Anaheim Ducks To Recall Nathan Gaucher
A recent first-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks could be making his NHL debut relatively soon. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, the Ducks are expected to recall forward Nathan Gaucher from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with an official announcement coming later.
Gaucher, 22, has been playing in the Ducks organization for a few years now. Anaheim selected Gaucher with the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft after he scored 31 goals and 57 points in 66 games for the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, with a +30 rating. The 2022-23 campaign was Gaucher’s best at the major junior level, scoring 22 goals and 46 points in 44 games with a +35 rating, with another seven goals and 16 points in 18 postseason contests en route to a Memorial Cup title.
Since then, he has played professionally in the Ducks’ organization, exclusively for the Gulls. Unfortunately, his development, primarily on the offensive side of the puck, has stagnated somewhat. Throughout his three years in the AHL, Gaucher has registered 30 goals and 70 points in 185 games, but has set a new career-high this season.
Given his production in San Diego, it’s somewhat difficult to project Gaucher’s long-term path in the NHL. He’s an aggressive forechecker who isn’t afraid of physicality, with the vision to find his teammates relatively effortlessly. A good comparison would be Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames, a strong player who excels at moving the puck in a bottom-six role while averaging over three hits per game.
Red Wings Extend Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year, $3.2MM ($1.6MM AAV) contract extension. The contract will run through the 2027-28 NHL season, and Bernard-Docker will become an unrestricted free agent upon expiry.
Bernard-Docker, 25, is in his first year with Detroit after signing a one-year, $875K contract last summer. The former first-round pick began last season with the Ottawa Senators and finished the campaign with the Buffalo Sabres after being included in the Dylan Cozens, Joshua Norris swap at the trade deadline. Buffalo opted not to tender him a qualifying offer last offseason, making him free to sign with any team.
Although he doesn’t provide much offense from the blue line, he’s had an otherwise solid debut with the Red Wings. Through 55 games this season, Bernard-Docker has tallied four assists with a +5 rating, averaging a flat 15 minutes per game.
Most of his value is made up on the defensive side of the puck. Not only is Bernard-Docker averaging the highest on-ice SV% at even strength (95.0%) of his career, but he is averaging the highest on the team by a significant margin — a team that has flirted with postseason positioning for much of the season.
Still, the Red Wings don’t typically utilize Bernard-Docker on the special teams as they usually opt for a veteran-heavy rotation, particularly on the penalty kill. At even strength, he is almost exclusively partnered with Albert Johansson, and the two have combined for a 51.0% xGoals% throughout the year, according to MoneyPuck.
The biggest question mark with this extension is how Bernard-Docker will be utilized next season and beyond. Detroit brought in Justin Faulk at the deadline, and with Moritz Seider and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it leaves little room on the right side of the defensive corps. The Travis Hamonic experiment, if you want to call it that, is assuredly over after this season. If nothing else changes, Bernard-Docker may have to move to his off-hand, or Detroit will have to do some shifting around of some kind.
At any rate, Bernard-Docker’s new deal locks up every Red Wings defenseman for next season outside of Hamonic and Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson, who is scheduled to become a restricted free agent, isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, giving Detroit a lot of flexibility with his next deal.
Oilers Return James Hamblin From Emergency Recall
March 25th: Now that the emergency conditions have subsided, Hamblin is no longer needed on the Oilers roster. To that end, Edmonton announced that they’ve returned Hamblin to AHL Bakersfield from his emergency recall.
March 24th: Set to take on Utah tonight, the Edmonton Oilers announced that James Hamblin has been recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis.
Already down several players, headlined by Leon Draisaitl, the transaction fuels speculation on if another key skater is out tonight. Such is not yet clear. If he’s actually able to draw into the lineup, it’ll be Hamblin’s first NHL action since January 2024. The last time that happened he skated alongside the retired Sam Gagner for the Oil, speaking to his long road back.
Fan interest in the Alberta franchise will be higher than usual from Bakersfield, California, as three of their key forwards are already filling in on the big stage, Roby Jarventie, Josh Samanski, and Max Jones, now Hamblin joining the group. It’s bad timing considering that Bakersfield is currently 10th in the AHL and looking to secure a playoff spot. There’s plenty of adversity in Edmonton too, with 11 games remaining in the regular season, but the Oilers should extend their postseason streak barring a major collapse.
For Hamblin, the 26-year-old Edmonton native ranks fifth in AHL team scoring with 37 points in 54 games. Undrafted, he’s impressively worked his way into 41 games with the Oilers, recording three points.
Standing at 5’10”, Hamblin was always a long shot to stick at the NHL level, but the pending unrestricted free agent has carved out a nice career with the Condors and will enjoy the call up to his hometown club no matter the duration.
Utah Mammoth Recall Danil But
According to a team announcement, the Utah Mammoth have recalled prospect forward Danil But from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The transaction increases the Mammoth’s active roster to 24 players.
It’s not immediately clear if But will enter Utah’s lineup, or if he’s being kept around as a practice player as the team prepares for the postseason. At the time of writing, the Mammoth aren’t dealing with injuries to their forward corps, so someone will have to be healthy scratched to get But into the lineup.
Still, given the Roadrunners’ position in the standings, an unreported injury is likely. Tucson is only three points back of a postseason spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division, meaning But would be involved with meaningful hockey no matter what team within the organization he’s playing with.
If he does draw in, it’ll be his first NHL appearance since January 31st. He was sent down through the Olympic break and kept on the Roadrunners to ensure his eligibility for the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
While he may not break any scoring records this season, he has had a relatively solid rookie campaign overall. In 28 games, But has registered three goals and seven points with a +2 rating, averaging 12:35 of ice time per game. Additionally, his 18 blocked shots, 16 hits, 55.1 CorsiFor% at even strength, and 92.5% on-ice SV% at even strength highlight a maturity to his game that isn’t necessarily common in younger wingers.
Furthermore, there’s good indication that his offensive game will catch up to the rest of the skills he has shown in the NHL this season. In Tucson, But has scored 16 goals and 33 points in 34 games, second on the team in rookie scoring behind fellow 2023 draftee, Dmitriy Simashev.
Jets Sign Lucas Wahlin To Two-Way Deal
The Jets announced they’ve signed college free agent forward Lucas Wahlin to a two-way contract for next season with a cap hit of $850K. He’ll report to AHL Manitoba on a tryout for the remainder of 2025-26.
Wahlin, 25 in May, is too old to be eligible for an entry-level deal, so his first NHL contract is a standard one. His signing today is a bookend to one of the more unlikely development stories of the past few seasons. He turns pro after spending all four NCAA years at the University of St. Thomas, where he’s served as team captain since his sophomore year and has helped guide the program to top-20 status nationally, still early in its Division I years.
A remarkably consistent two-way producer, Wahlin was named the CCHA’s best defensive forward this season and finishes his collegiate career with a 56-75–131 scoring line in 137 games for the Tommies. His worst points-per-game rate was still a strong 0.81 figure as a freshman, topping out with a pair of 1.08 points-per-game seasons as a junior and senior.
The fact that Wahlin, a three-position forward who checks in at 6’0″ and 170 lbs, even became an effective NCAA producer is shocking considering his development path. Initially draft-eligible way back in 2019 out of the Minnesota high school circuit, he spent his post-draft season way down in tier III juniors with the North Iowa Bulls of the NA3HL. Even when jumping to a more competitive tier II junior environment with Alaska’s Kenai River Brown Bears as a 19-year-old, his output was still limited to a middling 27 points in 44 games.
Wahlin only played one season of high-level junior hockey – as an overage 20-year-old, at that – before landing at St. Thomas. It was the 2021-22 campaign, spent with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, that seemed to finally unlock his two-way game at a high level. He exploded for 31 goals and 61 points with a +26 rating in 59 games there.
Now, after captaining the Tommies to back-to-back CCHA championship game appearances, he’ll land not too far from home in Winnipeg to begin his pro career. The Jets will welcome any sort of forward depth, especially on the farm. Manitoba has only scored 2.54 goals per game this season, and the NHL side isn’t much better at 2.83.
Wahlin’s relatively advanced age for a player signing his first NHL deal makes his pro impact harder to project. Nonetheless, given his run of collegiate success, he’ll at least be given a long look for a fourth-line role in training camp next fall.
Kraken Recall Oscar Fisker Molgaard
The Kraken announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled center Oscar Fisker Molgaard from AHL Coachella Valley. The team reassigned right-winger Jani Nyman to Coachella Valley in the corresponding move.
Fisker Molgaard, 21, lands his fourth recall of the season. He suited up twice for the team in November, didn’t get into a game on his second recall in January, and entered the lineup a third time in February before the Olympic break as a send-off before he represented Team Denmark in Milan.
Seattle has to be pleased with how their 2023 second-round pick has developed thus far. The 6’0″ two-way pivot has impressed mightily in professional environments in the three seasons since draft day, suiting up for the Swedish Hockey League’s HV71 until coming to North America last year. He had an 18-29–47 scoring line in 129 career SHL games before joining Coachella Valley, including a 19-point effort in 38 games last season.
As a rookie in the AHL, the Dane has immediately settled in as one of the Firebirds’ top producers. With 10 goals and 32 points in 46 games, he sits fourth on the team in scoring. Combined with his already attractive international resume – he’s represented Denmark at three straight World Championships and had three points in four Olympic contests – the question now becomes simply how high Fisker Molgaard will climb on Seattle’s depth chart over the next few years, not whether he’ll be an NHL talent or not.
They’ve been trialing him as a fourth-line pivot at points this season, and he hasn’t looked out of place with an assist, a +1 rating, and a 58.3% faceoff win percentage in his three NHL outings so far while averaging just 6:14 per game. With the Kraken opting to dress 11 forwards and seven defenders for last night’s shootout loss to the Panthers, Fisker Molgaard could re-enter the lineup again in a fourth-line role tomorrow night in Tampa.
Nyman has been on Seattle’s roster for the past week. He got into back-to-back games but had a horrific go of things defensively, posting a -4 rating against the Blue Jackets last Saturday in just 8:15 of ice time, leading to him being scratched against Florida last night. Seattle is still waiting for the gifted goal-scorer, who has a 4-2–6 scoring line across 26 NHL outings this year, to develop the other areas of his game in the AHL.
Mammoth Sign Michael Hrabal To Entry-Level Deal
The Mammoth announced they’ve signed goalie prospect Michael Hrabal to a three-year, entry-level deal that begins next season. He’ll immediately report to AHL Tucson on a tryout basis to finish the current campaign. Per PuckPedia, the contract carries a cap hit of $1.075MM and breaks down as follows:
| Year | NHL salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $922.5K | $102.5K | $500K | $82.5K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $750K | $82.5K |
| 2028-29 | $1.013MM | $112.5K | $1MM | $82.5K |
Hrabal, 21, was a member of the Coyotes’ final draft class in 2023, going quite early in the second round at 38th overall. Now, he’s ticketed as Utah’s likely goalie of the future.
The Czech native towers at 6’7″ and 216 lbs, now slated for his pro debut after three largely standout seasons of college hockey at UMass. He was particularly exceptional as a junior this season, racking up a 1.95 GAA, .937 SV%, and four shutouts for a 19-9-1 record in 29 games. That earned him both First Team All-Star and Player of the Year honors in the Hockey East conference, but it wasn’t enough to get the offensively challenged club to a national tournament berth.
If he wasn’t the clear-cut top goaltending prospect in the organization before this season, he certainly is now. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis ranked him #6 in the Mammoth’s deep prospect pool last summer, still touting him as having “true star goalie” potential.
While he won’t be eligible to suit up in the NHL this year, he will get an early chance down the stretch to challenge AHL veterans Jaxson Stauber and Matt Villalta for playing time in Tucson. Neither has been particularly inspiring this season with sub-.900 save percentages, so the path is wide open for Hrabal to establish himself as Utah’s clear-cut #3 goalie entering training camp in the fall, potentially even putting forth a challenge to replace pending unrestricted free agent Vítek Vaněček as Karel Vejmelka‘s backup.
Hrabal will be a restricted free agent when his deal is up in 2029, but he won’t be eligible for arbitration. Utah will be on the hook for a $1.114MM qualifying offer.
Maple Leafs Reassign Dennis Hildeby
March 25: Hildeby has been reassigned back to AHL Toronto, the team announced. He did not dress for Tuesday’s win over the Bruins, as Stolarz started and made 18 saves on 20 shots.
March 23: The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dennis Hildeby from AHL Toronto on an emergency basis. He could dress tomorrow against the Bruins in place of Anthony Stolarz, who was scheduled to start Saturday night’s loss to the Senators but had to go to the hospital to get checked out after taking a puck to the throat during warmups. Stolarz skated with the team before practice this morning, sporting a neck guard, per Nick Barden of The Hockey News, so he shouldn’t miss too much time.
It has been an incredibly trying season for the 32-year-old Stolarz, losing his tenuous grip on the Leafs’ starting job to Joseph Woll. After back-to-back seasons of leading the league in save percentage in limited tandem/backup deployment, his numbers have taken a nosedive to a .894 SV%, 3.34 GAA, and 8-9-3 record in 21 starts and one relief appearance. He has accounted for -8.2 goals saved above expected after a great 25.8 figure last season, per MoneyPuck. That led to Toronto making him available at the trade deadline despite him signing a four-year, $15MM extension last September, but no deal was made.
Injuries have long stopped the high-ceiling Stolarz from ever becoming a true #1 option. That hasn’t changed this year. A lingering upper-body injury kept him out of the lineup for over two months earlier this year, rendering him unavailable for 33 games. With the playoffs out of reach in Toronto, there’s no reason for the Leafs to rush him back after what was surely a scary ordeal on Saturday, even if he’s been cleared.
For what it’s worth, they have a great third-string option in Hildeby. The 24-year-old was exceptional as Woll’s backup earlier this year when Stolarz was sidelined, recording a .910 SV%, 2.90 GAA and seven quality starts in 19 total outings. A lack of goal support meant he posted a 5-6-4 record, but his 8.9 goals saved above expected during that run are still far ahead of what Woll and Stolarz have produced with far more usage. With Hildeby losing his waiver-exempt status next season, the Leafs will want to find a way to keep him around.
Sabres Activate Conor Timmins From Injured Reserve
Sabres defenseman Conor Timmins has been cleared to return to the lineup after missing over three months with a broken leg, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Wednesday (including Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News). He will draw right back into the lineup tonight against the Bruins, replacing Zach Metsa as Buffalo’s third-pairing righty, per Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
Timmins, 27, was an offseason acquisition in June 2025 in a trade that sent defenseman Connor Clifton to the Penguins. He played 33 games for Buffalo prior to his injury and had a total of six points, averaging 19:14 of ice time. This is the first year out of a two-year deal signed shortly after the trade, and he will be a UFA at the end of the 2026-27 season.
The 6’3″ righty comes back into the lineup in a competitive environment, as he looks to prove himself to Ruff and work himself into the equation as a valuable option for the playoffs. At this time, the Sabres have Metsa, Michael Kesselring, and Luke Schenn as their right-shot defenseman options, with Logan Stanley on the third pairing. With Timmins healthy, the team will have to evaluate its options as it heads into the final stretch of the regular season.
When Timmins was dressed earlier this season, he featured primarily with either Bowen Byram or Owen Power on his left flank. That won’t be the case now as those two lefties have gelled together on the Sabres’ second pairing, but it’s worth noting that Byram’s defensive results were better with Timmins than they were with Power – logging a 2.44 xGA/60 with the former and a 2.96 xGA/60 with the latter, per MoneyPuck.
The hope is that Timmins can give the third pairing a bit more offensive juice than what Metsa has provided over the last few games, although Metsa does have a raucous +20 rating on the season and has been on the ice for just two goals against at 5-on-5 in 385 minutes of ice time.
Senators, Gabriel Eliasson Agree To Terms On Entry-Level Deal
The Senators announced Wednesday that they’ve agreed to terms with defense prospect Gabriel Eliasson on a three-year, entry-level contract that starts next season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Eliasson, 19, was the 39th overall selection in the 2024 draft, going early in the second round. The pick warranted a fair amount of detractors at the time. He was a consensus third-to-fourth-round threat by most rankings and, although NHL teams favored him more than the public sphere, he was still taken several spots north of his #55 slot in TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s polling of NHL scouts that year.
The left-shot Swede checks in at 6’7″ and 220 lbs. He has the skating ability to pair with that to create good defensive impacts, but is limited virtually everywhere else, keeping him squarely as a bottom-pairing and penalty-killing threat if he cracks the NHL.
As such, Eliasson didn’t even earn a mention on Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s ranking of Senators prospects this month, although he was listed at #10 by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff last offseason. His standing in their pool likely didn’t improve this season. He’s spent the last two seasons in North American juniors after playing his draft year in his native Sweden, but has managed just a 5-10–15 scoring line with an even rating in 124 games for the OHL’s Barrie Colts. He was also the OHL’s most penalized player this season, with 122 penalty minutes, and earned the same honor twice in two different Swedish junior leagues during his development.
Eliasson had previously committed to the University of Michigan. That ship had likely already sailed, but he’s officially no longer eligible to jump to the NCAA as a freshman next year after inking his NHL deal. He’ll instead report to AHL Belleville to begin his pro career in the fall if his Colts remain in the postseason picture past the end of Belleville’s current season.