Penguins Sign Chase Pietila
The Penguins have signed one of their prospects from their most recent draft class. The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Chase Pietila to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but the deal will begin next season.
The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick (111th overall) back in June in his final year of eligibility. He spent two years with USHL Youngstown, the second of which saw him break through with 36 points along with 125 penalty minutes in 60 games in the 2022-23 season.
From there, Pietila moved on to Michigan Tech where a solid freshman year that saw him notch 22 points in 40 games got him on the draft radar. This season, he potted seven goals and 15 assists in 36 contests and is wasting little time getting his professional career started now.
As a result of the deal starting next season, Pietila won’t be eligible to suit up for Pittsburgh at all down the stretch. However, he is eligible to sign an ATO agreement with either AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or ECHL Wheeling and will likely do so in the coming days.
Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov Recalled, Expected To Make NHL Debut
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled top prospect Artyom Levshunov to the NHL roster. This marks the second call-up of the 2024 second-overall pick’s young career. He is expected to immediately step into the Hawks lineup, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Levshunov’s last call-up came on February 3rd, in the days leading up to Chicago’s two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. He stuck around the NHL roster for two days worth of practices, but was returned to the minor leagues before he had a chance to break into the Blackhawks lineup. Levshunov has nine points in 12 AHL games since being reassigned – a major uptick on his 13 points in 38 games prior. With 22 points in 50 games across the full season, Levshunov ranks ninth among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring.
The Blackhawks controversially opted for Levshunov’s stout defense over the dynamic scoring of winger Ivan Demidov and the physical presence of center Cayden Lindstrom with their top pick in last year’s draft. The decision came after Levshunov fought his way into the role of number-one defenseman for the Big Ten’s Michigan State University, after transferring from the USHL to college hockey late into the 2023 summer. The quick move was just one year after Levshunov moved from Belarus’ juniors league to the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He adjusted quickly to both junior hockey and collegiate hockey – and now seems to be bringing along his scoring at a pro level too.
Chicago will get a chance to bank on Levshunov’s hot streak with this recall. The Blackhawks have a glaring hole on right-defense after trading star defender Seth Jones ahead of the Trade Deadline. Jones’ minutes have been filled by Louis Crevier and Connor Murphy in the immediate wake of the deal, but have allowed an average of 37 shots-against in their four games since the Jones trade. That’s a ton of pressure for new acquisition Spencer Knight in net, and while he’s handled it well – finding a way to stop up the barrage of shots will be a top priority for Chicago’s remaining season. The stout two-way play of Levshunov could be exactly what Chicago needs, and gives the Blackhawks an even better chance to lean into their future amidst a punted season.
Islanders Activate Marcus Högberg From Injured Reserve
The Islanders will be a bit deeper between the pipes as they continue to make an improbable push for a playoff spot. The team has activated netminder Marcus Högberg from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Ducks, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The team reassigned goalie Jakub Skarek to AHL Bridgeport in a corresponding move.
Högberg, 30, will likely get his first start since Jan. 25 after Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves on 40 shots in last night’s win over the Sharks. He missed 14 games with an upper-body injury, pressing pause on a strong run of play since the veteran was recalled from Bridgeport in December to replace the still-injured Semyon Varlamov as Sorokin’s backup. The Swede only made five starts and two relief appearances over two months while Sorokin got the vast majority of the workload, but was excellent when called upon with a .947 SV% and 1.45 GAA.
New York signed Högberg to a two-year, $1.55MM deal last May to serve as veteran insurance behind Sorokin and Varlamov. The deal marked the former Senators depth netminder’s return to the NHL ranks after spending three years starting for Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League, including SHL Goalie of the Year and MVP honors in 2023-24. His time in Bridgeport out of the gate didn’t go well, posting a 3.26 GAA and .898 SV% in 11 games with a 2-5-3 record, but he’s redeemed his stock with his strong showing in limited NHL action.
He’s an undeniable upgrade down the stretch over the 25-year-old Skarek, who finally made his NHL debut in Högberg’s absence in his sixth season in the Isles organization. The 2018 third-round pick allowed five goals on 39 shots in a start and relief appearance, equating to a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA. The Czechia native has failed to post a SV% north of .900 in any league since the 2018-19 campaign, when he logged a .906 in 22 games for Liiga’s Pelicans. A No. 4 option at best at this stage of his career, he’ll return to a minor-league role down the stretch as he hurtles toward Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.
Health permitting, Högberg will likely serve as Sorokin’s backup for the remainder of the season. Varlamov is doubtful to return in 2024-25 due to the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since early December, general manager Lou Lamoriello told NHL.com yesterday.
Minor Transactions: 3/8/25
The NHL Trade Deadline has finally passed, pulling teams into the late stages of their seasons. The transaction wire has stayed hot as teams continue to sort out their lineups for the remainder of the year. As always, Pro Hockey Rumors will track the minor moves here:
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to the AHL. Husso was recalled to be Anaheim’s third-string goalie behind Lukas Dostal and John Gibson on Friday, after news that Gibson had suffered a day-to-day, lower-body injury. Husso has played in three games with the San Diego Gulls since joining Anaheim’s system. He won the first with a 34-save shutout, but split his last two while allowing 10 goals on 59 shots. With this move, Husso will look to build on his 2-1-0 record and .892 save percentage with the Gulls.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned defenseman Jack St. Ivany. Pittsburgh recalled St. Ivany under emergency conditions and used him as a healthy scratch in Friday’s game against Vegas. He has been a fixture of the minor leagues since November, netting six points, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 21 games. Before that, St. Ivany appeared in 19 NHL games and recorded one assist, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-three. He could find a tougher time earning another call-up, after Pittsburgh acquired longtime Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins at the deadline. Timmins has eight points in 51 NHL games this season.
- The Vancouver Canucks have swapped emergency netminders, assigning Arturs Silovs to the minor leagues and utilizing an emergency recall on Nikita Tolopilo. Silovs played in two NHL games in late February. He lost them both while allowing six goals on 56 shots. He’ll return to the minors sporting a dismal .858 save percentage and 1-6-1 record at the NHL level. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where he has a .906 Sv% and 10-4-0 record. Meanwhile Tolopilo could be in store for his NHL debut after posting a .890 Sv% and 12-14-2 record as the AHL starter in Silovs’ absence. Tolopilo is in just his second season of North American pros after two years in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He posted a .912 Sv% and 39-38-0 record across 79 games in Sweden’s second-tier league.
- Defenseman Calen Addison has been traded from the Henderson Silver Knights to the Springfield Thunderbirds in exchange for future considerations. Addison played in 49 games and recorded 33 points, 55 penalty minutes, and a minus-24 with Henderson. He is expected to initially report to Springfield’s ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Addison was once a second-round pick in the NHL Draft and managed a single-season high of 29 points across four NHL seasons. His career totals at the top level stand as 50 points and 96 penalty minutes in 152 games.
Hurricanes Recall Scott Morrow, Reassign Riley Stillman
The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled top defense prospect Scott Morrow and reassigned defenseman Riley Stillman. Stillman will head to the AHL sporting a minor injury after taking a skate to the face in his first shift of Thursday night’s game. He received stitches on the inside of his mouth but continues to practice per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.
This move returns Morrow to the NHL after a recent hot streak in the minors. He has 10 points in 10 games since Carolina reassigned him on February 8th. Morrow is now up to 39 points in 51 AHL games, the third-most of any rookie defender in the AHL behind San Jose’s Luca Cagnoni and Anaheim’s Tristan Luneau who each have 42 points. Despite that hot scoring, Morrow hasn’t yet found his way onto an NHL scoresheet. He has no scoring and a minus-four through four career games in the NHL, with the appearances split evenly between last year and this year.
Morrow’s spot in the lineup on Sunday will depend on the availability of Dmitry Orlov, who missed Thursday’s game with a minor injury. Orlov returned to Carolina’s Saturday morning practice in full per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. He seems good to go, but Morrow will be the quick fill-in should the Hurricanes need an extra hand.
This move also returns Stillman to the minor leagues for the second time in two days. Carolina successfully waived Stillman and assigned him to the minor leagues on Friday, but he was brought back to the NHL roster before Saturday’s practice. But it seems that was only for the extra skate, and Stillman will head back to the Chicago Wolves to build on his five points, 41 penalty minutes, and minus-three in 20 games. Stillman has also stepped into three NHL games this season, setting no scoring, five penalty minutes, and a minus-one.
Islanders Activate Mike Reilly And Matt Martin
The Islanders made a pair of roster moves leading into tonight’s game against San Jose. Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News relays that defenseman Mike Reilly was activated off LTIR while winger Matt Martin was activated off injured reserve.
Reilly has been out since the beginning of November when he suffered a concussion. However, that hasn’t been what has kept him out this long. While undergoing testing as a result of the concussion, it was discovered that the 31-year-old had an undiagnosed heart defect. Fortunately, Reilly told reporters including Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link) that the issue has been corrected and there are no long-term concerns. He has been skating with the team lately but despite the activation, he’s not expected to play against the Sharks.
Reilly has played in 11 games this season and had been playing a regular role before suffering the concussion. He didn’t record a point in those outings while averaging 15:45 per game. For his career, he has 122 points in 411 appearances over parts of 10 NHL seasons.
As for Martin, he last played in mid-January and had been dealing with a lower-body injury. The 35-year-old eventually earned a contract off an extended PTO but his role has been quite limited this year when he has played. Through 24 games, he has just one assist along with 68 hits in less than eight minutes a night of ice time.
Devils Recall Daniel Sprong, Assign Seamus Casey To AHL
The Devils have done some roster shuffling in advance of their game on Sunday against Philadelphia. The team announced that they’ve recalled recently-acquired winger Daniel Sprong from AHL Utica while they’ve also assigned defenseman Seamus Casey to Utica.
Sprong is joining his third NHL team of the season. He started with Vancouver after inking a one-year, $975K contract over the summer but after struggling in limited action to start the season, he was flipped to Seattle in November for future considerations. Things weren’t much better there either and in early January, he passed through waivers unclaimed and had been in the minors since.
On the season, the 27-year-old has two goals and three assists in 19 NHL outings while averaging just over 12 minutes a night. Sprong has been much more productive in the minors, however, tallying 11 goals and 14 assists in 19 games with AHL Coachella Valley. New Jersey will now get to see if that can translate to being more of a contributor for them down the stretch.
As for Casey, the team’s release indicates that his demotion came before Friday’s trade deadline, keeping him eligible to play down the stretch for the Comets. He has played in 10 games with the Devils this season and has been productive in limited minutes, notching four goals and an assist in a little under 12 minutes a night of playing time. He also has 15 points in 22 appearances with Utica and should go back to playing a prominent role for them for their stretch run as they look to try to make a late run to sneak into a playoff spot in the North Division.
Dallas Stars Sign Wyatt Johnston To Five-Year Extension
Saturday: The Stars officially announced the signing. GM Jim Nill released the following statement:
Wyatt has established himself as one of the best young forwards in the NHL. His skill, maturity, and dedication to the game has already made him a valuable contributor and we believe he will be a huge asset for us moving forward.
Friday: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Dallas Stars have agreed to a five-year, $42MM extension with forward Wyatt Johnston. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period provided Johnston’s extension details:
- Year 1: $4.4MM base salary, $4MM signing bonus
- Year 2: $5.4MM base salary, $3MM signing bonus
- Year 3: $8.4MM base salary
- Year 4: $8.4MM base salary
- Year 5: $8.4MM base salary
It’s not the long-term eight-year deal Jeff Marek alluded to a few days ago, but it’s still a solid bit of work from general manager Jim Nill. The likely comparable to Johnston’s negotiations was Detroit Red Wings’ forward Lucas Raymond, who signed an eight-year, $64.6MM extension in mid-September. Johnston got a comparative salary bump with an $8.4MM AAV and can walk right into unrestricted free agency after the 2029-30 NHL season.
There’s no questioning he’s earned that salary. Since debuting with the Stars in 2022-23, Johnston has scored 79 goals and 165 points in 226 games, averaging 17:02 ice time per game. That point production is the highest of the 2021 NHL Draft class by a 29-point margin. Unlike many centers in his age group, Johnston has also demonstrated maturity in the faceoff dot with a career success rate of 48.5%.
Johnston has also been an important factor for the Stars come playoff time. He tied for the team lead in scoring during last year’s postseason run, scoring 10 goals and 16 points in 19 contests. His production has been indispensable for the Stars, and it should remain that way, considering he’s 21 years old.
Next summer, questions will likely be raised in Dallas regarding the Stars’ salary cap situation. The team has added $20.4 million to next year’s cap with the recent contract extension for Mikko Rantanen. While this shouldn’t heavily impact the team in the upcoming season—aside from possibly losing their aging captain, Jamie Benn—the long-term implications for the 2026-27 season could be concerning. Jason Robertson, who will be a restricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, is just three years away from unrestricted free agency and has proven himself worthy of a raise from his current $7.75 million salary. This could pose a challenge for the Stars in fitting his new salary within the cap at that time.
Kings Sign Andre Lee To Two-Year Extension
The Kings have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents up front early. The team announced that they’ve signed winger Andre Lee to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season. The deal will carry an AAV of $775K, the league minimum salary.
The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Kings back in 2019, going 188th overall. He has seen his first taste of NHL action this season, getting into 19 games with Los Angeles in five different stints with the big club, making him the sixth Los Angeles pick from that draft class to reach the top level. Over that stretch, he has a goal and two assists along with 36 hits in 9:10 per night of playing time.
Lee has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors with Ontario, one that spans parts of four seasons. In 29 games this season, the 6’5 winger has three goals and six assists, bringing his career totals to 17 and 16 respectively across 134 contests.
This is Lee’s final season of waiver exemption so he will have to either stick with the Kings in the fall after training camp or be placed on waivers to return to the Reign in 2025-26. He’s playing on a one-year, two-way contract this year and while the team release doesn’t specify the terms, it wouldn’t be surprising if this extension carries a one-way salary, giving Los Angeles some capable back-of-roster depth at the lowest price possible.
Kings Recall Samuel Helenius
March 8: Helenius’ stint back in the minors was short-lived as the Kings announced that they’ve once again recalled him from the Reign.
March 6: Helenius took a minor penalty, recorded a hit, and went 0-for-3 on draws in last night’s shootout loss to the Blues, logging just 6:46 of ice time. He’s been returned to Ontario today, the team announced, making him eligible for participation in the Calder Cup Playoffs if he remains there through tomorrow.
March 5: The Los Angeles Kings have added some forward depth ahead of tonight’s matchup against the St. Louis Blues. Los Angeles announced they’ve recalled Samuel Helenius from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Today’s roster move marks the fifth time Helenius has been recalled this season. Despite the frequent taxiing between Los Angeles and Ontario, Helenius has formally registered his rookie season with 27 games played at the NHL level.
He’s been an effective defensive presence over that stretch. The towering 6’6″ dual-citizen of America and Finland has averaged approximately three hits a game when he’s played for the Kings and has maintained a solid 93.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength. That’s quality physicality and defensive-mindedness from a forward averaging less than nine minutes of ice time per game.
Unfortunately, there’s little expectation that his offensive game will improve further. Helenius has scored one goal and three assists for Los Angeles and a similar two goals and four assists with AHL Ontario.
Outside his time in the Finnish Liiga, Helenius’s best offense came last year when he scored eight goals and 11 assists in 69 games for the Reign. Still, the Kings are unlikely to balk at the physicality Helenius brings to the bottom of the lineup, making a solid bottom-six fixture for the foreseeable future.