Red Wings Recall Michal Postava
The Red Wings announced Thursday that they’ve recalled goaltender Michal Postava from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. He is expected to back up John Gibson tomorrow against the Sabres after head coach Todd McLellan ruled Cam Talbot out earlier today due to a minor tweak (via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press).
It will be Postava’s first time dressing for an NHL contest. The 24-year-old is in his first season in the organization, having signed an entry-level deal as an undrafted free agent last summer.
Before coming stateside, the 6’2″, 205-lb netminder spent several years climbing the ladder in his native Czechia. Only in 2024-25 did he emerge as a full-time option in the country’s top division, Extraliga, doing so with a bang.
In 42 showings for HC Kometa Brno, he erupted for a .921 SV%, 2.39 GAA, three shutouts, and a 23-18-0 record. He went on to author a Cinderella run for the mid-tier Brno all the way to an Extraliga championship, posting a league-leading .940 SV% in 17 playoff games.
Now in Grand Rapids, he’s played second fiddle to top prospect Sebastian Cossa. In most any other environment, he would have emerged as a clear-cut #3 by now. Through 21 games, he’s logged a .932 SV%, 1.86 GAA, two shutouts, and a 13-6-0 record.
Postava remains under contract through next season before becoming a restricted free agent. Given his play, it’s hard to see a universe in which he or Cossa aren’t the backup option to Gibson next season, replacing the pending UFA Talbot.
Sabres Reassign Zach Metsa
The Sabres announced Thursday that they’ve reassigned defenseman Zach Metsa to AHL Rochester.
Metsa, 27, has been on the NHL roster since early December, outside of two inconsequential minor-league assignments over the Olympic break and at the trade deadline to make him AHL-eligible for the rest of the season. He’s played in 18 of the Sabres’ last 21 games but was scratched in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Bruins to make way for Conor Timmins, who was returning after being sidelined for three months with a broken leg.
Buffalo already has Michael Kesselring and trade-deadline pickup Luke Schenn available as extra right-shot options, so keeping Metsa up wasn’t a necessity for injury insurance. Instead, they’ll take advantage of his waiver-exempt status to make sure he keeps getting playing time in Rochester while they give the more veteran trio of Timmins, Kesselring, and Schenn more reps, keeping Metsa fresh in case they do decide to insert him into the lineup in the postseason.
Metsa returning and playing a regular role for Buffalo in the playoffs is still very much a possibility. The 5’9″ rookie righty likely takes home the award for the league’s luckiest results this season, but his impact has been impressive nonetheless. Through his first 38 NHL contests, the Quinnipiac product has managed a +20 rating, ranking second among Sabres defenders behind Mattias Samuelsson‘s +34.
That’s despite Metsa averaging just 10:19 of ice time per game. Despite only controlling 45.7% of shot attempts at 5-on-5, Metsa has only been on the ice for two goals against all season long. No defenseman in the league with at least 10 games played has been on the ice for fewer goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than Metsa at just 0.31.
Considering his xGA/60 is way up at 2.66, per Natural Stat Trick, those results were never likely to hold. The Sabres likely took a significant amount of stock in that figure in today’s decision, realizing that Kesselring’s underlying defensive impacts as a #6/7 option this season (2.44 xGA/60) are preferable.
Still, Metsa’s run this season has been a great success story for a late bloomer who earned his first NHL contract just last summer. He captained Quinnipiac to a national championship in 2023 and had spent the last two seasons in Rochester on minor-league deals before the Sabres finally decided to ink him last July. He’s still under contract through next season but will lose his waiver exemption.
Red Wings Reassign Sheldon Dries
The Red Wings announced Thursday that they’ve reassigned center Sheldon Dries to AHL Grand Rapids. He was the odd man out when captain Dylan Larkin made his return to the lineup against the Senators on Tuesday, ending the emergency conditions he was summoned under earlier this month.
Dries’ demotion won’t be the only roster move coming from the Wings in the next several hours. Head coach Todd McLellan told reporters earlier today that goaltender Cam Talbot will be unavailable to back up John Gibson on Friday against the Sabres after tweaking something, so they’ll need to recall a goalie from Grand Rapids before tomorrow evening (via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press).
Dries, 31, had been filling in as the Wings’ fourth-line center for the last five games due to the domino effect caused by injuries to Larkin, Andrew Copp, and Michael Rasmussen, among others. While he’d been recalled several times earlier in the year, none of those resulted in playing time.
As such, his time in the lineup this month marked his first NHL appearances since April 2023 with the Canucks. The Michigan native did not record a point but at least managed to not be on the ice for a goal against at 5-on-5, averaging just 6:58 of ice time per game while winning 42.9% of his faceoffs.
While Rasmussen and Emmitt Finnie remain out of the picture for Detroit’s forward group at present, that’s still the healthiest they’ve been in a while. That’s good news for their playoff push, especially seeing as their regulation loss to Ottawa on Tuesday has dropped their postseason odds to 42.4% entering play tonight, per MoneyPuck.
Grand Rapids will gladly take Dries back. The 5’10” pivot has never been more than a depth scoring touch in his NHL minutes but has been a major impact piece in a leadership role for the Griffins since signing a two-way deal with the Wings in 2024, racking up a 20-17–37 scoring line with a +22 rating in 48 AHL outings this season.
Wild To Activate Marcus Foligno From Injured Reserve
Wild left-winger Marcus Foligno will play in tonight’s game against the Panthers, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports. He will need to be activated off injured reserve before then, which will bring Minnesota’s active roster up to 26 – including 16 forwards, all of which are now healthy, so they have no shortage of depth options available heading into the final ten games of the regular season.
Foligno, 34, has been out with a lower-body injury since the beginning of the month. After missing 12 games, he’ll dress alongside his older brother Nick Foligno, acquired from the Blackhawks at the trade deadline for future considerations, for the first time at any level.
Widely regarded as one of the league’s better defensive wingers, Foligno had some tough sledding this year before landing on the shelf. He previously missed nine games with another lower-body issue in November and December and hasn’t been all that effective when he’s dressed. In 48 games, he has a 6-5–11 scoring line with a -11 rating, the latter figure being the second-worst of his 15-year career.
Foligno began the season on a 14-game pointless streak and a 30-game goalless streak, and things haven’t gotten much better from there on the offensive side of the puck. Half of his total goal production on the year came in one game, recording a hat trick against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 19.
He will return in a fourth-line role, suiting up alongside his brother and Yakov Trenin to form a heavy checking unit that averages 6’2″ and 212 lbs. The elder Foligno brother, who’s a natural left-winger like Marcus but has played a good bit down the middle, will center that line after starting his Wild tenure 18-for-33 (54.5%) on faceoffs, per Smith.
Evidently, rookie Danila Yurov is exiting the lineup to make way for Foligno. That’s surprising at first glance – his 10-15–25 scoring line in 65 games is 10th on the team. However, he’s gone without a point in his last five outings and has seen his ice time slip amid Ryan Hartman being elevated back to a top-six center role. Foligno and McCarron have both been staking their claim for regular spots in the lineup with some strong defensive play since their acquisitions as well.
Islanders Recall Isaiah George
The rotation between major and minor lineups will continue for defenseman Isaiah George. The New York Islanders have again recalled George from the AHL, after moving him between rosters twice over the last two days. A lower-body injury will keep veteran defenseman Ryan Pulock sidelined on a day-to-day basis, so the team has added George from the AHL to help manage Pulock’s absence. Both Pulock and Alexander Romanov returned to New York’s practices on Thursday morning, with Romanov donning a no-contact jersey.
This isn’t George’s first season of routine recalls. He got into 33 NHL games last season, and has dressed for two this year. His last recall occurred in late January, and his most recent NHL game came Jan. 26. The 22-year-old has been a top-four defenseman in Bridgeport this season, also seeing time on both sides of special teams. In 45 games this season, George has set a career-high in production with 17 points. On a rate basis, his production is actually down somewhat from last season, though offense isn’t really a focal point of his game.
With Pulock injured, 2018 No. 8 overall pick Adam Boqvist drew back into the lineup, assisting on the Islanders’ game-winning goal during a crucial victory Sunday over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although George has been recalled, it does seem somewhat unlikely at this stage that he’ll draw into the lineup, assuming the Islanders don’t suffer any more defensive injuries. New York sit in the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card playoff spot, but their lead over the Detroit Red Wings for that position is just one point – and Detroit has a game in hand.
The Islanders play Chicago tonight, Dallas on Thursday, and Florida on Saturday. They can’t afford to drop points in those contests, so it’s likely George’s recall has more to do with providing insurance for further injury, rather than their being any plans to integrate him directly into their lineup.
With that said, if George does end up dressing for any games, his performance in those high-stakes contests could be very meaningful for his short-term professional future. George has another year remaining on his entry-level deal, but because of how the contract slid in the 2023-24 campaign, George is not slated to receive any signing bonuses next season. With an AHL salary of $82.5K, George could see his ending pay cut in half if he spends all of next season in the AHL. As a result, he has extra financial motivation to acquit himself well in front of Islanders brass and seize on any NHL opportunities that come his way.
Penguins Recall Avery Hayes, Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins have added two forwards to the roster ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Winger Avery Hayes and center Joona Koppanen have been recalled from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hayes’ recall will help the Penguins addresss a day-to-day injury for winger Anthony Mantha, while Koppanen will shore up the center depth per Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Hayes could have the clearer path to a lineup role if Mantha need to miss Thursday’s game. The 23 year old scored two goals in his NHL debut in early February but has struggled to keep scoring on the other side of the NHL’s Olympic break. He has no points in 10 NHL games since, though he has scored nine points in his last seven AHL games. That minor-league scoring brings him up to 32 points in 38 AHL games this season, fourth on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring.
The Penguins will hope Hayes can rediscover his spark as he steps up for Mantha, who has eight points in his last nine games. All of that scoring was managed over a six-game stretch in mid-March, bringing Mantha up to 26 goals and 53 points in 71 games this season – a new career-high in scoring.
Koppanen hasn’t been in the NHL since November, when he played through a 10-game stint on Pittsburgh’s third-line. He recorded one assist, two penalty minutes, and a minus-one in that span. He also won 12 of the 25 faceoffs he took. Koppanen has filled a stout center role in his minor league minutes, netting 19 points and a plus-14 in 37 games. He brings reliable, two-way depth to the lineup and could help the Penguins make up for an injury to veteran Blake Lizotte.
The Penguins have turned towards Connor Dewar to fill a center role in Lizotte’s absence. He is putting together a career-year on Pittsburgh’s bottom line, with 14 goals, 27 points, and a plus-10 in 71 games – all career highs. That production has kept Dewar in a nightly lineup role, though his role as a faceoff-taker is new. With Koppanen on the roster, Pittsburgh will have the option to move Dewar back to the wing, in place of Elmer Soderblom.
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.