short order. It’s likely he remains in Utica to begin next season, but a midseason call-up isn’t out of the questions. He was Edmonton’s No. 6 prospect before the trade, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic wrote. He’s presumably lower on the list in a deeper Devils pool but likely remains a top-10 prospect in the system.
Lachance will be a restricted free agent when his ELC expires in 2027 and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2031.
Transactions Notes: Hurricanes, Jones, Carrick, Bjarnason, Copponi
Having already clinched the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes had the opportunity to rest a few players for tomorrow night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Keeping that in mind, the Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled forwards Skyler Brind’Amour and Bradly Nadeau and defensemen Domenick Fensore and Riley Stillman from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to fill in for the resting players.
Brind’Amour’s recall is significant for a few reasons. He’ll make his NHL debut tomorrow night against the Canadiens and will be the first NHL player to be coached by his father at the top level since Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry was briefly coached by his father, Dave Lowry, for 54 games in the 2021-22 NHL season.
Meanwhile, Nadeau and Fensore (who will also debut tomorrow night) are two of Carolina’s top prospects already playing in North America. Nadeau led the Wolves in scoring this season, managing 30 goals and 56 points in 63 games, while Fensore scored nine goals and 32 points in 66 contests.
Other transactions from around the league:
- According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled defenseman Caleb Jones from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an emergency basis. Although he won’t be filling in for a defenseman, Jones’s recall is likely in response to Quinton Byfield sustaining an injury in last night’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Byfield, leading to his injury.
- In another emergency recall, the Oilers have promoted defenseman Connor Carrick to the NHL level. Carrick’s recall could be due to the five defensemen injured on the Oilers’ blue line or because of the expected suspension looming for Nurse. The 31-year-old defenseman has scored 17 goals and 39 points in 60 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors this year.
- Per the AHL transactions page and publicized by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender prospect Carson Bjarnason to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Bjarnason was the fourth netminder taken off the board in the 2023 NHL Draft as the 51st overall pick and recently produced a 22-15-3 record in 40 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings with a .913 SV% and 2.93 GAA.
- In another move by the Oilers organization, their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield announced they’ve signed forward Matt Copponi to an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of the 2024-25 AHL season. Copponi, drafted by Edmonton with the 216th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently lost the 2025 NCAA National Championship with Boston University. Still, he was an effective secondary scorer for the Terriers’ program, putting up eight goals and 24 points in 40 contests this season.
Flyers Sign Devin Kaplan, Alex Bump To Entry-Level Contracts
5:03 p.m.: Like Kaplan’s, PuckPedia reported Bump’s contract details:
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Performance “A” bonus
2027-28: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $1MM Performance “A” bonus
1:35 p.m.: The Flyers confirmed Kaplan’s deal and Bump’s.
11:05 a.m.: The Flyers are signing forward prospects Devin Kaplan and Alex Bump to entry-level contracts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Kaplan’s contract begins immediately, while Bump will finish the season on a tryout with AHL Lehigh Valley before his ELC goes into effect for 2025-26. It will be three-year deals for both, so Kaplan’s contract runs through 2026-27, while Bump’s takes him through 2027-28. Kaplan’s deal has the following breakdown with a $922K cap hit, per PuckPedia:
2024-25: $855K salary (prorated), $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $800K salary, $95K SB, $55K GP bonus
2026-27: $825K salary, $95K SB, $30K GP bonus
Kaplan and Bump are both coming off appearances in the NCAA national championship game, although they were on different sides of the coin. Bump helped lead Western Michigan to its first title in program history while Kaplan was on the losing end with Boston University. The 2022 draft picks aren’t among the premier pieces in the Flyers’ prospect pool, but they’re intriguing pickups nonetheless. Kaplan went early in the third round at No. 69 overall out of the U.S. National Development Team Program, while Bump was a fifth-rounder from the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.
The 21-year-old Kaplan has a pro-ready frame, checking into the Flyers’ roster at 6’3″ and 201 lbs. The New Jersey-born right-winger is coming off his junior season at BU, but it wasn’t necessarily one to write home about. His 10-8–18 scoring line in 38 games equated to the worst points per game rate of his college career, and his minus-eight rating was a career-low and second-worst on the team.
While Kaplan could make his NHL debut over Philadelphia’s final two games of the regular season, it’s likely ill-advised to pencil him in on the Flyers’ opening night roster for 2025-26 after that stagnating development to end his time in college. The 2023 Hockey East champion wraps up his Terriers career with 25-39–64 in 115 games with 148 PIMs and a +16 rating. Philadelphia will look to get his offensive production back up in the AHL next season while continuing to develop him as a potential bottom-six energy piece down the road.
Despite being selected two rounds after Kaplan, Bump begins his pro career as the far more offensively accomplished winger in college. Bump, a 6’0″ lefty, served as an alternate captain for the Broncos this year and led the club in scoring as a sophomore with 23-24–47 in 42 games. That came after a 36-point freshman effort in 38 games, so he ends his NCAA tenure over a point per game. That puts him 13th in the country in scoring over the past two years.
He’s still only the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Flyers’ system (per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic), but he should be set for a top-six role in the AHL out of the gate next year. An NHL call-up in the first half of his ELC shouldn’t be out of the question considering his collegiate track record, which now includes NCHC Forward of the Year honors, conference tournament MVP and First All-Star Team.
Ducks Sign Konnor Smith To Entry-Level Deal
The Ducks announced they’ve signed defenseman Konnor Smith to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. Smith will join the AHL San Diego on a tryout for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Smith was set to be an unrestricted free agent on June 1 if he and Anaheim didn’t agree to terms on a deal. The Ducks brought him in as a fourth-round pick in 2023, selecting the 6’6″, 216-lb lefty from the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s since been traded to the Owen Sound Attack and then the Brampton Steelheads. He won an OHL championship with the Petes back in 2023.
A pure shutdown defender, Smith will turn pro on a full-time basis next year after recording 26-44–70 in 219 OHL games with 229 PIMs and an even rating. This year was Smith’s best offensively by a wide margin. In 40 games with Owen Sound and Brampton, he posted 10-16–26 with a +14 rating. He’s got a heavy shot when he chooses to use it but continues to project as a box-out, stay-at-home rearguard in the pros.
The Ontario native made his pro debut last year on a tryout with San Diego after his OHL season ended, posting a goal and a minus-six rating in six games. The Ducks will be able to gauge how much his defensive game has improved with another short stint to end the year with the Gulls before presumably returning to San Diego in a regular role next year. Smith will remain on his ELC until 2028 and be a restricted free agent upon expiry.
Predators Waive Marc Del Gaizo
The Predators put defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers Tuesday, according to PuckPedia. The move is a precursor to assigning the pending Group VI unrestricted free agent to AHL Milwaukee for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Del Gaizo, 25, already cleared waivers last month but ended up playing in 10 games since then, requiring the Preds to expose him to waivers again in order to eventually assign him to the Admirals. He’s been up and down throughout the year but has primarily been with Nashville’s roster since late February when Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby sustained season-ending injuries on the back end. Nashville did demote Del Gaizo to Milwaukee on trade deadline day in a paper transaction, though, so he’s eligible to play for the minor-league club in the postseason.
As the 2019 fourth-rounder waits to see if the Preds have an interest in extending him before he hits the open market on July 1, he closes the book on a 2024-25 campaign that saw him slot into the lineup a career-high 45 times, although that could jump to 46 if he plays in tomorrow’s season finale. He only had nine games of NHL experience entering the year, all coming in 2023-24. The New Jersey native averaged 16:43 per game for the Preds this season and scored 2-7–9 with a minus-four rating. His 51 blocks tied for ninth on the team, while his 70 hits ranked third among defensemen and ninth overall despite only being rostered for a little over half of the campaign.
Del Gaizo likely showed enough to earn another chance in Nashville as an opening-night roster hopeful next season in a No. 6/7 role. He posted solid even-strength possession metrics amid an underwhelming season for the Preds (49.1 CF%, +1.2 expected rating at even strength) in defensively-skewed deployment.
Red Wings Assign Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka To AHL
As expected, the Red Wings announced 2023 and 2024 first-round picks Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård will finish the season with AHL Grand Rapids. The pair spent the season as teammates on Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.
The duo’s season came to an end when Skellefteå lost their semifinal series against Brynäs IF in five games. They were both important players for the club, but the older Sandin-Pellikka was particularly impactful. Wrapping up his second full SHL season and third overall, he tied for fourth on the team in scoring and ranked second among Skellefteå defenders with 12-17–29 in 46 games. His season culminated with leading U-20 SHLers in goals and points and taking home the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year award. He was also named the top defenseman at the World Juniors for the second year in a row, posting 10 points in seven games while serving as Sweden’s captain.
Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the league and the No. 1 prospect in the Red Wings‘ system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Sandin-Pellikka is nearly a shoo-in for next season’s opening night roster as the second or third right-shot option behind Moritz Seider. Before doing so, the 5’11”, 185-lb rearguard will get a taste of North American pro hockey in Grand Rapids with the Calder Cup Playoffs-bound Griffins.
Not to be overlooked is Brandsegg-Nygård. Detroit made him the highest-drafted Norwegian in NHL history when they selected him 15th overall last year out of Mora IK of the Swedish second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. The Wings inked Brandsegg-Nygård to his entry-level deal last summer and loaned him back to Sweden to face some higher-level professional competition in a familiar environment.
A physically involved winger with a scoring touch, the 6’1″, 207-lb Brandsegg-Nygård managed 5-6–11 in 42 regular-season SHL games with a team-high 51 PIMs. He ended the season more optimistically, contributing 4-2–6 in 11 postseason games. He checked in as the No. 2 prospect behind Sandin-Pellikka in Wheeler’s midseason rankings and, while his NHL status for next season isn’t as certain, should at least make the jump to North America on a permanent basis and get heavy deployment in Grand Rapids. The end of this season will provide him with an early tune-up/adjustment period ahead of a pivotal 2025-26 campaign for his development.
Sabres Recall Isak Rosen
The Sabres have recalled winger Isak Rosen from AHL Rochester for their final two regular-season games, per the AHL’s transaction logs. He comes up with Beck Malenstyn likely done for the year with an undisclosed injury, relays NHL.com’s Heather Engel.
Buffalo has recalled Rosen, 22, on multiple occasions this season as an injury fill-in. He last appeared on March 29, his sixth of the season. The 2021 No. 14 overall pick now has 13 NHL appearances to his name and finally recorded his first career point, an assist, in a win over the Penguins on March 27. He’ll look to add to that tally while getting additional NHL reps to close out another season without playoff action for the Sabres.
Down in Rochester, Rosen has had a breakthrough season for the Americans and has put himself in legitimate consideration for a job on the NHL roster next fall. He leads the team in scoring with 28-27–55 in 60 games, breaking last year’s career-high 50 points set in 67 games. He’s now up to 142 points in 193 career AHL games over the last three years, an unusually long development resume in the minors for such a high pick. Nonetheless, he remains among the league’s top 100 prospects. He still has another year left on his entry-level contract and will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
As for Malenstyn, it’s unclear what’s ailing him. He played 11:45 in Sunday’s loss to the Lightning, 1:13 higher than his season average. The 27-year-old ends his first season in Buffalo with a 4-6–10 scoring line in 71 games, down from last year’s 21 points in 81 games with the Capitals. His -16 rating is second-worst on the team, but he does rank second among Sabres forwards with 63 blocks and leads them with 191 hits. He’s still got another year left on his deal at a $1.35MM cap hit.
Avalanche Terminate Gabriel Landeskog’s Conditioning Stint
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will rejoin the team for practice today after a brief conditioning stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, the club announced. With the Avs’ regular season schedule over, he’ll remain on long-term injured reserve until the rest of the league wraps up their games by Thursday.
Things went well for Landeskog in the minors as he gears up to return to the NHL after a nearly three-year absence due to multiple right knee surgeries. Colorado sent the 32-year-old down to the minors last week for the first time in his career. He suited up in back-to-back games for the Eagles against the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday and Saturday, notching a goal and an assist in the latter effort.
It’s still uncertain whether he’ll be on hand when the Avs open up their first-round series against the Stars, likely on Saturday. Landeskog still has a few days of practice and off time ahead of him to gauge how he feels, but his knee feeling strong enough to play on back-to-back nights in the AHL is promising. If he’s an option for Colorado to open the postseason, it will be his first NHL appearance in 1,028 days. He last suited up in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning.
Outside of its monumental nature, the left-winger’s potential return carries important roster construction implications for the Avs. Top-six fixtures Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin missed Colorado’s final regular-season game on Sunday with lower-body injuries, the team relayed to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. They haven’t been handed designations any longer than day-to-day, so while they remain probable for Game 1 against Dallas, they’re not certain yet. Jonathan Drouin also missed the final six games of the season with a lower-body injury and remains uncertain to open the playoffs. That potentially leaves Colorado without three of its four usual top-six wingers to begin the series.
Of course, expecting Landeskog to stop right back into a top-six role out of the gate is unrealistic. He only played around 15 minutes in his AHL debut on Friday and would presumably have his minutes capped at a similar number if he returns to the NHL lineup. Nonetheless, it’s a major boost for the Avs to have their captain back in the lineup at all.
Kraken Recall Ville Ottavainen
The Seattle Kraken recalled defenseman Ville Ottavainen late Monday night. It is the first call-up of Ottavainen’s career. He will have a chance to make his NHL debut in Seattle’s final game of the season on Tuesday.
Seattle originally drafted Ottavainen in the fourth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. His draft selection came after he left the OHL to make his professional debut in Finland’s Liiga and recorded three points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-15 in 22 rookie games. Ottavainen followed his draft selection with two more seasons in the Liiga, and grew to a career-best 16 points, 30 penalty minutes, and plus-two in 51 games played in the 2022-23 season. He moved to North America at the end of the year, and had a breakout performance as an AHL rookie last season. Ottavainen recorded 34 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a plus-27 in 70 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023-24 – good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring.
Ottavainen’s hot start in the AHL hasn’t stuck this season, though. He’s still performing well – with 15 points, 41 penalty minutes, and a plus-eight in 66 games – but his role has become far more defense-oriented. That may be fitting for the six-foot-five, 225-pound Finnish defender, though. So long as he can stay on top of the goal differential, he should continue to find success in the Kraken pipeline. With one game left on the docket and little to gain, Seattle could use this as a chance to narrow down Ottavainen’s role ahead of a prove-it season next year.